- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
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- 8
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My two ragdoll kittens, Iris and Maya, are nearing six months of age. I'm currently feeding them Purina One Kitten Formula as that is what their breeder recommended and prefers... She certainly knows her cats, but I still really want to find something even better for them. As one post I read stated there are three tiers of quality pet food: Grocery store (Meow Mix), Premium (Purina One, Science Diet), and Healthy (Wellness, Merrick, Drs Foster & Smith). I'd like to have my growing girls on the best food I can provide them. However I am incredibly intimidated by the responsibility and cost of a raw diet, and have been cautioned that if not prepared properly could give your cat food-born illnesses like salmonella. I would much prefer wet and/or dry food.
I have spent hours and hours reading reviews, forum posts, comparisons, opinion pieces. It seems everything I look at has cat owners who swear by that brand, and just as I am ready to make my decision I read someone who prefers another brand and why... and the search and frustration begins all over again! Think spinning around in a whirlpool in the ocean, or quick sand!
For example.. tonight I started by looking at Wellness Core Grain Free Kitten Formula. I had almost bought this brand a few months ago on another of my cat food research sprees but was dissuaded by some forum post or another. Both the dry and the canned versions are at this moment sitting in my Amazon shopping cart! I chose to skim the reviews, research a bit more.. and I find myself reading a thread on this site comparing Wellness CORE to Merrick Before Grain- and the majority of replies recommended Merrick because it has a simpler ingredient list, lower carb content, fewer urinary tract issues. Alright! Time to look into Merrick BG. I then find that Merrick has chosen to rebrand their product into this Purrfect Bistro food... and it is not as good. What? I then look at Blue Buffalo food for awhile, then Tiki Cat Koolina Luau canned, Hound and Gatos canned, Orijen dry, Young Again dry, EVO, Petcurean GO! FIT + FREE Grain Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Recipe or NOW FRESH Grain Free Kitten Food..... my head is spinning!
I know my question has probably been asked a thousand times before but at this point I'm at a loss of what to choose. It seems everyone likes something different. Who knows, maybe that means they're all great and I'm stressing out over this way more than I ought to I think that is partly because my perfect cat, Luna, passed away from kidney failure about 6 months ago. I still feel partly responsible and want to be certain I do everything in my power to have the healthiest cats I can now... She was dehydrated and I have read that the number one thing to help cats stay hydrated is to feed them wet food. However, my breeder said that it can be bad for their teeth, cause weight issues, etc etc and that ragdolls as a breed do not take well to it. She stressed to me more times than I can count how sensitive they are compared to other cats.
As per their breeder's instructions I currently have the two of them "free feeding" for their first year with food in their bowl at all times except to clean it. She feels growing kittens ought to have food available at all times, it prevents them from being hungry and then overeating. I also have been mixing a very minimal amount of coconut oil into their food to help keep their coats healthy. For their water I have ceramic bowls set around the house to drink from at their leisure, with one cat fountain that they just adore. The water bowl that I keep near their food I also supplement with Echinachea-Goldenseal extract and Probios powder. One of the kittens, Iris, gets mildly crusty eyes that I need to clean a few times a day and also sneezes occasionally. She suggested giving them L-Lysine and I found some treats with great reviews on Amazon, recommended 1-2 treats per day. But then I wonder about the fact that they're kittens and not full grown, do I give them half a treat per day?
Apologies for this post being miles long!
TL;DR: Two ragdoll kittens, confused cat-mommy, is there a simple answer to my question? What are the "best" brands for my little ones?
Also thought I could make note, my parents also have a very senior cat (Boomer, 17+ years old) who likes sneaking from my girls' bowl. I don't much mind, is it possible the higher fat etc content in the kitten food will actually prove better for him? He's always been slightly heavier, though never in an unhealthy manner, and he is definitely no longer in his prime.. losing weight, creaking joints. Is there such a thing as senior cat food? Is it really any different than regular cat food?
I have spent hours and hours reading reviews, forum posts, comparisons, opinion pieces. It seems everything I look at has cat owners who swear by that brand, and just as I am ready to make my decision I read someone who prefers another brand and why... and the search and frustration begins all over again! Think spinning around in a whirlpool in the ocean, or quick sand!
For example.. tonight I started by looking at Wellness Core Grain Free Kitten Formula. I had almost bought this brand a few months ago on another of my cat food research sprees but was dissuaded by some forum post or another. Both the dry and the canned versions are at this moment sitting in my Amazon shopping cart! I chose to skim the reviews, research a bit more.. and I find myself reading a thread on this site comparing Wellness CORE to Merrick Before Grain- and the majority of replies recommended Merrick because it has a simpler ingredient list, lower carb content, fewer urinary tract issues. Alright! Time to look into Merrick BG. I then find that Merrick has chosen to rebrand their product into this Purrfect Bistro food... and it is not as good. What? I then look at Blue Buffalo food for awhile, then Tiki Cat Koolina Luau canned, Hound and Gatos canned, Orijen dry, Young Again dry, EVO, Petcurean GO! FIT + FREE Grain Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Recipe or NOW FRESH Grain Free Kitten Food..... my head is spinning!
I know my question has probably been asked a thousand times before but at this point I'm at a loss of what to choose. It seems everyone likes something different. Who knows, maybe that means they're all great and I'm stressing out over this way more than I ought to I think that is partly because my perfect cat, Luna, passed away from kidney failure about 6 months ago. I still feel partly responsible and want to be certain I do everything in my power to have the healthiest cats I can now... She was dehydrated and I have read that the number one thing to help cats stay hydrated is to feed them wet food. However, my breeder said that it can be bad for their teeth, cause weight issues, etc etc and that ragdolls as a breed do not take well to it. She stressed to me more times than I can count how sensitive they are compared to other cats.
As per their breeder's instructions I currently have the two of them "free feeding" for their first year with food in their bowl at all times except to clean it. She feels growing kittens ought to have food available at all times, it prevents them from being hungry and then overeating. I also have been mixing a very minimal amount of coconut oil into their food to help keep their coats healthy. For their water I have ceramic bowls set around the house to drink from at their leisure, with one cat fountain that they just adore. The water bowl that I keep near their food I also supplement with Echinachea-Goldenseal extract and Probios powder. One of the kittens, Iris, gets mildly crusty eyes that I need to clean a few times a day and also sneezes occasionally. She suggested giving them L-Lysine and I found some treats with great reviews on Amazon, recommended 1-2 treats per day. But then I wonder about the fact that they're kittens and not full grown, do I give them half a treat per day?
Apologies for this post being miles long!
TL;DR: Two ragdoll kittens, confused cat-mommy, is there a simple answer to my question? What are the "best" brands for my little ones?
Also thought I could make note, my parents also have a very senior cat (Boomer, 17+ years old) who likes sneaking from my girls' bowl. I don't much mind, is it possible the higher fat etc content in the kitten food will actually prove better for him? He's always been slightly heavier, though never in an unhealthy manner, and he is definitely no longer in his prime.. losing weight, creaking joints. Is there such a thing as senior cat food? Is it really any different than regular cat food?