Help with new cats

Cath_Ster

hello! I was hoping that I could get some advice from you lovely knowledgeable folks

We adopted a mother and 14 week kitten from a rescue sanctuary last weekend. The kitten has come along in leaps and bounds as she would hide when we went within a foot of her to start with, but now she is quite happy to be petted and played with! The mother is a bit more wary unless there is food involved

This is where my question lies - food! We've never had cats before so are just going based on the guidance from the vet, the home and the food pouches. At the home they were being fed wet food only due to mother having had cystitis, so we got the same stuff (Felix pouches). The home said they were being fed three times a day so that's what we've been doing - morning, when we get home from work and just before bed.

They're acting like we are starving them! We are going to gradually introduce some dry food back to their meals but at the moment they are wolfing down a pouch each three times a day and still meowing at us for more... Is that normal? We don't give them anymore and they calm down after a while but the way they scoff down the food is mad!

Any time we go near the room where their food is they're all over us meowing, even if it's only ten minutes after their last meal! We've found that playing with them distracts them and stops them demanding more food but I just want to make sure that we shouldn't actually be feeding them more? Or are they meowing for something else?

I'm so clueless to this cat owner stuff and really want to make sure we are taking good care of them

gettingready

Well, My Fred eats 6 pouches per day - would eat more if I allowed him. He does not eat dry at all.

My other 3 boys have 2-3 pouches each and access to dry food all the time and they top up with that.

Not sure it is a good idea to give time dry food if mum cat is prone to cystitis at all to be honest.

Felix is not a very good quality food so perhaps look into better quality food for them to keep them fuller?

Saying that, my boys will only now eat Felix as Good as it Looks - sighhhhhhh

If cost is an issue, try getting a few cans of Butchers Classic, around £5.00 for 12 tins at Tesco or Asda perhaps?

scaredy_cat

i switched my Giz from pouches (he could eat 4 a day!) to Butchers classic tins and he also has PAH biscuits.

try leaving some biscuits down all day for her.

gettingready

All my boys used to live BUtchers Classic - comes in meat or fish variety, the liked the chicken one (bu not beef) and all the fish ones.

Then when I stocked up - they went off so we are on the %(&%(% Felix - sighhhh. Well, at least they eat.

We went through all the great expensive, excellent Zooplus wet food and they always went off each of them after a while.

So Felix as good as it looks (not the normal felix) it is. For now. Till they get fed up. Again.

Cats will be cats...

Kathy535

Two things, firstly I'd ask your vets for recommendations on food. Two of our boys have cystitis and we buy special food (Hills CD) online to keep it at bay. The other thing we do is mix the dry food with water to boost their water intake which seems to be the key thing in cystitis for them, the more water they have, the less likely they are to have an attack. Good luck!

gettingready

Sorry but never ask a vet about food recommendation, they are not trained in pet nutrition beyond of what they stock themselves and is often a pricey rubbish.

There are some exceptions but not that I have personally met in life (some good vets on forums here though).

Just a thought, have the cats been wormed recently?

Cath_Ster

Thanks everyone! Gettingready - the kitten was wormed this week, and the mother was wormed last month.

When we did speak to the vet about food he wasn't very helpful! He just said follow the instructions.

We have just stocked up on Felix as good as it looks so will carry on with that and slowly introduce dry food mixed with water as Kathy has suggested (we've bought a few bags of kittens Iams) - do you recommend until we start leaving dry food down all day to up how many pouches we are giving them then?

gettingready

Oh, not Iams

Try to buy a brand that is not involved in so much animal cruelty as Iams is.. terrible.. sorry I am sure you did not know. Perhaps google a bit...type in Iams cruelty... xx

Cath_Ster

Oh no! I had no idea... I feel so clueless about what is good and bad brands for cats

Eta thanks for making me aware x

scaredy_cat

i avoid Go Cat biscuits as they caused my old boy (rip) to develop crystals in his bladder.

GwylimT

If you really do want to add dry to their diet make sure it doesn't contain added carbohydrates, it is something cats shouldn't eat and it can make th gain quite a bit of weight, they also need to drink lots and lots of water with dry.

I probably wouldn't change the kittens food yet as I would be worried about upsetting their tummy.

A fairly decent cheap wet food is high life which is 50% meat, Felix, sheba etc tend to be around 4%. Other good foods are natures menu 90% meat and is often on offer online. Our cat eats hilife quite a bit, she does have a few biscuits mixed with water, as in about ten biscuits, she also has chicken wings on a regular basis, raw of course so the bones aren't an issue.

My ragdoll lady at the moment has three hilife pouches a day and one chicken wing, she does have a small appetite for her size though. Also remember felix is like the McDonald's of the cat food world, it tastes good but it doesn't satisfy you, the more meat the way they more satisfied they will feel.