#1
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Is 12 hours between feedings too long?
We have been feeding our cats 1/2 can of wet food in the morning when we wake up, 1/2 can when we get home from work around 5:30, and 1/2 a can before we go to bed around 10:30. So each cat gets 1.5 cans total per day. That was with Friskies (I personally don't like it, and I think my poor cats just ate it because it was all they got, but I won't be buying it again---bought a 32 pack...) and now we got Science Diet optimal nutrition food, and I was wondering: should we just feed them 1 can daily instead of 1.5 (since science diet has high fiber and better nutrients/ingredients)? So we would feed them before we leave for work at 7:30am, and then we figured we would feed them again late in the evening, around 7:30 or 8pm. Is going a whole day (7:30am-7:30pm) OK to do? We could maybe feed them some treats when we get home around 5...any help would be appreciated. Thanks~
Last edited by Ford; May 1st, 2010 at 05:48 PM. |
#2
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Since it is going to be such a long stretch between feedings during the day could you up the amount you feed in the morning? You can always cut back a bit on the late night snack feeding to make up for it.
IMO there are so many more healthy canned foods than SD out there. Here is a great site to read. www.catinfo.org. In particular this section........ http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm . This one has information on calorie count, protein, fats, carbs, etc. which may be helpful. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#3
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I know there are more healthier food brands out there for them, but we can't afford to buy a more expensive brand than SD. SD is actually also too expensive for us, but we are just doing what we can to have healthy kitties I guess, and SD is the least expensive higher end brand of cat food that we can afford.
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#4
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Have you tried Fancy Feast? There are some that aren't too bad and they aren't too expensive.
I feed mine about a tablespoon each when I wake up, around 6:00 am. Before I leave I give each another tablespoon which is still cold from the fridge so it stays a little fresher during the day. When I get home around 5:00 I feed them again another tablespoon each. I like to break their meals so that they get the same amount, but more often so they don't feel hungry throughout the day.
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There are only two rules at my house: House rule #1. Cats rule. House rule #2. See rule #1. http://nuriaandthegang.shutterfly.com/ |
#5
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Max and Mylo,IMO I do not think you give them enough food,but maybe I read it wrong.
What size cans are you talking about?? Even if you feed them a lot in the morning,they still need a good meal at night,cats are not like dogs,they are usually nibblers,unlike most dogs,who will gulp it all down in one shot
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#6
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[QUOTE=chico2;913996]Max and Mylo,IMO I do not think you give them enough food,but maybe I read it wrong.
What size cans are you talking about?? It is the 5.5oz cans. And half the time, they don't even finish it by the time I get home at 5. Maybe I'll mix a little dry food in there in the morning, and again, a little dry food in it at night so that they are getting enough food, but we aren't going through 3 expensive (in my budget) cans a day. |
#7
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So if you feed them 2 cans/day,they get 5,5oz each/day..maybe it's enough,my 3 cats eat more,though..
Good quality cat-food is expensive and if you can't afford it,you can't afford it. I would stay away from the dry though,just give them some good treats later at night.
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#8
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I have been doing a LOT of research this afternoon, after buying a case of 24 Science diet optimum health canned food, and I've found that science diet ranks SUPER low on the 'good for your cat' list.....is this true? Do any of you know how bad SD is for my cats? Or is it OK??
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#9
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Notice on that site there is also a place for preparing raw food and recipes for your cats. That is the ultimate diet and is very budget conscious.
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! Last edited by Ford; May 1st, 2010 at 08:06 PM. |
#10
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Quote:
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~Friendship is like a bank account. You can't continue to draw on it without making deposits~ ~Tegan 9 year old yellow lab~ ~Wilbur 9 year old LH cat~ ~Mirabelle 18 mos dsh~ ~O'Shawnnessey 18 mos dsh~ ~Darby 1 year old dsh~ ~Mindy 7 yr old shih tzu~ ~Dexter 10yr old Salmon (large goldfish) |
#11
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When I get home, I give them another tablespoon around 5ish, take a shower eat something and around 7 or 8 I give them another tablespoon. Plus, I give them treats in between. They've always got something to eat, as they often go and snack on their plates a bit then go on about their business. The girls, will always eat slightly less, so the boys will come and eat a bit more. But, they have all maintained a healthy weight.
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There are only two rules at my house: House rule #1. Cats rule. House rule #2. See rule #1. http://nuriaandthegang.shutterfly.com/ |
#12
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Quote:
Quote:
INGREDIENTSYou don't want an organ meat, especially when it doesn't indicate what species it's from, as the first ingredient. Same problem with "meat by-products", which could be from road-kill or euthanized pets for all we know. These are not quality protein sources. Then there's the riduculous amount of plant-matter in the form of high carbohydrate corn and wheat. "Powdered cellulose"? That's basically sawdust. The king of all fillers, adding an excessive amount of insoluble fibre which cats don't need (and can actually cause harm by irritating their digestive tract). Brewers yeast is a common allergen, and caramel colour is only there to make the mushy grey slop more appealing to humans. Lots of reasons not to feed this food, even if it really was cheap. Quote:
See above. Some better choices, for those on a budget, would be Precise (the big 12 oz cans are a good bargain), some of the Pro Plan or Fancy Feast flavours (but read the ingredients first!), Max Cat or Nutro (again, not all of them are good, but most are still better than SD). Buying large cans by the case of a great food like Wellness can often end up costing less per ounce than many of the cheap foods that are only sold in those wee little 3oz cans. Remember, too, that paying more for a quality food is likely to result in fewer vet bills over the long run. Hope that helps.
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#13
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Thank you so much for all of your information! But I had already opened it and fed a can or two to them before I realized this....so now its probably too late to take back to Fleet Farm. My only problem with buying different cat food is lack of variety of places to get it. We have the normal Wal-mart, target, shopko...but they don't sell specialized food. Fleet Farm only carries science diet. They carry another brand too, but it's like, twice as expensive. I found a country store in town though, that lists on their website that they sell different kinds of cat food. Here is their website: http://www.cwco-op.com/09/countrystore/animals.asp
So, looking at that website, under the cats & dogs section, what foods would you recommend? Last edited by Ford; May 3rd, 2010 at 06:15 PM. |
#14
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Eagle Pack Holistic, Wellness, Natural Balance, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Evo any that are grain, corn, rice free with as few by products as possible. While it is true they are more expensive they are also much better for your cats. You may find they are eating a little less because the quality is better and therefore they are feeling full faster. If you buy the larger cans you may find you are actually spending a little less in a week for food than you would have been with the three small cans a day of SD. One large can between the two of them should be sufficient.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#15
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max&mylo,I've been feeding my 3 cats Wellness canned for quiet a while,only lately I've also been buying Eagle Pack Holistic for variety
The Eagle Pack is a little cheaper than Wellness but is really liquidy.. I assume you are in the US? When we were in South Carolina,we checked out Wellness there and it was more expensive than here in Canada. It costs me about $75 for 2 weeks of food for 3 cats,but since I stopped buying dry food,it's not bad.
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#16
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I feed my cats Wellness and, with 6 cats, it's around $115-140 a week, depending on whether I buy the big cheaper cans (12.5 ounces) or their favorite flavors (5.5 ounce cans). Apparently my cats have expensive tastes - their favorite flavors aren't available in the larger cheaper cans! Maybe I'll take a look at some other brands - I've been feeling like mine are in a rut and maybe they'd like some variety.
By the way, my cats get fed every 12 hours (approximately) but they don't eat it all at feeding time so they usually have food throughout most of the day and night.
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Storm (beeps and has a pink nose and toes), Misty (with big blue eyes and tasseled ears), Anya (only ever called Honey - she's that sweet), Zander (who goes by Punkin' cause he's almost that bright) Kasee (couch potato who thinks she's a dog) |
#17
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Sorrty, didn't mean to threadjack.
__________________
There are only two rules at my house: House rule #1. Cats rule. House rule #2. See rule #1. http://nuriaandthegang.shutterfly.com/ |
#18
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AG,I am still feeding them Wellness most of the time,but they do love the Eagle Pack too,here it's about 20 cents cheaper per can than Wellness,not much of a difference.
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#19
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If I can alternate between something equally as good but a little cheaper, that would be good. I don't want the quality of their food to suffer so I"m trying to find alternates that might help save a bit of money.
__________________
There are only two rules at my house: House rule #1. Cats rule. House rule #2. See rule #1. http://nuriaandthegang.shutterfly.com/ |
#20
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A-G,I think variety is important,gets their tummies used to different foods
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#21
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Holy Cow - I am sooo glad I don't have a cat!! It doesn't cost that much to feed my 90 pound dog for a month!
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Sandi |
#22
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$$$$ a week ????.... holy cow.
Time to revise my , "I wanna come back as..." |
#23
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The food is way cheaper if I buy it by the case online, but then I pay shipping which eliminates any savings. I'm seriously thinking of the Eagle Pack as well. I'm also considering throwing some homemade into the mix - my grocery store has chicken legs on sale for 45 cents per pound which is waaay cheaper than cat food!
__________________
Storm (beeps and has a pink nose and toes), Misty (with big blue eyes and tasseled ears), Anya (only ever called Honey - she's that sweet), Zander (who goes by Punkin' cause he's almost that bright) Kasee (couch potato who thinks she's a dog) |
#24
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I have a place that special orders EVO Venison for me at about $34.00 for a case of 13.5 oz cans. I usually get a case a week, and will order two cases about every two weeks, so I always have cans on hand. And after I spend about $200 I get a $10 coupon to use.
But I've only got 5, and the boys wind up eating a little more than the girls, so it works out well.
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There are only two rules at my house: House rule #1. Cats rule. House rule #2. See rule #1. http://nuriaandthegang.shutterfly.com/ |
#25
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So I was once told that feeding my cats ANY wet food over dry is good. Do I have to buy the expensive ones? Or can I just feed them something like 9 lives or friskies? I know that they aren't obviously as healthy as the more expensive brands, but isn't ANY wet food more healthy than dry?
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#26
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I certainly agree with the any-wet-food-over-dry theory.
If you can afford it, Fancy Feast is a good cheaper option - especially if you stick with the pate style ones (instead of the "in gravy" and "grill" types), most of them are lower on the wheat and gluten additives. Around here they run about fifty cents a can. They only have itty bitty 3 ounce cans and an average cat would eat 1-2 cans per day (although different cats vary a lot on how much they eat).
__________________
Storm (beeps and has a pink nose and toes), Misty (with big blue eyes and tasseled ears), Anya (only ever called Honey - she's that sweet), Zander (who goes by Punkin' cause he's almost that bright) Kasee (couch potato who thinks she's a dog) |
#27
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Awww com'mon guys! What are you complaining about with prices.
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
#28
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Now if money really is a big issue and it's not that you don't want to spend it on your cats, but that you truly can't, then there are some things you can do. Buy Friskies or 9Lives, but really scrutinize the ingredients and stay away from anything that says "In Gravy" or "Sauce". Try to find flavours with at least some muscle meat. For instance, I know Friskies Classic Pate Poultry Platter at least has turkey as the first ingredient. It also doesn't have to be an all or nothing situation. Maybe feed half Friskies, and half Wellness (or even 2/3 to 1/3, if necessary). Augment your cat's food with actual fresh meat like chicken breast or slices of steak (preferably raw, but lightly cooked with no sauces/spices is also good). Give them some scrambled eggs with butter every so often. Just as long as the extra meat doesn't make up more than 15-20% of their diet, which would cause a nutritional imbalance. You might give some serious thought to making your own raw cat food as well. Once you get over the learning curve of how to do it, this is often the most economical and healthiest way to feed our furry friends.
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#29
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We simply cannot afford to feed them high end food. I would buy them the best food in the world if we could. But if we were to consistently feed our cats brands like EVO and Wellness, we would have to cancel some other bill that we are paying, whether it be our phone or internet or something else. Living paycheck to paycheck is hard-I just got a full time job FINALLY after graduating college with my bachelors last May, so hopefully things will start to turn around, but for now, and for awhile, we [I]have[I] to stick with the cheaper brands I'll just make sure that a protein is the first or near first ingredient.
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#30
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max&mylo,you do the best you can,I think we've all been there at one time or the other,I don't doubt you love your cats very much.
My cats were fed Fancy Feast for a long time and cats I had a loooong time ago it was something called Pussn'Boots
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
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