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I feed canned only (except for my oldest cat who refuses canned). I feed canned only because cats didn't evolve to eat kibble - they are obligate carnivores. They don't need the grains used as fillers in most dry foods, although some cat food manufacturers are now making grain-free dry foods (my oldest cat eats this - Wellness Core).
I also don't like to feed any canned foods that contain grain based protein gluten - corn glutens, wheat glutens and so on...the manufacturers use these grain glutens because it is cheaper for them than using meat-based protein sources. Um, no. After the big pet food recall two years ago I do not trust pet food makers who are willing to cut corners like that.
Now, having said that, I am not a feline nutritionist nor I have I ever taken a nutrition class. But I know from my own body that what the "experts" tell you and what is reality can be far apart in regards to the truth.
So I choose to mimic what a cat would eat in the wild - and it isn't cereal. But I also choose not to go out and bring back mice and small birds for them, so it is a compromise to buy canned food consisting of meat for my kittys. I feed twice a day and I put down as much as they can eat in 5 minutes or so (except for my fat kitteh - who gained a lot of weight when she was allowed to free feed on dry). It works out to 2/2.5- 6 ounce cans per day divided among 3 cats/2 feedings per day. I do refrigerate and microwave it to heat it back up and my cats have no problems with it.
Another big advantage to separate feedings (I put them in separate rooms at feeding time) is I know if anyone stops eating immediately. Sometimes that is hard in multi-cat households.
One concern I still need to address and do more research on is the mercury content in canned cat foods. This is still a hug worry for me. My cats much prefer the fish flavored canned. I have found two published papers on this that state that it is safer than feeding fresh tuna, but I still worry that I am poisoning my cats sometimes.
Hanna,
Check out the ingredients in Wellness canned cat food. I feel very good about what I am feeding my cats since I changed to Wellness.
OhioGirl,
It took us probably about 3 months to change our cats from free dry feeding to 2 meals a day of wet food. We made the change very slooooowly.
Today, I decided to put out some canned food for Emme to see how much she'd eat. The can suggested 1 can for every 3 pounds. WTH? If that was the case, she'd eat 3 5.5 ounce cans a day.
Anyhow, I gave her a heaping tablespoon full this morning which she gobbled up in about 10 minutes. There was about 2 teaspoons of dry leftover in her dish that she nibbled on during the afternoon and at 5pm, I gave her another heaping tablespoon. She ate a few bites then decided to take a nap.
My conclusion is if she continues to eat like this, that extra weight will be off in no time since she consumed MUCH less of the canned than she usually does of the dry.
Hanna,
Check out the ingredients in Wellness canned cat food. I feel very good about what I am feeding my cats since I changed to Wellness.
OhioGirl,
It took us probably about 3 months to change our cats from free dry feeding to 2 meals a day of wet food. We made the change very slooooowly.
I tried Wellness but my princess tortie didn't like it. I feed Tiki Cat, Merrick or Weruva. I also made the change of withdrawing the dry slowly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmobizmo
Today, I decided to put out some canned food for Emme to see how much she'd eat. The can suggested 1 can for every 3 pounds. WTH? If that was the case, she'd eat 3 5.5 ounce cans a day.
Anyhow, I gave her a heaping tablespoon full this morning which she gobbled up in about 10 minutes. There was about 2 teaspoons of dry leftover in her dish that she nibbled on during the afternoon and at 5pm, I gave her another heaping tablespoon. She ate a few bites then decided to take a nap.
My conclusion is if she continues to eat like this, that extra weight will be off in no time since she consumed MUCH less of the canned than she usually does of the dry.
My fat tabby is definitely losing weight on her restricted diet. I give a heap of canned about 2 inches in diameter, heaping. I give my skinnier (skinnier doesn't mean my other cats are skinny; they all have a little extra flesh. I don't like to see my animals too thin in case they get sick - they have a little reserve to fall back on ) cats a little bit more.
A great deal of information I have been reading recommends wet over dry food for various reasons. One reason is weight control. They claim that cats gain weight due to the fillers in the dry food and the carbohydrates can cause health issues. Here is one of the links I've been looking at. Feeding Your Cat** Know the Basi_
That is true for a lot of the dry foods out there, but there are some high protein GRAIN FREE dry foods out there that are great. I free feed my 6 cats Evo dry. Meat-Based Pet Food – Premium Dog Food, Cat Food, Ferret Food, Dog Treats – EVO Pet Products (http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1500 - broken link)
Just a word of advice; If you are going to switch over their diets, make sure you do it gradually. Completely changing a cats diet overnight will cause a lot of stomach upset. It's recommended you slowly combine a little bit of one food with another over a time span of a few weeks, before completely making the switch.
Cyrus, my 8 year-old 11lb. Persian, gets 1/2-1 small can of Fancy Feast & free-feeds Royal Canin or Wellness dry food. He actually prefers the dry food, and LOVES his treats... his favorites are the Kitty Caviar (fishy flakes, as we call them) and Whiskas crunch. As for my new kitty Bindi, she gets closer to 2 cans of the wet food - since she is younger, smaller, and had to put on weight when I rescued her. She also doesn't like the dry food very much, so I usually give in and give her the canned. She's getting a bit chubby, though, so we're going to cut back a little more!
I know their diet isn't great, but it seems to work fine for them... my dog, on the other hand, has a much stricter and higher-quality diet (Weruva wet & Wellness dry). His system reacts more strongly to "bad" food, whereas the cats seem to have stomachs of steel.
Hanna,
Check out the ingredients in Wellness canned cat food. I feel very good about what I am feeding my cats since I changed to Wellness.
OhioGirl,
It took us probably about 3 months to change our cats from free dry feeding to 2 meals a day of wet food. We made the change very slooooowly.
Oh yes, it does take a while.....
I fed my girls nutro dry, free feeding
Now: canned wet food and some home cooked meals 2x's a day!
They are so healthy, weight is great and mentally happy!
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I feed Tiki Cat, Merrick or Weruva. I also made the change of withdrawing the dry slowly. 
) cats a little bit more.
