advice needed from cat owners / lovers

patchwork_cat

hi
if your cat is not goimg to mix with other cats then there is no need to vaccinate.

boys may need to be neutered as he might spray - although not all do, but most.

Royal Canin is a great food as is hills, but Royal Canin is cheaper.Royal canin is not the most expensive. I find it cheaper than hills.

milkydrink

Eels100, Do you disagree then that vets will almost 100% of them recommend a QUALITY dried diet?

I suggest that anyone (including OP) asks their vets opinion about what food to feed their cat (& I'm confident that nearly 100% will say quality dried, Hills or Canine).

Can I ask what brands of cat food you feed?

My boys 6, the vet always commentsb on his "great teeth" & his lean muscular body & hes a "netured male dry food fed housecat".

milkydrink

patchwork_cat wrote: »

hi
if your cat is not goimg to mix with other cats then there is no need to vaccinate.

boys may need to be neutered as he might spray - although not all do, but most.

Royal Canin is a great food as is hills, but Royal Canin is cheaper.Royal canin is not the most expensive. I find it cheaper than hills.

Hills is £12.29 for 2kg

Royal Canine is £13.99 for 2kg

How do you work out Royal Canine to be cheaper???

Link to "pets at home" pet supermarket, the largest chain in the UK.

http://www.petsathome.com/bin/venda?ex=co_disp-view&curpage=1&icat=ct1fd2cd3&bsref=petsathome

PS if you know of somewhere cheaper, please tell me!!!!!

milkydrink

patchwork_cat wrote: »

hi
if your cat is not goimg to mix with other cats then there is no need to vaccinate.
.

She will never be able to use a cattery & she might need to especially in an emergency.
Cats can escape & do.

daphne_descends

Anu wrote: »

I honestly believe that raw meat, bone and sinew is the best for them and when i finally find enough time my girls are going onto a raw food diet!

I'd second that. Our boys do like the odd scrap of cooked chicken, but they wouldn't get it cooked in the wild... I just need to develop a strong stomach myself first for the preparation.

And those really are two gorgeous cats you have, they look blissfully happy, as cats should.

Our cats took a liking to scratching the table legs, so I had a look in the pet shop and found covers for them that turn the leg into a scratching post, very handy - they're outdoor cats so we didn't want an actual post.

Eels100

kimevans wrote: »

Eels100, Do you disagree then that vets will almost 100% of them recommend a QUALITY dried diet?

Well I'm glad you said almost 100% because I certainly don't recommend that my clients feed exclusively dry food! I used to, but obviously we have to spend time annually on CPD (continuing professional development) courses and on several occasions speakers on feline medicine have raised this very issue and made me rethink my preconceived ideas about diet. Most recent evidence suggests that cats on exclusively dry diets simply do not drink enough water, and as a result are at greater risk of developing FLUTD.

If people want to feed a dry food then I recommend Hills or James Wellbeloved (I like JWB personally because it seems more palatable). Wet food is a mixture of Royal Canin/supermarket brands/Hills/whatever I can lay my hands on. It's all in the water content ...

Some references:
Feline Advisory Bureau info on FLUTD - note the section on diet!
Senior at WSAVA 2005 congress - FLUTD
Danielle Gunn-Moore In Practice article
R(D)SVS news article on FIC Note the petfood manufacturer sponsored position, so always take these things with a pinch of salt, although this lady knows her cats and that's beyond dispute!

justmarried06

Just to add my tuppence worth!! Our cat is now 15 this year and she's been on a mixed diet for the last seven years we had her (she was a rescue when she was 8). We give her half a tray of Sheba in the evenings (she's a fussy sod really) and she certainly doesn't let us forget to give it to her either!! And she constantly has a bowl of biscuits down for her - as someone else has said she's a bit of a grazer from that perspective and will go back frequently for a little bit throughout the day. We are currently using Hills t/d which is the dental biscuits as the vet has said even though we are 'doing everything perfectly' (his words) to help her with dental hygiene etc (ie not just feeding wet food all the time etc) some cats are just prone to it. The Hills has certainly helped out on that front as well - the t/d is the same as normal Hills (thats what she's always had as thats what she was fed at the RSPCA so I wouldn't go on to Go Cat or whatever cos of her being so fussy) its just a bit bigger so she has to crunch more.

Anu - I notice you mentnio bones etc as being good for a cat - could someone clear that up for me please as I have always thought that some bones, especially chicken and other poultry are really very dangerous for cats (make that animals in general) as they can potentially split in the gullet and cause a lot of damage?

JM xx

Eels100

justmarried06 wrote: »

I have always thought that some bones, especially chicken and other poultry are really very dangerous for cats (make that animals in general) as they can potentially split in the gullet and cause a lot of damage?

Cooked bones are at risk of fracturing into splinters. Raw bones are pretty safe (I never see any ill effects, other than trampling in rabbit guts when I step out the door some mornings :rolleyes: ) in comparison. I have reservations about poultry bones in general because the way these birds are bred and reared their bone composition is left wanting ... but if you can get decent bits of homebred chooks I'm sure they'd be ok. Ideally we should all be brushing our cats' teeth (snort!) but realistically I don't think that's fun for anyone!

patchwork_cat

Kim
Why suddenly start writing to me in red. We are on the same side.
I can get Royal Canin for £2.72 per kg and Hills for £2.99. I used to help out with the CPL too. I suggest that you have a word with your co ordinator of the league to talk to the companies .
True she will need vaccination if she wants to use a cattery. However the risk of contracting one of these diseases if the cat gets out, but is normally a house cat, are very slim.

There is a school of thought that once a cat is over 2 even if an outdoor cat that there is no need to vaccinate as they have developed some immunity to their local strains of virus and in fact as long as you do not move house they are fine. However as this cat is 1 and a house cat the latter was for info only.

sleepymy

Eels100 wrote: »

Ideally we should all be brushing our cats' teeth (snort!) but realistically I don't think that's fun for anyone!

It is for one of mine when he sits and licks the kitty toothpaste off the brush

You're quite right about taking advice of strangers on the internet. You wouldn't rely on random strangers for your child's health why would you for a furry baby?

The internet is good for ideas but it's advisable to research any advice given before acting on it, no matter what it's about.