Opinion on Purina OM diet food

misty8723

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So, the vet says Swanie needs a diet (no big surprised). Her recommendations were Science Diet (no thanks) or Purina OM. I don't much like the ingredients in the dry food. Is this likely to help him lose weight? I guess I need to research the options more seriously. I need something that will help Swanie lose weight and still help Cindy maintain weight.

Ingredients (Dry)
Poultry by-product meal, oat fiber, wheat flour, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, soybean hulls, sodium caseinate, beef tallow preserved with mixed tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), calcium carbonate, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, vegetable oil, brewers dried yeast, animal digest, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, taurine, salt, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), L-Alanine, riboflavin supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, citric acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate.

Ingredients (Canned)
Water sufficient for processing, liver, beef, tuna, brewers rice, pea fiber, wheat flour, oat fiber, corn oil, fish oil, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, taurine, salt, choline chloride, vitamin supplements (E, B-12, D-3), niacin, biotin, riboflavin supplement, calcium pantothenate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, sodium selenite.
 

ddcats

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What in the world is poultry by-product meal??

You might want to do an ingredient search to see exactly what your vet is recommending to feed you kitty. In the end, it's up to you to research to find out what's best for you kitty.

If a cat needs to be on a diet, IMO, is should be fed less; dry food on occasion and quality canned food most of the time.

Quality food is found at small feed stores.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by ddcats

What in the world is poultry by-product meal??

You might want to do an ingredient search to see exactly what your vet is recommending to feed you kitty. In the end, it's up to you to research to find out what's best for you kitty.

If a cat needs to be on a diet, IMO, is should be fed less; dry food on occasion and quality canned food most of the time.

Quality food is found at small feed stores.
Poultry by product meal per affco ... is poultry heads , ft, intestines ... which can also include undeveloped eggs , entrails

Actually about 50 % of feed stores carry things like cat chow as "premium"

To the OP

what was the prior meal plan ??? was it mainly dry or wet or a combo and what brand or brands ... How much wt does the kitty need to loose??How old is the kitty??
 
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misty8723

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Originally Posted by sharky

what was the prior meal plan ??? was it mainly dry or wet or a combo and what brand or brands ... How much wt does the kitty need to loose??How old is the kitty??
Swanie is about 3 years old (I don't know exactly) and he currently weighs 17.2 lbs. I haven't talked with the vet yet about how much he should lose because we're treating him for another issue and I want to get through that first.

What I'm feeding him now:

Wet - 3x a day. I split a 3 ounce can between the two cats, or 1/4 each of the 5.5 ounch cans. Brands I'm feeding are Natural Balance, Wellness (beef & salmon w/out garlic), Evangers, Eagle Pack, Felidae, and Meow Mix (because sometimes that's all Cindy will eat). Swanie never eats all of what I put in his dish.

Dry food - I put out about 3/4 cup at night, split between two bowls. They are getting a mix of California Natural and Orijen.

Treats are something I need to cut out (or cut way back). Swanie loves to play "treat chase" where I toss a treat and he chases and pounces on it. I used to use Royal Canin kibble for that, but after the recall and the more research I did, I didn't feel good about using that. So, I caved in and got some Whiskas Temptations (which Cindy loves), and also some Purrfectly Natural. And, no, he won't chase anything if he can't eat it when he catches it


He has gained 2 pounds in about 4 months. I'm wondering if the orijen is causing him to gain weight? I hope not, because I like it and they love it.
 
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misty8723

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Originally Posted by ddcats

What in the world is poultry by-product meal??

You might want to do an ingredient search to see exactly what your vet is recommending to feed you kitty. In the end, it's up to you to research to find out what's best for you kitty.

If a cat needs to be on a diet, IMO, is should be fed less; dry food on occasion and quality canned food most of the time.

Quality food is found at small feed stores.
There's not a chance in the world I would be feeding them that dry food. Not sure about the wet. I already told the vet I wouldn't consider Science Diet, but that I would look at the Purina.

I've done a ton of research already and feed them premium foods. I've been through feed trials, trying to find the best quality I could get that they will eat. I'm not rich, but I'm the type of person who will eat spam and feed my cats caviar. Or go into debt to buy their food.


We don't have any feed stores anywhere nearby. I buy stuff online.

I was just looking for some opinions and options, since I've never had him on a diet before.
 

sharky

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I actually would sub in the orijen as the treat food if you can
 

momto3cats

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Can you just use part of the daily serving of kibble as Swanie's treats? That way he would get some exercise, but no extra food.
 
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misty8723

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Originally Posted by momto3cats

Can you just use part of the daily serving of kibble as Swanie's treats? That way he would get some exercise, but no extra food.
I've tried that. Unfortunately, if it's normally in his bowl, he doesn't see it as a treat.
 
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misty8723

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Originally Posted by sharky

I actually would sub in the orijen as the treat food if you can
Is the orijen causing him to gain, do you think?

The main reason I leave the dry kibble at night is because Cindy won't eat a much of the wet, and she grazes on the kibble all night. And she definitely can't afford to lose any weight.
 

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Maybe you can talk to your vet about higher quality dry food recommendations? Tell him you dislike the ingredients in the Purina and Science Diet.

In your opinion, what is your favorite brand of food that you feed your cats? Try talking to your vet about that food and ask him if your substitute the Purina with that food and keep him on scheduled feedings if he will lose the weight.

Also, try and feed your cat more canned food and less dry food. Make sure it is a good quality canned food too.

Is Cindy underweight? If she is a healthy weight, scheduling her feedings will maintain her weight, not lose it.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Misty8723

Is the orijen causing him to gain, do you think?

The main reason I leave the dry kibble at night is because Cindy won't eat a much of the wet, and she grazes on the kibble all night. And she definitely can't afford to lose any weight.
No Actually currently a few kittys on here are LOOSING wt on ORIJEN ... I thought maybe replaceing a heavy grain treat with orijen might help...

High protein / moderate fat diets are two fold ... chubby cats can loose wt while slender ones often bulk up a bit ...
 

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My vet recommends not leaving food out all the time. Your guy is getting fat from eating all that dry food. I feed mine twice a day, the get a portiion of wet, and then in the same dish, but next to, not mixed in, a half a handul of dry. Whatever is left after an hour, gets picked up. We don't have any weight issues, and Fang lost weight, he was starting to look like a bowling ball, because I was leaving the dry out all night and he apparently was eating most of it. He was a rescue who lived on the street for the first 6 months of his life, so I think he had a starvation mentality, and felt he should eat everything available and then some. It has been a few years now, and he will actually turn up his nose now, if it doesn't meet his standards.


anyway, pick up the food, the other cat will eat it when you put it out at meal time.
 
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misty8723

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Originally Posted by gailuvscats

anyway, pick up the food, the other cat will eat it when you put it out at meal time.
Unfortunately ... no she won't. She's picky and stubborn. If she doesn't want what I give her, or doesn't want it when I give it to her, she'll just walk away and start to bathe. She won't hesitate to harass me in the middle of the night for food, either, if there isn't any available.

I guess I may just have to learn to live with getting woken up every couple hours
 
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misty8723

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Originally Posted by Brittany_Nicole

Maybe you can talk to your vet about higher quality dry food recommendations? Tell him you dislike the ingredients in the Purina and Science Diet.
We discussed it for awhile. I told her I had been researching and didn't like Science Diet or Purina. So she said Iams... I said NO. The only other suggestion she had was Natural Balance. I feed them Natural Balance canned, but I just don't think diet dry food is all that helpful. Just my opinion.

Originally Posted by Brittany_Nicole

Also, try and feed your cat more canned food and less dry food. Make sure it is a good quality canned food too.
Definitely been trying to do that. Again, the problem is Miss Cindy FussyToes, who prefers dry, and will walk away from wet food if she's not in the mood. And even when she does take a liking to it, she barely eats enough to put a dent in whats in the bowl.

Originally Posted by Brittany_Nicole

Is Cindy underweight? If she is a healthy weight, scheduling her feedings will maintain her weight, not lose it.
The vet says she's fine, but she's only about 6 pounds, and I'm afraid if I try to take the dry food away from her, she'll start losing. She's already lost a bit since I first got her. If it weren't for that, they would be on all wet. I was working toward that, found a couple decent brands that she liked, and then the recall happened and I had to start over. Unfortunately, the better the quality, the less likely she is to eat it.
 
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misty8723

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Thank you all for your great suggestions. I'm processing everything (in my head) to try to come up with an ideal solution.

I'm leaning toward caving in and getting a less than great quality wet for Cindy and giving the premium stuff to Swanie (who basically never met a wet he wouldn't eat). I like the idea of splitting the can between them, because neither of them are fond of leftovers, but I'll do what I have to do. And trying (again) to weaning them both off dry.

Wish me luck


Oh yes - and stop giving Swanie so many treats (I think that's the real problem, and that's my fault, and I can fix that one easily enough).
 

brittany_nicole

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Originally Posted by Misty8723

The vet says she's fine, but she's only about 6 pounds, and I'm afraid if I try to take the dry food away from her, she'll start losing. She's already lost a bit since I first got her. If it weren't for that, they would be on all wet. I was working toward that, found a couple decent brands that she liked, and then the recall happened and I had to start over. Unfortunately, the better the quality, the less likely she is to eat it.
You don't need to take the dry away. You just don't allow her to eat as much as she wants.

Have you tried scheduled feedings before? You vet can probably recommend an amount of food per day that will be healthy for your cats. Split that amount into 2 or more servings per day. I recommend starting off with more food than he recommends and gradually decreasing the amount per day until you are at the recommended amount. Also, your cats may beg for food less if you give them a bunch of little servings per day until you are down to an amount that is easy for you.

I doubt the brand will effect the weight loss if you schedule their meals. I have a friend who recommended Chicken Soup to me for my slightly overweight cat Millie. They have a weight management formula that really helped her cat along with the scheduled meals. I haven't tried it yet though. It would be pointless until I decide to schedule Saedie's meals. Millie will just steal the kitten food.



Originally Posted by Misty8723

Thank you all for your great suggestions. I'm processing everything (in my head) to try to come up with an ideal solution.

I'm leaning toward caving in and getting a less than great quality wet for Cindy and giving the premium stuff to Swanie (who basically never met a wet he wouldn't eat). I like the idea of splitting the can between them, because neither of them are fond of leftovers, but I'll do what I have to do. And trying (again) to weaning them both off dry.
If that turns out to be your final decision then I'm glad you made up your mind and good luck. Hopefully Cindy does well on it and Swanie loses a few pounds.
 
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