THE NEW CAT ROOM! (or the Cat Room #2)

msolga wrote:

Roberta wrote:
msolga, Why does it matter whether Poppy eats canned food or dry food? Am I missing something. A bit of knowledge after all these years of cat cohabitation? All my cats have always eaten both. Patty preferred dried food but would eat the canned. Miranda preferred the canned but would eat some dry. And Mikey is not finicky. He'll eat anything--and huge quantities of it. You wouldn't believe his daily intake of food. (He's a big guy.)

Roberta, according to my trusty vet, it does matter. He (now heading for 80 years of age) reckons that the reason that cats live longer these days is because of enormous improvements in the quality of the (commercial) food that's now available to them. I really want this cat (Poppy) to be healthy after the ongoing illnesses & weaknesses of Rats & Flatty (both adopted "rescued" cats.) An important part of being healthy is having a good varied diet, not just meat/protein. The "good" dried foods contain a lot of the necessary nutrients that critters need. I'm looking for a balance here between meat, dried & tinned. Maybe I'm being a bit anxious, but I really don't want to go through the horrors again in a hurry. I really, really want a healthy cat!

Amen!!! (Or Apuss.)

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The cats who like to eat the dry food (and I've seen hundreds of cats in bad circumstances, where things like diet make a life-or-death sort of difference) tend to be tougher. Just a personal impression, but the cat who innately prefers (for reasons of conditioning or predetermination) dry food over the moist tidbits does better in the face of adversity.

And old age is adversity, no doubt about it.

The dry food really is seriously thought out. The wet food is largely made to be marketed, and should really be considered an adjunct to dry food or to a very carefully formulated homemade diet. The dry food cats are saltier.

Dry food's better for the teeth, too, and rotten teeth can be a source of bad health, in people and in animals. Heart disease has already been linked to periodontal disease in people, stands to reason it'd be that way in the critters, too...

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patiodog wrote:

The cats who like to eat the dry food (and I've seen hundreds of cats in bad circumstances, where things like diet make a life-or-death sort of difference) tend to be tougher. Just a personal impression, but the cat who innately prefers (for reasons of conditioning or predetermination) dry food over the moist tidbits does better in the face of adversity.

And old age is adversity, no doubt about it.

The dry food really is seriously thought out. The wet food is largely made to be marketed, and should really be considered an adjunct to dry food or to a very carefully formulated homemade diet. The dry food cats are saltier.

Dry food's better for the teeth, too, and rotten teeth can be a source of bad health, in people and in animals. Heart disease has already been linked to periodontal disease in people, stands to reason it'd be that way in the critters, too...

Really?

I had the impression that dry food can be bad for their kidneys and such (I get the stuff that says it isn't, but still...)

Oscar was a wet food cat, by preference....Miranda has always preferred dry, but has suddenly begun eating wet.

Odd.

Perhaps she has decided to suicide?

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dlowan wrote:

Amen!!! (Or Apuss.)

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patiodog wrote:

The dry food really is seriously thought out. The wet food is largely made to be marketed, and should really be considered an adjunct to dry food or to a very carefully formulated homemade diet. The dry food cats are saltier.

Dry food's better for the teeth, too, and rotten teeth can be a source of bad health, in people and in animals. Heart disease has already been linked to periodontal disease in people, stands to reason it'd be that way in the critters, too...

Interesting, patiodog.

My understanding is that there's dried cat food & dried cat food ....
That is, some brands are far superior to others. The good ones (in the right quantities) ensure that the cat has a balanced diet with all the nutrients needed. A bit like a daily multi vitamin pill. The inferior ones can cause problems, especially if that is all the cat is getting.

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dlowan wrote:

I had the impression that dry food can be bad for their kidneys and such (I get the stuff that says it isn't, but still...)

My guess that is more the case with the el cheapo brands, Deb. Especially when the stuff is consumed in large quantities. Most brands "recommend" that cats have lots of fresh water along with their dried meals.

Remember those bad old brands that caused cats to develop "crystals" in their urinary tract & led to terrible bladder infections? That was quite common around, say, 20 years ago. I remember having to wean my cat, Mozz, off the stuff for that reason. Not an easy thing to do! She was addicted! (What did they put in that stuff???) Still, she lived to 18 years of age, so ....

Quote:

Oscar was a wet food cat, by preference....Miranda has always preferred dry, but has suddenly begun eating wet.

Odd.

Perhaps she has decided to suicide?

Of course not!!!!

Perish the thought!

(You were joking, right? :wink: )

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urs53 wrote:

Diane, that is AWFUL!!!!!!!

Yes isn't it? Very Happy

I await your next splendid creation, Diane!

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I watched one of my cats for ages in the kitchen last night trying to re-animate a piece of raw steak I had given it. Most amusing

x

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So, did it eventually work, Dorothy?

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Just posting from my own general impression, and I am talking about cats' responses to dire circumstances. And I don't necessarily mean the food puts them in better health than their more finicky comrades; it could be that their willingness to eat the food they get rather than hold out for the food they want indicates a little more toughness. Not gospel or anything.

As to stones and kidney disease -- it's not all worked out yet, but incidence has come down a lot with reformulation of diets. (Interesingly, I know a vet and feline nutritionist who recommends that they start their young catas on dried diets of low quality (and high bulk) rather than an energy-dense diet. The reasoning, simply, is that obesity is so far-and-above the greatest health problem of American cat's (who've frequently got nothing to do all day but traipse arund the house and dip into the food bowl all day long), and bulkier food will help to curtail their natural tendency toward overeating.)

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Regarding this feline dietary issue and older age cats: I feel positively that having fed my cats at least for 90% of their lives with dry food (low-ash etc) that it helped to contribute to them being 19 and 17 yrs respectively. However, so many variables come into play with the different breeds, activity levels, who knows?!

Of course, keeping them mainly as in-door cats most of their adult lives helped, as well. I feed them small bits of chicken from my plate to their dishes roughly 2 tablespoons-full, periodically. Mainly, nowadays to my large cat (16-18 lbs) I give 1 to 1.5 oz. of canned tuna or tuna juice fairly often but not at the exclusion of dry food. My little cat rejects tuna , but will only sip tuna juice a little. In her younger days, she used to eat tuna gingerly, but now must not think it agrees with her condition.

I seriously think love and paying keen attention to their "talking" to us helps a great deal too. Oh, that biggest ingredient...LOVE makes such a difference! That's the 2-way street.

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Old animals are the best.

One more thing on the food issue -- if you can, get your young cat used to a variety of foods (size, shape, consistency, smell). Cats form their preferences in these regards early in life, so the more they see early, the more their likely to recognize as food later on. Which can be very useful if you have to put your cat on a prescription diet when it's older. Some older cats simply won't eat the food they need to stay healthy.

Okay, no more from me. I'm a dog person.

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Thanks to everyone for the nutritional info.

msolga, You're gonna have to take my word for it. Mikey ain't smart.

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patiodog wrote:

Okay, no more from me. I'm a dog person.

Thanks, anyway for the contribution, patiodog.
Very interesting.
How come you know so much about cat food (being a dog person)?

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Future professional hazard. Clients may have kitties. (May also have reptiles and birds, too, but screw 'em.)

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Ragman wrote:

...Oh, that biggest ingredient...LOVE makes such a difference! That's the 2-way street.

Yes, indeed! Very Happy

How's Sugar today, Ragman?

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Roberta wrote:

msolga, You're gonna have to take my word for it. Mikey ain't smart.

Is so!

I'm a stubborn woman, Roberta & I've made up my mind on this one! Laughing

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Dante (the cat) eats everything including Sally dogs food, I have had to move Sally dogs food to the garage, this is not fair to Sally dog.

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patiodog wrote:

Future professional hazard. Clients may have kitties. (May also have reptiles and birds, too, but screw 'em.)

I see.

(I think?)

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dyslexia wrote:

Dante (the cat) eats everything including Sally dogs food, I have had to move Sally dogs food to the garage, this is not fair to Sally dog.

Dante has a king sized appetite it seems!
.. um, has he been wormed, or is he just a insatiable (though beautiful)garbage guts?

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