What type of food do you give your cat(s)?

Just wondering if anyone else has problems with "picky eaters".  My indoor cat eats dry food without problems (does not like inexpensive brands, but eats Friskies).  Wet food is a trial and error, mostly error!  It seems all she wants is to lick the juice and leaves most of the food behind and I end up throwing it away.  On my limited income, that is proving to be an expensive trial and error plan.  It doesn't seem to matter what brand I buy, it's the juice alone that interests her.  Any suggestions?  Make my own? Is it OK to just stick with dry food alone?
She is very healthy (other than that little abscess incident!) and maintains a good weight of about 9lbs,  Her fur is shiny and soft and she seems content....so, am I worrying about nothing?

Savas:  I certainly appreciate all the comments you have posted and am glad to hear that you have rebounded from your recent gallbladder surgery (or at least on the way back up).  The cost of my kittycat's abscess txmt did include those injections and the fee to give the injection, but I feel she was given excellent care.  If she were to need a lot of vet care I would probably need to investigate lower cost clinics, etc.  Luckily, this is the first time in 6 yrs that she needed special care!

[AussieKitten81]

My eldest cat Libby sounds exactly like your cat. Libby will only eat Friskies dry food, and she will only lick the juice of any wet stuff I may give her.  My second cat Ashlea will eat anything thank God LOL!! So she polishes off whatever Libby doesn't eat.
But yeh, Friskies is the one my two girls seem to like.

[PrettyKitty1]

If kibbles is what she craves then make her happy. I do not agree with feeding cats dry food although I myself feed my cat a combination of wet & dry.(he gets an upset tummy when he eats wet food). Dry food isn't good for the pet's health anyway but if she likes it then let her have all the fun. It is recommended that owners give their cats wet foods 2ice a week. But if all you do is waste money on wet foods she doesn't even eat then....like I said...let her be. Give her what she likes.

I feed my cat Science Diet wet and dry. I was thinking maybe raw meat but he doesn't even like the smell of it. He gives me the eww looks.

ugh..cats can be really fastidious.

[zodiacqueen]

You tried the raw meat on Abby?  He "ewwed" it?  What kind of "carnivore" is he?????  Have you tried cooking it-like ground turkey, chicken, or red meat?  Unfortunately-you'd have to add a bunch of minerals and vitamins to it!!  Did you ever try to find the book I told ya about?

[AussieKitten81]

Hmmm..... my vet said that there is nothing wrong with feeding cats only dry food, as long as they have plenty of water.  He said that the dry food is advanced these days that it doesn't harm your cat like it couldv'e 20yrs ago.
I've pretty much tried every brand there is in the shops and clinics in australia, and the only thing my eldest cat will eat is friskies.  The only time she ever ate the whole of her wet food (and not just the juice) was when she was pregnant 4 yrs ago LOL :) She is apparently pregnant again, so here's hoping she'll get back on the wet stuff again. She is a very picky little eater indeed.
She does like chicken mince though and I try to give her some for variety every now and then.

[PrettyKitty1]

I think he is a vegeterian lol. He still gives me the eeww looks no matter how hard I try; and you know how I hate giving dry foods to my cat.

I don't understand how a vet could possibly tell people the a dry food diet alone is good for the cat. It may not harm the cat's health in the short term but in the long term it can potentially cause serious damage. Dry food is processed. Since wen do cats naturally eat processed foods in nature? The only thing technology has done to kibbles is add more fillers, preservatives and by-products..gotta love it. And the question is: Since when do cats find these things in nature? To my understanding, cats have not evolved or mutated in order to be able to stay unharmed by these tings.

FYI:  The feline body is made to accept protein, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals, not carbs. Carbs are not used but stored, causing obesity and all sorts of problems. Heck excess carbs is not even good for us!!! I'm a strong believer of high protein low carb diets for us as well...oh and fiber....good ol' fiber.
Dry food is convenient, not good. Dry food is inexpensive, not healthy. Cereals are primarily made up of carbohydrates, a nutrient nearly absent in the cat's natural prey diet. The liver and other organs store small amounts of carbohydrates and the cat may receive additional minute amounts of this nutrient through the stomach and intestines of her prey; this however, would never total more than 1-2% carbohydrates compared to the total weight of the prey. However, commercial dry foods may contain as much as 45% carbohydrates. A diet high in carbohydrates will result in obesity, because excessive amounts of this nutrient are converted by the liver to body fat. Since-pay attention to this- a cat metabolizes primarily fat and protein for energy, most of the carbohydrates in the diet are then stored as body fat.
The truth is, dry commercial cat foods are anything but healthy for cats. And vets may encourage people to keep the cats on dry foods, but remember....it is all about the money in this world. Some vets even sponsor food brands like Sciencie Diet and Purina.

Another FYI: Clinical disorders of the lower urinary tract of cats are not a new phenomena and have been observed as early as 1925. The frequency of its occurrence in the companion cat population is, however, on the rise, and it is now considered to be a common feline disease. The formation of struvite crystals in the urine, leading to obstruction of the bladder, is directly linked to the diet of the cat..a diet way too high in carbs.

[AussieKitten81]

I wasn't having a go at you, nor did I intentionally mean to upset you.  I was just stating what I was told by my vet.  You have raised some interesting points which I appreciate.  I have tried to give my older cat wet stuff, but she just won't eat it (unless she's pregnant) or she is incredibly fussy with wet food, with what she will and won't eat. Chicken mince is the only half natural thing that she likes, and even then she turns her nose up at it on occasions.

[Tigereye1]

Hello,
I just had to add to this conversation, as I know too many cat owners that feed their cats unhealthy food...

Dry food is fine(and IMO better than wet-so long as kitty drinks enough) for a cat so long as it's a healthy one. Look at the ingredients.. There are many brands out there today(Wellness, California Natural, Evo) that meet and don't exceed a cat's dietary requirements. They can be found in any health-conscious pet store

The ones to stay away from are bascally anything colorful, and unfortunately easily found in your grocery store. Deli cat, Friskies, 9 Lives, etc. These are all unhealthy foods, and are the ones that are linked to urinary problems.

Wet food in my opinion should only be fed to a cat that can't keep weight on, is dehydrated, won't eat, or as a once in a while treat. It promotes plaque and gum disease, obesity, and turns them into food snobs, as well as giving you smelly litter boxes and kitchens. Again, some are better than others.. Look at the ingredients, you'll be suprised at the **** they put in there.

Many people leave a heaping bowl of dry food out all the time and then give a "breakfast" and a "dinner" of wet food. This is a sure track to a fat cat and diabetes later on. A normal 8-12 lb cat will do fine on a 1/4-3/4 cup dry food a day depending on activity level and no wet.

In this day and age everything is processed, refined, and all nutrients sucked out of pretty much everything on the shelves. One really should be conscious of whole, natural(organic when possible), healthy ingredients in not only their pets' food, but people food as well.

Just my two cents. :)

[zodiacqueen]

I am sure that Prettykitty was not "going off" on you!!!   I am more likely to go off on this forum, and have. Her and I feel VERY VERY strongly about these commercial pet foods.  Please, don't think that someone is going off on you, when they are just trying to keep you and others well-informed.  I thing that it's really cool that we can all help each other out!!  The only good thing about these commercial foods is that they have the proper vitamins and minerals added to it.  I can't dispute that.  What I can say is, the USDA does not have any say-so in the meats that are given our animals.  Of course, they regulate the meats that HUMANS get.  Think about it-what kind of meat do ya really think our animals are getting, if the USDA doesn't regulate it????  This is an example of a meat product not suitable for human consumption-a cow that is already found dead that's got cancer.  This is what our pets are getting.  Why do you think the pet foods are pretty inexpensive compared to ours???  Why do so many pets die of cancer, thyroid problems, and kidney problems.  I have had cats my entire life-over 30 years-I'd say almost ALL of them have died from these problems.  And, I've always had more than two cats at once.  Please, research this on the net, if you think this is BS.  You owe it to yourself and your pets to be informed.  

[kittyluv1]

You have all given me much "food for thought".  I feel that nutritionally Friskies is lacking what other (and unfortunately more expensive) dry foods provide.  It is what Sunshine will eat and seems to be content with it as the major source of her diet.  How can I change to a better nutrition for her and keep the expenses under control??
So far she has not experienced any urinary problems, but I would certainly like to prevent any from occurring!
All suggestions are received gratefully!

[PrettyKitty1]

No, no, no....I am not upset by the fact that we don't think alike. Can you imagine if everyone agreed with everyone? I guess my point here with the food is I don't understand why vets encourage people to keep their cats on an all dry food diet. Mind you, I feed my cat a combination of cat and dry but the little one seems to get an upset stomach with wet foods. That goes to show me not even wet food is good! I guess it is also processed in a different way.
I am a strong believer of raw meat for a cat.
I'm sorry if you felt like I was going off on you. I was not. I was just trying to state a point and let you all know what I believe in, I wasn't trying to make anybody believe what I believe because that'd be selfish. I'm not an aggressive poster lol. I guess words can be misinterpreted, so I'm letting you know you have my respect....and I was in no way trying to raise an argument with you. Again, sorry if it seemed that way.
I'm glad we're all helping each other, especially this food issue..which is an issue after all. Thank you for your kind words Aussie.
If your kitty is healthy I wouldn't worry a lot; but if you want to switch her to better nutrition I guess you can try Natural Balance. I highly doubt she'll refuse to eat that. It is the closest thing to a natural diet still with vitamins and minerals. It is expensive as they claim the company uses only the good stuff, good meat suitable for our pets to eat. No by-products or the c r a p they add to the foods, or so the claim, and I don't see it on the label either. Just a thought.

..and again, I didn't get upset by you. I hardly get upset on here. It's the vets and the advertisement and labels..ugh!!! lol

[Savas]

9 lives wet and an assortment of dry. The wet is more of a treat really. These guys love friskies but it makes them all throw up. So far we've had no complainst.

Oh, there is the occassional mouse and pigeon thrown in, as well. ;)

[HR_PuffnStuff]

Oh my gosh....now I'm kind of freaking out. My vet never told me about the dangers of an all dry food diet. My cat has only eaten dry (Purina One) since she was a baby. It seems that if I give her wet, she only wants that and turns her nose up at the dry food. Keep in mind that I have seen this cat eat an entire bird (feathers, beak and all...I know, eewww) so why she turns her nose up at cat food is beyond me. My cat does seem to drink quite well. I am now worried that I am damaging her internals with nothing but dry. Maybe I should try like a can of wet per week? Or is that not enough? Do you mix it with the dry? What brand/type is best (most healthy)? I'm a little concerned about the wet food upsetting her stomach....but now that I think about it, she beheaded a mouse last week and I only found the head and tail leaving me to assume she ate the rest. Gross. So my point is, if she can ingest birds and rodents then maybe I shouldn't worry about wet food upsetting her tummy. LOL

[CatShapedHeart3]

Luffy eats his dry food happily but prefers wet food

Sage eats EVERYTHING...she'd eat my arm if i stood still long enough

and oddly enough when Maple sees plates of food or us eating she comes running and crying but she eats dry food...
I think the owners before us had her table trained D:

[kittyluv1]

Just had a call from my vet inquiring how Sunshine is doing post abscess (I had surgery on Tuesday and my doctor hasn't called me!) and she stated that each cat is very individual in what they will eat and what they spurn.
Apparently, dry food is OK and even Friskies is not a problem (what  do you  know, a vet who doesn't recommend a more expensive food).
She said some cats just don't like wet food and not giving wet food should not be a concern.  The major concerns are maintaining adequate hydration, being sure that the cat doesn't overeat and maintains a healthy weight and that the cat doesn't seem to be hungry for other food.  
As Sunshine is an indoor cat, the aforementioned appetizers of mice and birds are not included in her nutritiional allowances,  Given the advice of her vet,  Friskies it is!
Thanks again for everyone's input -- I am sure learning more about cat behavior and I can only believe both Sunshine and I will be most grateful to everyone.

[Savas]

I suggest that you be sure a dry food eater gets sufficient water, even if you have to use a feeding syringe to get a few cc's in,

Of course, there are nicer ways to do it, like cooked chicken and fish. :)

[AussieKitten81]

Hey no worries.  I'm open to new suggestions as my eldest cat is so fussy, and my hubby and I have settled for Friskies because its the only thing she really sticks to.  I just assumed it was ok to feed her that because of what my vet said.  Libby is very healthy indeed, and we always make sure she has plenty of fresh water.  Our youngest cat Ashlea absolutely loves the raw stuff from the butcher, and will pretty much eat anything LOL.

[April2]

The online vet here gave me some pretty convincing reasons for using wet food. Like some of you said on here, cats are by nature carnivores and need more protein. They really don't need the carbs, I guess.
I think most healthy cats do fine on dry food but some may have problems. For many years I gave my cats dry food because that was what my vet said to do, and they did fine, lived to a ripe old age.
This latest kitten I got became backed up pretty bad this last winter and the vet said to introduce wet food, something with high protein, low carb. So I give both my cats a combination of dry and wet food each day and they love it. They think they're getting a treat with the wet food. I used to buy the really expensive cat and dog food from the vet but I really can't afford that now. We are trying to get out of debt. I still buy good name brand foods, though, and make sure the animals get their shots, etc.
Just do the best you can. Experiment with different brands to see which your cat might like. Best wishes!

[kittyluv1]

Thanks!  I really never tried a combination of wet and dry food, but it certainly seems like a good method of getting that protein into my cat.  I'm going to try it tomorrow morning and see what happens.  Maybe mixing the wet and dry will have her do more than just lick the juice!

Sunshine sends her thanks as well!

[grannyc]

my cat gets gingivitis and had plaque, my vet said to stay away from wet foods as they stick to teeth and gums and when they eat hard food it sticks to the wet food already stuck to teeth. my cat eats friskies dental food and is healthy.