New here and need advice

[Kithra]

Hi, I've just joined and need some advice about a few things to do with my 10 month old kitten, Loki. He's a ginger tom (moggie) and he's been neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped, and insured.

When he becomes adult in a couple of months and I change his food I know I should add the new food just a little at a time but would that be with each meal or just once each day? He likes to graze throughout the day and has wet food with separate kibble. Then, once he's OK with his new food do you add another new flavour, or even brand, little by little in the same way?

I de-flea him once a month using Advantage spot-on, and worm him every 3 months. But I'm not sure what to use for worming and currently have some:
"VetUK Cat Wormer Film Coated Tablets
Composition (per Tablet):
230mg Pyrantel Embonate, 20mg Praziquantel"
He likes to go out and is a mouser so I'm not sure if that wormer is OK, (I haven't tried giving him any tablets yet),or if perhaps Drontol would be any good? I would ask the vet for a prescription but it's expensive and I'm an OAP on a limited income so have to be careful.

He might eat a tablet without fuss, and recently he's certainly let me treat the Cat Acne on his chin with Hibiscrub, which has cleared it up. He very rarely eats any mice he brings home, just occasionally the head, and I'm also wondering how far he can carry a mouse before he brings it in.

Finally, there is a local stray cat that keeps coming round, and I don't feed it, but I've caught it in the house a couple of times and it frightens Loki. Now I block up the cat flap at night to stop it coming in, even though Loki likes to spend a lot of time outside, but I won't let him stay out too long in this cold weather. I'm going to change the cat flap for a microchip one soon and hope that solves the problem. But I wonder if I should contact the Cats Protection about the stray and see if they can catch and re-home it. I worry about it being outside in this winter maybe being cold and hungry.

I'll check back tomorrow and many thanks for any advice that any of you give.

[Ruth B]

Welcome to the forum.

I can't really give a lot of advice on changing from one food to another, mine normally end up having something different in a straight change over when they decide they don't like their normal food. I would say you can change him onto normal adult food whenever you want, the 12 month mark is more of a guide than a definite time. I got my two youngsters when they were 6 months old and they were straight onto eating normal adult food.

I don't think any of us here deflea our cats exactly at monthly intervals, mine get done as and when I notice them scratching more than usual, normally no more than every 3 to 4 months, and i've never had a problem with fleas in the house. I use Stronghold which covers a range of parasites include several types of worms, so I actually have never bothered to use a separate worming treatment. One of mine is also a hunter, but fortunately doesn't tend to eat what he catches so I just keep an eye out and if I see any sign of him not being well he would have a vet visit, if they thought it might be due to worms then I would deal with it then. My best advice would be to check what the Advantage you are using covers, whether it is just fleas or other things as well, and then discuss it with your vet, you might find that while a vet prescribed treatment is more expensive, it would be cheaper in the long run as more parasites would be covered. Drontal also do a spot on worm treatment, that might be worth asking about if he won't take the tablets and you feel he needs worming regularly. Your vet should also be willing to give you the prescription for any treatment and you might be able to find it on line cheaper than the vets can sell it for, which might be one way to save a bit of money.

The microchip cat flap will certainly help prevent any strays getting in and upsetting Loki, but i would still contact either Cats Protection, or another local rescue, if nothing else they should be able to come out, trap the stray, scan them for a chip and possible help with neuter/spaying if needed, and if possible rehome them. There is always a chance that they are someone pet that has got lost, or even a neighbour's cat that thinks they may be on to a good thing finding a second meal stop. Unfortunately many rescues are overfull at the moment as it has been hard for them to sort out rehoming cats this year, but even getting them scanned and on a waiting list would be worth while.

[Mollycat]

I've never transitioned food gradually, they either eat a new food or they don't but I'm not messing around with a teaspoon of this and half a packet of that, as long as it's nutritionally complete. I want them adaptable enough to cope with an emergency when I can't get hold of their usual brand, or I run out, or the recipe is changed. Recently I thought my girl's usual brand was making her ill and swapped over immediately to another food that is higher in fat than I'd like, but that she is happy to eat. A fussy eater is too vulnerable, so the more kittens are exposed to different foods, the better our chance in their later years of keeping them eating when their health makes them more finicky.

As for fleas and worms, I've always done this on a need basis and never on a schedule. One needed a strong collar. My two indoors don't need anything. My last 3 in/outs got flea treated as needed which was usually yearly, never wormed as far as I remember. Unless you live somewhere haunted by things like heartworm and other nasty difficult to cure parasites that like to piggyback on less harmful ones, it's about weighing up how much harm is really done by the parasites and how much chemical load you want to put on the cat just to be on the safe side. It's a personal decision and I hear your concern given the taste for juicy mouse. We've never had a case of worms in 6 cats and 30 odd years, but we never had a big hunter. Even the dog who obviously does go out gets the odd tick but zero fleas.

[Kithra]

Thank you for the welcome, Ruth.

I’ve not had a cat for over 30 years and back in those days I don’t think there was a special food for kittens, so it just ate normal cat food. So I think I’ll take your advice and change him as soon as his kitten pouches have been used up. The adult food I have for him is the same brand so hopefully it won’t upset him.

Loki never seems to have had any fleas even though he likes to wander around on the allotments just over the lane at the end of my garden. I think that’s also where he catches mice, unless there’s a colony under the garden shed. The idea of de-fleaing and worming him so regularly was told to me on the Pet Forums site. But I’ve found that over there they can be so judgemental, and I’ve decided to come here instead. I’ll take a look at getting some Stronghold, and I’ll check what Advantage covers. I see what you mean about getting a vet’s prescription possibly working out cheaper in the long run, so I’ll give it some thought. And I think I read somewhere that Drontol is OK but doesn’t cover some parasite the cat can pick up if it’s a hunter. I’ve only caught Loki eating the head of a mouse that he’d brought in once, but he might be doing the same thing when he’s outside.

I shall be changing the current cat flap to a microchip one as soon as it’s safe for me to have anyone in the house, i.e. when I’ve had my Covid vaccination. As for the stray cat I asked a neighbour who has lived here for 15 years and she said it was a cat that just wanders around the village visiting whoever will feed it. So I really don’t think it belongs to anyone, but I’ll ask again to make sure. Then, if I have to ask the rescue people I hope they have room for the cat.


Thank you for your reply Mollycat. What you say about getting different foods in case the usual one is unavailable, or changed, is a very good idea, and I think I’ll also do that. The reason Loki has what he currently has is because that’s what he was given before I had him and I thought it best to stick to the same thing, although it does have four different flavours. And on the subject of flavours I was told on Pet Forums that fish is not good for a cat, is that right?

I’m not sure where I can find out about what parasites are prevalent in this area, and I only moved here 6 months ago. With the cat I had years ago I don’t recall her every been treated for fleas or worms and, as an in/out cat, she lived to a ripe old age too. I hadn’t considered the balance between parasites and chemicals before so that’s another thing I’ll think very carefully about.


Thank you both for your very helpful replies.

[Mollycat]

I've never named here before it but have to admit PF is where I was before, all about our murdering our pets if they eat anything but raw or set paw outside without a leash. Yes I found it very judgemental too. CC is a very different place.

The fish thing is a partial maybe, I looked into it when my Molly was diagnosed hyperthyroid (HT) all the way back in 2018. There is research ongoing into possible causes of the sharp rise in feline HT since the 60s/70s and 1 of 3 possible avenues worth a closer look is canned food especially fish flavoured. I'm not a scientist but I will stake my last pound that the link is going to be histamine in "canned food especially fish flavoured" if there is one. Nothing is clear at this stage though, notably including whether it's just canned or pouches and foil trays as well.

[Kithra]

Hi again Mollycat. Perhaps I shouldn't have named the site, so sorry if that was bad of me. But the reasons you state for no longer using PF are the same ones that I no longer do. So, it's really great to find another forum where people are much nicer. I shan't be visiting PF again, ever.

I didn't know about the research into the rise of feline HT, so canned food being a possible reason for it sounds very probable. And, if fish really is bad for cats I wonder why so many companies still use it in their cat food. I shan't be feeding Loki any fish flavors, and I'll also stick to pouches. I find them so much easier to use and keep in the fridge when he's only eaten half of one.

Good luck with your Molly and her HT. I hope she's well and stays well. We do tend to worry so much when a pet cat is unwell don't we? Sometimes I wish they could talk in human language instead of having to decipher meows!

[Mollycat]

Thanks Kithra, she bankrupted me having radioactive iodine and is cured and well again, thankfully. And she loves fish flavoured cat foods and I have no problem giving her some in her diet.

It's not that fish is bad for cats at all, it's a great source of protein and fats for them and us. If my hunch is right, it's not about fish, it's about histamine. Histamine is in all meats and fishes and it's an important neurotransmitter. But too much like so many things can start to cause problems, for more details look up histamine intolerance - it's not a true intolerance, it's overload, and can be too much histamine in food, not enough of the enzymes that break it down after it's been used, or things triggering our body (or presumably the cat's body) to release it, similar to an allergic reaction only it's not an allergy. As foods gradually decay, their histamine content increases, which happens especially quickly to high levels in fish, but only freezing stops the histamine increasing, so canned foods even though they are not going "off" are still going through breakdown processes and histamine is increasing. My guess is, if there is something about fish flavoured cat foods and endocrine or metabolic diseases, histamine will be that link.

[Ruth B]

I only mentioned Stronghold as it is what we use, there are plenty of other treatments that are as good, but generally ones you need a prescription for are better than any over the counter options.

as far as fish cat food goes, it is only anecdotal but, my Mother's cat lived to be over 17 years old, out lived my Mother, and about 90% of her diet was Gourmet Gold Ocean Fish Pate, she preferred it to all the others cat foods offered to her. Mine are on a mix of Gourmet Gold, Gourmet Pearl and Felix As Good as it Looks and I tend to buy a box of meat and a box of Fish foods each time and alternate them. My golden oldie is about 18 and I don't think it has done her any harm. In the end you try and see what they like, and if they end up liking Fish cat food, then it is better they have that than refuse to eat what is on offer.

[Mollycat]

That's just it, at this stage it's one of 3 possible links, of which any one or more or none may or may not increase the risk. A cat can't live on actual fish alone, that's the only definite. There isn't any actual evidence that fish flavoured cat food is a risk factor or by how much. I've had a little look (as we're talking about it and I have nothing much better to do) and it's apparently the PCBEs that accumulate in fish that are under suspicion, microplastics. So Ruth that wouldn't have been such an issue years ago anyway. Even in scientific articles about the possible link, they don't say avoid at all costs, they say don't make fish their primary food source. Keep it all in perspective but that's probably why the idea of avoiding fish is growing.

[Kithra]

Hi Mollycat,

I’m sorry to hear that your cat cost so much getting her treated. But I’m very glad to hear that she’s cured and OK now.

As for what you write about fish, and histamine, I see what you mean. Perhaps I’ll get a few fish flavours for Loki but only give them to him occasionally. I’m not sure if he’d like them as he never asks for food when I have fish for myself about twice a week. In fact he never asks for any of the food that I might be eating and only sometimes gets given a little cold roast chicken when I cook one. I don’t believe in giving him human food, especially after I’ve eaten and added salt to my meal, which I know cats don’t tolerate. And, of course, I know that cats are obligate carnivores so meat is the best when feeding.

Thank you Ruth,

I checked out the Dronspot spot-on wormer and it says it’s good for all types of intestinal worms commonly found in UK cats. So I think I’ll try that next time he needs it.

While I know that prescription treatments would be better I’m not sure how Loki would react to them as they’re probably much stronger than over-the-counter ones. And, when I medicate him he seems to go off his food, and be a little lethargic, for the rest of the day. It reminded me of how he was when he came back from being neutered. The vet said to give him a little cooked rice and boiled chicken. So I did, but he simply refused to eat the rice and picked out all the chicken!

When I was a child, we had a ginger tom who lived to be 18, and could still jump to the top of high garden gate. He even used to follow us on walks. I think ginger cats have such character and they’re certainly great talkers. Loki announces just about everything he’s going to do. I don’t remember what the old cat was fed on but it was probably that old brand called Kit-e-Kat. At the moment Loki has Asda Kitten pouches, and I have some Asda Adult pouches for when I change his food. I did once try him on other wet kitten food but he doesn’t like pate or gravy. So I’ll see what I can find in Asda that is in jelly. You hear such horror stories about Felix and Whiskas being bad cat food, and how they should have food with a higher protein content, but I’m not sure about that. I have plenty of pouches in the cupboard so at least I’ve got time to search for other brands that I could try him with.


Once again, thank you both for your helpful replies.

[Ruth B]

Interestingly, if you check the labels, Felix as Good as it Looks has one of the highest protein contents of any wet food.

As for him picking the chicken out from the rice, that doesn't surprise me at all, vets can come up with some strange advice at times, and you can't get a cat to really listen to them anyway.

One I will mention is be careful where people are based when they give you information. Different countries have very different regulations when it comes to pet food, and some brands can use very different recipes for the same 'food' depending on where it is being sold. I watch some cat cams that are based in Canada and the USA, and of course some of the talk on the chat has been about cat food, I was surprised to find out that Purina One Dried Food, over here has a reasonable reputation as one of the better supermarket sold cat foods, over in the States it is very much viewed as a cheap, bottom shelf cat food, turned out the quality of Purina One is actually very different in the States to the UK.

[Mollycat]

I've never heard of a cat eating rice and believe the chicken and rice advice is meant for dogs. Might have more luck with cats and mashed potato when they are feeling poorly, but other than my Molly I've never known a cat eat mash either.

We're on Felix good as it looks too, chosen for its higher protein content. You have to watch labels too because some show dry content and others show complete content. Bear in mind wet foods should be around 80% water so a food showing 15% protein and 80% water has a lot more protein than one showing 50% protein on dry matter (that would be only 3% protein).

But if you want to improve the protein proportion and quality of their food without going entirely raw or home cooked, there's nothing to stop you boosting a prepared staple diet with treats, snacks or one meal a week of real meat. Just make sure overall the cat's diet is still balanced.

[booktigger]

Lucy will fight me when I'm eating vegi sushi! Probably not a good example seeing what she does eat! I've used the sensitivity pouches rather than mess with chicken and rice. I find Sheba has a decent meat content, Asda probably isn't any different to Felix or Whiskas

[Kithra]

Hi again Ruth,

Thank you for the info about Felix as Good as it Looks. You can’t always see the labels when looking online, so that’s very useful. And as for the chicken and rice I’ve seen that recommended elsewhere for cats with upset tummies and poor appetites. I also know that vets can recommend things that aren’t that useful, especially if they get freebies etc: from pet food companies. When Loki made her visit to the vet she came back with a pack of Royal Canin dry food, although I didn’t try her with it.

I was asking here on the forum about cat food:
https://www.catchat.org/felineforum/vie ... =19&t=9766
So I was pleased to see you mention Purina One Dried Food. And thanks for the heads-up about where any product is being discussed. Whenever I use Google to look for anything I’m always careful to check where any website is based. With something like cat food I’d always want something based in the UK that complies with UK regulations.


Hello Mollycat,

That’s interesting about trying mashed potato for cats. I’d never have thought of that and may try it in future if the need ever arises. I didn’t know the “rice” advice was meant for dogs, so I’m very surprised that the vet suggested it.

And thank you for telling me about the labels. When I look for something new I will most definitely bear what you’ve said in mind. As for feeding raw that’s not something I’d ever want to do, so including some snacks or real meat once a week sounds like a good idea. But if I fed real meat I’d cook it first as you can never be too careful.


Hi booktigger, nice to meet you.

Thank you for making me laugh at the idea of Lucy fighting you for your vegetable sushi. I hadn’t heard about sensitivity pouches, and could you tell me who makes them please? I’ve not had the opportunity to compare the Asda food with any others. But at least the Asda ones do say on the pack that they provide complete nourishment. And I know Loki loves them so I’ll just be looking for substitutes to use if his usual food becomes unavailable, or the recipe changes to something he doesn’t want to eat.

[booktigger]

Lucy has drawn blood for much weirder things than sushi! I'm just glad I'm a vegetarian with her food issues, if she'll draw blood trying to get vegi Chinese food, I dread to think what she'd do for meat (well, she has drawn blood when my neighbour was giving her some chicken!). I normally use Royal Canin sensitivity pouches but my neighbour's cat like the Kattovit ones from Zooplus, they are normally chicken and rice. When my first cat had a dental, the vet suggested scrambled eggs if they wouldn't eat chicken and rice

[Kithra]

Hi booktigger,

Thank goodness Loki only draws a little blood when he tries to bite my toes and hands under the duvet at night. Not that he goes under the duvet, just manages to get infiltrate the sides of it. I didn’t know Royal Canin did sensitivity pouches so I’ll have to look those up. As for Zooplus I do look there sometimes but find the products they list just a little too expensive for my budget. And thanks for the tip about using scrambled eggs, I didn’t think cats would eat that, so it’s more very useful information.