Comments on: Is it Possible to Force a Cat to Eat a Specific Food?

By: Pamela

Pamela — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:56:38 +0000

Some of my cats had problems with diarrhea, gas, and possible allergic symptoms. I took them to their veterinarian who tested for different possible conditions, but the tests came back clean.

All of their digestive problems disappeared when I switched the cats from Purina ONE to Goodlife Recipe.

It would be ironic to feed an animal Iams as it is a Proctor & Gamble product, well-known for their wide-spread use of animal testing and cruelty.

By: Carol Heartburg

Carol Heartburg — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:18:21 +0000

I had several Cats, at one time, that had urinary problems (Crystals?) and I switched them to Friskies “Special Diet” (Blue box) dry food, and this seemed to clear up the problem, and they liked the food. Then I again switched to Friskies “Feline Favorites” and they also liked this. (The urinary problems did not return)
Several of those Cats have passed away, since then, and my 5 remaining Cats range from age 15 (2), 10 (1), 8 (1), and 4.
They have all “agreed” that the Friskies “Signature Blend” is now their “Favorite” dry food. I supplement this with the canned Friskies “shredded” varieties, which they all seem to love, and do not have any problems, digesting.
I also give them as a “Treat” the Purina Fancy Feast “Gourmet Gold” Turkey/Chicken flavor dry food. I only give them this in very small amounts, as a “reward” because the “regular” treats (”Whiska’s Temptations, etc) are just too expensive.
Since switching to the “shredded” varieties, they seem to not vomit as much, either. Sometimes all they eat is the gravy, but none of them are skinny, and I split a 5-1/2 oz can, 5~ways, twice a day. They go and finish what the others may have left, so none of them go hungry. They are also strictly “indoor” Cats.
***Note*** almost all popular brands of Cat Foods are basically produced by the Purina Brands, if you check the labels. The Friskies Brands are just one of many. I am so happy the ones I use are not on the products recall list!***

By: Micky Clute

Micky Clute — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:30:36 +0000

My 5 yr. old precious Tortie, Goldie, was diagnosed with crystals in her urine. She ate S.D. s/d for a 3.5 lb. bag and she surprisingly ate it. She is a very finicky eater. When subsequent urinalysis showed improvement, her vet switched her to S.D. w/d – “we’ll have her eat 2 bags and then we’ll retest”. She absolutely refused the w/d. I asked if she could eat regular S.D. in conjunction with the w/d, and her vet got a terrified look on his face; he said Goldie’s condition was very serious and that she had to eat the w/d. Somehow, I had a brainstorm & started feeding the w/d to Goldie 2 pieces at a time. She has always loved “treats”, so now she even wakes me in the middle of the night for some of her “treats”. It’s a slow process, but she is eating it. Whatever it takes, for my baby. (She’s not spoiled or anything, no…) A friend from Houston said her vet prescribed a food made by Iams for their Himilayan male who had developed a severe problem with crystals in his urine. I did not realize what was happening at first. Goldie was peeing in inappropriate places, and not in the litter box. I thought it was behavioral, that she was maybe marking with urine, because we had a nervous cat in the household who tended to become aggressive (she now resides in a room with two other special needs cats, who she trusts and therefore her behavior is greatly improved). One day I was making dinner and Goldie came in the kitchen and peed blood on the floor, at my feet. I rushed her to the vet, who diagnosed the seriousness of her condition. Another cat with her condition, brought into the clinic just before Goldie, did not survive. I had heard once that male cats neutered too early could develop a blockage, and that diet could play a factor, but I had no idea female cats could ever develop this problem. I will take my cats to the vet if they are having trouble in/out of the litter box from now on and not try to diagnosis their problem as physical or behavioral!

By: Addis

Addis — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:27:28 +0000

I lost my [almost] 2-year old male cat, Yoshi, to complications due to FLUTD last month :( I was late in realizing that he couldn’t urinate. (At first, I thought he was excited to be the first to use a clean litter box on an “empty tank” … but now I realize he couldn’t urniate.) It wasn’t until I saw him squatting over plain floors (away from the litter box) that I knew he was crying for help. He had had his routine check-up just months before, and he wasn’t showing any exterior signs of distress. He was hospitalized for a week, but it was not enough. I am very watchful of my remaining cat’s behavior.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:45:39 +0000

The best supplements I ever gave my cat were Tinkle Tonic and Wysong Biotic PH-.

The Wysong Biotic PH- helps acidify the food to break up the crystals and also has other helpful things like digestive enzymes. Tinkle Tonic is an herbal formula that is supposed to “tonify” the urinary tract. I’m not sure what that means, but it definitely helps.

Also, we got the hell AWAY from Science Diet. That food is junk.