Is ANY canned food Truly better than any kibble ?

[2cats4me]

 
my short answer is 'yes'.  canned food generally has more moisture and less carbs.

my longer answer is 'read, read, read'.  i was feeding pride canned foods and my three cats were loving it UNTIL i figured out how high they are in carbohydrates.  when you see foods that have added protein sources (peas, potatoes) and extra veggies, those are all sources of carbs.  i feel like a bad cat mom because i had started feeding pride kibble while we were on vacation for various reasons.  the different in the litter box is astounding.  i've fed only canned and/or raw and/or homemade foods and the litter box was practically empty.  now?  not so much.

find ingredients you and your cats are comfortable with.  we only feed grain free (since we made that switch about a year ago, my cat who struggled with his weight has not struggled anymore).  i like rotating protein sources.  we've gone back to nature's variety instinct and merrick grain free and some wellness core.  the fancy feast pates are widely regarded as one of the best grocery brands and it's affordable for most.  i comparison shop constantly for my favorite canned foods - checking amazon, local big name pet stores, local independent pet stores, and other online suppliers - and my local independent pet store almost always has the lowest price (occasionally buying by the case on amazon saves me a bit since i have prime).

i'm sorry, i can't remember who said their cats just lick the gravy off - watch foods with gravy; they often have higher carb contents.  i have a cat that was hard to get away from the gravy and what i started doing was adding some warm/hot water to pates in her bowl and mixing it up well.  it would be like the consistency of thin applesauce.  she now eats pate without added water.

Thank you .. Right now they are eating 50% wet  50% kibble .  I bought Go ! Fit & Free  kibble . It is only 16 % Carbs , Zero grain Zero glutens ..  They  each get a 3 oz can of Fancy Feast  in the morning  & 1/4 cup of kibble in the evening ..  I have tried to get them on 100% wet but that just does not work for my cats . They get sick of eating wet food all the time then they will  not eat it at all .. I know people do not agree with that but it works for us .. 

 

[chalupa]

I had a cat that would only eat dry for years until We moved to another country. She refused every food there and I bought everything. She also would not drink the water. The only thing that started her eating was canned pate very well mixed with water. So I would put can in bowl, then add almost whole can of water depending on soupiness and mix really well so she could drink her food. She would only eat canned pates that way. If the water wasn't added she acted like she didn't know how to eat it. Same went for other forms of canned, forget the chunks , shreds, she would just look at like, um this is your food not mine. Eventually I found one dry she would also eat but she never ate all the other foods I bought, had to give them to friends cat. She also never drank the water. She might have eventually did bottled water. This was in Germany. I no longer feed my cats dry except as a treat, we do canned and frozen raw brands mostly. The cat that would only eat dry, suffered from constipation frequently and bloodwork always showed at risk for kidney and diabetes issues. Years later when she ate significantly less dry, her diabetes, kidney issues went away and she was always very well hydrated.

 

[2cats4me]

I had a cat that would only eat dry for years until We moved to another country. She refused every food there and I bought everything. She also would not drink the water. The only thing that started her eating was canned pate very well mixed with water. So I would put can in bowl, then add almost whole can of water depending on soupiness and mix really well so she could drink her food. She would only eat canned pates that way. If the water wasn't added she acted like she didn't know how to eat it. Same went for other forms of canned, forget the chunks , shreds, she would just look at like, um this is your food not mine. Eventually I found one dry she would also eat but she never ate all the other foods I bought, had to give them to friends cat. She also never drank the water. She might have eventually did bottled water. This was in Germany. I no longer feed my cats dry except as a treat, we do canned and frozen raw brands mostly. The cat that would only eat dry, suffered from constipation frequently and bloodwork always showed at risk for kidney and diabetes issues. Years later when she ate significantly less dry, her diabetes, kidney issues went away and she was always very well hydrated.

My cats like Fancy Feast Classic Liver & Chicken ( finally ) .. The only way they will eat it is if I mix a whole can of very hot water with one can of FF , I then split it between them ..

 

[Freedom]

I have my cats on Soulistic brand canned.  It is only sold at PetCo, it is grain free.  They prefer the formulas in gravy, NOT the ones in 'gelee.'    Here is the nutrition info:

http://www.soulisticpet.com/nutrition.php

I only just joined this forum yesterday, as I want to add some raw.  So being new here, I'm not sure if Soulistic is an improvement on what you have posted.    I see that Harvest Sunrise is high in carbs, my cats love it.  I think the pumpkin is what increases the carbs in this one. 

 

[2cats4me]

 
I have my cats on Soulistic brand canned.  It is only sold at PetCo, it is grain free.  They prefer the formulas in gravy, NOT the ones in 'gelee.'    Here is the nutrition info:

http://www.soulisticpet.com/nutrition.php

I only just joined this forum yesterday, as I want to add some raw.  So being new here, I'm not sure if Soulistic is an improvement on what you have posted.    I see that Harvest Sunrise is high in carbs, my cats love it.  I think the pumpkin is what increases the carbs in this one. 

Hello , Welcome to the forum ..

Yes , the Soulistic would definitely be an improvement over what my cats are eating now for wet food ( Fancy Feast Classic ) only they will not eat the Soulistic . I have tried them all. I know , my cats are weird  ...

 

[lamiatron]

here is a good transitioning trick that works for me, i put a bit of cheese on top of the food i want my cats to try/eat. All 3 cats LOVE parmesan cheese...so I would sprinkle some on top, and gradually add less and less until there is no more (but i sprinkle very little to begin with). 2 of my cats are crazy for kibble. I have to sprinkle their wet food with kibble if i want them to try something new, or mash up the wet food with bits of dry in the middle and on top. helped my newest kitty get used to wet food.

Of course if you see that your cat is having a strong negative reaction to something, for example, they eat the food and throw it up, then its best not to try and force your kitties to learn to like that food. but yes, I agree with most on this thread, you have to teach your cats to like the food that you know is best for them. If it was upto my cats, and if they got to choose what they wanted to eat, they would have a steady diet of dry kibble, cheesecake filling, and whiskas cat treats...lol

 

[2cats4me]

 
here is a good transitioning trick that works for me, i put a bit of cheese on top of the food i want my cats to try/eat. All 3 cats LOVE parmesan cheese...so I would sprinkle some on top, and gradually add less and less until there is no more (but i sprinkle very little to begin with). 2 of my cats are crazy for kibble. I have to sprinkle their wet food with kibble if i want them to try something new, or mash up the wet food with bits of dry in the middle and on top. helped my newest kitty get used to wet food.

Of course if you see that your cat is having a strong negative reaction to something, for example, they eat the food and throw it up, then its best not to try and force your kitties to learn to like that food. but yes, I agree with most on this thread, you have to teach your cats to like the food that you know is best for them. If it was upto my cats, and if they got to choose what they wanted to eat, they would have a steady diet of dry kibble, cheesecake filling, and whiskas cat treats...lol

Yeah , they are brats for sure .. They are doing pretty good with the FF Classic Liver & Chicken so far . They will not eat it straight out the can . I have to mix one can with a whole can of very hot water and split it between them . I don't know why they like it like that but they do .. They eat it like that twice a day . Since it is very watered down I do still give them kibble and probably always will .  Go ! Fit & Free is good kibble .  High protein , low carb @ 15% , grain & gluten free .. 

 

[lamiatron]

 
Yeah , they are brats for sure .. They are doing pretty good with the FF Classic Liver & Chicken so far . They will not eat it straight out the can . I have to mix one can with a whole can of very hot water and split it between them . I don't know why they like it like that but they do .. They eat it like that twice a day . Since it is very watered down I do still give them kibble and probably always will .  Go ! Fit & Free is good kibble .  High protein , low carb @ 15% , grain & gluten free .. 

Hmm i will look into the kibble you mentioned. 

I have to sprinkle dry food on top of the wet that i give my cats. 2 of my cats go crazy for the dry. They'll eat the wet even of there is no dry on top (and at the most its literally a few pieces of kibble on top) but they'll cry for the dry after they're done eating. it's really annoying.

I feed my cats trader Joe's brand cat food wet and dry. it works for me (has good ingredients and is affordable to me) and the cats love it.

 

[2cats4me]

 
Hmm i will look into the kibble you mentioned. 

I have to sprinkle dry food on top of the wet that i give my cats. 2 of my cats go crazy for the dry. They'll eat the wet even of there is no dry on top (and at the most its literally a few pieces of kibble on top) but they'll cry for the dry after they're done eating. it's really annoying.

I feed my cats trader Joe's brand cat food wet and dry. it works for me (has good ingredients and is affordable to me) and the cats love it.

Yeah , my cats love that kibble . It is tiny pieces which they like and good for sprinkling on wet food .. 

I bought mine at chewy.com http://www.chewy.com/cat/go-fit-free-grain-free-chicken/dp/29163

This is the company website  www.petcurean.com

Yeah, you definitely have to go with what works ..

 

[2cats4me]

Try nutro natural choice chunky chicken loaf. Most cats seem to love it!

@bonepicker...hey , I gave each of my cats a can of the Nutro Chunky Turkey Loaf  with a little kibble on top and they ate the whole thing . I was shocked .. I am glad they like it ..

 

[bonepicker]

@bonepicker
...hey , I gave each of my cats a can of the Nutro Chunky Turkey Loaf  with a little kibble on top and they ate the whole thing . I was shocked .. I am glad they like it ..

. You go girl, you are on a roll now! [emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji]

 

[bonepicker]

image.jpg

• bonepicker
• Oct 30, 2014

 

[2cats4me]

Thank you 

 

[michi082704]

I have two male cats, if I could take back ever feeding any dry I would. I was feeding Orijen which you won't find more protein in any dry food on the market and giving half canned. They both eventually got crystals as they got older (around 5-6). Dry food has higher levels of magnesium that makes the ph of cat urine increase, it is illegal for cat food to be above .09% magnesium but even that is too high some cats who ma have difficulty with these trace minerals or prone to a higher ph. A urinary formula usually comprising the amount of meat in the food as the mag. is naturally produced during the high temp cooking process of the meat in the kibble. Canned food has simnifically lower of these trace minerals that cause problems because its a different process. (try like .02% mag. as compared to the .09 in dry) I don't know what your budget is, but I can't see a cat ever turning their nose up to WERUVA paw licking chicken. It is literally pure chicken breast, but it is expensive because of that. If budget alone is a big factor the 13oz cans of EVO are a great place to start, and then you can mix in freeze dried treats on the top to entice them to eat. It is hard to break a carb junkie of their kibble sometimes but it prevents so many potential health problems. Some people get lucky and feed their cat a low quality dry food their whole life without issue, but thats not always the case nor worth the risk when the costs at the vet cost that much more, and the longevity of your pet can be cut short. I have encountered too many people who have had to put their male cats down because of a blockage, not being about to afford 1k+ for the costs to really truly and deeply recommend dry food for cats anymore, specially when for some of those cats dry food was a contributing factor in the issue.

 

[bonepicker]

My parents cats died young of diabetes and blockages. They did not know any better. I inherited an old ladies cats who only ate canned and lived to ages 22 and 21 (both males) no utis or stones. Coincidence?? You tell me, just like people, some can smoke without getting cancer others cannot. I say hedge your bet!

 

[michi082704]

I should correct myself, magnesium can't be above .1% yay even worse for cats with urinary problems (companies can be .13, .12 etc and still counts as okay) but yea, canned food = das goodly

 

[2cats4me]

*UPDATE*  on my two brats ! 

They are doing fabulous ..  They are each eating a full can of FF Classic with barely  1/8 cup of kibble mixed in

 twice a day .

I do stick to the Liver & Chicken Classic  , Turkey & Giblets Classic  only  though . Those are the only 2 without added color & sodium nitrite .. I believe my Mei Li is sensitive to added color .. 

They also like Nutro Natural Choice Chunky Turkey Loaf but at  $1.10 per 3 oz can that will have to be  just an occasional treat .. 

 

[zoneout]

 
@bonepicker...hey , I gave each of my cats a can of the Nutro Chunky Turkey Loaf  with a little kibble on top and they ate the whole thing . I was shocked .. I am glad they like it ..

Why do companies only make those tiny 3oz cans??????  

I looked at the ingredients on the Nutro Chunky Loaf and it is perfect except for the guar gum.   If they made it affordable in large 12.5 oz cans I might try it.   

 

[2cats4me]

 
Why do companies only make those tiny 3oz cans??????  

I looked at the ingredients on the Nutro Chunky Loaf and it is perfect except for the guar gum.   If they made it affordable in large 12.5 oz cans I might try it.   

I know , My cats love the Nutro but I just cannot afford to feed it .  I don't know why it has to be so expensive ..  If they were at least 5.5 oz cans it would be much easier ..

 

[bonepicker]

I know , My cats love the Nutro but I just cannot afford to feed it .  I don't know why it has to be so expensive ..  If they were at least 5.5 oz cans it would be much easier ..

You just will have to mix it with less expensive or feed it on Sundays for treats. At least you have them liking canned.