wellness food & lots of visits to the litter box?

hi,
my two-year old boy has been dining on nutro natural choice dry food
since he was a kitten, because he seems to have allergies to most
other foods (he couldn't take science diet or iams, and even has
problems with pounce treats--vomiting or stool issues). he was really
good with the nutro, actually, but the guy at the pet food store
convinced me to try the wellness dry food... since he really liked the
sample so much, i bought a bag last week and started mixing it in with
the nutro.

he seems to like it a lot, but i've noticed that he's been making LOTS
of trips to the litter box lately. he'll nibble a bit, and then go on
over to the box, hop in and scratch around for a bit, and then come
out, sometimes just to head back over to his food bowl. he seems as
happy and frisky as ever, and his fur is a bit shinier than
before--but has anyone else ever noticed this before? is it possible
that his system is adjusting, and that it will work itself out? it's
been about a week, and today is the first day i've given him just the
wellness alone. it seems odd that he goes to the box so often. it
doesn't seem like he's doing anything more than usual in there, but it
seems kind of odd. (just to clarify, we're using the same litter as
before--the swheat scoop, and it's cleaned out daily).

i don't know if i should switch back to the nutro, since we didn't
really have any problems with it... i just keep reading/hearing about
how much better the wellness is, so i thought i'd try it. he's got
such a sensitive tummy i don't want to keep changing his food on
him...

any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks!
catherine

in article , sushi at
wrote on 11/26/03 10:49 PM:

hi,
my two-year old boy has been dining on nutro natural choice dry food
since he was a kitten, because he seems to have allergies to most
other foods (he couldn't take science diet or iams, and even has
problems with pounce treats--vomiting or stool issues). he was really
good with the nutro, actually, but the guy at the pet food store
convinced me to try the wellness dry food... since he really liked the
sample so much, i bought a bag last week and started mixing it in with
the nutro.

he seems to like it a lot, but i've noticed that he's been making LOTS
of trips to the litter box lately. he'll nibble a bit, and then go on
over to the box, hop in and scratch around for a bit, and then come
out, sometimes just to head back over to his food bowl. he seems as
happy and frisky as ever, and his fur is a bit shinier than
before--but has anyone else ever noticed this before? is it possible
that his system is adjusting, and that it will work itself out? it's
been about a week, and today is the first day i've given him just the
wellness alone. it seems odd that he goes to the box so often. it
doesn't seem like he's doing anything more than usual in there, but it
seems kind of odd. (just to clarify, we're using the same litter as
before--the swheat scoop, and it's cleaned out daily).

i don't know if i should switch back to the nutro, since we didn't
really have any problems with it... i just keep reading/hearing about
how much better the wellness is, so i thought i'd try it. he's got
such a sensitive tummy i don't want to keep changing his food on
him...

any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks!
catherine

Make sure he is peeing!!!

Karen

in article , sushi at
wrote on 11/26/03 10:49 PM:

hi,
my two-year old boy has been dining on nutro natural choice dry food
since he was a kitten, because he seems to have allergies to most
other foods (he couldn't take science diet or iams, and even has
problems with pounce treats--vomiting or stool issues). he was really
good with the nutro, actually, but the guy at the pet food store
convinced me to try the wellness dry food... since he really liked the
sample so much, i bought a bag last week and started mixing it in with
the nutro.

he seems to like it a lot, but i've noticed that he's been making LOTS
of trips to the litter box lately. he'll nibble a bit, and then go on
over to the box, hop in and scratch around for a bit, and then come
out, sometimes just to head back over to his food bowl. he seems as
happy and frisky as ever, and his fur is a bit shinier than
before--but has anyone else ever noticed this before? is it possible
that his system is adjusting, and that it will work itself out? it's
been about a week, and today is the first day i've given him just the
wellness alone. it seems odd that he goes to the box so often. it
doesn't seem like he's doing anything more than usual in there, but it
seems kind of odd. (just to clarify, we're using the same litter as
before--the swheat scoop, and it's cleaned out daily).

i don't know if i should switch back to the nutro, since we didn't
really have any problems with it... i just keep reading/hearing about
how much better the wellness is, so i thought i'd try it. he's got
such a sensitive tummy i don't want to keep changing his food on
him...

any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks!
catherine

Make sure he is peeing!!!

Karen

Karen wrote in message . ..

Make sure he is peeing!!!

Karen

yes--he is... he drinks a lot of water and pees normally. i think the
amount of pee and poop in the box aren't really different, but it's
more broken up now when i scoop it out because he digs around in there
a little more.
i'm just baffled. he's playing quite happily right now. i only notice
it when he goes to eat.
it's weird.

Karen wrote in message . ..

Make sure he is peeing!!!

Karen

yes--he is... he drinks a lot of water and pees normally. i think the
amount of pee and poop in the box aren't really different, but it's
more broken up now when i scoop it out because he digs around in there
a little more.
i'm just baffled. he's playing quite happily right now. i only notice
it when he goes to eat.
it's weird.

I only recently found out about urine ph levels as a result of george's
bout with flutd. Some foods swing the urine more toward base, and some,
more toward alkaline. Some foods (walthan ph and IVD Select Care) keep it
neutral. If a cat has struvites, I'm told by docs, that's indicative of a
swing in one direction, either alkaline or basic (I can't recall which
now). If a cat has calcium oxyllate, that's indicative of a swing in the
opposite ph level. So, the strategy is to swing it the opposite direction
of the environment that produced the particular type of crystals present,
and then put them on a ph neutral food.

How this relates to your situation is that I am wondering what the ph
tenedency is for wellness. Does anyone know? I'm wondering if your cat is
reacting to a changed ph level.

ava


On Thu, 27 Nov 2003, sushi wrote:

Karen wrote in message . ..

Make sure he is peeing!!!

Karen

yes--he is... he drinks a lot of water and pees normally. i think the
amount of pee and poop in the box aren't really different, but it's
more broken up now when i scoop it out because he digs around in there
a little more.
i'm just baffled. he's playing quite happily right now. i only notice
it when he goes to eat.
it's weird.

I only recently found out about urine ph levels as a result of george's
bout with flutd. Some foods swing the urine more toward base, and some,
more toward alkaline. Some foods (walthan ph and IVD Select Care) keep it
neutral. If a cat has struvites, I'm told by docs, that's indicative of a
swing in one direction, either alkaline or basic (I can't recall which
now). If a cat has calcium oxyllate, that's indicative of a swing in the
opposite ph level. So, the strategy is to swing it the opposite direction
of the environment that produced the particular type of crystals present,
and then put them on a ph neutral food.

How this relates to your situation is that I am wondering what the ph
tenedency is for wellness. Does anyone know? I'm wondering if your cat is
reacting to a changed ph level.

ava


On Thu, 27 Nov 2003, sushi wrote:

Karen wrote in message . ..

Make sure he is peeing!!!

Karen

yes--he is... he drinks a lot of water and pees normally. i think the
amount of pee and poop in the box aren't really different, but it's
more broken up now when i scoop it out because he digs around in there
a little more.
i'm just baffled. he's playing quite happily right now. i only notice
it when he goes to eat.
it's weird.

sushi wrote:

hi,
my two-year old boy has been dining on nutro natural choice dry food
since he was a kitten, because he seems to have allergies to most
other foods (he couldn't take science diet or iams, and even has
problems with pounce treats--vomiting or stool issues). he was really
good with the nutro, actually, but the guy at the pet food store
convinced me to try the wellness dry food... since he really liked the
sample so much, i bought a bag last week and started mixing it in with
the nutro.

he seems to like it a lot, but i've noticed that he's been making LOTS
of trips to the litter box lately. he'll nibble a bit, and then go on
over to the box, hop in and scratch around for a bit, and then come
out, sometimes just to head back over to his food bowl. he seems as
happy and frisky as ever, and his fur is a bit shinier than
before--but has anyone else ever noticed this before? is it possible
that his system is adjusting, and that it will work itself out? it's
been about a week, and today is the first day i've given him just the
wellness alone. it seems odd that he goes to the box so often. it
doesn't seem like he's doing anything more than usual in there, but it
seems kind of odd. (just to clarify, we're using the same litter as
before--the swheat scoop, and it's cleaned out daily).

i don't know if i should switch back to the nutro, since we didn't
really have any problems with it... i just keep reading/hearing about
how much better the wellness is, so i thought i'd try it. he's got
such a sensitive tummy i don't want to keep changing his food on
him...

any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks!
catherine

The same thing happened with mine, Catherine. Especially with my dog!
But it calms down, and then you're back to normal. I personally noticed
less stool odor with Wellness than with Nutro, but that's my kitties. I
hope you don't find the reverse is true!

sushi wrote:

hi,
my two-year old boy has been dining on nutro natural choice dry food
since he was a kitten, because he seems to have allergies to most
other foods (he couldn't take science diet or iams, and even has
problems with pounce treats--vomiting or stool issues). he was really
good with the nutro, actually, but the guy at the pet food store
convinced me to try the wellness dry food... since he really liked the
sample so much, i bought a bag last week and started mixing it in with
the nutro.

he seems to like it a lot, but i've noticed that he's been making LOTS
of trips to the litter box lately. he'll nibble a bit, and then go on
over to the box, hop in and scratch around for a bit, and then come
out, sometimes just to head back over to his food bowl. he seems as
happy and frisky as ever, and his fur is a bit shinier than
before--but has anyone else ever noticed this before? is it possible
that his system is adjusting, and that it will work itself out? it's
been about a week, and today is the first day i've given him just the
wellness alone. it seems odd that he goes to the box so often. it
doesn't seem like he's doing anything more than usual in there, but it
seems kind of odd. (just to clarify, we're using the same litter as
before--the swheat scoop, and it's cleaned out daily).

i don't know if i should switch back to the nutro, since we didn't
really have any problems with it... i just keep reading/hearing about
how much better the wellness is, so i thought i'd try it. he's got
such a sensitive tummy i don't want to keep changing his food on
him...

any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks!
catherine

The same thing happened with mine, Catherine. Especially with my dog!
But it calms down, and then you're back to normal. I personally noticed
less stool odor with Wellness than with Nutro, but that's my kitties. I
hope you don't find the reverse is true!