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Rotation for cats?

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William I looked it up- on Wikipedia     Purred: Mon May 18, '09 11:36pm PST  My mommy wants to know if she should be feeding us on a rotation diet like they feed to the dogs, (please say no, my cousin and I hate change and If you tell her no we'll be your best friends forever and ever, and oh bother, here she comes act naturally fellow felines). Anyhow, she is curious as to what all your humans do with your diet. Right now my mommy feeds us Solid Gold Indigo Moon, which we switched to recently after a long transition off Fancy Feast Chicken and Turkey dry. It's just that my mommy says Oz and I are so picky it would be very difficult to do a rotation diet with us. Also she knows really we should be eating wet food but we are absolutely indifferent about it. She's thinking about doing dry in the morning and wet food at night or at least trying that. But should she be feeding us Indigo Moon for a couple of months and then try the Solid Gold Katz n Flocken or a Nature's Variety formula or something? She's a little confused and would appreciate any and all help. Thank you very much. (And remember our offer fellow felines, just tell your humans to say no!) my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Olivia Adore me - OR ELSE!     Purred: Tue May 19, '09 6:41am PST  Dear William, You look like a smart kitty, and I bet if there were a Wikipedia just for cat questions, there would be all sorts of information about why a rotation diet is a good idea for kitties, and also why you should be a good boy and eat your wet (or raw) food. To William's mom: As dry foods go, I think the Indigo Moon is a good one, BUT honestly even with the best of dry foods, it is really just a matter of which ones are less bad, because dry food is just not species appropriate food for cats. But, as you've said, you already know that. I think in your case what I would do is try to transition to canned first (or raw, if you prefer, but not both at the same time). If you have not already done so, catinfo.org has many helpful suggestions on how to transition, and one of the Catsters here, I can't remember who, suggested coating the wet food with crushed kibble. Human babyfood (meat only) has also been suggested (and in Cat Health, I think there was a thread about this not too long ago and the party was very successful) as a way to transition the cats to something other than dry food. I will try to find that thread and post the name of it here so you can take a look at it. Good luck! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Shelley Shy and- oh-so-sweet     Purred: Tue May 19, '09 9:18am PST  Agreed, if at all possible transition to wet. I know that's not your primary question, but as my vet told me, ANY wet is better than ANY dry. Meaning even canned junk food would be better than the high-quality dry you're feeding. I have two ProPlan addicts. The gravy must be fabulous. As to rotation, the benefit is that different protein sources have different nutrient profiles. The nutrient balance in chicken is not the same as in beef. Mixing up proteins helps ensure balance over time. The good news is that, at least in my experience, different flavors within the same brand seem to be more acceptable to cats. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Shadow Education is the- Key     Purred: Tue May 19, '09 11:38am PST  Sorry William but you do need to have a rotation, as cats can develop allergies if just fed one kind of food for their life. Also it makes for picky cats, and you really need something else not" if", but "when" a recall happens, a backup plan you know what I mean. Gradually introducing wet food as said by other Catsters here is good advice. As said at catinfo.org there are helpful hints on how to do this. Also you can read this about dry food. http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

William I looked it up- on Wikipedia     Purred: Wed May 20, '09 2:08am PST  My mommy and I want to tell you cats and your humans thank you very much for your help. She visited both websites recommended here and it was the last little push she needed to start us on our way to a wet food diet. I know my cousin and I need a wet food diet in order to be as healthy as we can be so while I can't promise her we will be thrilled with this new change that's coming or make it particularly easy for her, we know she is doing this for us and will not be too terribly upset with her for long. She says tommorrow she will be going out and doing some research at the various pet stores and boutiques around town and doing pricing and she will be buying some of the mid level quality canned foods for us to try. Then she says once we get accustomed to that, she will buy us the more expensive and higher quality stuff. She's thinking along the lines of Newman's Own, Avoderm, maybe Fancy Feast. Do any of you cats out there have any suggestions for wet food you think we'll like as well. Thank you very much and wish us and my mommy good luck. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Tanner I'm too sexy for- my fur!     Purred: Wed May 20, '09 11:17am PST  William, the Avoderm and Newman's Own are good to try. I don't use Newman's Own too often, simply because it's one that I would have to go out of my way to get and I don't love it that much. Avoderm is pretty reasonable (I can often get it for around .89 cents when it goes on special at Petco, which it does regularly), and on the whole it's a pretty good food that the cats really like. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

William I looked it up- on Wikipedia     Purred: Wed May 20, '09 11:56am PST  Thank you very much Tanner! My mommy went out this morning and bought us two small cans of the Newman's Own. One was chicken and brown rice and the other was turkey and vegetables. She says she wants to move us to grainless wet food eventually but for now she just wants to get us on to wet food. And guess what? I actually ate some of the wet! A lot of it actually, well for me anyway. Mommy did like the site catinfo.org suggested and at my feeding time she put a little bit of wet on a separate plate next to our dry food and I didn't even touch a single piece of dry food. My mommy was so proud of me! My cousin on the other hand is going to be a little stubborn. He would not even go near the wet food, but she will not give up she says. And thank you for the suggestion about Avoderm, mommy says she will check out the price at Petsmart tomorrow! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Tanner I'm too sexy for- my fur!     Purred: Thu May 21, '09 6:18am PST  You're welcome, William! So glad that you are embracing this new change in your diet. You will be so much healthier over the long run. And I bet you'll really learn to love your wet food just as much as the dry! Tell your cousin to get with the program! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Stella Everyone visits- to see me and- only me!     Purred: Thu May 21, '09 6:18am PST  I dont change the kibble that I feed but the canned food I provide a variety. each time they eat canned its a different protein source I think its good to have some variety and spice to life. I would hate eating the same thing everyday to and probably eventually get sick at the sight of eating the same thing as well. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

William I looked it up- on Wikipedia     Purred: Thu May 21, '09 7:51am PST  Tanner, I tried to tell my cousin it tastes so much better than only our dry kibble, which we do find quite tasty, but he's still being absolutely stubborn. He still has not touched a single tiny piece of wet food. I, on the other hand, at wet food again last night, and again this morning. Last night, my mommy put down my dry food first and I started towards that, but when she put the wet food in the middle on a separate dish, I went to that and didn't even look at the dry food again. This morning I again ate wet food, this time turkey and veggies, and ate that first and then took a bite or two of kibble. Mommy says she's so proud of me and I know it will be better for me, just like you say Tanner. Stella, thank you for that information for my mommy. She says she will probably do the same as you. She will keep us with the Indigo Moon for dry food until we fully transition and then for emergencies, but she will definitely try different protein sources and brands. Thank you very much Stella and Tanner, wish us luck on getting my cousin to at least try it! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

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