What to feed cat...

[ponyparty]

Not sure that it would, ester - I had a covered tray for my old cat - she couldn't figure it out with the flap door on, so I removed it but then it didn't keep the smell in.
Also - the dog would DEFINITELY figure out how to get in it. He somehow managed to snaffle half a pork joint and a load of potatoes off the kitchen worksurface yesterday, he can figure any puzzle out if it involves food, so I'm sure he'd just see this as another fun challenge! But I am tempted to try one of those igloo-looking ones, I do prefer to have the tray covered as it's just not a nice thing to look at in your kitchen-diner...Gahh wish there was somewhere else we could put the tray altogether, but the house is all upside down due to having work done - it's just an impossible situation at the moment, which is adding to my distress over it all.

 

[Thistle]

https://www.millieswolfheart.co.uk/cat-food

 

[ponyparty]

Update: she is half way through the switch to Applaws. Taking to it like a duck to water so far. She seems to prefer the Applaws biscuits to the Go Cat - can’t think why! Ive been away so have managed to avoid being around for poo time but will report back on whether there has been any improvement once she has fully switched �� dog was away with me so he hasn’t had chance to chow down on poop again yet...

 

[ponyparty]

Success!

- Cat seems to really like Applaws. She has half a tin for breakfast, half a tin at 5pm, and then as many biscuits as she can eat overnight (can't leave biscuits down during the day or the dog will eat them). She is only a very small cat, so doesn't eat much.
- She appears to have put a bit of weight on! In a good way, she was a bit on the scrawny side.
- THE POO DOESN'T SMELL AS BAD! Yes, it's still cat poo - but with the old food, the smell would hit you like a brick wall even if you were upstairs in a bedroom (the cat litter tray is 3 rooms away and downstairs!). In fact you can now barely smell it in the same room. I can quite easily get rid of her poop without heaving and retching now. There is less of it and it's a better consistency too, fairly hard and small.
- Haven't spotted the dog eating it recently either. Perhaps it doesn't smell as tasty to him, now that it's not just undigested cereals and other rubbish that was in the Felix and Go Cat.

Result, thanks (most of) H&H for the excellent suggestions.

Think OH is happy - perhaps not so much at the price, have just placed another Applaws order - £40 for 24 cans and a 2kg bag of biscuits. But apparently that is a small price to pay for my happiness ;-)

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Glad its all worked out well! So pleased to hear that kitteh is putting on weight. Keep up the good work.

 

[Nici]

Ponyparty, I'm glad your issue has been resolved.
Here is my list of foods we have tried with my kitten. They were chosen for their relatively low prices. The websites I use are zooplus.co.uk and fetch.co.uk and they have some good offers from time to time. It is time-consuming to have to look for offers, but I have saved some money doing that (e.g. £5.90 instead of £9 for 12 pouches)

Dry:
Applaws
Arden Grange
Carnilove
Mill Stream Farm
Meowing Heads
Purizon

Wet:
Lily's Kitchen adult mixed pack
Natures Menu
Wild Freedom cans

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Update: she is half way through the switch to Applaws. Taking to it like a duck to water so far. She seems to prefer the Applaws biscuits to the Go Cat - can’t think why!

What a great update - most likely she likes it because applause is 80% meat so they do put on weight and it is quality food.

Thanx for updating us on your problem.

 

[MagicMelon]

IMO the more expensive the food, the better their poo smells! I think the same goes for dogs? Mine get Pro Plan Delicate, its about £25 for a pretty small bag but their poo doesn't smell particularily strong. I do notice cats on cheap biscuits (and god awful cheap wet food like Whiskas etc.) really do smell bad. Mine dont get wet food at all, they only get biscuits (with the odd bit of tuna etc.).

I do think you're being pretty mean suggesting you'll rehome her, purely because you cant be bothered to fork out more for some quality food. If you feed her cheap rubbish, Im not sure what you should expect...

 

[ponyparty]

Hmm, I don't remember saying that I can't be bothered to fork out more for some quality food...

This is not my cat, it's my OH's cat. He has always fed her exactly the same, for the entire time he's had her. The smell didn't seem to bother him, and that's fine. When I had cats years ago, we used to feed them the same sort of thing, because we didn't know any better - I think most people feed cheap supermarket brands still? My cats were always outdoor cats though, so I never had to deal with the smell!

I have taken it upon myself to find out what brands are good, source the food, introduce it to the cat slowly and - thank goodness - it has had the desired effect.

OH said she could potentially go to his ex's - this is a place she is used to in any case, because she often goes there to stay while we are on holiday. So in fact I don't even think that is soooo mean, she already knows the place and is familiar with it. She's perfectly happy while she's there. Frankly, if the food change hadn't improved the smell at all, I may still have considered this! But luckily, the new food has worked - and has had the added benefit of clearly being good for her. So we're all happy!

I think OH was a bit shocked to find out how much good quality food costs, but he's happy to pay for it because it has stopped me from moaning

I feed my dog raw, and even before I switched him I had him on expensive grain free kibble. I'd never entertain the thought of feeding him Bakers or Pedigree Chum or something. I'm sure it's exactly the same for cats - but it wasn't my cat and there was no reason for me to interfere... until the smell started to encroach on my enjoyment of daily life.

And yes, clearly I am very sensitive to (certain) smells. That is the way I am and I can't help it

To be honest we are hard wired to find the smell of poo revolting, so I don't think it's that weird..! Cat poo takes it to a whole new level, it's got to be the worst (apart from when I worked at a zoo and had to clean out the Ibis enclosure). It's also full of toxoplasmosis and other nastiness, so it's fitting that it should smell awful, to warn us humans away from it.

 

[poiuytrewq]

On a slightly different note, and this may have been covered or suggested but I've not read the whole thread.
Sanicat oxygen powered soap scented litter has been an absolute godsend to me! I too find the smell of cat poo and actually moreso wee pretty hard to deal with but this stuff is great.