S/O- Cat Food

[Scuff]

Can we have a cat food thread too? Our cat is "pleasantly plump". He does have a beatuiful coat. We've been feeding him Purina Indoor Formula, as the vet suggested, but he really hasn't gotten any smaller. He gets around just fine, but we'd like to keep it that way. Any sites that compare cat food? Or suggestions? I don't want to spend a fortune in cat food, but if cat people are experiencing the same thing as dog people (eating less of the more expensive foods) than we could try it.

[Perry]

Can we have a cat food thread too? Our cat is "pleasantly plump". He does have a beatuiful coat. We've been feeding him Purina Indoor Formula, as the vet suggested, but he really hasn't gotten any smaller. He gets around just fine, but we'd like to keep it that way. Any sites that compare cat food? Or suggestions? I don't want to spend a fortune in cat food, but if cat people are experiencing the same thing as dog people (eating less of the more expensive foods) than we could try it.

 

I don't remember what we used initially, but one of my cats got really fat and had a lot of problems with bladder infections on regular cat food. We switched to Purina ProPlan, and it helped for awhile, but after about a year his problems returned. We switched to Science Diet Feline c/d and he's been fine since, and is no longer overweight.

[2cents]

Ours had problems with urinary crystals and one had a full-fledged blockage (scary) so we can't feed anything but canned and it has to have meat or meat by products in the first 5 ingredients. The vet wants us to keep them off any dry and no grain or syrup/gravy. Canned is a little stinky and more expensive but a side benefit is that they poop less since they are able to use the increased protein content.

[hornblower]

http://www.catinfo.org/

- articles written by Dr. Lisa Pierson

I have my cat exclusively on canned & use a formlation which is 95% meat & liver. (I'm using Nature's Variety Instinct canned but there are others similar.) I think if there's one message for cats it is to really, really, really reduce or full out eliminate the dry kibble.

 

There's a newish book by Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins called Your Cat - Simple secrets to a longer, stronger life, which has lots of great advice & tips & a long discussion about why cats have problems with carbs & what to do about it.

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Cat-Simple-Secrets-Stronger/dp/0312358024/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251646836&sr=8-1

 

(also she does research on feline diabetes & has a website http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/ - that's where I stumbled on her book when we were expecting a diabetes dx. She says this:

 

"Feline diabetes is not the natural fate of hundreds of thousands of pet cats world-wide. It is, rather, a human-created disease that is reaching epidemic proportions because of the highly artificial foods that we have been feeding our feline companions for the past few decades. Without the constant feeding of highly processed, high carbohydrate dry foods, better suited to cattle than cats, adult-onset feline diabetes would be a rare disease, if it occured at all.")

 

An overweight cat should definitely be off kibble IMO.

 

I had an overweight cat. I tried everything. We did a geri panel on her because, well she was old & I worried she was getting diabetic; she wasn't, but she was in early stage chronic renal failure :-(

We thought she would only have months to live but with a change in diet & some consults from a holistic vet, she's around & kicking up a storm 2 years later.

 

Best wishes -

Edited August 30, 2009 by hornblower

[swimmermom3]

About 6 months ago I went into our locally-owned pet food store to pick up my usual bag of Nutro Max Cat dry food (we also feed wet). I went to pay and the clerk stopped me. She asked me if I knew that in the past year, Nutro was bought out by the Mars candy bar people.:001_huh: They had started putting a lot more filler like corn and high fructose corn syrup in the food. Both of my cats are older and of slighter frames but one boy had put on a pounch and they both were vomiting more frequently. I brought home a new dry food without the wheat and corn fillers. Guess what? Slimmed down cat and no more sorry...puking. Oh, and the new food was $4 a bag cheaper.

 

Check your food. What's in it? Cats are lean protein kinds of guys. Our vet says that the pet food company takeovers are so fast and furious that you really have to pay attention. With Nutro Max, we thought we were feeding the cats the equivalent of a healthy organic diet and we were really feeding them "candy bars".

[swimmermom3]

http://www.catinfo.org/

- articles written by Dr. Lisa Pierson

I have my cat exclusively on canned & use a formlation which is 95% meat & liver. (I'm using Nature's Variety Instinct canned but there are others similar.) I think if there's one message for cats it is to really, really, really reduce or full out eliminate the dry kibble.

 

There's a newish book by Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins called Your Cat - Simple secrets to a longer, stronger life, which has lots of great advice & tips & a long discussion about why cats have problems with carbs & what to do about it.

 

An overweight cat should definitely be off kibble IMO.

 

I had an overweight cat. I tried everything. We did a geri panel on her because, well she was old & I worried she was getting diabetic; she wasn't, but she was in early stage chronic renal failure :-(

We thought she would only have months to live but with a change in diet & some consults from a holistic vet, she's around & kicking up a storm 2 years later.

 

Best wishes -

 

Thanks for the information. Here, we're still trying to find a wet food that they will eat. We've tried raw food diets but I'm worried that we won't remember to pick up dishes immediately after and the bacteria is a concern. We'll have to try the food you mentioned. I wonder if cats, like people, get used to the taste of corn/corn syrup and want more?

Edited August 30, 2009 by swimmermom3
spelling

[hornblower]

My cat was on kibble for YEARS. I didn't know any better. It took time to wean her off it. I was cutting back for about 6 months. I tried a variety of things - from putting it in the same bowl as the kibbles, to putting it in a side dish, to heating it with warm water, to making a paste..... I think some cats don't recognize it as food at first. During one of my cat's other poor health episodes we had to syringe feed her for a day or so & I think that helped a lot. I used a really loose slurry of wet food mixed with water in an oral syringe & I think she decided she actually likes the stuff.

 

I tried to switch her to raw (under my vet's supervision) but we got nowhere. Cats can be pretty stubborn.

 

On both the CRF & the diabetes sites there is lots of info on switching because diet change is pretty much the first thing which needs to be done with those conditions.

[Scuff]

Yeah, that's why I was looking for a dry food. He won't eat anything else. He's kinda crazy, refuses all meat except tuna juice and will get into any bread left where he can reach. The purina indoor does have corn in it, so I figured we needed something else. It is better than the regular purina though.

[hornblower]

You could try a grain free kibble like this: http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinct_cat_kibble

[Denise in Florida]

Yes, the good food is worth it. We lost a male cat a few years ago to urinary blockage. I wish I could go back in time and feed him better food from the start, he was such a great cat.

 

I knew how important the food was but put off thinking about it because of the price. Believe the trips to the vet and finally the midnight trip to the animal ER, were far more expensive.

[mchel210]

We buy royal cannin indoor 27 formula. I only use 1/2 cup per cat a day. I have one cat that eats more then the other...so one had to learn to eat all she wanted or she missed out. We never give wet food. The moment I give wet food...they get stinky farts and poops.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I totally agree with this.

 

My cat was fat, throwing up a lot, and drinking lots of water. The vet said she was "pre-diabetic." We had been feeding her dry food. The vet put her on diabetic maintenance canned food, but no change. So I started looking at ingredients in the foods. The dry and the canned both had CORN as the main ingredient. I was startled. My carnivorous cat was grain fed. No wonder she was fat and sick.

 

So I went looking for a food that had meat as the main ingredient, with no corn, that we could afford. I've been feeding her canned purina friskies with great results. She lost weight, no longer drinks tons of water and throws up (unless we don't feed her on time, then she starts drinking too much water again. )

[Ellie]

We feed our slightly plump dk Evo, which has no grains at all...i.e., very low in carbohydrates. She did lose a couple of pounds. We did also measure her food intake for awhile to be sure she wasn't overeating, and she wasn't, so now we just free-feed again.

[MomLovesClassics]

Thanks for the information. Here, we're still trying to find a wet food that they will eat. We've tried raw food diets but I'm worried that we won't remember to pick up dishes immediately after and the bacteria is a concern. We'll have to try the food you mentioned. I wonder if cats, like people, get used to the taste of corn/corn syrup and want more?

You may want to try this:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/product_detail.aspx?item_guid=3d2f24a1-f7cc-442f-a7af-df0f7757bdcf&click=5&s_kwcid=tikicat|3103371329&gclid=CJu9y46SzJwCFRdc2goduH9wmw

[Soph the vet]

Ditto everything Hornblower already said.

Feed canned, lots of meat content. Cats need taurine or they will get a cardiomyopathy.

FYI, expensive food does not prevent urinary tract crystals, but urinary acidifiers prevent struvite crystals which are the most common form in the cat. All male cats should be on a diet that includes urinary protection.

[Perry]

FYI, expensive food does not prevent urinary tract crystals, but urinary acidifiers prevent struvite crystals which are the most common form in the cat. All male cats should be on a diet that includes urinary protection.

 

What would be an example of a urinary acidifier in cat food?

TIA.

[sparrow]

What would be an example of a urinary acidifier in cat food?

TIA.

 

 

:bigear:

[Guest Katia]

I feed my male cat Gerber baby food. He will only eat Veal and Lamb. I give him two jars a day; one in the am and one in the pm. During the day I have one bowl of Purina Indoor kibble down for the two (or three) cats and they go through it in one day...but it's a small-ish bowl.

 

I'll look to start eliminating the kibble, but that is how he gets his taurine or however you spell it, sorry, so I thought the Purina stuff was good for him. It's always something......

 

I did want to say I have a big cat (Maine Coon), but he was so overweight. Now he looks comfortable and can clean himself. Before I started feeding him the baby food, he would try to clean himself and just....roll over like a ball.

[MomLovesClassics]

You can check out www.petfoodsdirect.com they have a huge selection. They will send discounts to your email if you sign up. they have brands that are not found local. They have good and bad so be sure to check the ingredients and reviews. Check out this site if you are looking for natural remedies for your pet www.onlynaturalpet.com also, sites like www.vitacost.com and www.luckyvitamin.com have a limited selection of pet products.

here is a few good choices although I am unclear of what your budgets are.

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/dept.asp?dept_id=131&brand_id=996

 

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/dept.asp?dept_id=131&brand_id=998

 

http://search.petfooddirect.com/?D=tikicat&Ntt=tikicat&Dk=0&Np=2&N=0&Nty=1

 

But look around, there are some great choices. When my cat was sick and we could not get her to eat hardly anything she would eat tiki cat. I am pretty sure it can be used if your cat is on a special diet. Make sure to research. I spent money and time trying to find something she would eat, and that was the only one.

[KS_]

We feed our slightly plump dk Evo, which has no grains at all...i.e., very low in carbohydrates. She did lose a couple of pounds. We did also measure her food intake for awhile to be sure she wasn't overeating, and she wasn't, so now we just free-feed again.

 

We feed our cat Evo 95% Chicken and Turkey canned food and also the grain free Wellness Turkey. They have a lot of different meats/flavors, but she's very picky and those are the only two kinds she'll eat. I had been feeding her a combination of the canned and dry EVO, but she was having issues with diarrhea every now and then, and so I just took her off the dry food altogether (and it's been much better). She's 13 and still is full of energy.

 

When we first got her, we fed her grocery store dry food and she always had a pooch hanging from her belly. A few years later, we switched to raw and that worked quite well, but after moving cross country and living with my parents for 4 months, we had to go back to something more convenient.

[momtotkbb]

This is interesting. Our vet has told us to not feed canned food---which seems contrary to what many here are saying. We only have one that has been a little on the heavy side. They have told us to use IAMS indoor and since we switched to that the heavier one has slimmed down.

[Perry]

Okay, I'm ready to try my cats on a canned/raw diet. I'm a little grossed out at washing out the bowls twice a day. Ewww.

 

Can they be fed straight out of the can? Or is there a sharp edge?

[KS_]

Okay, I'm ready to try my cats on a canned/raw diet. I'm a little grossed out at washing out the bowls twice a day. Ewww.

 

Can they be fed straight out of the can? Or is there a sharp edge?

 

The lip on the cans with a pop-top lid is sharp enough that I wouldn't feed directly out of the can. I have 2 bowls that I alternate feeding out of and just put the dirty one in the dishwasher (if you don't have a dishwasher, I guess you're still going to be hand washing the bowls. . .).

[GailV]

Yeah, that's why I was looking for a dry food. He won't eat anything else. He's kinda crazy, refuses all meat except tuna juice and will get into any bread left where he can reach. The purina indoor does have corn in it, so I figured we needed something else. It is better than the regular purina though.

 

We've been there! We got a cat from the Humane Society that was so convinced that she needed the dry food that she started eating the poinsettia leaves instead of the "icky" canned food. However, I'm just as stubborn as she is. And now all of these months later, she eats canned food. As a bonus, we use dry food as a treat -- when she is good she gets a few pieces. Heck, I have a youtube video up of my 13yo teaching her to high-five with kibble used as the reward. Also, when we need to locate her or quickly move her from one location to another we just shake the bag of kibble.

 

We used chicken baby food as our lure to make non-kibble food seem attractive -- first we offered the straight baby food, then mixed it with canned. Unfortunately, the baby food can be constipating, which can lead to a cat straining in the litter box, which can lead to a cat deciding the litter box is a painful experience that should be avoided, which can lead to having to re-train the cat to use the litterbox ... using the "prize" of the kibble she wanted to eat in the first place as a reward for correct litter box behavior. Ahem.

 

By the way, 13yo has expressed interest in becoming a cat psychologist. Living with this particular cat has certainly exposed dd to a wider variety of cat behavior than we've seen before (and I haven't even told you about when this cat got so mad at our other cat that she decided to try to kill him).

[GailV]

Okay, I'm ready to try my cats on a canned/raw diet. I'm a little grossed out at washing out the bowls twice a day. Ewww.

 

Can they be fed straight out of the can? Or is there a sharp edge?

 

Some cats don't like to stick their face IN something like that -- they don't like something so narrow that their whiskers are bashing into the side.

 

I got flat dishes that are out of some sort of grey plastic -- the leftover food wipes right off of it. Then it's no skankier to wash than any other dish. And easier to clean than a dish covered in guacamole or whatever else the humans have smeared all over. Plus I figure I'm feeding the cats human-grade food, so it's not a big deal.

 

And, frankly, I think that greasy residue left by kibble is sort of nasty to clean up.

[swimmermom3]

I thought cats needed some dry food for maintaining their teeth. The abrasion works somewhat like a toothbrush. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've tried to brush Cowboy Bob's teeth - once.:D Never, again.

 

About the grain free food, some of them have blueberries and things like carrots. No cat is going to eat that in the wild either. It's so confusing.

[hornblower]

I think what is missing about the discussion also is the issue of free feeding. If you have a cat with weight problems or any other health problems, I would not free feed. Feed at regularly scheduled times, give the cat quiet space & time but then put the food away after a while. This way you know when your cat is off their food really quickly & you can assess whether a trip to the vet is in order (cats cannot be fasted - if they're off their food this can be a life threatening emergency within a couple days)

 

About the weird stuff they add to some of the canned - yeah. Blueberries. Whatever. :confused: The food I feed is 95% meat & liver (she's on rabbit) & the 5% is a few odd things like blueberries. There is some rationale for it I guess - the food is processed, some of the nutrients/enzymes are depleted through processing & storage. I don't think the small amount of weird stuff hurts & it might actually help. Antioxidants, efa's etc are I think probably a net benefit.

 

Bottom line is that the cat's natural food would be small raw mouse/vole/bird - muscle, with bone, organ & probably some stomach contents. (so perhaps some partly digested plant protein & carb in there). I try to get as close to that as possible. My cat likes to eat grass & will do so regularly but I think it's like chewing gum for her. She certainly doesn't eat a lot of it & she definitely doesn't digest any of it. The few sprigs come out in the same shape (from either end :001_huh: of the cat)

 

Perry - my chronically ill cat is fed 4 times a day (including a middle of the night feed - I only got sleep through the night for a bit after my kids weaned; then the cat started needing feeding :D). She has little flat glass bowls from the dollar store & she gets a fresh one each meal. I put the dirty ones in the dishwasher. I have a stack of little bowls just for her.....you get used to it.

 

IMO, kibble doesn't clean teeth any more than potato chips and pretzels do. What does clean teeth is gnawing a bit on raw bones but I've not been successful in convincing her to go for it.....

[GailV]

This is interesting. Our vet has told us to not feed canned food---which seems contrary to what many here are saying. We only have one that has been a little on the heavy side. They have told us to use IAMS indoor and since we switched to that the heavier one has slimmed down.

 

I read quite a bit on cat food when one of our cats was getting older, and became convinced that raw is ideal, and canned grain-free is okay. I wonder if some vets have as much training in nutritional advice as do some doctors -- which is to say, not so much as you'd think.

 

I thought cats needed some dry food for maintaining their teeth. The abrasion works somewhat like a toothbrush. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've tried to brush Cowboy Bob's teeth - once.:D Never, again.

 

No, not really. For one thing, cats have a different chewing action due to their different tooth structure -- they don't have the "grinders" we have. They just sort of whack the dry food into slightly smaller bits, then swallow them. Given that the dry food is typically held together with starch, any leftover bits glom to the teeth. Here is possibly more than you wanted to know about cat teeth.

 

About the grain free food, some of them have blueberries and things like carrots. No cat is going to eat that in the wild either. It's so confusing.

 

Yeah, weird ingredients abound. I think one of the Wellness formulas has beets, which I think bothers one of my cats' digestion. You just have to keep reading labels.

[Perry]

Well, that was easy.

 

i bought a couple cans of the cheap stuff, expecting I'd end up throwing it away but after staring at it and circling it a few times both cats gobbled it down.

 

And it wasn't even disgusting to clean up. I expected stinkier and slimier.

 

:thumbup:

[Erica in PA]

This is interesting. Our vet has told us to not feed canned food---which seems contrary to what many here are saying. We only have one that has been a little on the heavy side. They have told us to use IAMS indoor and since we switched to that the heavier one has slimmed down.

 

One of our cats was overweight and had chronic diarrhea, and the vet told us to stick with dry food too, so we tried three or four different high end brands over the course of six months or so, with no good results at all. We decided to go off his advice (and follow Soph the vet's advice here!) and try canned food, and his diarrhea immediately cleared up, and he eventually lost five pounds, bringing him to a healthy weight. On a few occasions he has gotten into our other cat's dry food (that cat has no averse effects to eating dry, and it's cheaper so we leave him on that), and each time he's had diarrhea again. I don't know why some vets argue for dry food, but for some cats, canned food is definitely the best option.

[MomLovesClassics]

I have been giving my 4 month old EVO and it gives her gas. Can someone please suggest another good quality brand for her? Something without fillers like meat by products and corn please, one that is for both cats and kittens. Or should I get her a tummy supplement? Give her yogurt? I have never had this happen before. Timberwolf? Solid Gold? By Nature? Orijen? Kitty does not complain or seem lilke she is uncomfortable, but it is noticeable that she has frequent gas.

[KidsHappen]

Oh good grief, really? :confused:

 

My vet told me to feed my overweight, prone-to-urinary-blockage, male cats dry urinary formula cat food. I think I am currently using Purina One. I have been cutting back on the food because some of them are starting to have a hard time getting around.

 

So I need canned food? How am I going to feed four cats and make sure the fatties don't hog all the food from the littles? What should I be feeding them and how do I transition? The kitten is about 20 weeks now. Does she need something different? I am currently feeding her Nutro Kitten canned. Is this good?

 

Also what about the dog? I am currently feeding him Nutro Lamb & Rice because it is one of the few I could find without corn as one of the top five ingredients. He was getting a little heavy but he has slimmed down since I made the change. He seems healthy and isn't having any problems other than the shedding (regular amount I think).

 

Yeah, I shoulda just skipped this thread because I already have enough things to worry about. But all animals are about due for more food so I guess it's better than if I had read this just after buying them all food. :001_smile:

[KS_]

I have been giving my 4 month old EVO and it gives her gas. Can someone please suggest another good quality brand for her? Something without fillers like meat by products and corn please, one that is for both cats and kittens. Or should I get her a tummy supplement? Give her yogurt? I have never had this happen before. Timberwolf? Solid Gold? By Nature? Orijen? Kitty does not complain or seem lilke she is uncomfortable, but it is noticeable that she has frequent gas.

 

How long has she been on EVO? If it's only a short time, things may improve if you leave her on it a little longer (may take awhile for her digestive system to transition).

 

Some other brands I have used are Wellness, Solid Gold, and Innova. I ended up using EVO and Wellness just because those seemed to agree with my cat the most.

[Ellie]

I have been giving my 4 month old EVO and it gives her gas. Can someone please suggest another good quality brand for her? Something without fillers like meat by products and corn please, one that is for both cats and kittens. Or should I get her a tummy supplement? Give her yogurt? I have never had this happen before. Timberwolf? Solid Gold? By Nature? Orijen? Kitty does not complain or seem lilke she is uncomfortable, but it is noticeable that she has frequent gas.

Are you giving her the kitten food? wet or dry? Whichever you're giving her (wet or dry) you could switch to the other.

 

I don't trust anything except products from Natura. We use Innova and Evo, but I would use one of the other Natura products if I couldn't find those two.

[BritAnnia]

My cats are now almost 18 months old and that full first year no matter what food I tried, one of them (mentioning no names, farty-Aoife!) seemed to always be a little gassy. It's not been a problem at all since they matured.

I keep them on a variety of foods so they don't get picky about one kind but 75% are chicken/turkey flavours.

Had a quick look in the kitty pantry and the brands are: Blue Spa Select, Wellness, Pet Promise, Natural Balance, and a brand (new to me) called Soulistic (after their first can of the tuna flavour last night, it's been voted a winner :001_smile: ). I also get Halo but the cats don't like it very much so I limit that and it's a bit more expensive than the other brands anyway. Other occasional brands are Fancy Feast and AvoDerm.

I also feed them dry Natural Balance but I'd like to find a better dry. They didn't like Wellness dry at all.

Edited September 10, 2009 by BritAnnia

[MomLovesClassics]

I am unsure what she ate before or I would have made a slow transition. Quality brands are very limited here. I have tried Halo in the past before I got here, and none would eat it, and they were not fond of wellness either. We have been using EVO dry, the one for cats and kittens. I did buy some canned EVO today. The store no longer carries the frozen raw foods, and I believe I am too lazy and too much a whimp to do raw food. I did get some enzymes in hopes it will help. I am considering ordering some different brands from petfoodsdirect. She is so cute and sweet, but the smell of her toots will knock you out. I was thinking of the raw turkey & chicken necks, backs & wings. I was not aware they were so good for dogs and cats teeth.

[KS_]

I am unsure what she ate before or I would have made a slow transition. Quality brands are very limited here. I have tried Halo in the past before I got here, and none would eat it, and they were not fond of wellness either. We have been using EVO dry, the one for cats and kittens. I did buy some canned EVO today. The store no longer carries the frozen raw foods, and I believe I am too lazy and too much a whimp to do raw food. I did get some enzymes in hopes it will help. I am considering ordering some different brands from petfoodsdirect. She is so cute and sweet, but the smell of her toots will knock you out. I was thinking of the raw turkey & chicken necks, backs & wings. I was not aware they were so good for dogs and cats teeth.

 

If you decide to order online, I'd also check out West Coast Pet Supply (that's where I order from), and they've always been cheaper for me than Pet Food Direct.

 

http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/

 

When we fed raw, we were able to get turkey backs and necks very inexpensively, and the cats did really well on them.