Fat Kats
- I also have been one that just believed in feeding dry cat food only until recently. My 7 cats are getting way to fat. It was suggested to switch them to can cat food. All of my cats are rescued, 6 were bottle feed and of them 2 were near death when I got them. So I want to make sure I keep them healthy since they all had a bad start in life. The 2 that were on death door I had to supplement their food with additional minerals and vitamins. One of them is a little wacko as he is very clumsy for a cat. I still need to learn more on what to feed them to keep the satisfied. Plus their ages range from 6yrs, 1-1/2 yrs, 1yr to 10mos so I am still trying to adjust according to their ages as well.
- —Guest Jusjokin
Good Food Counts
- When I was first married, my husband had a cat named Sonny who had eaten some kind of cheap grocery kibble. His hair was like straw. When he was switched to a good kibble, it became very soft and shiny. I have to think that if it was good for his coat, it was also probably helping him on the inside. I also saw a cat's gut nearly ruined when an adoptive parent switched him to cheap kitten kibble. The only way I saved him from chronic diarrhea was when I tried a raw diet. It stopped immediately. Then I went to premium canned food; it stayed stopped. Years later, he could eat good kibble and be okay. I like to go for things that have solid meat listed as the first ingredient. If it has to have a starch, it needs to be rice or oats, but never corn or wheat. I also like to see fish oil in there for a good coat. Anyway, I consider myself relatively concerned and knowledgeable about cat food. Thanks for a great article!
- —drussell41
Cat Food
- I absolutely believe in making my own cat food. Canned or dry food cannot be safe or nurishing enough. My male cats have never had a blockage with home made food. When you can find boneless chicken breasts on sale the price for home made is much less than processed cat food.
- —Guest Scott
Not much choice
- Unfortunately there aren't a lot of choices here for cat food, so I have to buy what's available. I give maybe a 60/40 ratio of canned/dry-I got my cat as a tiny kitten and he never did get used to eating just dry food. I've a new kitten now, also tiny, getting fed all-canned, at least until he gets bigger.
- —romancoat
Cat food in Canada
- Please recommend foods we can find here in Canada. We checked both Pet Smart and Pet Etc for what you recommended and were told they didn't have those brands.
- —Guest Brenda
Small Town Shopping Issues...
- I live in a small town on a small isolated Island in Alaska. Unfortunately we only have two grocery stores which supply us with cat food, and a traveling vet who's only in town a few weeks here and there. After researching cat foods and coming to a startling realization, I knew I had to change my cats food brand. However the local stores only carry the same 3 brands. In order to convince them to order a new brand the demand for that brand needs to be high, also being a small isolated island it means our prices are almost doubled if not more, so it becomes even less likely for stores to order good quality expensive brands. Being of limited means myself in order to get my baby the proper cat food types I would need to specially order them, and then also pay for them to be shipped to me, on top of that it would become a chore to make sure that an order was placed, paid for, and able to arrive in time so he wasn't food less and delivery in Alaska isn't always guaranteed in a timely matter.
- —kyleek420247
It's overwhelming!!
- I just started looking up information about cat food and was getting not only exhausted but fed up when I found this article. Thank god. Now at least I can understand what the labels mean! We just adopted our first cat and want to do the best for him that we can. Already, I'm getting frustrated at finding good food for him. Thank you so much for taking the time to compile all this information. I found the 95%, 25%, 3% rule to be very helpful in reading the label and knowing what the content actually is.
- —ZeusW
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
