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Hey cat friends,
So what are the best or good quality wet cat foods? How much and how often do I feed (my dogs do not free feed, they eat on a schedule). And finally how much should a 13 lb cat eat daily (vet said he is at a good weight)? Also are their any foods that seem to cause more allergies than others? Aslan is sneezing a lot and repertory infection was ruled out so vet thinks it maybe an allergy. Not sure if it's food, environment, etc yet.
The trees around our house are dropping pollen left and right so could be that too.
We use Blue Wilderness Indoor dry food, treats and pouches.
Treats are given when given.
Dry is out all the time.
Pouches are given about every other day or so.
This works well for both of our 13 pound girls but your critter is not our critter so it is hard to say if yours would do as well as ours.
My original vet told me any canned food is OK with her rather than dry. Quality wet foods are, surprisingly, Trader Joe's if you have one near you and some of the Fancy Feast, the classic, are good quality. Stick to ones with mostly meat ingredients. Cats eat meat. Period. Look up "obligate carnivore."
Also from two different vets: food allergies are common, and the biggest culprit is fish. So whatever canned I buy, I buy none of the fish flavors. I feed my cat 3 times a day, spaced out, and had to do a little trial and error on the amount because the calorie count varies between cat foods and never shows up on the can. Check the ribs every week and feel in front of the hips from on top. You should be able to feel ribs and kitty should indent between the ribs and hips. I can usually look down from above, but I know Aslan is furrier, so you'll have to feel him. Just feel for changes since the vet says he's fine now.
I also give my cat treats and usually a bite of chicken if we have chicken, etc. I notice she begs less if she gets enough good cat food.
Unfortunately, since your cat was a stray and lived outside for a while, respiratory/asthma/allergy stuff can be more common. Just watch, same as dogs or children, for anything the wrong color or smell or worsening symptoms. Otherwise, you may just have a sneezy cat. It happens.
We feed all wet at our house, twice per day, about 12 hours apart. Every cat is different in the calories/amount they need, but for a guy that size, I'd start with 2, 3oz. cans per day and see how he does. ITA with Fancy Feast Classics line (check the label, as there are TONS of versions).
There is a lot of pollen out there so his sneezing could be just about anything. Ask your vet about giving him an OTC human med like zyrtek (it is safe for cats but ask a vet before giving for dosage/frequency) to help with symptoms.
Also, we give treats like a raw chicken wing or raw chicken/turkey heart. Our gang loves them!
Fancy Feast Classic is the menu here. As it was said, cats are obligate carnivores, and any grains or veggies pass right through them into the litterbox sometimes taking valuable nutrients with them. There are other quality wet foods out there besides Fancy Feast Classic. Look at labels and bypass any that are made with meat byproducts, wheat glutens, and grains.
The other benefit of canned food is the moisture content which cats do not get from dry foods. Cats do not drink to quench thirst like dogs do. They derive their moisture from food which is why they don't have that instinct to seek out water - dogs' adaption to have this instinct is because they are not obligate carnivores.
As for how much a 13-lb cat should eat, hard to say since the metabolism of 13-lb cats can vary. I agree with Rene S to start out with two 3-oz. cans per day. If you notice a significant weight gain or loss - and this would be in ounces not pounds! - adjust the quantity up or down.
Indeed that pollens could be the culprit for the sneezing! My cats don't have any known allergies, nor do I, but wow were we all sneezing earlier this Spring. However, check the food ingredients to make sure there are no glutens and grains since some cats (and dogs) can have a sensitivity to them.
There are lots of great foods out there, but most of the better founds are not found in places like Walmart or grocery stores. I order a lot of my cat food from Chewy.com and even Amazon, though I do buy a lot at my local pet supply store, too.
Agree with the recommendation to feed wet/canned food and foods without glutens, grains, and byproducts. You have dogs, so the many of the same high-quality dog foods have a cat food equivalent.
My cats mainly eat Merrick canned foods. They have pate and chunks in gravy varieties... some are more popular at my house than others. There are many other great brands out there though, and I offer some variety. I do feed Fancy Feast classics in the mix and they are always well received. All 3 of my cats are very picky so I'm happy I found some they like.
Note: I switched my two boys to 100% canned food after one of them had a blocked urinary tract. Dry food doesn't give cats enough moisture so they really need a wet diet to meet their needs. That was a $2,000 emergency vet visit that I don't want to repeat (and neither does he). So, wet foods all the time now.
Aslan is sneezing a lot and repertory infection was ruled out so vet thinks it maybe an allergy. Not sure if it's food, environment, etc yet.
The trees around our house are dropping pollen left and right so could be that too.
Thanks.
My cat developed a sneezing problem from dusty cat litter. I switched to Dr. Elsey's litter and the sneezing stopped.
I was just researching this, as I recently had a loss, and I was trying to figure out how much food to feed my remaining crew of 4. I've always fed at least 50% wet, but I wanted to increase that now, and I've got 2 that do not need to lose weight, and 2 that are a little chubby. This is the best website I found: How Much To Feed Your Cat | Ask The Cat Doctor
Basically - it depends! It depends on whether they're fixed or not, inside/outside, activity level, male/female, and their own metabolism. Best way to determine how you're doing is to weigh them each week (if you don't have a baby scale you can just weigh yourself, and then weigh yourself holding the cat). If a cat needs to lose weight, it's important they not lose more than 0.5lbs per month.
I think 5.5-6.0oz of wet food a day is a good starting point, then you can adjust from there depending on how hungry they seem, and if they gain/lose any weight. I also feed Fancy Feast Classics, and sometimes Friskies Pate varieties. I give them either a 3oz can or half a 5/5oz can, twice a day. Depending on what the scale tells me, I may add in 1-2tbsp of dry food, once a day, if needed.
My cat eats 3 times a day, a 3oz. can at each feeding, wet only. I buy Fancy Feast classic or chunky, the chunky varieties are ok too carb-wise (catinfo.org still has the carb chart, right? I haven't been in a while) or Nutro Max Cat. Sometimes I try other kinds, that are grain free and look like they might be good, but those two brands he reliably likes and aren't too high cost. I hate to pay more than about a dollar for a can of cat food. I only get him birds and bunnies, so mostly chicken and turkey but some duck, quail, pheasant, rabbit...again, those are more expensive so I rarely buy them.
Another neat trick I've discovered? I keep a bag of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw "mixers" rabbit flavor around, and if he's being picky one day about his food and gives me that look that says, "Stupid human, I was not in the mood for chicken today. Not eating it!" Then I get a few of those and crush them between my fingers to a powder (they are mostly freeze dried raw rabbit) and sprinkle it on the food. Presto! Now the meal is acceptable. Every time.
My cat is a 16 lb male, and he's a healthy weight for his size, but the best judge of this is to look at him from above. He is fluffy, but I can smooth down the fur enough to tell he's not fat. He is muscular and lean. Also if they have that loose belly that hangs, that is not necessarily fat, some cats have a "primordial pouch" which is thought to be loose skin that protects their gut from getting kicked by other kitties. Maybe. Anyhow it's normal.
I had to become a fanatic when my oldest cat was diagnosed with diabetes. For dry food, Young Again is the only choice - but it's considerably more expensive than anything at the supermarket. Make that CONSIDERABLY MORE EXPENSIVE. It is the only dry food I would consider feeding. Canned food is preferable for many reasons, and Fancy Feast Classic is quite good. With the diabetic cat, we left out a bowl of Young Again and fed Fancy Feast numerous times throughout the day - taking care of a diabetic cat is a "lifestyle" that pretty much brings a halt to whatever your lifestyle had been previously. Now that we're down to one non-diabetic cat, we leave out a small bowl of Young Again and give her as much Fancy Feast Classic as she'll eat 2-3 times a day.
It's really quite humorous how they market disastrously unhealthy dry cat food by appealing to human tastes. Yep, your cats appear to be getting the same well-balanced diet as your children - and it's killing them.
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