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Feeding questions!

Shontae

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Hi everyone! I finally got my baby! I have some new questions about feeding. Has anyone used Costco brand cat food? My kitten came already eating it, but I had another high quality brand I wanted to get. I also read that it's good to keep dry kibble out all day, but this baby eats a TON. The vet said he should eat about an eighth a cup a day but my kitty can eat double or triple that. Should I not worry until he's older? I don't want him getting overweight. Also, he seems to not be drinking much water. How can you encourage him to drink more? I am currently giving him a tablespoon of fussi cat wet food (which he loves). Is this ok? I know they get some water from their wet foot. Thank you guys!

Shontae
 

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BrittanyS

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Congratulations! I can't give any advice (yet!), but I just wanted to drop in and tell you how adorable your new baby is!
 

Hairless Blessing

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Congrats, he's a Handsome little Gentleman.
Wet food is great for them. They do get water from that.
Just not enough. Most feed wet 2-3 Times a day.
Leave dry out all the time. Sphynx will eat more.
Because of their metabolism. Winter especially,
to stay warm. Probably, if you were feeding wet 2-3
Times a day, he would graze on the dry food.
He's eating a lot of dry, because, that's all he's getting.
Get the smallest cans and make 2 meals out of them.
As far as the water, put a water bowl in your bedroom where he sleeps?
Or one in the living area. Away from the food. Some cats won't drink
from water fountains. Mine won't.
 

Toa and Ross

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@BrittanyS congratulations with your little boy. He is adorable! What's his name?

I don't know the brand food your feeding but if he does well on it then I think it's okay.
Sphynx needs much more food then normal cats. As long as they're kittens they do well on eating as much as they want. They need all the energy to grow, play and stay warm. My boys did eat like little piggs when they were kittens.

Natasja
 

Catzzzmeow

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Rule of thumb is buy best quality food you can afford and that they like/tolerate. We do wet morning and at night and dry during the day. Kittens need food. After a year our vet said to see how weight is and cut back on dry if we had to. Worked well for us. Your baby is precious,

Patti
 

momdeeze

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We used the Costco cat food for a while and it gave our fur cat a bad skin reaction. We are back to Royal Canin which I'm not thrilled with, but it works for us.
 

Spideyj

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I also dilute the wet food with more water, which I definitely recommend if you think he's not getting enough. (I do it because my boy doesn't like wet food unless it's soupy lol, thankfully he drinks plenty of water)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Shontae

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@Hairless Blessing thank you so much for the advice. I'm hoping he takes to the fountain he's drank out of it. I've set out bowls too and he doesn't seem interested. I'll keep trying!
Congrats, he's a Handsome little Gentleman.
Wet food is great for them. They do get water from that.
Just not enough. Most feed wet 2-3 Times a day.
Leave dry out all the time. Sphynx will eat more.
Because of their metabolism. Winter especially,
to stay warm. Probably, if you were feeding wet 2-3
Times a day, he would graze on the dry food.
He's eating a lot of dry, because, that's all he's getting.
Get the smallest cans and make 2 meals out of them.
As far as the water, put a water bowl in your bedroom where he sleeps?
Or one in the living area. Away from the food. Some cats won't drink
from water fountains. Mine won't.
 

lealea

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Hi there. Your baby is gorgeous! What a lovable face. I can't wait to see more photos!

They eat a lot as babies, surprisingly so for their size. Rosie is almost 2 and still eats 3 sometimes 4 times a day, far more than any hairy cat I've owned. She's the perfect weight, so if she asks for it, I still feed her.

Costco in Australia is more of a budget store and while I don't know the brand, I suspect it's not the best quality and would have a lot of fillers, such as pasta, rice or grains which aren't beneficial to your baby. Try to feed a better quality grain free food. Royal Canin is highly recommended, but brands such as Advance or cat Science diet are also good. Rosie eats mostly raw, but I also give her a little dry by Applaws, which is grain free and doesn't upset her tummy.

Just make good changes slowly so they can get used to a new food without it upsetting their tummy. Your vet might be able to offer advice if you can't get any of the mentioned brands in your area. Where are you situated?

With water, try letting the water air overnight if you use tap water, as this will allow any chlorine to dissipate and it will be more appealing to your cat. If your water is heavily chlorinated, you might want to try bottled water especially if he's a reluctant drinker. Simple things such as a different bowl or gaming more bowls around the house might make it easier for him to drink. Always change the water frequently- just like us humans, they like their water to be fresh and clean

Welcome to the Lair!
 

Shontae

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Thank you guys! These are very helpful tips. I had wanted to stitch him to Orijen kitten food.

@momdeeze I really didn't want to keep him on the Costco brand, and had a feeling it has a lot of filLee.

I am very happy to know it's normal for a kitten to eat so much, and I'll try more bowls. I've been adding water to his wet food and I have tried 4-5 different water presentations. I'm wondering if maybe he's just drinking when I'm not around? I literally haven't seen him drink in days (except the water in his food). It's odd because he is fairly laid back in all other areas. He even let me bathe and clean him with little protest! So this feeding and watering problem is unusual for him.

@lealea I am located in Boise, Idaho, in the US.

Thank you all for commenting on how cute he is. He's such a sweetie.
 

Shontae

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Cats are true carnivores and get their nutritional needs met through eating meat. However, some people swear by vegetarian cat foods. I think you'll be able to tell physically and behaviorally if your cat doesn't like vegetarian food. Some people suggest trying it and seeing if the cat likes it while others argue that it's inhumane. I think you'll just have to research veggies cats can eat or veggie cat foods and decide for yourself if your cat is miserable or content. Sorry if this doesn't help!
 

Toa and Ross

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@DiegoKitty as far ad I know for cats it's important to eat meat. I know most vegans still feed their cats meat. But I'm not vegan so hopefully members with experience will chime in to give you advice.

Natasja
 

Xandria

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Are veggies OK for Diego?
We don't eat any meat all

Cats are obligate carnivores. They cannot obtain the nutrients they need to be healthy on a vegetable diet. Whenever you see vegetables added to cat foods, it's usually to add some bulk and filler. But they obtain NO nutritional value from vegetables. I know there is a movement out there that says it's acceptable to put cats on a vegetarian diet, but it seems to me that you'd be playing Russian Roulette with your cat's health. Yes, there are cats that "seem" to be okay on a vegetarian diet, but the long term effects could be quite unhealthy. Just like we cannot live off vitamins, cats can't live off supplements/alternates entirely.

The stress of regular checkups, blood work, constant monitoring etc. does not seem worth putting a cat on a vegetarian diet.

Humans are omnivores and a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet is fine with effective protein combining from the right vegetables.

Please consider reading the following articles:

Vegetarian and Vegan Diets for Dogs and Cats

Can Cats Thrive on a Vegetarian Diet? | petMD

Veggie Cat Food? Why Not All Cats Need Meat

Why a Vegan Diet Is NOT Recommended for Pets

Science Backs the Vegetarian Dog and the Carnivore Cat | petMD
 

Xandria

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@Toa and Ross -- as you're on my facebook friends list you know how important food is to me! ha ha ha.

But I've encountered people over the years who have put cats on vegetarian diets and it's never been a good thing. Biology is biology.
 

lealea

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@DiegoKitty I am a raw vegan, but would never ever put my cat on a vegetarian diet. They need many essential nutrients from meat that you just can not get in a vegetarian diet. An important one is taurine, which essential for cardiac health, amongst other things. I will be blunt, but hopefully won't appear rude as that is not my intention- if you aren't happy feeding your cat meat, please consider rehoming them as it is definitely not something that can be compromised and their health will definitely suffer if you remove meat from their diet. Again, I'm so sorry if I appear rude, I really don't mean to, I'm just stressing the importance of feeding the correct diet.
 

Xandria

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@lealea -- thank you for saying what I had difficulty saying as well. I, too, did not want to appear rude, but I also passionately believe that if someone cannot provide appropriate sustenance and environment for a specific type of animal companion, then it's best to look in another direction for an animal companion that can be provided for according to what is available. In other words, perhaps an herbivore animal companion (i.e. rabbit) would be more appropriate.

Peace.
 
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