Being a Cat Mom means being responsible...

Time passes so slowly when you're mourning. Reading up on the disease that claimed P-Chan has opened my eyes to the proper dietary needs of my pets. Preventing liver disease has much to do with diet.

I look at the cats and I see a great opportunity to make sure that they are getting the proper nutrition they need to live long and healthy lives. I started researching online to see what would be the best food that is appropriate for them. So I can prevent what happened with P-Chan to happen to them.

Many sites recommended a raw diet. But that is not an option I am willing to take. I don't have the time and the equipment for it. So I looked for the next best thing and I stumbled on Innova. I was going to do their EVO cat food but the protein content might have been too high so I settled for the Innova line.

What attracted me to it was the ingredients. Here's the ingredient list for the Chicken and Brown Rice Stew Adult Cat Food:

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Turkey Broth, Dried Egg Whites, Potato Starch, Brown Rice, Carrots, Apples, Oat Fiber, Natural Flavors, Guar Gum, Whole Eggs, Sodium Phosphate, Herring Oil, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Salt, Dl Methionine, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Butter, Tricalcium Phosphate, Vitamins and Minerals.

Familiar ingredients. No by products or fillers like corn or wheat. Whoever heard of a cat eating corn?

Here's the ingredient list of Fancy Feast Grilled Chicken Feast:

Chicken Broth, Chicken, Liver, Wheat Gluten, Meat By-Products, Corn Starch-Modified, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Soy Protein, Concentrate, Titanium Dioxide, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin Supplements (E, A, D3, B12), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Copper Sulfate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity) Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodide, Biotin.

That's a lot of stuff that's unrecognizable, say the least.

If you look at store bought pet food they rank the lowest in nutritional value for your pets. I remember the recall that happened several years ago that resulted in many pets dying because of contaminated corn in their foods.

They used to eat a mix of Fancy Feast and Purina Dry Cat Food. Now I just buy a big bag of Purina dry food for the stray cats we feed in our neighborhood.

Now that I've chosen the diet it was a matter of introducing the food to the cats. I knew it was going to be difficult as cats are finicky eaters. Especially Nodame, whose personality is as finicky as it gets.

Innova is somewhat hard to find. You wont find it in PETCO. It's only available at feed stores and online. Since I live in the valley where horse property abounds it wasn't too difficult to find a local feed store. I still have to order the can variety that the cats like online at a feed store up in Northern California though.

The Cat & Kitten Food has a very strong odor that Nodame hated. The first time he sniffed it, he turned around and started doing the cover-the-food motion with his paws. Dhani, who will eat anything, and Pickles ate it without complaint. I mix wet and dry food for their meals.

Since Nodame refused to eat, I had to buy a couple cans of the EVO brand. I got the venison and beef flavors. He ate them without being picky.

I got a couple of cans of the beef and chicken stew and I am will re-order those instead of the cat and kitten wet food. They seem to like it more and it's not as fragrant.

To make the transition with the food easier, I started heating the portions I serve them in the microwave to give it that cooked texture. I take a couple of spoonfuls and put them in a tupperware container labeled cat only and heat for 10 seconds. I then mix a bit of the Innova dry food to bulk up the wet food.

I used to heat P-Chan's food and the cats always gravitated to her food bowl much to her consternation. She always growled at them when they did that. XD So I don't mind doing the same for the cats. I find it comforting really as it is a routine I used to do for P-Chan.

They love it heated! As soon as I get home from work they greet me at the door and follow me in the kitchen. Dhani always stands up and leans on the counter meowing softly because he wants to eat.
It's the first thing we take care of when we get home. I feed our cats and Nate goes outside and in the backyard to feed the strays.

After a little over a month of feeding them the new food I noticed changes in their coat, eyes and behavior. Their coats look so much better and their eyes shine bright. They are active and play often. Running up and down the stairs. They poo less. I believe it's because most of their food now is being absorbed. They drink less water as well since they are getting the water in their food.

When they were on Purina and Fancy Feast the cat box was always full and they ate like pigs and drank a lot of water.

Pickles, who I was afraid was getting overweight actually looks leaner. He's still a bit chunky but he's got more energy now. I don't want to have fat cats. I want lean and healthy ones. According to my vet, my cats are big cats and if they were overweight they would look like Jabba the Hut cats or I is a fluffy white cloud type and I don't want those kind of cats.

Dhani always looks annoyed when I take pics of him. He does not like the camera but his coloring is so cute that I pester him anyway. He has a slight pink nose now and a brownish tinge throughout his fur. He has given me the least problems with the new food. Not only will he eat his share, he will eat Nodame's and Pickles. He will be a bigger cat than Nodame no doubt.

Pickles or Piglet as I call him sometimes due to his large appetite. He still eats like a pig but he looks tighter and not as flabby. Despite my efforts to keep him lean I have already told my sister as he grows to an adult cat, he will probably need the weight control food. He tends to eat too much. He likes the food but likes what I give Nodame more and he will patiently wait for Nodame to finish eating and eat his left overs. Only then will he go to his bowl and eat his food.

The Alpha Cat, Nodame. He is very clear to let us know when he does not like his food or the condition of the litter box. He was insistent in showing his displeasure at his new food and I accommodated his request to change it to a flavor and smell he liked. Then I catch him eating the food he turned his nose up to after he eats his favorite. I was like, "Nodame you liar!".

They've taken to the food very well which is a relief. I also got them a automated water fountain. I got the PETCO brand one which broke in two months so I ordered a replacement from another company. The cats love the fountain, when it worked. I see them drinking more often. They were at first frightened by the noise it makes but they got used to it.

I've ordered a new case of their food, a new pet water fountain that I hope wont break and Da Bird. A feather wand toy that I know they will go bananas for when they see it. Considering they broke their last one due to intense play.

Am I going overboard with the cats? Maybe I am. But taking care of them now means less vet bills due to ill health and the benefits are a longer life with my family. The loss of P-Chan has made me determined to be more responsible as a pet owner. Our pets give us so much pleasure and comfort that the least I can do for them is to keep them healthy and happy.

They wont be so happy with me in a bit though...as it is bath time!