Conference misery::feline_v1

re: dry food for males

actually, the real issue with dry food is the level of ash and/or magnesium
in the food.  There are several varieties of dry kibble that are low ash
and low magnesium AND that are designed to keep the urine acidic - which will
prevent the formation of crystals in the urine.  I have found that dry food
actually seems to HELP PREVENT UTI (Urinary Tract Infections) by encouraging
the cats to drink more water.  The cats all drink a nice amount of water
each day, and my male has never had a UTI....nor the females, for that matter.
The food to avoid is, in general, the food that you can buy at your local
supermarket....the foods that are probably okay are the premium brands like
Science Diet, Max Cat, Iams, etc.

If your vet recommends that you keep your male on canned food only, then
be prepared to keep his teeth clean.  You will need to rub them down thoroughly
with a piece of gauze on your finger at least every other day and you can
expect to have to have them cleaned professionally once a year or so.  Failure
to keep them clean leads to tooth loss.  Make sure your vet checks them out
each time at the yearly checkup. 

    Tell your vet that you wish to feed your cat dry food and ask him to
    recommend one that is low in ash and magnesium.  He will probably
    recommend one of the premium foods, like Max Cat, Science Diet or Iams.
    
    I have keyworded this string with both FOOD, and FUS.
    
    Jo

    Thanks for the info! I will continue to feed Smokey a very moderate
    amount of dry food, to help keep his teeth strong and clean. 
    
    ng

    Funny, I was thinking about this very issue all last week.  Some other
    note in here triggered me into really assessing Otis's diet.
    
    He will 'nibble' on Tiffany's Purina Cat Chow - but only when he is
    desparately hungry...he prefers canned food.  He LOVES fresh catch
    cod and salmon (purple can) and will not eat anything else.
    
    I decided that he was not going to have control - I was.  So, I 
    bought him cans of chicken, turkey and figured he WOULD eat when he
    got good and hungry enough.  Wrong!  He wouldn't touch the food, I
    could hear him licking the juices but left the rest.  This went on
    all week long.  He drank plenty of water, but would not eat.
    
    After 7 days of this I bought him one can of the Cod and he ate it
    all within 15 minutes.  Yup, I gave in, didn't know how long his
    stubborness would last and didn't want to make him sick in the
    process.  
    
    My question is if he will only eat that one 'kind' of wet cat food,
    is there some other supplement and/or food I can give him so that
    he won't end up with kidney problems?  He is an indoor neutered
    male...2 years old.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Marilyn
    

    Marilyn, 
    
    Why not change him over gradually by mixing a small amount of chicken
    food with the cod, then gradually increasing the chicken and decreasing
    the cod?  That way he could get used to it and before he knew it, he
    would be eating the chicken. ;^)
    
    Jo

    I tried that - but I wasn't consistent.  I guess that's about my only
    way to go.  
    
    I don't want to be the responsible one for giving him physical
    problems - it's going to be bad enough when he's really old and
    his time runs out - I don't want to speed the process.
    
    I'll try it again and let you know what happens.  And, forget
    Science diet - he doesn't even want to smell it - let alone
    eat it.
    
    I remember when I brought him home - I started out with the dry
    only - and from day one (at 7 weeks old) he didn't want anything 
    to do with it!  Talk about independent!!!!  ;^)
    
    Marilyn
    

    When I was in the process of adopting Taja, I was told that he hated
    the premium brands of dry food (Iams, Max Cat, S.D., etc.).  My
    response was, "Tuff!  He'll learn to like it cause that's all I feed!" 
    Well, guess what?  He eats it!  He prefers canned and if canned is
    available that's all he will eat.  Since I only feed canned twice a day
    (maybe 3X as a treat) I have seen him on many occasions muching on the
    dry.
    
    Try the new Expert line by Whiskas.  Low in ash and magnesium and my
    guys are eating it.  Iams is something they had to develop a taste for
    but now I sometimes think taking out stock in Eukanuba wouldn't be such
    a bad idea :^).
    

Hi.  I have a 9 year old male who used to get FUS at least 2-3 times a year.
About 1.5 years ago, I discovered FROMM dry cat food.  It comes in 5 lb
bags and costs less than Iams or SD.  I took an empty bag to my vet last year
and she ok'd it for Barney.  The magnesium, potasium, ash, etc. levels are
the same if not better than Iams.  I currently pay $5.99 for a 5lb bag vs
$13.00 for Iams 8lb bag.  The price varies from store to store, and I've
found it in pet shops and "feed" (UCF) stores.  My cats also like it.

Mary

re .-1:

What and/or where is UCF?  Someone mentioned one in Littleton a while back, but
no details were given.

Also, does anyone know of any place in the Maynard/Marlboro area that has IAMS
and/or Science Diet at good prices and/or in the larger sizes, especially
the kitten versions?  What are good prices, anyway?  So far I've gotten them
where I've seen them.

Jill

    Marllyn,
    
    Read the labels on the can foods too. Some can foods especially fish
    types are higher in ash content than beef and chicken. You can not
    compare the ash content of dry food directly to that of canned food.
    One is more concentrated. Maybe some one else in the conference knows.
    I usually try to buy canned food which is 2.5% ash or less. Alpo
    and 9-lives varieties (not some of the fish, or organ meet varieties)
    meets this criteria. I think all of the premimum brands are less than
    2.5% percent ash. 
    
                                    Alice

    The Iams Ocean Fish flavor is only 1.9% ash if my memory serves me.  I
    have been feeding it to my cats (males and females, some neutered and
    spayed) since it came out.  I haven't had any problems so far.
    
    The Iams recently added a Beef and Liver flavor to it's canned
    varieties too.  It was as well received at my house as the fish and
    chicken flavors.
    
    Jo

    Jill,
    
    The only place I know of that carries Science Diet is a new place that
    just opened in Marlboro.  It is called, I believe, either the Pet Depot
    or the Pet Supply Depot and is located on Route 20 in the same little
    shopping center that houses the Sunnyside Cafe (next to the golf
    course).  I don't know that the prices are competitive.  I've never
    found that that brand is ever on sale or low in price....  I use it
    too.  
    
    Nancy

    
    	Agway in Northboro carries Iams and Science Diet. They had cases
    	of cans, loose cans (lg and sm) and bags of dry. 
    
    	Sherry

       There are quite a few pet stores in fitchburg that sell Science
    Diet.    I usually buy a 20lb bag for about $27-28 and that feeds
    about 11 cats for 1 month.  (they also eat wet food too!)    I find 
    it is cheaper if you buya larger quantity....and if you keep the bag 
    shut tight...it stays pretty fresh.
    
    My cats love their Science Diet!  
    
    Sandy

    The PAW COMPANY in Hudson on Main Street carries Science Diet and all
    the others in dry or wet formulas.  He also has large fish inventory,
    and has a strong grooming business.
    
    Give him a call.  His name is Bill and tell him you saw it here.
    
    
    His prices tend to be a little cheaper in some things.
    
    

    I had heard that also so I asked my vet and she said that there should
    be plenty of water available if I was going to feed my cat dry food.  I
    feed him canned food for breakfast and supper (not a great amount as I
    don't want him fat) and the dry food as a supplement to munch on during
    the day....but I use just a small scooper of the dry.  Kitty seems to
    be doing alright with this regiment and he gets fresh water morning and
    night. 
    
    Anyone have any other comments?
    Colleen

    Yes, lots of fresh water is very important when they're fed dry food.
    I really see a difference in my guys water consumption.
    

    Jill, I use Science Diet for Cuddles and I used to buy it at $1.59 for
    an 8 oz can at Northboro Veterinary Clinic.  I found it for $1.29 an
    8 oz can at Noah's Ark, a pet store, on Rte 9 in Shrewsbury, across
    from White City Shopping Plaza.  It was so much cheaper there that I
    bought a case of it.  Also, the bags of dry food were much cheaper,
    too.  Not sure if they sell the IAMS food but you could give a call and
    find out.  Hope this helps!
    
    Colleen
    

    Sally, I have a question for you.  My cat likes the Science Diet but
    sometimes the smell bothers him.  He'll get a whiff of breakfast, turn
    his back to his dish, and then push his front paws on the kitchen
    floor...the same motions he goes through when he uses his litter box. 
    Does the smell bother your cats?  (I am thinking of writing to the SD
    people about this to see if any improvements in that dept. can be
    made).
    
    Colleen
    

    Actually my cats think the smellier the better.  They love the Tuna
    and Super Super...which stinks to high heaven.   I have tried Pro
    Plan dry, Iams dry...but keep going back to the Science Diet.
    
    Sandy and her smelly furfaces!!    

    re .19:
    
    The motions that you describe are normal instincts for wild cats.  If
    a cat in the wild (lions, cougars, wild cats) isn't hungry when food is
    present, they will bury the food to hide it from other predators.  Then
    when they are hungry, they come back and unbury the food.
    
    Lots of domestic cats show this behavior.  I think it is a throwback to
    the instinct.
    
    Jo

    Ah ha...thanks Jo for this bit of information.  I always wondered why
    Abby did this to her food dish.   
    
    Sandy

Big Steve's Pet Shop is just off of Rt.20 in Marlboro on Hosmer st 
(Behind the Chez Siam).  They specialize in birds and fish.  They carry 
Science Diet and the other name brands, I think the 20 lb. bag was 26.99 or 
so, and they were having a dollar off special of some kind.

Also, if you keep going down the road into Sudbury, there's a Pet Stuff 
store under new ownership next to Sudbury Farms grocery on 20.  I stopped 
by this place right after Big Steve's over the weekend, and both the 
Science Diet bags, and the jugs of clumping cat litter (great stuff!) 
seemed about two dollars less expensive here.

There's also Edwards Grain and Pet Supplies on Rt. 27 up in Maynard or Acton,
that was recommended to me; but I haven't been in yet.

-Tanya  (who's just started shopping around)

Thanks, Tanya, for the suggestions.  Last time I came into work from Rt 128
via Rt 20 I stopped at the three pet stores you suggested.  The 2 from the
previous reply (.23) seemed to have comparable prices for the size/variety
I wanted.

I bought the food (30 pounds worth and a toy :-)) at the place in Sudbury.
It turns out that the new owner is "Haddleigh House"; a name I recall hearing
in here regarding catalog purchases.  And now, for the anecdote:

As the cashier rung me up, I asked her about the "affiliation" with HH.  It
really seemed like she gave me a suspicious look (I don't know why, maybe I was
imagining it) and asked if I was a breeder.  I answered "No, I'm just a
collector!".

For someone who usually comes up with good lines after it's way too late, I
was pretty impressed with myself :-)

Jill

Just a collector....hahahahahahahaha!!!  I LOVE IT!!!

As for Haddleigh House...gee, are their prices at shows unbelievable.  I bought
a jumbo sized Doskocil covered litter box for $12.99---it's $26-29 in the
pet shops.  The replacement liners were $1.99 instead of $3.29 and replacement
litter box bottoms were only $3.99 for the jumbo size.  Hey, it was worth
the price of admission to the show just to save a fortune!!

They'll be at the Merrimack show on the 24th and 25th (but not in Nashua)
if anyone is looking for a bargain....

Mary