Yikes! Today I switched my boys, Midge Ure & Ripley, from the All Day Free For All - All You Can Eat Buffet of dry cat food to only 2 set meals per day - and starting tomorrow they switch to canned food *GULP*
Those of you without cats may wonder what's the big deal. Those of you with cats will probably be snickering right about now and thinking "good luck with that!"
Ripley will love it (he sees canned food as his birth right), however, Midge has always loved the crunchy stuff and turned his nose up to wet food in the past.
My reason for the big switcheroo? At their 1 year check up in November my worst fears were confirmed by the vet, my boys are overweight! Especially Midge which surprised me as he's a bit younger than Ripley and was always smaller and more energetic. Alas, with Midge at about 14 pounds and Ripley almost 13, I had to move into action fast! I can't stand seeing a fat indoor cat. So I switched to Science Diet Lite and cut back the amount a wee bit. Oh, the looks on their faces! As if to say (in Stewie voice) "Damn it woman, where are those missing 5 whole kernels of precious sustenance? Why are you depriving us so? What have we done to deserve such cruelty??" I felt so guilty but stuck to my guns. And I upped their daily playtime with me.
Well the Ripper seems to have lost his pudge and Midge is looking a bit leaner too, but he has now developed bad dandruff (which is soooo unattractive with a black cat). Plus his coat has lost some of its gorgeous, silky gloss. So I did some web research and realized that the lite dry foods are very high in carbs, which sweet kitties (and not so sweet kitties) do not require. I also worry my boys don't get enough water - they seem to drink lots (love that water dish fountain) but I'm not sure if it's enough with just the dry food. Plus the air in the house is dry right now due to winter and the heater being on). All these things have led me to realize it's time to make another change.
There is a Tail Blazers a couple of blocks away so I'm going there tomorrow to pick up some cans - probably either Innova, Innova EVO (Franki's recommendations), or Wellness. Both are chock full of human-grade meats, Omega-3, and no grains. I might pick up an Omega-3 supplement too. I'll chat with the store staff and get their recommendations.
So, tomorrow morning is going to be loud. They are not going to let me hit the snooze button & leisurely get ready for work in peace. And they'll be climbing my legs trying to jump into the cat food bag as I'm dishing it out. I hope Midge doesn't freak when I present the evening menu of canned food only. I'll have to watch he eats enough. Fingers crossed, maybe he'll love the new brand so much he won't look back... Who am I kidding? He'll probably flash two fingers to it for the first little while. This will be a gradual move to only canned food with him, I think
I hope I don't cave in and give them dry food to snack on during the day. It's rather difficult to eat my own meals with those two watching me with their big, Puss n' Boots eyes, sniffing around their empty dishes like a couple of Oliver Twists. "Please sir, can I have some more?"
