Chew snacks for cats - recommendations please!

[PintoBean]

Hello PSers!

I'd like to get some chew snacks for one of my kitties. She eats ANYTHING, which is good. Currently, I have been giving her Sentry Petrodex Dental Twists for cats every so often. She devours the stick in no time! I want a stick that will keep her busy longer than her current dental twists. Any positive effects on her teeth - bonus!

 

[movie zombie]

since my Brita girl kitty was diagnosed with diabetes in September I've become a label reading Nazi and treats are now a big no-no. prior to that I thought the ones from Trader Joe's were good..................and I'm not sure cats need treats other than some steamed chicken although one of mine likes to lick my yogurt bowl when I'm done.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

since my Brita girl kitty was diagnosed with diabetes in September I've become a label reading Nazi and treats are now a big no-no. prior to that I thought the ones from Trader Joe's were good..................and I'm not sure cats need treats other than some steamed chicken although one of mine likes to lick my yogurt bowl when I'm done.

I'm not sure about treats, either. My cat is super picky and the only thing he's adored has been cat nip until recently when I started buying nitrate-free lunch meat and he will gobble that up. He won't eat regular organic meat, but likes the lunch meat, so we have established a routine of him getting a bit in the morning and then when I make my kids' lunches at night. It's probably not as healthy as real organic meat, but it's something he likes and if I cut it into little pieces, just is about a tablespoon full for him. I do make sure he has fresh water after.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

since my Brita girl kitty was diagnosed with diabetes in September I've become a label reading Nazi and treats are now a big no-no. prior to that I thought the ones from Trader Joe's were good..................and I'm not sure cats need treats other than some steamed chicken although one of mine likes to lick my yogurt bowl when I'm done.

MZ - sorry about your kitty. Hope she's doing okay.

 

[movie zombie]

thanks, MC, and we've seen dramatic improvement in BG numbers finally and due to going over to a high protein/low carb diet.

however, the result is that I am now a cat food nazi................

I know we all want the best for our cats but I've become convinced that many of the items we purchase actually create health issues for our kitties. and I know we want them to have clean teeth but there are ways of doing it w/o going over to snacks which are laden with wheat and sugars. cats just don't need that.

off my soap box now.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

thanks, MC, and we've seen dramatic improvement in BG numbers finally and due to going over to a high protein/low carb diet.

Glad to hear he's doing good on his new diet. What brand of food are you feeding him?

 

[movie zombie]

sorry for the thread jack.

re treats: I'm reading at the feline diabetes websites about using dried or freeze dried pits of meat as treats after giving pills.
we've had to discontinue the use of pill pockets due to ingredients that are not good for cats, especially diabetic cats.

ok, after much research and disbelieve because I was buying Weruva, Wellness, and other 'great' canned cat foods that were supposed to be so healthy for kitties. research revealed lots of ingredients that are not part of a cat's diet historically. the hard thing to accept was that buying what I thought was good food was actually part of the problem. no dry food is allowed for a diabetic cat despite what some manufacturers claim.

so to answer the question: oddly, or so I thought at the time, feline diabetic websites are filled with the experiences of people reversing the original diagnosis and having their cats go insulin free............on Fancy Feast Classic Chicken and/or Turkey. only the "Classic" is good for this....if it has lots of gravy it is laden with thickeners. high protein and low carbs is what a cat needs whether diabetic or not. Brita and the other cats have now been on nothing but this for about 2-2.5 months. Brita is probably going to be completely off insulin in a week or less. she is already only getting a minimal dose about every 2 days.......this is remarkable. but I'm still in shock that Fancy Feast Classic is the way to go......either that or make your own cat food. I have read that Friskies makes a pate that is also acceptable. the thing is to get away from carbs....and sugars. cats do not need wheat, rice, bran, etc. nor do they need blueberries which breakdown into sugar.

I cannot tell you how many hours I've spent doing research. we test her BG levels at home. when giving her insulin subq I "tent" the skin at the back of her neck. this helps to get the insulin down under the fat layer and into the blood.

if anyone wants to discuss further feline diabetes perhaps we should start another thread.........

hope that helps others.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

so to answer the question: oddly, or so I thought at the time, feline diabetic websites are filled with the experiences of people reversing the original diagnosis and having their cats go insulin free............on Fancy Feast Classic Chicken and/or Turkey. only the "Classic" is good for this....if it has lots of gravy it is laden with thickeners. high protein and low carbs is what a cat needs whether diabetic or not.

I would never have thought Fancy Feast would be the winner! So glad you found one! Yay

My cat won't eat canned cat food, but I had purchased Fancy Feast and other wet/canned foods for him for holidays or fun-food days for him, however, he refused to eat it, but it's good to know that there is a safe food out there because we're planning to adopt a kitten and my current cat is 3 1/2 years old and I wasn't sure how to handle the food situation because my older cat is a healthy weight on the adult mix and when he was being fed kitten food still at around age one started to get a bit heavier and I didn't want him to be eating the kitten's food.

We'll see if the kitten we adopt will like the Fancy Feast Classic and that might help her nutritional needs w/out my older one gaining weight. (We haven't found the right kitten yet...I've been looking, though, with company in our house all through the holidays, it may be better for both cats if we wait until after our company leaves so it's quiet for the new cats to become acquainted.) My 3 1/2 year old meows with excitement when he sits in the window sill & sees other cats outside, so he appears to be a social guy...he's never hissed or anything, so I think we'll be okay. Still, I'd like the kitten not to be freaked out with 7-12 people in the house for at least a couple of days!

 

[TooPatient]

Check out a high-end pet food store. They should have some good treat options.

If you are careful that it remains a treat, it should not be a problem for health.

We had freeze dried turkey and chicken that our cats liked. Ingredients list was JUST chicken or turkey. The pet food store had other options like that too.

 

[iLander]

sorry for the thread jack.

so to answer the question: oddly, or so I thought at the time, feline diabetic websites are filled with the experiences of people reversing the original diagnosis and having their cats go insulin free............on Fancy Feast Classic Chicken and/or Turkey. only the "Classic" is good for this....if it has lots of gravy it is laden with thickeners. high protein and low carbs is what a cat needs whether diabetic or not. Brita and the other cats have now been on nothing but this for about 2-2.5 months. Brita is probably going to be completely off insulin in a week or less. she is already only getting a minimal dose about every 2 days.......this is remarkable. but I'm still in shock that Fancy Feast Classic is the way to go......either that or make your own cat food. I have read that Friskies makes a pate that is also acceptable. the thing is to get away from carbs....and sugars. cats do not need wheat, rice, bran, etc. nor do they need blueberries which breakdown into sugar.

hope that helps others.

Thanks, Mozo! I will switch to this after my cat is done with his current food pack. He doesn't have diabetes, he's healthy now, but I want to be sure he stays well. I believe in you Mozo, and if your research indicates this is the way to go, then that it what I will do. Thank you!

ETA Is that the turkey and giblets? I can't seem to find plain turkey.

 

[movie zombie]

there is one ingredient in the Fancy Feast Classic Chicken that is troubling: menadione sodium bisulfite complex.

and it is also in all the Fancey Feast Classic foods. and, yes, the turkey & giblets is also being used by others with feline diabetes.

I have to say I am very troubled by the menadione sodium bisulfite complex info:
http://cats.about.com/b/2009/04/06/menadione-sodium-bisulfite-complex.htm
however, the health threat from other ingredients is higher, imo.

however, Brita's immediate life threatening issue is diabetes. and I did put all the other cats on it as well even the two 1 year olds. it seems that no matter how one tries to be a good feline care giver there is something bad in all processed cat foods that we buy. it is a matter of making the choice as to which risk we are willing to take. Brita is about 15 years of age and with diabetes under control I'm not going to worry too much re cancer because for all we know she already has it......one never knows has been my experience until the cancer begins to effect the cat enough to seek a vet's diagnosis. in this instance, I did think she had cancer and was relieved it was diabetes!

I would encourage everyone to do their own research. the internet has been so helpful! I am finally grateful for having it!

the only real way to ensure that our feline companions are getting the best food possible is to make it ourselves with organic chicken thighs. yes, chicken thighs BONE IN: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

Fancy Feast Classic Chicken is not inexpensive given the price for the small can [only size it comes in]. but I've seen an improvement in their coats and there has been a healthy weight loss to a stable and good weight for the youngsters. also, their feces aren't as smelly! and there is less food waste. and most importantly, Brita's BG #'s are stabilizing! it has been 48 hours since her last insulin injection! our vet says when we get to 7 days w/o we can start celebrating! we will continue to test but not twice a day at that point.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

there is one ingredient in the Fancy Feast Classic Chicken that is troubling: menadione sodium bisulfite complex.

Fancy Feast Classic Chicken is not inexpensive given the price for the small can [only size it comes in]. but I've seen an improvement in their coats and there has been a healthy weight loss to a stable and good weight for the youngsters. also, their feces aren't as smelly! and there is less food waste. and most importantly, Brita's BG #'s are stabilizing! it has been 48 hours since her last insulin injection! our vet says when we get to 7 days w/o we can start celebrating! we will continue to test but not twice a day at that point.

Oh, you know, sounds like this cat food is working perfectly for her. Her BG level stable stable so you have that taken care of...if you decide to experiment w/other cat foods, later, w/out that controversial ingredient, than you can always do so, but you've solved something that's improving her health right away.

Thanks again for your posts because they made me think about investigating foods for my pets. We've used Avoderm because it was the only cat food that healed my previous 17 year old cat's skin irritation (and we began feeding that to her when she was 10), but now I see it has a lot of grains, so we'll look for a dry food that is better for the cat who likes only dry food.

 

[alpha238]

We just adopted a 3 year old cat. She is the sweetest and snuggliest kitty I've ever met. It seems she has allergy problems and the vet has prescribed Benadryl. She doesn't like taking the pill. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way of giving her the medication?

 

[movie zombie]

surround it with butter....real butter.
does she like yogurt? one of my cats does and if need be i'll put it in some of that.
I used to use pill pockets until brita was diagnosed with diabetes and because of their wheat content I don't use them any more....but you might find them effective.

 

[alpha238]

DZ, I've never heard of pill pockets. Can I get them at Pet Smart or Petco?

 

[movie zombie]

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755242

Ingredients:

Salmon: Chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, salmon meal, natural flavors, dried corn syrup, corn flour, wheat gluten, vegetable oil, water, lecithin, brewer's dried yeast, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), salt, methylcellulose, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), mixed tocopherols, vitamin E supplement.

Chicken: Chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, natural flavors, dried corn syrup, corn flour, wheat gluten, chicken liver meal, vegetable oil, lecithin, brewer's dried yeast, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), methylcellulose, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), mixed tocopherols, vitamin E supplement.


please note all the flour and sugar ingredients which are inappropriate for a diabetic cat.
however, each feline care provider makes their own choice.

 

[alpha238]

Thanks for the info MZ. We don't know what she's allergic to. The shelter we got her from said she came to them with no fur. She's been in the shelter for over a year. They couldn't even think about adopting her out until her fur grew back. She's a beautiful short hair with "tortoise" coloring.

 

[TooPatient]

We just adopted a 3 year old cat. She is the sweetest and snuggliest kitty I've ever met. It seems she has allergy problems and the vet has prescribed Benadryl. She doesn't like taking the pill. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way of giving her the medication?

We use the liquid Benadryl -- INFANT (the others have alcohol)

I can't get our cat with allergies to take a pill at all. She still fights the liquid, but it is easier to get in her. The pharmacy also has droppers and squirty measure things that make the liquid easier. Just make sure it is plastic and not one of the glass droppers.

 

[alpha238]

Too Patient, I'll have to look into the infant liquid Benadryl. She never gives us a problem with anything. Taking the pill is the only thing she has fought us with. One thing about adopting a grown cat instead of a kitten, is that you don't know their past. I wonder if she had a problem with pills before?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

We just adopted a 3 year old cat. She is the sweetest and snuggliest kitty I've ever met. It seems she has allergy problems and the vet has prescribed Benadryl. She doesn't like taking the pill. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way of giving her the medication?

If all else fails, you can buy a pill popper from the vet for about $5 that you attach the pill onto and then put into kitty's mouth and push the pluncher and the pill goes down. It's still a bit traumatic for everyone but works better than trying to convince your cat to eat a food he/she doesn't like and then having the pill spit back up. Hope all goes well.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

surround it with butter....real butter.
does she like yogurt? one of my cats does and if need be i'll put it in some of that.
I used to use pill pockets until brita was diagnosed with diabetes and because of their wheat content I don't use them any more....but you might find them effective.

We found our cats didn't like the pill packets (even w/any sort of food sensitivities), which led me to using the pill popper from the vet. It is awkward to use on cats, but I find that they generally jump off my lap and run a short distance then shack it off.

 

[TooPatient]

Too Patient, I'll have to look into the infant liquid Benadryl. She never gives us a problem with anything. Taking the pill is the only thing she has fought us with. One thing about adopting a grown cat instead of a kitten, is that you don't know their past. I wonder if she had a problem with pills before?

Don't be too shocked if she foams at the mouth for awhile after you give it to her. Our cat did this and I found out from the vet that this is normal for cats to do if they don't like what they've eaten. (she gave a better explanation!) This got better over time and now doesn't happen. She does know when it is coming and puts up a little struggle but nothing like getting a pill into her!

Grown animals do come with their own challenges! I've never believed anyone who says that cats and dogs don't remember their pasts. We have 4 cats & 2 dogs (all rescues) with quirky behaviors and no idea what happened in their pasts to lead to such things.

You might also ask the vet if there is an injectable time-release option. (of course that would mean car trip and injection by vet's technician...)

 

[alpha238]

Thanks MC and Too Patient. The first time we gave her the pill she did foam at the mouth! We've had cats before and had never had that happen. We have used the pill popper years ago for our other cat. He didn't like it very much. We didn't have to use it too often, thankfully.

Yesterday I put the pill in a tiny piece of cheese. She didn't like the cheese and DD put the pill mixed in with her dry food and she ate the pill. If I have a chance today, I'll go to the store and try the to get the pill pockets. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions.

Pinto Bean, I'm sorry I thread jacked, everyone is so helpful.

 

[LAJennifer]

Movie Zombie - I would love to learn more about feline diabetes. What were Brita's initial symptoms? *Dust* for her to get off the insulin soon.

I get a lecture about Wellington's weight every time I take him to his regular vet. I am super careful with portions and I weigh him every week. What I've found is all those "super premium" foods are filled with carbs that make him fat. It is really annoying to pay $2 for a can of food to open it up and see chunks of carrots, etc.

I think I'm going to finally bite the bullet and go "wet food only" and feed Friskies pates. My older 2 cats (both 14) like to much all day, so I have no idea how this is going to turn out.