which dry food to feed

kitty chew

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Hello, i have two 7 month old kittens, a male and female. I have been feeding them royal canin and hills kitten dry food. The vet told me i can start them on adult food now. When i went to buy their food there was only royal canin neutered male food. The vet told me it was ok to feed my female cat on this also. I bought it, but have my doubts, as male food is more for weight control, and my female is smaller. She said this is what vets recommend if you have one of each. Is this ok?
 

Columbine

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It's fine in terms of giving enough calories, but there are better dry foods out there than royal canin ;) Also, it would be a great idea if you were able to start them on at least some wet food - an all dry diet isn't ideal for any cat. Basically, cats evolved as desert creatures, and are designed to get around 80% of their fluid intake from their food. Because of this, they have a very low thirst drive and, if left to their own devices, simply don't drink enough to compensate for the dryness of kibble. If you absolutely must feed 100% dry food, then it's vital to take extra measures to boost their fluid intake to ensure they stay properly hydrated. Many members here (including me) feed dry food as part of the daily ration, but it's far better to feed a combination of wet and dry than dry alone ;)

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ej x

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I had the same dilemma and doing research I came across people saying that any wet food is better that the highest quality dry food. While this might not be true, or maybe it is. You will find out with research that the best you can do i wet food. And it doesn't have to be the highest quality, medium quality might be better than high quality dry.

Royal Canin, and least in my country is expensive so you might try food, or at least a bit of both (that is what I am doing)

good luck
 
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kitty chew

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Thankyou. I have been feeding them wet food. They get raw and cooked meat. Just wasn't sure about giving my female dry food made for a male cat.
 

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Plain (as in unsupplemented) meat can really unbalance the diet, and can potentially cause all kinds of problems. Far better to feed commercial cat food, or follow a balanced recipe if making your own :) [article="31801"][/article][thread="272287"][/thread][thread="263751"][/thread]
 
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kitty chew

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Variety is the spice of life! For my kitties anyway.
 
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kitty chew

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On that note, they seem to get more upset stomachs when they eat raw meat. I was giving them raw kangaroo cat meat, and lamb. ( no fat on it.) Then they told me at the cat shelter cats shouldn't eat raw meat. I'm sure they wouldn't be eating fancy feast in the wild! Anyway, i keep hearing different things. My vet said to only give them good quality dry food. Sounds unhealthy and boring. So i have put them back on cooked meat and tinned food. They seem much better. Not sure if i should try them on raw meat again. Maybe mix it in slowly?
 

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Raw meat can be tricky for cats that aren't used to it (just like kibble or wet food can be in the same circumstances). If you want to incorporate a little raw meat into their diet, start really small (like a bite each), and gradually increase it.

Try to note if it happens with all types of raw meat too - some cats just really struggle to process red meat, however lean. After all, they'd hardly bring down a lamb or cow in the wild :winkblue:
 
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kitty chew

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Might try it again. My male was getting blood in his stool, which is the main reason i stopped.
 

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:cringe: Blood in the stools is never good. Go very, VERY carefully in that case - all cats are different, and some just struggle with raw meat. If the blood in the stool recurs, then it might just not be for him. It sounds like he has a pretty sensitive tummy, and is more easily upset than the average.
 
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kitty chew

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I thought he may be intolerant or that i give them too much variety. My vet wasn't too worried about it. Maybe i'll stick with cooked meat and tinned food. Thanks for your help.
 
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