Cat diets

cally6008

Thanks for Furminator suggestion but definitely can't use it.

Old cat has matted fur on her legs and back end. The only way to get this off is to gently tweak it apart very slowly strand by strand. She gets annoyed very easily depending on what part we are trying to see to. It comes from her being a stray and then getting old, shedding and not grooming herself.

She does get a comb over a couple of times a week though. The vet has trimmed her chest between her legs once earlier this year but its just getting tatty again now it's grown back.

The thought of using one of those and "quote - Its stainless steel blade works by grabbing and removing the loose undercoat hair without affecting the top-coat in any way " fills me with dread as her undercoat hair is not loose, it's matted and tatty.

h007

i was advised to stop giving my chubby cat dry food as apparently they cant process carbs very well.

i feed purely wet and the pets at home own brand wet (the high meat content one)

cally6008

h007 wrote: »

i was advised to stop giving my chubby cat dry food as apparently they cant process carbs very well.

i feed purely wet and the pets at home own brand wet (the high meat content one)

Is that the one I've linked to in first post ?

rita-rabbit

h007 wrote: »

i was advised to stop giving my chubby cat dry food as apparently they cant process carbs very well.

i feed purely wet and the pets at home own brand wet (the high meat content one)

there are some v high protein ones - Applaus springs to mind - search the site for others.

rita-rabbit

cally6008 wrote: »

Thanks for Furminator suggestion but definitely can't use it.

Old cat has matted fur on her legs and back end. The only way to get this off is to gently tweak it apart very slowly strand by strand. She gets annoyed very easily depending on what part we are trying to see to. It comes from her being a stray and then getting old, shedding and not grooming herself.

She does get a comb over a couple of times a week though. The vet has trimmed her chest between her legs once earlier this year but its just getting tatty again now it's grown back.

The thought of using one of those and "quote - Its stainless steel blade works by grabbing and removing the loose undercoat hair without affecting the top-coat in any way " fills me with dread as her undercoat hair is not loose, it's matted and tatty.

I wouldn't try prising the matts/fur lox apart but cut them off instead & use baby wipes to keep cat clean. Also maybe baby brush to groom daily to prevent new matts forming?

Sooz00

cally6008 wrote: »

Times are approx

7-8am - half pouch of wet food
12pm - 10g weighed dry food (go cat indoor, wont change brand)
4-6pm - half pouch wet food
9pm - 5g dry food (only if whingy or remains of earlier tea put back down)
11pm - half pouch wet food
12-1am - 10g dry food

One male fatty who just had bout of citistis, one female oldie with renal failure n over active thyroid

Am I feeding too much ?

Neither cat can stomach more than half pouch wet food at a time as both have lovely tendancy to throw up after consuming more than their own amount

It's hard to know whether you're feeding too much, cats differ quite a lot in general and it would also depend on whether they are indoor/outdoor and how active. I'm not sure what the 5g or 10g actually looks like. I know you said they only eat the Go Cat - but nutritionally I didn't think it was good, haven't seen it for ages but I think it had all sorts of colours too. What brands have you tried that they wont eat?

The PAH pouches you mentioned sound okay, they seem to have a higher named meat content than a lot of the commercial brands. They're not grain free though as they have tapioca flour but I don't think they state how much. I think Nature's Menu is better, about £5 for 12 x 100g and has 70% meat content - slightly more expensive but better quality and 15g more food per pouch.

Your hyperthyroid cat may need/want more depending on how under control the condition is too and vomiting is also a symptom which they can get before treatment and sometimes on the tablets. My girl continually vomited on the Vidalta but was better on Felimazole. She goes in for treatment tomorrow...._pale_

I find pet nutrition is a minefield. Spent so much time looking into it and hours discussing with our vet and specialist after one of my cats had VAS. With cats, there are reports that feeding dry food can contribute toward kidney disease, diabetes, cystitis & urinary tract blockages because of a lack of water oven long periods (cats don't drink in the same way we or dogs do). I was also told that many types of tumours feed on carbohydrates. There are also reports that food packaged in cans coated with bisphenol A is linked to the development of hyperthyroidism in cats (I saw reports that stated a cat solely fed on canned food was 5x more likely to develop hyperthyroidism and a combination of dried and canned diet was 3.5x more likely).

Short of making a home made diet to which you'd have to add taurine and other supplements, you just have to look into what's available in the market and gauge what's right for your cats based on what they tolerate, any medical needs and their lifestyle. Do you feed them separately or together? Just wondered if your 'fatty boy' was finishing up your girl's meals.

I do find Zooplus have a really good range of cat foods, many of which you'll never find at the standard pet shops. They also sell on ebay under Zoopetcare so you can sometimes get things cheaper that way too.

Good luck

cally6008

rita-rabbit wrote: »

I wouldn't try prising the matts/fur lox apart but cut them off instead & use baby wipes to keep cat clean. Also maybe baby brush to groom daily to prevent new matts forming?

I've suggested cutting them off before. She can be a wriggly girl (scissors+ wriggly cat = someone's blood appearing lol) and some of the tatts go in several directions so trying to cut them would be a nightmare. Vet didnt like the suggestion either (have mentioned it previously)

cally6008

Sooz00 wrote: »

It's hard to know whether you're feeding too much, cats differ quite a lot in general and it would also depend on whether they are indoor/outdoor and how active. I'm not sure what the 5g or 10g actually looks like. I know you said they only eat the Go Cat - but nutritionally I didn't think it was good, haven't seen it for ages but I think it had all sorts of colours too. What brands have you tried that they wont eat?

Both indoor. Fat cat active occassionally and has mad half hours, old cat very sleepy most of the time. Tried them on Tesco's own brand (girl wont touch it), Tescos premium (girl wont touch). Go Cat (they both love).

The PAH pouches you mentioned sound okay, they seem to have a higher named meat content than a lot of the commercial brands. They're not grain free though as they have tapioca flour but I don't think they state how much. I think Nature's Menu is better, about £5 for 12 x 100g and has 70% meat content - slightly more expensive but better quality and 15g more food per pouch.

Your hyperthyroid cat may need/want more depending on how under control the condition is too and vomiting is also a symptom which they can get before treatment and sometimes on the tablets. My girl continually vomited on the Vidalta but was better on Felimazole. She goes in for treatment tomorrow...._pale_

Is the Felimazole cheaper than Vidalta ? She's on 10mg once every other day and 15mg once every other day, alternatively and also on Fortekor once a day. £36 a month for tablets and VAT goes up next month. Would get online but on senior healthcare scheme so save £8 or so per month so works out better to get from vets.

I find pet nutrition is a minefield. Spent so much time looking into it and hours discussing with our vet and specialist after one of my cats had VAS. With cats, there are reports that feeding dry food can contribute toward kidney disease, diabetes, cystitis & urinary tract blockages because of a lack of water oven long periods (cats don't drink in the same way we or dogs do). I was also told that many types of tumours feed on carbohydrates. There are also reports that food packaged in cans coated with bisphenol A is linked to the development of hyperthyroidism in cats (I saw reports that stated a cat solely fed on canned food was 5x more likely to develop hyperthyroidism and a combination of dried and canned diet was 3.5x more likely).

Short of making a home made diet to which you'd have to add taurine and other supplements, you just have to look into what's available in the market and gauge what's right for your cats based on what they tolerate, any medical needs and their lifestyle. Do you feed them separately or together? Just wondered if your 'fatty boy' was finishing up your girl's meals.

Both fed together, can't feed one without other unless fatty boy upstairs totally zonko and I'm very quiet with food. Fatty boy doesnt finish up girl's meals, I always keep an eye on them and move her food out of the way once she's finished so he doesnt get the chance to scoff it.

I do find Zooplus have a really good range of cat foods, many of which you'll never find at the standard pet shops. They also sell on ebay under Zoopetcare so you can sometimes get things cheaper that way too.

Good luck

Replies in red above

cazscoob

would an indoor cat need less fod than an outdoor cat as it doesnt seem to state on the packs? my girls are fed wet and dry but im not sure if they are getting enough/too much, they look perfect so i must be doing something right!

gunsandbanjos

I feed my indoor kitty Animonda Carny wet food and Orijen dry food, both are excellent quality and no more expensive than junk cat food. I use www.zooplus.com they are an excellent supplier.

Re matted cat, my parents cat was all matted, he is getting old and struggling to groom himself properly. They did their best but he doesnt tolerate being groomed well at all. Eventually my dad bought a slicker brush, he is now totally matt free! A combined effort between me and my dad over about a week, just a little at a time and he is so much better.