No, no, no, mom is WRONG! Sorry to dispute mom, and I'm sure she means well. I know that used to be something that was said a lot....in fact, my (idiot...sorry) MIL still says "oh...all wet food will give them diarrhea", and I jsut want to smack her. No. Changing a cat to a new food may give it diarrhea and a food that is full of stuff that the cat is possibly allergic or intolerant too may give it diarrhea, but it's not that it is wet food. That is an old school way of thinking, it is simply not true.

Your cat is trying to eat what it knows is best for him, and hard kibble is not what is ideal for cats. It was made to be more convenient for humans, but it is hardly ideal for cats. It does not have much moisture at all, leaving cats dehydrated. Wet food is 78% water, MUCH better for keeping cats, who are not big water drinkers, getting enough liquid in their diets, keeping things flushed out, and preventing UTI's, crystals, blockage, and other health issues.

Your mom is likely not going to be receptive to you telling her she is wrong, but you may want to "gently" try to let her know that things have changed and is now known that wet food is bets, and explain about the dry food having no water, canned having lots, cats having urinary issues and needing the extra liquid to prevent those issues down the road....and hopefully you can convince her that you want to do is best for your cats that you love so dearly. Let her know that it will SAVE you money and heartache down the road because your cat likely wont' have those issues if it eats a proper diet. Even if you can't afford one of the more expensive canned foods, a cheaper one is better than any dry food, in my opinion, and many peoples opinion.

Let your babies eat the food that they know is best for them. Try to convince mom that you want what is best for your cats, that you love them and want what is best and that thinking is so different now about dry food being better. I wish you the best of luck in trying to convince her otherwise. Your kitty does not want the dry food that leaves him feeling unsatisfied, he wants the good stuff. Good luck!

 

Thank you that's what I thought! She got on me for my dogs food also(17$ for 17lbs) and I shouldn't spend that much ect .. after explaining to her why it was better she got it. My mom is only 34 so she isn't to "old school" lol. Zeke has fine poop and growing healthy and more playful them ever. He barely drinks water(unlike Albert who I think is part dog) so I see why wet is better than dry for cats.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

We've had Io on a 99% wet food diet for over a year, since we took her home May 2012.

A few weeks back, the vet said she hasn't seen a cat in as great condition as her in a long, long time, and to keep doing whatever it is we're doing. (tbh, I was ready to fight for the wet diet, I went in with my dukes up so to say - but the vet was totally supportive).

That said, it's (minutely) possible Zeke's teeth may be sore, and that's why he doesn't want to eat the kibble. If you've gotten an all clear from the vet, then keep him on the wet and be happy you have the rare cat that doesn't need to be coaxed away from dry food

 

Kittten is smart, it knows what food is best for it.

My vet doesn't even carry dry food and preaches how horrible it is for cats.

 

The worry may also be that kittens need a constant supply of food, unlike adult cats who only need meals, and people are often under the impression that you can't leave wet food out, which is not the case. Especially if you add a little warm water to the food, it prevents it from drying out as fast. Our cat usually eats half the food when we put it down, then grazes on it for the rest of the day until dinner.

 

Beep does that too, she eats a little bit of her food in the morning and then grazes on it through out the day. The other two piglets leave nothing in the bowl, they scarf every bit and lick the bowl

 

Kittens don't need a constant supply of food, they just need to eat more frequently than adult cats. Scheduled feedings 4 or 5 times a day is still better than free feeding a kitten. Put the food down and let them eat all they want for about 20 minutes and then the food comes up until the next feeding.

 

People get kittens who can't get home to feed them 4 or 5 times a day. We had a kitten, and there was no way we could have gotten that many meals in. My mom wanted to get a kitten again, I pushed for an adult cat, but it would have been the same situation.

I mean, I know it's not ideal, but I'd rather free feed a kitten dry or leave the wet food out all day then let the kitten go 6-7 hours without eating. Though, that all depends on the age of the kitten as well

If you want to do meals, how often can you get home to feed your kitten throughout the day/how old is your kitten now?

 

I was told(on here) that it is better to free feed then do a scheduled feeding. I'm so confused now.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

You have to know that we are not experts on here, at least as far as I know, maybe there are a few that are qualified to give nutritional advice, but for the most part, we are all just normal, everyday people. Not veterinarians. Not that most vets know that much about nutrition for cats, because they don't. That is why many of us rely on each other for nutritional advice, based on past experience and health issues that our own pets have suffered, and what we have learned and what we BELIEVE to be the best for our cats. But there are differing opinions on this topic...VERY differing. Some think it is perfectly fine to free feed dry food all day long, and that is their opinion, whereas most of us think that is better to NOT feed dry food, or to free feed kibble all day long. Many of us got to this opinion by having cats that have had urinary issues, diabetes and other obesity related issues, constipation, etc.

So you have have to decide what to believe. Whether you believe in your heart, and based on what you can look up and read about, that free feeding dry kibble all day long is fine, or whether you believe that mealtimes are better, and wet food is better for cats. And yes, many cats live on dry food for years.....I hear it all the time..."my cats ate purina cat chow dry for 15 years and never had any problems". Yes, that happens. Some cats can live their entire lives on wet food and still develop problems, that too does happen. But for the most part, many vets and experts believe, at least mine do and many people that I respect and believe, that the root of MOST health issues is from a bad diet and that a good diet can prevent many health problems.

I hope I made sense, I know I blab too much, LOL! But you do have to be careful what advice you decide to follow on these boards. You can't take any of it to heart until you have looked into it yourself and decided that it makes sense to you.

 

I'm on other boards so I know how most just go by their expierance but i still like to ask I think he would so better with meals. My dogs are not free fed, Albert isn't and the only animal that is free fed is my ferret. His food just sits there all day. He will scrounge here and there but I think it will do him better to get him on a schedule. It will also be easier on me not having to make the dogs stay out,ect if I did meals I could work it with there feedings,play times and walks.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

Yeah that's what I was thinking, I forgot to add that in, in the end there! I mean, I don't know how often you can get home to your kitten, but if you can't that often, and he's still rather young, that would be the best option. That way you don't have to worry about completely switching to meals just randomly one day.

 

Zeke is closer to seven or eight weeks now. I'm home a majority of the day(I'm a high school student) I work but usually three hour shifts. There are some six-7 but there rare.plus my sister can feed him. She knows how much and when.I work right down the road so I can run home ans feed him if needed.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App