Posted by KaraS on August 22, 2004, at 17:07:44
In reply to Re: Questions for cat lovers » KaraS, posted by Larry Hoover on August 22, 2004, at 15:57:13
> > My cats only eat dry food too. My vet told me that's best for them and it keeps their teeth clean so I listened to what he said. Now, however, after talking to others and doing some research I've found that eating only dry food can lead to trouble down the road. (I'll have to get back to you on exactly what it can cause because I'm having a complete block on it.) Anyway, now I haven't been able to get my cats to eat the wet stuff and I'm very concerned about that.
>
> Now that the link is known, it's less likely that dry food will cause it (feedstuffs have been modified), but it used to be related to the incidence of Feline Urological Syndrome (which also goes by a couple of similar names). The problem is that some dry foods have too high an "ash" content, which simply means too many minerals. Cats can't deal with a high magnesium load, and can form crystals of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate) in the bladder. Particularly in males, these crystals can block the urethra, and you have a true medical emergency.
>
> Adding a little methionine to the food can acidify the urine, and prevent crystallization. Also, keep the cat's water bowl fresh. Cats don't like stale water, and water should be changed frequently. Hydration is also a preventative for crystals in the bladder.
>
> Lar
>
>Mr. Hoover,
The breadth of your knowledge never ceases to amaze me! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am so relieved that I have less to worry about now. The dry foods I give them are low ash, moderate magnesium, additional taurine, over 30% protein, often whole grain, usually rice rather than corn. The raw food diet would probably be best but I don't have the money or the energy for that right now.I change their water twice a day. I used to have one of those flowing water machines. They loved it but it's broken now. One of my cats prefers to drink water off of my hand as it's under the fawcett. (Can you say "spoiled rotten"?) She also likes toothpaste so I have to fight her off everytime I try to brush my teeth.
Here's another cat question:
How safe do you think the anti-flea meds Revolution, Frontline and Advantage are for them? My two little darlings are in-door cats yet they periodically manage to get infected with ear mites. I have done a lot of reading on this and have frequently run across the suggestion of giving them one of these flea treatments for one or two months (to cover the full 3-6 week life cycle of the mites - depending on what article I read) to kill the mites that are on their bodies outside of their ears. I would still need to treat the ears themselves of course which leads to another question. I've used tresaderm in the past but am now out of it. I've been reading that olive oil with vitamin E can do the job by smothering the mites. It's just so hard to clean their ears though and I worry about all the crud left behind. Do you think it's imperative that I bring them to the vet's office?P.S. Do you have cat(s)?
poster:KaraS
thread:380648
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040820/msgs/380932.html