"Ajanta" wrote in message
...
noone wrote:

: Well I broke down & did it. ***As a treat*** anyway, I got a couple of
cans
: of SOFT food. Friskies, Salmon Dinner. Cats are EATING it UP.
:
: What the heck, at 10/3.50 (35c a can), why not. As a TREAT anyway, I'd
say
: (maybe) 3-5 cans a week for both cats, with hard food the rest of the
time.

Good decision, shows you have a good heart. I agree with MaryL that
you should work towards feeding mostly canned, using dry as treat,
maybe 75:25 ratio. However, if it keeps things simple, 50-50 is OK.

At 35 cent level, stick to Friskies (avoid Whiskas, Nine Lives etc).
Next step up is only about 50c during sales: Iams, Science Diet. There
is no need to go more expensive. Good quality canned food will pay for
itself: with fewer fillers, they'll eat less of it; less litter; fewer
health problems.

As with people, so with pets in America: obesity is a big problem.
Don't free-feed; watch their weight/shape, adjust portions if needed.


I had to stop feeding my kitties canned food because they didn't seem to
like any brand of it. They'd leave the whole bowlful behind -- and before
long I was feeding cute little roaches instead of kitties. Since I really
didn't want cute little roaches for pets, I had to switch to dry food.*
(Living in Texas it doesn't take much to acquire a whole houseful of roachy
pets.)

But the dumb kitties do get canned food occasionally as a treat. They'll eat
about a spoonful at a time for variety. I think its probably better for
them too, its a shame they don't agree.

-- maryjane

* I once owned a cat who was a great exterminator. Roaches, flies, spiders,
little lizards that got in - she not only hunted but devoured them. She
thought they were great mice substitutes. Not my current lazy kitties
though - they'd rather not work for their food.