in article , LynC at
wrote on 2/25/04 7:58 PM:

"Ted Davis" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 20:20:17 -0500, "LynC" wrote:

My 2 cats have been with me since they were kittens.. one now weighs 18
lbs.
and the other 15 lbs. The vet said they were healthy and not to worry
about
their weights. I have 2 himmies and they tend to gain weight over time.

My problem is that I am used to feeding some canned cat food at night for
them both. I go to Petsmart and purchase about 21 cans of cat food for
them
for the month. I get Iams, Nutro and Whiskas. That is what they always
liked. They used to fight over the food but now..... don't want the
canned
food.

They don't eat the canned anymore other than a couple bites. I continue
to
put it out each night as they are into the routine of being fed and beg
for
it if I don't give them the canned food. They don't eat it however. I
throw it all in the garbage disposal the next morning.

I feel badly if I don't give the canned food to them but again, I just
throw
it out the next morning. Is it possible to completely give up canned
food
and is that okay?

I have a dozen very healthy cats that are given one can for all of
them once or twice a week as a treat. They eat Special Kitty dry food
from Walmart and love it. Two are obese, but were that way when I got
them. One that I got as a kitten is chubby. Two are skinny - they
were skinny when I got them, but the vet says they are healthy.

I must add that some of them partially feed themselves with what they
catch, but they are no healthier then the others.

If you feed only dry food, you need to make sure they are getting
enough water, and you need to watch out for problems due to specific
formulas and for things like urinary problems that need special
formulas.

If they are overweight and not eating something, it could be because
they are overfed.


T.E.D. - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my
.sig in the body)

I do take them to the vets each year for a check up and the vet says they
are healthy. I am worried because they are males and I guess I read
sometime back that males can develop some kind of urinary tract problem
related to diet and now for the life of me I can't remember what that was.
I am concerned because they have stopped eating the canned food. That was
their favorite.


It's true that males can develop problems (not will, but it's a lot more
possible). Cut back on the amount of dry available and keep tempting them
with canned.

Karen