My 12 y/o 10 kg ginger male has a weight issue, he's not greedy, in fact he eats very little at all (about 150 gm/day). He is FIV+ (he only get cooked foood), but I don't know if this has anything to do with it. I cut-out lunch (usually about 20 gm of wet food + 1 green prawn) and having been giving him supplements each day instead which consists on one Churu stick (or equivalent). This is where I'm having the issue! I've created a monster I think. When 11:00 rolls around he's marching back and forth demanding to be given his snack stick. Not sure what to do here - keep on or cut them out? Is there anything in them that I should be concerned about? Not much info. on packaging, plus I'm already sus' on the product's origins.
Thanks in advance (and thanks to this great site!)
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@kryztofkowalski
Hello Kryztof
Thank you for reaching out and liking our site.
Some cats may develop a strong preference for Churu treats, which can lead to a sort of "addiction." While it isn't a formal addiction in a medical sense, the high palatability of Churu can make cats crave these treats and become less interested in their usual foods.
If you want to reduce your ginger cat's reliance on Churu, you can gradually wean him off the treats by replacing them with one or two cooked foods from a different protein source. Alternatively, you could offer Churu every second or third day instead.
Churu contains Guar gum; studies on the side effects of guar gum indicate it may cause potentially severe gastrointestinal pain and discomfort, diarrhea, and loose stools. You might also want to read this article about the 10 questionable cat food ingredients to avoid https://cats.com/worst-cat-food-ingredients.
I hope this helps.
Melina