Cat people, some questions for a new cat owner

[chrissyk]

Esmerelda, you're in Methuen?! That's where I grew up! I lived about 3 blocks from the Methuen Mall (now "The Loop"). My parents just moved out a few years ago, to Southern NH. My sister lives with them, and she buys her dog a raw diet from a petfood store in Andover. There are PLENTY of places to get good organic and raw diets for pets in your area, so hopefully these pet owners will have a good supply of clean food for the kitten close at hand.

 

[jel0511]

Originally posted by TheOtherVillainess
jel0--just curious..why is IAMS so bad? We've fed Rumple IAMS ever since she was a kitten (she's 5 1/2 now) and never had any problems. We tried Science Diet and she refused to eat it. We've never fed her grocerystore food, either. Always just IAMS dry..usually the blue/green bag of the Adult Weight Maintenance to make sure she doesn't get too fat.


TOV

All my experience with cats are based on pure breeds, so it might not apply to non-pure breds. Cats have a hard time (or not at all) digesting some of the ingredients in Iams and can cause a cat to develop digestive, urinary or bowel problems down the line. Since my cat is a pure bred and is show quality, I speak with lots of breeders, and everyone agrees that Iams isn't a high quality cat food, based on the ingredients and how cats digest it. My vet also agrees about Iams and doesn't recommend it to her clients and tries to steer them away. The clue that Iams isn't a high quality cat food, should be that is is now sold in most grocery stores.

 

[Otto's Doll]

Your friend should get the kitten used to being bathed (cats rarely NEED to be bathed, but every once in a while they will get into something sticky, and need to be cleaned), groomed, and have its nails trimmed while it is young. She should also factor in the cost of Frontline Plus for fleas/tick protection once the kitten is old enough.
I feed Nutro's Max Cat dry and have NEVER had any problems.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by chrissyk
Esmerelda, you're in Methuen?! That's where I grew up! I lived about 3 blocks from the Methuen Mall (now "The Loop"). My parents just moved out a few years ago, to Southern NH. My sister lives with them, and she buys her dog a raw diet from a petfood store in Andover. There are PLENTY of places to get good organic and raw diets for pets in your area, so hopefully these pet owners will have a good supply of clean food for the kitten close at hand.

Small world! My BF grew up in Methuen. I actually grew up in Weymouth and moved in with him about 3 years ago. I like it here. Lots of great pet stuff.

Unfortunately, my friends live in Malden. They don't have a car, and the closest place to them is a Petsmart they need to T/walk to.