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Cat Forum / General Topics / October 2005Any winter adjustment in the diet?
I am feeding two adult strays, one regularly. Do they need more nourishent in the winter months? If so, would it be better to increase their regular food or to switch to kitten formula, partially or completely? Thanks. if you switch an adult cat to kitten formula you are actually taking vitamins away from them. If using dry food about an extra half cup or more if they seem hungry. They burn more fuel trying to stay warm. That's interesting. I would have thought just the opposite. You got me curious now. I looked just now at the composition of kitten versus cat for example, taurine, and the kitten food has twice as much. So it's not taurine then which had been omitted in some adult foods previously and lack of which causes blindness I believe. Which vitamins are less in kitten food than in adult cat food? This would be good to know for the future. > if you switch an adult cat to kitten formula you are actually taking > vitamins away from them. That's incorrect. Kitten food contains ***MORE*** vitamins and minerals, protein and especially *fat* - which an outdoor cat needs more of in colder weather- than adult foods- other than 'all stages' food- which are about the same. Please do a little research before you post bogus information. Thanks. DW. wrote: > That's incorrect. Kitten food contains ***MORE*** vitamins and minerals, > protein and especially *fat* - which an outdoor cat needs more of in colder [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Thanks. NO! Thank You! Here is another classic example of your piousness or rudeness I can't stand it! I WON'T HAVE IT! NOT ON MY INTERNET! DW, please be nice to people. Look, there is no way you are kind to anyone (INCLUDING KATS) I know this because, you cannot treat people one way and treat the lesser (cats) another. YOU ARE AN ARROGANT SELF SERVING lonely sad pathetic soul. I feel sorry for you. I put you right up there with John Doe. There's a fella who tries to be nice, but dang...nothing comes to his mind but this word troll (and a Dr Suess cat walk, glue and boards) anyways Try to be nice to people. Can't you say what you want without putting someone down. Like: "I understand that kitten food..." or... "When I studied...." or... "It's been my experience..." or... etc.. see, you don't have to be a fart just to get your message across. GET SOME TACT ABOUT YOU MAN! and your words will be well recieved. did you know that no matter how talented you are, or gifted or smart.. there is always someone smarter and richer and more talented down the line. WHAT are your credentials, tell us nice stupid people how you came to be so smart and what gives you the right to talk so shittie with people TELLUS BALD MAN, TELL US > there is always someone smarter and richer and more talented down the > line. Could be- but that someone damn sure isn't you, Babbling Barry the village idiot! LOL! does the word Squidworth mean anything to you? hehehehe > > there is always someone smarter and richer and more talented down the > > line. > > Could be- but that someone damn sure isn't you, Babbling Barry the village > idiot! LOL! >Here is another classic example of your piousness >or rudeness I can't stand it! > >I WON'T HAVE IT! NOT ON MY INTERNET! Just his piety and rudeness or do you mean in general? Either way, good luck with that, althout I'll have to do some research before I know if his answer was bogus or not. > Either way, good luck with that, althout I'll have to do some research > before I know if his answer was bogus or not. How will you know if the information you find is bogus or not? You don't seem bright enough to tell the difference. LOL! > "Ben" <nonspecified null.null> wrote in message >> Either way, good luck with that, althout I'll have to do some >> research before I know if his answer was bogus or not. > How will you know if the information you find is bogus or not? > You don't seem bright enough to tell the difference. LOL! It must be very entertaining inside your head Phil. But seriously. Calling someone stupid as you often do is the laziest putdown. > Path: newssvr11.news.prodigy.com!newsdbm04.news.prodigy.com!newsdbm01.news.prodigy.com!newsmst01b.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.com!newscon02.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.net!nx01.iad01.newshosting.com!newshosting.com!216.196.98.140.MISMATCH!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!local01.nntp.dca.giganews.com!news.giganews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail > NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:42:08 -0500 [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > X-Postfilter: 1.3.32 > Xref: newsmst01b.news.prodigy.com alt.cats:210692 alt.pets.cats:37092 rec.pets.cats.health+behav:411108 > > "Ben" <nonspecified null.null> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > But seriously. Calling someone stupid as you often do is the laziest > putdown. You only feel that way because you're stupid. LOL! In the shelter we give kitten - kitten food and adults -adult senior cat food that is my experience if it is wrong than I have it backwards. . Myself and others have seen alot of older cats; which is the type of cat society we work at, have trouble eating kitten chow something about not being able digest it easily. I should have added to use senior formula for the cats outside in the other post that is my fault I apologize I am not trying to start any flaming :-) The reason I say that this is what our food says on the back of the food packages which has on the back Packed full of Protein, fats, carbohydrates, Vitamins and minerals that an adult cat requires Helps maintain a healthy weight. Highly digestible. 100% complete and balanced nutrition for adult cats. Extra packed full of vitamins and nutrients to help maintain an older cat the kitten food 100% nutritionally complete and balanced for the first year of life. Enhanced Protein formula for muscle and immune system development for the first year. Small-sized nutrient-rich kibbles for more nutrition in every easy to swallow bite. The essential nutrients for growth of kittens as they develop in their first year. > In the shelter we give kitten - kitten food and adults -adult senior cat > food That's correct- but we're not talking about an indoor shelter cat. An outdoor stray could use a little extra nutrition and energy during the colder weather. Kitten food is also better for pregnant and nursing queens an debilitated cats. >kitten chow something about not being able digest it easily. Kitten food is generally more digestible than adult food. Kittens' stomachs are smaller and their digestive systems are immature, so, their food must be highly digestible and they must derive more nutrition from a smaller quantity of food. That's why kitten food is highly digestible and energy- and nutrient-dense (more energy/nutrients per kcal). You learn something everyday ;-) I always went with what the vets say they told us basically if its for kittens it means it is for kittens if it is for adults it means adults. We give a vitamin supplement added into their food. I guess I am to use to dealing with shelter animals If I assuming correct I can give the outside cats a little extra oomph by adding some kitten chow to their adult senior brand anyone better than the other we use iams, Purina, 9 lives? > You learn something everyday ;-) I always went with what the vets say > they told us basically if its for kittens it means it is for kittens if it > is for adults it means adults. Most vets aren't well educated in feline nutrition- especially the ones who graduated >5 years ago. Most vets get their education from pet food company reps. We give a vitamin supplement added into > their food. I guess I am to use to dealing with shelter animals > > If I assuming correct I can give the outside cats a little extra oomph by > adding some kitten chow to their adult senior brand > anyone better than the other we use iams, Purina, 9 lives? A little Purina One Growth & Development mixed with Purina One Chicken & Rice should provide an extra punch. You could even feed all kitten food during the colder weather. Just keep the bowls in a covered feeding station- preferably off the ground. Thank you Phil I will make a note of that will try it if it gets actually cold here in Florida. Both our shelters are total indoors for the cats; every cat has their own holding area , all kept temperature controlled buildings. Only thing out side is some of the staffs horses and goats that live at the shelter Can't do all kitten food I really meant what I said there are some of the cats that actually throw it back up if it is all kitten chow going to try adding a little bit to see if they can tolerate it about 15 cats out of 85 permanet cats we have here at this given moment. The average kitten is adopted in 10 days after quarantine and shots are given at the other shelter the cat society only deals with older cats that were going to be put to sleep for lack of county shelter space > Thank you Phil I will make a note of that will try it if it gets actually > cold here in Florida. Both our shelters are total indoors for the cats; [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > adding a little bit to see if they can tolerate it about 15 cats out of 85 > permanet cats we have here at this given moment. I suggested feeding kitten food to only outdoor adult cats during cold weather. If your cats live indoors or outdoors in temperate climate feeding kitten food might not be such a good idea. The increased nutrient density could result in obesity. > The average kitten is adopted in 10 days after quarantine 10 days? That's fantastic! I still have kittens from last kitten season that are now a year old and more difficult to adopt. This kitten season was (is) exceptionally heavy up here. I know we'll still have some these kittens next year. Sometimes I feel like I'm bailing out a sinking ship with a colander. and shots are > given at the other shelter the cat society only deals with older cats that > were going to be put to sleep for lack of county shelter space That's wonderful. We're no-kill, also. We cruise the county kill shelters and try to take as many death-row cats as we can. I can never take enough. We do that here in Florida the 3 surround counties call the cat society before they put an older cat down. Only time we put an cat down is if it is absolutely medically necessary. We have a permanet fixture named Charley who is blind who has been at the shelter for 8 years. We have 48 kittens at the other shelter that deals with all animals. The nice thing is we belong to a animal companion group here that helps place cats and dogs etc to our senior citizens. It is a proven fact that a senior citizen lives longer when they have an animal companion compared to no one at all. Being in florida home of the newly weds and nearly deads we place animals every day to happy homes. We also have major news channel in our area that does a pet segiment that shows who we have up for adoption after the segiment that animal never is there more than a week or two max. We have a dog that looks like "snowball" from the incident . We had 200 calls for him that day brought the people in for interviews; long damn day, one family got lucky We got even luckier 50 families took new friends home that day. It always feels great to see an animal go to a happy home We just adopted the last of the 200 katrina pets we had last week befoer the hurricane. Our Naples shelter near where the hurricane came in there are over 300 foster families taking care of Katrina refugees. They all are studing at the vet college down in that part of florida > We do that here in Florida the 3 surround counties call the cat society > before they put an older cat down. Only time we put an cat down is if it is > absolutely medically necessary. That's our policy, too. We have a permanet fixture named Charley > who is blind who has been at the shelter for 8 years. We have 48 kittens at > the other shelter that deals with all animals. The nice thing is we belong > to a animal companion group here that helps place cats and dogs etc to our > senior citizens. It is a proven fact that a senior citizen lives longer > when they have an animal companion compared to no one at all. We have a pet therapy program in a hospital. The Drs. actually prescribe pet therapy for many patients. If I had more people, I'd like to expand to senior citizen homes. Being in > florida home of the newly weds and nearly deads we place animals every day > to happy homes. You might want to think about placing some kind of sticker/notice in the homes of the elderly in case of an emergency so the cats will be taken care of. Something like this: http://www.maxshouse.com/Illustrations/fire_rescue_sticker.jpg Actually, everyone should have a sticker like this on their front and rear doors. > We also have major news channel in our area that does a pet segiment that > shows who we have up for adoption after the segiment that animal never is > there more than a week or two max. Yeah. We had a spot on a local cable channel- but a new company bought them out and wanted to charge us. Nice, huh? We have a dog that looks like "snowball" > from the incident . We had 200 calls for him that day brought the people > in for interviews; long damn day, one family got lucky We got even luckier > 50 families took new friends home that day. It always feels great to see an > animal go to a happy home It sure is! The only better feeling is pulling a cat through a near-death crisis and seeing that tail finally go up! I've been working with two panleuk kittens that finally made it through the danger zone and are on their way to a full recovery. However, after reading the cat newsgroups for awhile - you'll start to tremble and second-guess every placement you make. > We just adopted the last of the 200 katrina pets we had last week befoer the > hurricane. Our Naples shelter near where the hurricane came in there are > over 300 foster families taking care of Katrina refugees. They all are > studing at the vet college down in that part of florida UFLA in Gainesville has one of the most successful TNR programs in the country- Operation Catnip. Standard policy when we bring a care package to the home when some one adopts they get food for about a week pet supplies and that sticker is standard fixture > Most vets aren't well educated in feline nutrition- especially the ones who > graduated >5 years ago. Most vets get their education from pet food company > reps. What malarchy! You think a man or woman qualified (unlike yourself) to do surgery on an animal would rely on marketeers to educate themselves on the subject of nutrition? You're gonna have to give some kind of supporting evidence, ha! more than just you're opinion. If I was a vet? I would be greatly offended at your audacity and pure ignorance. You must have no clue as to what a real vet has to go through in order to become a vet. What? You think nutrition is not part of passing the exam? > > Most vets aren't well educated in feline nutrition- especially the ones who > > graduated >5 years ago. Most vets get their education from pet food company > > reps. > > What malarchy! The village idiot has spoken! LOL! > You think a man or woman qualified (unlike yourself) to do surgery on > an animal would rely on marketeers to educate themselves on the subject > of nutrition? Yup. > You're gonna have to give some kind of supporting evidence, ha! more > than just you're opinion. Not that I think you'll understand it, but this survey of veterinarians was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association indicated that nutrition training is inadequate in veterinary schools and quality of continuing education on nutrition is inferior. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1996 Mar 1;208(5):674-5 "A survey of veterinarians' knowledge and attitudes about nutrition." Buffington CA, LaFlamme DP Don't you ever get tired of shooting yourself in the foot? > If I was a vet? God forbid! Never happen. You're far too stupid- as in incapable of learning. The level of your present ignorance evidences that fact. I would be greatly offended > at your audacity and pure ignorance. LOL! Barry, as an idiot, you can't call anyone ignorant. > You must have no clue as to what a real vet has to go through in order > to become a vet. What? You think nutrition is not part of passing the > exam? My vet is a retired veterinary professor, you brain dead moron. So I know exactly how much time is spent on nutrition in vet school. That's why I started studying feline nutrition, moron. Go away, Barry and stop cluttering the group with your mindless gibberish- all you're doing is making it harder for people to find the useful information. You are up late Phil " > You are up late Phil Just got in a little while ago. The only time I can feed one of my colonies is very late at night- the town prohibits feeding ferals. They tried that here and found out that the local fire department and police officers union was animal friendly and refused to enforce that law. Which the idiots who chartered it are gone now. > They tried that here and found out that the local fire department and police > officers union was animal friendly and refused to enforce that law. Which > the idiots who chartered it are gone now. Most of the towns in my area are feral friendly or turn a blind eye. But this one town is ~20 miles away in a different (hick) county and a real PIA-- its another LaCrosse. I have to *really* camouflage the winter shelters and feeding stations and make midnight 'commando' feeding raids. If the cats don't get fed, they'll start looking for food where they could get trapped and killed. I'm working on a plan to trap and relocate the colony- relocating a colony is a very difficult project- especially from an uncooperative town. The cats must be confined in a small area in the new location until they're acclimated. There's always a high risk that one or more of the cats will try to return to their old territory. I don't think they'll be safe where they are for much longer- so, I'll probably have to make the move in the early spring. A troll's confession to committing a crime > Path: newssvr25.news.prodigy.net!newsdbm05.news.prodigy.com!newsdst02.news.prodigy.com!newsmst01b.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.com!newscon06.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.net!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!local01.nntp.dca.giganews.com!news.giganews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail > NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:53:17 -0500 [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Just got in a little while ago. The only time I can feed one of my colonies > is very late at night- the town prohibits feeding ferals. > A troll's confession to committing a crime Yeah, I'm a troll, moron. Nothing gets past your lightening quick perception. LOL! I commit the same crime every day- sometimes even twice in the same day. What is a coward like you who hides behind a fake name going to do about it, huh? > Go away, Barry and stop cluttering the group with your mindless gibberish- > all you're doing is making it harder for people to find the useful > information. Nutrition nutrition...and you went to shcool you say... hmmm lets see... shall I feed the cat mule dicks today, or will it be cow foreheads someones got your brain in a twist squidworth! bwoooo har har har have you checked the labels lately! Well have you? Hell, I never went to school to learn about pork bellies and chicken lips! snaaa ha ha ha gimmie a break UB Real nutrition is what Meghan talked about. She makes her own cat food. > > Go away, Barry and stop cluttering the group with your mindless gibberish- > > all you're doing is making it harder for people to find the useful > > information. > > Nutrition nutrition...and you went to shcool you say... No, moron, I didn't say I studied feline nutrition in school. Perhaps your reading comprehension deficit is a cause of your stupidity. : That's incorrect. Kitten food contains ***MORE*** vitamins and minerals, : protein and especially *fat* - which an outdoor cat needs more of in colder : weather- than adult foods- other than 'all stages' food- which are about the : same. Thanks. I have always learned from your posts. As I saw it, there were three options: 1. Feed a little more of the usual adult food. 2. Switch 100% to kitten food during cold months. 3. Partially switch to kitten food, eg, 1/2 adult 1/2 kitten. Which of these seems right to you? BTW I am feeding canned food. In Summer I was often in the porch when she came. These days it is too cold for me (50 deg), but apparently not for her, because she is able to wait 5-10 minutes at the door until I notice her. That may not be possible when it is extremely cold. If so, I will consider leaving some dry food out. I am even wondering if i could rig up a bell she could be taught to ring? I don't know how it will go, will just have to see. Set up a cat shelter if possible a stray will stay close to a food source if possible And yes a cat can be trained to respond to an outside stimulant It just takes time > : That's incorrect. Kitten food contains ***MORE*** vitamins and minerals, > : protein and especially *fat* - which an outdoor cat needs more of in colder [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Which of these seems right to you? #2 & #3. > BTW I am feeding canned food. In Summer I was often in the porch when > she came. These days it is too cold for me (50 deg), but apparently not [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > up a bell she could be taught to ring? I don't know how it will go, > will just have to see. Since you feed the cat on your porch, have you considered using heated food & water bowls? http://www.partipoodlepetsupplies.com/hewafobo.html Also, have you considered building a small winter shelter? : Since you feed the cat on your porch, have you considered using : heated food & water bowls? : : http://www.partipoodlepetsupplies.com/hewafobo.html Now a days I prefer to feed inside, not because the cats are cold outdoors but I am. One of them, the more regular one, readily comes inside and hangs around for a while before leaving. I open the can only when I see her, otherwise it would go stale. Do you think I should use the heated bowl even with dry food (if I had to leave it outdoors)? The problem I am bracing myself for is, how do I know when she arrives? I know the 1-2 hour window when she comes and I do check often during it, but sometimes it could still be 5-10 minutes of wait for her. Right now (50 deg) she is ok with it, but it may not be possible when it gets bitter cold and windy. I am brainstroming with the following ideas: 1. Rig up a bell she can learn to use. 2. Rig up a shelter where she could wait for 20-30 minutes. I have no building skills but there was some discussion about using styrofoam coolers for such a purpose. 3. Install a cat door, so she could just march in when she comes. Again I have no skills, don't know the expense, or what it would mean for our insulation and heating costs. 4. A low tech version of the cat door: just leave the door slightly ajar so she could push her way in! The attraction of this solution is that nothing has to be installed, and the insulation problem is only for short time, once she is definitely in or out I can shut the door as usual. Your stray(s) should meow if you get tardy on the food. lol > : Since you feed the cat on your porch, have you considered using > : heated food & water bowls? [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > for short time, once she is definitely in or out I can shut the door > as usual. > : Since you feed the cat on your porch, have you considered using > : heated food & water bowls? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > think I should use the heated bowl even with dry food (if I had to > leave it outdoors)? Heated bowls aren't really necessary for feeding dry food. Heated bowls keep canned food and water from freezing- but they also dry out the food fairly rapidly. That shouldn't be a problem if you have a general idea of the time she usually comes around to eat. Also, heated water evaporates more quickly in cold weather. So, if you want to use a heated water bowl, get a large size- 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 gallon. > The problem I am bracing myself for is, how do I know when she arrives? > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > building skills but there was some discussion about using styrofoam > coolers for such a purpose. A medium size Rubbermaid storage bin might work a little better- easier to make and clean and much sturdier. Just cut a small opening near the corner of one of the long sides. You can use a utility knife or box cutter to cut the opening. Put the food bowl at the opposite end from the opening- this creates a wind block. Face the opening towards the building for added protection from the wind. Put the bin on 2x4s to keep it off the ground and line the floor with straw or hay- not blankets or towels. Place a few bricks or a 5 gal pail filled with dirt on the top so the wind doesn't blow it over. Don't put a water bowl in the shelter- it could spill. The most important thing about a winter shelter is keeping the cats *dry*. > 3. Install a cat door, so she could just march in when she comes. Again > I have no skills, don't know the expense, or what it would mean for our > insulation and heating costs. Cat flaps aren't difficult to install- the kit comes with a template for cutting the hole. But you must cut a hole in the door. If you live in an apartment, that might be a problem. If you decide to install a cat flap, you might have to train her how to use it. That means leaving the flap up until she gets used to walking through it, and gradually lowering the flap a little every few days. Some cats catch on in an instant- others take a while. That's why I rarely use cat flaps in my winter feral shelters. > 4. A low tech version of the cat door: just leave the door slightly > ajar so she could push her way in! The attraction of this solution is > that nothing has to be installed, and the insulation problem is only > for short time, once she is definitely in or out I can shut the door > as usual. Not a bad idea! Good luck. No...Ajanta, there is no "incorrect" when a cat is on borrowed time. You feed them whatever you are able to give them (sounds like the money is not the issue, which is great) I feed strays daily outside the door here. I give them wet food it is very cheap anyways...I know they appreciate it. Point is, I give them what I can. I hardly think it's a time for Phil to split hairs on the subject. Talk about priorities eh? Here are stays at least getting something in their little bellies and PhilThy, wants to say..."Incorrect" about it...oh well. I'm going to keep feeding my strays, I've got to fix them up a warm little hideout, outback. Are you thinking about some sort of hideout too? to block the wind? > D.W. <phil@maxshouse.com> wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > up a bell she could be taught to ring? I don't know how it will go, > will just have to see. Here are stays at least getting something in their > little bellies and PhilThy, wants to say..."Incorrect" about it...oh > well. Can't you even comprehend what you read, you babbling idiot? I wasn't correcting Ajanta, I was commenting on "No More Retail's" statement regarding the nutritional differences between adult and kitten foods. Do everyone a favor: Stay out of nutrition, behavior and health threads- You're dangerous because you're far too ignorant to give anyone advice about anything concerning cats. You're even too dangerous to kill-file. > Do everyone a favor: Stay out of nutrition, behavior and health threads- > You're dangerous because you're far too ignorant to give anyone advice about > anything concerning cats. You're even too dangerous to kill-file. Oh shut up already. You're problem is that you don't drink enough water to keep your poop cycle going, therefor, you are full of it bud! Yep! Probably got a big ol' canker on your lip for it too! You misunderstood Phil. He wasn't saying it is incorrect to feed the cats, but that a poster's opinion about nutritional content of kitten food was incorrect. Whatever you think of Phil's personality or style, his affection and compassion for cats is self-evident and he'd never suggest not feeding a hungry cat. : Are you thinking about some sort of hideout too? to block the wind? I live in a 3rd floor apartment with an open drafty porch. The cats may already have a much better shelter as they have access to 7-8 backyards, with garages, basements etc. I don't know where she slept last winter, but she survived. The neighbor below me used to feed her, when he returned to Europe I sort of stepped in. As I replied to Phil, the practical problem I am bracing myself for is as follows: In Summer I am in the porch a lot. Now a days, it is too cold for me but not for her and she waits 5-10 minutes until I notice her and bring her inside to feed her. I know the 1-2 hour window when she comes and check often during it, but when it gets bitter cold and windy even this may not be possible, how would I know when she arrives? Please see the post above for a few ideas I am brainstroming with. : Thanks. I have always learned from your posts. As I saw it, there were : three options: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] : : Which of these seems right to you? 4. Dry food, outdoor cat formula is very good too. carola That's a tough one. I've read that nothing is more nourishing than kitten food. Very nutrient dense. You might want to see if someone, that is, experienced or expert, who feeds ferals might know. Do they go days without eating? Is it possible they can get stuck somewhere and have to wait out a snow storm? Are they, ahem, a little fat now? I've seen adult strays in the mountains fed by a friendly human who were, in my opinion, way too fat even between snow storms. One was a roly-poly long-haired gray cat who let me turn him over and rub his tummy. Much to the astonishment of the human who regularly fed him and his friends. "He never let anyone do that", she said. But, alas, I could not bring him home from the mountains. : Do they go days without eating? No, one comes to me almost everyday, the other one less regularly but also does not look starving. It remains to be seen if they would be so regular during cold and snowly days. I was only thinking of extra nutrition needed to deal with the cold. : Is it possible they can get stuck somewhere and have to wait out a : snow storm? Don't know for sure. They don't travel great distances, just backyards of homes within 1 city block. But it is not a straight shoot. Because some fences are very tall and a couple of homes have dogs, they have to figure out complex routes to go from one yard to another one just two homes away. I suppose if some routes are clogged with snow and ice, they'll know others. Still, it is possible they may have to wait out a severe weather patch. : Are they, ahem, a little fat now? Very little, it may even be just the coat thickening. They lead active lives. I live on the 3rd floor and the more regular one thinks nothing of climbing up and down 2 or 3 times on certain days. And it is not always to eat, sometimes just to goof around. > I am feeding two adult strays, one regularly. Do they need more > nourishent in the winter months? If so, would it be better to increase > their regular food or to switch to kitten formula, partially or > completely? Thanks. Strays don't have the pampered easy lives of indoor cats so I wouldn't say you could go wrong feeding them one would feed a very active animal. Kitten formula is packed with more nutrition than adult food, given the same amount of each. It depends on what kind of lives they live during the winter. It is possible they spend a good chunk of their time holed up sleeping somewhere that they have found to be warm and relatively safe. Do they look overweight? Does it look like they have been losing weight over a period of time? : Do they look overweight? : Does it look like they have been losing weight over a period of time? I don't think either is the case. (1) One cat I feed regularly, almost everyday. She may sneak in some extra food here and there but I view myself as her primary source of food. Our "relationship" goes beyond food though, she started visiting my porch while she was being fed by a neighbor. I think their son was too much annoyance for her and she used to escape to my higher and quieter porch immediately after eating. :-) When they moved back to Europe I took over feeding her. (2) The other one shows up only once or twice a week but does not have a starved look and must have some other place(s) to eat. |
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