FOOD & NUTRITION

I have lived with cats my entire life, and now my husband and I share our home with three cats we adopted from the local humane society at different points.

Q There used to be a lot of talk about the dangers of BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin used as preservatives in certain pet foods. Have they been replaced by different ingredients, or are there simply fewer concerns about them now?

Q My husband and I live in an elderly community, with plenty of pet lovers. Our neighbor recently lost her toy breed dog, and offered to give us a case of small cans of dog food to feed our two cats.

We are living on a fixed income as retirees, and wouldnt object to a couple of weeks of free food! But we wanted to first make sure that the dog food - a premium brand - would be safe for our cats. Please advise.

I am writing in hopes that you may have a suggestion regarding my three-year-old Persian cat. I adopted her through an agency when she was about two years old, but nothing was ever mentioned about her eating issues. I have now learned that she will not eat moist cat food of any flavor, and from what I can tell, she does not drink water! I have tried many tricks, and make certain that she has access to fresh water (in different areas of the house) at all times.

Many cat owners consider their cats to be finicky when it comes to the foods carefully chosen for them. In search of various flavors, textures, consistencies and list of ingredients, we sometimes cant make heads or tails of the foods our cats prefer, and why. A new study may shed light on this mystery, however. …

- Try different types of food to see if your cat likes a different brand or flavor.

- Warm the food slightly.

- Add a little bit of something with a strong odor - a little tuna juice or tuna fish, for example.

- Consider hand feeding - once in a while. Some cats will allow it, says Dr. Ross. You dont want to do it too much, though. Your cat can actually get an aversion to food - associate it with being forced to eat. Also, you dont want to get bitten, even if inadvertently.

Consider hand feeding - once in a while. Some cats will allow it, says Dr. Ross. You dont want to do it too much, though. Your cat can actually get an aversion to food - associate it with…

Youd think it would be relatively easy to spot when a cats appetite is flagging - or revving up. If you have one cat, its fairly obvious when your cat is not eating the same amount of food, explains Linda A. Ross, DVM, associate professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts Universitys Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. But the majority of cat owners have more than one cat. When you live with two…

Q I have a five-year-old cat I adopted from a shelter as a kitten. Spruce has been a wonderful companion, with good behavior and...

[From Tufts March 2010 Issue]

Today, more than one-third of cats in the United States are overweight, posing many health risks and possibly contributing to shortened lives.

Ongoing research indicates that increasing protein levels and decreasing carbohydrates in feline diets play vital roles in preventing obesity and its related illnesses. One of these leading scientists, Debra Zoran, DVM, associate professor and chief of medicine at Texas A&M Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in College Station, presented her research at the June 2009 conference of The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in Montreal, Canada.

[From Tufts July 2011 Issue]

Can you tell me if there is anything detrimental to feeding canned tuna to a cat? I have heard that there might be health issues.
Kent Creed

Dear Kent: Your question is a good one. There is no harm in feeding canned tuna to a cat as a treat. However, because it is not complete and balanced with all of a cats daily nutrient needs, it should not be fed as a primary diet.

Do carbs make cats fat?
Q I am a long-time subscriber to Catnip, and a volunteer for feline rescue groups in my area. A large female recently came to us at a little over twenty pounds, and was described by our vet as a food-grazer. For the past three weeks under our care, she has been receiving one-quarter cup twice daily of a veterinarian-recommended weight reduction food, and she has lost just under one pound.

For many cats, this method works well because they can nibble at will throughout the day or night. This method is also most convenient for owners because they can leave their cats for longer periods without having to worry about getting home in time for dinner. Another benefit of this feeding method is that, in a multicat home, cats who have appetites at different times can satisfy themselves conveniently. If there's tension in the multicat home, this can also allow one cat to come in and feed when another cat isn't around.