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#1
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wet and dry food
my cat is around 3 and I just adopted her, she loves wet food but will not
eat dry food. We have been mixing both in the cat's dish, wil she ever eat dry food? |
#2
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"Bob Brenchley." wrote in message
... On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 19:28:12 GMT, "turn man" wrote: my cat is around 3 and I just adopted her, she loves wet food but will not eat dry food. We have been mixing both in the cat's dish, wil she ever eat dry food? Cats are much better on a proper diet of tinned cat food. Feeding a little dry will not hurt, but never let it exceed 30% of their diet. I was told by my vet (and someone on another group said they were told the same by theirs) that a dry diet of a complete cat food like Science Diet was the best diet to feed my cats. Not to say that they *must* have dry, or that wet is not healthy, but they won't necessarily have urinary or other problems if their main diet is a complete dry food and they're supplied with fresh water. My cats free feed on a complete dry food, with an ocassional sachet of wet as a treat, and when they got their last booster a couple months ago, they checked out as being completely healthy. As for a cat that won't eat dry, unless your vet indicates otherwise, I would just suggest you make sure you're getting a complete brand of wet food (one containing all the necessary nutrients for a healthy diet), and continue giving her what she wants! Ann |
#3
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On Fri, 25 Jul 2003 18:21:45 +0100, "bewtifulfreak"
wrote: "Bob Brenchley." wrote in message .. . On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 19:28:12 GMT, "turn man" wrote: my cat is around 3 and I just adopted her, she loves wet food but will not eat dry food. We have been mixing both in the cat's dish, wil she ever eat dry food? Cats are much better on a proper diet of tinned cat food. Feeding a little dry will not hurt, but never let it exceed 30% of their diet. I was told by my vet (and someone on another group said they were told the same by theirs) that a dry diet of a complete cat food like Science Diet was the best diet to feed my cats. Wrong. Totally 101% the wrong way round. Not to say that they *must* have dry, or that wet is not healthy, but they won't necessarily have urinary or other problems if their main diet is a complete dry food and they're supplied with fresh water. Cats fed on a dry food only diet cannot drink enough water to meet their needs, their bodies are just not designed for it. A cat fed on a proper tinned food diet needs very little extra water. My cats free feed on a complete dry food, Free feeding is also very bad for cats and causes a lot of problems with their health. Any food not eaten in 15-30 minutes should always be removed. with an ocassional sachet of wet as a treat, and when they got their last booster a couple months ago, they checked out as being completely healthy. My father has smoked 40+ cigarettes a day for over 60 years - he is still healthy. But that does not remove the proven dangers of cigarettes. As for a cat that won't eat dry, unless your vet indicates otherwise, I would just suggest you make sure you're getting a complete brand of wet food (one containing all the necessary nutrients for a healthy diet), and continue giving her what she wants! Tinned foods are complete, unlike dry which lacks the most important ingredient of all - WATER. Ann -- Bob. You have not been charged for this lesson. Please pass it to all your friends so they may learn as well. |
#4
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Well, I've been told by more than one vet that a complete dry food was the
best thing to feed my cats, and I'm not the only one who's been told this by their vet. I've always thought it was safe to trust a vet, but perhaps not. And I will reconsider the free feeding, as I do worry about their food getting stale, and they do take from the back where the freshest food is. Interesting how we can get such conflicting information, even from the best sources (you would assume you could trust a vet). Ann |
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On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 14:05:15 +0100, "bewtifulfreak"
wrote: Well, I've been told by more than one vet that a complete dry food was the best thing to feed my cats, and I'm not the only one who's been told this by their vet. It is really surprising how few vets actually understand feline nutrition. The cat is very different form the dog, and from other small animals and their nutritional needs have been very neglected in vet schools over the years. I've always thought it was safe to trust a vet, but perhaps not. And I will reconsider the free feeding, as I do worry about their food getting stale, and they do take from the back where the freshest food is. Interesting how we can get such conflicting information, even from the best sources (you would assume you could trust a vet). Ann Take a look at http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4.php If you have any questions I will do my best to answer them. -- Bob. How to become immortal: Read this signature tomorrow and follow its advice. |
#6
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On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 21:06:40 +0100, "bewtifulfreak"
wrote: "Bob Brenchley." wrote in message .. . On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 14:05:15 +0100, "bewtifulfreak" wrote: Well, I've been told by more than one vet that a complete dry food was the best thing to feed my cats, and I'm not the only one who's been told this by their vet. It is really surprising how few vets actually understand feline nutrition. The cat is very different form the dog, and from other small animals and their nutritional needs have been very neglected in vet schools over the years. It *is* surprising, considering how many people own cats; you'd think they would be properly educated on their well-being. And it does follow pretty easily from what they eat in the wild that a moist, meaty diet would be the best. I just always figured that the vets knew best, but then, I don't know why I'd think that, considering how many ignorant doctors I've been to! The problem is that cats have always been a "low maintenance" pet. You don't need to take them out for walks, they usually require far less vet care than dogs, and they are much cleaner. For many years little work was done on feline nutrition, and a result was growing health problems in cats. Take a look at http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4.php Well, this certainly makes sense, based on cats' feeding in the wild, and I will take it to heart. I thought perhaps it was like humans and milk; many still can't tolerate it (lactose intolerance), because it's made for baby cows, not humans, but over time, some people's bodies have adapted to be able to drink it without problems. There are a few babies who cannot tolerate cows milk unless it is reformulated, but most lactose intolerance in adults is simply down to not having drunk milk for a long time. Still, there is much evidence that dairy still isn't the healthiest thing for humans, and I suppose it's the same with cats; they can live off dry food, but won't be as healthy as they could and should be with a proper wet diet. And being hypoglycemic, I know the dangers of carbohydrates for myself; I can see how it would be more so for an animal that wasn't naturally made to eat any at all. Thank you for the education; while you may be a bit cocky about what you know, the fact is, I consider what you've shared to be valuable and useful to the well-being of my cats, and for that, I'm grateful. Ann The really difficult part for most people to understand seems to be that just providing water for the cat to drink with dry food is not enough. The water needs to be locked into the structure of the food in order to ne absorbed into the cats system. Let's say a cat eats a typical tin of cat food in a day. Between 70 and 80% of that is really just water - but of course that matches quite well the water content of their natural prey animals. With dry food the water content is usually less than 10%. So to get the extra water needed you would think the cat need to drink about enough water to equal two-thirds of a can of cat food - but it doesn't work like that. In fact the cat would need to drink the equivalent of nearly 4 cans of water. This is because the cat's digestive system is not designed for drinking water - it get its water from its food. Of course, no cat can drink enough water if it is fed a totally dry diet, and the result is often urine crystals or kidney problems (particularly in later life). Keeping to a mainly tinned food diet keeps cats healthy. Some dry, to help strengthen their jaws and teeth is not a bad idea, mine get a small snack of dry food most days, but it is just a small snack. Oh, and don't get mislead by people who claim dry food cleans their teeth - cats cannot chew and without chewing there can be little (if any) teeth cleaning going on. -- Bob. My cats are forbidden from walking on my computer keyboard on the desk when I'm asdfjjhhkl;ljfd.;oier' puyykmm4hbdm9lo9j USING IT. |
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