Food help please

2cats4me · Jul 28, 2015

BBDOLL22 said:
I would love to feed the friskies. IMO any wet is better than dry. The higher end wet is soooo expensive.
My vet feels that all grocery store food is like McDonald's for cats.

Oh ok. I absolutely would never tell anyone to go against their vets advice but personally I would think in the case of your cats urinary history almost any wet food would be good . Just my opinion of course .

Yes , it is so expensive to feed food to more than one cat ..

jolie0216 · Jul 28, 2015

Honestly, I feel like Friskie's has a bad rep unfairly - it's really not a bad food. I mean it's not the best premium organic cat food or anything - but for urinary issues, ANY wet is better than dry.

And if your cat will eat Friskies wet food, then that's a step in the right direction. Maybe if you print out the nutritional info for the Friskies (or any brand) that you want to feed and show it to your vet then she might be more receptive to the idea if she has the numbers staring her in the face?

I feed my cats some of the Fancy Feast flavors (the Classic Fancy Feasts are pates - but are low-carb, not sure about the mag/ash levels tho) and they are usually a big hit with most cats. Most cats love the Fancy Feast Classic chicken pate. As I've been told, the BEST wet food is the one your cat will eat - and any wet is better than dry! Good luck with your boy - I used to leave kibble out overnight for the cats, then they decided they liked their kibble more than their wet food, so I've been battling to get them back to an all-wet diet, and the reason I'm so concerned about it is the exact issue you are facing now - urinary issues. I think it is so important for male cats especially to be on an all-wet diet. If you're wanting to feed a grocery store brand, I would search online for its nutritional info (should be easy to obtain from the manufacturer's site) and print it out & take it to your vet to see what she thinks of it.

lokhismom · Jul 28, 2015

The issue I have with Friskies especially for a cat with urinary issues is they all contain fish. Correct me if I'm wrong but when I looked at some flavors I didn't find anything that didn't contain fish.

jolie0216 · Jul 28, 2015

Lokhismom said:
The issue I have with Friskies especially for a cat with urinary issues is they all contain fish. Correct me if I'm wrong but when I looked at some flavors I didn't find anything that didn't contain fish.

You might be right about that - I know that a lot of Fancy Feast flavors list "Fish" as an ingredient even if it's a chicken or turkey flavor - not sure about the Friskies tho since that's not in the rotation at home....

bbdoll22 · Jul 28, 2015

Wow I never knew they all contained fish. That's a no go then.

bbdoll22 · Jul 28, 2015

Tried to look up ingredients at friskies and they've discontinued the urinary food.

2cats4me · Jul 28, 2015

BBDOLL22 said:
Tried to look up ingredients at friskies and they've discontinued the urinary food.

Yes , Friskies has discontinued all the Special Diet , Senior Diet , Friskies Plus Formulas .

There are two Pate formulas without fish and there are several non pate formulas without fish ..

mrsgreenjeens · Jul 28, 2015

Yes, Friskies discontinued their Urinary Food, but if you are now considering a "grocery store" brand, you still might consider Purina Pro Plan Urinary Health mentioned above.

Also, if you free feed, how are you going to free feed with canned food? Canned food isn't something that should really be left out all day, and if you have some cats that really love it and eat fast, and others that don't like it so much and don't eat right away, you may find some cats aren't getting enough, and others are over eating. I feed canned, and have everyone on a schedule...3 meals a day. Still, I have to watch them all like a hawk to make sure everyone only eats out of their own bowls

And I only have THREE! BTW, they all USED to be grazers with kibble until they got put on a schedule so they could start eating wet food.

I still say you might be better off trying to convert them to scheduled feedings, that way you can feed the others anything you want, and some can be less expensive than the urinary food. PLUS, in my experience, the only way to get a cat to lose weight is to NOT free feed.

Maybe these articles will be of help to you:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade

2cats4me · Jul 28, 2015

BBDOLL22 said:
Wow I never knew they all contained fish. That's a no go then.

Have you looked at Sheba ? They have several varieties with no fish .. They also have non pate formulas .

http://www.chewy.com/cat/sheba-premium-chicken-cuts-in-gravy/dp/109034

@mrsgreenjeens makes a good point about switching to scheduled meals . It would be so much easier to find special food for just one cat . Also by free feeding how do you know that each cat is eating the proper amount of food ?

lucy1casper2 · Jul 28, 2015

Hey there. Saw your question, so quickly joined "Cat site" as I this very minute have been reviewing my options on cat food. Very briefly, as I have to run errands, my cat, Lucy, age 8 and dom. short hair, was diagnosed with crystal Luria about 3 years ago. My vet recommended Royal Canin Unrinary SO which comes in dry or wet. However, the wet food is not diet. I have been feeding her primarily dry with a small amount of wet @ 7 A,M, and again @ 5 P.M. for three years. Her weigh has actually gone down and there is now no show of crystals in urine. I have another cat, Casper, ragdoll, age 7, who is on a regular food diet, but is gaining weight (18 lbs.). I planned to put them both on same food, so looked at other brands. (Royal will not hurt Casper, but in fact help him lose a bit of weight.) There is Science Diet CD, but it does not come in diet, and will definitely add weight to your cat. Can't find any information for Purina CNM UR, but was told by my vet that currently, Royal is only food (dry) that won't add weight while controlling the formation of stones. I hope this helps you. I am sure you can investigate more thoroughly, but just speaking from my own experience, am happy with results and even asked my cousin, a vet, about Royal Canin 3 years ago before I put lucy on it. He recommended as well.

Good luck, hope more people give you feedback, and your kitty is sweet!!! Will post my cats pics soon.

Cindy

lucy1casper2 · Jul 28, 2015

Hello, again. Just joined this site, and I can't believe how many people are wanting to help you with your question. I had given you an option, but I didn't read that you wanted a wet food only, that you could get at a grocery store ie. less expensive until after I posted. After reading everyone's input, maybe my information is not helpful. However, my cousin, a vet, told me long ago that dry food was better for animals than the wet. So much better for their teeth and weight. Also, water is very important, so have several bowls out in different area for the cats. I drop ice cubes in and keep water cold and full. This is extremely needed for cats with crystal problems. I hope someone can solve your issue. Think eveyone's goals is the same...to give our pets the perfect, healthy, loving home. Think this site is great.

bbdoll22 · Jul 28, 2015

mrsgreenjeens said:
Yes, Friskies discontinued their Urinary Food, but if you are now considering a "grocery store" brand, you still might consider Purina Pro Plan Urinary Health mentioned above.

Also, if you free feed, how are you going to free feed with canned food? Canned food isn't something that should really be left out all day, and if you have some cats that really love it and eat fast, and others that don't like it so much and don't eat right away, you may find some cats aren't getting enough, and others are over eating. I feed canned, and have everyone on a schedule...3 meals a day. Still, I have to watch them all like a hawk to make sure everyone only eats out of their own bowls :lol3: And I only have THREE! BTW, they all USED to be grazers with kibble until they got put on a schedule so they could start eating wet food.

I still say you might be better off trying to convert them to scheduled feedings, that way you can feed the others anything you want, and some can be less expensive than the urinary food. PLUS, in my experience, the only way to get a cat to lose weight is to NOT free feed.

Maybe these articles will be of help to you:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade

Thanks for the links I will look into them.
Before Dom was put on cd all cats ate 3 wet meals a day. Then when vet put him on cd he hated it and would steak the others food and the others stole his cd dry.
He had a few blockages and before his cystotomy, vet said I could let all cats have cd. I do occasionally sneak them wet when Dom is sleeping.

bbdoll22 · Jul 28, 2015

mrsgreenjeens
Those links are extremely helpful as to get them back to timed meals. And I have to mix the cd with the OTC food so we don't get belly issues. After they are all on OTC wet then domino will start the methigel.
You can't mix methigel with RX foods.
I'm a SAHM so I can do the many small meals too. Now I just need to find a suitable OTC food that my vet agrees with and won't take us broke.

mrsgreenjeens · Jul 28, 2015

BBDOLL22 said:
@mrsgreenjeens
Those links are extremely helpful as to get them back to timed meals. And I have to mix the cd with the OTC food so we don't get belly issues. After they are all on OTC wet then domino will start the methigel.
You can't mix methigel with RX foods.
I'm a SAHM so I can do the many small meals too. Now I just need to find a suitable OTC food that my vet agrees with and won't take us broke.

All sounds good except your LAST sentence. THAT may be easier said than done! Good luck with that part

bbdoll22 · Jul 28, 2015

My thoughts exactly.

mrsgreenjeens · Jul 28, 2015

BBDOLL22 said:
My thoughts exactly.

Well,just remember, you pay HER, not the other way around. If she wants you to buy really expensive food, then ask her if she wants to pay for it

. She is simply there to advise you, but you ultimately make the choice, not her. Ask questions, and, since you are paying her, get her to answer WHY some of your choices are not good enough.. Show her ingredients, one against the other of the Purina or whatever, against the Hills. Chances are they are very similar. Seriously have her explain why Hills is better. I know she sells it, but think it is because the Hills reps have sold HER on it. Same as some Vets push Purina, and others push Royal Canin. .

bbdoll22 · Jul 28, 2015

You are right. She's pushing the OTC hills
Cause that's what she feeds her cats. She's a excellent vet I just don't agree with food issues. I think hills, iams and such are just like friskies, purina and such

2cats4me · Jul 28, 2015

BBDOLL22 said:
You are right. She's pushing the OTC hills
Cause that's what she feeds her cats. She's a excellent vet I just don't agree with food issues. I think hills, iams and such are just like friskies, purina and such

I wish you luck . I hope you can find a suitable food for all . How many cats do you have ?

bbdoll22 · Jul 28, 2015

5 cats
1 boy 4 girls, he has a harem lol
Everyone is fixed tho

2cats4me · Jul 28, 2015

BBDOLL22 said:
5 cats
1 boy 4 girls, he has a harem lol
Everyone is fixed tho

Too funny .. I can understand why the wet food is an issue .. I cannot even afford an all wet diet for 2 cats .. The only wet food they will eat is Fancy Feast and I can only feed it once a day .. It is .60 cents now for a 3 oz can . I have been trying to get them to eat Friskies but no luck ..

Food help please

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