The fact that cats love fish–the “fishier” the better, it seems–makes me wonder why? I don’t imagine their ancestors caught fish as a big part of their diets. Same with poultry. Most cats really go crazy for chicken, but did their ancestors catch a lot of birds? (Can you tell I have a lot of work to do and don’t want to start it?)
Our kitty is only five, but is very healthy so far. We leave out a bowl of Trader Joe brand kibble and then at night he gets 1/3 a can of Trader Joe’s wet food. We started that to train him to come inside at night. It’s so funny to watch him rush in and chow down then get so pissed off at us for not letting him out again. Every.Single.Night. He’s healthy, but his long term memory is not the best!
Domestic cats sometimes do hunt and catch small birds.
Birds are easier for cats to hunt than mice…, Keep your pet cats INDOORS!!!
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cats-kill-more-one-billion-birds-each-year
There is no reason for them to poop into your neighbor’s garden or kill birds.
My cat prefers birds to mice unfortunately. Sorry Bunsen Burner. There is no way this cat would stay indoors, he’s a feral who adopted us, we are just his slaves and his housing when the weather is especially bad.
NEPatsGirl, yup, birds are more abundant and are easier to catch than mice. Your cat is feral, so he gets a pass from me. By feeding him you actually reduce the number of birds he would have killed without his daily ration of kitty chow. 
There are a few articles which state that some particular vegetables are suitable (healthy?) for cats; cooked zucchini, pumpkin, green beans, broccoli, carrots. Do you agree?
I feed my rescue cat the Weruva Cat brand of wet food. It is more expensive but I find it one of the more healthier food brands. She likes the gravy varieties best and even though I have a cat fountain I have seen her drink water out of it only once in the two years I have had her. She is an indoor cat although she longs to go outside. The vet gushed about how healthy she is, normally indoor cats tend to be overweight. Her fur is thick and glossy so I am happy with this food brand. Because I feed her wet food, I also give her some dental treats to keep her teeth clean.
My daughter’s rescue cat will only eat dry food, he won’t touch wet food. And because he is a male and only eats dry food, the cat fountain is important. He drinks a lot of water. (Cats like moving water) He is one of the male cats that form crystals in his urine so now he is on a special urinary formulated food to help with this. We tried everything to get him on wet food because it is better for this condition. Sometimes they like what they ate as a kitten and won’t change. She has to keep a careful eye on him, crystals are life threatening for a male cat.
Our 17 year old cat has always eaten Costco brand dry food and Friskies wet cat food. Every once in a while I will give her a can of Trader Joe’s tuna cat food because she loves it. She is still going strong and has been healthy. We have had a lot of cats and they have all had a similar diet and been healthy and long lived. This cat is into her 10th life, as I ran over her- completely across her middle- a few years ago and she had no major damage other than severe bruising. We say that counted for at least 7-8 of her lives.
My 2 are the same. They are getting older and I have been thinking how sad it is that they haven’t been able to experience the outdoors. Wondering if there are cat leashes and if anyone takes their indoor cats out for walks. I could never let mine out on their own - we have foxes, badgers and other wild animals that would attack them. Once my housekeeper mistakenly left the front door ajar and when I came home both of them were lounging in the sun on the front lawn. They looked so content - would love to get them outside.
@HarvestMoon1 - They do make harness for cats. My ILs had a cat who spent every afternoon outside in the garden on a leash. They also make strollers for cats so you can take them for a walk.
LOL. Thanks @KSMom I am going to look into the harness but I can’t see myself doing the cat stroller!
My older cat is now exclusively only licking her wet food. so, I bought a new red “immersion blender” for family use, and have now dedicated my old white one to “blend” her pate with some water to make more “gravy.”
@Nrdsb4 , I mean we just buy the Fancy Feast Shredded Fare (in tiny overpriced cans at the supermarket). That’s all they eat. We have 3 cats, and they go though as many as 9 cans of that stuff per day.
@ucbalumnus , I’ve often thought it would be a great idea for cat food makers to simply trap the vermin in their factories and use it in their cat food. Oops, mousie got into the mixer…
I fed both of my 10 year old cats Iams until last year. In September one of the two cats was diagnosed with bladder stones and needed very expensive surgery. From there he was put on prescription cat food. I decided to upgrade the other cat’s food at the same time. One thing to keep in mind when considering the price of higher end food is that the pet will probably need a smaller quantity. The cats eat exactly half of the old quantity in new food.
I like a website for pet food called www.chewy.com. They offer a discount for ongoing orders, but at any time you can push the order into the future and still obtain a discount. Nothing beats having pet food delivered to the door, especially the prescription variety.
My cats have a catio–a wood and chicken wire structure 8 feet by 4 feet by about 8 feet high that they reach by a cat walk attached to the house. They have a cat door that leads to the cat walk (also to the kitty cabana, where the catbox is.) They can go outside whenever they want but are perfectly safe. Unforunately, twice little birds (finches maybe?) have flown through the chicken wire and into the catio where they have been caught by the cats and brought inside the house. We’ve rescued both. They also bring moths and various bugs inside. So they get the outdoor experience. They go out there in the rain and snow, too. Oh, and they have dry food and water available all the time and get wet food in the evening but one mostly eschews the canned food while the other is a fan.
I like our vet’s advice on cat food brand: “Give them what they’ll eat.”
Our cat was already an adult cat when we adopted him from a friend who could no longer care for him. He had only been fed dry kibble and so had no interest at all in human food, but was quite happy to eat the wet food we gave him, as long as he also had a bowl of kibble to snack on throughout the day-- and some kitty treats.
The only brand he would eat with any reliability was 9 Lives-- and no slices or chunks with gravy, either. It had to be pureed, or nearly so. His favorite was Tuna and Egg. I tried buying pricier foods but ended up throwing them away uneaten so I finally gave up and fed him what he wanted.
He had always been let outdoors so we continued to let him do so at will. As he grew older he spent more nights at home and more time at the window.
I think he had a pretty good life. I had to euthanize him last year due to cancer, but he made it to 13 and seemed content.
I haven’t used them yet, but I recently purchased a lease and harness for my cat. The harness is interchangeable for small dogs and cats. There are expensive specially made cat harnesses or vests, the best ones are made in cat-crazy England, but I bought my mass market Chinese factory-made harness on one of the popular online buying sites. It’s rather cute.