We have 3 cats—2 sphynx, 1 furry. As of right now they’re eating Nature’s Variety canned and kibble. They like Nature’s Variety but with 3 cats it’s ridiculously expensive. They were originally just on canned but one of the sphynx was always hungry. Recently started putting out some NV kibble for the day and his hunger has toned down a bit, but he’s still always looking to us for food. Even when he still has some canned left on the floor.
I’d like to hear from other sphynx owners in regards to balancing diet and cost. Even though it’s premium kibble, I’d still rather not give it to them. Since giving it to them I’ve noticed that the litter isn’t clumping as hard as it used to. When they were on canned only the litter was always hard clumped from urine. But I’m not sure if that’s due to the temperature changes in Michigan or the diet.
Some history—I got my first sphynx, Minus, 9/2010. He’s 2 years old now. He was on bad grocery story food and I eventually made the switch to raw. It was an easy switch and he loved it. I found a recipe online and made changes to each batch I made. Eventually switched him to meaty bones.
Got the second sphynx, Bacon, 3/2011. They became friends right away and everything was good. Could never get the second to really take to raw and with some things going on in my life I had to switch them to premium canned. They were both on Wellness Core for a while and they liked it at first. I read that it was a good idea to only leave food out for 30 minutes so that they stay in the habit of eating meals instead of just picking at it through the day. That was going well until they started not eating their canned portion in one sitting, so I started leaving it out longer. This is still the case and I’d like to get out of this habit as well.
My GF got a furry cat 11/2011. She has since moved in with me so now we have all three under the same roof. They all get along well.
Minus was neutered when I got him. Bacon wasn’t neutered until 12/2011. At first both sphynx got along great. They were inseparable. Once Bacon ‘matured’ his personality didn’t change at all but Minus’s seemed to change. They were kinda distant, Minus became more dominant towards Bacon, and playing would eventually turn serious to Minus and he’d hurt Bacon enough to make him squeal. Minus also seemed to get more jumpy at this time. He’s easily startled now and has to get fully comfortable with his surroundings before he’ll settle into a spot or start cuddling. Neither of them got any more or less attention than the other. After Bacon was neutered things seemed to go back to normal. Minus is still a little on edge at times, he was never like this before the other cats and they don’t bother him at all. Also his eating habits changed since bringing in other cats. At canned feeding time they all get their own plate in separate areas of the kitchen. Minus doesn’t usually eat more than a few bites when the others do, if at all. A little while after they’re done, he’ll go back to his plate and eat most of it. For a while I thought he might be eating poop—his breath smelled like poop and sometimes he comes out of the litter box with some litter on his nose. I’ve since noticed that the other two cats breath is the same and it’s most likely to the canned only diet since they don’t gnaw on anything to clean their teeth. Plus I figure if he was eating poop he’d have a lot more litter on his face/mouth.
Any tips on food/cost and getting them back on a regularly scheduled diet would be great. Three cats on Nature’s Variety is expensive and I would really like to go back to raw. Maybe a mix of NV and raw bones. Could some of you please tell me what diet you feed yours? Please break it down in detail for a day or week and include a rough idea of the cost if possible.
Also, please share any thoughts you may have about Minus’s behavior. I know each cat has its own personality and will handle everything differently. Minus and Bacon are the most unique cats I’ve ever seen personality wise, but that’s another post. But if there’s anything you think I could do to make things better, please don’t hesitate to reply.
Thank you!
I’d like to hear from other sphynx owners in regards to balancing diet and cost. Even though it’s premium kibble, I’d still rather not give it to them. Since giving it to them I’ve noticed that the litter isn’t clumping as hard as it used to. When they were on canned only the litter was always hard clumped from urine. But I’m not sure if that’s due to the temperature changes in Michigan or the diet.
Some history—I got my first sphynx, Minus, 9/2010. He’s 2 years old now. He was on bad grocery story food and I eventually made the switch to raw. It was an easy switch and he loved it. I found a recipe online and made changes to each batch I made. Eventually switched him to meaty bones.
Got the second sphynx, Bacon, 3/2011. They became friends right away and everything was good. Could never get the second to really take to raw and with some things going on in my life I had to switch them to premium canned. They were both on Wellness Core for a while and they liked it at first. I read that it was a good idea to only leave food out for 30 minutes so that they stay in the habit of eating meals instead of just picking at it through the day. That was going well until they started not eating their canned portion in one sitting, so I started leaving it out longer. This is still the case and I’d like to get out of this habit as well.
My GF got a furry cat 11/2011. She has since moved in with me so now we have all three under the same roof. They all get along well.
Minus was neutered when I got him. Bacon wasn’t neutered until 12/2011. At first both sphynx got along great. They were inseparable. Once Bacon ‘matured’ his personality didn’t change at all but Minus’s seemed to change. They were kinda distant, Minus became more dominant towards Bacon, and playing would eventually turn serious to Minus and he’d hurt Bacon enough to make him squeal. Minus also seemed to get more jumpy at this time. He’s easily startled now and has to get fully comfortable with his surroundings before he’ll settle into a spot or start cuddling. Neither of them got any more or less attention than the other. After Bacon was neutered things seemed to go back to normal. Minus is still a little on edge at times, he was never like this before the other cats and they don’t bother him at all. Also his eating habits changed since bringing in other cats. At canned feeding time they all get their own plate in separate areas of the kitchen. Minus doesn’t usually eat more than a few bites when the others do, if at all. A little while after they’re done, he’ll go back to his plate and eat most of it. For a while I thought he might be eating poop—his breath smelled like poop and sometimes he comes out of the litter box with some litter on his nose. I’ve since noticed that the other two cats breath is the same and it’s most likely to the canned only diet since they don’t gnaw on anything to clean their teeth. Plus I figure if he was eating poop he’d have a lot more litter on his face/mouth.
Any tips on food/cost and getting them back on a regularly scheduled diet would be great. Three cats on Nature’s Variety is expensive and I would really like to go back to raw. Maybe a mix of NV and raw bones. Could some of you please tell me what diet you feed yours? Please break it down in detail for a day or week and include a rough idea of the cost if possible.
Also, please share any thoughts you may have about Minus’s behavior. I know each cat has its own personality and will handle everything differently. Minus and Bacon are the most unique cats I’ve ever seen personality wise, but that’s another post. But if there’s anything you think I could do to make things better, please don’t hesitate to reply.
Thank you!