What and how to Feed:-)

CAPITOL CAFETERIA

FEEDING:: Cats are curious creatures. They can be finicky or eat anything. Some will beg treats and others will never touch the stuff. Learning what your cat likes is important. But keep in mind that you still want to provide a healthy diet for your kitty. In general, any commercial food is good for your cat. Feeding the premium brands (not grocery store, but higher quality ones found in a pet supply store) may cost you a little more, but you should find less waste in the litter box and decreased vet bills. Plus, you'll see the difference in your pet's shiny coat and healthy condition.

At Capitolcats, we believe in feeding a high quality dry food, with fresh water available AT ALL TIMES. Water is especially important! Our Persian adults eat Iams Lamb and Rice formula. For some reason, they prefer it over Iams Maintenance and their weight and coats prove it. I especially love Lamb & Rice for the cats with sensitive skin.

My Chartreux seem to prefer Science Diet over the Iams. In fact, they usually eat Science Diet Lite. It keeps the weight on without giving them extra fat and THEY LOVE IT!

While we know their preference, all of the adults have free access to both Iams Lamb & Rice and Science Diet Lite at all times. It's curious, but when the alters start getting pudgy, they seem to sense that and switch to the Lite.

Our cats LOVE to eat together. See the little Chartreux (Les Yeux) try to get a bite while Snuffles and Cheyenne chow down! We feed them out of bowls on a tray to catch the dropped pieces of food.

Switching food: Whenever switching from one type of food to another, mix the two foods together for several days to avoid problems. The first day, add 1 part new food to 3 parts old food. The second day, make it half and half, etc.

In my multi-cat household it is difficult to tell if everyone is eating, so I give each cat one teaspoon of canned food daily before bedtime. If they don't eat, I know that something is wrong. Feeding canned food is strictly an option, but using it as a treat has been an invaluable "health check" for me. If you don't want to feed canned food, or your cat doesn't like canned food, try to have something else that you feed as a treat or some other little ritual (like a special game) that you play every day. Once the cat becomes acustomed to the ritual, you can gauge how the cat is feeling by how it responds.

What about treats? Treats are okay in moderation. Anything outside of your cat's "normal" food (the dry food) should be considered a treat. Try to keep treats to less than ten percent of your cat's daily food intake. That's true if you are sneaking them a bit of turkey at Thanksgiving or a tiny bite of fish. Keeping the treat small is less likely to cause digestive upset.

Someday you will be faced with a cat with a loose bowel movement or diarrhea. DON'T PANIC! Try to feed them some shredded cheese. Most will eat cheddar or mozzarella. They eat shredded cheese better than sliced cheese. If you can't get them to eat the cheese, OR if you have a severe problem, call your vet. As a last resort, give them 1/8-1/4 tablet of Immodium AD. You may need to repeat that treatment later in the day or the next day. The cheese is definitely the preferred method.

Should I Give My Cat A Food Supplement? If you are feeding a premium cat food, there should be no need for food supplements unless your cat is under stress or ill. Your cat food should be complete.

However, there are always exceptions to this rule. For example, if you have a cat with very dry skin, you might wish to feed some type of supplement to correct the problem. In general, that concern and most others can be addressed through grooming and changing food until you find a food that totally meets your cat's needs. We found the Iams Lamb & Rice gave us much better results than Iams Maintenance. A breeder friend cured some of her problems when she switched to Science Diet Lite. A little experimentation can tell you a lot.

There's a wonderful product called Nutrical. It is a tube of nutrition. Just one tablespoon provides a full day's nutrition for a ten pound cat. Many cats love this product and it can be extremely beneficial if your cat is ill, needs to gain weight, or is under stress. But it is a temporary solution only. And the cat will still need plenty of fluids.

How do you know if your cat is too fat? You should be able to feel the cat's ribs. Not easily, but you should be able to feel them. Another area to check is the cat's tummy. Standing the cat up, reach underneath and rub their tummy. Can you feel the ribs on their underside? If you can but barely, you might want to consider a different type of diet for your kitty. Or put kitty on an exercise program. Buying a new toy which will encourage jumping or chasing a ball up and down the stairs, etc. is a great way to firm up tummy fat and slim down kitty. (Just don't make us do that, okay?)

Feeding Kittens: At Capitolcats, our kittens begin the weaning process by learning to lap a milk formula (We like Kittylac by Cornell.). Next, they lap Kittylac mixed with baby rice cereal, then progress to canned food, thinned slightly with water, then canned food on its own and finally dry food. Sometimes we moisten the dry food and mix in with the canned food to get the kittens used to the taste and texture of the dry.

Some kittens refuse to drink the milk. Others don't like the cereal. By the time we get to the canned food stage, most kittens are ready to eat. We feed a variety of canned food, both Science Diet and Iams plus grocery store brands. We offer different textures and tastes because we want to see what will stimulate each kitten's appetite. Once a kitten learns that eating is more than nursing mom, he or she is quick to complete the weaning process. That helps keep mama cat from getting too run down.

When selecting a dry food, feed one designed for kittens until they are 6-8 pounds or one year old, then switch to an adult or maintenance food. Making the switch depends somewhat on the individual kitten and the breed. For Persians and Chartreux, which are both large breeds and slow to develop, we tend to leave them on kitten food for the entire first year, even though they reach six pounds at about six months. Some kittens are slower and may requrie more time, while others get too fat and need the adult diet sooner.

It's amazing how much different a kitten feels when it starts to eat dry food. Suddenly the weight is more solid. You'll see the extra energy, too.

If you have feeding questions, email us.

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LeAnn Harner, Capitolcats, capitolcats@starband.net

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