Switching to a higher-quality food

molly a

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I have always fed my kitties Meow Mix. I know I am a bad mommy in that respect, but my parents always fed it to their cats and they turned out fine. Anyway, my 6-year-old has recently developed Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and based on that and my increasing guilt about feeding them cheap food, I've decided to switch to something higher-quality.

We got some Nutro at Petco and I've been mixing it with Meow Mix to gradually introduce it. However, they are eating far, far less since I introduced the Nutro (maybe about half as much?). Is this normal? I'm wondering if the better nutrient content actually just makes them feel fuller with less quantity, or if they just don't like the new food and are refusing to eat it. They don't seem hungry, though, and are usually pretty good about letting me know it when they are hungry. Thanks for any info you can provide.
 

alicat613

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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
 

angelzoo

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Ohh I'm so happy to see post about people switching there furkids to better foods! Ya for you! hee hee.

Yes, you hit it on the nail. Perfectly normal for a cat to not eat as much once switched to a high grade food. The nutrients are better, thusly more filling.

Tell me... after you eat a whole bunch load of chips, compaired to a nice baked potatoe, which one do you feel fuller and healthier on?


On meow mix (which I will never feed them again) they were eating about 2 of their BOWLS per day, that would equal about 3 or 4 measured cups!
But on high grade foods they eat about 1/4 - 1/2 a cup 2x per day.
 

russian blue

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As everyone has stated, the higher quality foods translate in giving smaller portions to your cats. Plus you will see a big difference in the litterbox!

Also depends on the breed of your cat and how much of an appetite he/she has. As an example, AngelzOO gives her cats 1/3 - 1/2 cup twice a day. For my cat, who is a smaller breed, she only eats 1/4 - 1/3 cup once a day. Plus, when my cat is full grown she is only going to be probably 4 - 5 pounds (therefore the smaller appetite)

 
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molly a

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Thank you so much! I suspected they were just getting better quality nutrients and weren't as hungry, but it's hard to say since my older cat is so picky about things. Mine are hearty eaters, too: one weighs 15 pounds (but is big-framed so it's not as bad as it sounds) and I have a 10-month old kitten who is already 10 pounds. I think she is part Maine Coon, because of her features and the fact that she's just enormous.

I'm really relieved to know they're going to eat a lot less. I want to feed them right, but was concerned about the higher cost.
 

angelzoo

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Molly: Yeah, Asim who I feel is a bangel/tabby mix is around 15lbs, and he eats about a 1/2 a cup per feeding 2x per day, sometimes a little less. But he is nice and skinny and has great muscle tone, because he a very active cat on his own without me having to get him to play.
Isha, weights about the same who is probably a Maine Coon/tabby mix, eats the same amount Asim does, and I give her a little extra treats and she's VERY skinny, but that's because she has a very high motabolism.
Tage, who is just your average black domestic short hair, is about.. 8 or 10 pounds and he gets about 1/4 of a cup, if I gave him any more he would definetly LOOK a bit fat.

So, what I'm trying to say is, just adjust accordingly, you can't always go by what your vet predicts, or what the bag says, or what you formally were feeding. From food to food you might have to make amount adjustments, it's better to start with a little extra and slowly decrease the amount until they have reached a good looking weight, then to start off with too little.
Give it a good month or so and I bet your cats fur will start to look and feel better too!
 

casiokitty

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I wanted to ask you guys how do you know what kind of food is good for them? Is Friskies Canned Food or Friskies in the bag?[/color]
 

crazy-cat-lover

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The first thing I look for when I'm buying cat food is the ingredients! I feed my cats Solid Gold and they LOVE it! The litter box doesn't smell, their coats are glossy, they look so healthy and they eat WAY less than when I was feeding Nutro. I love Nutro Max Cat too! When my balding cat Peppurr was on Nutro Max Cat his fur grew back so soft and glossy! Natural Balance is another GREAT food! I mix half Natural Balance and half Solid Gold in their food container.

For Casiokitty:

Here's how we know!
Take a look at the ingredients in these two foods.

Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken Dry Cat Food

Ingredients

Lamb Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Ground Millet, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Barley, Rice Bran Oil, Canola Oil, Flax Seed Oil, Amaranth, Rice Bran, Garlic, Blueberries, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Carotene, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Vitami A Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Natural Flavors Added.* * Usually Apples or Carrots.

Friskies Ocean Fish Flavor Dry Cat Food

Ingredients

Ground Yellow Corn, Poultry By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Digest of Chicken By-Products, Meat and Bone Meal, Fish Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with BHA), Phosphoric Acid, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Iron Oxide, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Potassium Sorbate & Ethoxyquin (Preservatives) Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin Supplements (E, A, B12, D3), Copper Sulfate, Niacin, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Pantothenate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin.

When choosing a cat food, always check if there are ANY by-products in it. These by-products may include decayed meat or even the remains of companion pet animals. You also want to stay away from Ground Yellow Corn. Most of the cheaper cat foods are mostly grains, not meat. Below is a list of what you should stay away from!

Avoid any food with the following ingredients

Propylene Glycol, Ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT, meat by-products, trace minerals in the form of mineral oxides or sulfates.
Trace minerals in these forms can not be digested by the animal consuming them. Also try to avoid corn gluten which is a second corn product.

It's hard to understand, but eventually you'll want to feed your cat the best food you can afford. Not everyone can afford high quality food, some foods are so expensive it's crazy!

Some VERY great foods my cats have tried
I have also rated the foods * to * * * * * stars. 1 is Bad and 5 is Great!

Solid Gold * * * * *

Natural Balance * * * * *

Felidae * * *

Innova * *

Nutro Max Cat * * * *

Authority * * *

Natural Choice * *

And there you have it! My long story about cat food!
 

casiokitty

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I want to thank you for the help but I don't believe I have ever seen those at WAL-MART. I guess that is my next research subject. Can you help me with a bit of sites to see
 

hissy

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ck-

The easiest and best rule of thumb is if the food is red in color, you want to steer away from it. The redness is sodium nitrate, very dangerous for cats. The more heavily dyed it is, you want to steer clear of it as well. If you say buy a bag of MeowMix and then a bag of NutroMix and pour them out, you will see Nutro is brown, and Meow is red and other colors.

I read somewhere that the food once it is all processed is black because of the charcoal, some cat food by law, it varies state to state, has to be coated in charcoal to make sure no one sells it as people food.

here is link, you can start to do research on your own and make the best decision for your cat(s) I have been feeding Royal Canin for quite awhile and am quite impressed with their product, quality and committment.

Food Category
 

nern

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Originally posted by casiokitty
I wanted to ask you guys how do you know what kind of food is good for them? Is Friskies Canned Food or Friskies in the bag?[/color]
Things I look for in a good food:
*Specific meat (chicken meal vs. meat meal) source as the first ingredient
- cats are strict carnivores so why feed a grain based food?
*Meat proteins sources (chicken meal; chicken)over plant proteins (corn gluten meal; soybean meal)
- cats digest animal protein better than plant protein - the addition of plant protein in a cat food tells me that the overall food is of lower quality
*Meat/Organs(chicken meal; chicken; chicken liver) over by-products (chicken by-products; chicken by-product meal)
- while all by-products are not "bad"....because of the likelyhood of the inclusion of heads, feet, tendons obviously they will not be as digestible or usable as muscle meats and organs
*Chicken fat over beef tallow
- beef tallow has a low digestibility and is very low in linoleic acid
*No artificial colors or dyes
- cats dont care what color the food is but some manufacturers try to make the food more appealing to us "the consumers" by using colors
*No chemical preservatives (BHA; BHT; Ethoxyquin)
- while the issue of these chemicals being harmful to our pets is controversial...the possibility is enough for me to avoid them

Foods that meet these requirements are generally highly digestible, calorie dense and overall healthier for cats IMO.
Also, the more digestible the food, the less waste it will produce.
With that being said....IMO,Friskies is not a high quality food. The canned Friskies is probably a little better than the dry.

Here is a link worth checking out:
http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=689
 

nern

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Originally posted by casiokitty
I want to thank you for the help but I don't believe I have ever seen those at WAL-MART. I guess that is my next research subject. Can you help me with a bit of sites to see
Cat food sites: (most of them have store locators so you can see if they are available in your area)

Innova, California Natural, Healthwise - www.naturapet.com
Felidae - www.canidae.com
Wellness - www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Solid Gold - www.solidgoldhealth.com
Pinnacle - www.avoderm.com
Nutro - www.nutropetproducts.com
Natural Balance - www.naturalbalanceinc.com (available at Petco)
Timberwolf Organics - www.timberwolforganics.com
 

angelzoo

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I will vouge for just about every single food that was listed in here as beeing a great food! lol
Now whether your cat will like it, or if it really works with your cat is another question, it can take some trial and error, but most the time it works out.


I have all 3 of my cats, (and my ferret's mix) on Solid Gold, it's a wonderful food! It even has improved Tages coat and I was beginning to think nothing would. They didn't take to it too well at first, I had to with hold all other food until they would eat it, but now they scarf it down.
Natural Balance I think is a WONDERFUL food, but my cats would barely eat it. It was a struggle to get them to finish one small bag.

I've noticed that foods that have fruits/berries in them, my cats aren't as egar to eat it.
 

cookie

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Just thought I'd put my 2 cents in...
Cat's know when they get the amount of nutrients they need, so if you feed cheaper food, they will eat more of it until they get the proper amount. This can possibly be the reason for some cats being over weight, but not neccarily. I have seen cats on the most expensive food available here in Canada, and be overwieght. In fact here in Canada, we have other cat foods from company's that are not name brands, like "no name" and "special kitty", now these aren't as good as the expensive expensive ones, but not as bad as like friskies or wiskas. Reading the ingredients as mentionned in th other posts can help you decide and let those who can't spend that much on foods still give thier cats good nutrition. I feed my cats the kirkland signature cat food (like science diet), and diffent wet foods, only a spoonful as a treat twice a day. When I once tried to give them friskies, both my cats got diarrea, and very stinky poops. So I switched back to the other brands I use, both are back to healthy and happy! My cats are fussy too, I have a overtime figured out which flavors they like and don't like as much. Ofcourse now I only give them what they like to keep them as happy as they can be! So don't be afraid to experiment!

 

casiokitty

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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.
 

angelzoo

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Are you the lady that posted her blind cat on the General Forum a few days back? The one the vet wanted to put down, or was that someone else!
Also for anyone that doesn't know, it's good to get cat food that has the right level of taurine in it, helps prevent against things such as blindness. Though most, if not just about all, have this in their food now adays.
 

nern

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Originally posted by cookie
Cat's know when they get the amount of nutrients they need, so if you feed cheaper food, they will eat more of it until they get the proper amount. This can possibly be the reason for some cats being over weight, but not neccarily.
I politely disagree.....
Cats & dogs eat to meet their energy needs not their nutrient needs. Cheap foods are often low in calories but highly palatable due to added flavor enhancers(like digest)thus causing some animals to overconsume and become obese. Cheap foods may also meet the nutrient profiles but may contain nutrients that are not well utilized thus causing nutrient deficiencies. With improperly balanced foods cats may consume enough to meet their energy needs but may not meet their nutrient needs.

Quotes from books:
"Animals are capable of regulating their energy intake to accurately meet their daily caloric requirements. When allowed free access to a balanced, moderately palatable diet, most dogs and cats will consume enough food to meet, but not exceed, their daily energy needs. Contrary to popular beleif, dogs and cats are unable to self-regulate their intake of most other essential nutrients. Companion animals that are deficient in a particular vitamin, mineral, or essential amino acid will not seek foods that contain the nutrient or preferentially select a diet that is abundant in the deficient nutrient. In contrast dogs and cats that are deficient in energy will spontaneously increase their caloric intake until energy balance is achieved."
- Canine and Feline Nutrition..Case,Carey,Hirakawa

"Studies conducted in several species have proven that animals do not consume amino acids, fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, or minerals (with the exception of sodium) according to their needs. When animals are allowed to select and consume specific nutrients, free-choice, there is much individual variation. Some animals ingest the correct amount, others in excess, and others little or none. Thus, the only way to ensure that each animal receives the proper amount of each nutrient is to feed a food containing the proper balance of nutrients with respect to the caloric density of the diet."
- Small Animal Clinical Nutrition III...Lewis, Morris, Hand
 

cookie

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no I don't have a blind cat,luckly both my cats are healthy and happy! I think you guys mis-understood me, I am not saying that feeding cheaper foods is good. I am talking about choosing foods by the ingredients, according to all the stuff already mentionned in other posts, no by-products right amount of tuarine, ash...just that that doesn't only have to be the expensive name brands, we have no name brands with the good ingredients for cheaper price, cheaper price doesn't always mean cheaper quality is all I am saying, usually does, but not always. When I tried the friskies it was when I first got my cats, not knowing anything about the differences, when it got them diarea I researched the differences in foods. But thanks for your info I hadn't known about that study!
 

cookie

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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.
 

martyr

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I am a big fan of Nutro natural Choice - it has natural ingredients, real meat and no preservatives, no by products. My last two cats lived to be 18 and 19 years old and died naturally at home. I think this is a great food.

The two things that have been mentioned already that I want to underscore:
Don't buy any food that has by-proudcts in it. This is the stuff that has been rejected as unfit for humans.
Cats will definitley eat less of the quality food because it is much higher in nutritious calories. (and no icky red runny stuff in the cat box either!)

Oh and for the Walmart question: you have to go to a pet store or feed store or vet to buy these quality foods - but even the chain pet stores have them.

Marty
whose smart Siamese kitty Sumalee has learned how to open the doors to get outside!! not to mention cupboards and drawers all over the house.
 
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