# feeding dogs & cats



## madmum54 (Apr 24, 2016)

this may sound completely mad to lots but just something i've thought of

already planned when in cyprus for 3 weeks in august to go to big supermarket for our shopping & look to see if sell cat & dog feeding bowls & what food they sell. cats will be a problem as only like whiskas tins & royal canin dry. 2 dogs will eat anything but 1 is fussy. thinking be ok with whatever tinned food they have but dont feed the cheap dry food here as so many bad reports. so will then go to pet shop which luckily sells cats preferred brand. 2 dogs need light/weight control dry food & other for sensitive skin. know they do hills scientific but is expensive. 

now the crazy bit!!!! just thought about water, we wouldnt drink tap water but is it ok for pets??? tho as drink out of muddy puddles doubt would do any harm.
but as will be in our apartment at 1st & taken out few times a day dont want to risk any tummy upsets. as cats will be in cattery till get house sure they dont give bottled water so will be used to it by time they come home.
have read that some animals that move wont drink tap water as tastes different & they notice a different smell


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Whiskas tinned cat food is freely available. I just wish my cat would eat it as the stuff she likes is not always easy to find.

as for dog food, our dog has a very sensitive tummy and also a wheat intolerance so we make his food once a month and freeze it. We get minced chicken from the chicken farm , cook up vegetables potatoes, rice etc. We put a kilo of wheat free dry dog food which we get from the pet shop in the with mince when it has cooked which soaks up all the fat and juice. Then everything gets mixed together in a big bucket. 
He loves it and since we have been feeding him this he has had no tummy troubles or joint pains.


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## madmum54 (Apr 24, 2016)

Veronica said:


> Whiskas tinned cat food is freely available. I just wish my cat would eat it as the stuff she likes is not always easy to find.
> 
> as for dog food, our dog has a very sensitive tummy and also a wheat intolerance so we make his food once a month and freeze it. We get minced chicken from the chicken farm , cook up vegetables potatoes, rice etc. We put a kilo of wheat free dry dog food which we get from the pet shop in the with mince when it has cooked which soaks up all the fat and juice. Then everything gets mixed together in a big bucket.
> He loves it and since we have been feeding him this he has had no tummy troubles or joint pains.



well i say they eat whiskas but only certain flavours. dont like the fishy variety so out of a 6 pack use few on the dogs. oh and got to be in jelly not gravy. they do prefer the packets but they work out expensive
did start the big boy with sensitive skin on raw food but didnt keep to it. he's currently on barking heads bad hair day dry. but not that keen so will be good to try something else.

but does your dog & cat drink the tap water??  or are they from cyprus so used to it. thinking maybe start with bottled then start mixing it till on tap water. 
thinking stupid paying for animals water then daughter says well we dont drink it so my dog & cat arent. then she's not paying for it


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

madmum54 said:


> well i say they eat whiskas but only certain flavours. dont like the fishy variety so out of a 6 pack use few on the dogs. oh and got to be in jelly not gravy. they do prefer the packets but they work out expensive
> did start the big boy with sensitive skin on raw food but didnt keep to it. he's currently on barking heads bad hair day dry. but not that keen so will be good to try something else.
> 
> but does your dog & cat drink the tap water?? or are they from cyprus so used to it. thinking maybe start with bottled then start mixing it till on tap water.
> thinking stupid paying for animals water then daughter says well we dont drink it so my dog & cat arent. then she's not paying for it


Most apartments and villas have a drinking water tap which comes direct from the mains and that is safe to drink. We don't drink it as you can never get it cold enough but we do use that for the dog and cat as well as for cooking and filling the kettle etc.
If your kitchen taps have a little extra tap at the base then that is the drinking water tap.
The main tap is not safe to drink as it comes from the tank on the roof which sits in the sun all day so bacteria can grow in there.


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## JonandGaynor (Jun 8, 2009)

Royal Canine is freely obtainable as are all the other big brands of dog and cat food.


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## SiAnDem (Jan 8, 2016)

Hi madmum54,

I honestly wouldn't bother with giving your animals bottled water to drink. We just brought our dog over in January and have been giving her tap water ever since, with absolutely no negative results or sign of any antipathy to drinking it on her part.

Plus as you say, dogs will drink anything out of anywhere as a matter of course; I don't think the perfectly safe Cyprus drinking water (which I drink personally as well) is going to be the cause of anything negative.


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## madmum54 (Apr 24, 2016)

when get house will see if has that drinking tap. our apartment only has the 2 taps so will be water thats not safe especially as more than 3/4 are used just for holidays.

good that royal canin is available, tho probably like uk not in supermarkets. 

got couple of thoughts on what caused his dermatitis, couldnt get butchers tripe cans so had petsathome own kind. but sure its same ingrediants as butchers. then husband shares his cornflakes with him so checked & has maize so maybe allergic to that, he changed his cereals around & mainly has weetabix which i am guessing is wheat. will ask vet next week but looking for grain free food


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

Mains tap water in Cyprus is potable (perfectly safe to drink) although we tend to only use it for cooking. We buy bottled water and keep it refrigerated for drinking purposes. However, when using mains tap water in the kettle or coffee machine, we have found that they need descaling quite often because the water is hard in the Polis area. Over the last six months we have used a Brita water filter jug in conjunction with the mains tap water for use in these machines, and now get very little, if any, lime scale in either machine. Our dog sometimes therefore gets mains tap water, sometimes filtered water, and if we happen to have a bottle of water in our hand and her bowl needs topped up - that's what she gets! Definitely do NOT give dogs refrigerated water, though - it can be very bad for them.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

The only problem is that if there is no separate drinking water tap which comes DIRECTLY from t he mains, the water will come from the water storage tank on the roof. While this does come from the mains it sits on top of the house in the sun getting warm and creating the perfect environment for bacteria to breed. 
That is why if you don't have a drinking water tap and don't want to get a water dispenser it is best to boil the water first, let it go cold and keep bottles of it in the fridge. (For pets obvisouly don't put it in the fridge.)We use the mains water for cooking etc but not for drinking straight out of the tap.


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## madmum54 (Apr 24, 2016)

Veronica said:


> The only problem is that if there is no separate drinking water tap which comes DIRECTLY from t he mains, the water will come from the water storage tank on the roof. While this does come from the mains it sits on top of the house in the sun getting warm and creating the perfect environment for bacteria to breed.
> That is why if you don't have a drinking water tap and don't want to get a water dispenser it is best to boil the water first, let it go cold and keep bottles of it in the fridge. (For pets obvisouly don't put it in the fridge.)We use the mains water for cooking etc but not for drinking straight out of the tap.




think we will give them bottled water at first anyway. noticed lots of houses we've viewed have the dispenser thingys with giant bottles of water which must work out cheaper.


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## david ferns (Mar 6, 2016)

Veronica said:


> Whiskas tinned cat food is freely available. I just wish my cat would eat it as the stuff she likes is not always easy to find.
> .


Our little Madame is also very fussy, I wonder, is Gourmet Solitaire tinned food available, it's made by Purina who do many other varieties, however "solitaire" is the only game in town as far as she is concerned. Also "Encore" solid is her other staple diet! Both of these are only available in certain shops here in Scotland, so would be interested if anyone knows if available in Paphos area. Any info re pet product shops in the area would be very welcome thank you


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## madmum54 (Apr 24, 2016)

david ferns said:


> Our little Madame is also very fussy, I wonder, is Gourmet Solitaire tinned food available, it's made by Purina who do many other varieties, however "solitaire" is the only game in town as far as she is concerned. Also "Encore" solid is her other staple diet! Both of these are only available in certain shops here in Scotland, so would be interested if anyone knows if available in Paphos area. Any info re pet product shops in the area would be very welcome thank you



mine wont even eat the posh tins. think giving them a treat and just look and walk away. there is a new felix packet out with cheese and beef bits in. bought in once & they loved it but with 4 and 8 packs a day is expensive.


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