Taking Cat Off Rx Food-New Food Suggestions?

We’ve decided to take Weasely (our male manx) off of the urinary RX food.

He never had urinary issues. What probably happened was that the vet’s office we boarded him at for two weeks was too lazy to give him any of the canned food we provided. Coupled with him not being in with his usual litter, he probably was dehydrated and then held in his pee. Of course he became blocked. He hasn’t had an issue since. Not to mention our vet said the corn in his RX was “nutritious” for cats??? Yeah, ok, sure Jan. We’re looking for a new vet.

He doesn’t even really like kibble, he mostly waits for his two cans of wet a day (he gets Nature’s Variety Pride and Instinct, Weruva (CITK and TruLuxe and normal), and Wellness Core Turkey and Duck.) We’ve cut him off all fish except salmon and he and the dogs now have a water fountain. 

We don’t want him entirely off dry as he likes to munch here and there, but we will definitely ration it to a half a cup a day. But what dry? I’ve read so many conflicting articles. Orijen is a good brand but has fish in all their formulas except the Red Regional and all that red meat isn’t good for cats (who prey on birds and rodents) and supposedly isn't good for the urinary system because of all the magnesium and calcium. He didn’t like the Nature’s Variety Chicken Rawboost. Maybe the Nature’s Variety Pride kibble? Although I’ve only ever seen the rabbit one at work and we haven’t had any for a long time. 

Half a cup of dry food is a LOT of calories. For example half a cup of Orijen dry food is 250 calories which is way more than most cats need in total calories in a day.

My suggestion would be to only feed kibble as a snack, maybe between meals or before bed since he doesn't really like kibble and he has a history of at least one urinary issue. I don't think, personally, that the fish in Orijen is a concern because its very low on the ingredient list. I feed Orijen mixed with Ziwipeak air dried as a snack to my cats.

Here's a list of other good kibbles. Be aware that again, kibble is usually high in calories so you need to really be cautious of how much you're feeding.

Thank you for your reply

I think you overestimate how much kibble he'll eat.

His kibble bowl holds maybe two cups of kibble, and it takes him close to two weeks to empty it. If anything, I can cut back on kibble if I notice it's all he's eating or he's eating it quickly.

How do you feel about Nature's Variety? I gave him some of the  Chicken Rawboost and he seemed to like it. I was thinking about trying the LID Turkey or the Rabbit.

Also I was told that Taste of the Wild's Salmon and Venison recipe is good. Is this a good brand?

Manx said:

 
Thank you for your reply

I think you overestimate how much kibble he'll eat.

His kibble bowl holds maybe two cups of kibble, and it takes him close to two weeks to empty it. If anything, I can cut back on kibble if I notice it's all he's eating or he's eating it quickly.

How do you feel about Nature's Variety? I gave him some of the  Chicken Rawboost and he seemed to like it. I was thinking about trying the LID Turkey or the Rabbit.

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So you don't really want to leave out kibble and "free feed" when he's also getting wet food. He may eat kibble and reject the wet food because he "always" has food available. You also don't want to leave kibble out for two weeks as cats mouths have bacteria in them and saliva will get on their food which will then grow bacteria if you leave the same food out for that long. Kibble is also not sterile food, so saliva + kibble = bacteria growth. You should really only offer him a tablespoon or two, then throw away whatever he hasn't eaten at the end of the day, this is what I do.

I use raw boosts as toppers on raw food/wet food. My cats actually like the rabbit better than the chicken. My cats don't like the LID wet food, but they do really like the Merrick LID wet foods. Have you tried freeze dried foods like Stella and Chewy's or Primal? Similar to raw boost but better quality.

Okay, I won't leave kibble out for long, then. Two tablespoons a day will probably do. 

My cat didn't like the NV's LID Turkey wet either. I wonder why that is.

I have to work today, and if we have the Orijen Adult Cat & Kitten formula, I'll take it and see how he likes it. If not, I'll try the NV Rabbit if we have it (chicken if not).

Stella and Chewy/Primal are quite expensive as a standalone. I can buy a bag here or there as a treat. My cat didn't seem interested in the NV Raw boost rabbit and chicken bits but he LOVES the freeze dried Orijen treats.

Thank you for your help. I'll update this thread sooner or later with news.

Manx said:

 
Okay, I won't leave kibble out for long, then. Two tablespoons a day will probably do. 

My cat didn't like the NV's LID Turkey wet either. I wonder why that is.

I have to work today, and if we have the Orijen Adult Cat & Kitten formula, I'll take it and see how he likes it. If not, I'll try the NV Rabbit if we have it (chicken if not).

Stella and Chewy/Primal are quite expensive as a standalone. I can buy a bag here or there as a treat. My cat didn't seem interested in the NV Raw boost rabbit and chicken bits but he LOVES the freeze dried Orijen treats.

Thank you for your help. I'll update this thread sooner or later with news.

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Mine love the freeze dried Orijen treats too. Good luck!

missmimz said:

 
Mine love the freeze dried Orijen treats too. Good luck!

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 Whoops, sorry for the delay.

Weasely loves the Orijen! He can't eat it enough. I'm still paranoid about all the fish and magnesium/calcium in there, however. He gets one tablespoon mid-afternoon and one late evening. Still getting two, sometimes three, cans a day. Nature's Variety Pride and Instinct, Wellness Core Turkey and Duck, Weruva (non-fish recipes except salmon, all lines), and Wellness TruFood. I bought some Wild Callins! rabbit and chicken to see if he likes that. 

I've also got him on some UT supplements. He seems to like the Smart N' Tasty Urinary Health treats. I also got him the UT Paw Licks but he doesn't seem to like those much so when I'm done with these, I'll be getting some of the Cranimals supplement powders. 

As for treats, he still gets his Wellness Kittles and Orijen (mostly the Adult Cat, I want to see how he likes the lamb though).

Thank you for all your help!