Any tips for getting my cat on board with my new lifestyle?

blues4miles wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

blues4miles wrote: »

I tried giving my underweight cat wet food to fatten her up. She loves the wet food, but is not putting on weight. Vet says she might be eating less dry food (though she still eats it) and running around more to compensate. So therefore, my cat is smarter about maintaining her weight than her owner is.

She does occasionally lick plastic though, so only so smart...

wet food is not more fatty or even higher in calories than dry cat food.

Sorry, doesn't work that way. I don't know why people think this or something.

Anyways, dry cat food is bad for cats because it's usually high in plant proteins (which they cant use), carbs, and it's low in water which they should be getting 70% of their water from their food as they have a naturally lower thirst drive.

If your cat is underweight and losing weight and drinks a lot and peeing a lot this is also a common side of diabetes. So is "pica" or eating/licking things that aren't food. Cats are generally "eat as much as i can" creatures, so if it's not putting on weight you either aren't feeding enough calories OR it has some sort of disease like thyroidism, diabetes, etc.

Maybe you haven't owned very many cats. I have had the "eat until full" cats and the "binge until I throw up" cats. She has dry food out all the time, I am not limiting her access to food. The wet food was to entice her to eat more, not because I think it has magical properties, nor did I state anything about it being higher calorie.

Dry food bad for cats? Not generally. In fact, cats who don't chew dry food can get tooth/gum problems if they are restricted to only eating wet foods. Maybe you should talk to your vet, like I talked to mine for all this info. She is not underweight such that they are concerned, just slightly below average. Stop suggesting everyone's cats on here have diabetes.

Ingredients in my cat's dry food: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bisulfate, Choline Chloride, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, Carrots, Tomatoes,Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Spinach, Taurine, Fructooligosaccharides, Green Pea, Minerals (Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Dried Apple Pomace, Calcium Carbonate, Rosemary Extract

So...chicken first ingredient. Bunch of other meat sources of protein in there. Profile recommended by AAFCO. Who probably know more about cat nutrition needs than you or I.

I have had cats with kidney and urinary issues where they drank more and am familiar with those symptoms, my cat does not drink more than normal. Cats licking plastic is a pretty common phenomenon and they do it for a variety of reasons that don't always track to some issue with eating non-food (she doesn't eat it, she just licks it). My last cat was afraid of plastic bags, too bad there are no cat psychologists.

i have had and owned pets my entire life. My current cat i've had for 16 years (since i was 9!). I'm not suggesting that everyone's cat has diabetes, i'm saying that dry food is bad for cats, period. And that health issues are bound to arise from feeding them an improper diet.

No need to go on the defense because i mentioned that your cat may have health issues (which your post clearly suggests).

continue on, since it seems to be working out for you.

rainbowbow wrote: »

blues4miles wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

blues4miles wrote: »

I tried giving my underweight cat wet food to fatten her up. She loves the wet food, but is not putting on weight. Vet says she might be eating less dry food (though she still eats it) and running around more to compensate. So therefore, my cat is smarter about maintaining her weight than her owner is.

She does occasionally lick plastic though, so only so smart...

wet food is not more fatty or even higher in calories than dry cat food.

Sorry, doesn't work that way. I don't know why people think this or something.

Anyways, dry cat food is bad for cats because it's usually high in plant proteins (which they cant use), carbs, and it's low in water which they should be getting 70% of their water from their food as they have a naturally lower thirst drive.

If your cat is underweight and losing weight and drinks a lot and peeing a lot this is also a common side of diabetes. So is "pica" or eating/licking things that aren't food. Cats are generally "eat as much as i can" creatures, so if it's not putting on weight you either aren't feeding enough calories OR it has some sort of disease like thyroidism, diabetes, etc.

Maybe you haven't owned very many cats. I have had the "eat until full" cats and the "binge until I throw up" cats. She has dry food out all the time, I am not limiting her access to food. The wet food was to entice her to eat more, not because I think it has magical properties, nor did I state anything about it being higher calorie.

Dry food bad for cats? Not generally. In fact, cats who don't chew dry food can get tooth/gum problems if they are restricted to only eating wet foods. Maybe you should talk to your vet, like I talked to mine for all this info. She is not underweight such that they are concerned, just slightly below average. Stop suggesting everyone's cats on here have diabetes.

Ingredients in my cat's dry food: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bisulfate, Choline Chloride, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, Carrots, Tomatoes,Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Spinach, Taurine, Fructooligosaccharides, Green Pea, Minerals (Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Dried Apple Pomace, Calcium Carbonate, Rosemary Extract

So...chicken first ingredient. Bunch of other meat sources of protein in there. Profile recommended by AAFCO. Who probably know more about cat nutrition needs than you or I.

I have had cats with kidney and urinary issues where they drank more and am familiar with those symptoms, my cat does not drink more than normal. Cats licking plastic is a pretty common phenomenon and they do it for a variety of reasons that don't always track to some issue with eating non-food (she doesn't eat it, she just licks it). My last cat was afraid of plastic bags, too bad there are no cat psychologists.

i have had and owned pets my entire life. My current cat i've had for 16 years (since i was 9!). I'm not suggesting that everyone's cat has diabetes, i'm saying that dry food is bad for cats, period. And that health issues are bound to arise from feeding them an improper diet.

No need to go on the defense because i mentioned that your cat may have health issues (which your post clearly suggests).

continue on, since it seems to be working out for you.

Didn't know disagreeing with your claims was me being defensive. If someone posts about how aspartame is a secret killer I generally refute their claims as well. Please post your evidence that dry food is bad. My last cat lived until 18 and current cat is 14. Both ate dry food as primary part of their diet. If you feel it's unsafe, please post the evidence, I am willing to be open minded. But my vet has never stated as such, and we specifically went over my cat's diet.

Also internet searching "is dry food bad for cats" gets me mercola for the 2nd link. You are not keeping good company. Just as anyone would ask in a diet soda thread, please post your evidence.

Just a comment on the dry food thing--My cat just recently passed away at 17 and the only thing she would eat is Meow Mix dry food since the day we got her. The shelter gave it to us when we got her, said that's what they were feeding her. I took her to the vet a year ago because she started peeing outside her litter box and started living by her water bowl, so we thought diabetes or kidney issues, but nothing came up in any tests or x-rays. The vet commented that other than a little bit of arthritis in her hips and her weight, she was a very healthy cat. He told methat if he didn't know her history or her age, he would have guessed she was only 8, and at this time, she was 16. So I certainly wouldn't say dry food is bad. We had no choice because she wouldn't eat anything else. Not wet food, not human food, not any kind of meat like chicken or tuna fish, nothing. Except she'd drink the water off of a can of tuna, but not the tuna itself. I asked the vet if I should try switching dry food and he said if she's this healthy and has been eating it for this long, there's not a problem with her food.

Her death was unexpected and she went from being healthy and normal to dead in a matter of 2 weeks. She had developed a massive tumor in her chest cavity, but we have no way of knowing if it was cancerous or what exactly it was because it killed her too quickly but it wasn't because of her food.

rainbowbow wrote: »

blues4miles wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

blues4miles wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

blues4miles wrote: »

I tried giving my underweight cat wet food to fatten her up. She loves the wet food, but is not putting on weight. Vet says she might be eating less dry food (though she still eats it) and running around more to compensate. So therefore, my cat is smarter about maintaining her weight than her owner is.

She does occasionally lick plastic though, so only so smart...

wet food is not more fatty or even higher in calories than dry cat food.

Sorry, doesn't work that way. I don't know why people think this or something.

Anyways, dry cat food is bad for cats because it's usually high in plant proteins (which they cant use), carbs, and it's low in water which they should be getting 70% of their water from their food as they have a naturally lower thirst drive.

If your cat is underweight and losing weight and drinks a lot and peeing a lot this is also a common side of diabetes. So is "pica" or eating/licking things that aren't food. Cats are generally "eat as much as i can" creatures, so if it's not putting on weight you either aren't feeding enough calories OR it has some sort of disease like thyroidism, diabetes, etc.

Maybe you haven't owned very many cats. I have had the "eat until full" cats and the "binge until I throw up" cats. She has dry food out all the time, I am not limiting her access to food. The wet food was to entice her to eat more, not because I think it has magical properties, nor did I state anything about it being higher calorie.

Dry food bad for cats? Not generally. In fact, cats who don't chew dry food can get tooth/gum problems if they are restricted to only eating wet foods. Maybe you should talk to your vet, like I talked to mine for all this info. She is not underweight such that they are concerned, just slightly below average. Stop suggesting everyone's cats on here have diabetes.

Ingredients in my cat's dry food: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bisulfate, Choline Chloride, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, Carrots, Tomatoes,Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Spinach, Taurine, Fructooligosaccharides, Green Pea, Minerals (Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Dried Apple Pomace, Calcium Carbonate, Rosemary Extract

So...chicken first ingredient. Bunch of other meat sources of protein in there. Profile recommended by AAFCO. Who probably know more about cat nutrition needs than you or I.

I have had cats with kidney and urinary issues where they drank more and am familiar with those symptoms, my cat does not drink more than normal. Cats licking plastic is a pretty common phenomenon and they do it for a variety of reasons that don't always track to some issue with eating non-food (she doesn't eat it, she just licks it). My last cat was afraid of plastic bags, too bad there are no cat psychologists.

i have had and owned pets my entire life. My current cat i've had for 16 years (since i was 9!). I'm not suggesting that everyone's cat has diabetes, i'm saying that dry food is bad for cats, period. And that health issues are bound to arise from feeding them an improper diet.

No need to go on the defense because i mentioned that your cat may have health issues (which your post clearly suggests).

continue on, since it seems to be working out for you.

Didn't know disagreeing with your claims was me being defensive. If someone posts about how aspartame is a secret killer I generally refute their claims as well. Please post your evidence that dry food is bad. My last cat lived until 18 and current cat is 14. Both ate dry food as primary part of their diet. If you feel it's unsafe, please post the evidence, I am willing to be open minded. But my vet has never stated as such, and we specifically went over my cat's diet.

Also internet searching "is dry food bad for cats" gets me mercola for the 2nd link. You are not keeping good company. Just as anyone would ask in a diet soda thread, please post your evidence.

i did. in the previous post.

Maybe you should read the study you posted then again.

The carbohydrate content of contemporary North American dry cat diets appears to be in the range of 4.5 to 12 g/100 kcal (6). Martin and Rand (7) reported that neutered, sedentary, confined cats consumed approximately 80 kcal/kg body weight (BW)/d (client-owned cats often consume even less than this in my clinical experience), so a 5-kg cat might consume approximately 400 kcal, or about 18 to 48 g of carbohydrate; roughly 4 to 10 g of carbohydrates/kg BW/d. Cats commonly consume small, multiple meals daily. Martin and Rand (7) reported that the cats they studied consumed a median of 9 meals/d; other reports (5) indicated that cats may eat even more frequently, so cats may ingest less than 1 g of carbohydrate/leg BW per meal, even when fed a diet containing the largest quantity of carbohydrate. At this range of carbohydrate content, 2 studies (7,8) have reported that intake of dry carbohydrate (as starch or ground grain) — containing cat diets did not alter blood glucose concentrations.

Based on the available evidence, it does not appear that obesity or DM represent diet-induced diseases in cats. In 1994, an epidemiological investigation reported evidence for an increased risk of obesity in cats fed commercially available, high-carbohydrate, dry-expanded diets as opposed to commercially available, canned, high-fat diets (11). However, subsequent studies have not been able to replicate these results.

[DM btw is diabetus mellitus]

In a recent population-based study of disease prevalence among 469 cats in the United States and Australia, 1 case of obesity (0.2%) and 7 cases of DM (1.5%) were identified. The prevalence of DM in cats may be compared to the population prevalence of ~5.5% in humans (13). One might have expected a significantly higher prevalence of DM in cats if the disorder was caused solely by an unsatisfactory diet.

In addition to the epidemiologic data, experimental studies have also found that carbohydrates per se may not be a major disease risk factor for cats. Thiess et al (14) recently conducted a short feeding trial of diets differing in carbohydrate and fat content on 6 intact and 6 neutered adult male cats. The “high carbohydrate” diet contained 9.7 g carbohydrate, 3.7 g fat, and 9 g protein/100 kcal, whereas the “high fat” diet contained 2.6 g carbohydrate, 5.9 g fat, and 10 g protein/100 kcal. They found that both diets were highly digestible, but that the cats fed the high fat diet showed a slightly elongated glucose clearance and reduced acute insulin response to glucose administration. These findings suggest diminished pancreatic insulin secretion, beta-cell responsiveness to glucose, or both in cats fed the high fat diet. Another recent study provided additional evidence that high dietary fat, but not carbohydrates, induced weight gain and increased insulin concentrations in cats, although plasma glucose concentrations were not affected by dietary fat percentage, neutering or weight gain (15).

Edited to add:

Current published evidence thus does not support a direct role for diet in general, or carbohydrates in particular, on disease risk in domestic cats.

MommyL2015 wrote: »

Just a comment on the dry food thing--My cat just recently passed away at 17 and the only thing she would eat is Meow Mix dry food since the day we got her. The shelter gave it to us when we got her, said that's what they were feeding her. I took her to the vet a year ago because she started peeing outside her litter box and started living by her water bowl, so we thought diabetes or kidney issues, but nothing came up in any tests or x-rays. The vet commented that other than a little bit of arthritis in her hips and her weight, she was a very healthy cat. He told methat if he didn't know her history or her age, he would have guessed she was only 8, and at this time, she was 16. So I certainly wouldn't say dry food is bad. We had no choice because she wouldn't eat anything else. Not wet food, not human food, not any kind of meat like chicken or tuna fish, nothing. Except she'd drink the water off of a can of tuna, but not the tuna itself. I asked the vet if I should try switching dry food and he said if she's this healthy and has been eating it for this long, there's not a problem with her food.

Her death was unexpected and she went from being healthy and normal to dead in a matter of 2 weeks. She had developed a massive tumor in her chest cavity, but we have no way of knowing if it was cancerous or what exactly it was because it killed her too quickly but it wasn't because of her food.

oh, i'm not saying it WILL kill your cat. i said it's not a healthy diet to feed them. Plenty of pets, just like humans, can live a long life while eating sub-optimal food.

In regards to your cat's preferance for dry food, it may have something to do with the fact that they spray them kibbles with something called animal digests which enhances the flavor and carries a strong enticing scent. I fed both of my cats dry kibbles for years, and my current cat didn't switch her diet until i found out this information (from not only my vet, but from the local university's animal hospital).

My cat (who is 16 now) has had about 2 urinary tract infections a year, until i switched her to wet food. My other cat became overweight from dry food, started rapidly losing weight, was diagnosed with diabetes, and then eventually passed because of it. Now, he may have been more pre-disposed to diabetes genetically, but it was most certainly unhelpful to feed him dry food. It took me 3 days to get them to eat wet food and i had to THROW OUT the dry food because they could smell it in the cabinet and refused to eat wet when they knew i had wet in the house.

In regards to the other comment someone made about dry food being better for cat's teeth. That is actually not true at all. Most cats swallow kibble hole and the kibble leaves a higher percent of carbs/sugar in their mouth, which can ultimately lead to tooth decay.

Again, i'm not saying it's going to kill your pets. I'm saying it's not the best option for their overall health and longevity. Most (not all) of these products contain plant protein sources which cats literally cannot use as they lack the enzyme that humans (and even dogs) have. These foods usually use low quality fillers, soy, and other junk to up the protein content. Most are too high in carbohydrates. And even if you find a good quality dry cat food, the highest i've seen is a moisture content of 30~% whereas they need food with a moisture content around 70%. Cats have a naturally low thirst drive as stated, and even cats who drink a lot of water and eat dry food will *still* consume less water in their diet overall than cats on a wet food diet.


After one of my cats resolving UTI infections completely because of wet food and my other cat dying because of his diet i think to myself "why not feed them the best that i can and the most optimal diet i can afford for them", ya know?

Sleeper1968 wrote: »

I asked my cat about this, specifically what his thoughts were on ketogenic diets, carbohydrate removal, glycogen depletion, and the resulting effects on the body. He said 'meow' and brought in a half eaten bird. I'm not quite sure what he meant by that, but I think he approved.

Obviously he meant you need more protein. (my cat just rolled her eyes)