All Purina Cat Chow brand cat foods are formulated to contain different levels of protein dependent upon the product and the life stage the product is intended for. Purina Kitten Chow brand kitten food contains the highest level of protein because it is a diet intended for growing kittens as well as adult cats at maintenance and female cats during pregnancy and lactation. Kitten Chow also contains a higher level of fat since kittens require more energy during the growth portion of life. Purina Cat Chow Original Formula brand cat food is also complete and balanced for all life stages but it contains lower levels of protein and fat as compared to Kitten Chow. Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula and Purina Cat Chow Vitality Formula contain similar levels of protein but lower levels of fat as compared to Cat Chow Original Formula since older, less active cats require less energy than active adult cats.
The guaranteed analysis on a pet food label can be used to give an estimate of the carbohydrate level of a dry cat food. To calculate the carbohydrate percentage you would take 100% and subtract the % Moisture, % Protein, % Fat, % Ash, and % Fiber. The remaining percent is the estimate of the carbohydrate in the diet. Although the numbers provided in the guarantees are minimums and maximums, you still should be able to calculate an approximate level of carbohydrate since the minimums and maximums are usually fairly close to the level actually present in the food. If the guarantees are not listed for the above nutrients, you usually can get a typical analysis for most pet foods by checking the website for the manufacturer of the food.
Poor Snuggles, sounds like she’s really been through a lot. Kudos to you for wanting to help this needy feline. From your description it appears to be two forms of aggression being expressed.
Many animals exhibit “cage aggression,” yet they’re sweet and loving in other situations. To understand this dynamic, put yourself in Snuggle’s shoe--er, paws. You are a cat much smaller than the human who opens your cage door. You may/may not know the person. You CANNOT escape--and that hand keeps coming closer and closer and closer. When kitties feel great fear, they can’t think and the “flight or fight” instinct kicks in. Snuggles can’t get away so she reacts with defensiveness trying to scare off the scary person before it hurts/scares her even worse. Moving Snuggles to an open environment would likely reduce this form of aggression to a huge extent.
The second situation--demanding attention and then attacking--could be called “petting aggression.” These cats may have a couple of things going on. Often they are felines who want to call the shots, and be in control of their world and environment. Is it any wonder that Snuggles with her recent history wants to control SOMETHING? Also, some cats simply become over-stimulated very easily with too much contact. Remember that cats have very sensitive skin, and every hair on the body acts like a whisker-antennae transmitting sensation. Too much of a good thing may cause emotional overload--so while Snuggles wants contact and petting, at a certain point she must stop it, and does so with a hiss, slap or bite.
For petting aggression, watch and learn to understand Snuggle’s body signals. She will TELL you when she’s had enough--but you must be vigilant and stop the petting/contact before she nails you. Watch for ear position moving from face-front to sideways or backwards; tail position changing from straight up to more horizontal or moving a great deal; and eyes suddenly dilating. Incidentally, some cats hate being stared at so avoid locking eyes with her because that may prompt a quick “leave me alone” hissy fit.
He likely will need time to get used to the new place, whether it’s enormous or tiny. Cats love the status quo and any change of environment may put their tails in a twist. To help ease this transition I’d recommend the following.
It may be helpful to confine your kitty at least for the first evening in a single bedroom. Be sure to include all the cat’s familiar belongings: bed, scratch post, toys, food and water bowls, litter-box. These already smell like him so it will immediately help him feel more at home. Once the first day or so has passed and he’s acting more himself, open the door and allow him to explore. He’ll have the bedroom as his known “safe retreat” while getting used to the rest of the place.
Also, since the apartment has shrunk the cat’s territory, create some additional feline property by increasing vertical space. By that, I mean invest in additional cat trees or empty shelf spaces, cat beds and boxes to hide, so that he’ll have more to do even in the smaller space. Good luck!
