MYTH 1: Corn is just filler

[Danielfboone]

I know some people do the Raw food diet, but I don't feel comfortable doing that. Handling raw meat can be risky, and the risk of contamination is high.

I wasn't suggesting using raw food. I was saying what should be in the food you buy.

[AdamSavage]

I wasn't suggesting using raw food. I was saying what should be in the food you buy.

I know, I'm just saying in general.

[Danielfboone]

If there is some corn or other grain in cat food it's okay but it is definitely just filler and should never be listed as one of the main ingredients. Dogs can do much better on an omnivirous diet than cats can.

[Sukurachi]

the question regarding wet vs. dry cat food is pretty simple:

cats generally get all of their liquid intake from their food, unlike dogs which readily lap up water from, well, pretty much any source.

most cats (a generalization, nonetheless based in fact) don't drink enough. ergo, canned food contains the water they wouldn't drink.

my cats drink a LOT. they have a water fountain and really seem to enjoy it (the water moves, they actually play with it, esp. if I put an ice cube to float in the top). so in my particular case, I'm relatively safe giving only dry food to my cats.

if your cat seems reticent to drink from a bowl (or fountain), then it might be best to feed it wet food, to avoid any potential dehydration issues.

(by the way, one of my cats absolutely will NOT eat canned food, no matter what. he looks at it as though someone puked in his food bowl)

[AdamSavage]

Well right now, I'm doing both. I give her (my older cat wont touch the wet stuff) about 2oz of wet cat food, and the rest dry food.

[Danielfboone]

This is a true story. One day I was feeding my cat. I gave him this really gross looking oyster based canned food that was olive green in color. To save having to wash another dish, I put his milk in the same bowl. The cat comes running to the kitchen, takes one look at his bowl, and immediately throws up everything he has eaten the last day.

[AdamSavage]

Oh how wonderful..

[Nachtwulf]

It's not so much the nutritional angle, but one shouldn't feed a purely wet diet because it contributes to severe tooth decay (and terrible breath). The hard crunching of the kibble helps to keep to keep the cat's teeth clean and prevents expensive trips to the dentist.

Of note, dental treatments in cats require the full anesthesia of the subject; something that should NOT be taken lightly, as cats are notorious for having bad reactions to the anesthetic and may even die from it.

My cats do quite well thank you on a pure kibble diet, albeit high-grade kibble, only periodically enlivened with treats such as meat scraps and similar. I must be doing the right thing because despite being a complete lardbutt, Tidus (the gray blob below) is not only active but not diabetic at all. I have him checked every year for it, and nada. It must be metabolic. @_@

[randymelton43]

the question regarding wet vs. dry cat food is pretty simple:

.

my cats drink a LOT. they have a water fountain and really seem to enjoy it (the water moves, they actually play with it, esp. if I put an ice cube to float in the top). so in my particular case, I'm relatively safe giving only dry food to my cats.

I also have the best pet water fountain and food feeder for my cat. My pet always drink and eat a lot because of these models.

[Makoes]

I bought a water fountain for my cats since the boys LOVE spilling the water on the carpet floor and "playing" in it...very messy and very bad for the carpet, so I found an animal planet water fountain at work on day and decided to give it a try, cats seem to love being able to play with the water and I don't have to worry about it tipping over


Also decided to try them on that Actr1um food that was suggested...wow, suddenly the cats have way more energy then they do on the whiskers or other cheap cost foods! Even my fat lazy boy is running around more and burning off his fat layers!! Definitely need to go back and nab a few more bags to stock away (wish I could get it at work). Definitively going to stick with that from now on.

[Sukurachi]

I bought a water fountain for my cats since the boys LOVE spilling the water on the carpet floor and "playing" in it...very messy and very bad for the carpet, so I found an animal planet water fountain at work on day and decided to give it a try, cats seem to love being able to play with the water and I don't have to worry about it tipping over


Also decided to try them on that Actr1um food that was suggested...wow, suddenly the cats have way more energy then they do on the whiskers or other cheap cost foods! Even my fat lazy boy is running around more and burning off his fat layers!! Definitely need to go back and nab a few more bags to stock away (wish I could get it at work). Definitively going to stick with that from now on.

This is the water fountain we got for our pets... It's electric, there's a little pump in the bottom that sends a little jet of water up the center.
the cats love it, they can play with the water spouting up out of the top, and they seem to really enjoy licking the flowing water down the side.
While the doggy (who's much larger) can drink out of the top, though she also seems to prefer licking the sides.
Also, because the water is in movement, it doesn't get stagnant, and seems to remain cooler.

We can always tell when our black kitty has been drinking.. he's so "slurpy" when he drinks that he ends up with his whole face all wet.



And we've noticed a MASSIVE change in our lazier, fatter older cat since we changed to the Actr1um food. He runs! He runs up and down the STAIRS!!! He never did this before. I know he's lost some weight which is a great thing. They're both also throwing up MUCH less often than they did before.

Our dog is also on the Actr1um food (obviously, the dog one).

[Makoes]

yeah, the one I have is electric to, with the water fountain in the dish part, the cats love batting at it. i think I might turn the fountain up a bit more so there's more shooting up and see what they do :3

[AdamSavage]

And we've noticed a MASSIVE change in our lazier, fatter older cat since we changed to the Actr1um food. He runs! He runs up and down the STAIRS!!! He never did this before. I know he's lost some weight which is a great thing. They're both also throwing up MUCH less often than they did before.

Our dog is also on the Actr1um food (obviously, the dog one).

That's good! The more ppl switch from corn based food, the better. Companies are already starting to notice the change from consumers.

Pet Food Company Busted!

New Concern in Corn-Based Pet Food

[cowmuflage]

We just have a plain old water bowl >.>

[Sukurachi]

We just have a plain old water bowl >.>

if you can afford it, these water fountains are quite a good thing.
they almost all have a filter built in, so there isn't pet hair floating in the water all the time.
because of the constant water movement, there's not much chance of insects (mosquitoes, for example) depositing eggs in the water.
and the water movement actually keeps the water a degree or two below the ambient temperature.

one of my cats loves it when I stick an ice cube in the top part of the fountain.. he plays with it

[cowmuflage]

I doubt I could afford it. Anyway I most of the time change the water twice or so a day so it never goes stale. I dunno I don't really think it's necessary to have moving water,my cats have done fine with just a water bowl.

[Makoes]

Yeah, I've grown up with using just a steel bowl for cats food/water, but one of my young cats (him and his brother just turned 1 yr) is a digger. I've never had a cat that "digs" under the water dish before, and the rug the dish was on and the carpet were getting ruined by the constant spilled water. So I gave the fountain a try since it was bigger and with the bottle being full its to heavy for him to knock over now, and the base is wide enough to prevent it as well. Seems to be working, I saw him "digging" earlier as he drank, and the thing didn't budge.

[cowmuflage]

Yeah, I've grown up with using just a steel bowl for cats food/water, but one of my young cats (him and his brother just turned 1 yr) is a digger. I've never had a cat that "digs" under the water dish before, and the rug the dish was on and the carpet were getting ruined by the constant spilled water. So I gave the fountain a try since it was bigger and with the bottle being full its to heavy for him to knock over now, and the base is wide enough to prevent it as well. Seems to be working, I saw him "digging" earlier as he drank, and the thing didn't budge.

Ah okay I can understand that.

[Nachtwulf]

My newest kitten, Harley, likes to try and 'bury' the water dish (even if it's freshly cleaned and filled)... but I have a rubberized mat under the dish so she just ends up flapping the ends of the mat in the air.

I had one of the fountains and eventually the motor burned out, it only took like a year and a half for that to happen. Plus I had a constant battle with moss/algae growing in it (which didn't bother my cats, but bothered me). If you keep your fountain in a well-lit place, be prepared to strip it apart and wash it thoroughly a couple of times a week.

Really, for me, I'm okay with a dish. They empty it twice a day anyway so like the above poster said, it's not like there's time for it to go stagnant.

[AdamSavage]

Gross... I googled Corn Gluten Meal and I got this website:

http://eartheasy.com/article_corn_gluten.html

A natural alternative for lawn and garden weed control.

So it's basically organic fertilizer, and they put this into cat food ? Gross...