Your pets and their food
 

I recently took in an abandoned female cat and I've had some challenges trying to figure out what to feed her. At first it was just kibble which I found handy and non messy. She didn't like some Friskies' beef flavour so I eventually figured out she mostly prefers fish. Then a friend told me that a vet told him cats need wet food, that it's healthier for them, while another said they need dry food which is better for their teeth. All I know is my cat prefers wet food and starts meowing WAY TOO EARLY to get some in the morning. SO I'm back to dry for her during the day and wet at night, hoping she'll stop the meowing in the morning. What do you feed your pet, and how is it working out?

Pet food reply
 

My cats have always preferred chicken. My vet said one meal a day wet, only chicken or fish of good quality food…not the cheap brands and then leave kibble out. I also give temptation treats to my cats but they seem to be addicted to them as though they are catnip.

Sounds like the OP has--well--a cat. And those of us who have a cat learn very quickly who is in charge. (hint: it isn't the human).

Our cat (a rescue job from a St. Paul, MN animal shelter), has a way of interpreting the rules so that they favor her. For example, my wife tired of Kitty wanting to be fed every time my wife was cleaning in the kitchen. So she laid down the rule. No food until AFTER the dishwasher closes. She caught on pretty quick, only she interpreted it to mean that EVERY time the dishwasher closed, she was going to get fed.

Also, just accept the fact that every cat has expensive taste. At first we gave her some expensive wet food as an occasional treat. Wasn't long until she expected the expensive stuff for EVERY meal. Didn't work to not give her the stuff she wanted and she wasn't fooled one bit by being given a less expensive wet food. She wanted the top-shelf stuff and would either meow incessantly at one or the other of us until she got it, or would sit staring at her dish with her pathetic I'm-just-a-poor-starving-kitty look, looking at us when one of us were in the area and giving us the most forlorn, sad-sounding meow that you can imagine.

Oh--and things happen on HER timetable, not ours. If Kitty gets hungry at 3:00 AM, she'll wake me up to get fed. She has a sort of graduated-intervention way of doing it. If pats and meows don't do it, expect a wet nose in the ear. Covering up doesn't help. She'll look for any bit of exposed skin and bite it--not hard, but noticeable. And if THAT doesn't work, she rolls out the big guns. One tactic that just about always works is picking up my glasses from the nightstand and dropping them onto the floor. Or, if she can't find the glasses (or if I put them in some inaccessible place before I go to bed) she's discovered that a TV remote dropped on the floor will eject the two "AA" batteries onto the floor, which she then bats under just about any piece of furniture in the area, which is a guarantee that her human will throw in the towel and feed her just to get a little sleep.

I heard it summed up perfectly once: "Dogs have owners. But cats have staff". True words.

Oh wow, I guess my cat could be WAY worse! LOL

We've had both dogs and cats. They're both intelligent in their own way and have some tendencies that are acceptable to being pets. HOWEVER, it's amazing how cats become "in charge". Your post is funny but the antics would drive me bonkers. Our daughter once had 4 cats plus their dog in an apartment. Yes, you read that right. They're down to one cat plus the dog now....but due to the other 3 either passing and one needing to go to a farm instead. The 3 cats would lie on the floor outside her bedroom and meow and do the foot under the door thing. The meowing was so pathetic as to try to make one feel sorry for them. They had the best of owners and were plump. Our cat was independent as cats tend to be. She "taught" us to play fetch with little nerf balls. After some time the balls would disappear to ???? We found only some when we moved. Where the others went---would be any human's guess. The late evening Zoomies were hysterical to watch. Hope you find a happy food choice for yours.

My wife says I'm a soft touch when it comes to Kitty. I suppose I am. The little critter is a past master at eliciting sympathy.

The nerf ball thing is funny, and reminds me of something I just found out a few weeks ago. I began noticing that pens were disappearing. My wife denied being the culprit and to be honest I tend to be pretty forgetful myself so I just chalked it up to putting them down and forgetting where. Kitty has a favorite chair that she sleeps on. One day I saw the tip of a pen sticking up between the seat and the back of the chair. Further investigation revealed FIVE pens stuffed in there.

:click:[QUOTE=ThirdOfFive;2114714]My wife says I'm a soft touch when it comes to Kitty. I suppose I am. The little critter is a past master at eliciting sympathy.

The nerf ball thing is funny, and reminds me of something I just found out a few weeks ago. I began noticing that pens were disappearing. My wife denied being the culprit and to be honest I tend to be pretty forgetful myself so I just chalked it up to putting them down and forgetting where. Kitty has a favorite chair that she sleeps on. One day I saw the tip of a pen sticking up between the seat and the back of the chair. Further investigation revealed FIVE pens stuffed in there.

feed it to the gators - they also gotta eat

I believe that many issues with cat's skin and kidneys are allergies to seafood so I avoid it.
He gets as much as he wants of Tiki Cat "Born Carnivore Chicken & Egg Grain-Free Dry Cat Food".
A daily pouch of Hartz Delectables Bisque Non-Seafood to ensure liquids.
A bowl of water changed daily.
Temptations Mixups Backyard Cookout Cat Treats when he wants them.

Go to chewy.com

After hearing everything my various vets have had to say, I decided to let my cat dictate what he eats. He now gets his inferior quality wet food, because he refuses to eat any more of the supposedly better quality wet food, though that was all he ate the first two years of his life. He also gets Origen, which I am told is considered a kibble, however it is freeze-dried, with very high quality ingredients. My cat likes the Original and Six Fish; the feral cat we also feed also likes the Regional Red, which my cat will not touch. Recently, I have started giving him Greenies, both the tuna and the catnip flavor, for his teeth, which he absolutely loves. I have two small bowls, I keep the bowls filled, cause as any cat owner knows, if the bowl if half empty, the cat considers it empty. This strategy works for my cat, cause he eats what he must and then leaves the rest for later. He is 7 years old and sleek. (I do have 2 extra bowls that I rotate in, so he is not eating out of a previously dirty bowl). I make sure that his bowls have food in it before I go to sleep to circumvent the 3:am wake up call though that doesn’t always work. Yes, sometimes he can be a pain, but he is very much loved, and we are very happy that he is a part of our lives. I hope you and your cat do well together, too.

Good point about keeping bowls clean. I forget to do that with kibble bowl. And re 1/2 empty bowl is empty to them, so true! I end up re piling the wet food a couple times to make it easier for her to get to.

Cat food
 

My cat lived for 19 years. All I ever fed her was kibble. I think everyone is over thinking it nowadays. I put her kibble down in the morning and let her graze throughout the day. She was always thin and healthy as a result. She ate when she was hungry and usually just a few pieces at a time. As a treat on holidays , I might buy a can of wet food but always put this on a separate plate so she knew it was a treat only. I really wouldn’t worry about what everyone tells you. Find a kibble your cat likes and stick to it only. Your cat will be healthy and happy as a result

Treats
 

Our cats also loved temptations but vets said too much sugar and raised kidney enzymes and could could result in diabetes

I've been feeding a feral cat for months, fact is.... Fancy Feast is his preferred food, and he won't eat others. He gets a can of Fancy Feast daily. I'm not actually sure he doesn't have a home, but his ear is notched, so I'm guessing feral. He may just be conning me.

Cats do like their food fresh--at least our cat does. I've learned to portion out the wet food: she'll eat the entire amount if it is small, but is apt to leave part of a larger serving which then gets tossed. I also have two cans of wet food going at the same time and alternate servings: provides a bit more variety and saves on cost as there seems to be less waste that way.