Does my kitty need vitamins??

I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion about giving my kitty vitamins. He is 5 1/2 months old, the vet hasn't mentioned it and I was curious. If so any suggestions on what type? Brand?

Oh yeah, someone told me I was feeding my kitty too much also. I leave dry food out all day and night. I also give him 1/2 can of wet food when I get home from work, am I over feeding him?

Thanks
Christina

Originally Posted by MilosMoMMy

I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion about giving my kitty vitamins. He is 5 1/2 months old, the vet hasn't mentioned it and I was curious. If so any suggestions on what type? Brand?

Oh yeah, someone told me I was feeding my kitty too much also. I leave dry food out all day and night. I also give him 1/2 can of wet food when I get home from work, am I over feeding him?

Thanks
Christina

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I personally don't. I feed a great quality food. In my past experience I have not had luck with my cats eating the vitamins! They are huge too

I havent tried the vitamins, I think quality cat food is all they need also. It's got all the nessesary stuff they need in there. It's more expensive, but your kitties will be healthy. Even without Vitamins. They ARE huge, and they have some spray stuff that you can put onto the food, but I really dont think it's something you need.

Thanks for the feedback.... Milo gets Purina dry food (for all ages) and 9 Lives wet.... Should I be giving him something better???

Originally Posted by MilosMoMMy

Thanks for the feedback.... Milo gets Purina dry food (for all ages) and 9 Lives wet.... Should I be giving him something better???

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Yes...(IMO) first off 9 Lives is no good for him. Male cats have a huge chance of getting urinary problems as they age. It most of the time is do from what the owner feeds. Male cats have a harder time with the cheaper foods. It is just something in their systems. I would highly sugest and the very least you fed Iams. I feed Nutro. If money isn't a huge issue you can try Royal Cannin, Nutro, Evo, Eagle, Natural Balance etc.
PM me if you have more questions!

I will 'gently' suggest not to leave dry food out all the time. Many cats treat it as "candy" and they can get over-weight which can lead to diabetes.

We feed our 7 month old Ocicat kitty wet food with a little dry food(Royal Canin is one of the best IMO) along side as "bread" . She's gotten to where she won't eat the wet until I put some dry beside it and then she chows down both.

Many respected DVMs and cat breeders recommend no dry food as it's mostly carbohydrates and they are not 'good' for cats but we compromise and give her about 1/4th to 1/3rd dry food.

Dan

This may sound nuts but I've never heard of any of the brands you mentioned. Where do you buy your cat food?

You can get most of those at Petco or Petsmart. I don't have any of those near me, but I can order them online. I think Evo is harder to find, though. There is a small time local pet store near me that sells Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul, Royal Canin(only puppy), SD/Nature's Best(Not so good foods), Iams, Eukunuba(sp?). All you can do is check around near you. Call any pet stores near you to ask about foods, or stop in to visit them. I got recommended Royal Canin the last time I was in Petsmart, & it was wonderful advice!

THANKS... I'm going to pick some up this weekend. I just hope milo doesn't get sick from switching foods on him.

Originally Posted by MilosMoMMy

THANKS...

I'm going to pick some up this weekend. I just hope milo doesn't get sick from switching foods on him.

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You have to switch the food gradually over a period of at least 2 weeks. Just mix a little of the new food with the old and increase the new food a little every day. Otherwise kitty may get the runs and not feel well.

I feed Merricks canned - it's a lovely food - no by-products.

Originally Posted by emb_78

Yes...(IMO) first off 9 Lives is no good for him. Male cats have a huge chance of getting urinary problems as they age. It most of the time is do from what the owner feeds. Male cats have a harder time with the cheaper foods. It is just something in their systems. I would highly sugest and the very least you fed Iams. I feed Nutro. If money isn't a huge issue you can try Royal Cannin, Nutro, Evo, Eagle, Natural Balance etc.
PM me if you have more questions!

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I too feed Nutro .. and ZOey went to my new vet today and I was told she had one of the best coats she'd seen...

Originally Posted by sharky

I too feed Nutro .. and ZOey went to my new vet today and I was told she had one of the best coats she'd seen...

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That's great!!! That is what I feed, and my babies coats have all improved!!

Nutro is great food! Good quality, little or no by-products, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul and The PetSmart aren't bad either. I switch between those two and I used to feed Nutro. All three are great. Stay away from the grocery store brands like 9 Lives, Friskies, Whiskas, Purina, even though they also sell these at pet stores like Pet Smart, they are bad foods. Poor quality, tons of by-products and fillers and corn and random bad ingredients. They are basically like feeding your kids McDonalds every single day.

Originally Posted by Jen

Nutro is great food! Good quality, little or no by-products, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul and The PetSmart aren't bad either. I switch between those two and I used to feed Nutro. All three are great. Stay away from the grocery store brands like 9 Lives, Friskies, Whiskas, Purina, even though they also sell these at pet stores like Pet Smart, they are bad foods. Poor quality, tons of by-products and fillers and corn and random bad ingredients. They are basically like feeding your kids McDonalds every single day.

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Great way to put it!

The vet sold me some liquid vitamin stuff for Tuffy a while back because he was enemic [sp]. She said this stuff would help him make new blood cells, she checked him again about a week after he started on the stuff and she said his blood tested alot better. I was giving it to him with a seringe but she said it could also be mixed in food or there water. The name on the bottle is Pet-Tinic, says its for dogs and cats.

We use Nutro indoor dry for all our cats. I had been using the cheap purina stuff from wal-mart. I think in the long run the Nutro is cheaper because they don't eat so much of it and I go through less cat litter because they use the litter box less.

My sick stray kitty Tuffy has the softest and smoothest fur I have ever felt on a cat. They all seem to shed less on the Nutro also.

I found out by accident that the fleet-farm near us has the Nutro cat and dog food.