We have recently acquired a cat. This was not through choice: he is a local stray that has decided to come and live in our house and, despite trying to persuade him otherwise, it is clear he is here to stay. Having realised this, we felt obliged to start taking care of him including a trip to the vet for a check-up as we had noticed he was getting some lumps and bumps. The vet thinks that these are an allergic reaction (to what we are not sure). He was given some injections and is already looking better after just a couple of days. I am wondering whether the food we were feeding him may be responsible for the allergic reaction (it was just a supermarket brand of cat food). I have no experience of cats and am not sure how varied a cat’s diet needs to be with regard to different types of meat. The cat can’t have anything too hard as he has lost quite a few teeth (it is likely he has had a run in with a car in the past). I have tried giving him some of the dog’s raw minced meat but he turned his nose up at it; however, tinned tuna and cooked chicken (minced) have been a huge success. Any advice / suggestions would be welcome.
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Cat advice
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Cats do need to have 'proper' cat food (or a very carefully formulated homemade food) - they won't do at all well on foods that a dog would thrive on.
My cat has mostly a grain-free kibble but also a tin of Thrive wet cat food a day, which seems good quality. You need to check that what you feed mainly is a 'complete' cat food as opposed to 'complementary'. Possibly, you could feed kibble that is moistened to soften it. Whichever you choose, I'd go for grain free. And if you start with a very limited protein source, it will make it easier to work out if he's allergic to a particular meat.
It is possible to feed a cat a raw diet and there are commercial varieties now - Natural Instinct do one. If you DIY you need to follow guidelines carefully. It might take a while to convince him to eat it, but you could mix small amounts in with tuna and cooked chicken and gradually change the ratios.
My cat has mostly a grain-free kibble but also a tin of Thrive wet cat food a day, which seems good quality. You need to check that what you feed mainly is a 'complete' cat food as opposed to 'complementary'. Possibly, you could feed kibble that is moistened to soften it. Whichever you choose, I'd go for grain free. And if you start with a very limited protein source, it will make it easier to work out if he's allergic to a particular meat.
It is possible to feed a cat a raw diet and there are commercial varieties now - Natural Instinct do one. If you DIY you need to follow guidelines carefully. It might take a while to convince him to eat it, but you could mix small amounts in with tuna and cooked chicken and gradually change the ratios.
Thanks for that.
I do raw feed the dog, but I feel relatively confident I know what I am doing with that. Raw feeding a cat feels like stepping into the unknown. I will try soaking some grain-free kibble (hadn’t thought of that
).
Now the dog just wants advice on how he can get his bed back - I have bought the cat his own bed, but obviously stealing the dog's bed is preferable
I do raw feed the dog, but I feel relatively confident I know what I am doing with that. Raw feeding a cat feels like stepping into the unknown. I will try soaking some grain-free kibble (hadn’t thought of that
). Now the dog just wants advice on how he can get his bed back - I have bought the cat his own bed, but obviously stealing the dog's bed is preferable
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Typical cat!
We used to have a toothless Yorkie who could still crunch through her biscuits with no problems. I'm wondering if you could wean your cat gradually onto dry food and if his gums might benefit.
I tried to introduce my cat to commercial raw a few years back, but he kept throwing it up. Maybe if I persevered it would have worked, but he was about 18 then and it seemed rather late to be making changes.
We used to have a toothless Yorkie who could still crunch through her biscuits with no problems. I'm wondering if you could wean your cat gradually onto dry food and if his gums might benefit.
I tried to introduce my cat to commercial raw a few years back, but he kept throwing it up. Maybe if I persevered it would have worked, but he was about 18 then and it seemed rather late to be making changes.
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Cats will flourish on a biologically appropriate diet.
"What should cats eat". (copied from the Honeys natural feeding handbook).
Cats are obligate carnivores. In other words, they can't survive on vegetables and fruit. In the wild, cats eat prey (mice, birds, voles, insects, rabbit, wild game birds, etc,) and in a more domestic setting this needs to be replaced with raw meat and raw bone. Almost everything in this book about feeding dogs a natural diet applies to cats too.
If you were to aquire the "Honeys Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs", there is a very small section towards the back of the book, pages 136 to 138 with information about cat nutrition, it also mentions how to follow the long process of adjusting a cat from kibble, (with loads of flavour and palatability enhancers) to a raw product.
"What should cats eat". (copied from the Honeys natural feeding handbook).
Cats are obligate carnivores. In other words, they can't survive on vegetables and fruit. In the wild, cats eat prey (mice, birds, voles, insects, rabbit, wild game birds, etc,) and in a more domestic setting this needs to be replaced with raw meat and raw bone. Almost everything in this book about feeding dogs a natural diet applies to cats too.
If you were to aquire the "Honeys Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs", there is a very small section towards the back of the book, pages 136 to 138 with information about cat nutrition, it also mentions how to follow the long process of adjusting a cat from kibble, (with loads of flavour and palatability enhancers) to a raw product.
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Our old cat loved raw even though he had lost more than a few teeth he managed he loved a raw chicken wing and sprats although this wasn't his main diet
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I have never had a cat but I think I read somewhere that cats don't drink much so they need to have wet food to get the hydration they need.
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Cats are prone to kidney problems being such fussy drinkers so wet food is probably better for them.
Mine (also "secondhand") is fed on Whiskers pouches ( yes I know!). He also gets a handful of cat kibble to snack on and the occasional pilchard or sardine. He's the picture of health so I'm reluctant to try and get him on to anything else and he hoovers up each meal with enthusiasm. Attempts to get him on to something less processed didn't go well.
Mine (also "secondhand") is fed on Whiskers pouches ( yes I know!). He also gets a handful of cat kibble to snack on and the occasional pilchard or sardine. He's the picture of health so I'm reluctant to try and get him on to anything else and he hoovers up each meal with enthusiasm. Attempts to get him on to something less processed didn't go well.
Thanks for your replies.
At the moment the cat is being fed on wet cat food. It is grain free, but a supermarket own brand which is quite cheap compared to the others so possibly not the most nutritious. We did try to go upmarket with a more expensive brand but it wasn’t popular However, I will continue to persevere. I was giving the dog some raw chicken wings today and the cat was pestering around my feet for food so I put one in his food bowl. The look of utter disgust I got was priceless! So I am currently trying to work out how I have ended up with a food fussy cat and a food obsessed dog and nothing in-between
At the moment the cat is being fed on wet cat food. It is grain free, but a supermarket own brand which is quite cheap compared to the others so possibly not the most nutritious. We did try to go upmarket with a more expensive brand but it wasn’t popular
However, I will continue to persevere. I was giving the dog some raw chicken wings today and the cat was pestering around my feet for food so I put one in his food bowl. The look of utter disgust I got was priceless! So I am currently trying to work out how I have ended up with a food fussy cat and a food obsessed dog and nothing in-betweenWelcome to Dog Forum!
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