Kitty Supplies & Food

"What kind of FOOD do I feed my new kitty?"

This is one of the most frequently asked questions about feeding new kittens and cats.  When you buy pet food please take the time to read the labels first. You get what you pay for! Cheap food and dry food will bring you all sorts of medical problems from smelly, runny poop, obesity, serious digestive illness, kidney failure and even death. 

Ask yourself this simple question, "Would I feed my child McDonalds French Fries every day of their life?"  If not, then don't feed your kitty poor quality cat food. 

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they thrive on animal-based diets. Cats would naturally eat BIRD, SMALL RODENTS, REPTILES & BUGS in the wild.

Pet food marketing and advertising has become extremely sophisticated over the last few years. It’s important to know what is hype and what is real to make informed decisions about what to feed your pets.

KRAZY FOR KATS USES HIGH QUALITY 12.5 CANNED CAT FOODS:
(Note: The smaller the can the MORE expensive the cost!)

DAVE’S CANNED DINNER: Dave's Pet Food (davespetfood.com) FREE SHIPPING +$50
EVANGERS CANNED DINNER: Evangers Pet Food (evangersdogfood.com)
NULO FREESTYLE TURKEY/CHICKEN RECIPE: Nulo Pet Food For Cats

Best choices: Turkey, Chicken, Duck, Rabbit, Quail.
Limit feeding: Beef, Lamb, Pork, Shellfish or Fish

Buy the 12.5 oz cans if you can. You will get MORE food for 1/2 the price. I can feed 6 cats with (1) LARGE CAN of cat food. Keep it in the refrigerator in between feedings. I also mix a little warm water into the food to make sure cats are getting enough hydration.

You can do a search on the websites to see where you can find it in your local Pet Food or Feed & Seed Stores. You can also purchase this food on AMAZON or CHEWY. I order a few cases at a time or use Auto-Ship for a discount.

These are the WORST cat food brands: c/o Jess Caticle

• Mars Petcare cat food brands (Royal Canin, Sheba, Whiskas, Iams, Nutro, Temptations, Greenies)

• Nestle cat food brands (Friskies, Fancy Feast, Beyond, Deli Cat, Muse, Kit & Kaboodle, Kitten/Cat Chow, Purina ONE, Purina ProPlan, Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diet)

• JM Smucker cat food brands (Rachel Ray Nutrish, 9Lives, MeowMix, Natural Balance)

• Colgate-Palmolive cat food brands (Hill’s Science Diet)

• General Mills cat food brands (Blue Buffalo, Blue Wilderness, Blue Basics, Blue Carnivora, Blue True Solutions, Blue Freedom, Blue Natural Veterinary Diet)

A GOOD RULE OF THUMB IS THIS:

• Do NOT purchase food from the grocery store with the exception of "Sprouts" or "Whole Foods." They actually have quality kitty food that is healthy.

• Pet food found at the grocery stores is made up mostly of “filler” food such as meat-by-products, corn meal and grains. Cats are "meat eaters" and need to have a high content of meat protein in their food. Most food found at pet stores such as Petco, PetSmart and your local feed & seed stores will have the top quality brands you are looking for.

• Just as for human food, there are regulations regarding the labeling of cat food that can help consumers assess the amount of meat in the food.

• If a product is labeled "Beef Cat Food," for example, 95 percent of its ingredients must be beef. If it says "Chicken Dinner" or "Lamb Formula," it must contain only 25 percent of the meat.

• If the packaging simply states "Chicken Flavor," the food merely needs to taste like chicken to the cat; it does NOT need to have any chicken in it!

SHOULD MY NEW KITTY EAT
DRY OR CANNED FOOD?

Please DO NOT EVER feed your new kitten just dry food or "adult" cat food.  You will have a lot of health issues later in life.  Use "canned" food for “kittens only” for the first 10 to 12 months, then continue with canned food for “adults only" or "kittens AND adults.” 

You can give a little "high quality" dry food for them to nibble on, but please DO NOT make this your ONLY food supply and do not let them FREE FEED all day long!  Cats are NOT cows. They are not designed to graze! Canned food is much healthier for cats and provides less grains and harmful fillers.  It also provides more water content for healthy digestion and kidneys. 

The Litter Box:

The moment you bring your kitten home and put her in the safe room, show her where the litter box is.  Kittens will be stressed after the drive and upon arriving into a new environment.  They will need to go potty right away or mark their new territory!   Get a LARGE litter box so they have room to move around. Covered boxes are and make sure you have 1 box per kitty in the household.