Food

[ollies mum]

Ollie is 19 weeks old now. We live In England and it seems the only kitten wet food i can get is 'Whiskers'.
Ollie has dry food down at all times. I mix his dry food(I buy different) all the time to save him from boredom.He does eat this stuff as his staple diet (Am I right in assuming that kittens and cats get the most nutrition from dry food). But what eludes me here in this country is lack of variety in wet kitten food.I bought him 'high life' today. Although it is for adults, it was in a pouch and was more mushy than other adult cat foods. He does eat around 3 to 4 small dishes a day of wet food, but he gulped this food down this evening, so he obviously enjoyed it tremendously.I wonder if once or twice a week if I was to feed him this tpe of adult food if I am doing him harm. Naturally I want to do what is best for him, but he seems so bored with this whiskers at the moment. Someone also said to me that I should not even be feeding him whiskers as it contains horid stuff! I don't know what to think any more!

Any advice much appreciated

Lisa

 

[vikki]

I don't have specific advice on feeding a young cat, but from what I've read and heard, as long as a cat is getting all of his nutritional needs met, it isn't necessary to vary his diet. Changing foods frequently can actually upset a cat's stomach. My cat handled food changes very well when I was deciding on a food for him; however, I know others have had trouble with their cats' gastro-intestinal system when they changed foods (i.e. diarrhea and vomiting).

As for the brand of food you feed, that is mostly a personal choice. I have friends who swear by the average grocery store food because their cats love it. Others feed their cats prescription food due to sensitive kitty stomachs. Personally, I feed my kitty a higher quality dry food because it bothers me how a lot of pet food is made to please the human. I mean, an animal doesn't care if the food is shaped like a fish or a chicken and/or is brightly colored! And the smell of some of that stuff -

.

I know that for adult cats, the main reason wet food is used is because cats are often not big water drinkers. The wet food helps them get the water they need. My kitty is a good drinker

so I don't feed him wet food.

Hope this helps.

 

[nern]

I dont think it will harm your kitten to give him adult canned food a few times a week. It sounds like your giving it more as a treat than a meal anyway. My 8month old kitten has been fed adult canned food several times a week since she was 7wks old in addition to her dry food and she is doing great. I dont think you have anything to worry about.

 

[alicat613]

I am really really against grocery store brands like Purina, Whiskas, ProPlan, etc. These companies put a lot of crap in their food that you would not feed your cat if you had any idea.

 

[badhabit]

Any food that packaged whether it's sold in a food store, pet store or vet office is kind of scary. Ever really look at the ingredients on the back of their packages? Half the things I can't even pronounce never mind know what it is.

Unfortunatly I wish I had more time I'd just make their food. There's a few good books by veterinarian nutritionists that give you recipes that you can feed your cats and dogs every day. I've started mixing real rice and carrots in with my dogs food even though I pay enough for it as is.

I figure if the cat likes the food and they get a clean bill of health, something is right. I've seen cats who have eaten store brand food for 20 years and when you look at their blood profiles they're in exellent shape.