Food for Thought

I'm still trying to resolve our food issues, because I would like Arthur and Beowulf to:

• Eat more wet food
• Eat the best quality dry food
• Stop their dependence on kitty condiments

So let me take a step back and tell you where we're at and have been at with out feeding schedule for a while now.

Dry Food At All Times

Dry food is available to the boys at all times that wet food is not in their bowl. Since we adopted them, the dry food of choice has been Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care. During their first year it was Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Kitten, but since their first birthday in September, I've gone with Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Adult.

They absolutely love the Nutro Natural Choice and maybe that should be enough, but I'm concerned. Is it the best dry cat food one can possibly feed? Well, I've tried a few sample of packs of "raw" food and they didn't like it. On the recommendation of my About.com Cats Guide Franny Syufy, I bought a big bag of Innova (the Evo "raw" version, not the one in the red bag). The boys hated it.

At the CFA cat show I attended, I got some samples of IAMs and Eukanuba, but the boys didn't like them and those are not necessarily the fanciest of the fancy either. I'm tempted to go out and try Wellness Super5Mix Adult (because I've heard good things), but it's about $10 for 2.5 pounds and what if my boys don't like it either.

They love their Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care, but is it the best thing?

Wet Food at 6 am and 6 pm

Every day at 6 and 6, I feed my boys wet food. When they were kittens, I fed them mainly Nutro Max Cat Kitten and Nutro Natural Choice Kitten canned foods and they loved them both. As they got older, I started mixing in other premium brands like Merrick. They liked it all until one day they didn't.

I could have just stopped feeding wet food to them, but I know that wet food is a really important part of a cat's diet.

I bought some Kitty Condiments and started sprinkling them on the wet food. That worked for a while, but the condiments themselves have become a requirement and the boys may not even touch their wet food until I sprinkle the condiments on. Even then, if they don't like the food, they just eat the flakes off of the top.

Eventually, I found that Nutro Natural Choice Pouch Foods were the only wet food they would eat and that has been what I have been feeding them mostly. They seem to prefer something chunky and juicy to a pate.

I went to a natural pet food store a couple of weeks ago and they recommended we try Solid Gold canned food, Avoderm Select Cuts, Spot's Stew and a few other chunky brands. They kinda liked the Solid Gold and Avoderm, but not all the time.

Should I be concerned? I just want the absolute best nutrition possible for my boys, but they also need to be willing to eat the food.

Elusive Cuteness Caught on Film

I finally managed to catch a few seconds on tape of Beowulf grooming Arthur.

Cats: Better Than a Sleeping Pill

Last night, I was up late working as usual and, when I finally shut off the computer, it was 3 am, but I was still a ball of energy. I sat down on the couch and started watching reruns of "The Jeffersons," when Arthur came and sat on my leg.

The vibration of his purr literally knocked me out and I woke up at 7 am, having fallen asleep in my clothes, with my glasses still on. My fiancee Liz wondered what happened to me, but when I told her Arthur put me to sleep she said "yeah, that happens to me all the time."

I was talking to a good friend of mine on the phone today and her family is literally going through hell, due to some illnesses. She told me how her husband couldn't sleep last night and was pacing back and forth at all hours, until their orange cat came and jumped up on the bed and lay at his feet. He then fell fast asleep.

CFA Cat Show: A Spiritual Experience

I have been lax in this blog and for that I must apologize to those of you who read it regularly. I really can't get into it in this space, but I've had a lot on my mind of late.

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend the CFA Cat Show in New York. For those who are unfamiliar, the CFA show is a little like the AKC show for dogs, only much smaller and more chaotic. There were hundreds of breeders showing their cats and there were different rings where you could see cats being judged, but there were no microphones so you couldn't really hear what was going on in any of the rings.

There were also several vendors giving free samples of cat food, treats, and toys. I wish there had been more, but it was something to see.

Anyway, I had been feeling sorry for myself, but then I saw all the beauty there, all those cats, and I just felt myself at peace. There really is beauty in the world and you can see it in every furry face.