My friend gave me a cat. What kind of cat food should I buy?
I think it should be simple to choose cat litter and cat litter box.
I Have a New Cat - Which Cat Food to Buy?
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Try getting a multi-pack of different flavours and see what they prefer.
I gave up on that. Just take them to the supermarket and let them choose…
…just gave you a cat…?
Ask your friend what they've been feeding the cat and what the food likes/dislikes are.
My friend gave me a cat.
I'm sorry to hear it.
I Have a New Cat - Which Cat Food to Buy?
Fish or Mice are best.
Ours used to like fresh mince. Can buy in presealed weekly packs at supermarkets. Wouldn't touch canned food. Kibble we used Blackhawk from memory.
Fair warning - cats are theives and will eat whatever pleases them. Ours enjoyed madeira cake…
I first read that as "fresh mice" - had to re-read.
Mind you - could be a good business "pre-sealed fresh mice" with free home delivery.It already exists, kind of. They’re called pinkies, except people buy them to feed to reptiles.
@screensaver - can you help?
I was hoping Pam might be able to offer some insights…
How many cats is she up to these days?
My friend gave me a cat.
Did you ask them why they don't want it any longer?
Ask your friend what the cat ate and get that. Sudden changes to their diet can result in some interesting poos.
When we adopted a cat we were told what it's diet was and kept to it - Hills Science Diet dry food. We've slowly added wet food once a day which he has appreciated (and now always wants).
As long as the tray is begin enough it doesn't matter too much - they say 1.5x the size of the cat. For litter we use Coles Simply clumping but I want to get a sieve tray soon instead. General rule is 1 litter tray per cat +1, so we have one in the laundry and one in the garage and he tends to alternate.
A 4kg bag of dry food for ~$50-60 - that lasts about 2-3 months
Wet food is about $1 a day for one meal
The litter is $4 a bag and lasts a week across two litters
Total cost of having him = priceless because he's so cuteMy friend gave me a cat. What kind of cat food should I buy?
Make sure to buy something that's a complete meal and has all the vitamins/minerals needed.
Start with whatever your friend was feeding it, but if it's not a complete dietary meal, start mixing it with something healthier and transition over a period of time. Try to go grain free, they don't need excess filling for no reason. Make sure you understand your budget as well, there's a big difference between Ziwi and Fancy Feast.
I think it should be simple to choose cat litter and cat litter box.
Yeah, you say that now. If a cat isn't happy it'll prefer to take a dump on your carpet than a litter tray that makes no sense to it. Find out what litter was used before as well and get something similar. And make sure to keep it as clear as possible.
What did your friend say when you asked them what they were feeding it. Phux sake…
Feed it whatever you like. It will eat it eventually in preference to starving.
It won’t, it’s a cat. It will go and find its own food.
Dogs do what you said though
It should be kept indoors where the options for finding food are limited.
I’ll never understand cat people.
Me neither. Nasty selfish little beasts.
How old is the cat, long hair, short hair. Does it have fur ball issues. Certain dry cat food helps with those issues. Likewise, be careful of the dry cat food with high salt content. This could lead your cat getting urinary tract infections, which can be expensive vet bills.
Don't buy cheap nasty dry food, it's full of filler. Try the good stuff you buy at vets, get a small bag to keep the cost down, and then compare poos from when you fed it the cheap stuff. Night and day. You wont go back to the cheap stuff with its nasty smelly poos. The cat will appreciate it too.
Clean the litter tray every day. Its tempting to give it a miss, but don't.
I’m advised to avoid foods with grains (filler). Our cat likes the Fussy Cat grain-free, it comes both as wet food pouches (she likes mince in chicken jelly) and dry kibble (anti furball). They are both regularly on special at Coles & Woolies. Some cats prefer fish, some chicken, some red meat. Try a few flavours and consistencies (mince/pieces, jelly/gravy, etc) then settle on what it likes.
We have a ragdoll cat (one of the commonest breeds). Dry food-"Purina One Advantage with Chicken". The litter is FAR from being easy- after a lot of experimentation the stand out for us is "CatMate"" cat litter wood pellet.
Confirmed crazy cat lady here. Some cats can be very fussy and only eat one brand, the most expensive. So best to give them what you can afford for the next 15 years or more. In saying that one of my very weird cats steals tomato scraps from the compost bin and chows them down. Cats do whatever they want!
Mine still prefers the kitten dry even though she is no kitten, but the bits are smaller so easier to eat I guess. I buy the pouch style packets of wet food, whatever is on special at the supetmarket. Some brands she only licks the gravy, leaves the lumps do I sometimes have to mash them.
Had previous cats that became very fussy so that is why I stick to supetmarket brands with this cat. She uses clumping litter, but will not use the white crystal type prefers the beige clay sort.
Cats much like humans have preferences. Some are picky, others less so. Some only like fish, ours didn't at all. Try getting a multi-pack of different flavours and see what they prefer.
Once you've got an idea of that, move away from commercial big brand pouches, those are full of filler materials that aren't ideal, and move towards higher meat content foods.
You can experiment with treats as you like but keep in mind it doesn't replace complete food.
Litter is easy, just get the clumping variety to make your life easier cleaning urine.
Make sure the cat is chipped, neutered and has regular vet check-ups.