Our cat lived to 19. He always loved ‘people food’- from corn to cantaloupe to cheetos. (remember he lived to 19- so, if he ate it- we shared a little bit with him.)
Toward to end he had cancer & really had trouble eating solid food. Ended up giving him Gerbers pureed baby food- the chicken and gravy flavor was his fav.
Yes, he was spoiled.
I don’t get it–what’s spoiled about a 19 year old cat eating baby food?
Back when we got our first cats (my first as an adult) dry food only was recommended. As it is easier and cheaper, I have always given them only dry, aside from when one was wasting away, and we had a little spell of Fancy Feast to bring him back to health. Iams was recommended at that time, and that is what I have used for 20 or so years of cat ownership. My old lady cat, a picky 17 year old will let nothing else pass her lips, and has never been sick. The one who I had to nurse back to health at a point ate plenty of snacks and hung out by the fridge begging for treats. A neighbor gave him tuna because it made him so happy. Well, I think the sodium shortened his life, as he passed away at 12. I think it was a stroke, as it was a sudden death. Of note, he had teeth that needed cleaning, and my Iams only girl has never needed her teeth cleaned.
The arguments for raw food, wet food, etc. make sense. But as it is more bother and expense, and my cats are thriving with little fuss, I’m not going for it.
@Wellspring I googled the “catio” and it looks to me that it is something we would have to build for ourselves. H and I don’t have that skill set. Wondering if there is anything like that prefabricated?
There are kits and plans and prefabs for catios. For my part, I hired a woman who sings in the chorus I’m in and she pretty much designed and built it, with me telling her what I wanted. We have been so happy with the catio (and by we I mean the cats, the kids, the husband and me.)
Anyone have any praise for the Blue Buffalo brand dry? I just ordered a package of it today. We are experimenting also with Iams ProActive Kitten dry. I also want to try a couple of wet products; Whole Earth Farms Duck Recipe and Dick Van Patten’s Venison.
@LakeWashington I fed my boy Blue for the first few months he was with me and he seemed to enjoy it for a while, but then randomly stopped eating it for no reason that I could discern.
We went to Wellness and he ate the wet for a while, his favorite being the chicken and beef shreds in gravy with some dry Wellness to supplement. One day, he decided all he wanted was the dry food, and now he refuses to eat any wet food–including the high-end stuff. So, it’s just the dry Wellness for him.
Asked my vet at his last checkup, and she said as long as he’s good at drinking water (which he is,) she actually prefers to feed cats dry food if at all possible. She said a lot of the cats she sees who just eat wet food end up having their teeth rot out of their mouths.
My boss has two cats she feeds raw food “pucks” to; I can’t remember the brand. They seem to enjoy them, but boy are they pricey! Tried one on my cat when I was cat sitting; he turned his nose up and went back to his dry food.
Wow, that’s a first; a veterinarian who prefers dry food for cats!
Glad to hear it. I guess it’s the old ‘your mileage may vary’ thing. You wouldn’t believe some venomous comments I have read that criticize owners who feed their cats kibble. My goal is to make my gal’s rotation as varied as possible. Thanks.
Our vet prescribed (yes, pricey) Hill’s huge kibbles to prevent teeth from rotting. It seems we force our domesticated cats to live much longer than they would in the wild. 
My cat eats wet one meal and kibble one meal. I think I already mentioned her vet has always exclaimed about how great her teeth and gums look, but I didn’t know if the kibble was the key, or just genes.
Stay AWAY from Blue Buffalo!!! My cat developed bladder stones after 2 years on it. 
The brand was bought by a big co and reformulated; the switch happened sometimes during that 2 yr period. It no longer says that it is made in the US. The Internet is full of horror stories of pets not doing well on it.
Costco Signature and Hill’s Science Diet never caused issues.
Thanks Bunsen.
Why on Earth do these large companies acquire a successful pet food competitor, and then modify the best product(s) made by the company they just purchased? It seems like it has happened time and again (Dick Van Patten, Merrick, for example). It’s a disservice to loyal customers.
It is all about profit margins.
I’ve had healthy, long-lived cats all my life and never fed a one of them anything but dry food and water. We have a 13-year-old year Maine coon who is a huge drinker and won’t eat any form of people food. He doesn’t care about the brand of dry food but, if he did, he’d have to get over it or starve. No cat is going to tell me what to feed it!
No doubt it’s the profit motive, but is that worth risking the ire of formerly loyal customers, who subsequently swear that they will never again buy the revised product? I already know the answer. LOL.
What do you all think about feeding canned pumpkin to cats? We started feeding this to our two cats who otherwise get dry food (Hill’s Science Diet Grain-Free) plus assorted Greenies treats. The cats love the treats and have actually learned some tricks to get them, but we noticed that it was causing them some constipation. We added some additional water bowls (although both are good water-drinkers) and also started giving them the canned pumpkin a few times a week. They both love the pumpkin, and it has eliminated the constipation problem, but I am somewhat worried about the effect on their teeth. Thoughts?
I read that pumpkin is a good source of fiber for cats but they don’t necessarily need fiber. If fiber is needed because of a dietary or hairball problem I think I would use fresh summer squash. It’s in the pumpkin family and I understand it’s one of the few vegetables that can truly benefit a cat’s metabolism. It’s a spice-free and ingredient-free source, and it’s cheaper than canned pumpkin.
She is CUUUUTE!!!
Our 8 year old Maine Coon likes nothing but Bench & Field Feline Formula we get from Trader Joe’s.
Thank you, Bunsen. She is cute and lately she’s acting like she wants everyone to know it.
My up-to-now, eats everything cat, has been turning her nose up at wet food generally. It’s a battle of wills I tell you. [-(