Varying food

[Lily]

Yes she has got some scabs, had them since I got her from CP in December.  I recently phoned them for a full medical history as petplan needed it before they would insure her, the lady read it out to me and she had them when she came to them in November, they thought they were from a vicious mating.  This fits where they are (back of neck and small round wounds on her belly), so she's not allergic to anything.  Now I just have to stop her licking them (see my new thread) and they should heal up very well.

[Millys Mum]

Iv read alot of posts trying to catch up - is lily the cat with skin problems? Has the cause been identified yet?

[Leanne]

When I buy kitten felix food for Milo, I empty the box and arrange it meat, fish, meat, fish so he always has a different flavour,

I almost cried when the vets told me that Jess's renal food came in chicken AND beef, so he also has alternate

[Lily]

I give Lily britta filtered water too, I drink it so it seemed natural to give it to her too.  It doesn't seem too batty in my little world although my friends have started looking at me strangely   

[Christine (Blip)]

I feed Blip Gourmet Pearl Country Style (the wettest selection in GP) for breakfast and Natures Menu mixed with warmed water for supper.  At weekends she has an extra Almo Nature tuna and cheese or Applaws tuna with seaweed.

I leave a few kibbles of Royal Canin Mature Weight & Kidney down at all times although she doesn't usually eat many of those.

She seems to thrive on this mixed diet.

To complete the picture, I'll add that I give Blip filtered water, rather than water straight from the tap.

[Lily]

Thanks guys, I've started changing her dry food today and will get her a box of varied Natures Menu wet food for the weekend.  I'm hoping that changing the flavours will mean she eats more, at the moment barely 50g of wet food a day.

[Dark Moon]

Mine get both wet and dry. I vary both flavours and brands. It may well cause some upset if kitties have only been on one type and then suddenly a change is made (so one does it gradually), but I do believe it is best to have them on a variety. Their systems will easily accommodate the variety and then if (heaven forbid!) they have to go to the vet and/or on something else, they will more easily adjust to it. Frankly, too, mine seem to get 'tired' of the same old, same old.....

[Desley (booktigger)]

Mine get a different wet food each meal (although sometimes the fosters don't, depends how many cats I have for the tin!!), and their dry food is a mix of about 4 brands (trying ot get them to eat up some of the ones they aren't keen on by mixing)

[Den]

I give lots of different flavours and brands.  For example, yesterday Jaffa had natures menu beef and heart for breakfast, applaws chicken and cheese for tea then rabbit flavour felix senior for supper (granted there's probably not much rabbit in the felix!).  I think it's good to vary the flavours as feeding one meat all the time is more likely to result in a food allergy to that meat.

Same here. He had Felix chicken for breakfast and Applaws Tuna and Seaweed for dinner. Plus he had Arden Grange chicken in the morning and JWB turkey in the evening.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I give lots of different flavours and brands.  For example, yesterday Jaffa had natures menu beef and heart for breakfast, applaws chicken and cheese for tea then rabbit flavour felix senior for supper (granted there's probably not much rabbit in the felix!).  I think it's good to vary the flavours as feeding one meat all the time is more likely to result in a food allergy to that meat.

[Gillian Harvey]

  Do cats like different flavours occasionally?

I believe they do, and it wouldnt do any harm to vary the flavours, but using the same brands as you do already. Even if its the same brand I would still introduce a new flavour gradually just to be on the safe side. 

[Lily]

I've read somewhere that it's bad for kitty stomachs to change their food (flavours not brands) often, but even I'm getting sick on the same flavour wet and dry food (2 months and counting).  At the moment I feed Lily:

1/3 to 1/2 100g pouch of Nature's Menu Beef & Heart
20g Nutro Complete with Chicken

Twice a day.

Nature's menu do a multipack or 4 x beef & heart, 4 x chicken, salmon & tuna and 4 x chicken & turkey.  Also Nutro do the same dry food with Fish.

Should I be varying her diet or doesn't it matter as all the foods are complete anyway?  Do cats like different flavours occasionally?