Food Question

[4 feline house]

Avajoy, I think it's amazing you can keep two cats in the same house and have them never come in contact - logistics-wise and resolve-wise! It's a great testament to how much you love them. I kinda feel sorry for them, never being able to experience the joy of being friends, but of course the alternative is worse....

[Doxiedoxie]

I just picked a new kitten out from the shelter and brought him home Wednesday. I carefully read all the labels on the food and selected Innova, which is what I feed my dogs. Nutro's has Corn in it near the top of the ingredient list and I know corn is not a great ingredient, certainly not very digestible for man or beast, so I was afraid to get it. I also picked up two cans of Iams kitten food in case lil Fritz was a finiky eater. Well, ALL he will eat is the DOG food, which is a senior formula and not ideal for kitten growth, or the food off our plates when our back is turned. He is so skinny, he needs to eat, but I dont want to feed him junk. Do you think when he settles in he'll accept the Innova dry or should I indulge him by buying other brands? By the way, he wont drink out of his own water dish either, he likes the dogs dish or the toilet. Keeping lid down from now on. would love suggestions ofr Finiky Fritz.

[NoahsMommy]

Doxie,

I don't know too much about kittys, as my 4 month old is my first. But my neighbor just brought home a baby kitten and they feed him Nutro Max Kitten mixed with Nutro wet food. He loves it!!

My kitten eats Nutro Max Kitten too and he loves it as well. I am not sure about the whole corn thing, but Nutro is one of the best brands you can get.

Good luck! I hope Fritz eats soon.

[4 feline house]

If he's a kitten, he needs kitten food. If he's skinny, he needs kitten food. If he's a skinny kitten, he doubly needs kitten food!

[TheAntiPam]

Mixing the wet and dry kitten food is a good idea! Also remember, YOU are the adult, no matter what the kitten thinks. It is very unlikely that the kitten will allow itself to starve, so you need to be very VERY firm in supplying the right food and water.

You may have to put the kitten in a room alone with the food, etc. to get things rolling. As many PetTalk people will testify, what seems cute when a pet is small often becomes a problem when they grow up. Give you new sweetie lots of love - a mix of fun and hugs AND control!

[Doxiedoxie]

Thanks for the replies. I think upon re-reading, it sounds like I bought Innova dog food for this cat, when in fact I meant I bought Innova cat food. Innova doesnt make kitten food, but the Innova had protein and fat content in the same range as the Nutro's Kitten formula.

I will be firm then, and continue as I am doing, he is closed in the room he shares with my daughter all night, that is where his food and litter is. So he has plenty of chance to eat the cat/kitten food. I don't know why he'd rather compete with the dogs for theirs! Maybe he thinks they are his new litter mates.

Thanks again for the advice! We sure love our kitty! I have always adopted adult cats so this is a first.

[Cynthia]

My two big guys, Stump and Emmett, eat Purina One Chicken and Rice dry food daily and seem to be happy with it. (Emmett especially loves to play "food hockey" with it on the kitchen floor; if no one plays with him, he knocks a few pieces out of the dish and starts whacking them around the floor! He also likes to have me toss the food in the air so he can catch it in his mouth.) At dinner time I give them a small amount of wet food that I buy at Fresh Fields (Whole Foods Market). The brand is Lick Your Chops and they like the turkey and brown rice flavor. Yes, it's way more expensive than other brands, but I know that they're not eating a lot of preservatives or by-products. I also use a filter on my kitchen faucet, so yes, my guys get filtered water too!

[thelmalu99]

I swear by Nutro Natural Choice. Now they call it "Complete Care", but it's just as good.

I started feeding it to Charlie (Rainbow Bridge) and within a month I noticed an improvement in his coat.

When I got Elvis and Danny from the shelter, their coats were really dull, but now everyone tells me how beautiful and glossy they look.

I recommended it to a friend who also has two cats, one of which is a Maine Coon, and everytime I see her she thanks me because their coats are so beautiful now.

It's really good stuff.

PS-Doxie, one of the great things about Nutro is that they don't use corn. They use rice. At least the dry food. I am not sure about the wet.

[ September 25, 2001: Message edited by: thelmalu99 ]

[nsweezie]

Since you are in Canada, this may interest you.
My vet told me to feed my cats only food approved by the Canadian Vet Association. All of the foods sold through your vet should have the seal, and some other kinds too, although not Friskies and similar types. Surprisingly my local grocery store (Sobeys) does have the seal.
Apparantly companies can submit their products to the CVA for free, the CVA tests the nutrients etc. Kinda makes you wonder why all cat food available in Canada doesn't have the stamp
You should be able to see the CVA stamp on the label of canned food, or on the side of dried food.
I'm not sure if there is a similar thing for US foods, I would be interested in hearing.

[ September 25, 2001: Message edited by: nsweezie ]