Grain free dry foods ok for cats 7 and older?

Since I already ordered the two 4 pound bags of Nature's variety Instinct chicken formula which has 50% protein and 22% fat I'm wanting to know if this food really is ok for my cats. I've read that grain free, high protein dry foods tend to be really high in phosphorous which may not be good for the kidneys. My cats do not have kidney disease. I just hope this food doesn't increase the risk or cause it.

Because of this reason I may only feed this food temporarily, feed what I purchased and never order it again.

Likely wont cause ... YES all grain frees are out of Traditional UTI and kidney/ liver NORMS.... I say the later since phos and ca+ play a big role in uti health too

My vet has a differing opnion on the senior... me I say if feeding a dry keep the protein and fat moderate as dry is lacking in moisture ... vet does not think it is a big deal to give a senior high protein and fat in a dry as long as NO ISSUES are currently present.. TIme will tell us if the high protein drys are indeed safe for all ages

Originally Posted by sharky

Likely wont cause ... YES all grain frees are out of Traditional UTI and kidney/ liver NORMS.... I say the later since phos and ca+ play a big role in uti health too

My vet has a differing opnion on the senior... me I say if feeding a dry keep the protein and fat moderate as dry is lacking in moisture ... vet does not think it is a big deal to give a senior high protein and fat in a dry as long as NO ISSUES are currently present.. TIme will tell us if the high protein drys are indeed safe for all ages

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I found this interesting and timely. Mika had her annual vet visit last Saturday with our former vet (she had moved from our area and we finally found her not too far from where we currently live). She asked what we were feeding (Merrick and Orijen) and said they were good foods but that when the kitties get older these foods could be hard on their kidneys/liver (I can't remember which one she actually mentioned since I wasn't at the appointment and was just hearing it from our daughter Jen).

I'm sure she meant the Orijen grain free dry since wet food is diluted enough to be good for the kidneys. And yes, I remember reading some information from a vet named Dr Jean who said that dry food is dehydrating and high protein dry food is even more dehydrating.That's why I'm limiting my cats dry food to about 20% of their diet. The wet will be healthier for the cats urinary systems and kidneys and protein is always better for cats in a wet form.

I ordered the grain free dry Instinct and I'm going to use it since I've spent so much money for it including shipping but I won't stick with it. I'm thinking about switching to a regular dry formula like Nature's Variety Prairie or something that comes in an even smaller bag, like 2 pounds, since a bag of dry food is going to last me a long time with 80% of their diet coming from wet.

My goal is to make wet a staple and dry food just a treat. Can't eliminate the dry food because if I have to rely on a pet sitter, the sitter is not going to hang around and wait an hour or two for my cats to finish their wet 2 or 3 times a day.

Originally Posted by sharky

Likely wont cause ... YES all grain frees are out of Traditional UTI and kidney/ liver NORMS.... I say the later since phos and ca+ play a big role in uti health too

My vet has a differing opnion on the senior... me I say if feeding a dry keep the protein and fat moderate as dry is lacking in moisture ... vet does not think it is a big deal to give a senior high protein and fat in a dry as long as NO ISSUES are currently present.. TIme will tell us if the high protein drys are indeed safe for all ages

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I found this interesting and timely. Mika had her annual vet visit last Saturday with our former vet (she had moved from our area and we finally found her not too far from where we currently live). She asked what we were feeding (Merrick and Orijen) and said they were good foods but that when the kitties get older these foods could be hard on their kidneys/liver (I can't remember which one she actually mentioned since I wasn't at the appointment and was just hearing it from our daughter Jen).

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Very interesting! This is something I recently asked a couple of vets, as Jamie is >8, and eating very high protein wet and dry food. Most of them said to make sure to give a wide variety of foods, as the potassium/calcium ratios differ from brand to brand, and from flavor to flavor, depending on the main protein ingredient(s).

Since I usually feed at least three dry foods at any given time, I've been feeding one grain-free and two with grain, as Jamie balks at having all grain-free dry.