Purina Cat Chow: Cat Care Center: Nutritional: Feeding Your Cat

Physical. Emotional. Complete.® - That's the Purina® Cat Chow® Way of Life®

Subjects in this section include: nutrients essential to keeping your cat physically healthy, feeding tips, nutritional needs of senior cats, switching foods, things to avoid feeding your cat, and more.

Click the links below to read articles or Cat Chow mentor responses to actual questions. Or use the library search tool to search by keyword.



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Pet food guru and "mom" to Ally, Casper, and Chester III, indoor cats all Specialty: Nutritional

Topic: Feeding Your Cat

Dietary Differences Between Cats and Dogs

Feeding Your Adult Cat

My 3-year-old cat likes to drink Pina Coladas. His Vet said it was fine as long as you take the alcohol out; but do any of the other ingredients hurt him?

My cat loves eating people food in addition to her cat food. She's not overweight, but I was wondering if there are foods that could be bad for her health?

We haven't changed our cat's diet, but lately she seems to be gaining weight. What should we do?

Is it normal for a cat to vomit after eating a new food?

Can pork or ham be given to a cat?

How much food should I feed my cat?

How often and at what time should I feed my cat?

Does my cat need some variety in her diet?

I'm concerned because my cat is very fat. What should I feed it to help lower its weight?

I'd like to switch my cat to a new food, but I’ve heard this can cause problems. What is the best way to help him adjust?

Are cat’s salivary glands stimulated after feeding?

Does the temperature of cat food make a difference to the cat, or does it not matter?

My female cat is a food destroyer and eats everything placed before her immediately. She then goes after the food of the two males who tend not to fight her and walk away. If we let her, she would eat all the food for all three cats. How do we control this issue? They are about seven years of age.

At what age do you stop kitten food?

I feed my 6 cats Purina Cat Chow. Since cats love variety, is it okay to feed your Deli Cat brand at times? If so, should this be done as a mix or separate?

My 3-year-old Siamese inside cat has a tendency to become overweight. Should I feed her Cat Chow Mature?

Do I need to do anything special when I change my cat from one food to the other?

Why does my cat love to drink really hot bath water?

When I eat something salty like pretzels or saltines, my cat wants to lick the salt. Should I let her do it or could salt be harmful to her?

My cat will only drink out of a running bathtub faucet, not a bowl with fresh, clean water. What could be the problem?

What can I do to reduce the tarter on my cat’s teeth?

Is there alternative toothpaste I can make at home? The ones at the store didn’t meet my cats’ approval.

My seven-year-old cat was just hospitalized for a bowel obstruction. I was told to put him on a high fiber diet. What foods do you suggest?

What is a nutritionally complete food for small cats?

What is the best food for my cat? She is 15 months old.

My older cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. What type of food would be best to feed her with the medication she is taking for her condition? I was wondering if a special diet would be beneficial in addition to her medicine.

I was wondering why my cat always wants food?

My cat is one year old is playful but overweight. What food would you recommend to help her lose the weight with exercises?

How do I keep my adult cat and kitten from each other’s foods?

Is it okay to feed my cat only dry cat food? Or should I mix a liquid food with the dry food? Is it more nutritional?

My cat was operated on for a urinary tract disease and I almost lost him. Is it OK to feed him Cat Chow? My other cat will eat nothing else.

How can I keep my cat’s interest in her food?

My cat suffers from bad gas and it looks as if she is in pain when going to the bathroom. I've tried different foods but to no avail. What do you suggest?

My cat has developed a taste for lettuce. Is it okay to feed her some?

I would like to add some veggies to my cat’s diet. Can she digest veggies or would they just pass out as fiber?

Can 1/2 tsp. of scrambled eggs several times a week hurt my cat? Would the cat benefit from vitamins A and B’s in the eggs?

What is the best and most economical food to feed a one-year-old cat with inflammatory bowel disease?

I heard that fleas don’t like garlic and if your pet eats the garlic then fleas will not live on your pet. Is this true and is it safe to feed your cat ground garlic mixed in with its food?

I have 4 cats. One suffers from crystals in his urine, his brother suffers from colitis (both are 2 years old). The third cat (age 18) suffers from hyperthyroidism and luckily, the fourth (age 2) is healthy. Is there a food (wet or dry) that I can feed all of them?

What is the best food for house cats?

Is it okay to feed an adult cat Kitten Chow to increase its body weight if it is underweight?

Can caffeine hurt cats?

Is there some kind of food that makes my cat’s litter not smell?

Now that the winter months are here, is it normal that my cat wants to eat more? In the last week he’s been eating more food (we don’t give him more than he eats because of weight gain), but I heard that it’s linked to winter months.

I always keep dry Purina Cat Chow and water available for my cats and split one can of wet food amongst them at night. My concern is that everyone says that my three cats (1 to 1-1/2 yrs old) don't need canned food at all, although they love it. What do you say?

Are supplements that inhibit shedding a good idea? How about the ones to reduce odor?

Is there a certain type of treat I could make for my cats that is good for them?

Can cats eat candy?

Why does my cat love corn so much? (My previous cat also did!)

I have a 1-1/2 year old cat who appears to have developed allergies. The vet suspects food allergies. We are trying to find a food that is limited in all the extra "meat" such as poultry byproducts etc. so that we can determine if this is a food allergy. The Dr. recommends finding a lamb and rice food, but I have had no luck. The wet food the vet gave us our cat is refusing to eat even when mixed with her other food. Any suggestions?

Does the amount of food you give your cat effect how much they eat?

Is it true that wet food is bad for cats and they should only be given dry food?

Should cats eat chicken bones?

The vet said that my cat has a sensitive stomach because her stool is always runny and she has lots of gas; she eats a lot and is a little overweight. She did have worms, but the vet said that they are gone now after being treated twice. The vet said to change her cat food to something for sensitive stomachs. What should I use?

Should I always keep out food for my cat, or should I have scheduled meal times for him?

My husband and I are the proud owners of two beautiful Maine Coon males. They are about one year of age. We have heard that Maine Coons tend to take longer to develop than the average cat. Therefore, do we need to feed them Kitten Chow longer than the recommended one year that is found on most cat food? They currently weigh about 9 and a half pounds each and are not fat by any means (not skinny either). What do you suggest?

Does Purina make a cat food for overweight cats? One of our fatties is one year old, the other is 12. We feed them regular Purina. We have a male cat, one year old, who is in fine shape.

Is it true that wet food is bad for cats and they should only be given dry food?

My female cat who is 6 years old is always crying for grass. Is she lacking some sort of vitamin in her diet? I give her Cat Chow senior food plus Science Diet food but she doesn't seem to be satisfied. I tried rye grass for her but she wants grass from the outdoors. She is a house cat. She is a very healthy cat except she is very unsatisfied with something she isn't getting in her diet. What would you suggest?

My cat is seven years old. Is there a food that we need to start feeding her because she is seven?

I have an older cat, and just got a kitten. The older cat eats "older cat" food, and the kitten eats "kitten" food. What is the best way to train them not to eat each other's food, or should I combine them?

How long can I keep dry food out? Hours? Days?

What foods, like chocolate, can harm cats? I feed my cat a lot of human food and she has not vomited once from it. What foods are particularly dangerous? (I heard onions, chocolate and tuna fish in a can are deadly), what else is?

My cats have been eating Cat Chow only for a couple of years. They really like it, but I wonder if cats need variety, EVER?

How do I know which adult dry cat food to select -- Purina One vs. Purina Cat Chow. What are the health advantages of using Purina One vs. Purina Cat Chow? I surfed your website and couldn't find a concise answer to this question.

My cat has a very sweet tooth and is always stealing bites of cookies and doughnuts from my daughter. Will this hurt my cat? How can I get her to quit?

My cat was recently diagnosed with feline AIDS. Are there any dietary supplements that would help?

My cat doesn’t eat most of her wet food. How can I get her to eat it more?

I have 3 cats: 1-1/2 yrs old who weighs 9 lb, a 12 yr old who weighs 15 lbs and a 16 year old who weighs 9 lbs. Is there one dry cat food I can feed all 3 of them?

My 15-year old cat is noticeably thin since I took him off of a diet, which included a tablespoon of tuna at dinnertime. Is there anything I can feed him to increase his weight, as I understand that tuna may not be good to feed my cat?

Gertie (2) steals most of Issy's (3) food. I've tried everything to keep her from eating all the food...feeding them separately, feeding small amounts frequently, separating them at food time, all to no avail. Both of these cats are rescue projects...Issy from a "no-kill" shelter, where she spent a year of her young life locked in small cage and Gertie from the streets outside my house. I'm beginning to think their eating habits have something to do with their histories. Gertie is steadily gaining weight and Issy is underweight, but not losing any more. What can I do to get these two to eat what they should?

Why does my cat eat only 1 flavor of canned cat food?

Why does my one-year-old cat want to eat sugar? Not candy or anything like that, just sugar from the sugar bowl.

I have an 11-year-old cat in great health. I wanted to know which was the best for him, the Senior Cat Chow or the Urinary Tract Health food. Does the Senior help guard against UTIs?

I have 4 cats, each with a special need on food, but we can't separate them to feed them because of our busy schedules. When we find a food that is ok for one cat, it makes a different cat sick. We can't find a food that is ok for all of them. What should we do?

I have a cat that is 10 years old, and another that is 5. I would like to change my older cats diet to meet her nutritional needs, but they both eat out of the same bowl and I feel it would be impossible to separate the bowls because they will eat out of each others dish anyway. Is it alright for my younger cat to eat the older cat food? What should I do? The older cat is my gem and I want to make sure she stays healthy in her older years.

Is it OK for younger cats to eat Senior Cat Chow?

We have two cats we adopted together about one year ago. They are about 1-1/2 years old. One is quite big now, 13 pounds and the other is 8 pounds. The bigger one many times eats the rest of the little one's food. What can we do?

My cat is about 2 years old and weighs 13 pounds. The vet said to reduce her food, but we don't know how much to feed her. How do we determine that?

Should you leave food out for the kitten at all times or should it be scheduled times that you feed them?

My cat's diet changed after I had bought a cheaper brand of cat food. Now, I pay for a more expensive cat food to avoid a defecating problem. The cat who owns me is a six year old tabby. He is presently eating from Hill's Prescription Diet r/d. The food has been doing well and I have not had to worry about defecation all over the house which was an episode that I would not like to repeat. Does Purina produce something that would enable me to switch?

My babies are grown up and need an adult formula...from kitten to adult food is a tough choice..they are healthy and have no problems. Do I just go with a general food or pH control or one of your other formulas?

What will happen if my cat drinks any sodas?

Should my two-year-old female cat be eating the Urinary Tract Special Food? We have had her on this for about a year and she eats it endlessly - likes she's not being filed up. She's never had a urinary tract problem, but I didn't want to chance her ever having one, so I started on this food.

I have heard that tuna can be extremely harmful to male cats, their urinary tract? Do you have any information?

Is fish good as a healthy diet for a cat or are there any disadvantages???

Is it OK for cats to eat chicken bones?

Why can I get Purina special formula without a prescription while the Waltham formula needs a prescription? What's different about the two products? Is there a side-by-side comparison available?

Why don't all cat foods make a urinary tract health claim on the bag? I always buy that type of food because my cat has had a urinary tract infection and I was told it was because I fed him cheap cat food. What ingredients do I need to look for in a good, healthy cat food? It shouldn't be too expensive, as I have 20 cats.

Is there supposed to be hard cat food out at all times or am I supposed to feed my cats once and let them go the rest of the day without any hard food?

I have one kitty who is 13 years old and two sister kitty's who are 2 years old. The older cat has thrown up for years and I'm told it is because she eats too fast or has bowel inflammatory disease. What can I feed them that will agree with ALL of them as they eat together and it is impossible to separate the food. They seem to all LOVE Cat Chow. I was feeding them dry food from the vets office (they get wet food in the evening too) but the pieces were small and the older one threw them up repeatedly. She does better with larger pieces as she has to slow down and chew them!

Is it all right for my cat, who eats dry food, to eat the dog's wet/dry food?

I have a one and half year old cat. Now that it is cooler outside, he seems to be hungrier. Is there any reason for this? He weighs about 12 pounds and has a definite "belly." I feed him one cup of Cat Chow a day, usually around 9 pm. This used to last him until dinnertime the next day and now it is gone by the morning and he is hungry all day. Is there anything that would change this? Should I feed him more??

What is the proper nutrition for an older cat? My older cat she is 8. All her life she has been allowed to eat at her will, she is not fat just has a little belly, looks like a momma cat, but she is not. Should I start rationing her or is she ok with her choosing?

What should I avoid feeding to my cat?

How much wet food should cats and kittens be fed daily and is it true that the wet food causes discoloration of the chin?

Are pecans safe for cats to eat? My animals love them?

Do cats like sugary things to eat? Why or why not. Is it good for them?

What stores do you sell Purina dog and cat food in?

I need a cat food for 3 male cats for diet, urinary tract, teeth, eyes and so on - is there one food that takes care of all?

What is best food for diabetic cat, other than your diabetic formula?

My 6 year old male has been on Science Diet since he was 3 months old. I would like to switch him to Purina. What cat chow product do you suggest?

What Purina cat treat has a low PH and low magnesium content? We have had great success with feeding our cat Purina Special Care "UT" which our vet recommended, but miss giving our cat treats. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many times I have read, on your website, that Tuna Fish is not a nutritionally complete food for cats because it lacks sufficient amounts of Vitamin E and can thus cause Steatites. I was wondering if I would be able to counter these ill effects of Tuna by adding Vitamin E to my cat's daily intake of 1/2 a can of chunk light tuna fish in water? Incidentally, this is not their only daily food source. I do feed them each 1/4 of a cup of Science Diet light for 1-6 yr olds (dry food). In addition they each do get 2 small cubes, 3-4 times per week, of Beef Liver freeze dried treats. Is this a sound diet for them? If I do not give them their daily tuna, they'll not eat ANY other type of wet food and will constantly badger me for their beloved TUNA!

As a general average, and as a multiple of a cat's weight, how much does a cat eat in one year of dried food and canned food? example answer: dried food: 6 times its weight.

I have 2 cats, the older is about 3 years old and the younger is about 1 year old. They have opposite eating patterns, thus weight and body shape (the older is fairly heavy, while the younger is skinny). I feed them together. Do you have suggestions on feeding patterns, amounts, or types of food that will meet both of their needs.

Is it enough for my cat to rely only on Cat Chow for his nutrition? Why has started drinking so much water after he began this kind of food?

I used to have a self feeder for my two cats but over time, realized that this was not a good idea because they were eating too much and became overweight...I tried to cut back on their food, only feeding them a certain amount in the morning, but they just ate that within a few hours and complained the rest of the day about no food. What is the best way to wean a cat off a self-feeder without them driving me crazy to be fed all the time?

My 18-month-old cat always has dry food and water at his disposal. To supplement this, how much canned food should I feed him? I always mix in some dry food together with the canned food and he just loves this.

I hear there are new studies out that dry cat food is not as healthy as canned due to the high content of carbohydrates in dry food. They are finding too many cats with diabetes resulting from eating only dry cat food. What do you know about this study?

What should normal daily caloric intake be for a cat? Why don't cat foods list this information on the packages?

How many times a day - and with what size servings - should a healthy year-old male be fed?

My two cats eat only Special Care Hairball Control. Although I give them several other wet and dry foods, they stick to Hairball Control. Is this limited diet healthy for the cats?

I just adopted a 2-year-old cat about 2 weeks ago and she will not eat hard cat food. I've given it to her a number of times and she just will not eat it but she will eat the crunchy treats. Why won't she eat hard food and how can I get her to start?

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	Mentor Steffen Runquist shares her years of experience in this video series

Our pets are very attuned to our emotions and can become very anxious when we experience stress. Some typical times when your cat may need a little more reassurance or attention include moving into a new home, changes in your daily schedule, renovations, vacation, new additions to the household and family strife.

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