# Hi! Another newby... no cats yet



## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

We're thinking about getting a kitten and I'm just in the planning stages. I haven't had a cat in years and I just want to get up to speed on what to feed it and all that good stuff since Purina was my go go to cat chow back then. I know now there are much better choices out there and wet is better than dry. Just wanting to do a little research and get some honest opinions from real people. 

I look forward to meeting and chatting with fellow cat lovers!


----------



## LadyK (Jan 30, 2012)

Good idea to do research... and you're right, Purina isn't a great food, and wet is definitely better than dry. Hope you find these forums as helpful as I have.


----------



## Cats&Plants (Aug 20, 2011)

Welcome to the group! Good luck in your search for your kitty. There is so much information and many wonderful people full of knowledge here - I am sure any question you can think of can be answered


----------



## love42013 (Mar 20, 2012)

I'm new here to. I have had cats all my life. I am glad you are doing research. I hope you will post pics of your new kitten once you get one.


----------



## flashycat (Mar 22, 2012)

I'm moving my cats to a raw food diet after my boy passed from some gastrointestinal issues. 2 have transitioned nicely and I'm working on the last 3. For me it works out to be less than a dollar a day per cat and that's on organic meat. not cheaper than dry food but maybe about the same cost as wet.


----------



## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks for the welcomes. As for raw, it is something I would love to do if I wasn't afraid I would miss something and my cats would be deficient in some essential nutrient. I wanted to when we had a dog but ended up doing grain free instead. When I had cats years ago I did dry with wet as treats a few times a week. This time I will likely do at least 2 meals of canned each day and have dry out when I'm at work, at least while the kitten is still growing.


----------



## melhirsch (Mar 22, 2012)

When I first got my kitten, the vet recommended dry food only because they said it would help with his teeth. We were told to stay away from wet food if possible. We put him on Science Diet dry food for cats.

Well... fast forward two years later, and my cat is having urinary inflammation issues, and now we're being told all of the benefits of wet food & the complications with wet food. Now I have a cat that lifts his nose up at wet food, but will devour dry food whenever I put it out. (Picky little guy!)

If I could do it over again, I would have put him on wet food to begin with. 

Hope that information helps!


----------



## mystic (Mar 21, 2012)

hello, its great to hear you are doing research before you get a kitty, and i have to agree a lot of the foods that most people think are good foods are not so great. i dont own a cat but i have a pom and 2 ferrets and my personal suggestion would have to be Orijen, they have the most meats in their food and they have fresh foods put into it as well. i feed my pom orijen and she loves it and is doing great on it. i would also give your kitty (once you get one) raw treats. i give my pom chicken legs and they help keep her teeth healthy. i am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to cats but i have heard that feeding wet foods is better because it keeps them hydrated. sadly orijen doesn't have wet foods yet but if you were to go with a dry food it would be my top suggestion. welcome to the forum!


----------



## Ed'sHumans (Mar 23, 2012)

*Newby Still?*

If you haven't found your perfect new housemate yet, you might consider going to a shelter or rescue to conduct your search. Everyone there is looking (hoping & praying) for a forever home. We have only purchased one dog and out of 6 cats 5 were rescued. We have never regretted sharing our home with any of them. Good luck in your search.


----------



## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

Actually I have been stalking petfinder and there are a couple of cats I really like. My little boy insists on a black cat... and I don't care too much about the color so I have been looking at black ones. It has to be good with kids and not a crazy cat , lol. I am really leaning towards adopting from a shelter.... just a little afraid of rejection. Haha. I have read stories of people getting rejected for picky reasons. I have 3 little kids, ages 5, 6, and 8, but they are not the type of kids to be rough or drag the animal around by the ear, know what I mean? I have been waiting for them to get old enough not to chew on a cat's tail or whatever.... The cat would be inside only... unless it bolts out the door. I think I would be a pretty good adoptive cat mom.


----------



## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Welcome. Happy to hear your doing research, there are plenty of people here to give you their opinions, but we do try to back it up with facts. And most of us have a decent sense of humor.

Yay!! for black cats. they seem to have a bit of trouble actually getting adopted a lot of times. Good luck getting found by your furry one.


----------

