Need good dry food for a cat?

[xellil]

My brother has a cat. It just spent two days in the hospital with dehydration and an inflammed gallbladder. Actually, the cat has two functioning gall bladders. Anyway, we both agree that it's food related. He is currently feeding Purina.

The vet told him no wet food. No idea why. He refuses to consider feeding raw food because he says the meat in my fridge for my dogs is disgusting and it stinks.

I told him I would ask and send him some suggestions for a better quality food than Meow Mix or whatever it is he is giving his cat. Because I have no clue.

Thanks :)

[hmbutler]

I would recommend a new vet. Absolutely no wet food? For a dehydrated cat? Yeah... that makes sense...

I feed my cat Felidae grain free dry food (best option in Australia, we don't get any of the other good brands you guys have) and give her raw meat too... she generally choses the meat over the dry, but I have to leave the dry out coz she's so picky with the meat and sometimes flat out refuses to eat it lol... bloody cats...

[xellil]

I would recommend a new vet. Absolutely no wet food? For a dehydrated cat? Yeah... that makes sense...

I feed my cat Felidae grain free dry food (best option in Australia, we don't get any of the other good brands you guys have) and give her raw meat too... she generally choses the meat over the dry, but I have to leave the dry out coz she's so picky with the meat and sometimes flat out refuses to eat it lol... bloody cats...

I kinda wondered that too, but I know nothing about cats. Absolutely zero. i will tell him the consensus is the cat should be eating wet food, at least.

and at least I know there are grain free cat foods. I ams sure the food he buys is full of corn.

[Scarlett_O']

I would recommend a new vet. Absolutely no wet food? For a dehydrated cat? Yeah... that makes sense...

I feed my cat Felidae grain free dry food (best option in Australia, we don't get any of the other good brands you guys have) and give her raw meat too... she generally choses the meat over the dry, but I have to leave the dry out coz she's so picky with the meat and sometimes flat out refuses to eat it lol... bloody cats...

TOTALLY agree!!!!

A dehydrated ANYTHING should be given TONS of fluids, let alone a cat! Cats are notorious for getting dehydrated as they do not naturally have an urge to drink water....so I would HIGHLY suggest a new vet, and then also canned food, at least to top off the kibble!!

A high meat content, high quality, grain free canned/soft cat food would be best(for processed foods at least!)

[MollyWoppy]

I feed Windy, Orijen. I would love to vary the proteins, but the only one she will eat is the chicken. She will consent to eating the Fromm fish one at times.
I worry about the lack of moisture as well, so every night she gets offered whatever Mollie is eating, plus cornish hen, and a saucer full of cornish hen blood or canned tuna juice mixed with water. She drinks the lot.
When I first got Mol, she ate a real $hitty kibble, it took FOREVER, like a year, to persuade her to eat the Orijen, but now she loves it.
If your brother could possibly get his cat to eat some canned meat, that would be awesome. If he does switch kibbles or adds in canned meat, make sure he knows it might take months, but it would be so worth it in the end. Hopefully less vet bills, that should be a big persuader!
Thanks for trying to help the kitten have a better life.

[hmbutler]

Nala refuses to even sniff canned food now... she's never tried it, but she wont do it. I could probably shove her face in it and she still would leave it on her face just to avoid eating any... lol she's so stubborn. But she will eat turkey leg meat more often than not, and is about 60/40 when it comes to whether or not she will eat chicken necks and wings... sometimes she will, sometimes she wont lol. So because of that, I have to leave her dry food out because when she gets really hungry, she will eat that. She does like sardines too, had forgotten about those, I might give her some tonight

Good thing about Nala, when it comes to water - she loves drinking from the tap. So I allow her to drink from our bathroom basin, as often as she wants, to keep her fluids up.

[MollyWoppy]

God, Nala and Windy could be sisters. After me skiting about Windr eating feeder mice? Well, bought another 3 today and she won't touch the flippin thing. I honestly could just strangle her sometimes, shaking my head here, I just don't get it. And, Wind will not touch canned food either, I've only tried every type known to mankind.
Xellil, I sure hope your brothers cat is not as fussy or whatever it is you call it as these two spoilt little brats Hayley and I have here!

[xellil]

Thanks to all - I gave him a link to this thread so hopefully he'll read it, and Roscoe the cat will go on living happily with two non-inflamed gall bladders.

[whiteleo]

I feed my boy "Snickers" Evo Herring and Salmon formula! He loves it.. The cranky old lady "Sugar" right now is eating Complete Wellness formula, but she also gets wet food daily... Cat's are so finicky the older they get, it's awful!

[xellil]

I feed my boy "Snickers" Evo Herring and Salmon formula! He loves it.. The cranky old lady "Sugar" right now is eating Complete Wellness formula, but she also gets wet food daily... Cat's are so finicky the older they get, it's awful!

I have a friend who buys $60 worth of those little teeny cans every week, and puts out several for her picky cat a day. What the cat eats one day it won't eat the next. She has food in two bedrooms, the kitchen, and the garage. Plus some dry food to boot. It's just insane what she does trying to feed her cat.

What her cat loves is Vaseline - every morning they have a ritual where she gives her cat about a tablespoon of Vaseline. I have no idea if that is good or bad, but maybe it greases things along.