Conference misery::feline_v1

    Dry food has more calories than wet since there is less water. 
    I usually feed my adult cats about 1/4 to 1/2 cup a day if they
    are nuetered/spayed and "all you can eat" if they are whole.
    
    I would start mixing the Iams dry with a little bit of 9-lives and
    feed them that.  You can gradually decrease the amount of 9-lives
    that you mix in until there is none in the Iams.  It shouldn't take
    that long to switch them over.  Just give them a little less 9-lives
    every day.
    
    You are probably going to save yourself a bundle of money by making
    this switch, not to mention more pleasant litter boxes (if there
    is such a thing 8^) )
    
    Jo

    Hi there Nancy! (will I see you at Chopsticks?)
    
    Once they start eating any of the IAMS, it is probably okay to
    make the switch in increments but fairly quickly.  Adult cats
    won't starve themselves...but all_of_Portia might get slimmer!??
    Make sure there is extra water around, and keep it fresh, because
    they will get less moisture in the dry food.  As they adjust, they
    will naturally drink what they need.
    
    As for lots_of_Portia;  there is a canned prescription diet (from
    vet) by Hills called R/D for "Reducing Diet" (clever, huh?).  My
    guess is that it is 98% moistened sawdust and 2% nutrient.  But
    the cats can eat a larger quantity, so they *think* they had a
    hearty meal!  I guess this is the ONE thing that I ever managed
    to do to fool a cat.  BTW, initially most cats HATE it...and they
    won't eat ANY...which is why it is such an effective reducing diet!
    
    	;-)

    
    
    	Hi,
    
    	When I switched from Friskies Buffet to IAMS I went cold
    	turkey (or the cats did actually).  We had no problems and
    	they knew that if they didn't eat it, they weren't going
    	to get anything else.
    
    	T.K. is 10 pounds, Bandit (not even 1 year old yet) is topping
    	the scales at 13 pounds.  He has a nice little pouch on his
    	stomach but I'm not so sure that he is fat.  Anyhow, the
    	cats free feed so I put out food once a day and they eat it.
    	I probably am feeding about 1-1/2 Cups per day.  Any more
    	and there is still some left the next day, any less and they
    	are mad at me because I am starving them.  I don't know how	
    	much they each eat individually but I know Bandit eats more
    	than T.K. 
    
    	So, if you plan to free feed, just put food out once a day
    	and adjust the amount till you find an amount that that works.
    	And to put Portia on a diet, put out less food, since the other
    	kitty will make sure he gets his fair share.
    
    	Karen
             

    I haven't paid too much attention to this brand, except I like their
    clever commercials.  Does it come in more than one flavor?  Right
    now I put out two dishes of dry food in two different flavors. 
    As a rule, the chicken is gone in a matter of minutes while the 
    others might last part of the day.  Then they'll change preferences
    for a while, just to keep us from taking them for granted.
    
    My daughter and I work different shifts, so when she gets up at
    noon they tell her I haven't fed them.  Then when I get home around
    6 them tell me the same thing.  When she gets home at 2 a.m., etc.,
    so I really have no idea how much canned food they get.  None of
    them is overweight so I don't worry.  Punk suppliments his diet
    with moles and donuts, while Princess munches on the neighbor's
    roses and clementis.  Princess usually up-chucks at least once every
    other day or so.  The vet says its because she's high-strung, and
    at age 13 she is in excellent health except for that.  It might also 
    be that some of the flowers she eats are bad for her, or they may be 
    sprayed with bug spray.
    
    Have any of you that have switched to it seen an improvement in
    your pet overall?
    
      

    I switched to IAMS about 2 years ago.  Before that I fed Science
    Diet, Tamiami, or Purina Cat Chow depending on what I had in the
    house.  
    
    The difference was incredible!!!  I noticed a difference in the
    feel of the coat and the muscle tone that the cats had.  But, the
    major difference I noticed was in the litter box.  Before IAMS,
    they often had loose stools, and Oh, Gawd, what a smell!!!  Since
    feeding them IAMS, I sometimes think I am owned by rabbits instead
    of Cats.  Their litterbox has lots less poops in it, and they look
    like hard rabbit pellets...the smell, while still not "wonderful"
    is more than tolerable.  
    
    The cats eat less of it since it's concentrated, so I don't have
    to buy it as often.  And since they "dump" less, I use less kitty
    litter.  
    
    So, do I sound like a commercial????  Actually, I like this product
    so much, that I actually looked into becoming an IAMS distributor.
    Unfortunately, I found that the mark-up on IAMS is so small that
    it would be impossible to make any money doing it.  After looking
    into it, I realized that the pet store I get it at is only making
    .50 on each 20 lb bag that I buy.
    
    Oh, yeah, BTW, when given a choice between IAMS, Purina, Science
    Diet, and Tamiami, my cats always go for the IAMS.  
    
    I free feed the IAMS, making sure there is always food available
    in the bowl.
    
    IAMS cat food only comes in two types, Maintance (in the orange
    bag) which is for Adult Cats, and Kitten (in the purple bag) which
    is for Kittens or pregnant and nursing mothers.  Also, I think the
    primary meat ingredient is Chicken, so you'll probably find the
    cats will love it.
    
    good luck
    
    purrs
    cin
    

    While we are on the subject of IAMS, I need to ask a question.
    
    Mocha my Ragdoll is on the thin side as far as weight goes, however
    he is a big cat. I have read in this notes file somewhere that IAMS
    is good for putting weight on a cat, so we bought a bag at the pet
    supply store. Since Mocha is 1 1/2 approx years old the man said
    to put him on the kitten (purple bag) for another 6 months.
    
    When it was put before him he loved it. On returning home that night
    after work I decided to read the bag and was VERY distressed to
    find the ash count was 7%. Our vet said to keep all the cat food
    we feed Mocha to 4% or under. The friskies we give him along with
    the IAMS is 3% or 3 1/2%. Now my question is isn't that ash content
    in IAMS way too high? Mocha's previous dry food was LOW ASH KAT
    KRUNCHIES by Blue Seal feeds.
    
    Okay that's my story, would appreciate any input into it.
    
    (Moderators if you think this should be moved to a file of its own
    please feel free to do it.)
    
    Thanks,
    Barbara

    You have to compute the ash content on a DRY basis; Most moist food
    is about 75% water. Therefore, if the label says that it has an
    as content of 3.5%, on a dry basis that would be more like 14%,
    which is pretty high. Therefore, Iams, at 7%, has only half the
    ash, and C/D, at 5%, has about 1/3 the ash.
    
    Deb 

    Bonkers went directly from 9-lives (or Friskies, depended on what
    was on sale) directly to Iams. For the first day she just stared
    at the food and then looked up at me and asked me when I was going
    to open up a can. Since then she has been eating it heartily and
    prefers it to almost every other cat food that I have tried. I
    sometimes run out of Iams and try substitues that I can purchase
    at convenience stores, she always looks at me and asks why I have
    changed cat food, sometimes ignoring whatever I put out for her.
    
    	Marty

    Someone brought up a point a couple notes back that I have a question
    about.  They were feeding a 1 1/2 year old cat the IAMS kitten food.
    I have (as most of you know) a 7 year old cat and a 9 month old
    kitten.  I tried putting the dry kitten food down for the kitten and
    the dry cat food down for the cat.  Well, the cat ate the kitten food
    and the kitten ate the cat food (perverse little beasties, aren't
    they?).  So, since my cat Charm is a wee bit portly and the kitten
    food is high in fat content, we buy just the cat food and feed it
    to both of them.  Am I cheating Niniane (the kitten) out of necessary
    vitamins and minerals by doing this?  She has the energy of ten
    kittens, is smart as a whip, and has a beautiful coat (Mom's not
    biased, is she ;-] ), but she is very sleek, and I'm wondering if
    she should't be filling out a bit more.
    
    Am I stunting her growth by feeding her cat food?
    
    Mary-Michael

    Well, I'm beginning to wonder if switching to IAMS was the best
    idea as far as Portia is concerned.  Oscar loves the stuff, and
    would eat it 24 hours a day given the chance.  On the other hand,
    Portia loved the stuff for 2 days, but ever since Tuesday, she has
    been acting like she's starving to death.  She will barely touch
    teh IAMS, and inhales teh 9-Lives when I open it.  We fed out last
    can of 9-Lives yesterday morning, and I was planning on buying more
    on my way home from work, but forgot.  Last night was miserable.
    Portia was acting like a starving kitty in a WWI concentration camp.
    Talk about laying a guilt trip on the mother.  Well, this morning,
    I was tempted to come to work late so that I could wait for the
    store to open so I could get some 9-Lives.  You see, I used the
    can opener to open a can of juice concentrate.  Portia decided to
    chomp on my knee and claw my ankle.  I actully dumped some juice
    concentrate into her bowl so that she would realize that I didn't
    open any 9-Lives.  Now, to make the story even funnier, I just got
    a phone call from my SO, who went ome fromwork early.  Apparently
    Portia decided that she was going to eat the tomatoes that were
    sitting on the kitchen counter!  I can just imagine what our kitchen
    floor looks like now.  Needless to say, Larry decided that it was
    much more urgent to go out and buy 9-Lives before anything else
    could be done. He mentioned that PortiaTubOfLard inhaled the food,
    can and all.
    
    I think I'm going to try JoAnne's idea and try to disguise the IAMS
    by mixing it inot 9-Lives.  If that doesn't work, I may be asking
    for ideas about good psychiatrists in the area -- for both cats
    and people.
    
    	-Nancy

    I think it is time to mix Portia's food.  Otherwise she is going
    to send you to the looney bin.  (I have a cartoon that would be
    perfect for this, it says "my cats tried to drive me insane!!!)
    
    When Joui came back from breeding last year (she was gone for six
    months!  Having such a good time, who wants to get pregnant, mom!)
    all she would eat was Amore Ocean Whitefish and Shrimp.  Now, when
    she left my house, she had never even heard of Ocean Whitefish or
    Shrimp, let alone Amore cat foods.  This was something she discovered
    while on her extended vacation in Virginia.  When she arrived home
    she was pregnant (finally!!) so I couldn't do the "eat it or starve"
    trick.  We had to gradually wean her off of it.  Of course, by the
    time we had finally weaned her off of it her babies had been born
    and they were hooked on it too!! Just Kidding ;^).
    
    Jo

    I have a simple question:  How much does IAMS cost?  Everybody makes
    it sound SOOOOOO expensive!

    
    
       Gee it's not THAT bad....  I think we pay $11 for a large bag
    that feeds our 3 for about 2-3 weeks......
    
                                  (plus whomever has been chowing down
                                   on the deck at night :^)
    
                                                                   
     Kim

    
    
    It's cheaper than 2 cans a day for 2 cats of 9 Lives.
    
    I've been averaging close to $10.00 per week for 9 Lives.
    
    If I can ever get Portia to eat the IAMS, I'm figuring the box that
    is shaped like a 1/2 gallonmilk carton will feed them for a week
    and only costs $5.00.
    
    
    	-Nancy
         (PickyEaterPortia's Mom)
    
    
    

    Stopped by two pet supply stores today and was informed that prices on
    most pet foods are.... you guessed it.... going UP!  Why?  Because of
    the drought!  For instance the recommended price of a case of Science
    Diet Maintenance canned is going up about 10%, Iams likewise, and one
    brand, I forget the the name, is going up 20%!

    I'm thinking of putting my cats, the little porkers, on a diet.  Either
    that or they better start thinking about getting a job!

    The price of IAMS really isn't that bad....
    
    $12.95 for the 8 lb size, around $21 for the 20 lb size.  I'm not
    sure about smaller sizes....never buy the stuff!!  Any pet store
    that sells it usually has small trial size packages for free.
    
    

    
    If you're in the Shrewsbury, Mass area check SPAGS!  
    
    I know they carry Eukanuba dog food ($29 for 40 lbs vs $36.75 at my 
    local food and grain store) and I think I've seen the kitty version
    too!
    
    I'm not due for another food-run to Spags for about a month, maybe
    someone closer could find out and let us know...
    
    Conni
     

    Portia has finally figured out that mom is more strong willed that
    Portia.  I decided that I just couldn't mix the IAMS with the 9-Lives
    as JoAnn had suggested (it reminds me to much how my mom used to
    cut celery so small that I couldn't find it on my plate).  So, I
    bought Friskies Buffet Canned instead of the 9-Lives.  Portia played
    "dead cat" in front of the food bowl for afew days, but I noticed
    that alot of food would disappear each day.  So, I figured that
    she had to be eating both the Friskies and the IAMS while I wasn't
    looking.  I then tried the trick of picking up the Friskies bowl
    when I left for work in the morning so that she would have to eat
    IAMS (or else starve).  
    
    Well, everything seems to have worked.  We feed IAMS 3 times a day
    now, with the morning meal being 9-Lives.  I've decided that it
    would be too cruel to totally take 9-Lives away from Portia (Deep
    down inside I really am a softy).  
    
    Now, I'm just wondering how long until Portia decides she doesn't
    want to eat it again.
    
    	-Nancy

    I, too, tried to wean my boys on strictly IAMS with no luck.  They're
    hooked on Crave!  Now you will know how spoiled my cats are when
    you hear what I do for them.  I mix IAMS, Tamiami, Feline Vitality,
    and Crave all together in one bowl and they free feed all day on
    that.  They each get 1/2 can of Friskies buffet every morning and
    night.  Occasionally, I will give them a treat of Sheba or tuna
    fish, but generally try to stick to the Friskies since they love
    it so much.
    
    I buy four pound bags of IAMS and Feline Vitality (Wysong) and a
    carton of Tamiami which lasts about a month.  I cut coupons for
    the bags of Crave, and the Friskies cans run about 3 for .89 or
    4 for a dollar depending on where I shop.
    
    Is it bad to mix so many brands of dry together?  So far, I haven't
    noticed any diarreah or unusual bowel habits.
    
    /Roberta
    

    I feed my hymalian (Spelling???) just IAMS all the time.  The breeder
    my husband got the cat from said that moist cat food would give him
    diarreah.  I read in a few (quite few!!) notes files back that pure
    dry food was not good for a cat.  
    
    Any thoughts???
    
    He sure does drink alot of water and from a glass (filled to the top
    of course to be sure his pug face doesn't get stuck) at that.
    
    Nicholas' mommy.
    

    Check with your vet for diet information.  I feed both Iams dry
    food and Science Diet canned food.  My cats do not suffer from
    diarrhea.  As long as you use good quality canned foods, and feed
    him small amounts at first, you should not have a problem with
    diarrhea.  Of course, any abrupt change in diet can bring on a bout
    of diarrhea.
    
    Jo

    I also feed IAMS dry and Science Diet FM canned to Nippa.  I have
    tried all types of combinations (she get sick ect.), but this one
    has worked for me.  My vet does not like to feed dry at all, but
    I know she likes it and with the amount of liquid she gets every
    day, I don't worry too much.  See what your vet says.
    

    
    
    I once had a male nuetered cat die from the boxed dry food at the
    store  (ie Friskies or whatever) because of the high amounts of
    ash..  My vet was extremely mad!!
    
    I know give my kitties Kal Kan and Iams dry on the side..  Iams
    or Science Diet, etc. dry foods are low in ash, etc.  
    
    If you have any questions though, I too would consult my vet!!
    
    My boops drink lots of water also I've found with Iams, I think
    thats pretty normal for the course..
    
    F.

    Hills cd is supposed to be very good for cats, especially older
    ones that may have or may develop kidney troubles.
      Nancy DC
    

    There are special diets for cats that have medical problems,
    for example, K/D for cats with kidney problems.  Hills makes
    lots of other special diets for heart conditions, weight loss,
    etc.  They are available by prescription only, if the vet
    feels they are indicated.  What may help a cat with one type
    of problem may harm a cat with a different type of problem.
    
    	Pennie

    Pennie, I couldn't have said it better.
    
    Jo