Pat--We Have New Addition Coming!

sashacat421

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Pat, i know I just placed two orders for Sasha. But.....to our amazment in the hand of God, we have a new feline addition coming this weekend.
She is a tabby/coon mix and just under a year. She has been malnourished and half-starved, but all her blood tests have comeback 100% a-ok. She's a very special girl. What to feed her? According to her temporary foster family she is well-adjusted, never complains, and eats everything that is put inf ront of her probably from fear of starvation. Sasha eats a fairly heavy load, and I don't want to overload her much smaller system. She is barely 5 lbs, and you know Sasha is 21 lbs. Any advice would be great and I will place an order for her. We just got her a new bed by the fireplace, too.
 

pat

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Oh boy...I think if she were coming to my house...my concerns would be not feeding anything too rich, and not letting her gorge. I think I'd find out the predominant food she's been having, and feed that in lessening proportions as you switch her to the food you want her on. I'd try timed feedings - am and pm, and see how she does with that with maybe a just before bed snack
. It'll be a feeling out time obviously as you find out what her body likes best and what it reacts to re gas and/or off stools...you'll need to find out how she handles fish or chicken or beef based wet foods, and a quality dry. I'm so sorry I don't remember what dry you use with Sasha (my memory banks get emptied daily of some things!!), though I know some of the wet food he likes <G>.

That said, since I don't deal with cats who've had to deal with starvation (except for my two rescues...and they went to free feeding - but a measured amount without any trouble) others here may be better able to advise you.

One thing, I'd try Active Life with her before I'd try felidae or petguard, the active life is simpler, less extra's that may not be well tolerated by her system.

Having said that, some of the petguard flavors I'd consider second, before the felidae..something simple like the rabbit and rice which doesn't have things such as cranberry and alfalfa, which I think I'd hesitate starting her on right off the bat. Maybe I'm being too cautious, but that's me <G>.
 
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sashacat421

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ok that is great to know. I need to re-think Sasha's dry food. He just east Friskies in the green bag...but his tongue issues make it hard for him to manipulate the dry food. He eats his main wet food meal like clockwork, 7 am and 7 pm with a snack before bed if he wants...so she'll be on the same schedule. I ordered the Active Life tonight and I also have some of Freddie's kitten formula left. I have no idea what dry food to use, kitten formula? Sasha will just eat anything, he just mosies over and eats whatever is there....
Pat, any recommendations for a dry food that isn't so brittle -- that Sasha can manage with his tongue?


I think whatever Sasha is eating she will eat...we're just going to have to watch the portions so she doesn't gorge to get the right rythym with their eating habits.
 

pat

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Oh boy...I've used the same couple of dry foods for a while (except prescription)....question...how would he handle a thin food the shape and length of a decent sized pumpkin seed? That is the shape of the nutro natural choice complete care weight management...I do not know what the shape is like on the other nutro natural choice. I hope someone else here can comment.

Shape wise, the other food that I used to use was avoderm...and that is like small triangles.

I am sorry, I wish I could say I knew the shapes of most of the foods on the market, but I just don't. What is the shape of the Friskies he's currently eating?
 
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sashacat421

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No worries, gosh, how can you be expected to just know all that?
The Friskies dry food is tiny almost-heart shaped. Yet it's not the shape or size, per say, as he loves your salmon and chicken and those are larger in size, but it's the brittleness of the dry food. Wildside Salmon and the Whisker Smacker's Chicken are fabulous but they can't become his dry food and he just won't give those up because his tongue does so well with them. They don't have taurine, do they.
 

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No, they don't have any listed taurine...and I agree, they can't become his dry food <G>.

It sounds as if it's going to take some trial and error...I know that petsmart puts out sample sizes of some dry foods, I wonder if x shaped foods would be more brittle. Sounds to me like we need to start a thread asking everyone to describe the shape and texture of their dry food.

Seriously!
 

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Are you thinking perhaps a larger kibble filled with sort of meaty insides type of thing, Eddie? In my mind something like that where it's softer to munch onwould be good.. I'm trying to remember where I've seen anything of that type......I KNOW i have..
 
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sashacat421

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Originally Posted by turtlecat

Are you thinking perhaps a larger kibble filled with sort of meaty insides type of thing, Eddie? In my mind something like that where it's softer to munch onwould be good.. I'm trying to remember where I've seen anything of that type......I KNOW i have..
Yeah Denise, that would be great. It's not so much the small sizes he needs but just a good dry cereal that is slighly soft but has all the nutrients he needs.......ya!
 

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LOL.. Tender Vittles, I think
It's by purina, and while it's not a HIGH quality petfood, it may be more to what he likes, with 39% moisture.

Petguard though, has 12% which is more moist than other dry foods, and is premium


Diamond pro is what Ghibli was on while we were switching him to Iams Kitten (We're going to switch all the cats to nutro maintenance, I think when he's old enough for adult food.) However-They are larger and more solidly shaped, like rectangles with a tiny center hole. I think it would be easier, maybe.
 
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sashacat421

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We looked around and couldn't find any cereal compatible with both Sasha's tongue and taste buds. But, of course in the meantime, we got little Miss Saba. Now Sasha loves her kitten formula cereal. He eats it and does not throw up nor have a difficult time with his tongue manipulations. This is all very good, but is kitten formula ok for him? He has started to slack off on the wet food because he is eating the cereal a little more now.
-???
 

pat

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Oh boy, I might run this by your vet. My thoughts would be these - it's better for him to be eating a protein/meat based canned food as an adult and that the kitten formula cereal I would think is higher in fat than you may want him to have.

Can you mix this with his wet food, so cutting down a bit on his consumption of just this kitten formula stuff?
 
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sashacat421

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We can try that, sure. I'll call Dr. B tomorrrow a.m.
He is just so fit, he's pure muscle, very low fat/lean ratio on his body even being 21 lbs. I wish you could see him in person. He's like Jack LaLane!
 
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sashacat421

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So I am posting here again so that others who are curious may get something from this info if needed.

I spoke with the vet and she checked Sasha's blood hx on his chart and of course it was all within normal ranges. Because of this she advised that we keep looking for a "manageable" cereal for him, but for now, his eating of Saba's kitten food won't hurt him for long. There is extra fat, protein, and a host of other super things in there for growing cats and at the age of 12, Sasha does not need that and it may put a little strain on his kidney and liver functions in the long term. She suggest we find a new food by the end of the month, but was happy he at least eating the cereal and agreed that he needs the taurine in the dry cereal from something his tongue can handle.
 
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sashacat421

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Originally Posted by dawnofsierra

Thank you, E, this is of much interest to me!
I thought it might be as Sierra's tummy is so sensitive and she throws up a lot like Sasha. I was speaking with Glowbug and she referenced to me a Dr. Frazier who specializes in holistic enzyme recipes for kitties with super-sensitive digestive problems. I am gathering her data now, as Mayree said her big guy Charlie would constantly vomit and then she followed the recipe and he stopped! While Sasha vomits due to his gorging on un-chewed cereal because if his tongue and then over-eats, maybe you would have an interest in it for Miss Sierra and if so I will send it to you.
Elizabeth
 
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sashacat421

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Originally Posted by turtlecat

what brand of kitten food is Sweet Saba currently enjoying?
Well D all she is eating is Meow Mix Kitten Formula. I had stopped at the convenience store and they didn't have anything else and she just took to it.
She also eats Active Life Chicken.
 
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