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Do cats eat more in winter?



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 30th 11, 01:46 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
J J Levin
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 147
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay



  #2  
Old December 30th 11, 02:21 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
CatNipped[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,823
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

On 12/29/2011 6:46 PM, J J Levin wrote:
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay




Cats do tend to eat more in colder weather to put on an extra layer of
fat to keep warm - this is especially true for outdoor or indoor/outdoor
cats. However, if he is eating much more then you might want to have
his thyroid checked. I know you got them both as adults, but do you
know how old they are?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

  #3  
Old December 30th 11, 04:04 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
J J Levin
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 147
Default Do cats eat more in winter?


"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
On 12/29/2011 6:46 PM, J J Levin wrote:
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that
the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not
changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have
kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and
pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay




Cats do tend to eat more in colder weather to put on an extra layer of fat
to keep warm - this is especially true for outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats.
However, if he is eating much more then you might want to have his thyroid
checked. I know you got them both as adults, but do you know how old they
are?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped



They're 3 years old, brother and sister. They saw their vet 2 weeks ago. He
pronounced them healthy and definitely NOT overweight -- as a matter off
fact he commented that one of them (Edgar, the bigger one) is big but he's
all muscle and very lean.

Jay







  #4  
Old December 30th 11, 04:41 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
CatNipped[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,823
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

On 12/29/2011 9:04 PM, J J Levin wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 12/29/2011 6:46 PM, J J Levin wrote:
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that
the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not
changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have
kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and
pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay




Cats do tend to eat more in colder weather to put on an extra layer of fat
to keep warm - this is especially true for outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats.
However, if he is eating much more then you might want to have his thyroid
checked. I know you got them both as adults, but do you know how old they
are?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped



They're 3 years old, brother and sister. They saw their vet 2 weeks ago. He
pronounced them healthy and definitely NOT overweight -- as a matter off
fact he commented that one of them (Edgar, the bigger one) is big but he's
all muscle and very lean.

Jay


If they're only three, depending on the breed of cat, or the breed mixed
into their genes, they could be in a growth phase - in which case that,
combined with the colder weather, would make it quite natural for them
to be putting on more weight. I think they'll be OK, just keep an eye
on them and if you see any other abnormal behavior then give your vet a
call.

I asked about age because older cats tend to have thyroid problems (next
after renal problems which is the prime cause of disease and death in
cats which is why I think canned food is so important to their health).



--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

  #5  
Old December 30th 11, 05:16 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
J J Levin
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 147
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
On 12/29/2011 9:04 PM, J J Levin wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 12/29/2011 6:46 PM, J J Levin wrote:
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that
the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not
changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have
kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more
treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and
pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay




Cats do tend to eat more in colder weather to put on an extra layer of
fat
to keep warm - this is especially true for outdoor or indoor/outdoor
cats.
However, if he is eating much more then you might want to have his
thyroid
checked. I know you got them both as adults, but do you know how old
they
are?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped



They're 3 years old, brother and sister. They saw their vet 2 weeks ago.
He
pronounced them healthy and definitely NOT overweight -- as a matter off
fact he commented that one of them (Edgar, the bigger one) is big but
he's
all muscle and very lean.

Jay


If they're only three, depending on the breed of cat, or the breed mixed
into their genes, they could be in a growth phase - in which case that,
combined with the colder weather, would make it quite natural for them to
be putting on more weight. I think they'll be OK, just keep an eye on
them and if you see any other abnormal behavior then give your vet a call.

I asked about age because older cats tend to have thyroid problems (next
after renal problems which is the prime cause of disease and death in cats
which is why I think canned food is so important to their health).



--
Hugs,

CatNipped



Thanks. I read somewhere (maybe here?) that canned food is important because
of its moisture. Ours get 2 cans of Fancy Feast a day (they share them).
Turkey and chicken are OK, but they really love the salmon and tuna in their
various permutations.

Jay







  #6  
Old December 30th 11, 01:14 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Winnie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,168
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

On Dec 29, 11:16*pm, "J J Levin" wrote:
"CatNipped" wrote in message

...









On 12/29/2011 9:04 PM, J J Levin wrote:
*wrote in message
...
On 12/29/2011 6:46 PM, J J Levin wrote:
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that
the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not
changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.


They share a small can of *moist food morning and evening, and have
kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more
treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and
pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.


Is this common?


Thanks,


Jay


Cats do tend to eat more in colder weather to put on an extra layer of
fat
to keep warm - this is especially true for outdoor or indoor/outdoor
cats.
However, if he is eating much more then you might want to have his
thyroid
checked. *I know you got them both as adults, but do you know how old
they
are?


--
Hugs,


CatNipped


They're 3 years old, brother and sister. They saw their vet 2 weeks ago.
He
pronounced them healthy and definitely NOT overweight -- as a matter off
fact he commented that one of them (Edgar, the bigger one) *is big but
he's
all muscle and very lean.


Jay


If they're only three, depending on the breed of cat, or the breed mixed
into their genes, they could be in a growth phase - in which case that,
combined with the colder weather, would make it quite natural for them to
be putting on more weight. *I think they'll be OK, just keep an eye on
them and if you see any other abnormal behavior then give your vet a call.


I asked about age because older cats tend to have thyroid problems (next
after renal problems which is the prime cause of disease and death in cats
which is why I think canned food is so important to their health).


--
Hugs,


CatNipped


Thanks. I read somewhere (maybe here?) that canned food is important because
of its moisture. Ours get 2 cans of Fancy Feast a day (they share them).
Turkey and chicken are OK, but they really love the salmon and tuna in their
various permutations.

Jay


Yes, Rusty (RB) was put on a prescription canned food only diet after
his second
urinary blockage. I even added a bit of water to his canned food to
make
sure he got enough water. -- Winnie
  #7  
Old December 30th 11, 11:29 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
CatNipped[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,823
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

On 12/29/2011 10:16 PM, J J Levin wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 12/29/2011 9:04 PM, J J Levin wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 12/29/2011 6:46 PM, J J Levin wrote:
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that
the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not
changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have
kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more
treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and
pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay




Cats do tend to eat more in colder weather to put on an extra layer of
fat
to keep warm - this is especially true for outdoor or indoor/outdoor
cats.
However, if he is eating much more then you might want to have his
thyroid
checked. I know you got them both as adults, but do you know how old
they
are?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped


They're 3 years old, brother and sister. They saw their vet 2 weeks ago.
He
pronounced them healthy and definitely NOT overweight -- as a matter off
fact he commented that one of them (Edgar, the bigger one) is big but
he's
all muscle and very lean.

Jay


If they're only three, depending on the breed of cat, or the breed mixed
into their genes, they could be in a growth phase - in which case that,
combined with the colder weather, would make it quite natural for them to
be putting on more weight. I think they'll be OK, just keep an eye on
them and if you see any other abnormal behavior then give your vet a call.

I asked about age because older cats tend to have thyroid problems (next
after renal problems which is the prime cause of disease and death in cats
which is why I think canned food is so important to their health).



--
Hugs,

CatNipped



Thanks. I read somewhere (maybe here?) that canned food is important because
of its moisture. Ours get 2 cans of Fancy Feast a day (they share them).
Turkey and chicken are OK, but they really love the salmon and tuna in their
various permutations.

Jay


Yep, despite some of the crazy things a cat will eat, they are by nature
"obligate carnivores". Cats evolved in a desert environment, around
Africa/Egypt [side note: this is why cats are crepuscular rather than
diurnal or nocturnal - they could not hunt in the heat of the day or the
freezing temperatures at night so they were most active at dawn and
twilight, as were their prey]. There is very, very little free-standing
water(1) in a desert so cats depended on the water contained in their
prey.

Mice, other rodents and other animal prey contain about 80% water.
Canned food contains about 70% - 80% water and 20% - 30% dry matter.
Dry food contains 20% - 30% water and 70% - 80% dry matter, so cats on a
dry food diet would have to make up the difference in drinking water...
and this goes against their evolutionary instincts, so even though
they're forced to drink some, they can never drink enough water to make
up the difference. Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) is one of the leading
causes of death in cats (I think cancer may have finally equaled it or
beaten it since cats are now living longer in general).

Male cats are particularly prone to urinary problems since their urethra
are much narrower than in females and when their urine becomes
crystallized (as it can do on a high carbohydrate diet with too little
fluid intake) it can cause extremely painful blockages and even death.

Some people argue that dry food is better for a cat's teeth, but in
actuality, the very opposite is true. Dry food contains lots of
carbohydrates (a form of sugar), and since a cat's jaws are made for
grasping, puncturing and tearing meat off of bones, they don't do any
true mastication, so dry food is *not* ground against teeth cleaning
them, it is merely crunched in half and more often swallowed whole.
When it is crunched, tiny pieces of "kibble" can lodge in the nooks and
crannies of teeth and the carbohydrates/sugars can cause decay.

There are chapters and chapters I could write about the very distinctive
digestive tract of cats that would further prove the necessity of a
canned food diet, but I'm sure I've bored you enough already.

I know people will say "but my vet said to feed them this", but remember
that nutrition is barely mentioned in veterinary school and most of the
information that vets get about nutrition comes from the cat food
salesmen who haunt their clinics. I'm also sure that there have been
umpteen gazillion cats who were fed dry food and lived long and healthy
lives... I just don't want to take the chance with mine and would rather
follow mother nature's instructions. ;

(1) Cats in a desert will never pass up a newly found source of water
without taking a drink, so if you have a cat who needs to drink extra
water, try moving their water dishes to new spots in the house every
day. The water from canned tuna or canned chicken is also alluring, but
the tuna water has to be given in small quantities because of the
mercury content.

One last comment... I give mine dry food occasionally (every 3rd or 4th
day they'll get half a handful to kibble) and they love it. But, like
children, you can't decide what they eat by how much they like it -
they'll always go for the sugary treat even at the expense of their health.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

  #8  
Old December 30th 11, 03:27 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Jack Campin
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 675
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.


I think they eat most in autumn, having evolved to try to lay down fat
stores ahead of the leanest time of year. Ours aren't eating a lot at
the moment, compared with two months ago.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k
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mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin
  #9  
Old December 30th 11, 05:17 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Storrmmee
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,912
Default Do cats eat more in winter?

yes
"J J Levin" wrote in message
...
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay





  #10  
Old December 30th 11, 07:01 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Matthew[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,287
Default Do cats eat more in winter?


"J J Levin" wrote in message
...
Our two cats, Agatha and Edgar, seem to have bigger appetites now that the
weather is colder. Either I am giving them better food (I have not changed
their menu much) or they need more food because it's winter.

They share a small can of moist food morning and evening, and have kibble
available all day. But now he (more than she) is begging for more treats
after breakfast and after dinner. And he used to be sort of picky and pick
and choose which treats he ate, now he wolfs them all down.

Is this common?

Thanks,

Jay


Yes they do natural instinct to store fat for the winter

I love when it gets cooler here in Florida Rumble becomes a love machine


 




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