Is dry cat food good enough, or do they need canned food too?

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 14:39:10 -0500,
(---MIKE---) wrote:

I heard that some company (Iams?) tried a mouse flavored canned food.
The cats would not eat it!

I wonder if it really tasted like mice, or if it tasted like "mice"
just like some Jolly Ranchers taste like "watermelon" or some energy
bars taste like "chocolate."

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 11:20:29 -0700, "Monique Y. Mudama"
wrote:


I'd suspect that part of it is convenience. Humans already keep cows, salmon,
and chickens for slaughter, so it's pretty easy to just raise a few more. In
contrast, you'd need special facilities, different diets, etc for the animals
you mention.

Absolutely. The costs of running squirrel farms or bird farms just
for cat food is prohibitive. And when the alternatives are so much
cheaper, even if one was started it could never be profitable.

Just bear in mind that Dr. Zorans work is HYPOTHESIS only, and
there is no clinical data to prove the theory at all. Like all
hypothesis, it poses interesting questions worthy of future research.
The downside to what the carbo-phobic proponents are pushing is that
none of them are prepared to talk about the consequences. Like
everything else in life, there are positive and negative efects of any
action taken. None of the carbo-phobic crowd want to address some real
issues that exist and which make the hypothetical theory risky.
Deleting carbohydrates from the diet necessarily means other
sources of energy must take their place. Since energy only comes from
three places, carbs, protein and fats, it means that if carbs decline
then protein or fats must increase. Increasing protein always brings
with it risks - well documented and well understood risks. Increased
protein almost always brings increased levels of phosphorus. Increased
levels of phos in the general popualtion of acts wherein a significant
number have undetected sub clinical renal failure is a recipe for
disaster. Increased levels of proteins also bring in additional
minerals that have been directly linked to hyperthyroidism in cats.
When the carbophobics begin to address these well understood
negative risks they will have a bit more credibility.

---MIKE--- wrote:

Jean,

What kind of dishes do you use? I used to use Melmac soup dishes but
the raised sides seemed to "tickle" the whiskers so I switched to flat
butter dishes. Maybe Mingy has trouble eating the canned food if you
are using soup dishes. For dental, I give Tiger six pieces of Friskies
Dental Diet in the evening (Amber won't eat it). The pieces are round
and quite large so the cat has to break them apart. Phil once mentioned
that the Friskies Dental Diet was one of the few foods that might be
beneficial.

---MIKE---

I use Corningware dishes with very low sides. Mingy doesn't seem
to mind his whiskers touching the edges of dishes when he eats and
drinks, but I do think his flat face may play a role in what he
can eat. I haven't heard of the Friskies Dental Diet and will
look for that. I wonder whether Mingy would even deign to tackle
them? g
--
Jean B.