"Best by" dates

On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 15:39:13 -0500, wrote:

dgk wrote:

And it isn't like I've been offering them
the real crap. For all I know they're going
to turn it down also (they have all the dry
food they want, which IS Science Diet or
Eukanuba or Nutra or something - that
stuff they eat).

This is your problem right here and a mistake many people make. When
cats have food available all day and are constantly snacking, it doesn't
make much difference what other food you offer them, they likely won't
care to eat much, if any at all. Ideally you should feed your cats a
variety of canned foods on a schedule (every 12 hours is optimal) and
don't leave food out in between. Not only is it healther for them, but
it changes their attitude towards food and they learn to understand that
it's "now or 12 hours from now." It is also wise to feed scheduled meals
because it lessens the likelihood of the cat overeating and getting fat,
and also will make you aware of illness faster as you'll know exactly
when and how much you cat is eating and will quickly notice if it goes
off of its food. Most cases of hepatic lipidosis develop because the
cats are free fed and it is *days* before an issue is noticed.
Sure, leaving dry food out is convenient *for the owner,* but there is a
much larger price to pay for that convenience that, AFAIC, makes it not
even remotely worthwhile.

Megan



That's an interesting point and I thank you. But I've read elsewhere
that it is a good idea to leave out dry food and let them snack since
many small meals is preferable to a few large ones. Every time I learn
something someone comes along and reverses it.

It isn't like they're eating crappy dry food. Ok, I'm open to
suggestions. Dry food as desired or make them eat the wet food 12
hours apart.

One more thing. Jackie (the new old girl) is supposed to eat many
small meals around the clock since she needs to gain weight but has
diarrhea and shouldn't eat a lot at one time. That is the doctor's
orders. Of course, I don't think she eats much of the dry stuff at
all. I never see her do so and I suspect her teeth and gums don't
really allow it, thus it may be a red herring. Still, that makes it
very difficult to leave food out for her and not for the others.

Oh well, who said it would be easy.

From: "Karen"


"dgk" wrote in message
.. .

I'm trying to feed my cats a high quality diet and they simply walk
away. I'm finally going to get a chance to try some Petguard Premium
Feast which some kind soul recommended last week. But frankly, if they
won't eat that, then I'm going to try Friskees or 9 Lives. Several of
my friends have reasonably elderly cats (15 up to 20) that have eaten
that **** all their lives. Me, I fed my previous four cats good food
(they were a LOT less picky than the current generation) and only one
lived to 16. Two died by the age of 10, one from Heart Disease and the
other from Diabetes. This is just anecdotal of course, but I am really
getting ****ed off throwing away expensive food after getting that
look from the boys."What, you expect us to eat this crap?"

And it isn't like I've been offering them the real crap. For all I
know they're going to turn it down also (they have all the dry food
they want, which IS Science Diet or Eukanuba or Nutra or something -
that stuff they eat).

Let's say that quality food extends my cats lives by 6 months. That is
significant when you only live 18 years or so at a maxiumum. Still, if
they really enjoy McDonalds and they hate Quality Nutrition, should I
deny them that their whole lives? What is quality of life if not
enjoying food? It isn't like they have sex. Hmm. Come to think of it,
I should start eating at McDonalds.


(I haven't eaten at McDonalds or Burger King since 1970).

I threw away a LOT of food until I got to Petguard. The three flavors my
picky eaters like are Premium Feast, Chicken Stew lite, Turkey Lite with
Barley, and Beef w/Barley. Still, I have seen starving strays turn away from
9 lives which makes me wonder what is in THAT!

I fed my last cats mostly Fancy Feast, Friskies and Pukarina, I mean Purina.
Most cats are hard to switch once they've eaten a certain food for a while.
That's why I think it's good when a cat is young to start him out on a variety
of foods, in order to avoid a finicky cat later. Before I started my present
cats on a homemade diet, I fed them Petguard along with a couple other brands.
They always liked the Petguard. I also think it's important when introducing a
new food to not just put it down for the cat. I think switching is usually
more successful when the new food is mixed in with the old food, a little at a
time.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: "Karen"


"dgk" wrote in message
.. .

I'm trying to feed my cats a high quality diet and they simply walk
away. I'm finally going to get a chance to try some Petguard Premium
Feast which some kind soul recommended last week. But frankly, if they
won't eat that, then I'm going to try Friskees or 9 Lives. Several of
my friends have reasonably elderly cats (15 up to 20) that have eaten
that **** all their lives. Me, I fed my previous four cats good food
(they were a LOT less picky than the current generation) and only one
lived to 16. Two died by the age of 10, one from Heart Disease and the
other from Diabetes. This is just anecdotal of course, but I am really
getting ****ed off throwing away expensive food after getting that
look from the boys."What, you expect us to eat this crap?"

And it isn't like I've been offering them the real crap. For all I
know they're going to turn it down also (they have all the dry food
they want, which IS Science Diet or Eukanuba or Nutra or something -
that stuff they eat).

Let's say that quality food extends my cats lives by 6 months. That is
significant when you only live 18 years or so at a maxiumum. Still, if
they really enjoy McDonalds and they hate Quality Nutrition, should I
deny them that their whole lives? What is quality of life if not
enjoying food? It isn't like they have sex. Hmm. Come to think of it,
I should start eating at McDonalds.


(I haven't eaten at McDonalds or Burger King since 1970).

I threw away a LOT of food until I got to Petguard. The three flavors my
picky eaters like are Premium Feast, Chicken Stew lite, Turkey Lite with
Barley, and Beef w/Barley. Still, I have seen starving strays turn away from
9 lives which makes me wonder what is in THAT!

I fed my last cats mostly Fancy Feast, Friskies and Pukarina, I mean Purina.
Most cats are hard to switch once they've eaten a certain food for a while.
That's why I think it's good when a cat is young to start him out on a variety
of foods, in order to avoid a finicky cat later. Before I started my present
cats on a homemade diet, I fed them Petguard along with a couple other brands.
They always liked the Petguard. I also think it's important when introducing a
new food to not just put it down for the cat. I think switching is usually
more successful when the new food is mixed in with the old food, a little at a
time.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: "KellyH"

Like I said before, at the shelter,
where every donation counts, we won't even keep Special Kitty or other
store-brand food.

What exactly is Special Kitty? I never heard of it until CP posted about it.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: "KellyH"

Like I said before, at the shelter,
where every donation counts, we won't even keep Special Kitty or other
store-brand food.

What exactly is Special Kitty? I never heard of it until CP posted about it.
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "KellyH"

Like I said before, at the shelter,
where every donation counts, we won't even keep Special Kitty or other
store-brand food.

What exactly is Special Kitty? I never heard of it until CP posted about
it.
________

It's the Wal-Mart brand cat food. Bleh.


--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
Check out www.snittens.com

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "KellyH"

Like I said before, at the shelter,
where every donation counts, we won't even keep Special Kitty or other
store-brand food.

What exactly is Special Kitty? I never heard of it until CP posted about
it.
________

It's the Wal-Mart brand cat food. Bleh.


--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
Check out www.snittens.com

"dgk" wrote

That's an interesting point and I thank you. But I've read elsewhere that
it is a good idea to leave out dry food and let them snack since many small
meals is preferable to a few large ones.

A compromise might help. We limit Buddha's dry food to a small amount--maybe
1/3 cup a day. We used to keep her bown full. We found that once she started
on the canned food she lost interest in the dry to the point that there were
days when she would not empty the dry bowl. (She is a real chow hound.) Now
she looks forward to her canned food (begs for it every time I go to the
kitchen) and "rations" out her small amount of dry to last the day. She has
lost weight since I made canned food her primary food.

Oh well, who said it would be easy.

"dgk" wrote

That's an interesting point and I thank you. But I've read elsewhere that
it is a good idea to leave out dry food and let them snack since many small
meals is preferable to a few large ones.

A compromise might help. We limit Buddha's dry food to a small amount--maybe
1/3 cup a day. We used to keep her bown full. We found that once she started
on the canned food she lost interest in the dry to the point that there were
days when she would not empty the dry bowl. (She is a real chow hound.) Now
she looks forward to her canned food (begs for it every time I go to the
kitchen) and "rations" out her small amount of dry to last the day. She has
lost weight since I made canned food her primary food.

Oh well, who said it would be easy.

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav", "KellyH"
artfully composed this message within
news:4aGIc.63685$a24.3583@attbi_s03 on 12 Jul 2004:

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "KellyH"

Like I said before, at the shelter,
where every donation counts, we won't even keep Special Kitty
or other store-brand food.

What exactly is Special Kitty? I never heard of it until CP
posted about
it.
________

It's the Wal-Mart brand cat food. Bleh.



It makes me think of Special K. Cereal for Kitties.

--
Cheryl