For the Cat Who Thinks The Buffet is Open All Day
April 11, 2010 by Joi
Filed under Cat Blog, Cat Food, Cat Health
Animals, yes even cats, know to eat just until they are full. I’ve watched my cats over the years and have found that – at a certain point – they know they’ve eaten enough. Then they find a comfortable place to give themselves a bath and digest. It doesn’t matter if they’re inside cats, outside cats, people-friendly cats, cats who are part of the family, or feral cats – they naturally know when they’ve had enough.
So, you’d think there’d be no way a cat or dog could possibly get overweight, right? After all, they know when to stop eating, so there’s no chance they’ll overeat, right?
Wrong-o. That’s where we come in.
If there’s a bowl of constantly available dry food lying around for her to graze at whenever she feels a little bored or under stimulated – Alexa… I mean she’ll do just that. We generally don’t have a full plate of our food sitting on the table all day for us to graze on each time we pass. I wonder why we ever get in the habit of leaving food out for our pets to eat at leisure.
Naturally, we think we’re doing them a great service – Here, baby, eat whenever you want to! The problem is, it leads to obesity and a host of health problems.
That being said, some cats do fine with free-feeding. Our outside cats have dry food available at all times and not one of them is overweight. Prissy always had dry food available and kept a nice, trim little figure for over 20 years! It all depends on the individual cat. If you leave dry food out for your babies and they take advantage of its availability a little too often, maybe you should try putting it up for the most part of the day.
So how often should you feed your cat?
According to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, it depends upon the cat’s age and health.
Kittens require more food per pound of body weight to support their growth than do adult cats, and therefore should be fed more often throughout the day. “Growing kittens up to six months of age may require three meals a day,” says Francis Kallfelz, DVM, PHD, board certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition and James Law professor of nutrition at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. “From age six months to maturity, most cats will do well when fed two times a day.”
Once the cat becomes an adult, at about one year, feeding once or twice a day is appropriate in most cases. Senior cats, age seven and above, should maintain the same feeding regimen. “Once cats reach adulthood, once a day feeding is fine as long as they are healthy and have no disease problems suggesting a reason to feed differently,” says Dr. Kallfelz.
The Health of Your Cat Matters
If your cat suffers from a health problem such as diabetes, you may need to feed him based on whenever he is administered insulin, depending on the type. “Talk to your veterinarian,” says Dr. Kallfelz.
If your cat has hyperthyroidism, he may want to eat all the time. “Treat the disease,” says Dr. Kallfelz. “If it is a treatable problem, treat it and then feed your cat normally.”
When a cat ages, his teeth may go bad, or he may develop gum disease that may make it difficult to chew dry food. “If they get to that point, then offer them canned food or dry in a finer nugget size,” says Dr. Kallfelz. You can also mash up the dry and mix it with water to make it easier to chew. – Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Should You Feed Your Cat Wet or Dry Cat Food?
Experts seem to agree that the type of cat food isn’t that important. However, keep in mind that you should feed your cat CAT FOOD -not dog food and not human food. There are certain things cats need that they can get only from cat food.
Read the labels on your dry cat food and wet cat food. Make sure you select the brands that are the most balanced and offer the most nutrients. If you feed your cats dry cat food, be sure they always have plenty of fresh, clean water to drink. (Then again, all cats should have fresh water at all times!)
“If a cat can maintain his weight, free choice feeding is okay,” says Dr. Kallfelz. Even dry food left out for your cat to free feed needs to be fresh, so be sure to provide new food each day. If free feeding doesn’t work, you need to control how much they eat. “Several small meals may make them feel less hungry,” says Dr. Kallfelz. “But one is okay nutritionally.” – Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
When it comes to a feeding schedule, cats are like babies (but we already knew that, right?) – they need to keep a schedule as much as possible. Most cats do best when fed in the morning – then later in the evening.
If you cat seems to genuinely be hungry, however, during the middle of the day – give him or her a little to eat. After all, we’d want someone to do the same for us!
Credit: The picture at the top of the post is from one of my favorite online destinations (hours, I tell you, hours I spend on this site): I Can Has Cheezburger
Getting Your Cat to Take Her Medicine
September 12, 2009 by Joi
Filed under Carly, Cat Food, Cat Health
Very clever. Ingenious, even.
If you’ve ever had the “pleasure” of trying to convince a cat that taking a pill is a great idea, you’re going to love these Pill Pockets for Cats. They’ll save you time, effort, energy, and keep your cat from having a couple of nervous breakdowns in the process.
The website promises to take the hassle out of giving your cat her pills. We can assume that, by taking the hassle out of the situation, the scratches, hisses, and or dirty looks will disappear as well. Thanks be to God that my beloved Carly never had to have any medications. I doubt I’d be here today if that need had ever come up. I’d have gone down trying to help my girl, but her temper would have finished me off.
The Pill Pockets are available in two flavors: Chicken or Salmon. They’re made from all human-grade meats plus other high quality, healthy ingredients. These would be perfect to have on hand.
Our Cats Love Aristocats Cat Food
This is an old post from the old blog. I’m moving a lot of these posts to this blog, so that I can delete the dinosaur. Precious Prissy was still alive when I wrote this post, so it’s pretty bittersweet to read it. It’s always good to remember her, but I’ll always miss her beautiful little face and graceful, dainty, perfectly delightful disposition. She was so laid back – such a contrast to Miss Alexa!
This particular post actually had over 20 comments, which I’m not moving here, although they were great. I think it was split – about half of the commentators gave thumbs up to this cat food, while half said their cats didn’t seem to care for it.
What experience have you had with this brand? At the time, I hadn’t given Fancy Feast to my cats before, but since then, Alexa has fallen flat out in love with it.
Disney (a name that brings a smile to just about every face, including mine) has jumped, mouse ears first, into the $75 billion global pet care industry ($36 billion in the U.S., alone) with lines of products for cats, dogs, fish, and hamsters. I believe they started with an Old Yeller line of dog food products.
I really first took notice when I saw their Aristocats Cat Food on the shelves at Kroger. Our babies love to try new goodies, so I bought one of each flavor. (On a side note, the cans are perfectly adorable, with scenes from the movie on the side.) This was, honestly, one of the only brands of cat food that our cats, unanimously, loved. Whiskas and Aristocats now stand as the only two “wet food” varieties that result in extremely happy cats and over-licked cat dishes around our house, inside and out.
Prissy and Bo will absolutely eat anything you set in front of them. As though she was determined to prove it, the other day an olive fell off of my pizza and Prissy ate it before I could pick it up. Then she wanted more but I just couldn’t feel good about myself feeding olives to a cat.
Svenn and Alexa are pickier than Bo and Prissy. Usually, he only likes dry food (and only some brands, at that), but he threw himself into the Aristocats cat food. They’ve all requested that I grab more cans on my next Kroger trip. I’m a soft touch, so OF COURSE I’ll do just that!
Apparently, Disney is also planning to launch a line of cat products from the movie “That Darn Cat.” My test panel is looking forward to it.
Why Your Cat Shouldn’t Eat Your Dog’s Food!
March 3, 2009 by Joi
Filed under Cat Food, Cat Health
In a time when we’re all trying to creatively save money and cut corners, animal experts are warning pet lovers to keep feeding your pet the food that’s designed for her.
Cats and dogs have different nutritional requirements. For example, cats require far more meat protein than dogs. Dog food contains a lot of grain and other ingredients. So, if a pet owner tries to “cut corners” by sharing the dog food with the cat, or the cat food with the dog, they’ll be short changing and potentially harming their pets. They simply have different needs and should be given the food that’s intended for them.
Cats especially need taurine, an amino acid that prevents blindness and heart and lung problems; arachidonic acid, a fatty acid; and nutrients not necessarily included in commercial dog food, like preformed vitamin A, which can be found only in animal tissue. Cat foods are made with the things your baby needs, so be certain he or she gets them.
Innova EVO Cat and Kitten Dry Cat Food (6.6-lb bag)
EVO Cat & Kitten food was created to supply the key nutritional benefits of a raw food diet in a safe and convenient manner. EVO can be fed exclusively as a total diet for your pet or in combination with a raw diet to provide a solid nutritional base of the important vitamins and minerals your feline might otherwise be missing.
PetSmart is Heaven on Earth for Animal Lovers
November 28, 2008 by Joi
Filed under Alexa, Bo, Cat Food, Cat Furniture, Cat Toys, Prissy, Svenn, The Pampered Pet
I’ve always loved Petsmart.com (Click the link to save $10 off your order of $40 or more), so I was thrilled beyond words when a Petsmart store opened in my hometown, Owensboro.
Sometimes I think I spend more time there than the workers!
I have so many things in mind that I want to buy over the next few weeks. First of all, I have to buy more of the Pro Plan® Selects(tm) Wet Food for Cats you see at the top of the post. Every single one of our cats LOVE this stuff – even the pickiest cat in the world, Svenn, devours it with glee.
Prissy revved up her motor and started purring when she first encounterd the Salmon and Brown Rice Entree. After that supply ran out, and before I got back to PetSmart, I had to feed them their regular packets of food (which had been perfectly wonderful for them before) – Svenn turned his nose up at it and the other 3 acted like, “Well, if that’s all you’ve got…”
So, needless to say, I’m grabbing more of these cans today.
I also want to grab a few of these Whisker City® Organic Wool Ball Cat Toys. The wool ball features a bell inside, so it’s extra intiguing for little paws.
I want one of the Whisker City? Giraffe Print Pyramid Kitty Caves for Bo. He’s all about getting snug and hidden. Svenn, who’s convince that the paparazzi are stalking his every move, doesn’t really care for being tucked away. He likes to stay on guard, ready to flee the cameras, the microphones, the fans… But Bo would love this Kitty Cave!
PetSmart also has some gorgeous cat beds that are so soft you can’t stop rubbing them. There’s a pink one I want for Alexa and a safari style one for Prissy. What can I say, she’s just a wild kind of gal.
If you don’t have a PetSmart nearby, check out their website. You can click any of the links or images in this post – or one of the links to the right. If you click the one that says you’ll save $10, it’ll save you money for choosing wisely!
I hope your Thanksgiving was extra special and that the rest of your holiday season will be just as special. Speaking of holidays, click HERE for a personal, creepy little warning!
Free Sample of Greenies Cat Products!
Click HERE to sign up for a free sample of Greenies Cat Products. Shhh, don’t let your cat know you didn’t shell out big bucks.
Why Chicken is So Important For a Cat’s Diet
Alexa, Prissy, and I were doing a little research earlier on the IAMS website and we found a great article. It tells how chicken is a complete protein source for cats. My girls were thrilled to hear it and celebrated by having a little chicken for lunch. Actually, Alexa had a little – Prissy gorged. Their eating habits are hilarious. When you look at them, you’d think Alexa was quite the pig, yet she’s a dainty eater. Prissy, on the other hand, is tiny but outeats all 3 of our other cats combined.
They’re healthy, thankfully – they just have peculiar eating routines.
Click the link below to see the article for yourself; it’s really interesting. While you’re on the website, take a look at the other articles. There’s a wealth of information there.
Chicken: The Complete Protein Source for Your Cat
Healthy, Natural Cat Food that Makes Over-Protective Parents Smile
March 27, 2008 by Joi
Filed under Cat Food, Cat Health, For the Cat Lover
With Nature’s Variety Prairie Homestyle Canned Cat Food – Lamb & Liver 5.5 oz. Can – Case of 24 - you provide your babies wiht a home-cooked taste with high quality nutrition. These chunky stew formulas are made with real meat, poultry and healthy fruits and vegetables.
I admit it, I’m an overly protective mother, whether it comes to my daughters or my cats. I even tend to overly guard the raccoons, possums, birds, and rabbits I feed as well as the skunks who sometimes help themselves into the scene – Right before everyone and everything else, except Svenn, flees. Svenn loves skunks and could watch them for hours. (And, yes, I do name each one….okay, maybe not all the birds…) I care very much what my cats eat, and I watch their food like a hawk, especially after all of the controversites and tragedies.
A few of the “tainted” animal food manufacturers are back on the shelves again – and, while I’m sure they’ve taken unbelievable efforts to ensure their safety, I have to admit – I can’t bring myself to buy them ever again.
If I were them, I would have re-packaged everything, provided new names, new logos, etc. I certainly wouldn’t have put the food back in the same packages that pet lovers had to throw away and hope and pray our pets weren’t going to die!
If you’re like me, you’re probably looking more and more into the natural products like the ones featured in this post. Click the link at the top or the cans below to learn more about a brand that’s as good as it gets. As Svenn would say, “It’s almost as endearing as skunks.” One of these days I’m going to have to break it to my husband – that cat’s not quite normal.
AvoDerm Natural Kitten and Adult Cat Food
March 3, 2008 by Joi
Filed under Cat Food, Cat Health
AvoDerm Natural Chicken, Lamb & Herring Meal Formula Hairball Kitten & Adult Cat Food is one of the best ways you can make sure you’re giving your beloved cat(s) all the safe nutrients they need.
Product Description:
AvoDerm Natural is pressure cooked to ensure your cat receives optimum nutrition from the highest quality ingredients. AvoDerm Natural is naturally formulated to be complete and balanced with added vitamins and minerals, and other essential ingredients for your cat.
Select Ingredients:
Chicken Meal, Ground Whole Corn, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Tomato Pomace, Oatmeal, Herring Meal, Oat Bran, Natural Flavor, Pea Fiber, Dried Brewers Yeast, Dried Chicken Liver, Dried Chicory Root, Avocado Oil, Avocado Meal, Taurine Supplement, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Yucca Schidigera, DL-Methionine, Dried Kelp, Parsley Flakes, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B2), Niacin, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.
From a name you can trust – available from a manufacturer I’ve always trusted, and always will: PetSmart.com. Click through the link above or the image to take a closer look and to read the great reviews.
Kaviar for Your Kitty
February 11, 2008 by Joi
Filed under Cat Food, The Pampered Pet
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