Tortilla Cat is getting Chubby

**Biciclista** · 10-07-2009, 06:43 AM

yes, you do have to worry about their teeth. But that's true of dry food as well.
Thanks for reminding me, I've been meaning to check all my cats' teeth.

**Eden** · 10-07-2009, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

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** · 10-08-2009, 05:15 AM

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** · 10-08-2009, 05:21 AM

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** · 10-08-2009, 05:50 AM

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** · 10-08-2009, 05:51 AM

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

**Becky** · 10-08-2009, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by Biciclista

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** · 10-08-2009, 07:03 AM

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** · 10-08-2009, 08:24 AM

brought over from show us your pets for RedRock

Originally Posted by Red Rock

.....They, ( I spoke with a tech NOT the vet) suggested that I stay with the IAMS brand of dry food. I then went and did some research on IAMS and they look no different than the chepo brands of cat food. They are still high in the carbs and low in proteins.
Red Rock

Unfortunately, and I'd love to get the whole story from some of the veterinarians on the board about why - I've heard rumors, but I don't really know what is true.... many vets have what seems like a sponsor food that they push... (hills, science diet, Iams - heck they may all even be the same parent company....). I won't argue that they may be formulated and supplemented for specific problems, but the raw materials that go into them are as bad and scary as the supermarket foods. (they were affected by the recalls too)

After going through a UT blockage with my male cat (99% sure it was from tainted gluten in cat food - the same stuff was causing bladder stones in children in China

) and a lot of research about cat food, I've chosen to not feed my cat the prescription food, which is still full of really nasty stuff and go to a completely grain/veggie free diet. I haven't gone raw because my cat throws it up, and he obviously can't get nutrition from food that won't stay in his stomach. He's been healthy and stone free for 2 years now - no prescription food.

I've come to see feeding cats a dry food diet as much like a person subsisting on a diet of solely fortified breakfast cereal... yeah you can get 100% of the RDA out of it, but would you be healthy?

**Eden** · 10-08-2009, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by bmccasland

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** · 10-09-2009, 11:31 AM

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** · 10-09-2009, 11:52 AM

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** · 10-09-2009, 01:34 PM

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.

**Aggie_Ama** · 10-10-2009, 08:16 AM

Tortilla is a healthy presumed 18 month old but needs to be a little leaner. Right now she is 13 lbs, 11 oz. My vet would like to see her get down to around 11 lbs. He said when they first saw her (for her shelter attack in May) she was under weight at 9 lbs because she is a large frame cat. He said she is long, large head and definitely part manx which means she should be a larger cat but she is overweight and that is dangerous.

He recommended wet food for the same reason you all have, it is high protein and lower carb. He said she should lose weight slowly because even though she got chubby fast, cats tend to be slow on losing weight. He does not believe based on her exam she has anything wrong with her, just needs a better diet. I am so glad, now if she forgives me for taking her to the vet we will be set!

Edited to add- My vet feels the "dry food helps teeth" idea is a myth. He said if you watch how cats eat they break the food in half and swallow it. They don't really chew, he said that while he does think their dental health is a concern he doesn't think feeding dry for the dental benefit helps. I do notice Tortilla seems to enjoy the crunching based on her preference for crunchy treats over soft (which I haven't been giving her much since she got so heavy) so I may keep a small bit of dry food as a nice change.

**malkin** · 10-10-2009, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by Biciclista

wackyjacky,
thanks for the link. i was surprised to find that my catfood recipe is more "natural" than hers.

My catfood recipe:
whole chicken
4 egg yolks
1 pound liver
1 pound chicken hearts.
4 squirts of salmon oil
water
grind the chicken, liver, and hearts, add water and salmon oil and eggs; put into containers, freeze.

Calf liver?
And it's all raw?

I think my old Tiger T. Cat might really like that.

Thread: Tortilla Cat is getting Chubby

Thread Tools

Display

My Peanut is a but rotund.

The Verdict

Posting Permissions