March 12th, 2010
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A cat naturally eats just until he is full, but if there’s a bowl of constantly available starchy kibble to snack on he can develop the habit of over-eating, especially if the environment is under-stimulating and she doesn’t have enough to do to occupy his body and mind.
“Happy hour at the Carbo-Bar” (free-feeding dry food) puts him at risk of becoming obese. If your cat is healthy he will not become fat if he gets two meals a day of actual meat. The main problem with free-feeding kibble is that a cat eats and eats but never gets truly satisfied because the food lacks the nutrients his body requires. Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter. |
and doesn’t stop. She starts meowing and then cuts it off xD
I have had cats most of my life and three of the cats I have owned all had over active thyroid. They eat and drink like they are starving and will get in your plate if you let them.
I have learned, sadly, that not medicating this condition can cause high blood pressure that can cause your cat to go blind and have heart and kidney damage.
So, if this describes your kitty, have him tested for hyperthyroid. It is very important!
I don’t get it, Tracie. Do you post tips to hear yourself grousing, or to genuinely show concern when it comes to the caring of cats?
It’s one thing to post tips, such as overeating in this tip post. But it’s quite another to not bother to offer up a solution.
My cats free-feed throughout the day, but the nutrition I give them doesn’t and never will come from a bag of Purina Cat Chow or Meow Mix. I feed mine strictly Royal Canin with some salmon fish oil added to the kibble.
My daughter feeds her the Blue Buffalo Wilderness (in the blue bag) kibble, which her cats truly enjoy.If this is not acceptable, then by all means, offer an alternative.
I won’t give mine “raw” food because of the lack of nutrients that are missing. And when I buy kibble, I make sure that the first ingredient is meat; not by-products of meat. I’ve also learned that corn is a very acceptable grain because it contains lysine. This is ideal for fighting viruses, such as the upper respiratory variety.
Lastly, the supplementing with salmon fish oil is very good for their coat and skin as well as fighting hairballs. A good brushing certainly helps, too.
So please, if you’re going to suggest that free-feeding or using a spray bottle to discipline a cat is not the way to do things, offer up another solution. I believe in balance, and not further confusing pet owners.
Hi Everyone,
It’s me, “toonces” again. By now, you all know that we have 20 rescue cats. Also 5 rescue dogs. All under one roof. Two of my cats are heavy. They came to me that way. I have tried to cut down on their food but does anyone have any suggestions on how I am to feed them with this situation.? I leave dry food out on the counter all of the time, otherwise the dogs will eat it.
We have our 2 oldest (20+) in their own room with food, water, boxes, etc. They can only eat wet food due to removal of many teeth. What a situation we have here.
Any suggestions? I try to give each one the love and stimulation that they deserve each day. I can’t use a “kitty kong” because the dogs get to it. Help, if you can, please, as I would like to reduce the weight of two of my kitty babes. Thanks!
It seems like these daily tips are often incomplete. This is another example of a tip that seems to be missing the important information about “next steps” or what you should do? Pointing out a problem is great, but not when the solutions are missing. I’m thinking about unsubscribing for this reason.
can’t you get dry kibble that contains the nutrients they need?
following up on my previous post … i feed my cats Taste of the Wild kibble, as well as Dick Van Patton’s Ultra formula. Both contain no grain, wheat, soy, none of that garbage. So … is it really a carb-o-load?
So true. Our cat Bob is very overweight. We have now stopped free feeding dry food and are feeding wet only, two times a day.
I so agree with Jo/Gaelicwench Post!
Tracie, you throw out these “tips” but they lack any real “tip” value. Where is the follow through?
I have a cat we rescued over a yr ago, she came to us as a supposed 6month old who truly looked like a 6week old. we fed her, had her checked over by a Vet twice & all went well. Our Vet did tell us feeding her canned meat would be better for her then kibble…fine I have no issue with that, I’d feed her fresh fish if it was best for her. I have tried the “meat” feeding several times…my poor sweets ends up with the runs…everytime! So, I go back to the dry & it clears up.
I do not want to keep causing her an up-set tummy by feeding her “meat.” I’ll be watching to see if you reply Tracie, which I’m doubting, since I don’t see any replies from you on any comments. Maybe my wisest move would be just to follow what Jo feed their cats.
Toonces writes: just a thought Jo.:. Not a “scolding”.
If you had 20 cats Could not Would you be able to feed them the brands that you now do? We feed ours the very best that we can afford. My husband works and I am severely disabled. Just wondered. We do go to the vet for yrly checkups, etc. Could everyone out there feed what they are feeding if they were in this situation.
We don’t feed the Huge Bag “O” Cheap Stuff. Now I am feeling guilty. Should I be?
PS. I agree no solutions are every given here. Why???
I feed my cat Science diet dry once a day…should I switch up and feed him wet food one day and dry the next
It depends on what dry food you feed them. Mine get a mixture of Avoderm, California Natural, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul and Nutro. I did have Taste of the Wild mixed in too, but it caused kidney problems with the 4 who had survived the Iams contaminated food. We started feeding the Taste of the Wild to my brothers cat who had chronic diarrhea from birth, and now she is allowed in the house.
I’m also with the folks who are complaining that these tips often lack substantive information. They seem to have the form “Don’t do this”, and leave it at that – nothing about what you can do instead. I am also considering dropping my subscription to this feed – it’s not worth my time at this point.
Okay, so first let’s address the anger and indignance: I have to say I cannot fathom where this hostility is coming from. It’s really unpleasant to read and wonder why folks feel the need to express themselves with personal attacks and threats of not wanting to receive tips anymore. Let’s clear up a few things: 1)Tips are short, thought-provoking ideas. They are not intended to be all-encompassing explanations but food for thought.2) If you wanted more information – or “the rest of the story” on a tip -you had only to Google my name and go to my website (which takes no advertising and is there as a community service, including a printable pdf file on the recommended brands and flavors of canned cat food) 3) You could look at my book THE CAT BIBLE which represents 5 years of research and is respected by veterinarians and cat owners alike. 4) I have a website that is hundreds of pages thick with loads of free information, links to other informative non-profit, non-commercial websites, advice from top experts in every aspect of sharing life with a feline 5)I am not an employee of Catster and in any case am not sure the point of threatening to stop receiving tips – if you don’t like or don’t agree with a tip, it’s not really worth being angry about, I wouldn’t have thought . 5)I participated in these tips because I think it is simply wonderful of Catster (and Dogster) to have come up with the idea of reaching out to the community with ideas and information. My personal motivation in my work is to learn something new all the time and help cat owners live the best life with and for their cats as possible 6)Catster writes the headings for my tips and there are people who sometimes edit my tips, too. 7) I have 3 live weekly radio shows about dogs and cats – which you would have discovered if you’d gone to my website. “DOG TALK” is on NPR out of Southampton NY Saturday mornings and I discuss cats equally (I’m also proud to say I just won a “Gracie Award” for that show, the highest honor in the radio world) -then “CAT CHAT” is on the Martha Stewart channel of SiriusXM satellite radio on Wednesday nights at 8 PM EST. And “DOG TALK & CAT CHAT” is live from NYC on Saturday nights at 10 PM on WOR 710 AM. All those shows have a call in number and I’d really love to hear from any of you with your questions and concerns – maybe we can become friends, which was really my reason to be part of Catster and Dogster – for more people to hear the non-traditional information I have to offer and to give support to those facing all the usual behavior and medical challenges. So please take a moment to realize I am on your side – I only want what is best for your cats – and I’d really like to use my limited time to accomplish my goal of more kitties living happier healthier lives – rather than having to explain or defend who I am and what I am all about.
Alrighty – we’ve cleared the air about where I am “coming from.”. Now let me tell you the short answer about what to feed your cats: canned cat food. ( Or raw cat food (which is not incomplete because the companies freezing and shipping it add taurine and bone to make it a complete food.) Cats are obligate carnivores. They must eat meat – the most carbohydrate they should have in their diet is 10%. All dry cat food is made of highly processed carbohydrates – even the better ones without corn or wheat are still heavily carb foods- rice, potatoes, etc.have to be used for the extrusion process by which kibble is made. Also, the quality of protein that goes into dry food is always inferior to that used in cans.Plus, cats digestive systems wee developed to receive their moisture from the body fluids of their prey – cats are desert animals, not actually “programmed” to drink – which is why a cat who is thirsty is a cat who needs to go to the vet- it’s a sign of a kidney disease, or another health problem (or one caused by feeding dry, thirst-inducing cat food). You can find loads of further information to prove, document and encourage you to get your cats onto primarily chicken or turkey based wet cat food on my website, http://www.TracieHotchner.com, or catinfo.org or felineoutreach.org. Cat obesity is caused by the cat’s digestive system not being designed to handle carbohydrates – dry food is the only cause of type II diabetes in cats, which has become an epidemic since the widespread use of dry cat food about 15 years ago. Once people get their cats onto wet food only (fed in two meals a day, with the saucer put down for only 15 minutes and then removed until the next meal) people have found their diabetic cats coming off insulin, and other cats losing weight, stopping vomiting or shedding, becoming more energetic, playful and affectionate – and if they had any urinary tract problems like stones, crystals, or UTI’s, those stopped, too. As for kidney disease, top vets will acknowledge that dry food is NOT a good solution (70 year old science came up with the idea of that prescription dry food your vet is selling) but instead cats with renal failure need more high quality protein – which of course means wet food.And this is only a fraction of the information I can share with you about the right way to feed an obligate carnivore to ensure a long, happy, healthy life. In addition, the entire myth about dry food cleaning cat’s teeth could occupy two paragraphs just for a start. So you can see that a tip is short and just scratches the surface – if you want to know more, go to my website or call me on the air on any of my shows. Join the tens of thousands of listeners who have gotten their cats off dry food and are thrilled at the transformation in their kitties well being.
Thank you, Tracie … your tips are the tip of the icebergs and have inspired me to seek additional information leading to the changing of my cats diet of dry food to Newman’s Own, Turkey and Turkey with vegetables. They came out from their feral shells once I got them off of the dry food — they are playful, their coats are shiny, and they are healthy. I have both dogs and cats and both your Bibles, which have helped me tremendously with all sorts of issues. Congratulations on your Gracie Award, well deserved. Nancy
My cats kidney trouble was caused by the Melamine contaminated Iams. Food recommended by my veterianarian. 2 dead, 4 damaged. I bought the raw food (very expensive), and they refused to eat it. Finally mixed it into the dogs food and he ate it. I have them on the dry foods as stated in my previous comment, and wet food twice a day. The one who has IBS gets Benefiber, prednisone and probiotics in the evening, and Benefiber is the morning with his. Cleared up his bowel problems right away. One who survived but has the worst kidneys gets a Ringer’s Lactate drip a couple of times a week. He was given till last December to live, but by treating him like the vet said, he’s still going strong. Listen to your veterinarian and to Tracie. They both know what they’re talking about.
Frankly the reaction is to your “one size fits all” tips that could cause cat cruelty if taken at face value by those who don’t know better or seek further information. We’ve reached an accomodation with our cats that keeps everyone sane and social, wet food served twice daily left out all day or night with dry food always available. Once they realized they would never really be hungry again they stopped guarding their food, gorging and vomiting it up, begging and waking us up early, etc, etc. We have happy normal weight cats who maintain their weight naturally. Try to keep in mind cats come from all sorts of circumstances into various social structures they react to, advice that doesn’t take this into consideration won’t alway work to the benefit of cats and their care givers.
Tracie, its the internet, that’s what happens.
meant to add – don’t take it personally…
Thanks Tony! Very sweet of you to give words of friendship. It’s really the anger that stuns me – but you’re right I guess, that on the internet people feel free to express themselves in a way they would not do in another setting. It’s just a shame that such a wonderful tool as the internet that can connect us all in our shared interests and concerns has to sometimes take such an ugly tone. So nice to have a kind word!
Oh – I didn’t meant o forget the extremely kind words and experiences of Nancy & Carol who have followed my advice. I guess I am spoiled because that’s what so many callers to my weekly live radio shows sound like – open-minded to ideas, and also happy to share their own ideas and experiences, which I am also equally happy to hear about and learn from. Poor Carol’s kitties- Melamine Survivors! What a devoted cat mom you are to give them all that support and help with the physical challenges they have.Bravo for you!
I don’t view my post as a threat nor a personal attack, there was no “name calling” on my part & I didn’t threaten anyone or to leave Catser. I was pointing out my opinion & point of view (which I thought was welcome on an open forum) as well as asking question’s about the effects feeding meat has, was & is having on my cat.
I don’t have satellite radio, I don’t reside in NYC. I live in the Buffalo, NY area. I don’t have the abitlity to listen to stations from NYC so WOR & the College station in Southampton NY you air shows from are not an option for me. The only College station I am able to receive is SUNY @ U.B.
I’m researching this issue my cat has with canned food & will do so until I find a solution. I rescued her from a kill shelter to give her the best possible life filled with love & happiness. I don’t want to be the one to make her ill by what I feed her…be it canned or dry.
Everyone everywhere can listen to my two non-satellite radio shows live online – and also get a podcast of any previous shows – so please check it out on my website and join me anytime!
Wow, I should have gotten here before; what a controversy!
I am guilty of feeding my cats primarily dry food (Taste of the Wild), but I understand that wet is better and feed them wet food (Trader Joe’s) when I can, several times a week. A lot of the holdback is that I have health problems and getting the energy to feed all six individually, then wash their dishes is tiring. But I love them and will try to do better by them. Also, wet food can be expensive — I’m also feeding an outside abandoned cat and, often, my neighbor’s three — but then, so is the veterinarian. I know that good food is the best preventative, whether you are cat or human.
I’d love to hear your podcast, Tracie, but I have dial-up and it is very limiting. I like your tips and find them quick and concise, with concepts and ideas that are clearly presented. I have years of practical experience but your writing has put perspective on problems for me and provided illumination.
Anyone who thinks it is easy to write a daily column should try it sometime.
Little Doll you are doing a great service to be taking care of so many kitties and I salute you. Here are some thoughts on how to make it easier and more affordable. Feed each cat on a small paper plate then no wash up, more sanitary actually. For the best food bargains you can go to http://www.PetFoodDirect.com and my website has the code (sorry I don’t know it by heart!) to put in at the end for a 15% discount. You can get any brand on the planet, no dragging home heavy bags (UPS man does it all!) and often they have many choices on sale, which is how I do it for my dogs. If you have to use dry (for a variety of reasons) you’ve picked a quality brand so the higher the protein and a named protein source as the #1 ingredient, the less worrisome it is to feed dry food. But it must be without corn, wheat, soy,powdered cellulose (which is SAWDUST!!) etc. I like HALO because they use actual real meat, muscle meat, in their kibble which no other company does. Still,any kibble is bad for cats’ health because at the end of the day it is highly processed and carbohydrate heavy. As for listening to my shows, any chance you can download them from the online library onto an iPod or other device? I am a dope and don’t know how, but loads of people are doing it. I really appreciate your very kind words and hope you’ll have a chance to get THE CAT BIBLE at some point because I know it will give you even more insights and advice you c an put to use. If you do get it, remember to send me your mailing address and a lsit of ALL your kitties names so I can send you an autographed bookplate to put in it- adn a coupon for $20 worth of Cat Attract litter and a CD of my show about nutrition.
I have that someone just dumped in my yard that just had kittens. She can’t get enough to eat. She is a good cat but she is always looking for food and jumping up on counter and the table which my husband won’t allow. She even got up on the fridge to get the kitten food. I don’t know what to do.