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We are going to adopt a siamese mix kitten 14 weeks this weekend. We haven't had a cat in over 14 years, just trying to get some opinions on what is good to buy now.
We know the normal cat food at Walmart or Krogers isn't to good for a cat. We have fed our dog Nutro for over 11 years with no problems, so we are gonna try it I think.
Last edited by Frenchy; 10/08/13 03:42 PM.
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Here is how the Nutro for kittens breaks down:
Real chicken as the #1 ingredient
Contains DHA for brain and eye development
Features calcium for strong bones and teeth
Made in USA
Ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Brewers Rice, Whole Brown Rice, Potato Protein, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Whole Grain Oatmeal, Salmon Meal, Natural Flavors, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Fish Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Salt, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Iron Proteinate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, Selenium Yeast, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Calcium Pantothenate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min.) 36.00%
Taurine (min.) 0.18%
Crude Fat (min.) 19.00%
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (min.)* 50 mg/kg
Crude Fiber (max.) 4.00%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)(min.)* 0.06%
Moisture (max.) 10.00%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (min.)* 4.00%
Calcium (min.) 1.20%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min.)* 0.30%
Vitamin E (min.) 250 IU/kg
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Legend
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Quote:
Kitten Food?
I suppose they could be, but I don't think there's enough meat in there to make up for the time skinning them and such.
#gmstrong
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Looks fine to me. Though I don't have any expert opinion. Depends on how much cash you want to put down on cat food I guess. I'm more of a purina or iams for my pets in general, though I don't have any reason for choosing them over other brands other than they're pretty much right in the middle pricewise (and probably qualitywise) with the other brands.
There are no sacred cows.
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Find out what the breeder is feeding it. Either buy the same or buy enough to transition over slowly to what you've chosen by slowly mixing the two.
I feed my two cats different foods. One is on a special diet of Hill's. She has a really sensitive gut. The other is on low carb Iams for weight control. Shes a chunk. A lovable chunk. I got away from cheaper foods where I could. Just more fillers which you then have to scoop. Less fillers=less litter box mess.
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I'm doing my best to bite my tongue here 
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Quote:
I'm doing my best to bite my tongue here
I'm assuming you're implying you're not a cat person.
I've owned cats for over 20 years. Say what you will they're very cool creatures. I lost a real buddy a few years back when I lost my 15 year old male 18 pound Mainecoon mix. Like a dog he greated me at the door everyday for most of those years. He followed me around the house. Wanting to be in the same room with me. Loved to have his belly pet. Loved his lap time... A faithful friend.
Now I have two cats. Both very different in personalities. One a cranky old lady except to my girlfriend and I. The other a big playful clown.
Cats are extremely expressive. Agile as all hell. Smart. But what I really like about them is their independence. I can leave food and water and take off for a few days. Now that I'm a dog owner for the first time in my life I'm realizing trips to Hawaii and Mexico are going to be tougher. Dogs are anchors. Lovable anchors but anchors none the less.
Guess what I'm saying is don't be a hater. 
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I just have to add this: Milo - our "inside" cat........couldn't imagine a better cat. Plus, she adores me. I walk in the house, she comes running. I take my daughter upstairs to bed, she follows us. And I guarantee, she'll sit with my daughter until my daughter is asleep. Then she comes back down.
Sammy, our "outdoor" cat......sit's on my shoulders during much of the Browns games. Waits outside my office door (in my pole barn) for me to go up to the house. Walks up with me, to "protect" me from mice or rats I guess.
10 years ago, I wasn't a cat guy. I am now.
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Have you had cats before?
If not...
Young cats can be crazy. Kinda wild and hard to deal with at times. A few pointers. Hands aren't toys. Never rough play using your hands. You'll set you and friends up for injury otherwise.
Get a cat tree. Or two. Cats feel secure and relaxed when they're up high. Give them places for it or they'll find places you don't want them. They can be trained off counters and such. Just never allow it. A squirt bottle is a great tool. Try not to let them see you squirt them or they'll associate the water with you, not the counter top.
Balled up paper makes a great, cheap toy. As do milk rings. My old cat would play fetch with both those simple toys.
Dont declaw. It's not good for them. Read the research if you question this. Give them a place to scratch. Train them to it. Go scratch at it with them a few times. They'll pick it up quickly. I trained my old cat to horizontally scratch so I wouldn't have to worry about furniture. He never ruined anything. You can get two sided furniture tape from a pet store. It works wonders. They eventually stop going after the furniture. Then you can take it off. I occasionally have to remind them. A stern 'No' and they move on.
Play with them. A tired cat is a less destructive cat. Is a happy cat. Is a happy owner.
Good luck.
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Quote:
I'm assuming you're implying you're not a cat person.
Oh that would be 100 percent correct buddy. But I do love my dogs 
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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A question. Why aren't you a cat guy? Are you a 'real men don't like cats' person? Or you've never owned one but didn't like your friend's/mom's/aunt's cat so now you hate all cats? Or owned one, but did it for the wife and never liked it, person?
I guess I never understood the whole 'not a dog/cat person' mentality. Those that don't like cats though seem to love to tell everyone how much they don't like them. You, by the tone of your post, almost seem proud that you don't like cats. If I'm reading it wrong my appologies. If not where does the hatred for an animal species come from? Is it that you don't like an animal in your life that has a mind of its own and doesn't validate you the moment you walk in the door? Or you prefer to scoop crap out of the back yard but not a litter box? I don't get it.
They're all cool animals. Dogs and cats. Different, but equally cool.
Sorry I'm kinda ranty but I genuinely don't understand the "you better believe I don't like cats" thing.
As a note. Quite frankly I'm finding dog ownership daunting by comparison. He takes up so much of my life it's crazy. I can't turn my back on him. I can't get anything done when I get home from work without locking him back in his kennel. House breaking him is going to take a couple more months, at least. Yes he's a puppy but a kitten is house broken almost instantly and I don't have to worry about my couch getting destroyed.
Cats are a ton easier.
Last edited by PortlandDawg; 10/09/13 03:05 PM.
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Hey Frenchy, I too have a kitten. I feed him the PetsMart brand food: Authority wet food and also Blue Buffalo Kitten formula dry food. Authority is about 70 cents for 6 oz which is pretty affordable. Both foods are high in protein and low in carbs (which cats do not need at all as they are carnivores). http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdfThat link is a breakdown of all the cat foods out there. Just pick one that has real meat as the first ingredient and is as low in carbs as possible.
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Quote:
Brewers Rice, Whole Brown Rice, Potato Protein, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Whole Grain Oatmeal,
All of these ingredients are filler and do nothing to help your cat. They just exist to make the food have more weight. However, Nutro is relatively low in carbs (there are other options for the same price/cheaper which are healthier though).
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Quote:
One is on a special diet of Hill's.
Be careful with Hill's. Some of their recipes are nearly 40% carbs. I believe there are much better and cheaper alternatives to Hill's which do not use corn and grains.
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The Hill's diet she's on is a high fiber prescription diet. She needs the extra fiber as her bowel is a little loose without it. Thankfully a diet change was all it took as it could have been a symptom if much worse things.
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Thanks everyone for the posts. My daughter is so excited for Saturday to get here. If I could just snap my fingers I would make it Saturday, I must have heard this 10 thimes already.
A little confusion, initially I thought the kitten was 14 weeks, but it is really just shy of 10 weeks.
I know it sounds crazy but the chihuahua (6lb) we have uses pine litter, does anyone think the kitten and my dog will be able to share a box? Gonna put a 2nd box upstairs for the kitten. Also does anyone have a problem with a dog eating the cat food, and the cat eating the dog food? Like maybe they get confused or one tastes better than the other?
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Quote:
Thanks everyone for the posts. My daughter is so excited for Saturday to get here. If I could just snap my fingers I would make it Saturday, I must have heard this 10 thimes already.
A little confusion, initially I thought the kitten was 14 weeks, but it is really just shy of 10 weeks.
I know it sounds crazy but the chihuahua (6lb) we have uses pine litter, does anyone think the kitten and my dog will be able to share a box? Gonna put a 2nd box upstairs for the kitten. Also does anyone have a problem with a dog eating the cat food, and the cat eating the dog food? Like maybe they get confused or one tastes better than the other?
Dog and cat in same litter box? I can't answer with any certainty - but I would doubt it. That's just my guess.
Them sharing food? My guess is they will.........if that's a good thing, bad thing, or nothing, I don't know.
What I do know is, when we dog sit for others, we move our cat's food onto our countertop. (don't fret you germ phobes.....we have 2 different counter tops, and the one is pretty dog gone big. And it's not where we prepare food). But, putting Milo's bowl on the counter ensures the dog can't get to it.
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My dog would eat the cat food in a heartbeat. We keep the cat food in the office with a baby gate around it, the cats can jump over it but the dog can't. It works well.
As for the same box, I doubt they will use the same one and I would be afraid of the dog eating the cat poop...
yebat' Putin
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Yes on the dog eating cat food and vice versa thing. While not harmful it can create calorie count issues for both. A cat tree again is a great tool. My cats get fed up on their perches. Dog can't get to it. If my dog leaves anything in its dish I have to put it on the counter to keep the cat out of it. They shouldn't share boxes. Dogs have a proclivity for eating cat crap. Such smart beasts they are.  It's best to put a cat box where the dog can't get to it. I use a board to block the dog from the laundry room where the boxes are. The cats can jump over it, the dog is trained to not cross. At 10 weeks it might be good if you have a 'cat room' for a couple months. A place where the cat can spend its day when you're not around. A place the dog can't harass it when you can't control the interactions. A place without furniture that can get shredded.
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I don't want cats either. But it's because of the fur.. All over the damn place. No thank you.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
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My dog is a shedding machine. It seems like I get another dog swept up off the floor every week. lol
He's a great dog anyway.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Our two cats are black. One is a long hair. She sheds in chunks like a gremlin that got wet. Fur clumps everywhere. It's crazy. The other, not so much. My dog is white and sandy brown. So between the two species in my house no clothing is safe. My black fleece is covered in his white fur as I type this. Unless you have a cocker spaniel or a few other breeds, you have shedding. Even those breeds lose hairs. Who am I to judge. I look in the sink in the morning after combing my hair and see that at 41 I'm shedding. 
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Quote:
A question. Why aren't you a cat guy? Are you a 'real men don't like cats' person? Or you've never owned one but didn't like your friend's/mom's/aunt's cat so now you hate all cats? Or owned one, but did it for the wife and never liked it, person?
I guess I never understood the whole 'not a dog/cat person' mentality. Those that don't like cats though seem to love to tell everyone how much they don't like them. You, by the tone of your post, almost seem proud that you don't like cats. If I'm reading it wrong my appologies. If not where does the hatred for an animal species come from? Is it that you don't like an animal in your life that has a mind of its own and doesn't validate you the moment you walk in the door? Or you prefer to scoop crap out of the back yard but not a litter box? I don't get it.
They're all cool animals. Dogs and cats. Different, but equally cool.
Sorry I'm kinda ranty but I genuinely don't understand the "you better believe I don't like cats" thing.
As a note. Quite frankly I'm finding dog ownership daunting by comparison. He takes up so much of my life it's crazy. I can't turn my back on him. I can't get anything done when I get home from work without locking him back in his kennel. House breaking him is going to take a couple more months, at least. Yes he's a puppy but a kitten is house broken almost instantly and I don't have to worry about my couch getting destroyed.
Cats are a ton easier.
I am not a cat guy because I can't stand cats lol and real men can like cats, dogs, mice, snakes or any other pet they like because real men have the right to like or dislike whatever they please. I have never owned one myself but I have had lots of friends who did, my daughter had two of them, my father-in-law has two right now, and my wife's grandmother has one as well, and I have many friends who own cats. I have never met one I like yet. I can go on and on about my dislike of cats for many reasons but don't have time right now.
As far as dogs I have yet to have one that wasn't house broken in a few weeks, and I have never owned one that destroyed a couch, a shoe, or any furniture. They have all been loving members of our family 
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Se we got her home tonight at 7:00pm, she had hid pretty much the whole time under my daughters bed. We have got her out a little with rolling balls in front of the bed, what cat cant resist rolling balls. She knows where her food and water are, hasn't touched either one. She knows where her litter box is, she just sits in it.
Hoping tomorrow she will be a little more comfortable, and will eat and drink, we are sure she will.
We know things have really changed for her, we will be patient with her. My daughter is so excited, not sure if she will sleep tonight.
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Different animal, but I will never forget when I brought my dog Duke home from Angels for Animals.
He was kinda scared of me at first, until we took a walk, and I gave him some goodies, Then he decided that I was OK. He was so excited when I took him out to my truck. He just jumped right in.
I got him home, and my brother called and asked if he could come over and meet the new dog. I said sure. I let Duke loose in the house, and he got to check it all out. I took him upstairs, and he saw my bes and jumped up on the corner and gave me a look like "is this for me?" lol
My brother and sister in law showed up, and I put Duke on the leash, and he went out and barked, and growled. He was already highly protective of his new home and human. He has settled down somewhat over the years, but he still doesn't easily take to most strangers.
Anyway ..... it's funny how animals react to a new home. My dog before Duke was a lab named Charlie.(because he was a stray and he stunk like tuna) He was scared of everyone. I caught him, because originally there were 5 pups running the neighborhood ... then 4 ... then 3 ..... I didn't want him to get hit by a car.
Anyway, I took him home, and he got in the back seat and stuck his nose under the seat and didn't move the entire time. He was so scared of everything and everybody. I took him inside my house, and my border collie, Buddy, saw him, and Charlie saw Buddy, and they became instant friends. It was really pretty cool. Buddy took Charlie under his wing and taught him the ropes.
Man, so many great memories.
Anyway, good luck with the new kitten. I'm sure that she'll come out of hr shell before you know it. A friend of mine had a kitten that wanted nothing to do with anyone for the 1st 2 weeks or so she had him. Then one day she was sitting on the couch, and the kitten jumped up on her lap, curled up, and went to sleep. That made her so happy. It just took the little guy a while to realize that she was a pretty decent person, and that he could trust her. It was like a switch was turned on. They just have to know that they are safe.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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