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- Dec 11, 2014
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I adopted two senior cats about 6 weeks ago, adding to a household with two other older cats. I was feeding the "pre-exisitng" cats one brand, while the shelter from which I got the new ones fed them another. While the new kids were in a "safe room" for a couple of weeks, I continued to give them the brand they'd gotten at the shelter. But now they're out and freely mingling with the other cats. I just put dishes down that may have all of one brand or portions of both, depending on what was left over from an earlier meal or whether I opened new cans. There's no way to monitor who eats out of what dish, and they're probably all sampling from multiple bowls. I'm trying to use up the brand from the shelter, not buy more, and get everyone on the same diet. With multiple cats, I don't always know who's responsible when I find vomit after a meal.
Tonight I caught one of the new kids in the act, while last night I came across such a huge mess I thought the dog might have been responsible, but to my knowledge he hadn't been in that room (he has been known to sneak in and poke around in the litter boxes as well as steal any dried or leftover canned food in a dish). I think one of the new cats was the culprit but not sure which—although probably the same one who vomited tonight. Between the two brands of food and some experimentation with new flavors in those brands, it's no wonder one or more cats might be having issues, plus as my stained carpet verifies, "scarf and barf" is a frequent cat behavior even when there hasn't been any change in their food.
How can I lessen the odds that what I'm feeding them will cause issues? Just stick with one brand and possibly even one flavor (such as a fish/seafood)? I feel bad for them when they "lose their lunch," but I'm not sure what would help them stabilize. The new kids haven't been to my vet since they were examined by the shelter's vet immediately before my appointment to pick them up.
If the food problems persist I would take one or both of them to the doctor to see if there's a medical issue, but I suspect the discussion would get back to getting them adjusted to new foods, so it would seem like something to work on at home, and I'd appreciate suggestions.
Tonight I caught one of the new kids in the act, while last night I came across such a huge mess I thought the dog might have been responsible, but to my knowledge he hadn't been in that room (he has been known to sneak in and poke around in the litter boxes as well as steal any dried or leftover canned food in a dish). I think one of the new cats was the culprit but not sure which—although probably the same one who vomited tonight. Between the two brands of food and some experimentation with new flavors in those brands, it's no wonder one or more cats might be having issues, plus as my stained carpet verifies, "scarf and barf" is a frequent cat behavior even when there hasn't been any change in their food.
How can I lessen the odds that what I'm feeding them will cause issues? Just stick with one brand and possibly even one flavor (such as a fish/seafood)? I feel bad for them when they "lose their lunch," but I'm not sure what would help them stabilize. The new kids haven't been to my vet since they were examined by the shelter's vet immediately before my appointment to pick them up.
If the food problems persist I would take one or both of them to the doctor to see if there's a medical issue, but I suspect the discussion would get back to getting them adjusted to new foods, so it would seem like something to work on at home, and I'd appreciate suggestions.