stretching canned cat-food

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-21-2009, 01:33 PM

i have 2 cats that believe canned cat food was invented just for them and if they don't have it 2 x's a day they will wither away and die....i know ...it's my fault...but the damage is done....so here's the question---

the price of the food has really sky-rocketed in the past few years since i started buying it (they are 3 yrs old now) and i have seen it almost double in price per can.... they will only eat friskies' and only certain varieties.... i have one that only licks the juices off the chunks and the other will only eat the chunks.... i have tried to 'cut' the food with other brands/varieties but they WILL NOT eat it and i have to throw it away coz it gets dry & nasty looking....

what can i add to the bowl to make it stretch.....and i am looking for 'people food' or something of that nature....i thought about adding tuna (coz they LOV that and i would only need to add a tiny bit) but the vet says no coz of the mercury level....they do share a can of tuna on their birthdays or a little treat if i am making tuna salad but that's it....plus its not all that cheap anymore anyway...

please don't tell me to just 'make' then eat what i give them....i need suggestions.... any ideas ???

**vigilant20** · 01-21-2009, 01:38 PM

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it would be a really good idea to mix the wet food with dry food. If they don't eat it one day, make more the next day. They can't hold out forever. It'll be much healthier for them...the wet food alone is really bad for their teeth.

**The Muse** · 01-21-2009, 01:52 PM

I have 3 cats. I used to feed each 1/3 of a can twice a day. Now they each get 1/6 of a can twice a day. That cut the cost in half. I also feed them dry food.

They still weigh about 18lbs. each, so they aren't starving to death.

You may be able to stretch their food with pumpkin. My vet recommended pumpkin for one of my cats that was having digestive issues. It's worked wonders for him, and he loves eating it.

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-21-2009, 02:13 PM

okay...let me clear this up....they do get dry food ...they have a bowl of that out all day to graze....and it doesn't matter what kind/flavor there...they eat whatever is avbl.... the one that only licks the juices from the canned food eats more of the dry...the other (my little skinny guy) just munchs on the dry but prefers the canned so we have to give him a little more.... i guess i could cut back on the quantity they get (2 cats 1 small can lasts 1-1 1/2 days (2 feedings a day) ... i just figured there was something i could add...

do you use canned pumpkin ? and how much ?

**The Muse** · 01-21-2009, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by sabrelvssammy

do you use canned pumpkin ? and how much ?

I give them about 1 T of canned pumpkin. I don't mix it with their food I give it to them when they're lobbying me for more food. I suppose you could probably mix it in and see what happens.

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-21-2009, 08:09 PM

good idea on the pumpkin....i'm going to get a can tomorrow and see what happens.... you would think they would be offended by pumpkin but ya never know....they seem to like the strangest things....and if they see us eat it...they want it......will stand on their little hind legs and wave their paws thru the air screaming til we share.....

**RetiredVeryEarly** · 01-21-2009, 11:09 PM

I was going to suggest mixing tuna with rice, but I see your vet says not to. In Ecuador cat and dog food is imported (Ecuadorians feed their animals whatever they eat themselves) and very expensive. I would mix tuna and rice and my cat loved it. A friend ate it once thinking it was people food. :-) I didn't want the kitten (it was an unwise gift to me) and found a new home for it, so no fear, it didn't get mercury poisoning.

A neighbor abandoned a cat where I used to live, and it meowed at me from my deck very scared but hungrily. I fed it what I was making at the moment, which was bananas fried in butter. It liked that. I also fed it spaghetti a few times. I only fed it people food, if I bought cat food then it was like it was my cat. Hubby is allergic so I couldn't have a cat. Anyway, eventually a friend adopted this cat that ate anything. She reports that it is very finicky now. Basically if a cat is hungry enough it will eat anything.

Have you tried mixing the dry and wet food together? That is what my sister does with her cats. Might make the dry food more attractive to the skinny cat.

**dogmatix** · 01-22-2009, 07:56 AM

I am a veterinarian.

Couple of things I should say

1. Wet food is best for cats because it has a higher water content and over the course of what you hope is 16 years it is much better for their kidney function.

2. It is a myth that wet food is bad for cat's teeth. Cat's don't chew and grind their food so there isn't any cleansing action to be gained by dry food in cats. Regardless what the pet food companies say.

That being said canned food is very expensive and messy. Also there are plenty of 20 year old cats that have eaten only dry food their entire lives. There are so may variables to health. I often feed my own cats dry when funds are tight.

If you want to cut down on the wet for financial reasons feed them 2 half size portions. They won't really notice the decreased volume and you will still feel like you are treating them.

Food strike - ie: "I'm not eating for days" can actually be dangerous for cats. They are susceptible to a condition called Hepatic Lipidosis which is brought on by prolonged anorexia.

As far as adding people food no albacore tuna! Too much mercury. Not too much raw fish either. Canned salmon, and sardines are both good choices. Chunk light tuna or it's juice is also good. Clam broth too. Just remember these cannot replace a cat food based diet. Cats need many things which only cat food (dry or canned)can supply.

Good luck and talk to you vet.

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-22-2009, 08:30 AM

thank you... i was going to call my vet this morning for suggestions and you saved me a call....

you bring up the point of cats not grinding their food and that makes sense to me coz when my 'fat boy eats-the one who loves the dry and only licks the juice of the canned' i hear crunch, crunch, crunch.... but when my skinny guy eats the dry (which is very seldom...and believe me we have tried everything on the market) i hear nothing...he puts his head in the bowl and you wonder what he is doing down there.... he's not chewing....and this is how spoiled they are...they have the divided cat dish and i have different flavors in each side so they choose what they might be feeling like at the moment (hey- we do it.... do you feel like chips or crackers today)

i have tried cutting back on amount but they lick their bowls clean and then stand over them and cry until i give them more....if i give them a good helping the first time they eat it all up and go away to nap...(i know-spoiled) but my biggest concern is my skinny guy...he needs the canned food....and he will even gobble his up and run over to the other and push him out of his bowl if i don't stand over them and monitor each mealtime....he knows not to push his brother if i am watching...

my skinny guy stands and begs my dh at dinnertime for bites of whatever he is eating but we try to be careful because of spices and sauces and stuff...don't want him puking.....i have tried mixing the canned and dry together but he just hates the dry...period...maybe he just hates chewing period...

i guess i will continue to suck up and pay the price for the canned food (which i try to buy middle of the road coz i am afraid the cheap stuff is just that and probably not really that good for them) maybe i am wrong...if so...someone please tell me.... but i can't get my skinny guy to eat any other kind than his current anyway....and that has to be either shredded or sliced...he will not eat pate or flaked....goes on a strike.....and as you said....it will last for days and becomes very concerning (and he can't afford to lose ANY weight!)

maybe this is my own fault...maybe i did this to him...or maybe he's just 'a little off' like some of us....either way its my responsibilty as his pet parent to take the best care of him that i can...and if it puts me out a little...so be it....they were shelter cats and he was put in a bag and sealed and dumped when he was a couple of months old (thankfully found right away) and he deserves for someone to make it up to him....i'll try some of the suggestions from you all and thanks for the help.....

**mombottoo** · 01-22-2009, 10:51 AM

I have no idea as to how to stretch the cat food since your cats are picky eaters

. For my cats I wait until what they like is on sale and really stock up then...I can find Friskies or 9-lives on sale for roughly 25 cents a can from time to time.

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-22-2009, 05:00 PM

occasionally i can get a good deal on the friskies...it's usually 53 cents a can here but i got about a dozen cans (last ones left) at big lots the other day for 25 cents each.... very unusual...i wish i had hit it a little earlier when there still was alot.... always the wrong place at the wrong time....such is life....

**pip** · 01-22-2009, 06:11 PM

I have a 20 year old cat that I think is probably diabetic, and I will only give her canned food, no dry. Wonder if pumpkin would be OK for her?

**dogmatix** · 01-22-2009, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by pip

I have a 20 year old cat that I think is probably diabetic, and I will only give her canned food, no dry. Wonder if pumpkin would be OK for her?

Ask your vet but I probably wouldn't recommend it. It depends on how well she is regulated.

I always recommend canned pumpkin for dog's with anal gland problems. It's a great source of palatable fiber.

**mom2bobsarah** · 01-28-2009, 09:42 AM

Most kitties like meat of any kind (my current kitties notwithstanding, as they eat nothing but kibble, strange strange little kitties). My old kitties (who are now deceased) used to love chicken and pork the most but also enjoyed beef. Corned beef hash was always a favorite. As long as they are still getting their nutrients with the dry food you can add meat to the wet food. You might want to throw your leftover meat into a blender with a little broth (open a can or whatever and freeze the rest in ice cube trays and just thaw out one a day or whatever you need. If you throw your meat in the blender you could also add a little veggies or rice but not a lot because cats do not need a lot of carbs, mainly protein. No onions though as they are not good for them. One of my cats the other day all the sudden started licking the lid to the baby's sweet potatoes so if you eat them you might want to try them too. Hope all this babbling helps.

**shadowfax** · 01-28-2009, 10:39 AM

Let this serve as a warning to anyone wiht a kitten or considering a kitten.

From the very start if you change flavors and brands and give them variety they are far less likely to do the hunger strike thing. I have never had a problem like this with my cats. Same goes for puppies. You never know what circumstances might force you to have to make a change in their diet or brand of food. If they are accustomed to a variety from the start it will be easier in the future of for some reason you have to change things.

My cat gets the highest grade cat food I can afford. So right now she is getting Holistic select Chicken from Eagle Pack. She was recently changed form California Natural and has been through three or four brands in he short life already.

She does get canned, about once or twice a month. I give her a half or whole can for one feeding along with her dry. she also occasionally gets some raw meat when I am cooking along with my dogs. And a teaspoon of yogurt whenever I am having it.

Yes you can spoil your pet tot he point that in later life it becomes a problem. With cats this problem can be a really big issue.

Suggestion for the OP.
Take one can of wet food.
And take about 2 cups of dry food.
Soak the dry food in warm water until it gets moist. Blend in the wet food. Add maybe 1/4 cup of pumpkin and 1-2 tablespoons of plain yogurt. Blend well.
Feed this as your wet food.