Tortilla Cat is getting Chubby

[Eden]

Do you have to worry about their teeth if they eat only wet food?

I love this quote - I think it sums it up nicely.... "The idea that dry food promotes dental health makes about as much sense as the idea that crunchy cookies would promote dental health in a human."

I do give my cats large (dog size) jerky style treats to give them something that must chew on to eat.

[WindingRoad]

Since we are on the subject, my baby is about 15 years old now (I had to work for that). I've been feeding her dry Iams for her whole life. Peanut has always been pretty chubby and I'm noticing now as she gets older she's getting chubbier. Do you all think it would be OK to switch her to canned food at this point? I would like to get her weight down. I only have her so I can regulate the food supply easy enough. Are there any specific canned foods that are better for older cats like her?

[bmccasland]

Maybe because I've been searching for answers, but got to the feline diabeties web site http://www.felinediabetes.com/diet.htm
There's a link to nutrition charts, that includes % protein, fat, & carbs, and calories for most higher end cat foods. Charts for dry and wet are separate.
I'm a data junkie, so having the data makes me happy. Now if there'd just be a chart on taste....

And I'll have to remember Mimi's suggestion to get them jerky treats next time I'm at Petsmart for their chewing and teeth cleaning pleasure. Thanks Mimi!

[tulip]

Reposted from Show Us Your Pets in case Aggie Ama doesn't read both.

When I had cats growing up in the 70s and 80s, we fed them what was available, which was cheap-o Purina dry food. But they were farm cats and they supplemented that with plenty of mice and birds and lizards and crickets. They also got plenty of exercise and were always trim and healthy. Fudge lived to be 21, Khin-lin was 18, Marblehead was 20, and Vronsky was 15.

But if you have indoor cats, you have to feed them high-quality food. A raw diet is very much preferred for healthy, happy, and appropriate-weight cats, but not everyone is inclined to do that. So get the best food you can and give them plenty of opportunities for exercise (climbing towers and feather toys and that awesome ball-racetrack that BleekerSt Girl has for her munchkin).

[Biciclista]

I didn't say anything about jerky treats! but for those of you feeding dry food, you can wet that stuff too!

[Becky]

I didn't say anything about jerky treats! but for those of you feeding dry food, you can wet that stuff too!

I'm not sure why you would though... It's still high in carbs, and I've heard that the addition of liquid or moisture can encourage bacterial growth....

[Biciclista]

my cats eat a little dry food - i think it helps their teeth. I add water, which increases the amount of water they get in their system. I don't worry about bacteria, because they clean their dishes in less than 5 minutes.

[Eden]

And I'll have to remember Mimi's suggestion to get them jerky treats next time I'm at Petsmart for their chewing and teeth cleaning pleasure. Thanks Mimi!

I'm the one who give my cats the jerky treats. I get Dogswell "Happy Hips" duck treats and "Breathies" chicken treats. I've had "Vitality" on occasion too. Stay away from the fancier ones like "Mellow Mutt" though - they contain lavender oil, which could possibly be harmful to cats, especially if they already have kidney problems.

The chicken ones I usually just break in half and give one half to each cat. They crunch on them - make a lot of noise, sometimes they will even try to swallow a piece that was a bit big and regurgitate it..... So I always keep an eye on them when they have the treats, but so far they've never seriously worried me (and these two tend to *bolt* food...) The duck treats tend to be a bit tougher and sometimes have what look like tendons, so I do break them into slightly smaller pieces unless they are very crisp.

My cats loooooove them - don't even think about trying to take one away once they've got it. They treat them like little prey.

[Veronica]

Tucker Cat was getting fat on dry. We switched both my kitties to canned only - Wellness Chicken from Petsmart - last January. Tucker lost two pounds and Cassie has stayed the same. Tucker's energy level also increased when we took him off dry.

Veronica

[Biciclista]

Eden, where do you get that dogswell stuff? and what kind of canned do you feed?
I'm getting a new kitty today or tomorrow (I can't not mention it anymore )
and I'd just as soon not start her on dry food at all.

[Eden]

Congrats on the new kitty!
Show us when you get him/her!

I do most of my food shopping at Mud Bay Granary (http://www.mudbaygranary.com/) - there's a bunch around town
U-District, 2 on Capitol Hill, downtown

The canned food I mainly use is Ziwi Peak - its a bit pricey compared to a lot of foods, but its about as close as I can get to a raw diet without going raw and it has *no* grains, starches or veggies added. I've been supplementing with a bit of BG 100% meat, pheasant and salmon too, just because both kitties were getting a bit thin on the recommended feeding of the other and it is easier for me to keep track of how much I'm feeding if I use a totally different food to supplement (somehow this makes sense......) Plus - no matter what anyone says I find it hard to fathom that they might not get sick of eating the same stuff again and again... Like they wouldn't have variety in the wild - a mouse here, a few grasshoppers there, maybe a baby bunny or a bird???

I get the Dogswell treats there too, but I've seen them at plenty of other pet food stores and even at Central Co-op's Madison Market. Not all cats will take to them... I haven't ever been able to interest the shelter cats in even the cat sized ones - but then its hard to even get many of them to eat anything. My two can be insatiable little gluttons.... they rarely if ever turn their noses up at food.