Biggie and The Smalls - Phase II

[susandennis]

Everything I read says that a wet food diet is healthier for cats. I wonder why they even make/sell dry food. Except maybe it's cheaper and easier to deal with. I've never had cats on a wet food only diet before and it's very interesting.

Like all my cats before, these two scarfed down the kibble and ate at the wet. I'd generally serve them up a spoonful or two and they rarely finished it. (Zoey never did. She'd like the gravy off and leave the rest.)

When I removed the kibble, they continued nibbling at but not finishing the wet. For about a day and a half. And then they started eating more. And more. And now they hoover through whatever wet stuff I put out there until they get to the bottom of the dish.

Also the kibble stayed out all day and got refilled as soon as the supply got low-ish. Wet food is an on-demand business. Google says 3 ounces 3 to 4 times a day. I split a can or pouch between the two of them every time so that turns into 6 to 8 times a day. That is probably not a good habit to build up. I should probably stick to breakfast/lunch/dinner maybe snack. I need to think on this.

But, first I need to go back to the cat food store. I could hold off until tomorrow but I think I'll go ahead and get it done. They clearly LOVE all things Wellness and the brand has a huge variety of flavors and textures and delivery vessels. So Wellness it is. No further testing needed there.

We had a lovely snuggly sleep and now they have gone back to bed to get more. Oh I forgot to give The Smalls his pill last night. He still has 3 days worth to go.

In other news... USPS says I have a package coming today from Ohio and I'm clueless what it could be. What did I order that I forgot about? Happily Saturday deliveries are generally early so I won't have to wait too long to find out.

I might make a wallet today. I got some very cool stuff called prewashed paper fabric. And I've got some ideas. I love carrying a very small bag or no bag. I have a very small amount of stuff that needs a wallet and I want to make one to exactly fit the stuff I carry. Tiny and efficient. And I still have the second Mariner t-shirt cut out and ready to sew.

I also need to send an email to the windshield replacement people. I want to find out if they used some kind of magic coating on my windshield that I can use for the rest of the windows. We had massive rain twice now when I've had my car out with wipers blazing. But, when it dried, instead of streaks of wiper residue, my windshield is spotless. The other windows are spot full and I want to make them match the front one. I want to know the trick.

But first, I want to get dressed. And brush my teeth. And give The Smalls his pill. ETC.

Comments

[carriea31.livejournal.com]

I love the tree outside your window.  Very fall-ish!

[susandennis]

yeahbutt, I still can't see my neighbors well, yet. I'm impatiently waiting for all the leaves to be gone!

[christalin80.livejournal.com]

I hope you get some that are interesting to watch.

[gracegiver]

I think it's the carbs in the dry food, they get addicted to it, at least that's what has happened in this house. I switch the two older ones to canned only about a year ago and for the oldest cat, it was PAINFUL. He'd dig around in cupboards trying to find the kibble stuff. I finally removed it from the house. I give them a few of those Greenie treats now and that seems to satisfy. I also picked up raw chicken wings from our butcher which the oldest cat loves. I carve off some of the meat and break it into small pieces, he doesn't have a lot of teeth left.

The newest youngest cat loves the canned and the raw meat but never did go for the kibbles and rarely finishes the Greenies.

I have to feed them twice a day which makes it really difficult to travel. The cat sitter needs to come by twice a day.

Damn cats.

[susandennis]

Interesting... I'll be slipping Biggie small amounts of kibble until it is gone. The Smalls does not seem to care.

And, yeah, I can kiss travel goodbye. Not that I want to go anywhere :)

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

I used to be a vet's assistant and I noticed that a lot of kitties seemed to do best on a combination of canned and dry food, but that's just my experience.

[susandennis]

interesting! more info, please. how do you mean 'best'? what's a measurement. how would i know?

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

they just seemed to be generally healthier and heal faster than the ones who were only eating dry or canned. I can tell you please don't ever buy the Safeway store brand dry cat food. It's very ashy.

[susandennis]

Interesting. I didn't know that Safeway even made dry cat food. I will not be buying any. :)

[rromantic.livejournal.com]

It fascinates me to no end how different the veterinary practices and opinions seem to be between our countries. I've never had a vet recommend wet food over kibble unless there is a very specific health reason. As a general rule of thumb every vet I've had over the years has recommended keeping them on a high quality kibble-only diet for as long as possible.

Leukaemia, feline aids and all sorts of blood test results are available within 10 minutes, done locally at my vet's offices, who is a 2-minute drive from my house in the suburbs (in fact, most vets these days can do blood tests on-site while you wait). Vaccines are recommended and given as early as possible as a matter of course (I'm quite baffled about what they put you through with Biggie's testing), and I get reminders on my phone when the kids are due for boosters etc.

The one thing that we absolutely definitely MUST have are those pill pockets you mentioned. I've never heard of it, which I don't get because it sounds like the most brilliant solution to giving a cat a pill without ending up in hospital due to bloodloss! What brand are you using?

So, so very happy everyone is ok!!!

Xx
RR

[susandennis]

https://www.greenies.com/products/dog/pill-pockets They are soft little treats with a hole to put the pill in. It is great idea if the cat likes treats.

My vet does most blood tests in house with the 5 minute wait. And that's the kind that Biggie keeps failing. When they fail that test, they send the blood out for more involved testing.

Interesting about the diff in wet and dry food recommendations.

[msconduct.livejournal.com]

My cats eat Hill's Science Diet kibble because it's what they got at the SPCA. They won't touch anything else. I'm not convinced of the healthiness of kibble because of the dryness, but they're not giving me much option:). I'd rather get them onto a non-carb kibble at the very least, but although my last cats reluctantly ate that, these ones won't have a bar of it and I had to donate it. I'm impressed at your dedication feeding wet food so many times a day!

I've never heard of pill pockets - they sound great for cats that will eat something other than Science Diet. My go-to for pilling is to crush the pill into powder, warm a small piece of butter between my fingers and mix it with the powder, then smear it along the cat's mouth.  Works like a charm, but it's a two-person job. But then I find doing anything to a cat it's not on board with is a two-person job.  People who do it single-handed have my awed respect.

[markmc03.livejournal.com]

Oh the memories.

I fed my cats wet food in the morning and at night. It was the only thing that brought them in since, by their insistence, they were outdoor cats during the day. But I recall I also gave them a steady supply of kibble. They loved their wet though.

If you let them eat as much as they want, they can get to be like these two. Just adjust hair length and colour to taste.

https://youtu.be/8QGMjsp8MBU

[gracegiver]

LOL - my gray tabby, Spike looked like that before his switch to canned food only. He was unable to jump on a chair, we had to create a ramp for him! He's now lost weight and can jump up and over the backyard fence into the neighbor's yard. Honestly, he looks like a different cat.

[howeird]

Cat food: my understanding is because cats are carnivores, it's not that wet is better than dry, it's that any food high in meat products is better than any food high in plant products.

Stashes: I'm very OCD about where things get stashed, but it doesn't prevent me from buying something that I already have one (or two or three) of and discovering that fact when I go to stash it in the same place.

Donating pet food: Do your donation places accept opened bags of kibble? I have two almost full bags which Spook won't touch.

[susandennis]

They only want unopened bags. Sorry.

[onelargecat.livejournal.com]

I thought it had to do with water content. Cats don't drink enough water so they need to get some water from their food.

We feed wet twice a day and free-feed the kibble. One cat seems to like them both equally; one cat vastly prefers wet.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

It’s probably something like RainX