How Much Fat?

[bluebo]

My male cat is 7-10 years old (not sure because he is from the SPCA). I am converting him to an all wet diet very soon and I am thinking of Evo as his main diet. It has 10% fat. Is that too high?
My cat is not overweight, he is a perfect weight (just about 8 pounds)... actually when we got him from the SPCA he was slightly underweight. Should I be concerned about the fat content in this food or is it a non-issue?

 

[Willowy]

Fat doesn't make cats fat--carbs do. But fat does have a lot of calories, and Evo is VERY high in fat (when you calculate calories from fat) so it's not a total non-issue. I'm a big proponent of feeding a wide range of different brands and proteins, I think variety is very important. So personally I wouldn't feed only one brand/flavor.

 

[bluebo]

Fat doesn't make cats fat--carbs do. But fat does have a lot of calories, and Evo is VERY high in fat (when you calculate calories from fat) so it's not a total non-issue. I'm a big proponent of feeding a wide range of different brands and proteins, I think variety is very important. So personally I wouldn't feed only one brand/flavor.

I've heard that, unlike a dog, cats only need one brand/type of food it's entire lifespan. Was this bs?
What are the reasons you feed multiple brands?

 

[Willowy]

Where did you hear it? Do you think cats in the wild eat less variety than dogs in the wild? Do you think it's safe for any living being to eat the exact same thing for his/her entire life? I don't. But of course we all need to make up our own minds about these things .

One major thing to think about is if your cat's ONE brand ever gets recalled or discontinued, it can be a real problem to get the cat to eat anything else.

 

[ldg]

Fat doesn't make cats fat--carbs do. But fat does have a lot of calories, and Evo is VERY high in fat (when you calculate calories from fat) so it's not a total non-issue. I'm a big proponent of feeding a wide range of different brands and proteins, I think variety is very important. So personally I wouldn't feed only one brand/flavor.

Cats use protein and fat efficiently for energy. They do not use carbohydrates as efficiently. A diet that is high protein - high fat will make a cat get fat if overfed; but many cats get fat on high carb diets, because the food isn't satisfying (they're not getting the energy they need from the amount of calories they're eating, basically).

Cats have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates. From that perspective, the EVO is a good food for cats. http://www.evopet.com/products/1401

But the best way to analyze a food (apart from the ingredients), is looking at the "guaranteed analysis" on a dry matter basis (DMB). Basically this "removes" the water content, and what you're left with is protein, fat, fiber, ash (minerals), and carbohydrates.

The EVO 95% chicken and turkey, on a dry matter basis, is

41% protein
45% fat
5% fiber
9% ash (assuming 2% on an as-fed basis) and
0% carbs (you can see from the nutrition analysis on the site - which is as fed, not DMB - that carbs are 0.97%, so very, very low).

This contrasts with a cat's natural diet. In the wild, the natural diet of a feral cat, on a dry matter basis, is

62.7% protein
22.8% fat
11.8% ash, and
2.8% carbohydrates (there was really no fiber in their diets).

This is from an analysis of 27 studies of feral cat diets published by Plantinga et al. 2011, "Estimation of the dietary nutrient profile of free-roaming feral cats: possible implications for nutrition of domestic cats." British Journal of Nutrition 106; s35-s48. Here is a link to the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22005434

If you want to take a look at some of the premium foods on an energy basis - what percent of the calories come from protein vs fat, mschauer put a spreadsheet together. A link to it is in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245993/high-quality-canned-high-fat

I've heard that, unlike a dog, cats only need one brand/type of food it's entire lifespan. Was this bs?
What are the reasons you feed multiple brands?

Just like with everything, there are different theories on this. :lol3: Personally, I wouldn't want to eat the same meal day-in, day-out, and take the same vitamin to ensure I'm getting what I need, rather than having a variety of foods that have different ingredients and different supplements. :dk: As Willowy points out, even in the wild, most cats eat a variety of things. Yes, the diet is typically high in mice - but most eat a variety of small rodents, bugs, and lizards - and a few birds (unless they live on islands and eat a lot of birds).

There's a good discussion of all of this, including why it's a good idea to rotate, in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/248369/great-dry-food-for-my-kitten

 

[minka]

I've heard that, unlike a dog, cats only need one brand/type of food it's entire lifespan. Was this bs?
What are the reasons you feed multiple brands?

Definitely bs.
Just like it wouldn't be good for you to only eat hamburgers for the rest of your life, its not good for cats to only one food. It helps guarantee their diet is balanced and like others said, if one food is involved with a recall, no big deal, your cat's got other foods to chose from.

 

[feralvr]

I've heard that, unlike a dog, cats only need one brand/type of food it's entire lifespan. Was this bs?
What are the reasons you feed multiple brands?

Yep, bs. :lol3: It is very important to rotate proteins and brands so a cat will not get finicky and hooked on that ONE brand which will happen. Then you have a real problem getting them to try something new if the other becomes pulled or discontinued for whatever reason. Best to rotate and keep their tastes and likes varied. I certainly would not want to eat the same thing morning, noon and night. :bore:

 

[just mike]

I've heard that, unlike a dog, cats only need one brand/type of food it's entire lifespan. Was this bs?
What are the reasons you feed multiple brands?

Yes, to answer your question, it is B.S..  I feed mine a variety of wet foods to keep their appetite piqued and to give them different flavors and textures.  Meal time is exciting for them because they never know what juicy morsel they're going to get.  They all come a running when I call out "Dinner"

I work for The Nutro Company and while my cats eat the different varieties of Nutro, and they love most of them, they also appreciate different premium brands for the different textures and flavors.  I want my kitties happy

Now a kibble diet is another issue.  If you are feeding kibble and intend to switch it to a different kibble, it needs to be transitioned slowly, unlike the wet foods.  I have found that transitioning from one kibble to another can be difficult in a multi cat household.  They will only eat one kind of kibble, Nutro Max Cat Indoor Roasted Chicken.  I've tried them all and this is all they will eat.  It's only 10% of their diet so I'm going to leave it as is.  Everything right now is on an even keel around here 

 

[kittylover23]

I've heard that, unlike a dog, cats only need one brand/type of food it's entire lifespan. Was this bs?
What are the reasons you feed multiple brands?

Definitely bs, IMO. Kitties enjoy eating a rotation of different flavors, and it keeps things interesting. And plus, if that one brand you are feeding is recalled, you're in trouble. That is why it is best to feed a rotation.

 

[just mike]

Definitely bs, IMO. Kitties enjoy eating a rotation of different flavors, and it keeps things interesting. And plus, if that one brand you are feeding is recalled, you're in trouble. That is why it is best to feed a rotation.

Yes, the recall thing is becoming an issue lately. Another one just this past week *sigh*.