Switching to a higher-quality food

kgregson · May 18, 2005

Not that I am knocking Kirkland food, I have fed it to my cats for quite some time with no problems. However, since I got my dog I have noticed that "premium" cat food is not the same a "premium" dog food. Premium dog food usually contains no byproducts and the Kirkland dog food, no byproducts. However, Kirkland "premium cat food, first ingredient Chicken byproduct meal, garbage (beaks an feet). My cats will be getting switched to Authority once this bag runs out.

Concerned Owner

Kevin

nano · May 18, 2005

I just want to add some general comments for anyone who might lurk this thread for information--

Based on my total experience of a pet owner with a variety of animals, buying high quality food actually saves money.

1. They eat less of it, so a 20 lb bulk bag of a premium food...that goes a ways!
2. Premium food means the pet is a little healthier and doesn't seem to have so many nagging issues...which means fewer trips to the vet and faster recovery from minor illnesses.

I know this post sounds really crazy but I am serious -- buying premium food will actually save you money over the life of the pet.

kgregson · May 18, 2005

To add to what Nano is saying and what my main point was, is don't read the front of the package and because it says premium think it is good. Take the time to flip it over and read some ingredients.

My theory is if I wouldn't eat it why should my cats/dog. Now realistically I will never eat cat/dog food God willing and I know I will never find the ideal food.

But........less nasty stuff the better!!

jen · May 18, 2005

Does anyone have any comments on Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul? That is what I switched to off of Nutro, which was a switch off of Iams. My cats love it but I can't tell if they are eating less because I have 7 cats and they are free fed. Any comments would be appreciated...

I know there was a post about this before but I think it is a great food the ingredients seem good to me compared to other brands. I am no expert on food though.

laureen227 · May 18, 2005

Originally Posted by casiokitty

I just wanted to thank you for all of your help with the nutrition. My cats thank you even more. I sent you a little pic of my special baby Gizmo.

Gizmo is adorable - is he blind, or did the camera just get his eyes looking wonky?

crazy-cat-lover · May 18, 2005

I fed my cats Chick Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul and they did awesome on it. It is a great food choice!

sharky · May 18, 2005

My oldest went to max from friskies when I got educated, she loved the max.... My youngest loves the natural choice indoor but is now on feline caviar( ordered eevo but got this) she loves it and for the slightly underwt kid she is the high cal hopefully will help..
www.caninecaviar.com it is far cheaper than her pervious food but reads just as well ...

starlie · May 18, 2005

I'm curious to know why Innova got only 2 stars and Felidae 3? Nutro has corn gluten meal in almost all of their flavors and they get 4?

On the other hand, Innova and Felidae have meat/chicken listed as thier first 3 ingredients and no corn in any of their formulas.

scamperfarms · May 18, 2005

Originally Posted by alicat613

Yes, they'll eat a lot less.
It's funny, we've been through several foods and each one was less.
We, er, my cats that is! ate ProPlan before I knew much about it, and they just ate and ate and ate that stuff. And half the time puked it up. Then we went to Nutro Naturals and they ate less. When we switched to Natural Balance, they eat even less. I free-feed and only give canned occassionally and we go through so little food it's amazing. That's one of the best parts of feeding a better food!

As long as they are eating some, it's ok. In time you'll get used to how much they eat of the new food.

PS you are not a bad mommy!!! It's not like you didn't care about your cat, you just didn't know, and like your parents cats, many do great on Meow Mix and other cheaper foods. A higher quality food can give cats better health, but heck just like people there are individuals that could eat anything and do well. A higher quality food IMO though does actually save money because you will feed less.

Like with the ProPlan, oh we were always needing cat food, the biggest bag they have. We switched to Natural Balance around last August? And I swear I've only bought 2 large bags for 2 cats!! It must be 3 bags, but I only remember 2. Hmm. LOL

I think my kids are weird

we tried Nutro an upgrade from Purina Cat Chow ( i know bad mom) but..they refused to eat the stufff...tried the best they made. Nope nothing doing. they went on strike..

Gave em Pro Plan....(feed my pups that and they do great Vet even asked me what I fed them..and now carries Purina special diets) They eat..ALOT LESS than the cat chow.but they eat and are in wonderfull health

I think some is based ont he cat..yes I would like to have a little better ingredients..but..

First ingrident is real meat.....which is a big step above what we did feed. They like it, have good shinny coats..cant complain i guess.

jen · May 18, 2005

Wow that feline caviar stuff looks great! I don't think it is affordable for me though because I have 7 cats. I would have to buy 2 bags at a time probably! I think I will stick with Chicken Soup for now. What is eevo?

sharky · May 18, 2005

Originally Posted by Jen

Wow that feline caviar stuff looks great! I don't think it is affordable for me though because I have 7 cats. I would have to buy 2 bags at a time probably! I think I will stick with Chicken Soup for now. What is eevo?

The caviar is actually going to be cheaper than what I had been feeding ... 4.5 lbs with wa state tax came to 7.64 , my indoor nutro was cheapest place 7.99+ most 8.99 plus tax.. so about 9 to 10 all said and done for a 4lb... chn soup is good I dont like so many grains but in some places is very reasonable , here it is 30 bucks for a 18 or 20 lb bag

aussie_dog · May 18, 2005

What is eevo?

Evo is Innova EVO, which is the latest craze amongst animal lovers. I personally don't feed it for 2 reasons: one, I can't find it and I can't afford to buy online, and two, you have to feed a LOT less with this food (like for a 70 pound dog, you feed only 3/4 cup a day). All 3 of my pets would starve! Not literally, but they'd be hunting for every crumb off the floor because they just aren't used to eating such teeny tiny portions. If you've got one of those cats or dogs that loves food, you might not have great results on this food. Physically and health-wise, yes, but mentally, no (lol).

I personally feed both cats Royal Canin, and my dog gets Sensible Choice (made by Royal Canin). I've tried Nutro Natural Choice and Natural Balance, and my kids are doing their best on this food (Buffy and Willow are so shiny and soft, and Willow has gained so much energy that she's like another cat. My dog is running around like mad, his coat is sooooo shiny and soft, and his poops are chalky and white! [a sign that his body is getting all the nutrients from the food]). Nutro Natural Choice was good, all my kids got shiny coats. Natural Balance was good too, at first, but then Jake's coat got dull and I changed it (when I change foods, I tend to change it for both the cats and dog. Not quite sure why, I just do).

Nutro Ultra is the best of the Nutro brand, by the way, but I'm not sure if they sell it in cat-food. I can't find it in my Petsmart. There's Nutro Natural Choice and Nutro Max for cats, and all 3 of the brands for dogs. I want to try Ultra eventually, but if it's not available, then I can't.

crazy-cat-lover · May 18, 2005

Ewww! That Cavier Cat Food has a wet food that is made purely of ground beaver! How horrible! I know they are saving the beavers from being thrown in a landfill after they are needlessly killed for "population control", but I don't agree with it one bit. They shouldn't be killing beavers in the first place! Send 'em to Canada!

The Chicken and Salmon food sounds great though.

aussie_dog · May 18, 2005

Originally Posted by cookie

just thought I'd let you know, that after doing research, I have changed my opinion, and will be switching both my cats to Medi-Cal or prescription hills. I was wondering what others would pick between the two. I'm thinking of going with the Medi-cal because it is naturally perserved, but the prescription hills has a good reputation even though it is preserved with Bht etc...My cats are just to precious to me, so even if they seem fine now, I want to prevent them getting sick because of mal-nutrition in the future!
Any thoughts? Also another question, all the popular well known brands here in canada, have some ingresitents considered "low grade",
is there such a cat fodd whre all the ingredients are of good grade?
I imagine it woulf be afortune as the one I found already cost way more than commercial food.

I'm looking at the Medi-cal ingredient list, but I don't really know what formula you're thinking of feeding. First I looked at the "Mature" formula and didn't quite like the ingredients (too much grains as the first ingredients) and then I looked at the "Preventative" formula and it looks okay. Not super duper premium, but an okay ingredient list (still would have liked to see a meat as the first inredient instead of Brewsers Rice)

Medi-cal "Preventative" Formula
Brewers Rice, Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid and Lecithin), Corn, Dried Whole Egg, Herring Oil, Liver Digest, Beet Pulp, Brewers Yeast, Flax Meal, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Bioplex, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Bioplex, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Copper Bioplex, Calcium Iodate and Organic Selenium), DL-Methionine, Taurine, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E, Niacin, Inositol, Ascorbic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Biotin, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3).

Prescription Hills is made by Science Diet, which isn't a good food.

Science Diet "Adult Original" formula
Chicken by-product meal, corn meal, brewers rice, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), corn gluten meal, chicken liver flavor, taurine, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid, minerals (potassium chloride, calcium sulfate, salt, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), rosemary extract, beta carotene, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement).

First ingredient of Science Diet is Chicken By-product meal, which is BAD. Chicken Meal is ideal for the first ingredient, but By-products are to be avoided in any food, regardless on where in the list they occur. If you have to choose between the two foods, I would definitely say Medi-cal. Their ingredient list is much better than Science Diet's.

Now, I'm not completely experience in ingredients yet, but I'm at the point where I can look at a list and see the good and bad parts. Sometimes I get a "vibe" that sometimes feels like a good vibe and sometimes feels like a bad vibe. Science Diet is definitely bad, no matter what formula you use. Medi-cal (by the way, is it at all related to Techni-cal, another Canadian food, that I was interested in a while ago? Hmmm...) isn't great, but it's still heaps better than Science Diet.

dcgirl79 · Aug 22, 2006

Originally Posted by Aussie_Dog

Medi-cal (by the way, is it at all related to Techni-cal, another Canadian food, that I was interested in a while ago? Hmmm...) isn't great, but it's still heaps better than Science Diet.

According to this page:

http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/dietary1.php

"Royal Canin has acquired IVDÂ[emoji]174[/emoji], Medi-CalÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] and Techni-CalÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] brands from Del Monte and has also formed an alliance with Waltham's veterinary diets."

There is also a product chart that itemizes the various brand offerings and identifies identical products sold in Canada and the U.S.

brooklynkitties · Aug 22, 2006

Originally Posted by Jen

Does anyone have any comments on Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul?

http://cats.about.com/cs/nutrition/gr/chickensoup.htm

yeah, the same stuff i feed my 2 cats. used to feed them Newman's, but the store i buy from (they only carry "real" food...higher grade stuff) switched from Newman's to Chicken Soup (who knows why)...and it seemed like a great price and the ingredients were amazing. anyway, i'm convinced that they like it well enough, and better than the Newman's, at least i think...(long story). i fill one bowl for the two of them just about once a day, and just about every day i split up a can of Merrick canned food, which they LOVE. they go freakin' nuts every time...it never gets old.

an ex-roommate who owns a cat got suckered (by his Vet, of course) into believing that foods like Iams are better for cats' urinary tracts (preventing crystals, etc). i find this to be complete and utter B.S. though, since it is well-known that vets, like doctors and prescriptions...get a "kick-back" from the bigger coorporations when they convert a client. and if you look closely at the ingredients of the "real" food that any discerning cat-lover will hopefully eventually choose...you will not only see low magnesium, but ingredients like cranberries, which are there for obvious reasons.

the worst part about it though...is that when encountering a roommate such as this...it can be very difficult to change the mind of the other cat owner...and then YOUR cats end up eating the s**t-food, because let's face it...just like humans...i think sometimes we'd rather eat a pizza than beansprouts and carrots.

sharky · Aug 22, 2006

Originally Posted by brooklynkitties

http://cats.about.com/cs/nutrition/gr/chickensoup.htm

yeah, the same stuff i feed my 2 cats. used to feed them Newman's, but the store i buy from (they only carry "real" food...higher grade stuff) switched from Newman's to Chicken Soup (who knows why)...and it seemed like a great price and the ingredients were amazing. anyway, i'm convinced that they like it well enough, and better than the Newman's, at least i think...(long story). i fill one bowl for the two of them just about once a day, and just about every day i split up a can of Merrick canned food, which they LOVE. they go freakin' nuts every time...it never gets old.

an ex-roommate who owns a cat got suckered (by his Vet, of course) into believing that foods like Iams are better for cats' urinary tracts (preventing crystals, etc). i find this to be complete and utter B.S. though, since it is well-known that vets, like doctors and prescriptions...get a "kick-back" from the bigger coorporations when they convert a client. and if you look closely at the ingredients of the "real" food that any discerning cat-lover will hopefully eventually choose...you will not only see low magnesium, but ingredients like cranberries, which are there for obvious reasons.

the worst part about it though...is that when encountering a roommate such as this...it can be very difficult to change the mind of the other cat owner...and then YOUR cats end up eating the s**t-food, because let's face it...just like humans...i think sometimes we'd rather eat a pizza than beansprouts and carrots.

There are ingrediants in some foods like corn gluten which aree helpful for Uti as that does what cranberrie cant ...

mickee · Aug 25, 2006

I thought I had seen eukanuba mentioned somewhere. What is the take on this one?

I am trying to switch over to a better food, but am having trouble finding anything that is much better.

Suggestions?????

Mickee

mickee · Aug 25, 2006

I know this is discussed on a regular basis, but I am trying to get my babies on good quality food. They came to me on special kitty, then I moved them to Whiska's kitten, on to Purina kitten chow, and then to Iams. Now today I purchases Eukanuba and am having trouble finding discussions about this particular food. I shop at PetsMart and am not finding much variety. A whole row is devoted to Science diet, but I have heard it is not that great either.

HELP!!!!

TOTALLY CONFUSED!!!!

Mickee

sharky · Aug 25, 2006

Petsmart look at
Nutro
Royal canin
Blue Spa
and for tight $$ Authority

PEtco
Nutro
Solid Gold
Natural balence
Organix
Royal canin

Switching to a higher-quality food

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