Cat diet/nutrition advice please
Discussion
Hey guys
Would appreciate some advice please from experienced cat owners regarding the balance between wet and dry food in the diet.
I had assumed in my head that I would feed a couple of pouches of wet food per day in addition to having a bowl of dry food permanently available that just gets topped up as it gets depleted, but I notice a lot of the dry foods are advertised as 'complete' and it seems there are lots of cat owners who feed exclusively on wet or dry food.
What do you do in terms of the balance? The guys at the cats home recommended the James Wellbeloved dry food but I presume that it would be best used in conjunction with wet food instead of a replacement for it.
Also as an aside, there is such a bewildering array of wet food, ranging from the cheap (supermarket own brand) to the middling (ie Whiskas/Felix) to the rather pricey fancier stuff. I seem to recall all the cats I grew up with being fed Whiskas and we had happy healthy cats - are these brands considered the best of the cheaper end of the market? If there is a great benefit to splurging on the pricier wet foods then I don't mind doing it, I'm just a it overwhelmed by the choice and there seems to be a huge amount of contradictory information out there!
Also if anyone has a recommendation for the 'go to' litter type/brand that'd be much appreciated!
Thanks
Would appreciate some advice please from experienced cat owners regarding the balance between wet and dry food in the diet.
I had assumed in my head that I would feed a couple of pouches of wet food per day in addition to having a bowl of dry food permanently available that just gets topped up as it gets depleted, but I notice a lot of the dry foods are advertised as 'complete' and it seems there are lots of cat owners who feed exclusively on wet or dry food.
What do you do in terms of the balance? The guys at the cats home recommended the James Wellbeloved dry food but I presume that it would be best used in conjunction with wet food instead of a replacement for it.
Also as an aside, there is such a bewildering array of wet food, ranging from the cheap (supermarket own brand) to the middling (ie Whiskas/Felix) to the rather pricey fancier stuff. I seem to recall all the cats I grew up with being fed Whiskas and we had happy healthy cats - are these brands considered the best of the cheaper end of the market? If there is a great benefit to splurging on the pricier wet foods then I don't mind doing it, I'm just a it overwhelmed by the choice and there seems to be a huge amount of contradictory information out there!
Also if anyone has a recommendation for the 'go to' litter type/brand that'd be much appreciated!
Thanks
I can only speak from personal experience, by no means an expert.
Food, our cat seems to distrust wet food so she's fed almost exclusively on biscuits. The key with biscuits is to make sure you have plenty fresh water available. We change the water every time she is fed so once in the morning and when we get back from work. Some cats don't seem to drink a lot, if this is the case then I'd definitely be putting some moist food down.
Litter, we use the compressed wood pellets and nappy bags to hand out the solids. This is what she's had since being a kitten and touch wood we've had no issues. Downside to this is that it breaks down and follows her out of the tray a little. We change it every couple of days to keep the breakdown and spread of germs to a minimum.
Cats are all rather weird and what will work for 1 cat will not work for another just remember to phase changes in rather than a complete switchover at once.
Food, our cat seems to distrust wet food so she's fed almost exclusively on biscuits. The key with biscuits is to make sure you have plenty fresh water available. We change the water every time she is fed so once in the morning and when we get back from work. Some cats don't seem to drink a lot, if this is the case then I'd definitely be putting some moist food down.
Litter, we use the compressed wood pellets and nappy bags to hand out the solids. This is what she's had since being a kitten and touch wood we've had no issues. Downside to this is that it breaks down and follows her out of the tray a little. We change it every couple of days to keep the breakdown and spread of germs to a minimum.
Cats are all rather weird and what will work for 1 cat will not work for another just remember to phase changes in rather than a complete switchover at once.
We feed a pouches of wet food between both per day and have a bowl of dry food permanently available that they graze on.
We also have 3 bowls of water scattered around the house, one of them is this in the kitchen
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DNULFBW/ref...
We also have 3 bowls of water scattered around the house, one of them is this in the kitchen
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DNULFBW/ref...
Mine get whatever is on offer 
usually Sheba
They dislike Lily's Kitchen and Applaws, which I know MC & Bex both recommend
Dry food, I give them ProPlan which was recommended to me by my (original) Vet when my 1st 2 were kittens. I buy 2 x 3kg every 3 months or so for £15/bag from Amazon.
On the odd occasion that my husband has emptied both bags and not told me (we decant them into a Tupperware) and as a result we run out, then they get Encore or Royal Canin.
usually ShebaThey dislike Lily's Kitchen and Applaws, which I know MC & Bex both recommend
Dry food, I give them ProPlan which was recommended to me by my (original) Vet when my 1st 2 were kittens. I buy 2 x 3kg every 3 months or so for £15/bag from Amazon.
On the odd occasion that my husband has emptied both bags and not told me (we decant them into a Tupperware) and as a result we run out, then they get Encore or Royal Canin.
ali_kat said:
Mine get whatever is on offer usually Sheba
They dislike Lily's Kitchen and Applaws, which I know MC & Bex both recommend
Dry food, I give them ProPlan which was recommended to me by my (original) Vet when my 1st 2 were kittens. I buy 2 x 3kg every 3 months or so for £15/bag from Amazon.
On the odd occasion that my husband has emptied both bags and not told me (we decant them into a Tupperware) and as a result we run out, then they get Encore or Royal Canin.
Thanks Ali! I kind of assumed (perhaps I'm wrong) that most of the 'midrange' foods like Sheba/Felix/Whiskas would all be of similar composition and quality. usually ShebaThey dislike Lily's Kitchen and Applaws, which I know MC & Bex both recommend
Dry food, I give them ProPlan which was recommended to me by my (original) Vet when my 1st 2 were kittens. I buy 2 x 3kg every 3 months or so for £15/bag from Amazon.
On the odd occasion that my husband has emptied both bags and not told me (we decant them into a Tupperware) and as a result we run out, then they get Encore or Royal Canin.
I swear this cat is getting a lot more thought put into its lifestyle and wellbeing than anyone gives me
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