Questions about Innova evo/solid gold/raw .

Hi panther pride here. we have two cats Tom and Bindi. I'm thinking of mixing dry solid gold and innova evo together in Bindi's bowl only. The problem is Tom will eat out of both and vice versa. I want to create a mix of evo and solid gold on the dry for Bindi. I'm worried about Tom however due to his age, 14. Is it safe for a cat his age to eat dry evo and solid gold?. Right now he doesnt like any of these foods and knows that all he has to do is refuse all food and look hungry and my dad will get whiskras pouches for him. Will this food cause him to grow overweight? (he has been in the past) If fed in small amounts. More importently if fed whiska's pouches will he refuse all of the better quality food and grow fat again? http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/ima.../angryfire.gif

Could you post some websites about feeding raw/BARF diet for my cats in the future and explan to me more about this. Is innova evo wet and solid gold dry lower or better quality then feeding a raw diet for one cat?

Normally, I wouldn't suggest feeding something underneath the quality of EVO or Solid Gold, if it's in your budget, and if your cats PREFER it, and has proven to do well with it. And I do applaud you in your quest for finding a healthier diet for your cats...BUT, for Tom (the senior kitty), I would stick to what he's been eating, and what he enjoys. At his age, quality of life is very important, and if he is turning his nose up to the EVO or Solid Gold, and enjoys eating the Whiskas, and has done well with it in the past, I personally would stick with it. At Tom's point in life, he should LOVE what he eats, and thoroughly enjoy each meal, even if...well, it's kind of crappy. Do you kind of get what I'm sayin'? That's really not my usual advice. Part 2 of my advice will tell you that Tom needs to be fed separately, since he's been known to "hog" Bindi's bowl too. Feed him where he normally eats, give him 30-45 minutes, if he doesn't finish, time to put the food away. Bindi should be elsewhere during this time, perhaps in another room, being fed his own meal separately. The 30-45 minute rule applies to him too. They should quickly learn that this is mealtime, rather than nibbling, and walking away.

Part 3 of my advice...don't mix foods together. I know you feel like it's giving Bindi and Tom the best of both worlds, but the truth is, you're looking at creating a nutritional imbalance. Now, that being said, I'm all for feeding one brand of dry (such as EVO), and another brand for wet, such as Solid Gold...for two separate meals. This would be fine.

Individualize for each cat. If Tom prefers (and is maintaining good health) on Whiskas pouches, so be it, and don't stress too much. If Bindi will thrive and accept EVO or Solid Gold, that's wonderful!

About feeding raw...there are tons of web sites out there, and if I attempted to post any of them, they'd leave your head spinning with information! And then, you'd have to sift through the good raw sites, from the ones that aren't entirely accurate, and each different raw feeder's perspective, methods, etc. Blah!!! It's awful to research raw feeding online, as I've done it before, and there is a lot of misinformation out there, unfortunately. The best advice I could give you would be to pick up Dr. Pitcairn's book on natural pet care, or actual literature by Dr. Billinghurst. Now, at least these are sound professionals with research to back themselves with.

My last comment, is that feeding raw is probably almost (again, depends on the cat, and their needs...there ARE some cats that do not thrive on a raw diet, due to pre-existing health conditions, genetics, taste preferences, etc.) always more biologically appropriate and healthier for cats...they're carnivores, and weren't designed to feast on meat-flavored cereal, and unfortunately, EVO and Solid Gold are still processed, commercial foods...as healthy and nutritious as they are for cats, they are still cooked, and the idea behind ANY kibble is far-removed from what your kitty would be eating while exercising their true carnivorous eating behaviors.

Evo not really great for most senior cats since it is very rich and the protein is concentrated unless feeding EVO wet... I am not thrilled with dry solid gold s ingrediants ( ie grain heavy) but my older18.5 girl can eat it without puking ... and the younger one likes it ,.... I mix the solid gold with natural choice ( balances grain and fat levals for me ) ... Switch and older cat very very slowly ie like 3-4 weeks ...

That said if you can a lower end wet food would be better for the older one and younger

here are budget minded wets \\
authority
pro pac
nutro max
pro plan
felidea
solid gold if you buy big cans

Raw is great if theyll eat and you have someone (ie a vet ) that will help you

Originally Posted by sharky

Evo not really great for most senior cats since it is very rich and the protein is concentrated unless feeding EVO wet... I am not thrilled with dry solid gold s ingrediants ( ie grain heavy) but my older18.5 girl can eat it without puking ... and the younger one likes it ,.... I mix the solid gold with natural choice ( balances grain and fat levals for me

) ... Switch and older cat very very slowly ie like 3-4 weeks ...

That said if you can a lower end wet food would be better for the older one and younger

here are budget minded wets \\
authority
pro pac
nutro max
pro plan
felidea
solid gold if you buy big cans

Raw is great if theyll eat and you have someone (ie a vet ) that will help you

Click to expand...

Just to play devil's advocate here (and I'm by no means an expert on nutrition or really on anything, for that matter), as I do enjoy the whole food debate thing, when done maturally and with the spirit of an open mind...but, to my understanding, EVO can be fed to seniors, as senior cats are capable of processing the same higher protein-levels as their younger feline friends, as long as they still have HEALTHY kidneys and such. I have read that it is only detrimental to feed such a high-protein food to cats (including seniors) if they have formally experienced urinary and kidney problems, or are somehow already weakened in those areas of bodily function. The whole "protein scare" in relation to weakening the urinary tract, stomach, and kidneys was due to some fairly ridiculous research conducted on lab rats quite a number of years ago, who are omnivorous (or herbivorous??? I can't remember), so of course the higher protein levels were not appropriate to their physical compositions, and certain bodily functions began to shut down. There is warning out there to not feed the high-protein grain-free diets to cats who currently suffer from kidney, stomach, and urinary problems...no matter what life stage they are currently in. Now, that being said, I too feel more comfortable in feeding the wet EVO (I've never tried Solid Gold, but have friends who feed it) than the dry, because let's face it, wet ANYTHING is better than kibble, in most cases.

So anyway, I could be wrong. I'm just throwing out there what I've read, and it may or may not be accurate. Feel free to rebuttal if I'm giving some misinformation.

Originally Posted by wookie130

Just to play devil's advocate here (and I'm by no means an expert on nutrition or really on anything, for that matter), as I do enjoy the whole food debate thing, when done maturally and with the spirit of an open mind...but, to my understanding, EVO can be fed to seniors, as senior cats are capable of processing the same higher protein-levels as their younger feline friends, as long as they still have HEALTHY kidneys and such. I have read that it is only detrimental to feed such a high-protein food to cats (including seniors) if they have formally experienced urinary and kidney problems, or are somehow already weakened in those areas of bodily function. The whole "protein scare" in relation to weakening the urinary tract, stomach, and kidneys was due to some fairly ridiculous research conducted on lab rats quite a number of years ago, who are omnivorous (or herbivorous??? I can't remember), so of course the higher protein levels were not appropriate to their physical compositions, and certain bodily functions began to shut down. There is warning out there to not feed the high-protein grain-free diets to cats who currently suffer from kidney, stomach, and urinary problems...no matter what life stage they are currently in. Now, that being said, I too feel more comfortable in feeding the wet EVO (I've never tried Solid Gold, but have friends who feed it) than the dry, because let's face it, wet ANYTHING is better than kibble, in most cases.

So anyway, I could be wrong. I'm just throwing out there what I've read, and it may or may not be accurate. Feel free to rebuttal if I'm giving some misinformation.

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You are and so am I ...lovely aint it ...

I am dealing with a cat with kidney issues and am leary of high high protein for anyone ..I am fairly sure that kindey/ pancreatic/ liver issues are a matter of too much protein in dry matter form , genetics and the aging process in general ... I only have control over one of those .. IN a DRY MATTER form... but I am finding that cats over 7 are best served byNO DRy food at all .... My vet who is an expert recommend raw ( which is higher in protein and fat ) over the dry EVO for older animals just as a prevenative if you will

Originally Posted by sharky

You are and so am I ...lovely aint it ...

I am dealing with a cat with kidney issues and am leary of high high protein for anyone ..I am fairly sure that kindey/ pancreatic/ liver issues are a matter of too much protein in dry matter form , genetics and the aging process in general ... I only have control over one of those

.. IN a DRY MATTER form... but I am finding that cats over 7 are best served byNO DRy food at all .... My vet who is an expert recommend raw ( which is higher in protein and fat ) over the dry EVO for older animals just as a prevenative if you will

Click to expand...

Yeah, that makes sense. Particularly in terms of the dry kibble being a bit more on the touchy side of things...

Thanks guys. I'll keep Bindi away from the whiskas and just continue feeding him with what I have now. Its pritty spendy planning all of this so I will wait until I really know what I'm doing that way I'll get my moneys worth without hurting cats/watsing money. I'll get the books you mentioned. Tom can eat eat whatever he wants. With Bindi I'll research raw diets and one day when I have things in my life squired away more I'lll switch him to just Raw/ Barf/Innova evo. For now.... researchhttp://www.thecatsite.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif