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OS Pet food

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We have a much loved 12 year old moggy who has been really suffering in the latest heatwave. She's really been off her food and I'm now trying to tempt her to eat again (she's never been a big eater and now looks really scrawny). Yesterday I gave her a tin of tuna which disappeared in seconds so it got me thinking that maybe she would prefer fresh fish cooked somehow instead of the really expensive Felix sachets she has at the moment - she never eats more than a couple of mouthfuls of those and I end up throwing them away - not very OS.

So my question is, does anyone cook fish for their cat? If so, how and what fish? and is it OK to change a 12 year old cat's diet so dramatically?

(sorry, that's three questions ;) )

Thanks for any help!
FF
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Comments

  • MrsTinks
    MrsTinks Posts: 15,238 Forumite
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    Yes you can change a cats diet :) infact you probably need to as the cat gets older... I tend to feed my two any type of fish that is DEFINITELY boneless although I haven't seen them stop to consider this when they have stolen food of peoples plates...
    My two get cooked chicken, left over steak/beef and so on. I tend to mush in a little veg too partially to bulk and partially to give them SOME fibre even though apparently cats don't actually need that.
    I'd try a mixed diet of various fish without bones and some mince beef/lamb etc to see if she'll eat it :)
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  • wigginsmum
    wigginsmum Posts: 4,150 Forumite
    Mine don't like cooked fish and chicken, but my Mum always used to do coley portions for her (you can find them frozen in places like Sainsburys). Poach them in a little water or microwave them until cooked, then flake when cold and serve in their liquid. She'll probably wolf it down.
    The ability of skinny old ladies to carry huge loads is phenomenal. An ant can carry one hundred times its own weight, but there is no known limit to the lifting power of the average tiny eighty-year-old Spanish peasant grandmother.
  • Wizwoo
    Wizwoo Posts: 675 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    We've fed ours on coley portions in the past (we get ours from Morrisons in packs of 6). Oily fish are good too as they get older so we give them a bit of mackeral.
    Can't say ours are fussy about what they eat though...quite the opposite!
    Good luck!
  • MrsTinks
    MrsTinks Posts: 15,238 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Name Dropper
    oh and tesco's own sardines in tomato is a firm favourite... no idea why... Smelly yucky stuff!
    DFW Nerd #025
    DFW no more! Officially debt free 2017 - now joining the MFW's! :)

    My DFW Diary - blah- mildly funny stuff about my journey
  • twink
    twink Posts: 3,826 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    i was going to say sardines in tomato sauce its the sauce they like seemingly, i remember when one of my cats was ill, fried fish in ruskoline was all she would eat and made a full recovery but always remained thin when i asked vet about her weight he said more cats should be like her
  • Aril
    Aril Posts: 1,877 Forumite
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    Liver is another possibility.
    Aril
    Aiming for a life of elegant frugality wearing a new-to-me silk shirt rather than one of hair!
  • Eels100
    Eels100 Posts: 984 Forumite
    Careful with liver, cats can and do develop addiction to liver and will then refuse all other foods. This can lead to various problems, including bone disease.
  • WeirdoMagnet
    WeirdoMagnet Posts: 1,015 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Try googling for 'BARF' (Bones And Raw Food) specifically for cats. There's lots of info these days as more people choose to feed BARF diets to their dogs and cats. Do make sure you research it though to ensure that your cat gets all the nutrients required. :)

    I don't have a cat, but I do have a dog. When she arrived, I did some research into commercial dog feeds, and eventually decided to feed her Burns, which is free of artificial preservatives, colours and flavourings. It's a bit more expensive, but you don't need to feed as much. Burns also do cat food - there's more information on general cat nutrition on their site here and on their cat food here. They are also reputed to be very helpful if you phone them for advice.

    It's a dry food, so it wont go to waste like wet food, but you could add some water to make it more palatable. Maybe there's something else you could add, but I'm not too hot on cat nutrition!
    "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." - Louis Sabin
  • SnowyOwl_2
    SnowyOwl_2 Posts: 5,257 Forumite
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    I read somewhere the other day that a diet high in tuna is not recommended for cats. There is something or other in it which cats cannot process and excrete and they can get disease called yellow fat disease. Tuna is also high in mercury (apparently) and like humans cats can't excrete that either. Hope I'm not talking rubbish but thought I should say something.

    One of my cats loves crisps but he only gets one about once a month, that's plenty as a treat. Both of them adore mackerel in a tinned tomato. What is it about tomato I wonder?

    FrugalFairy - perhaps your cat has tooth and gum problems? The highly processed Felix food might be irritating her, as well as being a cause of dental decay. Stinky breath is a big clue - if her breath is rank then a trip to the vet would be necessary.
  • COOLTRIKERCHICK
    COOLTRIKERCHICK Posts: 10,510 Forumite
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    when we had our cat...albert.....he used to love anything that we would eat.... even pasta.... but instead of tinned cat foods which is so bulked up withwater and waste by products...... when ever i went to the butchers (still do it with the dog ) i allways used to ask for bones and scraps for the cat and dog..... the butchers loves doing this as it saves him disposing of them in the correct way to comply with health and safey ...i have saved loads of money this way.....dont get me wrong i still bought cat and dog food,...but its as natural as you can get.....plus its free.......cant get more frugal than that.....
    Work to live= not live to work
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