Is it worth switching to mainly dry food so my cat can have his brother live with us?

[danteshuman]

So my mom agreed that I could have Nick, who is my cat Jackie’s brother (they are a bonded pair.) We visit my mom’s every weekend so the brothers can hang out.

Now I can afford to adopt both boys if instead of eating 2 pouches/cans of wetfood a day, they eat one and eat 1/2 dry & half wet. (My Mom has agreed to keep buying him the same amount of wet food she does now .... she just has to many cats at4 cats.) Now I know wet is better & I will have to see if I can switch my picky eater into the cheaper wet fancy feasts instead of bff or fancy feast Tuscany. ATM Jackie eats 2 pouches or cans & 1/4 cup dry per day. I’m on SSI and buy Jackie mainly wet at my expense.

Is it worth putting Jackie on less wet (probably) so he can have his best friend back? I’m leaning towards yes but I would like your input (I would feed them blue buffalo wilderness dry or taste of the wild dry.)

Jackie (lynx) is calmer when Nick (black) is around. They love to play fight with each other! They also hang out and sleep by each other. Oh & I love Nick, he was the one I wanted to adopt. Nick was the runt and always my favorite though I love Jackie to. We wanted to adopt them out together but were unable to. Jackie however was returned and VERY stressed from it so I adopted him so he could live with his (foster) mom (me) & feel secure ....... instead of being adopted out where he may or may not get a good home. The boys were so happy to see each other, we resolved to keep their relationship going.





So your thoughts?

 

[amandag1]

If theyre bonded I'd say yes, and maybe over time you can bump up more wet or find better priced wet. FF classic pates are relatively good and cheap! Also, look for walmart.com chewy.com deals/coupons!

 

[kittyluv387]

If you can afford the extra vet costs sure. Nothing wrong with feeding FF classics (they're better anyway). Pouches are nice but don't have much value in terms of money. Pates are nice because they are usually more calorie. And you can add water to make it soupy since they will be eating mostly dry. My cats don't eat dry at all but I still add water to their food.

 

[lisahe]

If theyre bonded I'd say yes, and maybe over time you can bump up more wet or find better priced wet. FF classic pates are relatively good and cheap! Also, look for walmart.com chewy.com deals/coupons!

It's great that they want to be together! Yes to what amandag1 says -- there are lots of good deals you can find for wet food.

If you can afford the extra vet costs sure. Nothing wrong with feeding FF classics (they're better anyway). Pouches are nice but don't have much value in terms of money. Pates are nice because they are usually more calorie. And you can add water to make it soupy since they will be eating mostly dry. My cats don't eat dry at all but I still add water to their food.

And this is so true, too: foods like Fancy Feast Classics are calorie-dense so you definitely get more for your money with those than FF Tuscany, BFF, or just about anything in a pouch. We also add extra water to almost all the foods we feed. The food charts on Dr. Pierson's site can help you with the calories. http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Some other low-price options might be Friskies pates (also calorie dense but they do have carrageenan), Tractor Supply pates (a lot like FF pates but with better ingredients), or Chewy's Tiny Tiger pates. Especially since they're males, the more wet food you can feed, the better. (That fits with the "extra vet costs" point that kittyluv387 mentions, too!)

 

[Jcatbird]

I agree that as long as vet care is maintained when needed, they would probably be happy to be together. If you call Purina, they are pretty good about sending coupons to anyone needing a little help. The Fancy Feast pate is good for a less expensive food. I buy it in bulk for the rescued ferals and the shelter cats. It’s a little less expense by the case and you can often find it on sale at various locations.
I love the photos! Precious fur babies! Thanks go out to you and your mom for helping and loving them!

 

[danteshuman]

They are my boys! unfortunately my twerps only like fish. I feed them duck dry food. Does fancy feast pate come in tuna? I just tried chicken liver in gravy and he nibbles until I mixed a whole lil soup tuna in with his half of a can I try to feed him less fish to try to prevent future pancreatitis issues. I mix s small amount of water into his bff food because he likes the texture better (& I have to break it all up into tiny pieces!)

Yes I can afford the vet bills and in a worst case scenario my mom would help me with medical costs.

It isn’t a lack of love for Jackie in any way Nick is just the ‘baby’..... who is now bigger and gets his revenge on Jackie for picking on him as a wee kitten The boys were always hanging out together and the sister didn’t want to be part of their shenagins. She always slept apart from them.

 

[rubysmama]

Everyone has a different opinion on the best foods for cats, but generally, I think especially for male cats, a cheaper canned food is better for them, than a more expensive dry food. But again, opinions will vary, depending on who you ask.

The other consideration to adopting Jackie's brother, as has already been mentioned, is vet care. Since they're young, that shouldn't be a concern right now, but you do need to think about that when you make your decision.

Both boys are adorable, and I hope you'll be able to swing it financially so they can live together with you.

 

[Tobermory]

Seeing the pictures of the two of them together? Yes, I’d do it in a heartbeat. When it comes to food, we educate ourselves about what’s best for our cats and then do the best we can to make it happen. I know you said they like fish, but if you have access to a Costco, the Kirkland Nature’s Domain brand canned is decent and cheap (the dry is not good quality). It comes in chicken and liver and turkey and liver, and the last time I bought it for the shelter where I volunteered, it was $32.79 for 48 5.5 oz. cans. The cats who didn’t like it got bonito flakes sprinkled on top to entice them which seemed to work.

 

[Azazel]

I would do it. You can always figure out the food situation down the road. Keep doing research into wet food and give them more when you find good sales and can afford it. Maybe some weeks they’ll get more wet because you find a good sale and some weeks you’ll have to supplement with dry to stay within your budget. You might even look into alternative options such as homemade food down the road, who knows.

 

[Azazel]

Sorry, I double posted.

 

[Sonatine]

I'd do it! Activity and socialization are just as important for a cat's health as food is, and they'll probably do great together! Also, fancy feast does have a tuna pate, as well as a few other seafood varieties, if you can't convince them to try poultry or beef. My cats inhale every single flavor like it's their last meal on earth. Then again, they do that to most food.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Keep them together for their happiness and health. I feed the best food I can at that snapshot in time. Sometimes they even turn their noses up at the better quality. They are beautiful and obviously bonded. Keeping them together would be my number 1 priority. Keep posting pictures and updates we would love to see more of them. Everyone needs a BEST FRIEND!!!!!

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Just a cost saving thought here What type of litter do you use? When I switched to pine pellets the cost saving was amazing! $5.99 for 40lbs at Tractor supply. It’s not just the saving either it’s a great litter. Also saw that you said Jackie was returned from his first adopter. Just wondering why?

 

[danteshuman]

Just a cost saving thought here What type of litter do you use? When I switched to pine pellets the cost saving was amazing! $5.99 for 40lbs at Tractor supply. It’s not just the saving either it’s a great litter. Also saw that you said Jackie was returned from his first adopter. Just wondering why?

Jackie was adopted by a college student who lived at home with a resident cat. I sent his used scooped litter with him, toys, his blanket he likes to nurse on, a cat sofa scratcher and some food. Then a week later they the family went on vacation, they hired a cat sitter and sent him back for us to watch for a week (why the frack did they insist on taking him early?!? Why did they not have the cats boarded together?!?) Jackie was ecstatic to be home then we had to send him back. At which point the resident cat got upset and Jackie got stressed and peed a couple of times. The girl offered to take him back after we neutered him! (WTF?!?)

So my cat had died, I had just moved to a 1 pet rule apartment, Nick had been with me for a day and my mom calls saying Jackie (the kitten I tried not to love because I knew he had to be adopted out) was returned. After seeing how the poor guy had been up-yo’ed around ..... and knowing he was a hyper easily stressed cat so he would be hard to place in a forever home unless they were used to a siamese or siamese mix. So I agreed to adopt Jackie so both boys could have a good home. poor Jackie was glued to me for months after his experience but he has never peed out of his box since then. I consider it good/progress that he now feels comfortable enough to go into the bedroom and hang out in the closet shelves for an hour or so every day.

On a side note my mom has a crystal automatic litter box and they hate it! Do they have unscented pellets I can try first? Plus the kittens have used clumping litter from 3 months on.

Here he is shortly after he was returned, plus one of his brother & him after he got back. The rest are him mostly grown up at my apartment.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

He is beautiful . Both of them ! Color points are my weakness I have 2. I hope he can stay with you and his brother so he can become secure that he is there to stay. It’s sad and confusing for the kitty to go from home to home. You are wonderful for caring about how they are bonded! The pine pellets that are sold in bulk do have a pine smell but I like it. Another member described it well , like the smell of Home Depot or Lowe’s. There are different types of pellets that may smell different sold in pet stores but they are more in line Price wise with other cat litters

 

[Lotusflwr79]

Petco has great deals if you buy online and pick up in store or if you auto ship the food. I’d say keep them together. You can find a way to give them wet and dry food. I have 2 kittens who get about a heaping tablespoon each of Whole Hearted Chicken kitten wet food 5.5 oz can 2x’s per day (per what the vet recommended) and I keep about 1 cup dry science diet kitten kibble for them to graze on. I actually had someone tell me I’m feeding too much! But they’re growing kittens. There is always a bite or 2 left of wet food. I go through one of the big cans about every day and a half— if that helps you any.

 

[danteshuman]

Sylvia, Jackie (lynx) has his forever home with me. He is with me to stay! He is my little dude! No more adoptions for him!

Nick (black) gets bored and pesters his sister when Jackie is not around. So I think that is part of the reason my mom is agreeable to my adopting him.

 

[rachbu]

They will be healthier together than they would be separated, eating the best food

Do what gives them and you the most joy

 

[rachbu]

They are my boys!

It sounds like you already know the answer