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wet food- how often? and affordable but gf brands??

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Salem pet me? I'll- think about it.     Purred: Mon Apr 9, '12 8:13pm PST  I have 3 cats, a vampire cat that comes out at night, and 2 kittens. We got all 3 of them from 2 different shelters in the last 2 weeks. They came with bags of kitten and cat formula Science Diet food, so that is what they are on at the moment. We are almost out and I'm looking into the best options that are affordable and grain free, for all of them. I'm also wondering how often they should eat? Right now, I have mixed the adult and kitten foods and I leave the bowl out. I don't want to have obese kitties, and I have to keep the foods separated (kitten and adult) and I'm concerned about their health etc, so I'm switching them to wet. Can you help? I've been researching, and I am keeping a list going. I'm also reading ibdkitties.net and adding to the list from that site. I was hoping I could get a customized to us kinda answer though, that would help me a lot! I have 6 kids, 3 cats and a dog, and I feel like a headless bird most days- and I'm so tired at night I just want to crash but have to research this cat food thing. I have a habit of making everything harder than it needs to be. [notify]

Hunter- *Dreamboat- #82* Master of- Disaster!     Purred: Tue Apr 10, '12 5:54am PST  Okay, first of all, I would put your cats on a schedule. That way they know its time to eat, and will have their own schedule when they nap, and maybe even when they use the litterbox. Most people would say to feed the kittens as much as they would like. When Hunter was little, I didn't. I was paranoid of him being obese as well. I fed Hunter 3-4 times a day when he was a kitten. Morning, afternoon, dinner, and before bed. As he got older now its just twice a day. Basically Hunter gets fed and dawn and dusk, or 6:00am and 8:00pm. This works around my work schedule and its been going great for 2 years now. As for the food. My vet told me, in the wild, there is no mouse labeled "for Kittens" So, I fed Hunter kitten food for maybe two weeks and that was it. You're doing a good thing by reading ibdkitties.net. Thats where I got the list of food I feed Hunter. He eats: Fancy Feast (Classics only) Addiction, Natures Variety, Merrick Before Grain, sometimes Weruva, and for a crunch he eats Orijen Kibble. I know a lot of catsters would be like "Kibble? NO! DON"T DO IT!" But it works for Hunter. In the morning he gets a 3oz can of Fancy feast. During the day 1/8 cup of kibble and then before bed he gets 1/2 of a 5.5oz can of addiction, natures variety, BG, whatever is up for that day. He gets a rotation of different foods, and different flavors. I always add extra water to his wet foods. He has never had a UTI, Crystals etc (Knock on wood) If you have male cats, make sure to keep them flushed out. Males have a tendency to get urinary issues more so than females. Water water water!! That all I can think of right now, I'm sure other members will chime in. Good Luck with your kitties and I suggest you read Catinfo.org. Fabulous website written by a vet!! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Salem pet me? I'll- think about it.     Purred: Tue Apr 10, '12 8:59am PST  thank you for all of that information, and the link! I'm excited to delve in when the kids go to bed. I love learning about this kind of stuff I also love spoiling my kitties.. sounds like you do too! hehe I sure wouldn't want to eat the same 5 flavors and the same brand my whole life. Edited by author Tue Apr 10, '12 9:00am PST [notify]

Nellie (married to toby j) ms. cuddlebug     Purred: Tue Apr 10, '12 4:35pm PST  the only canned food i eat is fancy feast classics and tiki cat. i dont eat most grain free brands cause i am overly pickey and stubborn and wont try any of them. mom also leaves a bowl of friskies dry food for us munch on all the time. Edited by author Tue Apr 10, '12 4:37pm PST [notify]

Salem pet me? I'll- think about it.     Purred: Tue Apr 10, '12 6:17pm PST  lol sounds about like my dog. [notify]

Merlin - An Angel- Forever *Poof*     Purred: Wed Apr 11, '12 4:42pm PST  Check out this chart that lists if grains or other things are in canned food: Chart Buy whatever brand is grain free and most affordable for you Wellness is a good choice Many of the varieties are grain-free. The chart lists the Healthy Indulgence pouches as containing "grain, rice, starch". The pouches are grain-free but do contain starches as the thickener for the gravy my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]