 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / General Topics / March 2004Is good pet food important?
I just found out that my cat has urinary tract infection. A friend of mine asked what I feed her. I said 80% Meow Mix & 20% Science Hill (Diet?) and table scraps (human food; she loves chicken bones the most). He thinks what I feed her is the probable cause of her getting UTI. He says he feeds his cats Nutromax (or Cat-Max?), and says he never has to take them to the vet. So, I'm wondering... Is good pet food important to its health (and staying away from the vet)? Is it okay for animals like cats & dogs to eat human food (or meat for that matter)? I want to hear personal testimony on whether or not more expensive cat (or dog) food is vital to a pet staying healthy. Cat owners: What brand(s) do you feed your cats and why?  SignatureHilary Duff for President! We love you! "Temperament is tempber that is too old to spank." -- Actress Charlotte Greenwood > I just found out that my cat has urinary tract infection. A friend > of mine asked what I feed her. I said 80% Meow Mix & 20% Science Hill [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > So, I'm wondering... Is good pet food important to its health (and > staying away from the vet)? Yes. Good diet is important in both dogs and cats--as you've found, poor diet can lead to urinary tract infections (in cats) as well as hairballs and various other problems. I have far fewer issues with my pets' health if they're eating quality food (Nutro for two dogs, Eukanuba LB puppy for the other, Purina ONE for the *picky picky* cat) Is it okay for animals like cats & dogs to eat > human food (or meat for that matter)? Generally speaking, in small amounts, unseasoned, cooked meat is alright. If you want to do more than that, you really need to research raw diets. I want to hear personal testimony on > whether or not more expensive cat (or dog) food is vital to a pet staying > healthy. > > Cat owners: What brand(s) do you feed your cats and why? I feed Purina ONE. We used to feed Science Diet because a friend got it for cheap at school. I switched to Iams when we moved because the SD was expensive and the cat really didn't like it. I moved down to Purina ONE because the damn beast won't eat food that's more than 8 hours old (and putting it back in the bin does NOT work for whatever reason) and I'm sick of wasting my money. -- Emily Carroll Fluttervale Labradors: www.fluttervale.com CPG: www.geocities.com/cyberpetgame/ >I feed Purina ONE. We used to feed Science Diet because a friend got it for >cheap at school. I switched to Iams when we moved because the SD was [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >-- >Emily Carroll Dry food really isn't good for a cat with urinary problems, though. They need all the water they can get, and wet food helps provide that. Sherry > Dry food really isn't good for a cat with urinary problems, though. They need > all the water they can get, and wet food helps provide that. > > Sherry we prescribe a dry diet all the time.. its not the type of food that matters, its the amount of water. If the cat isn't drinking water, then yes, the wet is better. >> Dry food really isn't good for a cat with urinary problems, though. They >need [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >matters, its the amount of water. If the cat isn't drinking water, then >yes, the wet is better. You can't always be sure how much the cat is drinking, and how much is actually "enough". Better to provide at *least* a 50/50 mix... wet food in addition to dry. Look at what happens when those hard dry kibbles get wet. They puff up to twice their size, keeping their shape. Look at that and just imagine what that stuff does inside the cat's stomach. I feed mine dry food. But just not exclusively. They get canned food also. Sherry > So, I'm wondering... Is good pet food important to its > health (and > staying away from the vet)? Is it okay for animals like cats & dogs > to eat human food (or meat for that matter)? I want to hear personal > testimony on whether or not more expensive cat (or dog) food is vital > to a pet staying healthy. I think so. I have no concrete evidence of this, but before I found these Usenet groups, I fed grocery store dry food as a staple, and Friskies, Whiskas, Fancy Feast (all canned) for treats. My first cat developed Megacolon (he couldn't sh.t without an enima) and had to be put to sleep (the necropsy found intestines as hard as stone, but it wasn't biopsied so it was never determined if he had cancer). My second cat (who is still alive) was diagnosed with IBD almost 2 years ago. Since being more concious of food, he is doing better but I fear the damage is already done. (IBD is incurable, but can be somewhat controlled). Some common ingredients used in cheap foods are used as fillers and are notorious for being either allergens, or create other sensitivities. I now also have a third and forth cat (not counting foster cats) and one has severe allergies, but not conclusive to food allergies. The latest only eats dry food so I make sure it is of high quality and set out plenty of water sources. She drinks a lot of water. Oh, and I switched them to spring water, or filtered water in a Drinkwell. Water plays a huge role, too. Cheryl >> So, I'm wondering... Is good pet food important to its >> health (and >> staying away from the vet)? Is it okay for animals like cats & dogs >> to eat human food (or meat for that matter)? I want to hear personal >> testimony on whether or not more expensive cat (or dog) food is vital >> to a pet staying healthy. I just got back from taking my cat to the vet for digestive problems. I was feeding him Whiskas dry (other dry foods make him throw up) with 1/4 can of wet as a treat "meal". (The dry was unlimited). I had also been taking away all food at night, when he seemed to have the vomiting problem the most. The vet told me to eliminate the dry food completely and feed him 1/2 can in the morning and 1/2 can in the evening. I have never heard of a vet recommending canned food and made him promise this was only temporary. I don't want my cat to get fat and poop all day. I also think dry food is important for the teeth. Anyway, my vet didn't seem to place any importance on brands of dry, meaning he never told me to opt for more nutritious, expensive brands. My cat is ten and, other than his current problem (we're hoping it's just hair consumption), he's been very healthy. pepsi > >> So, I'm wondering... Is good pet food important to its > >> health (and [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > he's been very healthy. > pepsi I'm not sure what your vet told you, but if your cat is consistantly vomiting, yes, you want to step back on the dry food. Dry food expands in the stomach and can cause vomiting. When my kitty went through these issues (puking up every meal) we skipped feeding her for a day to let her tummy settle, then put her on i/d. You can basically make it yourself, just cook some hamburger meat, drain it, blend with boiled rice. Also, if you have access to hunted meat (venison, bear, etc.) that can also be very good for digestive issues because there is much less fat in it. Anytime someone pukes--unless it's the dog because he ate too fast (the big hint is when the kibble is still HARD)--we skip the next meal so that their tummies can settle and then water down the following meal. This works about 99% of the time. -- Emily Carroll Fluttervale Labradors: www.fluttervale.com CPG: www.geocities.com/cyberpetgame/ On Sat, 6 Mar 2004 15:00:15 -0500, "Emily Carroll" >I'm not sure what your vet told you, but if your cat is consistantly >vomiting, yes, you want to step back on the dry food. Dry food expands in [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >tummies can settle and then water down the following meal. This works about >99% of the time. Thank you for the info. The main reason for the switch to wet food is for more moisture content, which is exactly what you said. The concern I have, which I expressed to the vet, is that it isn't consistant vomiting. He may go several weeks between his vomiting episodes and when he gets sick, it is mainly in the middle of the night, 7-8 hours after his last meal (we take food away at night). So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just a moisture or hair problem. Wednesday, he couldn't keep anything down all day, but was completely back to normal Thursday. The all day vomiting was unusual, as it's usually a one-time occurance a few times a week. thanks, pepsi While still snuggled in a 'spider hole', Ablang <HilaryDuff4President@ablang-duff.com> scribbled: > I just found out that my cat has urinary tract infection. A friend >of mine asked what I feed her. I said 80% Meow Mix & 20% Science Hill >(Diet?) and table scraps (human food; she loves chicken bones the most). >He thinks what I feed her is the probable cause of her getting UTI. With you feeding her chicken bones, UTI is the LEAST of your problems! To reply by email, remove the XYZ. Lumber Cartel (tinlc) #2063. Spam this account at your own risk. This sig censored by the Office of Home and Land Insecurity.... > With you feeding her chicken bones, UTI is the LEAST of your problems! I heard (can't find the cite, so either look yourself or treat it as hearsay) that it's *cooked* chicken bones that cause problems. pat > > With you feeding her chicken bones, UTI is the LEAST of your problems! > > I heard (can't find the cite, so either look yourself or treat it as > hearsay) that it's *cooked* chicken bones that cause problems. > > pat That is my understanding too. Cooked chicken bones can splinter and cause problems. W I fed my dog decent enough supermarket food for seven years. Now I'm just after paying over $1000.- vet bills having got a bladder stone removed. It _would_ have been cheaper to buy prime quality food. But then again how did I know she was prone to get the stone, especially after a vet told me bladder stones are very uncommon with females. Other dogs eat the same food and die normally from old age. Dog is now on prescription diet (c/u) for the rest of her life. You _can_ feed human food, but only as little treats. Chicken bones?? I hope they're not cooked?? They can be deadly when they splinter they go through the stomach wall and cause inner bleeding and a very dreadful death!! Carola | I just found out that my cat has urinary tract infection. A friend | of mine asked what I feed her. I said 80% Meow Mix & 20% Science Hill [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] | "Temperament is tempber that is too old to spank." -- Actress Charlotte | Greenwood "Ablang" <HilaryDuff4President@ablang-duff.com> wrote in message > So, I'm wondering... Is good pet food important to its health (and > staying away from the vet)? Is it okay for animals like cats & dogs to eat [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > -- Ive had cats all my life.. they have always been feed over the counter stuff, and we've never had issues. Recently Ive switched to a higher quality food due to the fact that my a recent adoptee came with medical issues. Some cats are prone to UTI.. and for those cats you should choose higher quality foods, or even stick to a prescription food to help keep him in balance. and provide plenty of fresh clean water. I personally believe in feeding human food to cats, but ONLY in small amounts. Think of it in terms of chocolate for humans.. great in small doses, but one should not live off it. It gives a wide variety of nutrients to supplement what is available in cat foods. Im a firm believer in supplementing a cats diet with vitamins.. seeing what it did for my own cats, im amazed the medical community as a whole refuses to accept it. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.