Hi folks,
I'm new here and I've just adopted a 3yr old cat (neutered male) from our local animal shelter (~2 weeks ago) and have been feeding him Nutro Nat. Choice weight management dry (like most shelter cats, he's somewhat overweight). So far I'm having good results, he likes it, his stools are small and tight (and not overly stinky), he's lost some weight, and his coat looks 100% better than it did... He does tend to beg a lot, but I'm guessing that was because he was free-fed at the shelter and is adjusting to getting just 2/3 cup food a day (the vet rec'd to feed only 1/2c for weight loss, but others in the house are suckers for the cute begging kitty, so I had to switch to 2/3 c. to reduce the begging).
Both of the cats my family had when I was growing up died of digestive/urinary issues (kidney failure and blockage), so I want to do the best for this guy that I can, in terms of diet, etc to help prevent those sorts of issues, with that in mind, I have a question about wet/dry food...
I've heard that feeding a combination of wet and dry is best (for moisture intake, to help prevent urinary tract issues) and was wondering what percentages of wet/dry you guys feed? I plan on sticking with a mainly dry diet (for tooth/gum health), but want to supplement with wet food ocassionally... Would feeding wet food 1-3 times a week be a good compromise? Also, does feeding wet food really help urinary tract issues?
I've also been wondering if feeding wet will possibly "spoil" him and cause him to turn up his nose at the dry food. (guess I'll just have to wait and see on that one).
Thanks for your help! I'm sure that I'll have plenty of other questions to bug you with in the future
Art
I'm new here and I've just adopted a 3yr old cat (neutered male) from our local animal shelter (~2 weeks ago) and have been feeding him Nutro Nat. Choice weight management dry (like most shelter cats, he's somewhat overweight). So far I'm having good results, he likes it, his stools are small and tight (and not overly stinky), he's lost some weight, and his coat looks 100% better than it did... He does tend to beg a lot, but I'm guessing that was because he was free-fed at the shelter and is adjusting to getting just 2/3 cup food a day (the vet rec'd to feed only 1/2c for weight loss, but others in the house are suckers for the cute begging kitty, so I had to switch to 2/3 c. to reduce the begging).
Both of the cats my family had when I was growing up died of digestive/urinary issues (kidney failure and blockage), so I want to do the best for this guy that I can, in terms of diet, etc to help prevent those sorts of issues, with that in mind, I have a question about wet/dry food...
I've heard that feeding a combination of wet and dry is best (for moisture intake, to help prevent urinary tract issues) and was wondering what percentages of wet/dry you guys feed? I plan on sticking with a mainly dry diet (for tooth/gum health), but want to supplement with wet food ocassionally... Would feeding wet food 1-3 times a week be a good compromise? Also, does feeding wet food really help urinary tract issues?
I've also been wondering if feeding wet will possibly "spoil" him and cause him to turn up his nose at the dry food. (guess I'll just have to wait and see on that one).
Thanks for your help! I'm sure that I'll have plenty of other questions to bug you with in the future
Art