Food transition help

Status
Not open for further replies.
MaryB

MaryB

Member Since 2022
Hi everyone…
I’m posting here because I know everyone here but if it’s the wrong place feel free to alert me to move it where it should be.
I’m Chloe’s mom :) but I also have other babies who are non diabetic… however after my experience with Chloe being diabetic I learned that dry food was not good for any of them! So I’ve been attempting to transition the others off of it totally to avoid them experiencing any future health problems or at least minimizing the risk (I hope!). They are 4-6 years old, so much younger than Chloe who is almost 14 :)
My concern is … they are very fond of the dry food of course, especially one, who is almost 18 lbs! The other 2 are adjusting easier but he is very stubborn and often refuses to eat (he’s an orange cat, very full of personality haha). I know it is very dangerous for cats to lose weight fast. They’ve been getting FF varieties which they enjoy… 2 cans per cat daily. I offered some freeze dried salmon and tuna treats too, which they LOVE, but really that can’t be a full time meal… very expensive and more of a treat I think?
My concern is are they getting adequate nutrition and calories? FF cans are only 3oz size, so it’s only 6 oz total daily. Is there another brand perhaps that would be better choice?
I would appreciate any feedback …thank you.
 
Hi Mary

we have six cats here at my house, totally get it. We did the same thing -- Hendrick was diagnosed, we learned so much about cat nutrition we never knew before, and immediately made the decision to eliminate dry kibble for the whole house, other than some Wysong Epigen that they get very small amounts of and rarely. You're right that two cans of FF is probably not enough calories that is going to be about 160-200 calories depending on variety of FF, and the rule of thumb is 20-33 calories per pound.

What we do is supplement with Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw we mix it into the FF or on top, or feed it solo as treats or re-hydrated. It is very calorie dense so you can easily pump up the calories a cat is getting with a small amount of it but it is expensive and I guess the freeze-dried foods can have higher phosphorus. Their website says 1.81%, that doesn't seem high to me (for the Tummy Ticklin Turkey...which our cats LOOOOVE)

https://www.stellaandchewys.com/cat-food/tummy-ticklin-turkey-freeze-dried-raw-dinner-morsels/
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
Hi Mary

we have six cats here at my house, totally get it. We did the same thing -- Hendrick was diagnosed, we learned so much about cat nutrition we never knew before, and immediately made the decision to eliminate dry kibble for the whole house, other than some Wysong Epigen that they get very small amounts of and rarely. You're right that two cans of FF is probably not enough calories that is going to be about 160-200 calories depending on variety of FF, and the rule of thumb is 20-33 calories per pound.

What we do is supplement with Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw we mix it into the FF or on top, or feed it solo as treats or re-hydrated. It is very calorie dense so you can easily pump up the calories a cat is getting with a small amount of it but it is expensive and I guess the freeze-dried foods can have higher phosphorus. Their website says 1.81%, that doesn't seem high to me (for the Tummy Ticklin Turkey...which our cats LOOOOVE)

https://www.stellaandchewys.com/cat-food/tummy-ticklin-turkey-freeze-dried-raw-dinner-morsels/
Click to expand...
Ok! Thanks.
I will check it out… I saw it on chewys website but I wasn’t sure about it. I will give it a try!
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
@Suzanne & Darcy was it you who posted that freeze-dried food has more bone and more phosphorus so is better for younger cats than older?

I swear I read that in a post here.
Click to expand...

The cats that will be eating it are 6yrs without any health issues that I’m aware of… well one has poor oral health likely from poor start out in life (she was rescued from a hoarding house, probably didn’t get adequate nutrition).

Is 6 years old ok or is it more for kittens?
 
6 years old is fine I think, I mean its not like this is going to be a majority of their diet anyway just a calorie booster right?

I spent so much money on that stuff lol, trying different kinds. We buy Primal Chicken and Salmon bricks and they eat that but not as well as some of the Stella and Chewys freeze-dried dinner morsels.

Stella and Chewy's Tummy Ticklin Turkey is #1, Chik chik Chicken is also very popular, Duck duck goose is maybe 3rd and chicken and salmon 4th
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
6 years old is fine I think, I mean its not like this is going to be a majority of their diet anyway just a calorie booster right?

I spent so much money on that stuff lol, trying different kinds. We buy Primal Chicken and Salmon bricks and they eat that but not as well as some of the Stella and Chewys freeze-dried dinner morsels.

Stella and Chewy's Tummy Ticklin Turkey is #1, Chik chik Chicken is also very popular, Duck duck goose is maybe 3rd and chicken and salmon 4th
Click to expand...

Yes, just would be kind of a topping I guess, haha
I know the feeling. I have 5 kitties. I buy Chloe the Life Essentials freeze dried salmon or Pure Bites chicken breasts and will give her maybe 1/2 a handful in her bowl to have “crunch” once a day. She loves them but very expensive, so I can’t afford to give more than that haha

One of the cats needs to lose weight, the others really don’t but then again I don’t want any of them losing too much as I know that’s not really advised either. Isn’t it maddening haha Fortunately Chloe’s diabetes is controlled now so I don’t have to worry with that much!

Thank you so much for answering! I was thinking maybe no one saw it :( Im going to check out Stella and chewys… picking the flavor will be the most difficult part, one day they like something the next day they’re like ehhhh :) you know cats! Haha!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top