Making money go as far as it can
- My older cats don't like pate style wet food and there aren't many semi moist foods I'm willing to give to them so I have to stay with dry for them. I used to feed EVO but since I lost my job, I had to find something that everyone would eat. Calypso and Adonis (the 3 year olds) hated both varieties of Solid Gold dry food but Hermes (5 months old) doesn't really care as long as it's food. So far, they seem to like Natural Balance and Hermes gets a supplement of Wellness canned kitten food so everyone else gets a chance at the food. It works for now, but once the economy starts getting better again, the first thing I plan on doing is feeding EVO again.
- —ccretarolo
What goes in... Comes out.
- When searching for a cat food that met both my health and price requirements I was left wanting. I wont feed my cats corn because it is terrible for them and it makes the litter box a gas mask experience. After label-reading dry cat food and seeing corn in all of them, I was very disappointed with the flashy bags but no follow through in the ingredients. I chose Friskies canned Tuna because it was the only wet cat food in a big can that listed tuna and not "meat by-products" as the first ingredient. I look forward to a cat food that is affordable for someone with more than one cat and has excellent nutrition for kitties.
- —CorianderTux
I'm becoming more educated.
- I had posted a question about cat food to the forum last week regarding Science Diet/Hills. I wondered if it was really worth the money or if there were something else I could get for my Tuxee that would be better for her health. At that point, I had no idea what to look for. I received many comments back letting me know what to expect in the good food and that I should always read labels. If the meat is listed as the first ingredient/ ingredients than it's probably better than a cat food with a lot of fillers and grain. I've learned to feed Tuxee wet food more so than dry. I'm still learning, but am definitely much more educated after reading things in the forum and from the responses to my question!
- —Guest Farrah, Tux's mom
Don't know much!
- I don't know much but Oliver has trained me. He will only eat Liver & Chicken (Paste not Grilled) and dry food. About Three tsp of Fancy Feast and about five tabl spoons of dry. He seems content and the Vet says he is doing fine. I buy the small cans of Fancy Feast. One can lasts about 3 days(kept in frig)..
- —ollywho
Dry Food Addicts
- I have adopted several large overweight boy kittys over the years. One with UTI issues, the other with crystals in the urine. They were both extremely addicted to dry food (all they would eat). It took forever to switch them to canned. I started with fancy feast, then to better quality food, no by products or grains. Cats who eat dry food only have trouble adjusting to canned due to texture. They don't know what it is. Don't give up!! They will eat canned and it is extremely better for them. I do feed a small amount of dry food now, as a snack only. Make sure dry food has no BHA and BHT, BAD! Try to find grain free, no artificial preservatives. Read the ingredients! I have been a petsitter for 15 years and have seen a lot more diseases in pets. I have researched alot, and believe it all starts with diet. I know dry is convenient, but for who? Good canned or raw diet will help save your pet from many diseases. After all, you are what you eat!
- —Guest Lauri
I make my own
- After I rescued Sid I was referred to a vet that is known as "The Cat Lady" because cats are her only patients. She asked me to bring in my cat food labels on my first visit and gave me quite an education. Now I feed them mostly raw chicken and liver enhanced by a supplement call "Instinct" which has the bone meal, taurine, omega3s and other needed nutrients. I make up 2-3 pounds at a time into serving size containers. I was using Nutro but I just started using a grain-free dry food called "Taste of the Wild" a few days ago. It seems to be a perfect food, but I haven't seen it mentioned online anywhere.
- —thumbers
It does not good if they won't eat it
- I am actually pretty frustrated by the whole thing. I have recently switched to high quality dry food - Innova, which my cats love. It makes me feel good to read Turkey and Chicken as the first ingredients and also to nowhere on the list find "meat-by-products". But I also know that they need wet food in their diet. Especially since they are boys and prone to cystitis. I went out on a mission, reading labels and only bringing home what I felt were the highest quality wet foods I could afford. My cats turned up their noses at 90% of them. I figured with dry food for their whole life, they are just going to have a hard time adjusting. So, not wanting to waste good money on the adjustment period I purchased some lesser quality wet food, which they woofed down. Now that I can read the labels, I know these foods are not good - but it is all they will eat. I want them to eat the best, and am willing to spend the money. But if they won't eat it - what is a girl to do?
- —Slomenick4
No by-products and no grains
- We read labels, but only to make sure the formula has not changed. We have a strict "no by-products" policy. We feed our five cats Wellness (Old Mother Hubbard) for wet food. There are five grain-free flavors and we rotate them for our furkids. It contains no meal and no by-products, and I highly recommend it. For dry food, we feed our cats Innova EVO. I'm not excited about the turkey meal and chicken meal, but we only give the cats a little bit as a snack in the afternoon. There are only two stores within a 15-mile radius of our home that carry these, but our cats are worth it. Our cats are healthy and only visit the vet for check-ups. :-)
- —Lee_Jones
Tight Budger
- I had one cat and took in three more from someone who was facing hard times. I do read and understand the labels, but like many am a tight budget. So I will buy the best I can on sale. Luckily none of the cats are picky.
- —Guest 4Kitties
Just Today
- I was at the store because I need to make a change as what I'm feeding (Nutro) is causing my cats to have the runs sometimes. I have to be careful because of one cat's intestinal intolerance. So I was reading labels but couldn't decide and ended up not buying anything at all thinking a pet store might have more selection. I will keep reading this forum in hopes of a good suggestion and research from there. Thanks!
- —Guest Chrissie
Feeding Raw and Dry
- I have three cats. One is a dry food addict who eats a mixture of dry foods, usually, Evo, California Natural, Innova and Holistic Blend. The other two eat a home made raw diet using Feline Future Instincts TC. It is somewhat of a hassle but I have a routine. I cut up the raw meat, usually chicken and beef while watching TV. A ginsu knife and using slightly thawed meat makes it go much faster. With cats, it's okay to refreeze raw meat. The kitties know the ritual and usually look for raw tidbits, even the dry food addict. He likes raw meat but not with the Instincts TC added. Go figure. I make a double batch and freeze in individual pouches. I have tried many canned foods, avoiding the companies implicated in the scandal . The only canned all three will eat consistently is Fancy Feast, so I have given up trying to find a good quality palatable canned food. I have a son who is a vegan and at times, when I'm away, he has the questionable pleasure of feeding the boys their raw diet.
- —Guest Nina Cooper
PICKY EATER
- My cat was the most picky eater in the whole world. He simply wouldn't eat any kind of dry food and expected wet soggy yummy chicken and beef. My solution? My solution was rather cruel, but I left him lots and lots of dry food and fed him little wet food! IT WORKED! yes, and now it shovels its hand into the dry food box trying to get dry food.
- —Guest angela
Non-picky cats
- Well, I got lucky with our 3 cats! After reading Franny's articles and advice as well as visiting other sites and talking to a friend who's an animal nutritionist, I finally have the tools I need to choose good food for our non-picky cats. While we have 15-20 different varieties of food available to us locally, we usually keep about 8-10 varieties stocked. Top on our list are Nature's Variety, Innova and Wellness. Until the day when I hit the lottery and can buy a farm with lots of space to raise whole prey for our cats, we'll keep feeding 100% canned food with meat as the first ingredient, and the occasional raw meal.
- —Guest jkasper76
It's Grain Free
- I do know that the food I feed my four cats (Evo)has no grain in it. It was recommended on this site. My somali cat threw up a lot before I switched to Evo. Now it happens much less frequently. I can't even give her cat hairball treats.
- —Guest Robin
Mrs. Kitty Mom (?) of sjgibbs@shaw.ca
- Good article! Our babe's are on Fancy Feast canned & Kibble & Iams Kibble for Weight/Hair Balls/Dental. I realize there's cheaper, but I tried a new brand 4 mos ago, wet in a pack, called Tommy Cat & my kids scarfed it down as if they'd been in a Nazi War Camp! Which instantly worried me, therefore read the package & it was made in PHILLIPINES (?) so I called our Vet who told me DON'T LET THEM HAVE IT, as the Phillipine Manuf. put some type of crystal sand pearl (we can't see it) in & after a short while, it bungs up their little butts! So, while it was 1/2 the price, it wasn't worth a penny, was flushed! Also Delmonte came out with a small round plastic container, I bought one, again my babe's scarfed it down, made in Korea, was the weekend & my Vet was closed, so I went on the Internet, and discovered, 19 Law Suites on Delmonte, as their Cats were either terribly sick & in the hospital or DEAD. Because of the same thing as the Phillippine one. (They should be outlawed !!)
- —Guest Sheila Joyce Gibbs
