Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Or get up earlier. I'm not sure what you're complaining about - my cats start trying to wake me up around 5. They get up at 4, run around the house and do their things, then return to the bedroom to begin their campaign.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeachSalsa
I do not feed my animals before myself Pack order and all...the alpha always eats first. I am the alpha, so I (almost always) make my breakfast coffee before feeding my dog and cats. For dinner, I always make mine before feeding my animals. (and my cats always eat their dinner an hour or so after I eat my dinner anyway).
I shower and dress, come downstairs and put on the coffee before feeding the cats. They have learned that they don't get fed until that happens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charolastra00
We all know wet is best. It's also not the only way. Chill out with the scare tactics.
Agreed. I don't understand why every thread has to include a bullying lecture about feeding.
Agreed. I don't understand why every thread has to include a bullying lecture about feeding.
I find it very strange that some consider sharing factual information as "bullying" and "scare tactics".
To offer an explanation for what you don't understand about why the discussion turned to why dry diets are bad: the thread turned in that direction because the OP already stated they feed wet because they know it is better for the cat. So when people try to talk the OP into adding dry, I am going to reinforce what the OP already knows, that dry feeding is not good for the cat.
Yep, me too. If he doesn't get what he wants, he becomes extremely unhappy and loud.
My cat is a spoiled little princess but I love her! Also I can usually fall back to sleep pretty easily after getting up to feed her, but I do sympathize with the OP.
Our 14 year old cat has a habit of jumping up on the bed at around 5-6am,he walks all over us and meows vigorously,its not a problem and we find it amusing,we know what he wants and we usually get up at that time anyway,we view him as a loved family member and understand his methods of communication,if it really bothered us we could just close the bedroom door.
My kibble is 80% protein. Yes, it's high quality, no matter what you seem to think.
Nowhere did I say adding water to kibble. I recommended adding water to the wet food. That only way my cat will eat pate style high quality tinned food (versus anything with "gravy" or cheap kitty crack like Fancy Feast) is if it's made soupy with water, though, luckily, that's good for his kidneys and urinary tract.
The fact of the matter is, we all do the best we can. In an ideal world, we'd all be feeding our cats a raw diet with small meals several times throughout the day. It's not an ideal world. There would be a lot more cats being euthanised every day in shelters if suddenly kibble and cheap canned food disappeared. The cat-parent shaming in this sub is absolutely ridiculous. As it is, my cat food's budget is almost as large as my own, and I'm thankful to be able to spend it. That wasn't always possible. He ate the cheapest kibble I could buy when I was going through cancer because the alternative was him not eating at all - and I was skipping meds to make sure we both did eat. Was I a horrible cat mom poisoning my cat then? No. I was doing the best I could because sending an 8 year old cat with a penchant for chewing through cords back to a shelter would have meant death for him.
We all know wet is best. It's also not the only way. Chill out with the scare tactics.
Thank you! I know plenty of people who have fed their cats nothing but dry food and they lived to be 17 including two of my sister's cats. (I'm sure someone will say "but the cat could have lived to 25 if it wasn't fed dry food.") I also am expecting some of the posters here to say we should start feeding our cats live mice & birds. That is their "natural" prey isn't it?
Yes, most of us are aware that wet food is better but there is no need to get militant about it. Plenty of people who adopt a cat for companionship, (I'm thinking of the elderly here) cannot afford anything but dry food. Like Charolastra said better a cat be fed dry food than being euthanized in a shelter.
My own cats used to have dry food left out and then split a can of wet food at night. They lived to be 14 & 17 without health problems until right before they died, you know sort of like people. The healthy ones live a long life and then die.
Longevity isn't everything. I prefer my cats to feel good while they live, too. A cat living in a state of chronic dehydration and probably a never ending stomach ache for 17 years is not my idea of a happy life for a cat. People should keep in mind that cats don't show if they don't feel their best until they are in agony. So chronic low level dehydration and endless tummy ache are not going to be noticed. The cat will still act "normal" and appear "fine"
People who "feed dry and have always fed dry" really don't know what they are talking about, they have no basis for comparison.
Since they have "always fed dry" they cannot even imagine the difference in a cat who is fed a wet diet, and going even further, the difference in a cat fed a balanced raw diet. The line between "fine" and "thriving" is quite obvious, after the switch is made.
I've learned to put out a small bowl of food in the bedroom with us so that he has something to snack on all night. Leaves me alone , especially on my day off, when I like to sleep longer.
I find it very strange that some consider sharing factual information as "bullying" and "scare tactics".
To offer an explanation for what you don't understand about why the discussion turned to why dry diets are bad: the thread turned in that direction because the OP already stated they feed wet because they know it is better for the cat. So when people try to talk the OP into adding dry, I am going to reinforce what the OP already knows, that dry feeding is not good for the cat.
The OP already stated that kitty is fed at 1 a.m.
No matter what prettied up words you use, it is bullying and scare tactics when one attempts to or does shove the phrase *dry cat food poisons your cats* down everyone's throat in every thread.
One should be able to accept the fact that not every cat on the planet likes or will eat wet food and not every cat owner on the planet can afford wet food that their cats may or may not eat.
Amazingly enough many of us know *what is good for OUR cats*.
OP: We have 2 girls and they have dry food and water available at all times, they get one can of wet food every few days. If they get wet food daily they will not eat it after a few days because they prefer the dry food. We never get pestered by our girls for food because they are never hungry.
Do what is best for your animals, it is that simple.
No matter what prettied up words you use, it is bullying and scare tactics when one attempts to or does shove the phrase *dry cat food poisons your cats* down everyone's throat in every thread.
One should be able to accept the fact that not every cat on the planet likes or will eat wet food and not every cat owner on the planet can afford wet food that their cats may or may not eat.
Amazingly enough many of us know *what is good for OUR cats*.
OP: We have 2 girls and they have dry food and water available at all times, they get one can of wet food every few days. If they get wet food daily they will not eat it after a few days because they prefer the dry food. We never get pestered by our girls for food because they are never hungry.
Do what is best for your animals, it is that simple.
And when I do, you always have to come in and defend your choices, even when I wasn't speaking to you at all. Do you feel defensive because you know that cats are strict obligate carnivores and were never meant to eat hard dry carb nuggets as a diet?
Why do you feel the need to shove it down people's throats that you feed dry and think everyone else should feed dry too?
People feed dry because it is cheap and convenient. It is not, ever, "best for the cat".
I brought up the importance of wet feeding because people were advising the OP to add a dry diet, and that is never a good idea. If dry hadn't been mentioned, I would not have needed to pontificate.
And any cat can be transitioned. Any cat. Takes work sometimes, and often a lot of work and effort on the human's part, because some cats are so addicted to the fats and chemicals sprayed on the dry nuggets, and have been conditioned since weaning that this is "food", they don't recognize wet as food. But it can be done.
Anyway, back on topic, thankfully the OP already knows that a wet diet is better for a cat.
The OP is looking for a way to keep kitty on the more species appropriate diet while not being woken at an early hour. Kitty's last meal is at 1 a.m. and is waking the OP at 6 or 6:30.
Since this is a new behavior it is my thought that something has changed, something is waking kitty at this hour now. Kitty is probably looking for attention rather than a meal, but a small wet meal in a timed feeder (reducing the quantities of the other meals to make up for it) will probably solve the problem, because kitty will be distracted by the feeder popping open, and the snack.
No I do not feel defensive at all, your opinion about me or how we care for our very healthy perfect weight cats means absolutely zero to me.
I am not in *every thread* you are, most of the time it is a waste of energy on my part and the times I do comment it is generally because I am bored and beyond tired of your refusal to accept the fact that you are *not right* all of the time.
Also, your *any cat can be transitioned* statement as fact is not true, our Smudge who lived a very long healthy life would not eat wet food, raw food or a mouse if you shoved it down her throat. Actually, she would run from a mouse so there was no possible chance she would even chase or catch a mouse let alone eat it.
Bottom line, you are not right all the time, you do use bullying and scare tactics and you do not know what is good for
all the cats on the planet.
Bless your heart.
OP: Do what is good and right for your animal and know that sometimes you have to trial and error before you get it right for long term health and well being of your animal.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I also am expecting some of the posters here to say we should start feeding our cats live mice & birds. 
That is their "natural" prey isn't it?
