Author Topic: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet  (Read 8894 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2017, 09:47:12 AM »
Right now, I am feeding whatever canned I can afford, or, more accurately, mixing what I can with what I really can't.  Canned is just a step toward the final goal of homemade, and ultimately, raw.  I think it will be lots better for them, and after I took a look at the cost of even the most marginally acceptable canned food, probably cheaper in the long run, as well.  (I have some mad bargain-hunting skills.)  I hate it that cost is a consideration, but sadly, with six cats and two dogs, it is.


You are doing GREAT!!!  No matter what tips you are given, do what works for YOU and your cats.  That means... sometimes you have to pick your battles. 

When I fed canned, some food contained carrageenan.... but MOST of the foods/brands didn't.  Had to pick my battles.
As much as I DETEST Purina products... at times, I did buy Friskies Mixed Grilled (or something like that).  It was the least of the ick, at the time.
Later, I was a member of raw feeding group.  I felt I was always being attacked because I feed ground raw. 
Am I perfect?  No.  But I feed balanced meals that work for my furkids and me. 

We do the best we can.
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2017, 12:29:39 PM »
You are doing GREAT!!!  No matter what tips you are given, do what works for YOU and your cats.  That means... sometimes you have to pick your battles. 

When I fed canned, some food contained carrageenan.... but MOST of the foods/brands didn't.  Had to pick my battles.
As much as I DETEST Purina products... at times, I did buy Friskies Mixed Grilled (or something like that).  It was the least of the ick, at the time.
Later, I was a member of raw feeding group.  I felt I was always being attacked because I feed ground raw. 
Am I perfect?  No.  But I feed balanced meals that work for my furkids and me. 

We do the best we can.


 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy

Offline Catgirl64

  • Chatter Bug
  • Join Date: Dec 2017
  • Posts: 287
  • Country: us
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #17 on: December 10, 2017, 12:45:08 PM »
To clarify, I already knew dry food was bad for cats.  In 1985 my male cat Baby blocked when he was barely 2 years old.  He was my only cat at the time, and the vet told me how bad dry was for cats at that time. Shortly after that I took in a 6 year old female who was being fed, of all horrible things, Tender Vittles.  She also had urinary tract issues, but Baby was already on canned food by then, and Sissy went right to a wet diet as well and never had another issue.

I don't know what happened, why I was so dumb about Mazy cat coming from the shelter on that Hills garbage. I will never forgive myself for it.

I have my own opinion about Hills, but how much of it I can express here depends on the board's rules regarding profanity.  I will simply say that I think that company holds entirely too much sway over how vets are educated about nutrition.  I've had a couple of go-rounds with that garbage, too. 

Offline Catgirl64

  • Chatter Bug
  • Join Date: Dec 2017
  • Posts: 287
  • Country: us
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #18 on: December 10, 2017, 12:51:10 PM »
You are doing GREAT!!!  No matter what tips you are given, do what works for YOU and your cats.  That means... sometimes you have to pick your battles. 

When I fed canned, some food contained carrageenan.... but MOST of the foods/brands didn't.  Had to pick my battles.
As much as I DETEST Purina products... at times, I did buy Friskies Mixed Grilled (or something like that).  It was the least of the ick, at the time.
Later, I was a member of raw feeding group.  I felt I was always being attacked because I feed ground raw. 
Am I perfect?  No.  But I feed balanced meals that work for my furkids and me. 

We do the best we can.

Yeah, I'm having to use some Friskies, too.  I'm alternating it with Redbarn, which is pretty good stuff, and starting to mix in real meat.  I'll be radically increasing the amount of meat when the Alnutrin I ordered gets here. 

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #19 on: December 10, 2017, 01:46:30 PM »
I have my own opinion about Hills, but how much of it I can express here depends on the board's rules regarding profanity.  I will simply say that I think that company holds entirely too much sway over how vets are educated about nutrition.  I've had a couple of go-rounds with that garbage, too. 

Those of us that post regularly here... hate Hills.  We are onto their BS. 
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #20 on: December 10, 2017, 01:50:00 PM »
I'm alternating it with Redbarn, which is pretty good stuff, and starting to mix in real meat.  I'll be radically increasing the amount of meat when the Alnutrin I ordered gets here. 

I see Red Barn (have to check individual varieties) is listed on our Carrageen Free list.  :) 

http://parenting-furkids.com/index.php?topic=1249.0
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline DeeDee

  • P-F's Twitter-er
  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 6013
  • Country: us
  • Barkly & Vlad
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #21 on: December 10, 2017, 02:36:36 PM »
I know food allergies are a thing, but I've always wondered if it's really any kind of meat that is responsible.  I don't honestly know anything about it, but it seems counterintuitive to me.  Some other ingredient or additive seems like a more likely culprit.  How can a carnivore be allergic to meat?  I need to learn more about that, I guess. 

Had an Airedale that had food allergies. Corn, wheat, rice, soy--mostly common grains. It's my honest belief that foods that are commonly GMOs these days, especially in pet food, are the reason that so many mammals are developing so many food allergies. Back then, almost 18 years ago, I had no choice around here for anything other than Dick Van Patton's Natural Balance. Natural Balance isn't Dick Van Patton anymore. Yep. It got bought out. J. Smucker.

Here's one of the things you have to learn to argue with vets about. Most of them have been taught by Science Diet (or whatever brand is in their office) to say that it's usually proteins that pets become allergic to if they have problems. Hello, vets! Those grains are put into the foods for a cheap source of protein! DUH!!! You have to be fast on your feet with making that point to them.

Once Science Diet actually came out with something for pets allergic to grains (years after finding all the food that Dannyboy could NOT eat) it was $20 for 8 pounds (now $38.99 in Chewy). Luckily, these days, there are a lot of other choices for people that need something to feed allergy-dogs.

I personally think that when pets become allergic to actual meat proteins, it's because their bodies were first being attacked over cheap, grain proteins (doesn't make the foods inexpensive) being inside the foods. Once you start the allergy-inflammation response, everything is going to be questioned by the whole body when it's under attack. I'm not saying that allergies to meat proteins isn't a thing, but I'm saying I don't think it was the first thing.

I also think that the most common food allergies to actual meat proteins are chicken and beef because those animals are so normally fed GMO foods to fatten them up before slaughter. Even if you're buying grain-free, the meats still had it in them. Kind of a double whammy.

There's only one way to absolutely prevent food allergy attacks, and that's to not get the allergens at all in any way--especially if allergies develop. Due to our experience with one allergy dog, these 2 dogs we now have have almost never gotten any grains. If they don't get the foods in the first place, they can't become allergic to it.

I'm positive that you're going to start seeing huge coat changes now that you have your cats moved to wet, and when you get to raw, there will be another, even larger, change in coat. I've read about it happening every time someone makes the changes.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Catgirl64

  • Chatter Bug
  • Join Date: Dec 2017
  • Posts: 287
  • Country: us
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #22 on: December 10, 2017, 02:45:20 PM »
I see Red Barn (have to check individual varieties) is listed on our Carrageen Free list.  :) 

http://parenting-furkids.com/index.php?topic=1249.0

I'm going to have to track down the site again, as it was bookmarked on my old, recently deceased computer, but it listed cat and dog foods that were free of questionable ingredients, bad recall history, etc., and that is how I learned about Redbarn.  I'll try to find it again, and post it.  It did list "acceptable" kibbles, but you can narrow your search to canned only. 

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #23 on: December 10, 2017, 03:07:06 PM »
Nothing on the list!   Silly7

Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #24 on: December 10, 2017, 03:08:02 PM »
^^^^^^ 

That is humor.  :)
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline DeeDee

  • P-F's Twitter-er
  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 6013
  • Country: us
  • Barkly & Vlad
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #25 on: December 10, 2017, 03:12:11 PM »
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #26 on: December 10, 2017, 04:15:07 PM »
Catgirl's question about adulterated meat in the grocery store has been moved to it's own thread:

http://parenting-furkids.com/index.php?topic=5480.msg40948;topicseen#msg40948

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: Tips And Tricks For Transitioning To Wet
« Reply #27 on: December 10, 2017, 04:15:55 PM »
Had an Airedale that had food allergies. Corn, wheat, rice, soy--mostly common grains. It's my honest belief that foods that are commonly GMOs these days, especially in pet food, are the reason that so many mammals are developing so many food allergies. Back then, almost 18 years ago, I had no choice around here for anything other than Dick Van Patton's Natural Balance. Natural Balance isn't Dick Van Patton anymore. Yep. It got bought out. J. Smucker.

Here's one of the things you have to learn to argue with vets about. Most of them have been taught by Science Diet (or whatever brand is in their office) to say that it's usually proteins that pets become allergic to if they have problems. Hello, vets! Those grains are put into the foods for a cheap source of protein! DUH!!! You have to be fast on your feet with making that point to them.

Once Science Diet actually came out with something for pets allergic to grains (years after finding all the food that Dannyboy could NOT eat) it was $20 for 8 pounds (now $38.99 in Chewy). Luckily, these days, there are a lot of other choices for people that need something to feed allergy-dogs.

I personally think that when pets become allergic to actual meat proteins, it's because their bodies were first being attacked over cheap, grain proteins (doesn't make the foods inexpensive) being inside the foods. Once you start the allergy-inflammation response, everything is going to be questioned by the whole body when it's under attack. I'm not saying that allergies to meat proteins isn't a thing, but I'm saying I don't think it was the first thing.

I also think that the most common food allergies to actual meat proteins are chicken and beef because those animals are so normally fed GMO foods to fatten them up before slaughter. Even if you're buying grain-free, the meats still had it in them. Kind of a double whammy.

There's only one way to absolutely prevent food allergy attacks, and that's to not get the allergens at all in any way--especially if allergies develop. Due to our experience with one allergy dog, these 2 dogs we now have have almost never gotten any grains. If they don't get the foods in the first place, they can't become allergic to it.

I'm positive that you're going to start seeing huge coat changes now that you have your cats moved to wet, and when you get to raw, there will be another, even larger, change in coat. I've read about it happening every time someone makes the changes.


Great post Dee.  thumbsup1 thumbsup1 thumbsup1 DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy

Tags: