I think I’ve mentioned a few times that I recently got two cats, Mario and Yoshi. They’re ten year old Maine Coons, and eventually they’ll get their own bios and stuff on the site, because I’m weird like that, but time hasn’t lent itself that way.
Since the boys came home we’ve had issues with vomiting. It’s been mostly Mario, my blue eyed, seal point boy, but I have seen Yoshi up-chuck a little. This has been hard on all of us. Them because vomiting is no fun, and me because I have to clean up after than and their vomiting makes me vomit. Yeah, it hasn’t been fun.
When I brought them home I fed them the same brand of food they’d been eating at the shelter. Iams. Big name we all recognize, right? I thought so, but things just never got better.
This last week I’ve been trying out a Purina brand food with disastrous results! It’s like explosion city after each feeding.
I’ve been hearing a lot about how bad grain based feeds are for cats and dogs, so I started digging to try to find out what a good option was for them. This really isn’t an easy process and I don’t have any answers yet, except that Purina is not the food for us. I ran across PetFoodRatings.org yesterday and read through the reviews. Now I’ve never been a fan of wet foods. Clearly I posses one of the weakest stomachs known to man and the wet foods disgust me, so we’re sticking with dry food. That, and the vet I spoke with recommended keeping them on a dry food diet.
So, I’m trying a new food and crossing my fingers that this is easier on their tummies and we can cut out all this vomiting business, because no one likes to throw up!
Good luck with the new food! I’ve learned you really have to read the labels on the cat foods. Try to find one with a high meat content. The first ingredient listed should be meat, not even a meat by-product or something they’re trying to fool you into believing is meat. Many of the popular brands out there have corn products as the first ingredient. Um, hello? Cats are carnivores. Yes, they need some grains too, but they need meat.
You might try supplementing with a little of the wet food occasionally (they love it, and it is much easier to get a high meat content in a wet food than in a dry food), but I completely understand about the smell.
If it comes down to it, your vet might even go so far as to prescribe them with a prescription food. It’ll be expensive, but any time I’ve had a cat on one for whatever reason, it has done wonders for them.
I hope you find a food they can handle soon! Having a kitty with an upset tummy is no fun for anyone.
To be honest, I didn’t even know what was in cat food until I started reading the labels a few weeks ago. Being able to read the label contents on that food ratings site really helped me figure out what was what. Yeah, the reviewer is a little biased, but I think they know what they’re talking about.
I got a food called Wellness, and after doing a little research, I think I’m going to suppliment with a can or two of wet a week as a treat once we get rolling and there are no indications we need to try a new food.
Sidney recently posted..Living with the Fur Boys
My cats (all five of them)eat IAMS too. I usually add a spoonful of tinned tuna on the side for texture. Let’s face it, who would want to eat dried food all the time.
Make sure they have plenty of drinking water.
Hi there! I’m Chris from PetFoodRatings – thanks for the mention!
My new site is petfoodratings.ORG as I somehow lost the other one. Any chance you can update your links? Appreciated!
C
Chris recently posted..Cat Food Listings & Reviews
Thanks for the mention!!
Chris recently posted..Cat Food Listings & Reviews