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Cat Forum / General Topics / September 2003Both Cats Suddenly Not Interested in Eating
Sadie, our 2.5 year old short hair spayed female, has always been fixated on food. We have her on Hill's R/D food because the vet said she's overweight, and we give her 3/4 of a cup per day, spaced over 3 feedings. She frequently tries to paw her way into the bag of food in between meals. She's really fixated on food. Moxie, a 15 month old long hair, who's also female and spayed, has been eating the same food for a while too and has always had a decent appetite. Over the past week, both cats have let the food sit in their bowls. They will eat, but not the way they used to. They both used to empty their bowls within an hour of our feeding them. They both have water. They both have plenty of energy still, love to play and are affectionate. Any insights? > Over the past week, both cats have let the food sit in their bowls. They > will eat, but not the way they used to. They both used to empty their > bowls within an hour of our feeding them. They both have water. They > both have plenty of energy still, love to play and are affectionate. Is it a new bag of food, or are you in the middle of a bag that they had been eating well from? Have you examined the food remaining in the bag to see if there are bugs in it, or something like that? M The food is fine, no bugs and it's not stale, and it's the exact same food they've eaten with gusto for months. >>Over the past week, both cats have let the food sit in their bowls. They >>will eat, but not the way they used to. They both used to empty their [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > M Where do you keep the food? Could it have absorbed the odor of possibly something that might make it taste bad? I had this happen once when one of the kids put a cleaner in the same cabinent as the food. Had to buy a new bag. Doesn't take much to affect it, either. > The food is fine, no bugs and it's not stale, and it's the exact same > food they've eaten with gusto for months. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > > > M >Sadie, our 2.5 year old short hair spayed female, has always been >fixated on food. We have her on Hill's R/D food because the vet said >she's overweight, and we give her 3/4 of a cup per day, spaced over 3 That's too little food... how much does she weigh anyway? If you want her to lose weight there is no need to use Rx food. Methinks your vet is just milking you. >Any insights? Try canned food. It's better for cats anyway.  SignatureVictor M. Martinez martiv@FAKE.che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv Canned food is NOT better for cats. I have talked with many animal experts and have researched this quite extensively. Cats are healthier and have better teeth with dry food, but it has to have the correct ingredients. My cats were sickly eating canned food, as well. Also, 3/4th cup a day is not too little, OMG. Where are you getting your info? 1/4 cup, twice per day for each cat is plenty. Also, while I agree that vets seem to go that extra mile to make more $$, Rx food is better for cats. However, it's not required if they aren't sick in some way. You can reseaarch and find food as good at the store, but you will still pay a lot more for it. It's worth it for my cats, though. > >Sadie, our 2.5 year old short hair spayed female, has always been > >fixated on food. We have her on Hill's R/D food because the vet said [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Try canned food. It's better for cats anyway. >Canned food is NOT better for cats. Yes it is. >I have talked with many animal experts and have researched this quite >extensively. So have I. And so have other people who now a whole lot more about cats than I do, here's one example: http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm Take the time to read it, it pretty much addresses all the points you raised. Cheers. SignatureVictor M. Martinez martiv@FAKE.che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv there's always two sides to every argument, but this is the first in hundreds that would be for wet food. > >Canned food is NOT better for cats. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Cheers. >there's always two sides to every argument, but this is the first in >hundreds that would be for wet food. No, this is not an argument. It's a discussion of research and facts. Any person who has done any reasonable ammount of research on feline nutrition will tell you that canned food is better than dry food. Did you bother to read the webpage? To learn about the reasons why canned food is better? This is not about who is right, but about what's better for our cats. SignatureVictor M. Martinez martiv@FAKE.che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv I understand this and I already did the research years ago and found 10X more evidence that dry is better. Also, this is he only first time I have ever seen anyone purporting wet food. > >there's always two sides to every argument, but this is the first in > >hundreds that would be for wet food. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > read the webpage? To learn about the reasons why canned food is better? > This is not about who is right, but about what's better for our cats. > I understand this and I already did the research years ago and found 10X > more evidence that dry is better. > Also, this is he only first time I have ever seen anyone purporting wet > food. Tom, I would be interested in reading any information that suggests dry food is better than wet - perhaps you can point us to some links or documentation that supports what you are stating? Troy. >> there's always two sides to every argument, but this is the first in >> hundreds that would be for wet food. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > food is better? This is not about who is right, but about what's > better for our cats. Exactly. And you only have to use common sense to figure out which most closely resembles a cat's natural diet in the wild. However, in Tom's defense, my vet told me that a dry premium like Science Diet was the best thing to feed my cat, but then, as someone else pointed out (possibly even you, Victor), they have a vested interest in saying this, as most vets sell the stuff! Ann -- http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak >defense, my vet told me that a dry premium like Science Diet was the best >thing to feed my cat, but then, as someone else pointed out (possibly even >you, Victor), they have a vested interest in saying this, as most vets sell >the stuff! Not only that, but unfortunately, most vets get their nutritional information from the Hills salespeople. It's really sad, actually. My vet is actually one of only 3 in Austin who has a diplomate from the AVMA in feline practice. She always recommends wet food because she knows it's better for cats. SignatureVictor M. Martinez martiv@FAKE.che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv >> defense, my vet told me that a dry premium like Science Diet was >> the best thing to feed my cat, but then, as someone else pointed out [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Not only that, but unfortunately, most vets get their nutritional > information from the Hills salespeople. It's really sad, actually. That *is* sad! > My vet is actually one of only 3 in Austin who has a diplomate from the > AVMA in feline practice. She always recommends wet food because she > knows it's better for cats. Lucky you to have such a good vet. :) Ann -- http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak Well, I just talked to two other people whose cats have gotten the same thing mine have, the crystals in their system that prevent them from being able to urinate. She told me the source...ash in wet canned cat food. It's in all of it, but apparently Friskies is the worst. Cats can die if they can't piss, any animal will actually. It's cost me $400 so far and it cost her over $800. Maybe it's time for a fn lawsuit. I don't believe in lawsuits unless they are justifed. I have spent thousands on my cats and I'd say it's justified in this case. > >defense, my vet told me that a dry premium like Science Diet was the best > >thing to feed my cat, but then, as someone else pointed out (possibly even [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > one of only 3 in Austin who has a diplomate from the AVMA in feline practice. > She always recommends wet food because she knows it's better for cats. >Well, I just talked to two other people whose cats have gotten the same >thing mine have, the crystals in their system that prevent them from being >able to urinate. Which kind of crystals? Struvite are the more common ones, that's what our Xoxo had. After doing a lot of research I decided the best course of action was to feed mostly wet food. We haven't had any problems since. >She told me the source...ash in wet canned cat food. It's in all of it, but Not quite. Magnesium is what you want to minimize for cats with struvite crytal problems. The blame on ash is no longer supported by research. SignatureVictor M. Martinez martiv@FAKE.che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv Then explain why everyone I have talked to who has switched to the proper dry food has not had a problem in years? > >Well, I just talked to two other people whose cats have gotten the same > >thing mine have, the crystals in their system that prevent them from being [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Not quite. Magnesium is what you want to minimize for cats with struvite > crytal problems. The blame on ash is no longer supported by research. > Canned food is NOT better for cats. > I have talked with many animal experts and have researched this quite > extensively. > Cats are healthier and have better teeth with dry food, but it has to have > the correct ingredients. > My cats were sickly eating canned food, as well. The best diet for a cat is what it would eat naturally in the wild. In the absence of this diet the best way to ensure a healthy cat is to try and replicate this diet as closely as possible - in nutrient value, consistency, texture, and feeding frequency. Wet food is far closer to this than dry food and, most importantly, contains the correct amount of moisture to allow your cats internals to process it properly. There is a very strong correlation between dry food diets and chronic renal (kidney) failure, the main reason being that it is not natural for a cat whose natural diet consists of 80% moisture to be eating dry food. The only advantage there seems to be in using dry food is that is helps keep their teeth clean, but this can be easily negated by giving your cat a chicken wing once or twice a week. Troy. > > Canned food is NOT better for cats. > > I have talked with many animal experts and have researched this quite [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Troy. When you suggest giving the cat a chicken wing, do you mean the small, drumstick like part of the wing and should it be roasted/cooked? This being asked, don't you have to worry about kittens choking on small chicken bones? My kittens seem to really enjoy their Hills Science diet dry kitten food, but I offer them canned kitten food (they like Iams kitten, Hills chicken and liver kitten, and Hills' adult beef recipe) twice a day; in the morning and at supper time. They used to like the turkey recipe canned food, but don't seem as interested any more. :( >When you suggest giving the cat a chicken wing, do you mean the small, drumstick You can cut the chicken wing in two parts and give it to them raw. Don't worry the kitten won't choke. He has hundreds of thousands of years of evolution protecting him from bird bones... :) >you have to worry about kittens choking on small chicken bones? My kittens seem >to really enjoy their Hills Science diet dry kitten food, but I offer them Kittens are food-eating-machines. They are always hungry and they will eat pretty much anything you feed them. Do get them used to the weekly chicken wing. All my adult cats just smell the wing and play with it for a bit, only the kittens actually chew on it. >Hills' adult beef recipe) twice a day; in the morning and at supper time. They >used to like the turkey recipe canned food, but don't seem as interested any >more. :( ProPlan has come out with a new line of canned food. It's actually much better than I expected it to be, though it still has some ingredients I objecc to. My favorite foods are Felidae and Innova, but our cats won't eat them anymore for some reason. Their current favorites are the new Nutro pouches and the Nutro gourmet cans. SignatureVictor M. Martinez martiv@FAKE.che.utexas.edu http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv > >When you suggest giving the cat a chicken wing, do you mean the small, drumstick > > You can cut the chicken wing in two parts and give it to them raw. Don't > worry the kitten won't choke. He has hundreds of thousands of years of > evolution protecting him from bird bones... :) Just a warning about pre-frozen chicken wings though: The bones dry out just as much when frozen as when they are cooked so if you give chicken wings, they should be fresh and never frozen. > When you suggest giving the cat a chicken wing, do you mean the small, drumstick > like part of the wing and should it be roasted/cooked? This being asked, don't [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > used to like the turkey recipe canned food, but don't seem as interested any > more. :( You can give your cats the wing whole. Never give a cat cooked bones - the cooking process causes the bones to become brittle and can fragment in a way that can cause cats to choke. Mine were not interested at first - I now put them under a very hot grill (the chicken wings of course) for a minute a side then I use a knife to create some descent slice marks into the wing - this doesn't cook the wing but does get all the juices flowing and the cuts enable your cat to get their teeth into it a bit easier. If you can get your cats to into the habit of eating chicken wings you can chuck all those processed "teeth" formula diets away! We also have to remember that cats get very fussy about their diets and also get very used to the types of food they are given, because of this cats quite often reject new diets or foods and it can time to get them to adjust. The biggest factor that entices a cat to eat is the smell of the food. Most dry foods are very pungent (to your cat anyway) while most wet foods just smell of the sulphur preservative (like some canned fish for humans) and is not necessarily a pleasant smell to your cat. I have found that adding a couple of tablespoons of boiling water to the wet food and mixing it up causes it to release all the pleasant smells (again, pleasant to your cat not necessarily you) along with the added advantage of warming the food to a temperature that is more natural for cats, ie. body temp. Troy. > You can give your cats the wing whole. Never give a cat cooked bones - > the cooking process causes the bones to become brittle and can > fragment in a way that can cause cats to choke. Ah, I *knew* I'd heard chicken bones were too brittle for animals to be allowed to eat....that clears things up nicely, thanks. :) Ann -- http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak >> You can give your cats the wing whole. Never give a cat cooked bones - >> the cooking process causes the bones to become brittle and can [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak Just a curious question; wouldn't steaming the bones make them soft and destroy their brittleness? AFAIK there is a lot of nutrients in the bone marrow. ( I don't eat chicken, so I don't know) SignatureDarkHills [[[Pan: The Galactic Gargle-Blaster of Newsreaders]]] We are Pentium of Borg. Division is futile. You will be approximated. All trolls are promptly killfiled. You decide whether you want to talk. > >> You can give your cats the wing whole. Never give a cat cooked bones - > >> the cooking process causes the bones to become brittle and can [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > ( I don't eat chicken, so I don't know) I have found that if you boil/steam/stew the chicken bones they still become brittle - I'm not too sure why. It is best not to cook the wings anyway because the heat destroys many of the nutrients in the food. You are quite right about the marrow being packed with vitamins and minerals but cats are pretty good at crunching up these bones to get to it... Troy. Too little food, and dry food, don't explain why both cats suddenly aren't interested in eating. >>Sadie, our 2.5 year old short hair spayed female, has always been >>fixated on food. We have her on Hill's R/D food because the vet said [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Try canned food. It's better for cats anyway. >Over the past week, both cats have let the food sit in their bowls. They >will eat, but not the way they used to. Has something in the household changed that would induce them into not eatintg? Maybe there is someone new in the house? Maybe construction in the area? Maybe something else new in the house? -------------------------------------------- To send me e-mail exorcise NO Spam from my e-mail address. >>Over the past week, both cats have let the food sit in their bowls. They >>will eat, but not the way they used to. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > else new in the house? > -------------------------------------------- We have a new carpet in one of the rooms. I vaccumed it thoroughly when we got it and I haven't noticed any smell with it, but maybe they do. Might that do it? >We have a new carpet in one of the rooms. I vaccumed it thoroughly when >we got it and I haven't noticed any smell with it, but maybe they do. >Might that do it? Could be. A while back some the TV stations had reports about fumes from the laying of carpet and how they can effect humans and pets. In some cases it is so bad that people had to live an a hotel for more than a month. Remember cats noses are much more senisitive than a humans. -------------------------------------------- To send me e-mail exorcise NO Spam from my e-mail address. > Sadie, our 2.5 year old short hair spayed female, has always been > fixated on food. We have her on Hill's R/D food because the vet said [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Any insights? How much does Sadie weigh? According the r/d diet if your cat is trying to lose weight, for cats up to 10lbs, 3/4 of a cup a day is ample - or for bigger cats, 15lbs, up to a cup a day. Cats need a less of a higher quality food (nutrient-wise). Remember that with most modified diets the ratios of nutrients may be vastly different to off-the-shelf varieties and, like humans, your kitty may be just adjusting to her new diet (it takes a while for the body to get used to different ratios of nutrients/fat/protien that the prescription diet offers). Regardless of all this...if your cat is eating, drinking (not too excessively), happy, has a nice coat and is not loosing weight too quickly, she is showing all the signs of a perfectly healthy kitty! Troy. I have an obvious question, but need to ask. Have you talked to a Vet. > Sadie, our 2.5 year old short hair spayed female, has always been > fixated on food. We have her on Hill's R/D food because the vet said [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Any insights? did you read this post? > I have an obvious question, but need to ask. Have you talked to a Vet. > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > > > Any insights? |
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