Thread: Vomiting cat
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Old April 5th 05, 10:42 AM
Phil P.
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"bjdbrad" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well Phil perhaps its a mix of a few things.....one of them human
related I admit but I don't want to mess with the cans and smell and
mess of dealing with canned food.......



Actually, your cats' health should take precedence over your convenience.


but also I am convinced that the
dry food is best for them.



That's hardy the case. In fact, its the complete opposite. Here's why:

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutritio...i ch_is_reall


Btw, take a look a your cats' teeth. Do you see any first premolars or
lower first or second premolars or broad and fisured crowns for grinding?
No, right? Their teeth are pointed - designed for tearing and cutting - not
mastication.

Also, gently try to move your cats' jaws laterally or in a rotary motion.
Can't do it, can you? Do you know why? Cats don't masticate! They can't
because their jaw hinge (condyloid process) is shaped like a bar - like a
door hinge - and only moves up and down (for holding struggling prey and
cutting) http://maxshouse.com/anatomy/Dentary...edial_view.jpg

So unless the dry food nuggets are very large - large enough for the teeth
to sink all the way down to the gum line - and don't shatter when the cat
bites into them, what good is dry food?


I have no quarrel with those that want to
use canned food I just prefer not to,


Its not as simple as that. Your cats' health should take precedence over
your convenience.


also my breeder says his cats
have much better and less odorous stools with dry food.



Most breeders are hardly credible sources of information - look how much
damage their "wisdom" has caused for many breeds - *especially* the
brachycephalic breeds and the Siamese! Most breeders know even less about
feline nutrition than they do about breeding!

The cost of those 'better' stools is less water in the urine and lower urine
volume - which increases the concentration of solutes in the urine which
increases the risk of urinary tract obstructions in male cats. Most of the
water dry-fed cats drink is lost to fecal moisture. So, even though they
drink about 6x more water than cats fed canned food, they have a *lower*
total water intake and turnover and *lower* urine volume. This isn't
opinion - this is fact backed up by peer-reviewed controlled clinical
studies.

Dry food also exacerbates interstitial cystitis and diabetes in cats that
are predisposed to it.


I think alot of
you guys use canned foods because your cat seems to love it and its
maybe more of a treat to give them the canned food which makes you feel
better being good to your cat which certainly is good for you and your
cat.


You couldn't be more wrong! Most of us feed our cats canned food because
its *healthier for our cats*. Canned food is more is expensive, takes more
effort, and is just a general pain in ass to deal with it - but its *better*
and *healthier* for our cats - which takes precedence over our convenience.
Don't you think we would love to just fill up a feeder once a week and
forget about it instead of worrying about rushing home to feed our cats on
time? The inconvenience and effort are offset by the satisfaction and
confidence that we are doing the best thing for our feline friends - who
enrich our lives so much. I think you might want to reevaluate your
priorities.

As the owner of a male cat, you should be particularily concerned about
feeding dry food. Male cats are very susceptible to urinary tract
obstructions because their urethra narrows - like a funnel - where it passes
over the pelvis - which can easily become blocked by small crystals and
debris and lead to oliguric acute renal failure and *death*. Females cats
aren't susceptible to UTOs because they have a wider and somewhat straight
urethra.

You seem like a caring owner whose just been misled and misinformed. I
really think you'll change your mind if you really think about it.

Phil