Some ?'s about foods

[Russian Blue]

As a rule, cat's food should be changed over slowly in case their systems can't adjust quickly to the change. That's why it's recommended to switch over the food over a 7 day period. But, *some* cats can tolerate a switch in foods with no reactions.

From my research, you want to make sure that your cat gets adequate moisture either through their meals or through their drinking water. If their systems do not have enough fluids, there can be health problems down the road.

New research is showing that a cat should get both wet and dry foods to avoid these problems. There have been studies that also show that wet food does not necessarily contribute to poor dental health (ie: it is more a genetic problem) and that dry foods do little to stop plaque from forming because of the way the cat's teeth shatter the food and keep it away from rubbing on the gum line (where plaque forms). Since your kitten is so young, start brushing it's teeth and make it a daily routine. Then there would be no problem in feeding more wet foods.

Here's a link to more info:

http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4.php

http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canned_food.htm#b

http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=ca...2Fdryfood.html

I have always given both wet and dry. If your cat is refusing dry, try to slowly add dry to the wet food. Is the dry food to big for your cat's mouth (the individual pieces) and is it having a hard time chewing it? Maybe your cat is teething and therefore requires a smaller kibble. I used Royal Canin Baby Cat when Nakita was little.

Also, some cats do refuse to eat dry food or wet food. It really ends up being the cat's preference and usually you have to experiment to see what your cat will prefer.


When looking for a cat food, read the ingredient label. You want to try to stay away from by products, fillers and artificial colouring, flavourings etc. Also, meat should be the main ingredients listed in the first ingredients noted on the package. Also stay away from synthetic preservatives which include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin.