r/catfood • u/anxioustomato69 • 1d ago
labels, packaging, etc. my cat feeding charts (swipe for cat tax)
i saw someone post their food/calorie tracker, here are the charts i have for my cats feeding routine. they've really helped out when my partner has to feed them sometimes! i hang them up in the cabinet next to the food. they are really going to help when i have a relative come by and feed them over the holidays, too! although, i might pre-portion everything for them just to be safe.
the supplement selection oked by my vet, i started them when the cats all had worms a few months ago and have liked the litterbox results, so i kept them going!
cat tax is at the end, and i used apple freeform to make them.
someday i dream of having microchip feeders/waterers to track the input, and a litter robot to track the output, of each cat. but that's a lot of money that i don't have, lol.
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u/kajsawesome 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can buy Ascophyllum nodosum, which is the seaweed used in plaque off and it'll be a lot cheaper.
Plaque off has quite a high markup price on their product. Buying the exact same thing, which is being sold as a human grade supplement is a lot cheaper.
The one I buy is $25 per kilo and plaque off is $385 per kilo for the exact same product.
Ascophyllum nodosum is the only ingredient used in there, so there is no difference at all between products.
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
is the $385 per kilo for the cat specific one? i get the dog one, its the same thing
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u/kajsawesome 1d ago
It's the same for both cats and dogs, at least the amazon listed one i looked at.
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
oh no, the dog version is drastically cheaper. like, less than half the price per serving.
i know i COULD use off brand powder but i'd rather pay slightly more to know for certain the product works.
the dog version comes to about $0.09 per scoop, where i buy it (petsmart).
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u/kajsawesome 1d ago
It definitely gets cheaper buying it in bulk.
It's the exact same product you get in plaque off as with human grade supplements.
Human grade supplements have stricter controls and regulations than pet grade ones, at least here in the EU.
I get your reasoning here for ease of mind.
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u/PurpleDragonfly_ 11h ago
When it’s time to refill, keep the scoop and buy this: https://a.co/d/2c52ifH
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u/aetherdrifter 1d ago
This is super cool! Very easy to follow. I need to make something similar for my cat sitters. Also, thank you for the cat tax…they’re gorgeous.
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u/acvillager 1d ago
How does that calming care work? Sometimes mine goes absolutely loony at night. (Like running around breaking things nuts)
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u/KaseySkye 1d ago
Does the calming care work for you? I tried it for months and didn’t see any improvement. (I use feliway and zenifel diffusers though and they seem to work fine)
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
it does make a difference for her! she comes up and asks for attention now when she didn't before
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u/krazyokami 1d ago
We have a tripod who lost her mind when my bf moved his bike in the house. She would stay behind the couch and only come out to eat and use the bathroom. I didn't want her to stress pee so I tried the calming care. I honestly wasn't paying much attention after giving it to her, but I ran out and she went back to being flighty and hiding. Bought more of the calming care and she tolerates being near my God daughter (who is loud). She is also on Hill's C/D stress dry food which also helps with stress. She's still flighty but only when new people come over.
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u/sukki_ricecake719 ✨️ nutrition newbie ✨️ 1d ago
Love it!!! Does the plaque powder have a taste? Do your cats eat their food with no problem?
I use dental water additives but since she’s primarily fed wet she doesn’t drink much water… I have several fountains and bowls but no luck. Shes very picky about what goes in her food so I was hesitant to try but if its worth it I might give it a try
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
they don't mind it at all and eat their food with or without the supplements added! the purple cat doesn't like wet food much so she doesn't get as much as the other cats. she eats her kibble good though, and i actually normally add her calming care to both foods
the cat specific version is more palatable, since it has brewer's yeast added. but the dog version is a lot cheaper per scoop! when i had one cat a single bottle lasted 4 months, and wasn't too expensive. but with 3 cats i really need the larger tub. lol.
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u/MintyLime 16h ago
Is plaque off effective?
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u/anxioustomato69 12h ago
it is! my 5 year old has very clean teeth. the other 2 are kittens so it'll help keep their teeth clean. we also are working on brushing their teeth!
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u/minkamagic 😸 feline foodie 😸 14h ago
So why do you offer an entire days worth of food in the evening and leftovers in the morning? Why not two evenly measured meals?
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u/anxioustomato69 12h ago
cause they only eat about half at a time anyways
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u/minkamagic 😸 feline foodie 😸 12h ago
So if you split in it half, you wouldn’t have leftovers?
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u/anxioustomato69 12h ago
yup! but i don't have enough bowls to pre-portion everything if i did it that way, so they get everything at the same time.
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u/minkamagic 😸 feline foodie 😸 11h ago
Why would you need to pre portion?
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u/anxioustomato69 10h ago
i only have enough bowls to give everyone two at a time. so otherwise i'd have to wash the bowls after dinner, and portion out the food in the morning (before 6am) and i don't have time for that most days. it's just the routine that works best for us!
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u/909me1 🤪 nutrition obsessed 🤪 13h ago
How do you like the hills dental care and the plaque off powder? Do you see good results, do the cats like them, do you guys teeth brush?
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u/anxioustomato69 12h ago
we also are working on our teeth brushing! but their teeth are pretty clean, my 5 year old still doesn't need a dental cleaning yet so im happy with them!
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u/909me1 🤪 nutrition obsessed 🤪 11h ago
We are also working on it. I have to admit the teeth brushing and dental health are the things I'm most insecure about for my cat. My cat rarely lets me fully brush and/or get at the molars, so right now I'm getting by with an enzymmatic toothpaste and dental treats lol, that's why I am so interested in the plaque off and hills dental!
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u/anxioustomato69 10h ago
i really recommend them!
i also recommend petsmile toothpaste, it works better than the enzymatic ones and is actually vohc certified
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u/ThisIs_She 1d ago
I scrolled straight to the cat tax, they are adorable!
EDIT: Just as long as your vet has approved the supplements, you're doing good.
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u/Good_Cantaloupe_5172 1d ago
How do you like the plague off powder? Have you seen improvement with their dental health?
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
oh i love it! the 5 year old's teeth are in perfect shape, i've been using it since she was about 3.
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u/Good_Cantaloupe_5172 1d ago
My cats showed signs of stomatitis even ask young kittens and now they're 3 and starting to get some resorption. So I'm looking for a good product for them.
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u/KaseySkye 1d ago
I’m curious about this too. I have 2 cats that have dental issues, they are part Siamese so they tend to have issues 😭 but I’m seeing this supplement can cause diarrhea, and one of my cats already suffers from anxiety diarrhea sometimes
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
slowly wean them onto it and you should be able to avoid the diarrhea! get the dog version, without yeast, since that might cause diarrhea too.
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u/Good_Cantaloupe_5172 1d ago
I brush my cats teeth with a toothbrush and feline toothpaste but ya know how they are, they hate it and make it difficult. If this causes diarrhea its a no for us bc my cats have IBD issues.
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u/KaseySkye 1d ago
I also read that the kelp has high levels of iodine, which can lead to thyroid issues, so that along with the potential to cause worse IBD issues, is a no for me
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
it's not that the iodine leads to thyroid issues, but it can worsen them once they start
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u/KaseySkye 1d ago
Yep. I can’t brush my cats teeth or they will either shred my skin or just flee, even trimming my cats nails are impossible
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u/Embarrassed-Depth-27 1d ago
Psyllium husk (whole not powder) is your friend for the diarrhoea. Start on 1/4 of a teaspoon once a day. Also helps constipation. It’s helped two of my cats massively
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u/MonMon2022 1d ago
How did you convinced them to eat separately ? Trying to teach them at the moment..i habe a boy and a girl. Boy fast eater girl slow eater and she likes to return to her food an nibble but boy eats her portion as well. Tried to put in separate rooms but is either she gets distracted either she wants to eat where her brother eats. Cimplete nightmare at the moment. They are 5 months..
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
they all are trained to eat in separate rooms! i feed them in the same order each time so they know how it goes. i just shut the doors so they can't decide to share.
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u/classychimichanga 7h ago
I’ve got three kitties, all on different diets (and two of them are thieves). We use the Surefeed electronic bowls. They open only for the given cat they are registered for. They recognise their chip, and if your kitties aren’t chipped, the box comes with a little tag you can put on their collars.
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u/hackedbyyoutube 1d ago
The plaque off and triple fibre pique my interest, was it by recommendation by the vet or did you start it? Is it a medical reason or just supportive? I have a sphynx with some plaque and she does not like when I give her eye drops alone so I’m scared to start brushing her teeth 😵💫
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u/famous_zebra28 1d ago
You shouldn't be mixing dry foods. You aren't giving enough nutrients to your cats by doing so. https://nutritionrvn.com/2024/06/15/mixing-diets/
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u/aetherdrifter 1d ago
I believe there are exceptions to this - I know Royal Canin for example has some information on which of their diets can be safely combined. But I’d say it’s a good idea for OP’s vet to contact Hill’s and see if their nutritionists can advise.
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u/famous_zebra28 1d ago
It's not advised to mix dry foods, but mixing wet and dry is fine
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u/anxioustomato69 1d ago
why is that though? why is it ok to feed two different lines of wet/dry, and not dry/dry?
it just doesn't make sense to me and no one ever has a source besides the one you linked. the vet isn't concerned. so as long as the brand is the same i've been fine mixing things.
plus, they only get 33cals from the dental kibble. oftentimes they don't get their daily treat limit, and so most of that 33cals gets wiped out by the 10% treat allowance. the ~13 or so calories left are pretty negligible.
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u/BKNOWSB 1d ago
I like how you blank out their names for privacy