Adopting Cats - Food and Nutrition Advice

mortgageFTB

Hello,

Next Saturday, we're adopting 2 cats from a rescue centre (3 year old, Male (looks like a Korat?) and a 1.5 yr Female Moggy - both companions).



We're first time cat owners, although I've grown up with dogs + cats before.

I'm doing some research on food & nutrition it somewhat difficult to select a brand, and I'm sure I'm not the first person to say this either.

After doing some research, I really like the look of Orijen Regional Red and Acana Wild Prairie Cat foods and was wondering if anyone had any experience with these? We want to get things right and offer our rescue cats the best time for the rest of their lives and I feel nutrition is very important. Food cost is not an issue here.

Is there anything else I should be looking at? I have looked at the whole wet vs dry food debate and I'm not 100% on this, but I'm very open to either side.

If there is other high quality food that would be a good contender for these two? I would love to hear it (both dry and wet side).

Thanks for your help!

missbiggles1

Whatever you buy - the cats will only eat what they like and taste is more important to them than nutrition, so don't get too hung up on it.

Congratulations on the double rescue.

no1catman

Why do feel the need to give them something fancy? What were they feed previously in the rescue centre? Have they any history of what the previous owner fed them on?


Mine is perfectly happy with supermarket own brand pouches - prefers either Morrison's or Sainsbury's, plus a piece of boiled white fish everyday (£1.62 for 5 -7 pieces).


But good luck with the cats, especially going by the 'Rescue' route.

Robin9

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Whatever you buy - the cats will only eat what they like and taste is more important to them than nutrition, so don't get too hung up on it.

Congratulations on the double rescue.

Well done - I have 2 rescues who get on very well.

Just buy off the shelf in small quantities in case they turn their noses up at your choice.

Mine share a sachet a day - can't stand Salmon - and then dried food

PS The jabs they are given are basic - your vet will want to give them a full set

HappyMJ

mortgageFTB wrote: »

Hello,

Next Saturday, we're adopting 2 cats from a rescue centre (3 year old, Male (looks like a Korat?) and a 1.5 yr Female Moggy - both companions).

We're first time cat owners, although I've grown up with dogs + cats before.

I'm doing some research on food & nutrition it somewhat difficult to select a brand, and I'm sure I'm not the first person to say this either.

After doing some research, I really like the look of Orijen Regional Red and Acana Wild Prairie Cat foods and was wondering if anyone had any experience with these? We want to get things right and offer our rescue cats the best time for the rest of their lives and I feel nutrition is very important. Food cost is not an issue here.

Is there anything else I should be looking at? I have looked at the whole wet vs dry food debate and I'm not 100% on this, but I'm very open to either side.

If there is other high quality food that would be a good contender for these two? I would love to hear it (both dry and wet side).

Thanks for your help!

LOL you're very open to either side. As a cat owner you'll find it's not your choice. Feeding dry is way cheaper but what if your cats don't like it. You're onto the wet food. My cat started on dry then it must have been the teeth or something putting her off it completely refusing it any more. Gave her a pouch and she's fine with that. Tried tins but she's only eat a little and refuse the rest of the tin. So it ended up being pouches only.

I'd always try the dry food first (for cost) and go for a reasonable quality brand. I'd steer clear of the supermarket own brand labels but there's no need to go too expensive. Dry food requires you leave plenty of water around so make sure that it's there and replaced daily. Some cats can't handle a lot of dry food so just keep an eye on them.

Those are Canadian foods...just get some good old British products.

SensibleSarah

Well done for the double rescue! All 4 of mine are rescues too. Beautiful boy! Looks quite like my youngest girl:



Totally agree with those who say that the cats will choose what they eat. Lost count of the times I've bought new (and supposedly great) food and they either won't touch it, or they like it for a meal or two and never again.

Finding out what they are on now is a good plan, although many rescues mix it up a bit and feed the cats whatever is donated to them at any given time.

I'm a fan of a mixed wet and dry diet. My cats get 3 meals a day - mainly because I want to guarantee that they check in with me at least that many times 2 x wet meals (first thing and last thing) and some good quality dry food (one of the Royal Canin varieties) for tea. The wet food changes frequently because my cats all go off food regularly. It means that if I keep it long enough they'll usually come back onto it though! I just buy supermarket wet food as my attempts to get them onto better stuff in the past have failed. It's fine - they are all healthy and happy.

gettingready

Whatever you do - do not buy massive bags of expensive food as I bet cats will not have it at all.

Try different brands and they will let you know what they like - it will nto be your choice but theirs

I have 6 now, 5 eat whatever and get both wet and dry but one will never ever touch any dry food at all. Go figure.

Good luck

pinkteapot

Re wet vs. dry, it sounds like you're fairly relaxed anyway, but just to add our story to reassure you...

Kitty came to us on a wet/dry diet. I read all the stuff online about dry-only being bad for them, inevitable urinary infections, etc. Ours had occasional upset stomachs and after a bad bout the vet gave him a prescription food for stomach-settling - a very plain dry food. Kitty wolfed it down and his stomach was great. When he finished that, we decided to try him on Hill's Science Plan for Sensitive Stomach - also a dry-only diet (the one from the vet had been a Hill's Prescription Diet).

We have the Vetfone advice line with our insurance. I phoned them and spoke to a nurse, and separately and independently spoke to our vet. Both said that dry-only diets are absolutely fine. The only time vets recommend a wet diet is in cats with existing kidney and urinary problems.

Kitty loves his dry food, and actually used to sniff a lot and be quite slow at eating his wet, so ours seems to prefer dry. As above though, you could easily have one who prefers wet. They're pernickety.

Honestly, there is SO much stuff online championing utterly premium foods and even raw diets. Cats have been living quite happily for many a year on bog standard cat food. Personally I think the premium brands have done an exceptional job with their marketing. Like some others above, I wouldn't go really cheap with a supermarket own-brand, but ours was on brands you can buy in Tesco.

Whatever 'level' of food you go for, just make sure it's a "complete" one.

And enjoy your new furry friends.

TBagpuss

I agree with the suggestions to buy small amounts to start with and see whether they like - also start with whatever they are getting at the rescue and make the change gradual as they can get an upset stomach from sudden changes.

Mine get Purizon (http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/zooplus_exclusives/cat_food_treats/purizon) they absolutely love it. I have tried a whole range of different brands of wet food (including some of the very high quality / eye-wateringly expensive ons) and they just aren't interested, so they are on a dry diet (supplemented by mice, which they source themselves)

Mine will eat other types of dry food (although I noticed they would carefully leave all the green biscuits in go-cat!) but are definitely more enthusiastic about Purizon than other brands. And while I note you said cost wasn't an issue, it's not much more expensive than other brands as they do't needs as much, because it doesn't have any cereal bulking it out.

Shrike

Start them off on what the rescue centre has them on. My cat, like a lot of them, has fads with foods so I tend not to bulk buy, though there are a few brands she tends to prefer. She also eats stuff like tinned tuna (in water), cheap prawns, cooked cheapo white fish and cooked cheapo frozen chicken portions.

splishsplash

You must also understand that as soon as you see that your cats like an expensive brand of food so you go off and buy a huge quantity at a good price, they will immediately turn up their noses at it and never eat it again... guaranteed.