Same. This also includes food sources as leftovers on my plate, licking the unwashed dishes in the sink, etc Of course that is also him meowing, "GET OUT OF BED NOW AND FEED ME !"
My cat has texture issues with wet food but I've found kibble to be really very fun. When I leave for the day, I can hide it around my appartment - a couple on the bookshelf, a couple in the bathtub, in the sink, behind the printer, under the coffee table, a pinch on the top of her cat tree, a bit behind the couch, and a few in a jar on the floor that she fishes out with her paw... I change places day by day, too. (yes I do wipe down my surfaces regularly!). I figure if gives her something to do when I'm gone, and gives her a reason to explore the smaller space we live in every day. It made me realise what a good sense of smell she has, sometimes she's sitting down somewhere, and I'll see her raise her nose and sniff, and suddenly run straight to the spot where I hid food. It's also super fun to play with! She won't play fetch like a dog, but in the evenings I feed her a small meal by throwing her kibble piece by piece. It's good exercise, and she's so funny to watch, dashing down the corridor, and sometimes she catches a piece in mid-air like a goal keeper.
@@beckyd712 I measure out how much kibble she gets for the day every morning and put it in a jar, then throughout the day when I feed her, I feed her from that jar. That way I know how much food she gets. As for the kibble I hide, I'm pretty sure she finds it all, she's very food motivated and I've yet to find any leftovers myself!
Thank you , Dr Yuri for not being rigid about wet vs dry food. I’ve been told off so many times online by fanatics who think that if I’m not feeding my cat exclusively raw food , I’m not a good cat dad As always , good sensible advice
Yeah, there is always nuance. Except where it comes to raw food, where the evidence that it is harmful to feed it is very clear. Anyone who cares to disagree with me, please do a pubmed search first. Or if you don't know how, then you'll just have to trust me 🙂
@@HelpfulVancouverVet I wish more doctors spoke about that publicly. animal -ists (/behaviorists/nutritionalists/scamartists 🙃...) are very loud and most doctors are under-informed so they can't even argue. I had major issues while trying to educate myself on cat feeding needs. Thankfully I found you and now I even am an expert at squishing 🤣
@@HelpfulVancouverVet I agree with the previous comment, thank you for not wanting to send us to prisoncamp 😅 Our youngest cat was actually prescribed gastrointestinal dry food, and it worked wonders for her! Would you consider making a video on the actual facts of feeding raw from a Vets perspective? 🙏🏼❤️ please?
Well, I will probably be one of those online fanatics. I was feeding raw for quite a while now I’m back to cooked chicken and lightly sautéed beef strips. I was fortunate to start feeding them homemade food from early on which helped down the road because when they got older and got finicky, I had so many more options. After my two year old male cat had crystals twice to the tune of $2000 that’s when I said that’s it. I’m not feeding dry kibble ever again. Fortunately, he was fine and lived another 18 years and everybody else in the house never developed crystals in their urine. Bottom line is they need to eat. But the pet food companies are not living up to standards (if you really saw the procedures of making that dry kibble, you may think differently) so I would rather trust food that I make even though our food isn’t always the best either.
@@dcwatashi Don't you have any "niche" high quality pet food companies in US (where I assume you live) ? Here we have a few German (mainly) manufacturers with amazing wet food options (cans + pouches), most of them are pure meat + veggies + water + bit of oils, nothing else. They smell exactly like (bland) human food.
Those puzzel feeders are fantastic. I started to use them becaues my old cat would eat so quickly he'd make himself sick. I had 3 different ones and he mastered them all, and it slowed down his eating and reduced the vomiting. It was also great fun watching him muttering to himself as figured them out - that said he was an intentsely food motivated cat.
Oh this is the problem I have with my cat- she eats her kibbles so fast she vomits almost immediately after. They vomit looks in tact as in NOT chewed up at all. I didn’t know about puzzle feeders until now. Any brands you can recommend? I think this will help our issue. Thanks.
I started with a roller ball, they're the cheepest puzzel option, and will let you see how your cat deals with having to think for their food. I can't really recomend brands I just got what was available on line and looked good. You do need to be around while the cat uses them but frankly it fun to watch so that's not a problem. If your using dried food you can also try getting a meals worth of food and throwing it bit by bit in different directions for your cat to 'chase' , catch & eat. then you can trow another in a different direction. It slows the eating down and its the closest thing I've seen to mimicking hunting behaviour - Nino used to love that game. I would add that if she keeps vomiting go and see a vet - they're not meant to throw up and more than we are
@@kittling5427 my hubby cut holes in an empty cerealbox and they love it just as much as the bought foodpuzzles. They love fishing with their little paws thru the holes😄🎣
glad to see Vancouver vet channel is still active. It was very important for me at the start of my journey as a good pet owner many years ago. Hope you are doing well
@@thomasneal9291 Cats die from CKD before they can live that long its why they are currently working on medication to increase cat kidney health, you know why my barn cats live on average to 25? because we dont vaccinate after the first year because Cats who receive a vaccine grown on this cell line develop antibodies to renal proteins and can develop interstitial nephritis. Chronic interstitial nephritis (whether caused by vaccines or other issues) leads to chronic kidney disease in the cat. vax last 3 years and people get it done yearly causing antibodies to develop damaging the kidney also dry food means low water further destroying the kidney.
@@thomasneal9291 we have barn cats who live on average to 25 years because we only vaccinate the first year and dont feed dry kibble "Cats who receive a vaccine grown on this cell line develop antibodies to renal proteins and can develop interstitial nephritis. Chronic interstitial nephritis (whether caused by vaccines or other issues) leads to chronic kidney disease in the cat." people are injecting yearly causing kidney damage when one vax lasts 3 years and unless youre in a high risk area all youre doing is causing kidney damage.
I feed my cats both - as far as feeding times - this is so difficult with multiple cats with age ranges from 2 to 16. Some want to eat it all right away, some want to graze... its quite a thing to have to follow them around and watch to make sure they all eat their food, and to make it more complicated, they don't even all eat the same type of food for health reasons!
Something I plan to do with my cats is build them "mini stables". I have one that eats really fast and one that eats pretty slow, but I can put the bowl/enrichment feeder into the stable and then let one out when they're done. If I understood electronics better maybe I could have an automatic timer for 5-10 minutes pull the gate up. Otherwise it's locking them in different rooms or having to sit and watch them so they don't steal each other's food
At our most populated, we had six cats, three of which were gobblers and thieves. We had a whole routine of Camille in the bedroom, Fidget on the table, Julie in the guest room, and watch Charley and Toby and Heather very carefully. Plus different meds as they got older!! It was lovely while it lasted, but we had three last 20 years, and two others were 16. It was wild!
I really appreciate this because I don't trust my local vet office. They tell me that I shouldn't give wet food because it's bad for their teeth and that dry food is so much better for them. That advice hasn't sat right with me, which is why I've given my cats both dry and wet food since I got them. I know how important it is for cats to get enough fluids. And I do actually feel like my vet is more interested in selling me the brand of cat food with which they have a deal, rather than giving advice for the sake of my cats' health. It sucks, but I live in a small town with only one vet. So I really appreciate you sharing your unbiased opinion. 💜
@@KittyHelpDesk That's what I've been saying! If dry food is so good at preventing plaque, why do I still need to go to the dentist once a year when I eat crisps every weekend?
@@KittyHelpDesk because you also eat other moist food that can get stuck in your teeth, which is also differently and considerably more variously structured from a cats.
@@janecat8753I believe the current research is showing that it's less that dry food is good at preventing plaque, but that wet food simply can cause more plaque than dry. There's benefits to wet food but many vets support a mix of wet and dry because when you really get into the nitty gritty/actual research, the differences are not as dramatic as a lot of people insist online. It's really just that wet food is a good way to increase hydration.
All my cats have had soft and kibble food. Their food was always of quality. Most of them lived into their 20s. I have one cat left, he is now 17 years old. Always treated my cats with kindness, respect and they had the best vet care. My house is quiet without stress. I also am a snake keeper. The cats and snakes get on well. The state in which I live has 4 seasons. Mr. Pirate is such a sweet cat. Most cats are wonderful. Never met one who was not nice after earning their trust.
I need you to elaborate on the snake part. I've been considering getting a snake in addition to my three cats, but do not have a separate room that I could put the snake enclosure in and the cats out of. So I worry my cats will disturb the snake by jumping on the terrarium, pawing the front etc. How do your cats behave around the snake and did you ever take out your pet snake with the cats present?
@@hansgruber9457 I also have a snake (ball python) and a cat. The snake lives in its terarrium, with propper heating and humidity (really hard to keep humidity high in a terarrium, so consider a humid hide too); now on the cat and snake interraction, it obviously only happens through the glass; the cat just sits and watches the snake whenever it’s out exploring. The snake doesnt seem to mind being watched by the cat. The cat also sleeps on the terrarium sometimes because of the warmth. Make sure the terarrium is secure, and the glass doors have a lock installed! Snakes are escape artists, they can even open sliding doors, they can just push their nose in the edge of the sliding glass and eventually make it start sliding. An escaped snake may not be the end of the world, depending on the climate etc, you may just find it alive, but if a cat is around, or another pet like a dog, injuries may occur (for the cat or the snake, depending on their sizes). So yeah tldr: make sure you secure your enclosure so there’s no chance for the snake to get out, and it shouldn’t be too bothered especially if it has propper hiding places.
@@andrei3582 Thanks, that's very helpful! I'm looking to get a PVC enclosure with a lid at the front instead of a sliding door. Of course with locks, my cats would have a field day with a baby ball python.
@@hansgruber9457 my cat also behaves pretty much the same when something interests it on TV or when watching the snake, just sits in front of it, watching. Maybe you could pay attention to that for some indication on how your cats would react to a snake in a terarrium? I’ve definitely seen cats go crazy and try to “catch” or “attack” things on screens, I would guess these cats would behave similarly with a terarrium.
@@andrei3582 Mine are actually pretty chill when it comes to the TV. I game a lot and they rarely pay any attention to what's happening on-screen unless the game/show has a baby crying or a cat doing typical cat noises.
I adopted my first ever cat about a week ago and my mind is going a mile a minute in what to do and not to do. This Your channel has been a huge help, otherwise I'd probably be bugging my friends and coworkers who are probably getting annoyed by my questions. Thank you!
as the human for a picky cat who hates the pieces of her wet food or pate, mixing churu with the amount of water she needs per day was LIFE SAVING. She gets a treat every day because we play a lot and do behavioural training, so my vet recomended making it ✨️hydrating✨️
Hi! how much water for a package of churu? I should try this cause my cats love churu too (to be honest, I don't think there is a cat that don't like churu...)
@@RoseDragoness I use almolst half a cup (the vet recomended it for her weight and age), usually I measure the half cup but only add until the little soup is not too transparent^^
@@RoseDragoness We have a cat who doesn't like any treats. Pill pockets, churu, bonito flakes, tuna juice---we have tried everything! She only likes dry food. The only treat we have is fresh catnip from our catnip plant. Our other cat will eat ALL of the treats.
That's what we do too :) I put the churu squeeze tube into a bowl and add some water. I mix it up so it looks like watery yogurt 🥳 the cats LOVE IT. And yet they won't eat wet food from the same bowl. Oh well. At least they are still getting some moisture
Hello to Mr Pirate!❤😊 As much as all of those factors are up for consideration, cost is still the main factor for my household. I don't use the cheapest, but a quality mid-level brand seems to work well. I use both and feel like I have to include wet food twice a day for proper hydration, with lots of clean water as well. Informative video, thanks!
Have you done the math? It’s more cost-effective to make your own cat food versus buying that kibble crap from the grocery store or even a pet food store
@dcwatashi Also a great way to give your cat horrific nutritional deficiencies. Any homemade diet must be under strict veterinary supervision because trust me, you do not want to realise there's a nutritional issue by the time they get kidney disease or a broken bone due to deficiencies. It's much more complex than people realise and very easy to screw up.
It's always good to see Mr. P! I hope whatever happened to your hand gets better soon. Thank you so much for the info. I have one cat specifically who is so picky and dry food addicted. I cannot find anything he will even try as far as wet food goes. My other cats gladly eat whatever I give them. I have followed steps about how to change foods with cats and he just is not interested at all. I have tried so many different wet foods; different brands, textures, type of meat, etc. He will refuse to eat anything but his dry food, and if his tummy gets too empty he gets an upset stomach so I don't want him to go too long without eating. He drinks well though (but not excessively like with diabetes or other conditions), so I'm not super worried about his hydration at this time. He's also very healthy at 14 years old. Of course I care about his long-term health, but I'm at a loss as to what to do.
My cat is not interested in wet food she likes dry food and when I cook her wild caught salmon😂 Must be working well. She’s 21 years old and a beautiful little tuxie.
@@SeanCSHConsulting not nonsense. I have been feeding a balanced homemade diet for 20 years and all of my cats are doing just fine. I followed a recipe from a veterinarian Dr. Pitcairn who has studied animal nutrition, unlike these commercial conventional veterinarians Maybe this guy and Dr. Martin Goldstein can have a Debate on Nutrition. I already know who will win. Hopefully you’re not feeding your animals Purina they are in big trouble on how many dogs they’ve poisoned. obviously not on purpose but still … Have a good day
Your video is right on time as I was just researching this for my cat! He is a bit overweight, and I feed him dry food and wet food, so I was going to switch to weight management dry food of his same brand. I kept hearing all these suggestions for wet food only and how dry food is so awful. He is almost 9, so I probably could transition to wet food only, but he sure loves his dry food the most! I also use puzzle feeders so he doesn’t eat too fast. Anyway thank you for the video and educating us, and I always love seeing your cats!
Thanks Doctor ! I appreciate your knowledge and insight from your videos. I’m fortunate to have a cat that eats dry and wet food and drinks water too. 😺
Mr Pirate is so content to be with his long time sidekick the Helpful Vancouver Vet. i lived with a cat who understood me perfectly and me her and i can see that with you and Mr Pirate.
Trying all of your tipps as soon our babies (2 adopted kittens) move in with us :) I'm really thankful for your work and currently going through all of your content to prepare Greetings from Germany
17:45 aww that moment just melted my heart :) Mr. P is a very lucky boy to not only have such a caring human, but his own personal expert vet. I used to call my cat, Basil, 'Mr. B' all the time too :)
Great video! My motto is "fed is best," because even cheap dollar store food is better than starving. Also thank you for mentioning your recommendations for cats over 12 and that most kibbls are minimally impacting oral health. On a side note, I was watching a show on Netflix called "away" and resized you're the Russian reporter, that's so cool!
The timing on this video! And it seems like I'm on the right track with your professional suggestions too. Recently learned that cats get their water mostly from their food and mine would barely touch her water bowl, so I add extra water to her wet food to make it soup and she gobbles it up. And then just recently about "food scavenge games" to keep them active which you talk about as well.
When we adopted our goober, we mentioned that he’d have to be on dander-reducing kibble in order to live with us (there’s no wet version of it yet). Both the rescue co-ordinator and the vet said that ‘adopted and eating kibble was better than being unadopted on wet food’.
Thank you for not shaming us for feeding dry food! We give both, but the dry food is probably the cats' favorite. We throw it to them and they run like crazy, and our oldest cat can catch it midair with his paws or even his mouth. We also use them for practicing tricks - our oldest cat knows more tricks than most dogs do. And of course we have puzzle feeders and hide dry food throughout the house for them to look for. We still play with the cats using different toys, but feeding time is the best way to activate them and it feels more natural for them to move and goof around while eating, just like in the wild. 😺
Thank you for this important video! I have been worried about this because I feed my cat about half wet half dry and I have often seen told that all wet would be the best. But it's good to hear that it is not that straightforward and the reason I feed half dry is the enrichment part as I have only one cat with FIV and while she is happy being a single cat she needs a lot of enrichment and has many puzzle toys and feeding balls that I fill with few kibbles many times a day. I get good quality food and add extra water to the wet food and so far it has been working well.
I've feed both for 60 years, Purina in fact. My boy Arthur will sometimes eat 1/2 can of wet food. I think that's because his brother Fred was such a hog. We lost Fred last month at 9 months old.😢 He surcumed to his FeLV. He developed lymphoma. Arthur will only eat wet occasionally now. I've put him on Pet Honesty multi vitamin for his immune system. He loves them.
My cat didn't want to eat good quality wet food right after she was adopted from the shelter. But she did get used to it after a few feeks and now she eats everything. The base of her diet is wet food but we use kibble for: puzzles, play (throwing and chasing) and training.
Mr Pirate and Clawdia are so cute!❤ Thank you for the video. I have heard many people saying not to trust vets and to feed cats raw... watching the video and reading your comments helps me in where I should go to inform myself on cat care. :)
Hey Dr. Uri! My DSH black 12 yo George will be getting one of these for Christmas or before (...Like this month!) I saw your vid today and ran over to the website because I LOVE the idea of opening the unit remotely every hour or so when I'm out of the house for 9-10 hour days to keep him busy. However I learned there's a hitch. You might want to swing by PL website and read a few comments by disappointed customers who bought the PetLibro model in May of 2024. (Maybe the sponsor tracked sales after your vid, but comments revolved around this issue.) Customers were disappointed /noted the PL units only allow THREE settings per day and asked for more. PL responded with an update allowing a "feed now" option but only limited its use to the THREE default feeding times, so not much of a change. Comments left later in 2024 seem to indicate units can still only be set for THREE feeding times and clients are asking for more freedom. 🧚
I feed my cats (still pretty young) both wet and dry food, usually in different flavours so they don't become picky eaters. However, I now have to refrigerate the spare bag of dry food. One of my cats is the most inquisitive, persistent and clever cats I have ever encountered. I knew she could and did open drawers, and sometimes climb behind them to other drawers in the same set. I didn't know she was able to get into the very heavy drawer laden down with two bags of dry cat food. I noticed a drop in the amount of food eaten from their bowls, and, suspicious, checked the food supply in the drawer before hauling them off the the vet to have sudden lack of appetite checked out. She'd managed to chew through the very heavy-duty bag and help herself to quite a bit of the kibble. So far, she hasn't figured out how to open the fridge door (hence the refrigeration) or the plastic containers that hold the supply presently in use.
Thank you, this was helpful to hear. I have two cats. The older one likes wet food. The younger one likes dry food. The vet recently said the younger cat would live two years longer if I fed her wet food instead. Which just led to the cat meowing all morning demanding her kibble. Hearing that kind of stuff from the vet is stressful and confusing. Obviously I want my cat to be healthy and live a long time. Dealing with the stress of her not eating on a daily basis seems worse for the cat and me. I appreciate that the advice you give lowers the stakes and make these topics less stressful (less life or death). Thank you! I will continue to feed my cats what they want to eat and not worry so much :).
Such a helpful and balanced video. Like many owners I have wondered if i'm giving my cat the best diet. Being Uk based we at least have pretty good laws for pet food standards, which is somewhat reassuring. My young adult cat has an approximately 80% wet to 20% dry food ratio, the wet food being a meat and moisture only, grain free type and the dry being just a standard brand that she happens to like. it's comforting to hear that i'm not doing a horrible job of providing for her needs.
Thank you for this reasoned guidance - I'm a 76 yo whose family gifted me my first ever kitten a year ago (I had dogs most of my life) so I need a lot of education in this area. I have watched then bookmarked this video for future reference. My cat, Porka (!) also thanks you. 🐈😸
Good to hear you recommend wet food for older cats. I get the convenience factor. All I do with my two cats’ raw ground beef is put it on their plate. Feeding boiled chicken or poached salmon means using and then washing another dish. There is plenty of moisture in fresh food. Whether a cat is fed wet or dry, it is important to feed a brand that is low in calcium and phosphorus. Phosphorus should be no more than 0.8% on a dry matter basis for a healthy adult cat. (Small Animal Clinical Nutrition book, page 376) This will alleviate or help prevent kidney and UTI problems, especially in older cats. Happy Feline Friday!
My cats love both wet & dry food. I also have a water fountain for them. Thanks so much for these videos. So good to see you and Mr. Pirate again. 😃 Edit: I've been a subscriber for years and I just joined your channel through Patreon.
I used to watch your videos every now and then, wishful for a pet I could love with my whole heart. Well... Fun fact: we (me and my boyfriend) just rescued a cat a couple of days ago. We got to know who it belonged to, and, after a small talk, it's ours to keep. Thanks to those videos I used to see every once in a while, I could 100% help the cat in need with not much of a problem. Thank you. Edit: at the beginning what we did was feed him diluted wet food. He wasn't eating kibble and we saw blood in his mouth later when I showed him to the "owner" (she didn't know it was under her name. Italy, guys. What an amazing place c: /s) while squishing him to me; we later come to find out that some of his teefies broke and were in a bad shape, but his jaw was untouched (the mess we heard in the back was him falling; that's how we found him). Now, after feeding him medication and stuff we switched him to a mixed diet! Sometimes only dry, sometimes only wet, sometimes both at the same time. We also don't have a specific brand we stick to, and we are feeding him age appropriate food. We also leave him a bowl of dry food for his pleasure, and also I try to train him doing tricks and leash training with wet food snackies. He doesn't have food problems like inhaling it like a vacuum, so we feel fine doing this.
I would love a video about puzzle feeders - for a good while I could not figure out how to make my cat interested, but recently found a video with some DIY ideas that help up the complexity over time and my cat is loving it so far, but I only tried it with treats and I'd love to know how to make my cats meals for fun for them without couching frustration.
I would love to do something like this to give my cat a bit more stimulation, but she isn't very food motivated... Maybe I could try the ball feeder, she likes balls.
@@CainXVII you could give your cat more stimulation and quality time with you by practicing clicker training with her. You can use play or pets as a reward, it doesn't have to be treats
I have made DIY puzzle feeders for cats. Put the kibbles inside a toilet roll and close off one end (or both...depending on how hard your kitty can work) with fabric or paper that has a hole in it. Extremely cheap and just as stimulating, for those on a budget.
Dr Uri, thank you for this video. There's so much out there for pet owners it can be really confusing. Also great to see Mr Pirate and Claudia looking so purrfect. I also hope your arm is okay
My male cat got urinary crystals from kibble and was seriously ill at age 5, so I saw a holistic vet who saved his life. We don't love kibble. Wet food saved his life.
And it doesn't even have to be their whole diet for this to be a possibility. I had a cat once who got blocked. Dry food was always available but so was fresh water and wet food meals twice a day that he gobbled up. He still got blocked and it was the scariest night of my life. Wet food only, after some time on prescription canned food, and he was fine. He got a small handful of dry food after as a crunchy snack at night, but only a little bit. He was never allowed to graze on dry food again.
My male kitty has urinary crystals as well. We had to switch to prescription UR cat food. He has not had a blockage since we switched. There is a dry formula and a wet so we do both because he needs crunchy for his teeth health and wet for oncreased moisture.
@@madisona3907 I like prescription urinary foods because it's supposed to help deal with crystal formation, and as a food to go on for some time after the vet visits is a good idea but ... I'm not sure about long-term.... I have no proof either way but my current cat has been on UR food since before I adopted him three years ago. He supposedly needed it indefinitely because of his history. Before I adopted him, he had already developed hyperthyroidism. Most recently he got diagnosed with IBD (Along with triaditis..) I can't help but wonder though if the food he ate for years helped develop these problems in him. I'm currently getting through the planning of getting him on homemade and raw diet. I'm tired of random fish, fillers, gums, and labels that quite literally lie about the primary protein in the food. There's literally no way for me to easily know which foods are his triggers without going through the process of trying everything individually because of how nasty those ingredients lists are for prescription foods. And it's difficult sifting through the rest of the brands especially on a budget.
This is a great video Doc, i think this is the most balanced/ informative. I've been stressing over what to feed my cat as I'm adopting an almost 2 year old cat this weekend. Your video's helped me make my decision and i think I'll feed then a LITTLE bit of dry food water but mostly feed them good wet food to keep them nice and healthy :)
Thank you so much, this was very helpful! Could you do a video on environmental enrichment? I just took in a street cat who is still weary of going outside but is quickly getting bored with all the games we come up with. Glad to see Mr. Pirate is still around and doing well!
I make the food from scratch and flash freeze it in portions. Hearts/liver/chicken/turkey/beef/eggs/someother bits. I do cook it as I don[t want to deal with food poisoning, then add vitamins and key nutrients on top. Also fish, such as mackerel - occasionally. They gobble it up. The cost factor isn’t really so bad, it works out to the same or less as buying canned food. All you need is a meat grinder and a freezer really. Peace of mind is no added chemicals/preservatives. And of course, no dental or kidney problems. Also much easier to regulate a healthy weight.
So nice to see your smiling face Dr. Uri and Mr. Pirate and I saw Clawdia walk by you (behind you) so cute!! They both look gorgeous and happy.😻Your advice is invaluable. I have two senior girls aged 14 eating exclusively wet with a kibble of Royal Canon dental dry to help with tartar and calculus. I could not afford two cat cleaning sessions this year, just couldn't so my vet and I have added the Royal Canon dental along with teething cleaning 3x a week with daily oral massage with a biofilm wipe and let's see what the next visit brings in 6 months. My cats get weighed and groomed every three months at the vet and they get blood work twice a year (very expensive) so I'm on top of their health. We were able to detect hyperthyroidism in my Sophia and early stage kidney disease in Angie, both have been treated, Sophia with I-131 treatment (she's cured) and Angie with the renal diet but after I switched her to Royal Canon Aging 12, her kidney values normalized. Angie hated the renal diet so everyone is happy except for the slight "chunky" weight but they are not overweight to the point of needing "diet" food. No arthritis yet and they seem happy so I'm broke but my girls are doing good for their age thanks to your advice and working with my vet. I show them your vlogs and they are cat owners too so we're working together as a team to help my girls stay healthy and happy in their old age just like Mr. Pirate. Thank you Dr. Uri for all that you do. It's FANTASTIC! And cuddles to Mr. Pirate, Clawdia and the super handsome Sir Lancelot.👍👏👏👏👏😻
Thanks for sharing. There was a paper published recently suggesting that cats who are slightly overweight at diagnosis have longer survival times with renal disease. Its why I don't push for aggressive weight control in older (non-obese) cats. Good news for Angie!
Mr. Pirate is SO cute!!! also THANK YOU for this. I am so sick of people telling cat owners they "must eat only wet or raw food" and completely villainizing dry food. I actually saw a facebook group that denied members for feeding their cats dry food.
*THANK YOU for looking out for our fur babies' health!* Looking forward to checking out the automatic wet feeder! Wow. Okay, clearly your cats are NOT as picky (or as old and finicky) as my 19 yr old rescue cat, Leo; *he really HATES eating out of a bowl bc his whiskers hit the sides, plates are MUCH better!* IF I feed kibble, he will eat but seems to not digest it well and it later gets yakked up on the carpet, IF I feed canned food that is "shredded, he licks off the gravy and will actually try to cover the left-over shreds (as if they already belong in his litter box - I can take a hint). LOL! With Leo it is "PATE" all the way! *I leave out "Iams Urinary Tract health for Older Cats" whenever I go away overnite or whenever he seems to smell "extra" when he pees.* It really does help!
Your Leo sounds identical to our Pandora who also has to eat off of a plate so that her (super long) whiskers won't touch the sides and she also laps up gravy with wet food but tries to 'cover' the meat that is left on the plate! 😆
My son’s cat right from being weaned ate barely any wet food and never greeted its arrival with any enthusiasm. If her breeders had persevered with only that type of food she probably would have died. Kibble, on the other hand, she absolutely loves. My son was concerned about hydration, but apart from that she was getting all the nutrients she needed. I suggested he add some warm water to her wet food with a teaspoon of additional bone broth and she does make short work of the ‘gravy’, but still phaffs about with the meat. She lives with me for now as my son’s new girlfriend is allergic to cats so I asked him if I could try her out with different types of wet food and he agreed. So chunky, broths, flakes, mousses, fresh, fish and meat have all been met with the same general lack of enthusiasm, but the volumes eaten have varied quite a bit. My first observation was that she much preferred fish over meat so all the fishy foods got a nibble. My second observation was that she is a true grazer. She eats very little in one session (and that includes kibble sessions) so seems to have a stomach the size of a gnat! Leaving kibble out is not a problem, but wet food in hot weather is trickier. However, leaving food for her to graze is best for her. I also cut down how much wet food I served up, because half of it always went to waste. As for my experiment she refused to touch the meaty mousse, her most eaten meat and fish foods were flakes or broths. I still add warm water to all her wet food (woe betide me if I add it to her kibble - goes the same way as the meaty mousse) and she seems happy with this. It takes her 2 to 3 hrs to eat her very small portion of wet food, but she is bright eyed and bushy tailed so this is clearly working for her. On a side note I do use Plaque Off in one of her treats and an enzymatic toothpaste so hopefully dental problems will be minimal, but only time will tell.
I've had the Petlibro Polar feeder for a week and it really is pretty great. My sweet girl much prefers wet food, and this allows us to give her the several small meals per day she'd prefer. It's going to be a very useful took for us
You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. I love exploring clinical problems in-depth and always worry that I may be getting too long-winded when a video is over 10 minutes (even though I'll routinely spend an hour with my clients talking things through).
@@HelpfulVancouverVet What?! 😀Nooooo! ❤We looooove the in-depth explanations, please keep talking doc!😹🫶🏼 we really appreciate it❤ (also I was so releaved that you didn’t say we are terrible people that don’t feed raw…🙈)
@@HelpfulVancouverVet I think that your videos are of appropriate length. You are teaching us, and discussing ideas we are interested in, whether or not they pertain directly to our specific kitty. There is always something to be learned, even in the comments. I love seeing your felines during the videos and enjoy how they casually interact with you...'on-the-set.'
I feed my kittens wet and dry and count the calories. They are indoor. I brush my cats teeth 3 times a day started this at 6weeks old they are now 1year old. I have regular stainless steel bowels for water and a water fountain in most rooms. Thank you for great info.
I love the idea of a wet food dispenser for times when I'm away but the price is prohibitive to older cat ladies like myself who are on a limited income. Great to see Mr Pirate, and I hope your arm/hand is getting better - tell us that it wasn't a kitty-related injury!
@@HelpfulVancouverVetah, good. I can say my second favorite doctor advised against going to the gym 😉😆 Question is… will my first favorite doctor agree 😏
I use the CatMate c500. It's about $60. It takes some time to get used to setting it, and there is no app. But as such it doesn't matter if your Internet goes down (mine frequently does). They do depend on batteries, so I put fresh ones in before I travel. I still need someone to come change it everyday. It doesn't close after 30 minutes, but my cat breaks up her meals despite me feeding her in a schedule. She'll eat half and come back 2 hours later for the rest. 😂 It's a simple contraption with freezer packs. But it allows me to keep my kitty on mostly wet food + a small bowl of kibble to graze on.
Thank you for your great advice. I just adopted 2 kittens after my one 18 1/2 yr old Siamese/ Persian/Birman went off to Heaven University. I say this because most 18 yr old humans are graduating high school and going off to college. I hope to teach my new furbabies the same manners and lifestyle that my previous baby had. I’m trying to incorporate some things that I should have done with my previous baby,like the adjustments from dry to wet food. I had to switch my previous baby to wet food due to kidney disease and she was a picky eater, she loved her kibbles. I spent hundreds trying all kinds of cans and wet food, until we found a non-can pate. Nutrition and her age of 15 was important while considering the kidney disease, so it was a balancing act of nutrition and keeping her happy. I wish I know then, what I know now. She might have stayed with me longer.
Thank you so much for your explanation and reassurance, dr. Yuri My cats typically hate it when I feed them wet food too often. It's almost like they would rather starve when they're bored of the food. Even changing brands and flavors don't cut it when they're bored of wet food. On the other hand, these kitties can eat dry food all day. So that's why I have to constantly rotate their food types.
My cat won't touch wet food. I've tried. So, I feed my cat food he will eat because he needs to eat. But I make sure he has plenty of water to drink, and he loves his fountain!
Same. I try periodically, just in case she's changed her mind. She seems to have a number of texture issues, though. (Which also makes litter boxes a challenge.)
It sounds cruel.... but won't they eventually eat??? Cats have a loooot of health issues from not drinking enough water. They're desert animals.... but to only feed them dry food?
@@AhhhSukeSuke if a cat doesn't want to eat they won't eat and then they're at risk of hepatic lipidosis which can become fatal. There are many resources online with ways you can very VERY slowly introduce wet food to a cat. It can be tedious and frustrating but you should never let a cat go without eating for more than 24 hours.
Same. My fluffy girl just won't do wet food. She won't even eat pieces of chicken or tuna or anything. So I do the best I can and make sure she has plenty of water.
Mine got dry food only because she wouldn't touch wet food. It amazed me; I expected her to really enjoy the "good stuff," and she had ZERO interest in it. I always made sure she had a giant bowl of fresh water. Your kitties are so cute and beautiful!!
I used to have a cat like that too when I was a kid! I couldn't believe how she rejected literally every brand we tried to give her xd She lived long and happy life, enjoying her favorite dry food and fresh minced meat sometimes
Thanks for this! Mine gets wet twice a week in the evening, its only 80gram pouches of high quality Feringa wet food and yet he still sometimes leaves over 25% to dry out in the bowl. he has bladder issues anyway and hes quite happy with the Royal canin urinary dry food. Wishing you and Mr. Pirate good health :)!
"Food can be such a challenge" OMG yes! We're really feeling that here right now. IBD cat just started 8 weeks of hydrolyzed-only. Aside from the difficult logistics of different diets in a multi-cat house, I'm really missing our rituals: the cats eating together, playing "find the food" (hide kibble around the room), and getting bedtime treats.
My cat was just diagnosed with IBD too! He eats the hydrolyzed dry, but I’ve been trying to transition him to a novel, wet food. I’ve had no luck with that
So happy to see M.Pirate again 🥰
Same! 😍
Wasn't he 14 yo on the squish that cat video? he must be around 20 now! That's amazing. What a good cat!
Hello Mr P so good to see him again.
@@1ricky4dias7yup ❤
Me: "wet or dry food?"
My cats: YES. In the bowl! NOW!
The real answer.
we sprinkle dry food on top of our cats' wet food. one day I forgot and my cat Landon refused to eat it. he let his sisters eat it all
Honestly same. My cat loves dry food. Wet food. People food. Non food. Etc
Same.
This also includes food sources as leftovers on my plate, licking the unwashed dishes in the sink, etc
Of course that is also him meowing, "GET OUT OF BED NOW AND FEED ME !"
As long as their bowl is being moved lol
I haven't watched this in a year. So happy that mr. Pirate is still with us. Though, he is definitely showing his age.
Like so many of us who are getting older..
My cat has texture issues with wet food but I've found kibble to be really very fun. When I leave for the day, I can hide it around my appartment - a couple on the bookshelf, a couple in the bathtub, in the sink, behind the printer, under the coffee table, a pinch on the top of her cat tree, a bit behind the couch, and a few in a jar on the floor that she fishes out with her paw... I change places day by day, too. (yes I do wipe down my surfaces regularly!). I figure if gives her something to do when I'm gone, and gives her a reason to explore the smaller space we live in every day. It made me realise what a good sense of smell she has, sometimes she's sitting down somewhere, and I'll see her raise her nose and sniff, and suddenly run straight to the spot where I hid food. It's also super fun to play with! She won't play fetch like a dog, but in the evenings I feed her a small meal by throwing her kibble piece by piece. It's good exercise, and she's so funny to watch, dashing down the corridor, and sometimes she catches a piece in mid-air like a goal keeper.
That's fun! I am moving to a smaller apartment and I kinda feel bad about it. I'm gonna try this.
I do both of these things with my kitty, but with freeze-dried treats!
What a great idea!
How do you know how much your cat got to eat for the day? If any?
@@beckyd712 I measure out how much kibble she gets for the day every morning and put it in a jar, then throughout the day when I feed her, I feed her from that jar. That way I know how much food she gets. As for the kibble I hide, I'm pretty sure she finds it all, she's very food motivated and I've yet to find any leftovers myself!
Mr. Pirate is lucky to have you. He gets the best of attention. 😊❤
I'm lucky to have him too!
Thank you , Dr Yuri for not being rigid about wet vs dry food. I’ve been told off so many times online by fanatics who think that if I’m not feeding my cat exclusively raw food , I’m not a good cat dad
As always , good sensible advice
Yeah, there is always nuance. Except where it comes to raw food, where the evidence that it is harmful to feed it is very clear.
Anyone who cares to disagree with me, please do a pubmed search first. Or if you don't know how, then you'll just have to trust me 🙂
@@HelpfulVancouverVet I wish more doctors spoke about that publicly.
animal -ists (/behaviorists/nutritionalists/scamartists 🙃...) are very loud and most doctors are under-informed so they can't even argue.
I had major issues while trying to educate myself on cat feeding needs.
Thankfully I found you and now I even am an expert at squishing 🤣
@@HelpfulVancouverVet I agree with the previous comment, thank you for not wanting to send us to prisoncamp 😅 Our youngest cat was actually prescribed gastrointestinal dry food, and it worked wonders for her!
Would you consider making a video on the actual facts of feeding raw from a Vets perspective? 🙏🏼❤️ please?
Well, I will probably be one of those online fanatics. I was feeding raw for quite a while now I’m back to cooked chicken and lightly sautéed beef strips. I was fortunate to start feeding them homemade food from early on which helped down the road because when they got older and got finicky, I had so many more options.
After my two year old male cat had crystals twice to the tune of $2000 that’s when I said that’s it. I’m not feeding dry kibble ever again. Fortunately, he was fine and lived another 18 years and everybody else in the house never developed crystals in their urine.
Bottom line is they need to eat. But the pet food companies are not living up to standards (if you really saw the procedures of making that dry kibble, you may think differently) so I would rather trust food that I make even though our food isn’t always the best either.
@@dcwatashi Don't you have any "niche" high quality pet food companies in US (where I assume you live) ?
Here we have a few German (mainly) manufacturers with amazing wet food options (cans + pouches), most of them are pure meat + veggies + water + bit of oils, nothing else.
They smell exactly like (bland) human food.
damn I love this guy and his cats
@NEIGH6699 - ikr? He’s a cutie patootie 🥰
Watching videos on this channel that makes me literally happy indeed !!
I don't even have cats but these videos are so comforting!
Those puzzel feeders are fantastic. I started to use them becaues my old cat would eat so quickly he'd make himself sick. I had 3 different ones and he mastered them all, and it slowed down his eating and reduced the vomiting. It was also great fun watching him muttering to himself as figured them out - that said he was an intentsely food motivated cat.
"muttering to himself" 😂 so cuteee
@@wadiahbz324 😂😂❤
Oh this is the problem I have with my cat- she eats her kibbles so fast she vomits almost immediately after. They vomit looks in tact as in NOT chewed up at all. I didn’t know about puzzle feeders until now. Any brands you can recommend? I think this will help our issue.
Thanks.
I started with a roller ball, they're the cheepest puzzel option, and will let you see how your cat deals with having to think for their food. I can't really recomend brands I just got what was available on line and looked good. You do need to be around while the cat uses them but frankly it fun to watch so that's not a problem.
If your using dried food you can also try getting a meals worth of food and throwing it bit by bit in different directions for your cat to 'chase' , catch & eat. then you can trow another in a different direction. It slows the eating down and its the closest thing I've seen to mimicking hunting behaviour - Nino used to love that game.
I would add that if she keeps vomiting go and see a vet - they're not meant to throw up and more than we are
@@kittling5427 my hubby cut holes in an empty cerealbox and they love it just as much as the bought foodpuzzles. They love fishing with their little paws thru the holes😄🎣
glad to see Vancouver vet channel is still active. It was very important for me at the start of my journey as a good pet owner many years ago. Hope you are doing well
the way this guy cares about his (and all) cats really makes these videos enjoyable and engaging
I feed my cat both. She’s quite healthy at 10 years.
indoor cats should live 20-30 years
@@stadiumarcadium2351 30 years?? just... no.
@@thomasneal9291 Cats die from CKD before they can live that long its why they are currently working on medication to increase cat kidney health, you know why my barn cats live on average to 25? because we dont vaccinate after the first year because
Cats who receive a vaccine grown on this cell line develop antibodies to renal proteins and can develop interstitial nephritis. Chronic interstitial nephritis (whether caused by vaccines or other issues) leads to chronic kidney disease in the cat.
vax last 3 years and people get it done yearly causing antibodies to develop damaging the kidney also dry food means low water further destroying the kidney.
@@thomasneal9291 we have barn cats who live on average to 25 years because we only vaccinate the first year and dont feed dry kibble
"Cats who receive a vaccine grown on this cell line develop antibodies to renal proteins and can develop interstitial nephritis. Chronic interstitial nephritis (whether caused by vaccines or other issues) leads to chronic kidney disease in the cat."
people are injecting yearly causing kidney damage when one vax lasts 3 years and unless youre in a high risk area all youre doing is causing kidney damage.
@@stadiumarcadium2351 They could if you give them your kidneys.
I feed my cats both - as far as feeding times - this is so difficult with multiple cats with age ranges from 2 to 16. Some want to eat it all right away, some want to graze... its quite a thing to have to follow them around and watch to make sure they all eat their food, and to make it more complicated, they don't even all eat the same type of food for health reasons!
Feeding can really be a challenge in a multicat household!
@@HelpfulVancouverVet it's a skill my wife and I have developed over time with lots of patience and love 😺
Something I plan to do with my cats is build them "mini stables". I have one that eats really fast and one that eats pretty slow, but I can put the bowl/enrichment feeder into the stable and then let one out when they're done. If I understood electronics better maybe I could have an automatic timer for 5-10 minutes pull the gate up. Otherwise it's locking them in different rooms or having to sit and watch them so they don't steal each other's food
At our most populated, we had six cats, three of which were gobblers and thieves. We had a whole routine of Camille in the bedroom, Fidget on the table, Julie in the guest room, and watch Charley and Toby and Heather very carefully. Plus different meds as they got older!! It was lovely while it lasted, but we had three last 20 years, and two others were 16. It was wild!
@@knitcrazybooknutI have 13 cats at the moment but I had 20, 18 were feral cats. It's a lot of work for sure.
I really appreciate this because I don't trust my local vet office. They tell me that I shouldn't give wet food because it's bad for their teeth and that dry food is so much better for them. That advice hasn't sat right with me, which is why I've given my cats both dry and wet food since I got them. I know how important it is for cats to get enough fluids. And I do actually feel like my vet is more interested in selling me the brand of cat food with which they have a deal, rather than giving advice for the sake of my cats' health. It sucks, but I live in a small town with only one vet. So I really appreciate you sharing your unbiased opinion. 💜
Wet food is best. If dry food is good for teeth, why don't we all just brush our teeth by eating Cap'n Crunch cereal?
@@KittyHelpDesk That's what I've been saying! If dry food is so good at preventing plaque, why do I still need to go to the dentist once a year when I eat crisps every weekend?
I was haveing trouble with my wet food spoiling.
@@KittyHelpDesk because you also eat other moist food that can get stuck in your teeth, which is also differently and considerably more variously structured from a cats.
@@janecat8753I believe the current research is showing that it's less that dry food is good at preventing plaque, but that wet food simply can cause more plaque than dry. There's benefits to wet food but many vets support a mix of wet and dry because when you really get into the nitty gritty/actual research, the differences are not as dramatic as a lot of people insist online. It's really just that wet food is a good way to increase hydration.
All my cats have had soft and kibble food. Their food was always of quality. Most of them lived into their 20s. I have one cat left, he is now 17 years old. Always treated my cats with kindness, respect and they had the best vet care. My house is quiet without stress. I also am a snake keeper. The cats and snakes get on well. The state in which I live has 4 seasons. Mr. Pirate is such a sweet cat. Most cats are wonderful. Never met one who was not nice after earning their trust.
I need you to elaborate on the snake part. I've been considering getting a snake in addition to my three cats, but do not have a separate room that I could put the snake enclosure in and the cats out of. So I worry my cats will disturb the snake by jumping on the terrarium, pawing the front etc.
How do your cats behave around the snake and did you ever take out your pet snake with the cats present?
@@hansgruber9457 I also have a snake (ball python) and a cat. The snake lives in its terarrium, with propper heating and humidity (really hard to keep humidity high in a terarrium, so consider a humid hide too); now on the cat and snake interraction, it obviously only happens through the glass; the cat just sits and watches the snake whenever it’s out exploring. The snake doesnt seem to mind being watched by the cat. The cat also sleeps on the terrarium sometimes because of the warmth. Make sure the terarrium is secure, and the glass doors have a lock installed! Snakes are escape artists, they can even open sliding doors, they can just push their nose in the edge of the sliding glass and eventually make it start sliding. An escaped snake may not be the end of the world, depending on the climate etc, you may just find it alive, but if a cat is around, or another pet like a dog, injuries may occur (for the cat or the snake, depending on their sizes).
So yeah tldr: make sure you secure your enclosure so there’s no chance for the snake to get out, and it shouldn’t be too bothered especially if it has propper hiding places.
@@andrei3582 Thanks, that's very helpful! I'm looking to get a PVC enclosure with a lid at the front instead of a sliding door. Of course with locks, my cats would have a field day with a baby ball python.
@@hansgruber9457 my cat also behaves pretty much the same when something interests it on TV or when watching the snake, just sits in front of it, watching. Maybe you could pay attention to that for some indication on how your cats would react to a snake in a terarrium? I’ve definitely seen cats go crazy and try to “catch” or “attack” things on screens, I would guess these cats would behave similarly with a terarrium.
@@andrei3582 Mine are actually pretty chill when it comes to the TV. I game a lot and they rarely pay any attention to what's happening on-screen unless the game/show has a baby crying or a cat doing typical cat noises.
I adopted my first ever cat about a week ago and my mind is going a mile a minute in what to do and not to do. This Your channel has been a huge help, otherwise I'd probably be bugging my friends and coworkers who are probably getting annoyed by my questions. Thank you!
as the human for a picky cat who hates the pieces of her wet food or pate, mixing churu with the amount of water she needs per day was LIFE SAVING.
She gets a treat every day because we play a lot and do behavioural training, so my vet recomended making it ✨️hydrating✨️
Hi! how much water for a package of churu? I should try this cause my cats love churu too (to be honest, I don't think there is a cat that don't like churu...)
@@RoseDragoness I use almolst half a cup (the vet recomended it for her weight and age), usually I measure the half cup but only add until the little soup is not too transparent^^
@@RoseDragoness We have a cat who doesn't like any treats. Pill pockets, churu, bonito flakes, tuna juice---we have tried everything! She only likes dry food. The only treat we have is fresh catnip from our catnip plant. Our other cat will eat ALL of the treats.
@@knitcrazybooknut I had a cat like that and mixed water into her wet food. She would eat that. :)
That's what we do too :) I put the churu squeeze tube into a bowl and add some water. I mix it up so it looks like watery yogurt 🥳 the cats LOVE IT. And yet they won't eat wet food from the same bowl. Oh well. At least they are still getting some moisture
Hello to Mr Pirate!❤😊 As much as all of those factors are up for consideration, cost is still the main factor for my household. I don't use the cheapest, but a quality mid-level brand seems to work well. I use both and feel like I have to include wet food twice a day for proper hydration, with lots of clean water as well. Informative video, thanks!
Thanks! Love your content. We've found your cat squishing very helpful.
thank you for mentioning the convenience factor. hell, convenience is the number one consideration for how I feed MYSELF 😅
I don't have a cat and probably won't have one for a long while, but I like these videos just to watch cats lmao
Thank you for posting this. When I lost my job, we started feeding our young cat dry food in order to save money, and I’ve felt guilty about it.
Don't :-)
Have you done the math? It’s more cost-effective to make your own cat food versus buying that kibble crap from the grocery store or even a pet food store
@@dcwatashistop
@dcwatashi Also a great way to give your cat horrific nutritional deficiencies. Any homemade diet must be under strict veterinary supervision because trust me, you do not want to realise there's a nutritional issue by the time they get kidney disease or a broken bone due to deficiencies. It's much more complex than people realise and very easy to screw up.
@@rouaneb6664it's not complex at all. The information is out there, just look to the professionals in animal nutrition.
Nice to see you and your cats again, thank you for the advice and.. I dig the way you squeeze Mr P's cheeks in time to emphasize your words
It's always good to see Mr. P! I hope whatever happened to your hand gets better soon.
Thank you so much for the info. I have one cat specifically who is so picky and dry food addicted. I cannot find anything he will even try as far as wet food goes. My other cats gladly eat whatever I give them. I have followed steps about how to change foods with cats and he just is not interested at all. I have tried so many different wet foods; different brands, textures, type of meat, etc. He will refuse to eat anything but his dry food, and if his tummy gets too empty he gets an upset stomach so I don't want him to go too long without eating. He drinks well though (but not excessively like with diabetes or other conditions), so I'm not super worried about his hydration at this time. He's also very healthy at 14 years old. Of course I care about his long-term health, but I'm at a loss as to what to do.
Thanks for sharing. You may find my video no how to get cats to eat new food helpful: th-cam.com/video/8XTClouSp9c/w-d-xo.html
Dr:... and put the food out and hope they don't eat everything at once, like some cats...
Mr Pirate: I deny everything.
Lol 🤣
Dry food. They wont eat any more than they need
@@daylehudson6810 it takes time and some don't learn.
Pirate certainly is enjoying his time in his hooman's lap getting pettinz
Great video, Dr. B. Also love the relaxed home setting
Glad you enjoyed it!
My cat is not interested in wet food she likes dry food and when I cook her wild caught salmon😂 Must be working well. She’s 21 years old and a beautiful little tuxie.
Oh, oh, I'd like you to cook me some wild caught salmon!!!
Oh she’s 21😻❤️
No, you just got lucky. Feeding processed food isn’t good for anybody.
@@dcwatashinonsense
@@SeanCSHConsulting not nonsense. I have been feeding a balanced homemade diet for 20 years and all of my cats are doing just fine. I followed a recipe from a veterinarian Dr. Pitcairn who has studied animal nutrition, unlike these commercial conventional veterinarians
Maybe this guy and Dr. Martin Goldstein can have a Debate on Nutrition. I already know who will win.
Hopefully you’re not feeding your animals Purina they are in big trouble on how many dogs they’ve poisoned. obviously not on purpose but still …
Have a good day
Mr. Pirate just taking in the affection.
Your video is right on time as I was just researching this for my cat! He is a bit overweight, and I feed him dry food and wet food, so I was going to switch to weight management dry food of his same brand. I kept hearing all these suggestions for wet food only and how dry food is so awful. He is almost 9, so I probably could transition to wet food only, but he sure loves his dry food the most! I also use puzzle feeders so he doesn’t eat too fast. Anyway thank you for the video and educating us, and I always love seeing your cats!
Thanks Doctor ! I appreciate your knowledge and insight from your videos. I’m fortunate to have a cat that eats dry and wet food and drinks water too. 😺
Mr Pirate is so content to be with his long time sidekick the Helpful Vancouver Vet. i lived with a cat who understood me perfectly and me her and i can see that with you and Mr Pirate.
Trying all of your tipps as soon our babies (2 adopted kittens) move in with us :) I'm really thankful for your work and currently going through all of your content to prepare
Greetings from Germany
Nice to see you here again Dr. Uri!! Great information, thanks.
17:45 aww that moment just melted my heart :) Mr. P is a very lucky boy to not only have such a caring human, but his own personal expert vet.
I used to call my cat, Basil, 'Mr. B' all the time too :)
That's a wonderful invention!
Sending you good wishes for a speedy arm recovery.
Great video! My motto is "fed is best," because even cheap dollar store food is better than starving. Also thank you for mentioning your recommendations for cats over 12 and that most kibbls are minimally impacting oral health.
On a side note, I was watching a show on Netflix called "away" and resized you're the Russian reporter, that's so cool!
The timing on this video! And it seems like I'm on the right track with your professional suggestions too. Recently learned that cats get their water mostly from their food and mine would barely touch her water bowl, so I add extra water to her wet food to make it soup and she gobbles it up. And then just recently about "food scavenge games" to keep them active which you talk about as well.
When we adopted our goober, we mentioned that he’d have to be on dander-reducing kibble in order to live with us (there’s no wet version of it yet). Both the rescue co-ordinator and the vet said that ‘adopted and eating kibble was better than being unadopted on wet food’.
Happy to see mr pirate and clawdia again 🥰🥰
Thank you for not shaming us for feeding dry food! We give both, but the dry food is probably the cats' favorite. We throw it to them and they run like crazy, and our oldest cat can catch it midair with his paws or even his mouth. We also use them for practicing tricks - our oldest cat knows more tricks than most dogs do. And of course we have puzzle feeders and hide dry food throughout the house for them to look for. We still play with the cats using different toys, but feeding time is the best way to activate them and it feels more natural for them to move and goof around while eating, just like in the wild. 😺
Aww, looking a bit tired but still glorious. Glad you're still with us Mr. Pirate.
Mr. Pirate ! Glad to see him again!
Thank you for this important video! I have been worried about this because I feed my cat about half wet half dry and I have often seen told that all wet would be the best. But it's good to hear that it is not that straightforward and the reason I feed half dry is the enrichment part as I have only one cat with FIV and while she is happy being a single cat she needs a lot of enrichment and has many puzzle toys and feeding balls that I fill with few kibbles many times a day. I get good quality food and add extra water to the wet food and so far it has been working well.
I've feed both for 60 years, Purina in fact. My boy Arthur will sometimes eat 1/2 can of wet food. I think that's because his brother Fred was such a hog. We lost Fred last month at 9 months old.😢 He surcumed to his FeLV. He developed lymphoma. Arthur will only eat wet occasionally now. I've put him on Pet Honesty multi vitamin for his immune system. He loves them.
My cat didn't want to eat good quality wet food right after she was adopted from the shelter. But she did get used to it after a few feeks and now she eats everything. The base of her diet is wet food but we use kibble for: puzzles, play (throwing and chasing) and training.
Mr Pirate and Clawdia are so cute!❤
Thank you for the video. I have heard many people saying not to trust vets and to feed cats raw... watching the video and reading your comments helps me in where I should go to inform myself on cat care. :)
Mr Pirate ❤❤❤ so good to see you again
Thanks for covering this subject. Mr Pirate the Cat is adorable! I hope your hand is healing well and quick.
You bring so much clarity in a world of mixed messages. Thank you so much!
SO HAPPY TO SEE MR.PIRATE!!!!!!! 🥺
Oh, and thank you for the informative video! ☺
Hey Dr. Uri!
My DSH black 12 yo George will be getting one of these for Christmas or before (...Like this month!)
I saw your vid today and ran over to the website because I LOVE the idea of opening the unit remotely every hour or so when I'm out of the house for 9-10 hour days to keep him busy.
However I learned there's a hitch.
You might want to swing by PL website and read a few comments by disappointed customers who bought the PetLibro model in May of 2024. (Maybe the sponsor tracked sales after your vid, but comments revolved around this issue.) Customers were disappointed /noted the PL units only allow THREE settings per day and asked for more.
PL responded with an update allowing a "feed now" option but only limited its use to the THREE default feeding times, so not much of a change. Comments left later in 2024 seem to indicate units can still only be set for THREE feeding times and clients are asking for more freedom.
🧚
I feed my cats (still pretty young) both wet and dry food, usually in different flavours so they don't become picky eaters. However, I now have to refrigerate the spare bag of dry food. One of my cats is the most inquisitive, persistent and clever cats I have ever encountered. I knew she could and did open drawers, and sometimes climb behind them to other drawers in the same set. I didn't know she was able to get into the very heavy drawer laden down with two bags of dry cat food. I noticed a drop in the amount of food eaten from their bowls, and, suspicious, checked the food supply in the drawer before hauling them off the the vet to have sudden lack of appetite checked out. She'd managed to chew through the very heavy-duty bag and help herself to quite a bit of the kibble. So far, she hasn't figured out how to open the fridge door (hence the refrigeration) or the plastic containers that hold the supply presently in use.
Thank you, this was helpful to hear. I have two cats. The older one likes wet food. The younger one likes dry food. The vet recently said the younger cat would live two years longer if I fed her wet food instead. Which just led to the cat meowing all morning demanding her kibble. Hearing that kind of stuff from the vet is stressful and confusing. Obviously I want my cat to be healthy and live a long time. Dealing with the stress of her not eating on a daily basis seems worse for the cat and me. I appreciate that the advice you give lowers the stakes and make these topics less stressful (less life or death). Thank you! I will continue to feed my cats what they want to eat and not worry so much :).
Such a helpful and balanced video. Like many owners I have wondered if i'm giving my cat the best diet. Being Uk based we at least have pretty good laws for pet food standards, which is somewhat reassuring. My young adult cat has an approximately 80% wet to 20% dry food ratio, the wet food being a meat and moisture only, grain free type and the dry being just a standard brand that she happens to like. it's comforting to hear that i'm not doing a horrible job of providing for her needs.
Thank you for this reasoned guidance - I'm a 76 yo whose family gifted me my first ever kitten a year ago (I had dogs most of my life) so I need a lot of education in this area. I have watched then bookmarked this video for future reference. My cat, Porka (!) also thanks you. 🐈😸
Mr. Pirate ❤
Good to hear you recommend wet food for older cats. I get the convenience factor. All I do with my two cats’ raw ground beef is put it on their plate. Feeding boiled chicken or poached salmon means using and then washing another dish. There is plenty of moisture in fresh food. Whether a cat is fed wet or dry, it is important to feed a brand that is low in calcium and phosphorus. Phosphorus should be no more than 0.8% on a dry matter basis for a healthy adult cat. (Small Animal Clinical Nutrition book, page 376) This will alleviate or help prevent kidney and UTI problems, especially in older cats. Happy Feline Friday!
My cats love both wet & dry food. I also have a water fountain for them. Thanks so much for these videos. So good to see you and Mr. Pirate again. 😃
Edit: I've been a subscriber for years and I just joined your channel through Patreon.
Wonderful!
Thanks
I used to watch your videos every now and then, wishful for a pet I could love with my whole heart. Well... Fun fact: we (me and my boyfriend) just rescued a cat a couple of days ago. We got to know who it belonged to, and, after a small talk, it's ours to keep. Thanks to those videos I used to see every once in a while, I could 100% help the cat in need with not much of a problem.
Thank you.
Edit: at the beginning what we did was feed him diluted wet food. He wasn't eating kibble and we saw blood in his mouth later when I showed him to the "owner" (she didn't know it was under her name. Italy, guys. What an amazing place c: /s) while squishing him to me; we later come to find out that some of his teefies broke and were in a bad shape, but his jaw was untouched (the mess we heard in the back was him falling; that's how we found him). Now, after feeding him medication and stuff we switched him to a mixed diet! Sometimes only dry, sometimes only wet, sometimes both at the same time. We also don't have a specific brand we stick to, and we are feeding him age appropriate food. We also leave him a bowl of dry food for his pleasure, and also I try to train him doing tricks and leash training with wet food snackies. He doesn't have food problems like inhaling it like a vacuum, so we feel fine doing this.
I would love a video about puzzle feeders - for a good while I could not figure out how to make my cat interested, but recently found a video with some DIY ideas that help up the complexity over time and my cat is loving it so far, but I only tried it with treats and I'd love to know how to make my cats meals for fun for them without couching frustration.
I'd love to make one! Any puzzle feeder companies want to send me some samples to review?
Fundamentallyfeline here on TH-cam has a lot of videos (and reviews) on puzzle feeders
I would love to do something like this to give my cat a bit more stimulation, but she isn't very food motivated... Maybe I could try the ball feeder, she likes balls.
@@CainXVII you could give your cat more stimulation and quality time with you by practicing clicker training with her. You can use play or pets as a reward, it doesn't have to be treats
I have made DIY puzzle feeders for cats. Put the kibbles inside a toilet roll and close off one end (or both...depending on how hard your kitty can work) with fabric or paper that has a hole in it. Extremely cheap and just as stimulating, for those on a budget.
Mr Pirate is such a good kitty.
Dr Uri, thank you for this video. There's so much out there for pet owners it can be really confusing. Also great to see Mr Pirate and Claudia looking so purrfect. I also hope your arm is okay
My male cat got urinary crystals from kibble and was seriously ill at age 5, so I saw a holistic vet who saved his life. We don't love kibble. Wet food saved his life.
And it doesn't even have to be their whole diet for this to be a possibility. I had a cat once who got blocked. Dry food was always available but so was fresh water and wet food meals twice a day that he gobbled up. He still got blocked and it was the scariest night of my life. Wet food only, after some time on prescription canned food, and he was fine. He got a small handful of dry food after as a crunchy snack at night, but only a little bit. He was never allowed to graze on dry food again.
My male kitty has urinary crystals as well. We had to switch to prescription UR cat food. He has not had a blockage since we switched. There is a dry formula and a wet so we do both because he needs crunchy for his teeth health and wet for oncreased moisture.
@@madisona3907 I like prescription urinary foods because it's supposed to help deal with crystal formation, and as a food to go on for some time after the vet visits is a good idea but ... I'm not sure about long-term....
I have no proof either way but my current cat has been on UR food since before I adopted him three years ago. He supposedly needed it indefinitely because of his history. Before I adopted him, he had already developed hyperthyroidism. Most recently he got diagnosed with IBD (Along with triaditis..)
I can't help but wonder though if the food he ate for years helped develop these problems in him.
I'm currently getting through the planning of getting him on homemade and raw diet. I'm tired of random fish, fillers, gums, and labels that quite literally lie about the primary protein in the food. There's literally no way for me to easily know which foods are his triggers without going through the process of trying everything individually because of how nasty those ingredients lists are for prescription foods. And it's difficult sifting through the rest of the brands especially on a budget.
This is a great video Doc, i think this is the most balanced/ informative. I've been stressing over what to feed my cat as I'm adopting an almost 2 year old cat this weekend. Your video's helped me make my decision and i think I'll feed then a LITTLE bit of dry food water but mostly feed them good wet food to keep them nice and healthy :)
I have learned more from you than all the many veterinarians I've seen and paid a fortune to over the decades :)
Thank you so much, this was very helpful! Could you do a video on environmental enrichment?
I just took in a street cat who is still weary of going outside but is quickly getting bored with all the games we come up with.
Glad to see Mr. Pirate is still around and doing well!
Thank you Dr., hope your arm heals quickly!
Love the intermission
Thank you doctor Uri! ❤
I make the food from scratch and flash freeze it in portions. Hearts/liver/chicken/turkey/beef/eggs/someother bits. I do cook it as I don[t want to deal with food poisoning, then add vitamins and key nutrients on top. Also fish, such as mackerel - occasionally. They gobble it up. The cost factor isn’t really so bad, it works out to the same or less as buying canned food. All you need is a meat grinder and a freezer really. Peace of mind is no added chemicals/preservatives. And of course, no dental or kidney problems. Also much easier to regulate a healthy weight.
Simply RAW!
Canadians are so nice 😊
8:16 I love that the cats know they've only got 30mins to chow down! 😹
I'm pretty sure they would eat like that even if they had all day.
You are such a nice person!
So nice to see your smiling face Dr. Uri and Mr. Pirate and I saw Clawdia walk by you (behind you) so cute!! They both look gorgeous and happy.😻Your advice is invaluable. I have two senior girls aged 14 eating exclusively wet with a kibble of Royal Canon dental dry to help with tartar and calculus. I could not afford two cat cleaning sessions this year, just couldn't so my vet and I have added the Royal Canon dental along with teething cleaning 3x a week with daily oral massage with a biofilm wipe and let's see what the next visit brings in 6 months. My cats get weighed and groomed every three months at the vet and they get blood work twice a year (very expensive) so I'm on top of their health. We were able to detect hyperthyroidism in my Sophia and early stage kidney disease in Angie, both have been treated, Sophia with I-131 treatment (she's cured) and Angie with the renal diet but after I switched her to Royal Canon Aging 12, her kidney values normalized. Angie hated the renal diet so everyone is happy except for the slight "chunky" weight but they are not overweight to the point of needing "diet" food. No arthritis yet and they seem happy so I'm broke but my girls are doing good for their age thanks to your advice and working with my vet. I show them your vlogs and they are cat owners too so we're working together as a team to help my girls stay healthy and happy in their old age just like Mr. Pirate. Thank you Dr. Uri for all that you do. It's FANTASTIC! And cuddles to Mr. Pirate, Clawdia and the super handsome Sir Lancelot.👍👏👏👏👏😻
Thanks for sharing. There was a paper published recently suggesting that cats who are slightly overweight at diagnosis have longer survival times with renal disease. Its why I don't push for aggressive weight control in older (non-obese) cats. Good news for Angie!
Love PetLibro! I’ve bought two of their feeders.
Mr. Pirate is SO cute!!!
also THANK YOU for this. I am so sick of people telling cat owners they "must eat only wet or raw food" and completely villainizing dry food. I actually saw a facebook group that denied members for feeding their cats dry food.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you!
*THANK YOU for looking out for our fur babies' health!* Looking forward to checking out the automatic wet feeder! Wow. Okay, clearly your cats are NOT as picky (or as old and finicky) as my 19 yr old rescue cat, Leo; *he really HATES eating out of a bowl bc his whiskers hit the sides, plates are MUCH better!*
IF I feed kibble, he will eat but seems to not digest it well and it later gets yakked up on the carpet,
IF I feed canned food that is "shredded, he licks off the gravy and will actually try to cover the left-over shreds (as if they already belong in his litter box - I can take a hint). LOL! With Leo it is "PATE" all the way! *I leave out "Iams Urinary Tract health for Older Cats" whenever I go away overnite or whenever he seems to smell "extra" when he pees.* It really does help!
Your Leo sounds identical to our Pandora who also has to eat off of a plate so that her (super long) whiskers won't touch the sides and she also laps up gravy with wet food but tries to 'cover' the meat that is left on the plate! 😆
Thank you so much for this helpful and informative video!
Thanks for the great video!
Mr. Pirate!! So nice to see him again
My son’s cat right from being weaned ate barely any wet food and never greeted its arrival with any enthusiasm. If her breeders had persevered with only that type of food she probably would have died. Kibble, on the other hand, she absolutely loves. My son was concerned about hydration, but apart from that she was getting all the nutrients she needed. I suggested he add some warm water to her wet food with a teaspoon of additional bone broth and she does make short work of the ‘gravy’, but still phaffs about with the meat. She lives with me for now as my son’s new girlfriend is allergic to cats so I asked him if I could try her out with different types of wet food and he agreed. So chunky, broths, flakes, mousses, fresh, fish and meat have all been met with the same general lack of enthusiasm, but the volumes eaten have varied quite a bit. My first observation was that she much preferred fish over meat so all the fishy foods got a nibble. My second observation was that she is a true grazer. She eats very little in one session (and that includes kibble sessions) so seems to have a stomach the size of a gnat! Leaving kibble out is not a problem, but wet food in hot weather is trickier. However, leaving food for her to graze is best for her. I also cut down how much wet food I served up, because half of it always went to waste. As for my experiment she refused to touch the meaty mousse, her most eaten meat and fish foods were flakes or broths. I still add warm water to all her wet food (woe betide me if I add it to her kibble - goes the same way as the meaty mousse) and she seems happy with this. It takes her 2 to 3 hrs to eat her very small portion of wet food, but she is bright eyed and bushy tailed so this is clearly working for her. On a side note I do use Plaque Off in one of her treats and an enzymatic toothpaste so hopefully dental problems will be minimal, but only time will tell.
I've had the Petlibro Polar feeder for a week and it really is pretty great. My sweet girl much prefers wet food, and this allows us to give her the several small meals per day she'd prefer. It's going to be a very useful took for us
Can you set it to open multiple times a day like the vet suggests?
This is such an excellent, nuanced video. Thank you doc, and love to Piratey and Clawdia🤗🤗❤️❤️
You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. I love exploring clinical problems in-depth and always worry that I may be getting too long-winded when a video is over 10 minutes (even though I'll routinely spend an hour with my clients talking things through).
@@HelpfulVancouverVet What?! 😀Nooooo! ❤We looooove the in-depth explanations, please keep talking doc!😹🫶🏼
we really appreciate it❤
(also I was so releaved that you didn’t say we are terrible people that don’t feed raw…🙈)
@@HelpfulVancouverVet I think that your videos are of appropriate length. You are teaching us, and discussing ideas we are interested in, whether or not they pertain directly to our specific kitty. There is always something to be learned, even in the comments. I love seeing your felines during the videos and enjoy how they casually interact with you...'on-the-set.'
@@robinhamilton2 I agree❤
I feed my kittens wet and dry and count the calories.
They are indoor.
I brush my cats teeth 3 times a day started this at 6weeks old they are now 1year old.
I have regular stainless steel bowels for water and a water fountain in most rooms.
Thank you for great info.
I love Mr. Pirate ❤
I love the idea of a wet food dispenser for times when I'm away but the price is prohibitive to older cat ladies like myself who are on a limited income.
Great to see Mr Pirate, and I hope your arm/hand is getting better - tell us that it wasn't a kitty-related injury!
Thanks, its not! Exercise related. Learned my lesson. Never going to gym again :p
@@HelpfulVancouverVet Wise choice - lol!
@@HelpfulVancouverVetah, good. I can say my second favorite doctor advised against going to the gym 😉😆
Question is… will my first favorite doctor agree 😏
I use the CatMate c500. It's about $60. It takes some time to get used to setting it, and there is no app. But as such it doesn't matter if your Internet goes down (mine frequently does). They do depend on batteries, so I put fresh ones in before I travel. I still need someone to come change it everyday. It doesn't close after 30 minutes, but my cat breaks up her meals despite me feeding her in a schedule. She'll eat half and come back 2 hours later for the rest. 😂 It's a simple contraption with freezer packs. But it allows me to keep my kitty on mostly wet food + a small bowl of kibble to graze on.
Thank you for your great advice. I just adopted 2 kittens after my one 18 1/2 yr old Siamese/ Persian/Birman went off to Heaven University. I say this because most 18 yr old humans are graduating high school and going off to college. I hope to teach my new furbabies the same manners and lifestyle that my previous baby had. I’m trying to incorporate some things that I should have done with my previous baby,like the adjustments from dry to wet food. I had to switch my previous baby to wet food due to kidney disease and she was a picky eater, she loved her kibbles. I spent hundreds trying all kinds of cans and wet food, until we found a non-can pate. Nutrition and her age of 15 was important while considering the kidney disease, so it was a balancing act of nutrition and keeping her happy. I wish I know then, what I know now. She might have stayed with me longer.
Thank you so much for your explanation and reassurance, dr. Yuri
My cats typically hate it when I feed them wet food too often. It's almost like they would rather starve when they're bored of the food. Even changing brands and flavors don't cut it when they're bored of wet food. On the other hand, these kitties can eat dry food all day. So that's why I have to constantly rotate their food types.
Love Mr Pirate xxx
Ah, I’ve not seen Mr Pirate for a while. Great to see him doing well - love to Mr Pirate !
My cat won't touch wet food. I've tried. So, I feed my cat food he will eat because he needs to eat. But I make sure he has plenty of water to drink, and he loves his fountain!
Same. I try periodically, just in case she's changed her mind. She seems to have a number of texture issues, though. (Which also makes litter boxes a challenge.)
It sounds cruel.... but won't they eventually eat??? Cats have a loooot of health issues from not drinking enough water. They're desert animals.... but to only feed them dry food?
@@AhhhSukeSuke if a cat doesn't want to eat they won't eat and then they're at risk of hepatic lipidosis which can become fatal. There are many resources online with ways you can very VERY slowly introduce wet food to a cat. It can be tedious and frustrating but you should never let a cat go without eating for more than 24 hours.
My girl eats a special dry diet, some wet, and drinks a lot of water; because I put ice cubes in it, which she loves🐱
Same. My fluffy girl just won't do wet food. She won't even eat pieces of chicken or tuna or anything. So I do the best I can and make sure she has plenty of water.
Mine got dry food only because she wouldn't touch wet food. It amazed me; I expected her to really enjoy the "good stuff," and she had ZERO interest in it. I always made sure she had a giant bowl of fresh water.
Your kitties are so cute and beautiful!!
I used to have a cat like that too when I was a kid! I couldn't believe how she rejected literally every brand we tried to give her xd She lived long and happy life, enjoying her favorite dry food and fresh minced meat sometimes
Thanks for this! Mine gets wet twice a week in the evening, its only 80gram pouches of high quality Feringa wet food and yet he still sometimes leaves over 25% to dry out in the bowl. he has bladder issues anyway and hes quite happy with the Royal canin urinary dry food.
Wishing you and Mr. Pirate good health :)!
"Food can be such a challenge"
OMG yes!
We're really feeling that here right now. IBD cat just started 8 weeks of hydrolyzed-only.
Aside from the difficult logistics of different diets in a multi-cat house, I'm really missing our rituals: the cats eating together, playing "find the food" (hide kibble around the room), and getting bedtime treats.
My cat was just diagnosed with IBD too! He eats the hydrolyzed dry, but I’ve been trying to transition him to a novel, wet food. I’ve had no luck with that
@@laurah6381 Sounds like we're in a very similar boat! Hope you find a good management plan ❤️
I gave him Meow Mix all variety wet and dry He still likes to eat grass(green) Turkey wet food for cat is calming I seeto it he gets plenty of water
Mr. P! He looks great!
Thank you!
Mr. Pirate at 1:56 melted my heart 🥲💙