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Whats the best kitten/cat food

  • 17-06-2011 9:17am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25


    Hi all,

    Im thinking about getting a kitten, never had cats before always dogs so its all new to me.
    So what would you advise in regards to food, treats and if you have any other advice for a first time cat onwer id be grateful.


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,150 ✭✭✭✭Malari


    rachaelc wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Im thinking about getting a kitten, never had cats before always dogs so its all new to me.
    So what would you advise in regards to food, treats and if you have any other advice for a first time cat onwer id be grateful.

    OK, first things first - the cat owns YOU! :D Congrats on the new arrival.

    We currently feed our guy Royal Canin, as recommended by the vet, who told us the cat would never leave if it got this every day. It's true - he loves it so much we call it Royal Cocaine. They do a huge range of types, and one is kitten-specific.

    Cats can get fussy and will get used to eating only one type of food sometimes. Having said that, our family has always had cats when we were growing up and they got plain old Go-Cat or whatever and were quite satisfied, with no ill-health effects.

    We give our fella a treat about once a week. He devours those peperami style treats from Aldi! He'd nearly knock me over to get his paws on it. :P

    Other than that, loads of playtime and cuddles, so he gets used to being handled. Kittens are so much fun, so enjoy every minute of him being small and thinking that EVERYthing is a game. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25 rachaelc


    Hi Malari,

    Thanks for the reply.
    Yeah i was thinking royal canin, thats what i fed my last dog for the last few years of her life and the difference in her as soon as i changed to it was amazing. I'll check out the aldi treats aswell.
    I think i'll keep her indoors as i live beside an old train station and there is loads of wild cats, do you think its ok to keep a cat indoors all the time or do you think its cruel? She'll be getting loads of attention and loads of play time so hopefully it will be ok.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,981 ✭✭✭ElleEm


    I feed my pair Whiskas (I know people on this hate it, but my cats love it) and Go Cat dry food, but also feed them raw chicken, fish and mince a few times a week.

    I think, ultimately your cat will choose if it is an indoor or outdoor cat, although I would advise keeping it in, or supervised in a garden til it gets older. My pair kinda decided themselves. We have one little wanderer who can go off for half the day, and another little one who won't go further than the garden. I think cats can sometimes go a bit nuts if they are kept inside against their will. That's been my experience , anyway.

    And I agree with totally with Malari- your cat will own you. They are most gorgeous little creatures, but they are definitly the ones in charge! Enjoy every minute of their "kittenhood" though, they grow up so fast *sniffle sniffle*!!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,712 ✭✭✭lorebringer


    I recommend you feed your cat a mix if wet and dry food to help prevent struvite crystals building up in their kidneys and bladder (very dangerous and painful for the cat). A complete diet is best also (ie. feeding a food that is stand alone with nutrition for you pet). You could feed a meat and mixer based diet too (ie. a wet tin of "meat" and a dry mixer) but this can be hard to get the balance right with.

    Brand wise - some good brands include Burns, Royal Canin, Hills, James Wellbeloved and Almo (these brands tend to be both wet and dry foods). Try to steer clear of the foods you find in the supermarket as they tend to be very low quality.

    Good luck with the new addition :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 907 ✭✭✭angeline


    Definitely Royal Canin is excellent for cats. I feed my cat the dry nuts which are excellent. Also, she always has a constant supply of fresh water, never milk. As a treat I give her tuna or Royal Canin pouches, which is wet food and she loves them. My cat is mainly indoors but does go outside, she is a spayed female so doesn't wander at all. Outdoor cats have a much shorter life expectancy as they are knocked down so often. I would recommend getting the cat neutered or spayed and microchipped asap, or if you do leave the cat out, make sure it has a cat collar and medal. My cat loves furry blankets, scratching posts, etc, but most of all she loves company. Enjoy!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,441 ✭✭✭planetX


    According to my cats all catfood is pretty disgusting- they catch a couple of mice a day instead:D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,981 ✭✭✭ElleEm


    planetX wrote: »
    According to my cats all catfood is pretty disgusting- they catch a couple of mice a day instead:D

    Mine are into birds at the minute. I've come down the stairs every morning this week to one of on my kitchen floor.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,620 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    rachaelc wrote: »
    I think i'll keep her indoors as i live beside an old train station and there is loads of wild cats, do you think its ok to keep a cat indoors all the time or do you think its cruel? She'll be getting loads of attention and loads of play time so hopefully it will be ok.


    She'll be ok but consider getting her a playpal to keep her company if you leave her in the house all day. They'll be great fun and it's just as easy to look after two as it is for one. If you can get two, get them from the same litter if possible because they'll be really close then.

    We feed ours Felix wet pouches and Iams indoor dry food.

    We use Catsan litter.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,524 ✭✭✭Zapperzy


    If you have a look on zooplus.co.uk (or the .ie site) they have a huge selection of both wet and dry foods. I personally think it's best to stick with wet food and also buy a little toothbrush and get them used to it early, wet food is much better for their urinary health as there is more liquids going through so urine isin't sitting in the bladder for so long, also I don't buy into the whole dry food is better for dental health idea (unless it's a specific dental food such as the hills presciption food), if you watch most cats eating dry food they usually swallow most of it whole.

    Some wet food brands to look for on zooplus is bozita, smilla, animonda carny, cosma and porta 21. I would stay away from supermarket brands like whiskas and kitekat because if you look at the ingredients the first ingredient is always meat & animal derivitives (min. 4% beef/fish/chicken/rabbit) which if you do a bit of googling you'l find out what that can contain. :eek:

    It's getting easier to find good quality dry foods in petshops without going online but it's still hard to find decent wet foods. Some good dry foods include james wellbeloved, burns and orijen. Again stay away from dry foods that list cereals as there first ingredients and meat & animal derivitives as there second.

    Also if you go with one of the high quality wet foods I mentioned above you can just feed the adult version if there is no kitten version, just mash it up slightly.

    As for litter there's a few different types, there's clumping and non-clumping, clumping litter is easier to clean out as the pee all clumps together so you can scoop it out with minimal wastage. I use a brand called pura clumping litter and a big bag lasts forever (at least 3-4 months anyways) with 1 indoor cat and is only €15 I think, I find it cuts down on smells too. You have other brands like Thomas but I find while they are cheaper per bag you go through a massive amount of litter because it doesn't clump, I used it for years because I didn't know there were alternatives and it cost a fortune compared to pura, I think I was going through about 2 €4 bags a week compared to less than a fiver a month on pura. You also have wood pellet litter but I find with kittens they end up pulling loads of pellets out and chasing around the house after them! :D

    Don't waste loads of money on fancy toys, for kittens scrunched up pieces of paper, cardboard boxes, old tights cut up in small pieces filled with toilet paper and sewed back together again and any sort of pieces of ribbon or string make fantastic toys. Also don't buy an expensive bed, if you can tempt them to use a cat bed then a blanket in a cardboard box will suffice because once they find your couch/bed they will never again sleep in a cat bed! :D

    Seriously consider getting pet insurance, for your average moggy it's very cheap and will save you an arm and a leg should something happen him/her and they end up needing expensive vets fees. It doesn't cover routine vaccinations or neutering but put a little money away each week until you get the cat to cover those.
    Neutering for males is usually €30-€40 and for females €50-€60 and can be done from about 6 months onwards (they do not need to have 1 heat cycle before neutering). For males it cuts down on them wandering, fighting and spraying urine everywhere (although they can still do this it cuts down on the hormones urging them to do this) and generally makes them a nicer pet. For females they will no longer go into heat which is very stressful for both cat and owner and of course the obvious no kittens for neither males nor females once neutered!


    Oh yes and nearly forgot, don't give them cow's milk, cats are lactose intolerant and will projectile vomit if fed cow's milk, some cats become used to milk and will no longer vomit but cow's milk is very fattening for them so best to stick to plain water. You can get special cat milk that has no lactose in it but it is quite expensive and can make them fussy so they won't drink water.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,292 ✭✭✭naughtysmurf


    Just wanted to echo previous post, AVOID MILK, will be more than happy with water


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25 rachaelc


    Wow guys thanks for all the great advice.
    Thanks Zapperzy, I was looking on zooplus and getting a bit overwhelmed with the amount of stuff, now i know what to look for.
    I'll post a pic of our new arrival when she comes!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,627 ✭✭✭Lawrence1895


    I made some good experiences with Felix, the little guy milled it :D

    And...a cat does not have owners, but servants ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25 rachaelc


    Meant to ask anyone know the best way to introduce the kitten to our budgie. Don't want to come down to lots of feathers and no bird one morning!!! :eek:
    Im thinking because the kitten is young she might learn to live with him or am i just trying to defy nature? tho lots of people have cats and birds that live in harmony.
    She will be arriving over the wkend i hope so what way do you think i should approach this.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,441 ✭✭✭planetX


    rachaelc wrote: »
    Meant to ask anyone know the best way to introduce the kitten to our budgie. Don't want to come down to lots of feathers and no bird one morning!!! :eek:
    Im thinking because the kitten is young she might learn to live with him or am i just trying to defy nature? tho lots of people have cats and birds that live in harmony.
    She will be arriving over the wkend i hope so what way do you think i should approach this.

    'introduce':eek:
    Your cat will kill your bird if it gets the chance. Don't even think about it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25 rachaelc


    Well i don't mean let the bird out, introduce them and let them play together!!!
    imagine!
    I just mean, were i can leave the cage on the counter top without having to put it up really high, sorry should of explained myself.
    Would it be better to try and keep the bird out of sight or should i let the kitten be aware of it, and try to get her used to it from a young age.

    Does nobody on here have birds and cats that live together?
    Maybe im asking too much, you can't change a cats natural instincts


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,524 ✭✭✭Zapperzy


    Iv no experience with cats and birds but I do have lots of experience of a certain cat and hamsters! :D I always allowed my cat around my hamsters, I have no problem leaving her alone with hamsters once they are in their cage and have been known to leave a hamster in the bath and the cat in the bathroom watching said hamster while I ran into another room to get something. But I have a very weird cat thats more interested in the hay thats in the cage rather than the small furry animal.

    In the beginning I was more cautious, I never left them alone and only allowed the cat into the hamster room while I was in there, I always corrected her with a loud shhh or ahhh if she went into that frame of mind where her pupils enlarged, ears went forward and she became too fixed on the hamster, so she was always taught that hamsters are not for stalking! :D She usually just has her little hay snack and curls up asleep beside the cage, and if a hamster stands up to look out at her she purrs immensely! :D
    Sadly Iv only one old syrian girl left who I do not trust with myself nevermind with the cat, but when I had my 2 dwarf boys who were much calmer and didn't bite I used to let them run around on top of the cat routing around in her fur! :D

    Anyways play it by ear, at first keep the bird well out of reach of the kitten and only allow supervised viewing time! You'l know yourself if she goes into that playful ears forward, pupils enlarged about to pounce on bird mode then just correct her with an ahhh/shhh and remove her from the situation until she calms down. With time she'l probably learn that attacking or stalking the bird in front of you is not allowed but still never leave the bird out of the cage where the cat has access without you supervising them.

    Has the bird it's wings clipped?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25 rachaelc


    Hey Zapperzy,

    No he hasn't got them clipped, i wouldn't do that to him, living in a cage is bad enough!
    But yeah your right just play it by year and see how it goes, I know what to look out for so hopefully bluey won't end up on the menu.
    That's so cute that your cat allowed your hamsters so close, i'll be sure to take your advice as you done something right anyway.
    :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,082 ✭✭✭irelandspurs


    My kitten loved this food and now loves the adult make too.

    http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/purina_pro_plan/kitten/126940


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