Multi-Cat Homes: How do you do it?

msserena

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Huh I haven't had any issues with rodentpro, although I've only ordered from them once. I was looking into Layne but for the price, I could buy day old quail at RP for much less & they process them the same way so it was a no brainer for me. My cats love the birds & are still kicking. They are at a lot of reptile shows so I guess if they sold crappy products, they wouldn't last very long. I've never heard of those other websites but then again I'm not looking for mice or rats. I mainly buy day old quail cause I know my cats will eat them. I will buy some ground whole mice from Hare Today one of these days & see how the kitties like that.
 

Willowy

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They aren't terrible or anything, just not THE best for rats and mice. They do appear to be one of the only ones that sell quail, guinea pigs, and rabbits, though.

So if a cat needs about 4 ounces of raw a day, not sure how much weight on a rat is fur and whatnot, but say 1 medium or large rat a day. . .mediums are $1.75, larges are $2.00, add a few cents each for shipping, that depends how much you order. . .yeah, that would be cheaper than high-end canned food. Not sure if a steady diet of just rats is best, but quails only cost a little more. It would be do-able, I think, if the cat was willing.
 

msserena

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uggg I can't imagine a cat eating a rat. it's bad enough watching them eat a baby quail. Mine have caught a couple of mice in the house before but they haven't tried to eat them, they just want to play with them.
 

Willowy

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Honestly it's not terrible, or maybe my rat-eaters are seasoned professionals (since they're former strays) :D. I mean, of course if you watch closely you'll see some gross things, but otherwise it's not messy or icky. They make more of a mess eating canned food :tongue2:. I thought it would be worse but it's really not.
 

primal cat

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I'll see if I can swing the rats then with shipping, thanks :) I would think they are nutritionally complete, but I'll double check the taurine and do some more research before I add them to rotation. One of my concerns is that my allergy cat might need more than one per day. She does like quail. She loves mice and tosses them way up in the air for several minutes before eating. They do crunch, and don't make a mess. I enjoy watching her have a blast. She like to play with and eat roaches too. I think she will go for rats, as she took to raw and mice with no transition. I think 2 of my other cats would like them because they were strays at one point. Only one of my cats definitely wouldn't have it. My sensitive Pikachu would probably grieve it if anything, or look at me like I did something horrible. He's like an anti-cat. He loves small animals in a friendly way, and literally runs away from cooked/raw meat and tuna, with the exception of kibble :/
 
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toni the tiger

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I have 8 cats. I feed a good quality dry cat food. When it comes to wet food. You need to be aware that you are purchasing 90% water. Yup, I said it. I worked for one of the largest pet food superstores for over 16years. We had to learn about pet food nutrition back in the beginning of the company, not like today that they can't tell you anything. You do want to watch the magnesium/ash level if you are going to feed it daily.
I use dry food daily and only use can food for special occasions and treats. Again, 90% water great for when they are sick and you want to keep them hydrated.
 

primal cat

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They look like they are enjoying themselves! I love seeing that natural predator side at work, and offering that to indoor cats. I've thought about raising mice, but haven't done the math there. I'm not sure how to kill them at home without really damaging them, and I wouldn't want one to suffer. I thought I'd throw that out there as a possible money saver. They might eat more than they cost, but I don't know.

Wet food is mostly water, yes. That's why OP doesn't want to feed dry. If feeding dry, it's important to add the water back, which is a lot of water. Some of my cats are given dry and still eat it like a soup - I suppose I'm lucky they do, and hope I'm giving enough water. I try to let it absorb some before feeding. Cats have low thirst drive, so they don't drink enough to stay optimally hydrated. Years of this leads many cats to chronic kidney failure in older age. Raw food is about 70-80% water, which is what our cats' ancestors are adapted to eat in a fairly dry environment with little water. We've only had kibble for roughly a century.
 
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Willowy

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I have 8 cats. I feed a good quality dry cat food. When it comes to wet food. You need to be aware that you are purchasing 90% water. Yup, I said it. I worked for one of the largest pet food superstores for over 16years. We had to learn about pet food nutrition back in the beginning of the company, not like today that they can't tell you anything. You do want to watch the magnesium/ash level if you are going to feed it daily.
I use dry food daily and only use can food for special occasions and treats. Again, 90% water great for when they are sick and you want to keep them hydrated.
Yes, that's kind of the point with cats :D (although most canned foods are 80% water, not 90%). Cats in the wild get almost all their moisture from the blood and flesh of their prey. Drinking water is unnatural for cats, so many pet cats don't drink enough to keep themselves healthy. So wet food is important for them to keep their urinary systems and kidneys healthy.

For healthy dogs, yeah, I'd say, canned food is a treat, don't waste your money. But for cats, yes, we are paying for the water, that's what they need!
 
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lisahe

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Yes, that's kind of the point with cats
(although most canned foods are 80% water, not 90%). Cats in the wild get almost all their moisture from the blood and flesh of their prey. Drinking water is unnatural for cats, so many pet cats don't drink enough to keep themselves healthy. So wet food is important for them to keep their urinary systems and kidneys healthy.

For healthy dogs, yeah, I'd say, canned food is a treat, don't waste your money. But for cats, yes, we are paying for the water, that's what they need!
Yes, the moisture's important... and I'm happy to pay for that as well as the lack of fillers and other junk that needs to be put in dried food so it extrudes into clever shapes of varying colors!
 

Primula

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I have 2 adult female cats - both around twoish in age. They have 3 canned meals a day of Fancy Feast. The cost per can is roughly 59 cents to 70 cents. Some days I open 3 cans, sometimes only 2. They have a meaty can for breakfast & dinner (not beef - they hate it) & fish for lunch, which they love. They free-feed Fancy Feast dry 24/7. Roughly $8 a bag. There are 3 flavors so there are always 3 bags in use. A bag lasts a fairly long time. That's it + water. No treats of any kind & they both just passed their annual physicals.
 
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zylaai

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I have 2 adult female cats - both around twoish in age. They have 3 canned meals a day of Fancy Feast. The cost per can is roughly 59 cents to 70 cents. Some days I open 3 cans, sometimes only 2. They have a meaty can for breakfast & dinner (not beef - they hate it) & fish for lunch, which they love. They free-feed Fancy Feast dry 24/7. Roughly $8 a bag. There are 3 flavors so there are always 3 bags in use. A bag lasts a fairly long time. That's it + water. No treats of any kind & they both just passed their annual physicals.
Yeah.. I'm sure I could be really casual when it comes to pet food, like, just feed them dry food and occasional canned. It would save me a lot of money. But a lot of diseases and such arise when fed dry food, and it's very unhealthy for them. Personally, I wouldn't give fish. It's really bad for cats and the mercury content is just.. way too high. Male cats you have to especially be careful with, since they tend to be more prone to URIs, but of course any sex could get a URI.

I've fed Fancy Feast before, just for a few days, but I had to stop due to it making their breath stink very badly. Plus, Fancy Feast also gets their fish from slave labor in China... so. Not a company I'd want to support any longer I'm afraid. Thanks for sharing though :)
 
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zylaai

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I have 8 cats. I feed a good quality dry cat food. When it comes to wet food. You need to be aware that you are purchasing 90% water. Yup, I said it. I worked for one of the largest pet food superstores for over 16years. We had to learn about pet food nutrition back in the beginning of the company, not like today that they can't tell you anything. You do want to watch the magnesium/ash level if you are going to feed it daily.
I use dry food daily and only use can food for special occasions and treats. Again, 90% water great for when they are sick and you want to keep them hydrated.
Yes, pretty much what Primal Cat has said - high water content is definitely needed in a cat's diet. Hell, even with the current canned foods, I always add an extra amount of water.
 

tarasgirl06

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Hmm.  I'd always wondered about cats' normal prey as diet for indoor domestic cats, because, well, it is what they were created to eat.  Educational and informative posts!  IDK if I'd convert from high-quality tinned (with high-quality dry free-choice) for my three, who are 13, 12, and 9 and have always eaten these diets.  But in future, I might think about it, because it seems a lot healthier to feed someone what their natural diet is. 
 

Primula

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Hmm.  I'd always wondered about cats' normal prey as diet for indoor domestic cats, because, well, it is what they were created to eat.  Educational and informative posts!  IDK if I'd convert from high-quality tinned (with high-quality dry free-choice) for my three, who are 13, 12, and 9 and have always eaten these diets.  But in future, I might think about it, because it seems a lot healthier to feed someone what their natural diet is. :nod:
But I wonder what our "natural diet" would be. What did homo sapiens eat in prehistoric times? Grilled dinosaur?
 

tarasgirl06

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True.  Proven by our dentition and our digestive system, both of which are common to herbivores but certainly not to carnivores or even omnivores.
 
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