| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
Beastmaster's Profile
Expert Title: Feline Wellness Advocate
Paw Level: 272
Member Since: 3 / 25 / 2008
Years of Experience: 3
Specialty Categories: Cat Care, Feeding, Health, Products
Website: http://runeamok.multiply.com/journal
About Me: My knowledge of feline wellness didn't exist in 2006. What I knew about cats could have been listed in one sentence. Oh, I loved them of course, but I didn't have a clue about what they should be eating or how to really take care of one. My idea of good cat food was Purina. I selected this brand because I liked their "serious" marketing - I thought brands like Whiskas and Meow Mix were too cutesy to be any good. My last cat Martha had eaten dry food her entire life and was healthy as a horse until 14 when she developed IBD or IBS. She had to take Prednisone every day, and the only way I could manage that was to give her canned food. I laugh now to think how easy it was to get her to eat it! I had no idea it might have been difficult. She lasted another 6 years, and I swore that when she was gone I was never going to feed canned food again. The smell! The hassle of having to get up to feed her! Then I got poor little Poppy the problem child. I got her at the age of three months, and by the time she was a year old she was quite overweight. Even worse, she still had the loose stool my vet said she would grow out of. "Kitten stomach" he called it. Well, I now know that there is such a thing, but Poppy's problem was something else. To me this was the bigger problem because my dining room chairs were suffering. I hated it when Poppy would come by and I'd smell that oh so wonderful aroma of dingleberries. And she hated getting her behind wiped. One fateful day I asked a question on Yahoo Answers: "Wheat germ for cats?" (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AheHOWTTNPaCHc00pbUz_5YjzKIX;_yl...) Thanks to "Piggie Dude" for putting me on the right track. It's now 2008 and I just couldn't be happier. Poppy has lost weight and her stool is firm enough to bounce a quarter off of it! Sophie hasn't eaten in the bathtub in two years and I've learned so much and met so many knowledgeable people.
- Poppy - Maine Coon
- Sophie - Oriental
Products
Is there ever! Iams is what I call grocery store quality, and grocery store quality is at the bottom of the barrel. Iams itself does have some lines that aren't awful, but it also has lines that are pretty bad. And I think it tends to be pricier. What you want to find is a grainless food, whether that be canned or dry. Here are examples of good cat foods: What to feed (canned foods): http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm The best of the worst - dry foods: My personal picks are Wellness Core, Innova Evo or Nature's Variety Instincts. A new line that looks decent is Merrick's B.G. (Before Grain). I agree with some of the foods listed here but not all. I am happy to review ingredient lists if requested: http://cats.about.com/cs/nutrition/tp/premdrycatfood.htm
Cat Adoption
Adopting from a shelter is the way to go. The Humane Society is I think nationwide so you can usually find one in your area. But don't forget to look for other shelters in your area. Some of these shelters are no-kill shelters and so they may end up having the same cats for quite some time. Many of them may be funded by volunteers only so so any income is much appreciated. But of course sometimes you start by first finding the cat you want. If you want to do it that way, go with www.petfinders.com. You can narrow your search to a particular gender, size, age group, breed, etc. And of course you can limit it to within x miles of your home.
Cat Feeding
Absolutely. And honestly in this case it doesn't matter. There's no advantage to the hard treats whatsoever.
6 Answers | Asked By: ziggy_bo43 186
Cat Care
It's not unheard of. In that sense it's normal. But it does indicate that something is going on and the most likely cause is her diet.
It seems likely that something in her food disagrees with her. You should consider changing her food to something else. Many cats are sensitive to grains and some have problems with fish.
My recommendation is to change her to a grainless food. You *can* feed dry food but canned is actually much healthier and easier to digest.
It's just like with humans - if you're overly gassy it typically means that something you ate disagreed with you.
Source Link: The best of the worst - dry foods
Source Link: What to feed:
