Conference misery::feline_v1

    I'm surprised Crave is on that list of foods as I've been told it's
    one of the worst things to feed your cat.  My guys love it and
    occasionally, I will mix a little in with their IAMS.  I never thought
    that they would enjoy the C/D canned, but when I bought some for
    the kittens, the adult cats gobbled it up too.  So now I feed C/D
    canned mixed in with some Friskies or Kal Kan twice a day.  Did
    the vet mention anything about Amore or Fancy Feast canned?  My
    guys love that as well.
    
    Thanks for the helpful information!
    
    
    /Roberta
    

    I hate to admit, but my two have been eating Thrive lately.  I will
    immediately take them off it, but should the definitely go to the
    Vets.
    
    Kathy
    

    To Roberta,
    
    When the vet mentioned Crave, she was talking about them having
    it maybe once or twice a week.
    
    Interestingly enough, she didn't recommend IAMS either.  She preferred
    either C/D or Science Diet, although she said that most cats don't
    seem to like Science Diet.  
    
    Once thing she warned against was just feeding them the special
    food (like Science Diet) when they are sick.  She said that they've
    noticed that if you do that, that the kitties will associate the
    specific food with being sick and it will turn them off.
    
    I'm waiting until Melody is better before I start using C/D--either
    the dry or moist.
    
    Barbara

    Does anyone know about PROplan by Purina? I get this for
    my cats. Nutmeg is a 4-1/2 year old spayed female as picky
    as they come and she always has to have some tuna on top
    of whatever she's getting for dinner. She loves PROplan. That's
    the only dry food she would eat. Pounce, her little brother
    will eat anything so I don't really have to worry with him.
    
    I never hear anybody talk about PROplan. I used to get it at
    the Vets until I found it at the pet shop (Noah's Ark in Shrewsbury).
    
    I'd be interested to hear if anybody out there serves Proplan.
    If so, do you have any complaints or are you satisfied with it?
    
    
    

    I bought ProPlan once.  My kids loved it!  Unfortunately, I can't
    seem to find it anywhere anymore so have stopped buying it.  It
    is supposed to be very good, comparable to Iams, I think.
    

    This concerns me a bit, since they all eat the Science Diet dry
    and like it, but Dream won't touch anything moist except for Sheba
    (expensive taste).  I've been buying Triumph for the rest of the
    brood, who would willingly eat Sheba, however, the monthly cost
    is prohibitive.  Dream does drink lots of water, would this help
    off-set the fact that she doesn't get much moist food?
    
    Mary-Michael  

    TK won't eat moist either, and he can drain a water bowl faster
    than any cat I know!  Actually, the fact that we have forced hot
    air by gas in our home and no humidifier has caused all of the cats
    to drink a ton of water each day.  Vet assures me that all is well
    and to be glad they're drinking water to keep their digestive systems
    running smoothly.  At first I was concerned but they told me that
    a lot of their patients have called saying their pets have been
    drinking more water during the winter months and could anything
    be wrong.  In most cases no, the dry air is the culprit.
    
    /Roberta
    

    If they drink lots of water, I wouldn't think there is as much of
    a problem with them eating dry food.  The main issue with the dry
    food apparently is the lack of moisture--drinking lots of fluid
    (doesn't even have to be water according to the vet) should even
    be better.
    
    One thing the vet suggested (actually more for the taurine but it
    would help the fluid intake as well) was clam juice found at the
    supermarket.  I'm going to try that tonight since Melody is supposed
    to be drinking even more fluid to help the cystitis.
    
    

    Back to .4 - ProPlan
    
    One of my cats eats moist food and won't touch dry and the other
    eats dry and won't touch moist.
    
    Missy has been addicted to ProPlan ever since we got a free sample
    a year ago. She won't eat anything else. Once we ran out and I swear
    she was going through withdrawal. She checks the bag everyday to
    make sure there some there. We get it at a pet store that is not
    at all handy. My mother brings a bag when she comes to visit to
    make sure her granddaughter is happy. No, I don't spoil *my* cats!
    
    Nancy
    

    Pookie will only eat c/d dry.... she does not like wet food... Happy
    likes tami-tami, made like oatmeal.. we say it is yummy yummy 
    for happys  little(???) tum-tum.. Pookie occasionaly will give it
    the "pookie taste test, and happy does eat pookies c/d.. anf then
    I hear Mummmmmmmy, she is at it again...
    regards
    kate
    
    P.s Happy has also discovered PIZZA!!!!!
    

    Before we all start to panic over Meow Mix and Thrive, lets consider
    that there are lots of cats out there that eat it with out ever
    having a problem.  If your cat is not having any problems with his
    current diet, then there is no reason to change.  Sometimes an abrupt
    change of diet is more detrimental than the food they are currently
    eating.
    
    If you think that your cat is having a problem with his current
    diet, consult your vet.  Vet's are individuals just like each of
    us and each has his own opinion when it comes to diet, health, and
    treatment of illness.  From the information that the vet's provide
    us with, we make our decisions on what is best for our cats.
    
    I don't really think that calling a ban on a brand of food is allowed
    in the notesfile, but the moderators will know better than I would.
    I am not trying to be critical, I just think that we should proceed
    with caution in this case.
    
    C/D isn't necessarily a cure all diet either.  It should be fed
    at your vet's recommendation only.  It usually isn't prescribed
    for kittens since it is formulated for cats with a specific dietary
    need, namely FUS.  It doesn't contain the same amounts of nutrients
    that diets made for kittens do.  If your kitten is eating C/D, it would be
    wise to have your vet okay that.
                                    
    Jo

    Who's calling a ban?  The intent was just to pass along a warning
    about a potential problem--something I would think, as cat lovers,
    we would want to know about.
    
    After all, forewarned is forearmed.

     
      I've tried just about all kinds of dry food on the "herd" but
    they always wnat their Friskies!!  If I put almost any other dry
    food next to Friskies each cat will do a sniff test in both bowls
    and munch on the Friskies (any flavor will do, thank you!!)  The
    only foo they like better is the IAMS (of course!! :-) )  I tried
    new food a while ago (see Acclaim note) but it is just Ok.  
      
      Crave and Meow Mix?  No thanks mommy, we prefer something else--like
    tuna! or chicken!! yea, that's the ticket! chicken, mommy--can we
    have your chicken tonight??  pleeeeaase??!!  We've been real good
    today, we've only knocked down two or three things--honest!  The
    stuff off the mantle?  No, that wasn't us!  that was Nikki, the
    big furry thing that barks at us!!  Pleeaase, mommy--we'll even
    be real cute for you.
    
      How can you resist five pairs of eyes staring at you while you
    eat your chicken?  I even politely explain to them that I just opened
    a can of cat food for them and that it is sitting on the half freezer
    just where it always is.  Doesn't work...the only time I eat chicken
    in peace is here at work or at a restaraunt.  Turkey is just as
    good mommy!
       
      We've tried to make homemade catfood in the blender with all kinds
    of good stuff in it, like veggies and yeast and oatmeal and meat...it
    almost looks good enough to eat myself (it is "real" food)..but
    they don't like it.  Has any one else tried to make their own food
    and fed it to the cats with any success??  I even got a cat and
    dog cook book with lots of YUMMMY recipes--but not much luck.
    What does 9-Lives and Kalkan got that I don't??!
     
      Well, thanks for the info.  And speaking of feeding kitties, I
    have to go home and open some cans before the crew "starves" to
    death!!
    
    Have a good weekend.        Debbi and the herd
    

    Potential is the key word here.  All cat foods can have the potential
    to create problems in certain cats.  I do not feed Meow Mix or Thrive.
    I think that using the premium foods that are on the market is the
    wisest choice for my cats.  But I am worried that there could be
    people out there that might take the basenote too literally and
    perhaps become overly concerned if they are indeed using either
    of the two foods mentioned.
    
    I was trying only to add some perspective and not to stir up trouble.
    I apologize if you have taken offense.
                                
    Jo

    No offense taken.  I, in fact, was using Meow Mix everyday (about
    a cup mixed with wet food) and Thrive as one of our kitties dry
    foods.
    
    I have stopped using both but am not worried about the fact that
    I did use it.
    
    Heck, we fed our old family cat nothing but white meat tuna packed
    in water, Tender Vittles and an occasional can of wet food (he really
    only liked 9 Lives Super Supper) for most of his life and he lived
    to be almost 20!  (Oh, and some dry food which he ate sparingly.)
    
    They also hadn't come up with the leukemia vaccinations nor the
    one for respiratory diseases which our kitties all have had.  And,
    he was an outdoor cat.
    
    So, sometimes it's all a matter of luck!

    I feed ProPlan to Chauncey, SD Light for Honey and the new Friskies
    kitten food to Julie.  Meg eats whatever she wants!!
    
    Many notes ago, we were talking about moving the water bowl away from
    the food bowl.  Well, I tried that and I'm amazed at how much water the
    boys drink now.  Maybe, since the new bowl is in the living room, I'm
    just noticing more.  Now, if I could convince Julie to stop knocking it
    over!!!!!
    
    Mary
    

    RE:  The new Friskies Kitten Food.
    
    Shelby loves it!  So do the adult cats.  It is rather expensive
    but they much prefer it over Iams kitten and Purina kitten chow.
    I still leave out a bowl of the Iams kitten along with a bowl of
    the Friskies kitten, but the Friskies is always the first to go.
    

    Eeks -- to think I put an extra box of Meow Mix in the one of the
    shelter barrels at the supermarket last week...
    
    Carnation has a new home-delivered high-performance food out called
    PERFORM, comparable to Hills, Science Diet, IAMS etc., but delivered
    fresh vs. warehoused/shelved/shipped to stores.  I'll get the 800
    number from home if anyone would like to order free samples (they
    allow 1 free canine sample AND 1 free feline sample -- haven't received
    mine yet).
    

    RE: .18
    
             1-800-858-3500
    
    

    PROPlan can be purchased in the Framingham area at Farmer's Exchange
    on Pearl Street in Framingham.
    
    I have fed my six cats PROPlan and Thrive or Meow Mix for
    years. The same cat who got cystitis while eating Meow Mix and
    Thrive also got cytitis while on a PROPlan diet, and the other
    cats were fine on any diet. So I don't feel uncomfortable feeding 
    Meow Mix, Thrive, Kit-N-Kaboodle or whatever. Lots of cats
    do just fine on the less expensive dry cat foods. 
    
    Don't feel guilty about putting Thrive or any other kind of dry
    food into the humane society donation barrels. The society is
    happy to get all donations!! The cats in the shelter are still
    better off eating a dry cat food than rummaging thru a dumpster eating
    who-knows-what it finds in there, or a diseased rodent.

	 Erikson's Grain Mill in Acton (MA) is another place that caries
     the PROplan, both dry and canned.