Is there a cat food with larger morsels to make my cat take his time eating instead of inhaling it & barfing?

Question

He's about 20lbs.He's our only cat & his bowl always has food.We've been feeding him purina indoor formula.We'd like to upgrade to a food that's reasonably priced & easier for him to digest.I saw someone mention friskies dental care has bigger morsels,But wouldn't the ingredients be the same? Any insight you may have would be beneficial.Thanks John

Answer 1

Higher quality cat food may or may not solve his barfing problem but it will benefit his health. If he's vomiting because he eats too quickly then a higher quality food won't help. If you increase the kibble size he may just try to swallow it and it would increase his chances of choking. Try feeding him in ice cube trays or add obstacles to his food dish such as ping-pong balls to slow him down.

Switching a cat to a high quality food is never a bad idea. You're right in thinking that Friskies is also low quality - any cat food you're able to find at a grocery store is going to be made with feed grade ingredients (whatever didn't pass as human grade) and will have a lot of grain fillers that your carnivorous cat doesn't have any use for. Check out small and independent pet stores for human grade foods. Some examples of high quality cat foods include Innova, Innova EVO (made with no grains), Nature's Variety, California Natural, Natural Balance, Wellness, Felidae, Fromm, Solid Gold, and Eagle Pack. All of these foods are made with ingredients approved for human consumption and contain high levels of meat-based protein like chicken and limited grains. They are more expensive than grocery store foods but it's important to remember that without all the fillers that Purina has you can feed less of these foods (and clean less out of your litter box). You might be especially interested in California Natural - it is made with only chicken and rice so it's easier for many pets to tolerate and digest. If your cat is finicky and you're worried about having 10 bags of shunned cat food sitting around your house, ask the pet store if they have free samples available or if you can return food your cat doesn't like for store credit. As with any food change, make the transition slowly over the course of 1-2 weeks to help avoid intestinal upset.

Answer 2

Some cats just wolf down their food and then barf it back up if they wait too long between trips to the food bowl. It's a myth that you can leave food out for cats and they won't overeat. Your 20 pounder is an excellent example of how cats will overeat. Ten to fourteen pounds is a BIG cat at a healthy weight.

The only solution is to put the food out in small amounts and only leave it out for 30 minutes or so. Then, wait several hours before offering anymore food. Be sure there is always fresh water available though. You cat won't like it and wlll probably complain as only cats can. Don't worry though He won't starve or be adversely affected in any way. At that weight he could easily go a week or two without solid food and be none the worse for wear. Don't do that though, it's just an illustration of how overweight a 20 pound cat is.

You will probably have to change his feeding routine permanently. If you revert back to always having food available he will go back to gorging. In nature, predators commonly gorge because they may have to go a long time between meals. It works fine if it really is a long time till the next meal but when a cat is already full and gorges again he will almost certainly throw up.

Answer 3

I have been feeding my cat the Friskies food in the can since he was a kitten. There are several varieties: shredded, prime filets, chunky cuts. The cans range anywhere from $0.35 to $0.55. I don't know if you are looking for primarily dry or wet food. Most food ingrediants are the same unless you go with something like Iams, where there is more health conscious foods. Go to your local pet supplier (Petco, Petsmart) and check out the food aisle. You'll have a better selection than at the grocery store and you may find brands and varieties you never saw before. Sometimes dry food is hard for cats to digest, especially older cats. Have you ever tried Tender Vittles? They are bite size pieces that are soft. You also might want to not keep a full bowl of food around all the time. That might be what is causing the vomiting. He might be over-eating. With wet food you can give half can in the morning and half in the evening and maybe leave a small amount of dry in his bowl, or give him some treats thru out the day.

Answer 4

Depending on which breed or breeds of cat he is, 20 pounds could be okay for a mainecoon mix, but not okay for a siamese mix. Most dry cat foods are filled with carbohydrates (corn and other fillers that cats DON'T need) that fill a cat up, but do nothing to easy the hunger. I have been feeding my kitties blue buffalo spa select and I can't stop raving about it. It's what some would call a holistic brand of cat food (human grade ingredients, you could eat it if you wanted to...), but it's reasonably priced and you can find it at your local petsmart. My 15 pound "mutt" calico has actually slimmed down, is more active and visits her bowl less. Balancing dry with wet or canned food on occasion is NOT a bad thing. Wet foods actually have less fillers than dry foods. I tend to use sheba as there's like 6 ingredients and I know what they all are.
But for wolfing it down, I agree that maybe smaller amounts more often is a good idea (good idea for humans too!) and scheduled feeding times. I free feed, but my cats do not over indulge. As for digetive issues, the blue buffalo has cold formed vitamin kibbles (as in added AFTER it's been cooked to keep the nutrients in the food) and one of the ingredients is acidophilus, which is a bacteria found naturally in a cats tummy to help digestion issues. Might want to look into it.

Answer 5

Sure, feed him chunks of raw meat.

You won't find any dry food on the market that is really and truly good for cats. And since you've got a little porker on your hands, you can see that firsthand!

I don't think you can really train your cat to eat more slowly. The raw meat chunks are a good idea, but if you want your cat to lose weight - and you should - just feed him a good canned food.

He'll still inhale his food but he'll be in better health.

EDIT: I've just heard of this Friskie's Dental food. For a minute there, I thought they might actually be on to something, offering larger chunks of food. However, cats who don't chew their food would probably not chew this either, so the dental benefits are certainly arguable. But the ingredients list is atrocious. First ingredient - corn. Next, byproducts, meal, etc. You're better off feeding gravel!

Answer 6

Cats usually eat too fast when they are starving...and they tend to throw up on an empty stomach. So I would feed him more often ...several small meals a day would be best. If that isn't possible put a golf ball or a large marble in his bowl so he has to slow down and eat around it.

Answer 7

Once the Food poisoning has passed Might be better with Dog food Some Cat food is toxic to humans, Remember hearing on a woman who landed her husband in hospital after accidentally giving him cat tuna on his sandwiches Strangely enough Dogs are fine with Cat food - Must be just us

Answer 8

I would try some kitten food on him for a while. Kitten food is easier to digest, and it has all the vitamins. Also, unless you have a Maine Coon Cat or one of the other species that are large, your cat is overweight, and this could be part of the cause of his throwing up. Try feeding him twice a day, just what he eats a one sitting, and not leaving food around for him all day.

Answer 9

I don't know what is out there as far as different foods. I too feed my three cats the indoor formula cat chow. My suggestion would be to feed your guy less food more often. Keep the overall portion the same or slightly less, just break it up into two or three meals.

Answer 10

I use Friskies Dental Diet. Each piece is about the size of a small marble and the cat can't swallow it whole. My cat loves it and it contains all the vitamins she needs.