Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog food forum > Cat food forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old April 17th, 2006, 01:13 PM
macdonv macdonv is offline
Molly & Mrs Norris's mum
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 11
Caught between a fat cat and a skinny cat

I just found this site, and have been reading just about everything here - what a goldmine! Here's my situation:

I have 2 cats, Molly (13-14 lbs), and Mrs Norris (8-9.5 lbs). Molly's around 5 years old, while Mrs Norris is around 3. And she's prone to hairballs, while Molly never seems to have any.

It's almost impossible to slim one cat down while trying to fatten another up, so I just don't give Molly extra treats. She'll get a Temptations or two after I clip her nails, but not as a meal supplement. I was feeding them both Purina Cat Chow Indoor Cat Formula. As I mentioned, Mrs Norris is a hairball factory. It was sometimes common to be greeted by hairballs (and sometimes some thrown-up food) up to 3 times a week. Then she just started throwing up her food, sometimes before it even started to be digested, but not every day - maybe once or twice a week. Usually on the furniture. :-) She loves Fancy Feast wet food (a fatten-up treat for her) and doesn't throw that up, so I figured maybe she just doesn't like the taste of the Indoor Cat dry food.

I switched them both to the Cat Chow Advanced Nutrition. Mrs Norris hasn't thrown up since the switch was made (about a month ago), which leads me to believe she just didn't like the other stuff. However, she has lost a half-pound since then, and she doesn't really have a lot to spare. She still drinks regularly and eats regularly, but not as much - almost like she's on a self-imposed diet. Her litter visits are normal. They both play "chase me" with their normal vigour.

Has she just turned into a finicky eater?

To try and accommodate having a fat cat and a skinny cat, should I try switching them to the new Iams Multiple cat? I've also discovered that Hill's Science Diet has a "Sensitive Stomach" blend. Would this maybe be better for Mrs Norris?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old April 17th, 2006, 01:30 PM
phoenix's Avatar
phoenix phoenix is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Posts: 993
If you've been reading everything on here, you'll know that grocery store food brands are not quality foods and might even be causing some of the problems you're having. Check out this thread:
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....good+cat+foods

I'm not a cat person but please read some threads in the feeding section. None of the foods you've mentioned are good quality for your kitties. Well, I'll let some cat owners give you better advice than I can, but just wanted to get you started.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old April 17th, 2006, 01:51 PM
macdonv macdonv is offline
Molly & Mrs Norris's mum
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by phoenix
If you've been reading everything on here, you'll know that grocery store food brands are not quality foods and might even be causing some of the problems you're having. Check out this thread:
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....good+cat+foods

I'm not a cat person but please read some threads in the feeding section. None of the foods you've mentioned are good quality for your kitties. Well, I'll let some cat owners give you better advice than I can, but just wanted to get you started.
Thanks for replying so quickly. However, now I am even more confused. When I first got Molly, the vet suggested Iams or Science Diet. I understand that Cat Chow isn't the best for them, but it's a step up from Happy Cat. But why not Iams or Science Diet? I just came from PetsMart and their aisles and aisles of cat food. I'm leery of going with a brand that I have never heard of - what do the cat folks here suggest that is reputable, healthy, and most of all, affordable? Nutro Natural Choice? Nutro MaxCat? ProPlan? Authority? Royal Canin? My head spins!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old April 17th, 2006, 02:01 PM
jawert1 jawert1 is offline
PeachesnSimon'sMamma
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 1,362
First off, welcome to the boards! I know your pain about food, one would *think* a vet's office and pet stores would carry only the very best foods, however most vets have contracted with companies like Iam's and Hills to peddle their food - which is just gross. Nutro is a great start and is carried by Petsmart, certainly better than anything Purina or Hill's puts out, and not quite as hard on the budget. There are a ton of cat folks here that can give you recommendations as to what they feed their feline companions. Thanks so much for doing your homework for the best health of your furries, says a lot about you as a person

__________________
"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

~Those who KNOW better are responsible to TEACH better~


Jenn, Simon and Peaches
12/14/03
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old April 17th, 2006, 02:54 PM
phoenix's Avatar
phoenix phoenix is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Posts: 993
So sorry to confuse you!
It is a lot to read and "digest", so to speak. But, yes, as stated above, vets unfortunately do not learn a lot about nutrition in school, and often carry very poor quality foods that have been pushed on to them through contracts with companies.
I hope someone who actually has a cat (Chico??) comes on and gives you some good advice. All that I can say is that Iams, Hills, Science Diet, Cat Chow/Purina etc are not very good due to the fillers, corn etc in them. Some good brands are Wellness, Felidae, Solid Gold, um...
Anyway, good luck with your reading (do a search on cat food to find some previous threads on this topic). You are to be patted on the back for trying to find out more about this!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old April 17th, 2006, 03:47 PM
chico2's Avatar
chico2 chico2 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oakville Ontario
Posts: 26,591
Hi Macdonv welcome to the Forum!I am certainly no expert,but I know what to feed my cats and what they like.
I too have one cat that is a bit chunky and my other two are fine.
I've tried everything on the market wanting them to eat what is actually good for them,no cornfiller etc..
Right now,they free-feed on Nutros Natural Choice,a good middle of the road food and Chicken-soup-for-cat-lovers-soul(not available everywhere)and although I've tried,Merricks,Wellness and other canned foods,they prefer Fancy Feast,they split a small can twice a day.
I always have to watch that my little fatty(Vinnie)does not finish the other 2 dishes,because he would!
I think it's important they have their own dish,some people don't,that way you can control how much they eat.
Another thing,I never listen to my vet,when it comes to food,although she always tries to advice me,we the owners,know our cats,they do not and will push what they sell highly overpriced,for garbage-foods.
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal"
3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old April 17th, 2006, 04:30 PM
badger's Avatar
badger badger is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Montreal
Posts: 4,076
My shoots-from-the-hip vet thinks trying to get a cat to shed pounds is a waste of time.
I have the same situation as Chico, a couple of fatties, the three others seem to know how to regulate themselves. The part about cleaning up each other's dishes made me laugh, they are so stealthy, you just have to turn your back and...
Good food without alot of grain and other crap is an excellent start, and then you just do your best, cut back on the portions a little, no between meal snacks.
Some people put down the dishes for fifteen minutes and then they're gone until the next meal, in other words no grazing. My Rupee is a true grazer so I always leave a bowl of kibble for him high up that the others can't reach. They're all good drinkers.
I wouldn't get too stressed about it, or about the vomiting, unless it happens on a regular basis.

Last edited by badger; April 17th, 2006 at 04:42 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old April 17th, 2006, 05:17 PM
macdonv macdonv is offline
Molly & Mrs Norris's mum
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 11
It's nice to feel like a good Mummy

Thanks everyone, for your responses. I can't believe, after reading the posts in the feeding section, just how...limited my knowledge was about cat food. I had never heard of Wellness or Felidae, or Natural Balance, or Eagle Pack, or Innova before! I thought by choosing to go with Science Diet or Iam's, I was being a smart cat mom.

I went to my local Specialty Pet Food Store after reading some posts, intending to go with Wellness. I told Pet Food Store Lady everything about my cats. I found out they don't even *carry* Iam's! I had no idea they test on animals. Pet Food Store Lady told me all about the various all-natural cat food brands they carry, recommending Innova, just because that's what she feeds her cats, and it works for them. I ended up going with Innova in the red bag. I was intrigued by Innova's Evo which is a no-grain formula, but thought that might be too much of a shock to my girls' systems after Cat Chow. I'll ease them in to healthy eating, then maybe upgrade to the Evo.

Innova's ingredients:
Turkey | Chicken Meal | Chicken | Potatoes | Eggs | Barley | Chicken fat | Rice | Herring | Sunflower Oil | Apples | Carrots | Milk | Fish Oil | Taurine | Potassium Chloride | Alfalfa Sprouts | Vitamin E Supplement | Ascorbic Acid | DL-Methionine | Choline Chloride | Vitamins (Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin) | Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Potassium Iodide) | Direct Fed Microbials.

I think with this, I can feel good about my girls' health, even if it does cost a bit more.

The woman at the store said that with the all-natural ingredients, Molly will most likely lose some weight, because she's eating better. She likened Molly's current diet to hot dogs every night, and I'm switching her to, well, turkey, chicken, potatoes and eggs. Sounds good to me.

I just looked at Molly's bowl (when I got home, I blended in some of the Innova to begin the switchover process), and it looks like she's been picking out the Innova to eat. Good start!
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old April 17th, 2006, 06:17 PM
phoenix's Avatar
phoenix phoenix is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Posts: 993
Way to go!!!
You are a great mommy. Can't believe how fast you made up your mind
I'm sure your kitties will be very happy.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old April 18th, 2006, 06:52 AM
chico2's Avatar
chico2 chico2 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oakville Ontario
Posts: 26,591
Many of us,me included,years ago,did not really check ingredients,trusted most foods to be good for my cats.
Why would they sell"cat-food"if it's bad for cats,or why would they(the companies) do horrific tests on other cats/dogs,if they profess to care about animals?? It's all about $$$ and big business,like everything else
A long time ago,it was thought IAMS was the best food on the market,but now,we have sooo many choices and more and more pet-owners are reading the ingredients and becoming aware of what they are feeding their pets
I believe if you feed your animals the best you can afford,you will in the long run save on vet-bills.
Nutro is not the best,but that is what my cats choose to like,I must have tried a dozen other foods.
I've tried Merrick,Wellness and other good-for-your-cat canned foods,but always come back to Fancy Feast,because they like it...certainly not the best,but...
__________________
"The cruelest animal is the Human animal"
3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old April 18th, 2006, 12:35 PM
macdonv macdonv is offline
Molly & Mrs Norris's mum
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by chico2
Nutro is not the best,but that is what my cats choose to like,I must have tried a dozen other foods.
I've tried Merrick,Wellness and other good-for-your-cat canned foods,but always come back to Fancy Feast,because they like it...certainly not the best,but...
I guess cats are just like humans - some folks think caviar is the height of posh, others think it's just fish eggs. What can you do!

I just gave my girls a can of Natural Balance, and they both hoovered it right up. Of course, they'll still get their Fancy Feast too - just because you like restaurants with waiters doesn't mean you can't hit the drive thru every now and then. :-)
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old April 18th, 2006, 02:40 PM
jawert1 jawert1 is offline
PeachesnSimon'sMamma
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 1,362
heheh GREAT analogy macdonv, glad to see the girls like their new food
__________________
"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

~Those who KNOW better are responsible to TEACH better~


Jenn, Simon and Peaches
12/14/03
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old April 26th, 2006, 09:55 AM
busterandmoe busterandmoe is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 17
After reading through all this, I'm convinced I need to switch my two six month old kitties from Purina to a better kitten food. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all, but I ended up choosing Nutro's Natural Choice for Indoor kittens (dry). However, I noticed it has Corn Gluten Meal as the third ingredient, dried plain beat pulp as the fifth, and ash at 7.25%. Is all this okay?

Also, should I not let them free feed all day? I thought my vet told me to do that. One kitty does seem to be getting a pretty good lil' belly!

Should I add some canned as a treat?

I've learned so much from this website!

Thanks.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old April 27th, 2006, 12:54 PM
macdonv macdonv is offline
Molly & Mrs Norris's mum
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by busterandmoe
After reading through all this, I'm convinced I need to switch my two six month old kitties from Purina to a better kitten food. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all, but I ended up choosing Nutro's Natural Choice for Indoor kittens (dry). However, I noticed it has Corn Gluten Meal as the third ingredient, dried plain beat pulp as the fifth, and ash at 7.25%. Is all this okay?

Also, should I not let them free feed all day? I thought my vet told me to do that. One kitty does seem to be getting a pretty good lil' belly!

Should I add some canned as a treat?

I've learned so much from this website!

Thanks.
I'm by no means an expert, but by reading as much as I could here, I've learned that ash as an ingredient is not the best. Natura Pet Products has a line called Healthwise Cat 'N Kitten, and it contains Corn Gluten Meal, but this is what it says about it: Corn gluten meal is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm.

Corn gluten meal is a low ash source of protein and acts as a urine acidifier in HealthWise Cat 'N Kitten formula. Cats vs Dogs: While not the best quality source of protein, the use of corn gluten in small amounts offer preventive health benefits for cats. In addition, unlike dogs, cats do not usually show signs of allergic reactions to corn products. Natura does feel strongly, however, that there is no justification for the use of corn gluten in dog foods and considers it to be only a cheap protein filler when used in this manner.


Natural Balance is good for all life stages, and has a lot of info on kitten feeding.

Since your kittens are still growing, I'd let them free-feed. That way, they can eat when they need to. Once they're full-grown, if one stays chubby, then you may need to switch to specific eating times.

I give my girls canned as a treat (mostly to try and put some meat on Mrs Norris's bones!), but not every day. Right now I'm trying a variety of brands and flavours to see what they like best. They seem to love Eagle Pack Salmon & Shrimp, and Natural Balance Ocean Fish. Mrs Norris also *loves* PetsMart's Sophisticat brand Poached Trout.

Good luck with your kitties!
__________________
:love: Love your pets as they love you - unconditionally. :love:

Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old April 28th, 2006, 04:04 PM
busterandmoe busterandmoe is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 17
Thank you for such a great response! I am heading out to the store and get some healthy food for the boys.

Thanks for your help.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:29 PM.