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The bookends(the cats older and younger than Grady) have large, normal looking stool, not too mushy. And they're not the ones vomiting frequently enough to set clocks by.
Both Cornell and his primary vet have found nothing indicating the foul breath. Negative bloodwork, teeth cleaned twice during his life, last two physicals, teeth look 'great'.
Mind you: Grady, despite vomiting to beat the band, is still prowling about the house, giving chase or being chased, healthy, thick coat, etc. Athletic, not lethargic.
My wife suspects his "plumbing"(digestive) is just "undersized" for him, and we just have to deal with it.
Well, I'd also think that the frequent puking could cause breath problems, too.
I don't know about an undersized digestive system, but another thing I'd look at with a multi-cat household...cats can get psychologically funny about food when other cats are there. Like, does he scarf & barf? They do sell bowls with built-in obstacles to slow down a cat's eating. Sometimes when they devour their food it can make them throw up after eating.
The thing about cat poop... A cat on a good cat diet (all wet, high protein, moderate fat, correct balance of other necessary nutrients and as little filler/carbs as possible, and nothing that they're allergic to) will have small, hard, dryish poops. But they'll also be urinating a goodly amount a few times a day. Their bodies are built to eat meat. Humans have completely different digestive systems, WE need "roughage" and bulked up stools of a particular consistency and WE can get things like diverticulitis from lack of plant fiber and that sort of deal. That's a people thing, that isn't a cat thing. And a cat with a properly mobile digestive system, will past most of the hair they consume when grooming, rather than puking it up (though particularly with some long haired breeds like mine, the occasional hairball will happen.)
The problem with feeding a combo of kibble and wet, is that the kibble can slow their digestion and cause effects that aren't natural to them. Even if you soaked the kibble and made it "wet food" it's still full of plant based fillers, and it's still not good for them. Also, if you look, you'll find that far, far more dry foods than wet have been recalled due to problems that kill pets. You can get molds and bacteria and all kinds of crap germinating in a bag of kibble that you just don't tend to see in a sealed can of mush. A cat's gut can typically handle raw chicken just fine, but I would not give it to a cat who eats dry food in any amount, because they may not have the right balance of enzymes and the slowing of their digestion can cause bacteria to linger in there long enough to do harm.
A lot...A LOT...of vets don't know anything about all this cat nutrition stuff. A few have specialized in it, which is why I cite the website I did in my last post. Jackson Galaxy is on board with this. People who are like, really into cats, and really learning how they tick, are really coming around to this information. Vets who went to schools often funded by Purina or Hills or whatever, who sell those foods and profit by those relationships, are of course taught that there's nothing wrong with dry food, among other things. Because dry food is a good moneymaker for the pet food industry, though it's cheaper to you, it's absurdly cheap to make with all of the very cheap filler it's made of.
The cheapest canned food (as long as it is marked as a "complete diet" and not a supplement) is better for your cat, than the most expensive kibble on the shelf. If you still have kibble going into your cats, then don't be like "I've tried feeding canned and the same thing happens, it doesn't work" just because it didn't instantly eliminate the problem. Dry food needs to go out of the picture, and only then will you know if the problem is fixable with diet change.
I want to toss this out there--what are Grady's kidney numbers like (in blood work)? As our Benny* has aged (he's 19 now), his stools have gotten larger and given his weak joints, it's harder for him to pass them. I've been told that poorer kidney function can cause this too (our Benny's kidneys aren't terrible, but, again he's old so they're not at their best).
To answer your original question, Benny LOVES our cat water fountain. He drinks from it several times per day. We have a Thirsty Cat Fountains brand and I love it. It's handmade and ceramic, much easier to clean than our old plastic one.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork
Well, I'd also think that the frequent puking could cause breath problems, too.
I don't know about an undersized digestive system, but another thing I'd look at with a multi-cat household...cats can get psychologically funny about food when other cats are there. Like, does he scarf & barf? They do sell bowls with built-in obstacles to slow down a cat's eating. Sometimes when they devour their food it can make them throw up after eating.
The thing about cat poop... A cat on a good cat diet (all wet, high protein, moderate fat, correct balance of other necessary nutrients and as little filler/carbs as possible, and nothing that they're allergic to) will have small, hard, dryish poops. But they'll also be urinating a goodly amount a few times a day. Their bodies are built to eat meat. Humans have completely different digestive systems, WE need "roughage" and bulked up stools of a particular consistency and WE can get things like diverticulitis from lack of plant fiber and that sort of deal. That's a people thing, that isn't a cat thing. And a cat with a properly mobile digestive system, will past most of the hair they consume when grooming, rather than puking it up (though particularly with some long haired breeds like mine, the occasional hairball will happen.)
The problem with feeding a combo of kibble and wet, is that the kibble can slow their digestion and cause effects that aren't natural to them. Even if you soaked the kibble and made it "wet food" it's still full of plant based fillers, and it's still not good for them. Also, if you look, you'll find that far, far more dry foods than wet have been recalled due to problems that kill pets. You can get molds and bacteria and all kinds of crap germinating in a bag of kibble that you just don't tend to see in a sealed can of mush. A cat's gut can typically handle raw chicken just fine, but I would not give it to a cat who eats dry food in any amount, because they may not have the right balance of enzymes and the slowing of their digestion can cause bacteria to linger in there long enough to do harm.
A lot...A LOT...of vets don't know anything about all this cat nutrition stuff. A few have specialized in it, which is why I cite the website I did in my last post. Jackson Galaxy is on board with this. People who are like, really into cats, and really learning how they tick, are really coming around to this information. Vets who went to schools often funded by Purina or Hills or whatever, who sell those foods and profit by those relationships, are of course taught that there's nothing wrong with dry food, among other things. Because dry food is a good moneymaker for the pet food industry, though it's cheaper to you, it's absurdly cheap to make with all of the very cheap filler it's made of.
The cheapest canned food (as long as it is marked as a "complete diet" and not a supplement) is better for your cat, than the most expensive kibble on the shelf. If you still have kibble going into your cats, then don't be like "I've tried feeding canned and the same thing happens, it doesn't work" just because it didn't instantly eliminate the problem. Dry food needs to go out of the picture, and only then will you know if the problem is fixable with diet change.
Our eldest, a fifteen year old Tux, gulps her food like someone's about to steal it, and vomits only once per week, if that. She'll finish 1/3 cup of kibbles, or half a can of wet, in two minutes or less.
Our youngest four yr old boy grazes, eating a few pellets, walking away, coming back every 15 minutes or so until the bowl empty. He eats his wet portion in one 2-3min sitting. Grady is somewhere between the two!
Sighhhh.. On the subject of eliminating dry food from the house entirely: If you say so! Like Capt. Kirk said to Spock in Star Trek 3, the needs of the one outweighs the needs of the many. We will adjust our budget accordingly.
Last edited by TheGrandK-Man; 02-06-2020 at 02:30 PM..
Our eldest, a fifteen year old Tux, gulps her food like someone's about to steal it, and vomits only once per week, if that. She'll finish 1/3 cup of kibbles, or half a can of wet, in two minute or less.
Our youngest four yr old boy grazes, eating a few pellets, walking away, coming back every 15 minutes or so until the bowl empty. He eats his wet portion in one 2-3min sitting.
Sighhhh.. On the subject of eliminating dry food from the house entirely: If you say so! Like Capt. Kirk said to Spock in Star Trek 3, the needs of the one outweighs the needs of the many. We will adjust our budget accordingly.
I know that it's tough on a budget. That's honestly the only justification I know of, for feeding dry...it is cheap and convenient (at least up front...the vet bills it can cause later, on the other hand?)
Like you won't hear me challenging shelters, low income people, or anyone who feeds ferals, that they need to switch to canned. I get it.
The other option that is healthy, is raw, but that takes a certain investment of time and education, because you need to find a good recipe that includes stuff like the supplemental taurine, proportions of muscle to organ to bone content, and get a meat grinder, and have the freezer space to store cat food. All that has deterred me, though I'm assured from people who have gone this route, that over time and especially with multiple cats, it's cheaper in the long run than any commercial food. (Commonly you can buy lower cost meat like poultry legs and such in bulk.)
Otherwise, to circle back to your original question, the best way to get more water into your kitty cat that I know of, is to mix it into wet food. I've got a cat who did not like a fountain, doesn't drink from faucets or toilets, and rarely touches the fresh water I nevertheless provide for him in a bowl. The only reason he's well hydrated, is the wet food diet, and the small amount of extra water I put into his food sometimes.
PS~ Love the Trek reference, RIP Leonard Nimoy, Spock was always my favorite!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork
I know that it's tough on a budget. That's honestly the only justification I know of, for feeding dry...it is cheap and convenient (at least up front...the vet bills it can cause later, on the other hand?)
Like you won't hear me challenging shelters, low income people, or anyone who feeds ferals, that they need to switch to canned. I get it.
The other option that is healthy, is raw, but that takes a certain investment of time and education, because you need to find a good recipe that includes stuff like the supplemental taurine, proportions of muscle to organ to bone content, and get a meat grinder, and have the freezer space to store cat food. All that has deterred me, though I'm assured from people who have gone this route, that over time and especially with multiple cats, it's cheaper in the long run than any commercial food. (Commonly you can buy lower cost meat like poultry legs and such in bulk.)
Otherwise, to circle back to your original question, the best way to get more water into your kitty cat that I know of, is to mix it into wet food. I've got a cat who did not like a fountain, doesn't drink from faucets or toilets, and rarely touches the fresh water I nevertheless provide for him in a bowl. The only reason he's well hydrated, is the wet food diet, and the small amount of extra water I put into his food sometimes.
PS~ Love the Trek reference, RIP Leonard Nimoy, Spock was always my favorite!
Location: Removing a snake out of the neighbor's washing machine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork
I just trickle a bit over Nimbus' food. I'm not turning it into soup.
Now you tell me!
Just kidding, but yeah, I took the water thing too far with Grady.
This cat is so sensitive. He is perpetually on the fence between hungry and over-fed upchucking. We're talking one teaspoon of dry or wet food either way!
I
The other option that is healthy, is raw, but that takes a certain investment of time and education, because you need to find a good recipe that includes stuff like the supplemental taurine, proportions of muscle to organ to bone content, and get a meat grinder, and have the freezer space to store cat food. All that has deterred me, though I'm assured from people who have gone this route, that over time and especially with multiple cats, it's cheaper in the long run than any commercial food. (Commonly you can buy lower cost meat like poultry legs and such in bulk.)
FYI, I have an excellent recipe for raw that our vet asked me for a copy of so he could give it out. We swear by it, and I'm happy to share it with anyone.
To me, it's not just a matter of economics, it's a matter of how many additional years you get to spend with your cats. I've often thought that if we'd switched over a few years earlier, I wouldn't have lost my beloved buddy to kidney disease a couple of years back. I still miss him every day.
As for cost, once you get past the upfront cost of the grinder, I calculate that we spend about $1.50 per day for 2 12-pound cats. The trick (IMO) is to wait for boneless chicken thighs to go on deep sale, and grab 'em whether you need cat food that week or not. I tried to cheat once by getting a cheaper cut of chicken (skinless breasts) and that was a big fail. Not enough fat.
In terms of time, I make 30 to 40 pounds at a time, and the whole operation (from mixing the vitamins and minerals and separating out the egg yolks to cleaning up the grinder and putting it all away) takes roughly 2, maybe 3 hours if I'm poking along. To me, that's time well-spent, because it gives us happy, healthy kitties!
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Now you tell me! 
