help with the cats' diet-i want something better for them

[x-clo-x]

i have two cats, both moggies (rescued farm kittens) who are now 4 years old.

after doing animal nutrition as part of my college course i got really paranoid about what was in pet foods.
the dogs got switched onto raw food which they thrive on and i am now comfortable feeding and balancing out their diet so they get the right nutrients.

the cats are another matter :roll:

at the minute the cats get dry biscuits "purely" from pets at home at £7 a 2kg bag. their biscuits are left down all day for them.
meatwise they get a pouch between them of natures menu. it all goes into one bowl and they tend to eat out of the same one, sometimes at the same time or they just take it in turns.

trouble is they are starting to get bored with their food now, and im tempted to switch them to something different. they show alot of interest in the dogs raw food. but id have no idea where to start when switching them over.

i thought what i could do was 50/50 diet. so leave a decent dry quality food down all day for them, then give them a raw meal in the morning instead of their natures menu pouch?

they like fish now as the dogs have mackeral, sardines, and pilchards, so i think i will start by giving them fish instead of a pouch.

what other meats can i give them?

also do i start to feed them in separate bowls? say they get used to having their raw meal, at a set time in their own separate bowls so i know which cat is eating what ammount?

replies will be greatly appreciated!

[truthisouthere]

Hi x-clo-x,
Yes feeding them in seperate bowls is good, certainly for the wet and raw foods, that way you'll be able to pick up any changes in each one's eating habits.

I can only speak from experience on the raw meat. I have found that raw white meat fares better with them than the red, in fact red is not their natural prey anyway (ever seen a cat of that size catch a cow or deer?). My two do get the odd raw lean mincemeat now and then which they love and their diet's on a ratio of 50% high quality dry food, 25% pouch, and 25% fresh meat. They get their raw chicken breast cut up into bite size pieces in the evening, most evenings, they then spend the rest of the night napping off their protein hit contentedly. But I would think any time would be fine.

Some people swear by raw chicken wings but I've never had the guts to try this myself..

As with any change, introduce gradually, and watch their faeces to see that you're going at the right introductory pace.

Let us know how you get on :)

[JMPARK]

hi x-clo-x!!
you could try giving them boiled chicken as well as the fish, but keep mixing the diet!
on the meat side of it , i have been told that mince in a gravy is ok, so the next time you do a sprg bolog or chilli, do a bit of extra plain mince for them!!
i was always told that a variety of things is best for cats.
the chicken and white plain fish you can give them straight away as it will not give them bad stomachs.
hope this helps a little
good luck

[Shelley123]

I agree with you about feeding a healthy diet, i think the more you learn the harder it is in a way.
Since getting the dogs we have learned a lot and i now read the packets etc carefuly. Like yours our dogs have some raw, whatever they are having i give to Jerry the Cat, so far he's eaten chicken, beef and lamb.

[x-clo-x]

Hi x-clo-x,
Yes feeding them in seperate bowls is good, certainly for the wet and raw foods, that way you'll be able to pick up any changes in each one's eating habits.

I can only speak from experience on the raw meat. I have found that raw white meat fares better with them than the red, in fact red is not their natural prey anyway (ever seen a cat of that size catch a cow or deer?). My two do get the odd raw lean mincemeat now and then which they love and their diet's on a ratio of 50% high quality dry food, 25% pouch, and 25% fresh meat. They get their raw chicken breast cut up into bite size pieces in the evening, most evenings, they then spend the rest of the night napping off their protein hit contentedly. But I would think any time would be fine.

Some people swear by raw chicken wings but I've never had the guts to try this myself..

As with any change, introduce gradually, and watch their faeces to see that you're going at the right introductory pace.

Let us know how you get on :)

thanks for that. i might try them with things like raw chicken. i could try them with a wing, the dogs have them no bother, so may try the cats on them to see how they fare.
i will introduce it gradually. need to find a new high quality biscuit to feed them too.

[x-clo-x]

hi x-clo-x!!
you could try giving them boiled chicken as well as the fish, but keep mixing the diet!
on the meat side of it , i have been told that mince in a gravy is ok, so the next time you do a sprg bolog or chilli, do a bit of extra plain mince for them!!
i was always told that a variety of things is best for cats.
the chicken and white plain fish you can give them straight away as it will not give them bad stomachs.
hope this helps a little
good luck

thanks for that. so say i feed them raw once a day, either evening or morning, and bit of fish or raw mince. thank you :)

[x-clo-x]

I agree with you about feeding a healthy diet, i think the more you learn the harder it is in a way.
Since getting the dogs we have learned a lot and i now read the packets etc carefuly. Like yours our dogs have some raw, whatever they are having i give to Jerry the Cat, so far he's eaten chicken, beef and lamb.

thanks. i know learning so much and how to read packets properly, it really shocked me at how much rubbish there is in some foods. i used to feed whiskas, that soon got binned. and now the dogs are on such a great natural diet, i think its only fair to do the same for the cats.

[truthisouthere]

Good on you clo! :)

[Velvet]

Royal Canin is supposed to be a superior dry cat food.

[x-clo-x]

Royal Canin is supposed to be a superior dry cat food.

yes i know... but i wouldnt feed that to the dogs, and i imagine that the ingredients are on the same line as the dog food...

[Velvet]

yes i know... but i wouldnt feed that to the dogs, and i imagine that the ingredients are on the same line as the dog food...

Why?

.

.

.

[JMPARK]

I Give My Two " MORE " Dry Kitten Food And They Also Do It For Older Cats Too. That Has A Good Percentage Of Meat In It. Both My Vet And Local Pet Shop Recommended It. I Did Look At The Packet Too Make Sure And It Is One Of The Better Dry Foods. I Was Always Told To Mix It With A Little Water Too.
With The Mince, I Always Cook It And Then Rinse It With Water To Get Rid Of The Excess Fat, Have Never Given It To Them Raw!. Don't Like Raw Meat At All. Thats Only A Personal Thing Though!

[x-clo-x]

Why?

.

.

.

Because when my dog was on it she was allergic to it. Lost a lot of hair, really itchy skin, tear staining, lack of general body condition and she didn't particularly like it, so I don't know if I want to pay that much again and the cats go the same way.

[x-clo-x]

Has anyone ever tried the "hills natures best" ?

[Velvet]

Has anyone ever tried the "hills natures best" ?

Yes.

Our cats get Hills (sensitive) dry food & the kitten gets Proplan Kitten

They also all get wet food

[Velvet]

Because when my dog was on it she was allergic to it. Lost a lot of hair, really itchy skin, tear staining, lack of general body condition and she didn't particularly like it, so I don't know if I want to pay that much again and the cats go the same way.

Hmm interesting. First time I've ever heard anyone having had a adverse reaction to it

....... apart from our Tim that is

[x-clo-x]

Hmm interesting. First time I've ever heard anyone having had a adverse reaction to it

....... apart from our Tim that is

Quit a few people with toy breeds have had problems. The cats could be fine on it. Who knows? May try them with a bit of a prize choice block tomorrow. How much should each cat have as a portion?

[Squirrel]

Quit a few people with toy breeds have had problems. The cats could be fine on it. Who knows? May try them with a bit of a prize choice block tomorrow. How much should each cat have as a portion?

Depends how much wet you're feeding them. Packets should give you that kind of info, as a rough guide - and tell you what weight of cat they're averaging their advice on...

[x-clo-x]

Depends how much wet you're feeding them. Packets should give you that kind of info, as a rough guide - and tell you what weight of cat they're averaging their advice on...

Well they only get 100g pouch between them. Because the rest is just their dry biscuits left down all day.

[Squirrel]

I'd check on the box the pouches come in, or on the back of the dry food, but from what I can remember it seems to go something along the lines of that if you feed acat an 100g pouch in a day, then you want to feed 40g dry food... So if that 100g pouch is split between 2 I'd guess it would be 80g dry food... But that is depending on size of cat with more for larger cats and less for smaller ones... I *think* that was what was suggested for a 4kg cat...

[x-clo-x]

I'd check on the box the pouches come in, or on the back of the dry food, but from what I can remember it seems to go something along the lines of that if you feed acat an 100g pouch in a day, then you want to feed 40g dry food... So if that 100g pouch is split between 2 I'd guess it would be 80g dry food... But that is depending on size of cat with more for larger cats and less for smaller ones... I *think* that was what was suggested for a 4kg cat...

Thanks for that. They are only small cats haven't been weighed for a while but I'd say no more than 3kg each maybe 2.5kg each. Will try them with some mince tomorrow maybe, just need to decide on what biscuits. I'd look online but my laptop has decided to die and it's too much hassle on my phone. :roll:

[Squirrel]

OK. I just checked with the dried food I've in, and it was something quite a bit less than 40g for a 2.5 KG cat - say about 25g? But if you get a better quality dry food (which may well mean you need to feed less of it) then the packet it comes in will tell you how much you need to feed for the amount of wet you feed them...