What do you feed your cats? Wet, dry, raw, combo?

Just bored and curious. What do you feed your cats? Wet, dry, raw, combo?

I feed a can of wet food (no fish!!) and about 1-8lb raw meat to my cats (ends up just being the boy cats 99.999% of the time but Molly always gets some in her bowl) in the morning for breakfast and then again for dinner.

At night time they each get a small scoop (1/3 cup) of dry food (Merrick-also no fish) Molly eats this always. I also occasionally add some freeze dried food crumbled up.

The raw meat is Blue Ridge Beef. The wet food is anything from Blue Buffalo to Nature’s Variety to Weruva. I do try to get stew or bits rather than Paté since Molly likes that better. No fish because my one cat is allergic to it. Jazz likes fish. Fish does not like Jazz.

 

I feed mine just plain ole' meow mix, with some ham once in awhile. He is primarily an outdoor cat, so he eats outside (R.I.P. bird's). Nothing fancy.

 

When it comes to dry foods, I like Orijen. For canned foods I like Zealandia, from New Zealand. They have canned brushtail and canned kangaroo even. My cat goes crazy for kangaroo. With allergies and all, those might be useful. Unfortunately, I know of only one store that sells them in the US.

 

Canaculus. Ohh my cats go crazy for ham too! . I feed my ferals Meow Mix or Friskies with wet food mixed in. They don’t have issues thankfully!

scarface. Ohh Orijen is a great food! My dog ate that for a little bit and loved it! Hmm I will have to look up Zealandia, thank you! . So far in Orijen cat food I haven’t found any without fish.

 

Canaculus. Ohh my cats go crazy for ham too! . I feed my ferals Meow Mix or Friskies with wet food mixed in. They don’t have issues thankfully!

scarface. Ohh Orijen is a great food! My dog ate that for a little bit and loved it! Hmm I will have to look up Zealandia, thank you! . So far in Orijen cat food I haven’t found any without fish.

I try to feed the best Yeah, you’re right it does, even their red meat formula. I didn’t know that.

 

I feed my cat both dry and wet food. she gets about a can or 2/3 of can of purina beyond's pate cat food (wild salmon is her favourite) a day, plus some of whatever grain-free dry food I feel like buying that's relatively cheap. lately i've been buying either petco's whole hearted, nutro, or pure balance.

my other cat (family's cat) just gets a can of fancy feast gravy lovers (chicken is her fave) a day lol. plus the dry food. she also always goes and eats my cat's wet food leftovers. we call it her "second breakfast" and "second dinner." i've been wanting to try halo's wet food but i'm lazy and cheap and prefer to get my stuff at walmart.

 

The cheapest cat food out there and they hunt birds and mice

 

The diet for my three varies, but it all comes from a list of lower-sodium foods for cats with cardiac issues. The two older ones have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - the boy has no functional impairment, while the girl does. Currently the boy (Ricky) is instead on Fiber Response due to a digestive issue he developed after treatment for a skin issue - really, he’s transitioning from it back to his normal food. Third cat is along for the ride, since I’m not stocking another food just for her. They get about two-thirds to one-half dry, the rest canned.

 

When it comes to dry foods, I like Orijen. For canned foods I like Zealandia, from New Zealand. They have canned brushtail and canned kangaroo even. My cat goes crazy for kangaroo. With allergies and all, those might be useful. Unfortunately, I know of only one store that sells them in the US.

Sounds pricey.

 

Sounds pricey.

Yeah, but it’s only one little cat, and the can foods are portioned for two days.

 

Yeah, but it’s only one little cat, and the can foods are portioned for two days.

He won't be so little if you feed him like that.

 

He won't be so little if you feed him like that.

She’s about 7 yrs. old. Genetics > diet apparently, lol.

 

scarface. I could always buy Orijen for my ferals, maybe offer Jazz a couple pieces of kibble. I buy my ferals a premium food once a season, maybe twice in winter. I used to feed mine Nature’s Variety kibble but then they changed the formula to add 3 fish and poor Jazz felt horrible.

midna. I have heard good things about Wholehearted! And Pure Balance. Maybe write a note to yourself to grab a can of Halo? My cats like it.

AJE. I get presents on a regular basis from my ferals. I always thank them for it. I used to feed my first cat Friskies, but she could eat it no problems.

Fishcat. Oh wow! Do you have Maine Coons? I know they can be predisposed to it. My Casey doesn’t have the issue so far? His heart is good.

Canaculus. I regularly have 3-5 coupons from Petco for $5 off. You get them after spending $100 and they last 45 days. But then I have 4 cats, 1 dog, and 3 fish tanks. As long as scarface keeps their car active it’s enough food.

 

Not Maine Coons, just regular random bred kitties. I do work at a veterinary clinic, so working up their heart murmurs was a lot less expensive for me than it would be for most people. Unfortunately, about half the cats with cardiac disease don’t even have audible murmurs. There is a blood test that can indicate the possibility of cardiac disease - as I understand it, a negative more or less rules out cardiac disease, while a positive indicates a possible problem. So it’s not a great test, but it’s the best we have right now, short of doing EKGs and X-rays and ultrasound, which give you a much more complete picture of what’s going on with the heart.
Even the one of mine that does have functional impairment - Fuzzy - shows no symptoms, though we’re careful not to encourage over-vigorous play. She’s on medication to help her stay as healthy as she can for as long as she can. Ricky is also on medication to hopefully prevent progression of his cardiomyopathy past the very mild disease he currently has.

 

scarface. I could always buy Orijen for my ferals, maybe offer Jazz a couple pieces of kibble. I buy my ferals a premium food once a season, maybe twice in winter. I used to feed mine Nature’s Variety kibble but then they changed the formula to add 3 fish and poor Jazz felt horrible.

midna. I have heard good things about Wholehearted! And Pure Balance. Maybe write a note to yourself to grab a can of Halo? My cats like it.

AJE. I get presents on a regular basis from my ferals. I always thank them for it. I used to feed my first cat Friskies, but she could eat it no problems.

Fishcat. Oh wow! Do you have Maine Coons? I know they can be predisposed to it. My Casey doesn’t have the issue so far? His heart is good.

Canaculus. I regularly have 3-5 coupons from Petco for $5 off. You get them after spending $100 and they last 45 days. But then I have 4 cats, 1 dog, and 3 fish tanks. As long as scarface keeps their car active it’s enough food.

Jealous of your pets xD.

 

My 3 all past of old age last year but I used to feed them a little kibble and fresh fish a little chicken no beef except kibble they all three were in there 20s when they past

 

@Canaulus. I have to, and if my cats eat the best I can do, then why not my dog and my fish? Hehe. 3 cats from kittenhood, 1 I’ve had since he was 4 years, he’ll be 8 in December. My dog I’ve had for 4 years, she’s 12 years old.

NanaW. Oh I’m sorry all of them have passed . But old is a good reason and they probably lived a good life with you.

 

Well IIIIIIIII don't feed my cats nothin(jk)
They eat mice, squirrel, frogs, bugs, and birds, and fluval bug bites.
And the occasional escaped crawfish?!.....
They tried to eat the ropefish we had last night.

I don't have a choice in their food, mom buys one bag for the whole house and it's usually the cheapest.
I do like giving them Sheba though, it's a decent brand.

At first I thought this would be about fish food, and I was thinking HA! I can share my homemade food pictures now!

Sure my cats would enjoy it as much as they enjoy my fish food normally.

Mmmmm fish food.....


(added a lot more than seen here)


Thin pack for freezing.

 

Crazycoryfishlady. Hehe. Hmm, tell the kitties to not eat the tank fishies! You make your own fish food? How do you do that? What is put into it?

 

They are used to cheap dry food. Both were feral cats who were taken in. I have a hefty tuxedo cat who is still indoor-outdoor, and a tiny tortie long hair that I found on a Christmas eve frozen in the middle of a street unconscious. She was unconscious for 3 days, and could not walk for several weeks, and I think she is still a bit backward in her development. I supplement with raw meat, tuna, and other real food. The tortie loves fish food. She goes wild when I open up the container. I give her algae wafers and dried krill as a treat as well. She loves her fish food.

 

Crazycoryfishlady. Hehe. Hmm, tell the kitties to not eat the tank fishies! You make your own fish food? How do you do that? What is put into it?

I don't like the idea of feeding my fish a pellet with an ingredient blankly labeled "bakery product"
Yeah I'm sure it's a powder used to thicken the pellet, but it just doesn't sound good to me.
This specific food I used these items
(amounts need a bit of tweaking for different types of foods)


Two frozen cubes of a mix of shrimp and worms, shrimp pellets down at the bottom, yellow squash and a small bit of green leaf lettuce, add water to soften, and blend!

I gave everyone the leftovers once I bagged it, and they loved it!
I was thinking they wouldn't but they really did!

I probably should have mixed it a bit longer, and not had as much squash as I did, but this will be used mainly for plecos and cories, while some of the other fish will pick at it a bit.

For my mollies and gobies, theirs will have to have a bit more worms, and less veggies.
I bought a big bag of mysis shrimp, thinking about getting krill too.
I'll thaw and blend those with a handfull of brussle sprouts and maybe one or two squash cubes.

The foods can be kept in thin sheets in the freezer for quite a while I'm sure.
I haven't worked out a perfect best by date yet.
You can also add any veggies you like.
I like to add my premade foods, since I don't like feeding the shrimp pellets anymore.
So rather than waste my fishes foods I bought because they're poor quality, I figure why not make it real quality?

I use shrimps more than worms since worms are treats and shrimps are more readily available than some foods in the wild.
I'd love to have fresh larvae I could use or feed.
Thinking about trying to raise fry larvae maybe.
That would be live and not mixed with any other foods.

Peas and beans are also a great option for some of the fish.

My dragon goby looks like a meat eater, but they consume mostly algae, so squash shrimp and green leaf lettuce is really good for him.

 

My 3 all past of old age last year but I used to feed them a little kibble and fresh fish a little chicken no beef except kibble they all three were in there 20s when they past

That's sad to hear, them all going at once like that! My old chihuahua died in August. I was pretty broken up about that, but I swore "no more dogs!" I have one surviving dog in good shape. She ought to live another 10 years. The ChI had heart and breathing issues but died at 15.

 

Kalyke. Hehe. My Missy was taken in from my feral colony. She decided one winter to come inside and stay there. She’s actually the one that started me on the premium foods. She ended up having Stomatitis and really could only eat wet food so I made it the best wet food I could buy then started mixing it with very finely ground beef (kitten grind) and that was a godsend!! Also helped Jazz actually put on weight and grow! She was a medium hair tortie. My dog likes the fish food! I can’t give it to any cats.

Crazycoryfishlady. Oh wow! You put a lot of work into it! And I do understand about wondering if the premade stuff is absolutely the best for your pets! Thanks for sharing your recipes

 

Kalyke. Hehe. My Missy was taken in from my feral colony. She decided one winter to come inside and stay there. She’s actually the one that started me on the premium foods. She ended up having Stomatitis and really could only eat wet food so I made it the best wet food I could buy then started mixing it with very finely ground beef (kitten grind) and that was a godsend!! Also helped Jazz actually put on weight and grow! She was a medium hair tortie. My dog likes the fish food! I can’t give it to any cats.

Crazycoryfishlady. Oh wow! You put a lot of work into it! And I do understand about wondering if the premade stuff is absolutely the best for your pets! Thanks for sharing your recipes

Eventually I'm hoping I can even give them some real fish, lots of people recommend thin strips of tilapia for those fish who like to eat other fish. Would be fun to slice a huge piece in to fishy bite sized pieces.
I'm sure our 7 cats would love the treat too!!!
I've always hated premade.
Even for myself, always looking at food asking "why does half of it have to be fake?!?!"
Why can't we make it with normal ingredients like we used to? I don't care if it's not the most 'cost effective' I'm looking for quality not quantity for price.
Once I get another job I'll probably start making more homemade cat food.
I'm not fond of giving them 'human food' especially scraps, because I use so many seasonings and I don't want to give them something that is all flavor and no meat.
I rather give them raw fish or fresh cooked instead of what I made myself for dinner.

My moms boyfriend makes homemade cat food I guess, he just puts his dinner plate on the ground and calls it good eats for our very chubby marbled tabby/cross lol

Also all 3 cats that are mine are technically ferals.
Momma was a drop off when she went into heat, family didn't like the way she changed I guess. They would probably still have her if they fixed her instead of letting her at 8 months old, leave, and get pregnant.
She was found on my porch starved.
She knew kitty parents lived here.
Odin was a snatch and rescue from the feral community near my old house.
Baby Blue came from the same place, just a different time.
Blue is probably 8 months herself now.
And momma cat acts as her momma

 

I have read on the BARF (bones and raw food) or "Species appropriate food" that you should put bone powder in your home made food for both cats and dogs. You can buy food grade bone powder on Amazon or health/natural food stores. This is because in nature when they eat, a lot of the time they will eat the entire creature guts, bones, and all. If you look at these things, they represent important parts of nutrition. Guts, especially those of grain eaters (rats, mice) for instance have small amounts of carbohydrates, bone has lots of calcium/magnesium and other building materials (etc).

BTW I am not a twitter user, how do you do that @ thing?

 

I have read on the BARF (bones and raw food) or "Species appropriate food" that you should put bone powder in your home made food for both cats and dogs. You can buy food grade bone powder on Amazon or health/natural food stores. This is because in nature when they eat, a lot of the time they will eat the entire creature guts, bones, and all. If you look at these things, they represent important parts of nutrition. Guts, especially those of grain eaters (rats, mice) for instance have small amounts of carbohydrates, bone has lots of calcium/magnesium and other building materials (etc).

BTW I am not a twitter user, how do you do that @ thing?

You just @(name)
So Crazycoryfishlady @'s me.
It should show a little name on the screen when you start typing the letters.

I was also thinking about that a bit.
I have a frozen fish food that contains beef heart, and I know another person who often gives their cat heart, internals and gizzards/necks
All with the bones.
I'll let my cats eat bones so long as they aren't needle like or from my cooked chicken.

It's funny seeing dog owners freak out over bone shards.
You don't think without your help that your dog would hesitate before eating an animal do you?
If they eat poop I'm sure they'll eat almost anything, and at least bones are more nutritious than poop! Lol

Barn cats are probably a lot healthier than house cats.

 

@Canaulus. I have to, and if my cats eat the best I can do, then why not my dog and my fish? Hehe. 3 cats from kittenhood, 1 I’ve had since he was 4 years, he’ll be 8 in December. My dog I’ve had for 4 years, she’s 12 years old.

NanaW. Oh I’m sorry all of them have passed . But old is a good reason and they probably lived a good life with you.

Yes they did they were all from the same litter we rescued them from death they were in a box behind a car tire at the mall would have been crushed we had to bottle feed them

That's sad to hear, them all going at once like that! My old chihuahua died in August. I was pretty broken up about that, but I swore "no more dogs!" I have one surviving dog in good shape. She ought to live another 10 years. The ChI had heart and breathing issues but died at 15.

Ahh sorry you lost your baby

 

Crazycoryfishlady. I have heard of people giving their big fish eating fish tilapia strips from the store. Yeah I’ve seen recipes for cats, both raw and cooked. Mainly meat such as chicken or rabbit. Preferably whole pieces with bone. Hehe yeah, Molly is always just a step away from feral. Jazz is from my colony. I brought the kittens in when they were 4 weeks old cuz I was told to in order to socialize.

Kalyke. Or you get a whole chicken or rabbit fryer and grind everything up together. I don’t use twitter either. If you use the symbol in front of a name that person should get an alert.

NanaW. Oh wow! That young! I can’t believe someone would do that. Glad you found them

 

The cat currently living with me eats Vital Essentials frozen raw, and the two that my family is watching for me eat WholeHearted. When those two come live with me, they'll be transitioned onto a raw diet like Holly.