Dry and wet -- one cat's experience

I do not want to restart the debate on dry versus wet food,(*) but I
thought some might be interested in my experience.

From age 1 (when I adopted him) to 2, Milo ate Purina Indoor, as
recommended by the shelter where he lived for a couple of months.
(The vet was okay with that.)

At his checkup in May 2009 the same vet told me to switch him to wet
food because Purina Indoor had too much carbohydrate for its protein
content. She gave me a list of brands including Wellness and EVO. I
obeyed, but there was a problem because Milo likes to take a bite or
two, walk away, then come back later. So the food quickly dried out
and became unappealing. There was thus a constant demand for me to
replace uneaten (and expensive) food with fresh. If I didn't have to
go to work, I suppose I could have fed him a tablespoon or two
hourly, but sine I do work in the day and sleep at night he's going
to get fed twice a day like most cats.

So I switched him to dry Wellness (which he hated) and then dry EVO.
He loved the dry EVO -- too much in fact. I fed him what the package
said, but he pretty much inhaled it. Within a few weeks he had
noticeably less energy, preferring just to lie around and ignoring
his toys when I tried to get him to play with them, and he had
visibly gained weight.

So I switched him back to Wellness wet food. He still pretty much
inhaled it, but his energy level increased within a few days, and he
started playing with his toys again. I'm now alternating Wellness
wet with EVO wet, which he eats slower, and his weight seems to be
declining a bit.

This is just one cat, obviously. And as I say, I don't want to
restart the religious discussion(*). But I thought it might be
interesting to others just how much of a difference it made for this
one cat, not just between mass-market dry and high-cost wet, but
between dry and wet of the same high-cost brands.


(*) This is Usenet, so I know how much effect that wish will have.
:-)


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown wrote:
I do not want to restart the debate on dry versus wet food,(*) but I
thought some might be interested in my experience.

From age 1 (when I adopted him) to 2, Milo ate Purina Indoor, as
recommended by the shelter where he lived for a couple of months.
(The vet was okay with that.)

At his checkup in May 2009 the same vet told me to switch him to wet
food because Purina Indoor had too much carbohydrate for its protein
content. She gave me a list of brands including Wellness and EVO. I
obeyed, but there was a problem because Milo likes to take a bite or
two, walk away, then come back later. So the food quickly dried out
and became unappealing. There was thus a constant demand for me to
replace uneaten (and expensive) food with fresh. If I didn't have to
go to work, I suppose I could have fed him a tablespoon or two
hourly, but sine I do work in the day and sleep at night he's going
to get fed twice a day like most cats.

So I switched him to dry Wellness (which he hated) and then dry EVO.
He loved the dry EVO -- too much in fact. I fed him what the package
said, but he pretty much inhaled it. Within a few weeks he had
noticeably less energy, preferring just to lie around and ignoring
his toys when I tried to get him to play with them, and he had
visibly gained weight.

So I switched him back to Wellness wet food. He still pretty much
inhaled it, but his energy level increased within a few days, and he
started playing with his toys again. I'm now alternating Wellness
wet with EVO wet, which he eats slower, and his weight seems to be
declining a bit.

This is just one cat, obviously. And as I say, I don't want to
restart the religious discussion(*). But I thought it might be
interesting to others just how much of a difference it made for this
one cat, not just between mass-market dry and high-cost wet, but
between dry and wet of the same high-cost brands.


(*) This is Usenet, so I know how much effect that wish will have.
:-)


Thanks you -- that is interesting. And how nice to get a sensible post
for a change. Best wishes. MLB

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
I do not want to restart the debate on dry versus wet food,(*) but I
thought some might be interested in my experience.

From age 1 (when I adopted him) to 2, Milo ate Purina Indoor, as
recommended by the shelter where he lived for a couple of months.
(The vet was okay with that.)

At his checkup in May 2009 the same vet told me to switch him to wet
food because Purina Indoor had too much carbohydrate for its protein
content. She gave me a list of brands including Wellness and EVO. I
obeyed, but there was a problem because Milo likes to take a bite or
two, walk away, then come back later. So the food quickly dried out
and became unappealing. There was thus a constant demand for me to
replace uneaten (and expensive) food with fresh. If I didn't have to
go to work, I suppose I could have fed him a tablespoon or two
hourly, but sine I do work in the day and sleep at night he's going
to get fed twice a day like most cats.

So I switched him to dry Wellness (which he hated) and then dry EVO.
He loved the dry EVO -- too much in fact. I fed him what the package
said, but he pretty much inhaled it. Within a few weeks he had
noticeably less energy, preferring just to lie around and ignoring
his toys when I tried to get him to play with them, and he had
visibly gained weight.

So I switched him back to Wellness wet food. He still pretty much
inhaled it, but his energy level increased within a few days, and he
started playing with his toys again. I'm now alternating Wellness
wet with EVO wet, which he eats slower, and his weight seems to be
declining a bit.

This is just one cat, obviously. And as I say, I don't want to
restart the religious discussion(*). But I thought it might be
interesting to others just how much of a difference it made for this
one cat, not just between mass-market dry and high-cost wet, but
between dry and wet of the same high-cost brands.


(*) This is Usenet, so I know how much effect that wish will have.
:-)


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Stan

I use fancy feast dry food for my Ka'shay she refuse to eat anything else
and the only wet food is 9 lives tuna and egg with cheese than she will only
take one or two bites

Now as for the others since the pet food poisoning where I lost my heart
cat spirit I only use name brand now wet food and high grade dry and wet
no off brands

I use fancy feast wet food that was non grilled or roasted with what ever
had gravy in it. Yes there is lower brands with lesser ash content but
Rumble will only eat food with gravy. So it was a compromise since they had
the most varieties. Since Rumble diabetes is under control this way
fingers crossed it was worth the compromise.


But the strange thing is the cheaper the brand the smeller it is the more
they love it. Furballs and woman I never try to figure them out. I go
with the flow ;-)

Stan,

Sounds like a bout with pancreatitis (since resolved), to me.

If you haven't done it yet, it might not be a bad idea to print your post
and let your vet take a look at it.

Allan

--
One asks, many answer, all learn -- Plato, on the 'Forum
---
True civility is when every one gives to every other one every right
that they claim for themselves.

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
I do not want to restart the debate on dry versus wet food,(*) but I
thought some might be interested in my experience.

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:20:07 -0500 from Matthew
:
But the strange thing is the cheaper the brand the smeller it is the more
they love it. Furballs and woman I never try to figure them out. I go
with the flow ;-)

Milo loves the Wellness cans that are really smelly (Sardine, Shrimp
& Crab). But when he gets the EVO chicken and turkey he seems to
prefer it out of the fridge, where it has little aroma (to my nose,
anyway).

As you say -- never try to figure them out.

I'm just happy to see him charging around getting exercise and
playing with his toys again. I'm probably anthropomorphizing, but he
seems like a much happier cat after the change in diet.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:03:05 -0500 from Allan Smith
:
Sounds like a bout with pancreatitis (since resolved), to me.

If you haven't done it yet, it might not be a bad idea to print your post
and let your vet take a look at it.

Thanks for the thought, but why do you suspect pancreatitis?(*) I
looked at

http://www.peteducation.com/article....1+1329&aid=334

and it said "Cats often show lethargy, dehydration, loss of appetite,
and weight loss."

The only symptom of the four that he displayed was lethargy. His nose
was still wet, he still had *plenty* of appetite, and he had weight
gain, not loss.

I'll mention it to the vet at his next visit in May, but is there any
reason to suspect a problem that should be addressed sooner?



(*) Interestingly, my spell checker didn't like this word. The
suggested correction, of all things, was "creationism"!

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

"Allan Smith" wrote in message
...
Stan,

Sounds like a bout with pancreatitis (since resolved), to me.


I'd *really* like to know how you deduced pancreatitis from a cat's food
preference-- especially since the hallmark of pancreatitis is *anorexia*!
Did you get that from the same book that you got "99% of the time,
Psychogenic Alopecia (self-barbering) is due to fleas" and "There is only
one way to get a tapeworm, and that is by ingesting a flea"?

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
obeyed, but there was a problem because Milo likes to take a bite or
two, walk away, then come back later. So the food quickly dried out
and became unappealing. There was thus a constant demand for me to
replace uneaten (and expensive) food with fresh. If I didn't have to
go to work, I suppose I could have fed him a tablespoon or two
hourly, but sine I do work in the day and sleep at night he's going
to get fed twice a day like most cats.

If you found a solution that works- don't change it. But if you run into a
problem, you could get an automatic feeder that you can set to dispense 6-8
meals a day, canned or dry. The compartment lids close tightly and keep
canned food pretty fresh- you can also add a little water or chicken broth
(unseasoned) to keep the food extra moist..

Phil

"Kelly Greene" wrote in message
...

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
. I
obeyed, but there was a problem because Milo likes to take a bite or
two, walk away, then come back later. So the food quickly dried out
and became unappealing. There was thus a constant demand for me to
replace uneaten (and expensive) food with fresh.

Don't leave more than a bite or two when you leave in the morning. He'll
be
hungry enough when you get home to eat more at one time. He needs a
feeding
schedule. Soon he'll learn he has to eat everything at one time as cats do
in nature and not nibble all day long.

Ah- but in nature cats *do* eat all day long:

"Cats typically eat 10 to 20 small meals throughout the day and night. This
eating pattern probably reflects the evolutionary relationship of cats and
their prey. "

and:

"Stomach



Because cats in the wild evolved to eat small frequent meals, the stomach is
less important as a storage reservoir compared with the stomach of dogs.
Thus, the stomach of domestic cats is simpler than that of dogs (i.e.,
relatively smaller with a smaller glandular fundus)."



From Cats as Carnivores in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 4th ed. p 297.



Don't feel bad- I was a proponent of twice a day feeding for years.

"Phil P." wrote...


Because cats in the wild evolved to eat small frequent meals,


**Must have been a lot of scurrying mice in ancient times.
Plus the occasional diving bird or fleeing lizard.

**Things must have been set up for those felines.