Cat Food Chronicles
I spent most of Friday evening and Saturday morning researching cat food. I have two cats who have two different (almost contradictory needs). Stella, with her kidney issues, needs lower protein (25-30%) and medium amounts of carbohydrates. A diabetic cat like Ambush needs high protein and low carbohydrates (ideally below 20%).
California Naturals, the kitty food they have been on, has a carbohydrate level of about 34% and a protein level of 36%. Stella also quit eating it about a week ago. She doesn’t like it now, even after she has been eating it for months.
After a lot of searching through statistics and local availability, I found a food called Felidae, which has a protein level of 31% and carbohydrates of 23%.
I have samples and a small bag. They liked the dry food sample well enough. I’m hoping that they will like it.
I feel your pain there… Skookum had a blocked urethra a few months ago (nearly died, eep) and now has to have specially ph-balanced food. It’s typically designed for cats who are overweight because generally cats with this problem are older, male, and overweight, as opposed to Skookum, who just turned two and is rather thin. And then there’s Taiya, who is far too chubby for her own good. They’ve stopped eating most of the moist food designed for Skookum’s condition, but are still eating the dry (which makes it harder to keep them hydrated). Skookum wants a smorgasboard of the stuff because he’s on the thin side, but Taiya’s too fat for us to leave out a buffet. We recently went out of town for two weeks and came back to find him nicely filled out, which was great to see, but Taiya was bigger, too. Sigh. I’m not sure what to do with these two. They freak out if I try to get them to eat separately…
Poor kitty! How did you go about choosing a cat food for your kitties? Are there any other options available for kitties with his condition? What are the food requirements?
When I was looking for a different food for my cats, I stumbled across Wysong Uretic, which is formulated for acts with urinary problems. It also has 28% protein and 23% carbs — great for my cats. Maybe it would be an option for your kitties? (Or a backup…)
I can understand about trouble with kitties eating separately. Stella grazes. She’ll eat a little, then leave, come back after a while and graze… Ambush intimidates everyone who eats at the same time he does. If Ambush finished before Stella, he will lurk at her bowl side until she leaves. He eats his portion, Kiesha’s and Stella’s. Before the diabetes, Ambush was the chubbo and Stella was always thin. Similar situation.
The best thing I’ve been able to do is sit with them while they eat. I’ve also started feeding Stella at a slightly different time. Kiesha and Ambush are used to eating at 8:30. Stella goes into the bathroom with me in the morning and eats on her little pedestal there.
Well, I’ve honestly just been going with what they suggested at the vet. But it’s expensive. I’ve stayed with it because they’ve done urine tests and confirmed that it’s properly adjusted his pH and he hasn’t had a recurrence (which is common). I’d be up for an alternative so long as it keeps him healthy. Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that one of my cats is lean and one has an unfortunately-scary-efficient metabolism.