So as I was scooping out my cat's wetfood this morning I noticed it had several little bones throughout the can. I usually buy the good stuff but recently bought a generic brand.What I'm wondering is if this is something to be alarmed about or if it is a normal thing to find?

I feel like I've seen that before too. It really grosses me out. I don't feed my current kitty wet food.

CarrieMpls said:

I was just worried about my cat choking..I know they are little bones but still.

RaspberryWoman said:

How solid were they? I think if they're in the wet food it's usually more cartilage, not firm bone. If it was a hard bone fragment, I'd probably email the company and complain. (And hey, you'll probably get some free cat food out of it. )

RaspberryWoman said:

It's normal and I'm not sure if they are actually bones or something else but I used to treat my cats with wet food and I saw this and they were always fine. They probably eat big ass bones in the wild so they will be just fine.

Well good..then I won't worry about it.

RaspberryWoman said:

if it's salmon bones then they are very soft, humans should eat them for calcium they keep telling us

EWWWWW...

I feed my cats canned Science Diet...I've never seen anything like that.

Domestic cats should not eat bones. They can splinter and lacerate the esophagus/intestines. If the food has actual bone shards in it, stop feeding it.

That said, little bits of cartilidge are not going to cause problems. Not particularly an indicator of high-quality food, mind you, but not something to worry about medically.

There isn't one single brand of wet food that's worth the name food. The lowest water content I've seen is in the 60% range and that's utter crap as well. The generic brands are somewhere between 79% and 87% water. Why do you pay to carry home water from the store? Give your cat a good dry food and if you want some variety get a can of dolphin safe tuna or something, small pieces of chicken without bones is good too.

I had found this in my dog's food once when I was a teenager. It does happen sometimes in the sorting process at the plant. My parents wrote the company a letter, and we received a couple cases of food in return.

Teacher said:

(disclaimer: I would never feed wet food to my cats, but some vets reccomend it under certain conditions. Aside from the water and high fat content, it's bad for their teeth, so, hell no. I agree on the boneless chicken. People need to be careful not to feed their cats too much tuna. It can be bad for them.)

Once in a while my cats will get to share a can of science diet food or will get the water from my tuna as a treat...otherwise, they eat dry food.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

Teacher said:

There are a few of us here who form the Org Veterinary Squad.

We should have a "free advice" forum where people can swap knowledge in their areas of expertise.

But I don't think they are actual bones. Did you try crushing them between your fingernails to see how hard it was?

HereToRockYourWorld said:

I've often thought that myself, I'm even toying with the idea of making a page on my site for something like this.

is it possible that it's the vertabrae of the salmon ingredient of the wet cat food?....

isn't it better the bones be in the cat food, then in your chinese takeout food?

Teacher said:

Yeah, there should be an advice bartering site, where people can agree to answer questions in exhange for credits that can be used to ask questions of others in the future. Like, I answer a veterinary question now, and I get to ask a mechanic a question later. Perhaps people with different/superior credentials could have their answers weighted heavier or something (ie. a veterinarian's answer "costs" more than a tech's answer, and they get more credit for answering).

This is kinda genius. Which means it probably already exists. . .

Bone Shavings are compleatly normal to find. They look like little whitish flakes. Full pices of bone are not a normal find.

The "Bone meal" is actually very healthy for the animal. It aids in dygestion and the litterbox dance.

applekisses said:

I do that too!

Hmmmm. Based on reading 40+ books about cats including several just about pet food and feline dietary needs, working in cat rescue, talking details with a half dozen veterinarians, caring for my own cats, and reading numerous published studies done by veterinarians and/or from veterinary universities, I strongly disagree with the comments in this thread about canned vs. dry food. My personal opinion - this thread contains misinformation that could even be dangerous to cats with certain health conditions.

Domestic cats generally came to us from desert climates. Cats in nature are eating birds, rodents and such. The bodies of their prey contain a large percentage of water (as do our bodies) and that is how cats living normally would get much of the water in their diets. Their bodies are designed to get/extract water from their food. They are not designed to drink large quantities of water from a dish or puddles and they are not designed to efficiently process straight water in quantity.

It is absolutely healthy, proper, more natural, better, for cats to be getting the majority of their water from their food. High quality canned food with 68-78% water is much closer to their natural diet and is what their physical organs are designed to process properly and efficiently.

Canned food is not 'bad' for their teeth any more than soft food is 'bad' for human teeth. Canned food is somewhat stickier than dry food so dental plaque builds up somewhat faster, that is all. Also (another common tale) dry food does not 'clean' teeth and does not prevent plaque build up any more than eating pretzels all the time would 'clean' your own teeth. Feline teeth aren't made of a special mystery enamel that would make such myths true about their teeth.

Studies have shown that cats with bladder problems are much more likely to resolve them with an all canned diet vs. dry (even if the canned and dry are the exact same brand prescription food). Studies have also shown cats on all dry diets are more likely to develop bladder problems than cats on a partial or all canned diet.

There continues to be increased linkage between all dry diets and feline kidney problems, diabetes, pancreas, and bladder problems.

Cats are obligate carnivores; they require meat in their diet. There is no meat in dry food. Yes companies have futzed around enough with chemicals and the like to make kibble that can keep them alive, and certainly many cats live a 'long enough' life on dry food, but to sell it as the optimum for their health - most certainly not. Most of us aren't disciplined enough (or have the time or inclination) to make food for our cats so the next best thing is a diet of at least 50% canned food for the average healthy cat. An even higher percentage of canned food is better for cats with a history of bladder problems, kidney problems, diabetes, or pancreas problems.

Highly recommended info on cat care, feeding, illness, behavior:

Cat Basics 101 (incl diet)

Cat Health & Behavior Library

Eileen

applekisses said:

My kitties too. I never feed them wet food, come to think of it. I think it's because when I tried giving it to them, they stuck their little noses up at it, and refused to eat it (little brats). The crunchy food is good for cats' teeth, it helps fight against tartar buildup.

CarrieMpls said:

Same here! Cats LOVE the water from tuna fish, they lap it up in no time. Little cuties.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

That would be popular here on the org, since we have TONS of animal owners/lovers here. I would love to see that happen, honestly.

psychodelicide said:

Don't let 'em have too much though.

You don't wanna have your pussy walking around smelling like tuna.

(It attracts straying dogs.)

Illustrator said:

Good point, but my kitties are indoors only, they never go outside.

Eileen said:

Based on working for years in the veterinary industry and talking with veterinary professionals, I think you're wrong.

I KNOW you're wrong about the teeth, because I used to do veterinary dentistry. There have been actual studies done showing the differing rates of tartar buildup with wet vs dry food. And tartar buildup is a problem. It causes gum disease, which contributes to systemic problems. It's less of a problem with humans because we brush our teeth. It's less of a problem with wild cats because they chew bones, and live shorter lifespans (probably in part because they chew bones ). But dry food does, in fact, leave less plaque on teeeth. Especially the dry foods that are designed for that purpose. People who are going to feed their cats wet food should either brush their teeth or plan on getting professional dentistry done quite frequently.

It doesn't matter to your body whether you get it from food or from drinking water. Your organs don't care.

There IS meat in dry food. I don't know where the hell you're getting that from.

There has been research showing a connection between dry food and urinary tract problems. Last I heard, it's not clear exactly why that is. But certainly, not all cats who eat dry food have UT issues, and plenty of cats who eat wet food DO get UT issues. If your cat is having UT issues and your vet wants them on a wet food, great, put them on a wet food. It's not like wet food is evil. But it comes with problems.

One of which, by the way, is a generally higher fat and calorie content. Domestic cats tend to be overweight, which causes diabetes and joint problems, among other things. It's a real issue.

And just 'cause somebody on Geocities says something about cat care doesn't make it true. Bottom line: talk to your vet. And I hate to say this, but if possible, on this particular issue, it might be worth getting a second opinion from your YOUNG vet. Some vets keep up on the latest in nutrition, and some don't. A recent grad may have better information.

I said that canned food causes plaque to build up faster on teeth. It seems to me you are saying the same. And that is in large part why I recommended 50% canned food diet in general and specifically did not recommend an all canned diet. Not sure why you are arguing with that.

Re: water - perhaps in the end then the theory will be wrong. However it remains that I've gotten from multiple sources the concern that all dry diets, which cause cats to drink more and more water rather than extracting it from their food as is natural, may be a factor in overworking kidneys and contributing to the great numbers of cats who are beginning kidney failure at younger ages. At one time it was presumed to simply be a result of their longer life span, now there are other schools of thought on this.

I love reading about cats and cat care and keeping up on new theories and research so if you happen to run across new pertinent info please feel free to shoot me a pm at any time; I'll always welcome such info.

There is no question that any meat starting on it's way to dry food is much further away from anything humans consider 'meat' to be once it's found in a kibble bag on a shelf. I could/should have stated it less baldly than I did, but the fact remains you can get food much closer to meat in high quality canned than you will find in any dry food. There are reasons beyond aesthetic that people don't bring home bags of 'kibbled meat pellets' to eat when they are in the mood for a steak, even though it would be much cheaper.

>> not all cats who eat dry food have UT issues, and plenty of cats who eat wet
>> food DO get UT issues.

Right, that's why I didn't say that either.

>> Domestic cats tend to be overweight, which causes diabetes and joint
>> problems, among other things. It's a real issue.

Absolutely, and dry food appears to be guiltier in this problem than canned, particularly due to the very high carbs in dry. Not to mention the overflowing bowls of dry and never ending free-feeding of those cats who don't walk (or waddle) away from the bowl when they are full, as far too many do not.

>> getting a second opinion from your YOUNG vet. Some vets keep up on the
>> latest in nutrition, and some don't.

I generally agree with both statements, however vets keeping up with the 'latest' may be getting their info mostly or solely from materials/seminars created by pet food manufacturers in the specific business of selling through veterinary offices, so the source of their knowledge is very important. A marketing brochure is a marketing brochure, no matter how fancy the cover.

>> And just 'cause somebody on Geocities says something about cat care doesn't
>> make it true.

My information wasn't from 'somebody on Geocities'. The Geocities pages are links to hundreds of articles, including many by vets, vet universities, vet techs, and long time cat enthusiasts, on dozens of different topics. The woman who maintains those links has done so with great diligence for many years as the field of cat care continues to advance. This thread is likely to read by cat owners on the internet, for which her library is likely to be helpful.

Cat Basics 101 (incl diet)

Cat Health & Behavior Library

Eileen
[Edited 5/21/06 15:09pm]

Come on, Eileen, oh I swear at this moment you mean everything
You in that dress, oh, my thoughts (I confess), yeah they're dirty. Oh, c'mon Eileeeeen

((sorry, couldn't resist--how often do you see the name Eileen?))