- Joined
- Jan 5, 2020
- Messages
- 90
- Purraise
- 343
Hi all. Looking for a bit of advice on a feeding regimen for our girl Kila.
I'd like to do a combination of wet food and dry food if possible, though I'm open to attempting to switch her to all-wet. For the first week she's been with us we've been feeding her Purina One Tender Selects Chicken dry food mixed with some I and Love and You wet food, various flavors. She had been on the Purina food at the rescue we got her from but I'd like to move her to something a bit more nutritious. She eats two meals a day, 12 hours apart. I've been measuring the food out since she's a bit heavy (13 lbs but we're working on it).
She had her first vet checkup today and the vet basically told us anything with real meat ingredients would work. She seemed to be against grain-free foods. She recommended Iams or Science Diet, but I'm skeptical. I'd like to see something with a better ingredient list, at the very least.
One of my friends recommended Natural Balance, but that food is grain free. A bit of online research shows there's conflicting evidence on whether that sort of diet can be harmful to pets. So much to consider (and worry about)!
One further thing to take into consideration: our girl may be at higher risk for kidney and liver problems, having had antifreeze poisoning as a kitten while she was feral. Unfortunately I don't know the extent of her poisoning but the vet did let us know that she could have lasting damage and complications as she gets older. We'll be doing a blood panel for her at next year's annual checkup to ensure her levels are stable, but as of now she has no symptoms and seems perfectly happy. I know that too high of a protein level can be hard on a cat's kidneys and a lot of the more premium brands of food have high protein levels. I don't think she needs prescription kidney food yet but I'd like to be mindful and not give her anything that could exacerbate a potential problem.
So sorry for the book -- if anyone has some suggestions or could offer guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much in advance for your help!
I'd like to do a combination of wet food and dry food if possible, though I'm open to attempting to switch her to all-wet. For the first week she's been with us we've been feeding her Purina One Tender Selects Chicken dry food mixed with some I and Love and You wet food, various flavors. She had been on the Purina food at the rescue we got her from but I'd like to move her to something a bit more nutritious. She eats two meals a day, 12 hours apart. I've been measuring the food out since she's a bit heavy (13 lbs but we're working on it).
She had her first vet checkup today and the vet basically told us anything with real meat ingredients would work. She seemed to be against grain-free foods. She recommended Iams or Science Diet, but I'm skeptical. I'd like to see something with a better ingredient list, at the very least.
One of my friends recommended Natural Balance, but that food is grain free. A bit of online research shows there's conflicting evidence on whether that sort of diet can be harmful to pets. So much to consider (and worry about)!
One further thing to take into consideration: our girl may be at higher risk for kidney and liver problems, having had antifreeze poisoning as a kitten while she was feral. Unfortunately I don't know the extent of her poisoning but the vet did let us know that she could have lasting damage and complications as she gets older. We'll be doing a blood panel for her at next year's annual checkup to ensure her levels are stable, but as of now she has no symptoms and seems perfectly happy. I know that too high of a protein level can be hard on a cat's kidneys and a lot of the more premium brands of food have high protein levels. I don't think she needs prescription kidney food yet but I'd like to be mindful and not give her anything that could exacerbate a potential problem.
So sorry for the book -- if anyone has some suggestions or could offer guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much in advance for your help!