Certain brands better than others?...

erinb_86

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I am currently feeding my kitten Nutriscience (a brand from a Canadian pet store). I am wondering if anyone knows if this is a good brand and if there are better options out there that don't break the bank? Also when can I or should I start including soft food into his diet? He is almost 10 weeks old and I'm wanting my baby to be as happy and healthy as possible...and nutrition is very important to me (I am vegetarian and a health nut).
Thanks everyone!
Erin and Tux
 

glitch

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Is he going to be a vegitarian also? Or is he gonna eat meat? (just curious so I know what you would prefer to feed him)
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by erinb_86

I am currently feeding my kitten Nutriscience (a brand from a Canadian pet store). I am wondering if anyone knows if this is a good brand and if there are better options out there that don't break the bank? Also when can I or should I start including soft food into his diet? He is almost 10 weeks old and I'm wanting my baby to be as happy and healthy as possible...and nutrition is very important to me (I am vegetarian and a health nut).
Thanks everyone!
Erin and Tux
It is not the best but it is far from the worst ... Depending on budget and where you shop ...

Many on here use orijen which is a canadian company that make s a very good grain free

Originally Posted by glitch

Is he going to be a vegitarian also? Or is he gonna eat meat? (just curious so I know what you would prefer to feed him)
CATs are OBLIGATE carnivores so asking if it is a vegitarian is NOT appropriate
 

kalikat

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I've read that wet food is much better for cats than dry. Even for their teeth. I'm not familiar with American foods as most of them are not available here. Cats are carnivores & should not be vegitarian.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by glitch

Sorry, thought there was such thing as diets without meat! MY BAD!!
Unfortunately there are some that are marketed but they are worse IMHO than any chemical pres , by product and grain filled food out there...
 

glitch

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Ya I just read a web page about vegitarian cat diets...NOT GOOD!!
I feed mine 90/10 they get mostly wet food and then a little dry at night cuz I dont like to leave wet out (Im sure it gets icky bacteria or something) And then my kitten gets the bottle too (havn't quite figured out how to get rid of it) I think everyone on here has a different opinion on food though! Different foods are tolerated by different cats!
 
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erinb_86

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lol Well just to clear it up, even though I am a vegetarian I am well aware that cats must have a diet rich in meats and hearty proteins. I just mentioned vegetarianism to let people know that proper nutrition is important to me! :p
Anyways I would love to find out more about this Oijen brand like where I can purchase it, etc, etc. if anyone has info for here in Canada I would be truly grateful! Also it seems that most of you do feed your kittens wet food and I was just wondering if there is a certain age that I should start or is 10 weeks old enough?
Also since we are on the subject, is it better to let your kitten/cat graze throughout the day or divy up portions throughout the day? I read in a book its better to always leave a full bowl of food out, however I know that some people (my sister) put out a certain amount in the morning and then again in the evening. Is this supposed to be done? Tux seems to be fine with the grazing all day method but I'm just wondering if in the long-run this is a good idea?!
Thanks so much!!
Erin and Tux
 

jack31

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I was told that with a kitten you should allow free-feeding. I haven't had an issue with it (Jack is around 4 and half months old).

Jack eats throughout the day, I have tried to notice when in particular he likes to eat for the future but havent noticed a trend besides he likes to have food first thing in the morning if he wakes up when I get up for work and he is out of food, I'm sure to hear about it.

Leslie
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by erinb_86

lol Well just to clear it up, even though I am a vegetarian I am well aware that cats must have a diet rich in meats and hearty proteins. I just mentioned vegetarianism to let people know that proper nutrition is important to me! :p
Anyways I would love to find out more about this Oijen brand like where I can purchase it, etc, etc. if anyone has info for here in Canada I would be truly grateful! Also it seems that most of you do feed your kittens wet food and I was just wondering if there is a certain age that I should start or is 10 weeks old enough?
Also since we are on the subject, is it better to let your kitten/cat graze throughout the day or divy up portions throughout the day? I read in a book its better to always leave a full bowl of food out, however I know that some people (my sister) put out a certain amount in the morning and then again in the evening. Is this supposed to be done? Tux seems to be fine with the grazing all day method but I'm just wondering if in the long-run this is a good idea?!
Thanks so much!!
Erin and Tux
I feed Orijen. I asked the pet store in the small town where I live and buy my pet food if they would get it in for me and they did. They now have other customers buying it as well. They did the same for me when I wanted to order in Merrick wet food since that was the only quality wet my cats would eat.

Orijen is made in Manitoba I believe (not 100% sure of that). Because it is quality food, the cats actually eat less because they don't need as much to satisfy their nutritional needs so although it is a bit more pricey, it lasts longer than the same amount of another brand.

If your kitten is 10 weeks old then you should be able to start feeding it wet food at any time. I'm one of those who believe that a kitten should get as much food as it wants until it is at least 9 months to 1 year old. Small kittens should be fed several times a day (rather than just morning and night) so if you are unable to be home to feed during the day, then I would also agree that leaving a good dry food down for them during the day is a good idea.

We feed wet morning and night with 1/3 cup of Orijen for our two to share during the day. (Mika is tiny compared to Bijou so she gets extra dry at night when she is in our daughter's bedroom behind closed door. In the morning our daughter picks up the dry food so Bijou doesn't get it.) Bijou was getting seriously heavy on the other dry food I was feeding and that's when I switched to 2 wet meals a day and a smaller quantity of good dry. He has lost 1.5 lbs and is looking a bit slimmer.
 
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erinb_86

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Well guys I checked out the Orijen site and although none are extremely close to me I will be passing one on friday on my way to see my mom and I think I will have to stop in a get a few bags. I am going back on my way home for christmas so this will be a perfect opportunity to see if Tux will actually eat the stuff! I am very excited to get my baby on the good brand! Would it be weird to ask roughly how much I should expect to shell out? I will pay whatever for it but it would be nice to be prepared so I don't gauke too much to the lady at the counter! :p
Thanks for all the food health!
 

glitch

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Uhh Than I dont think I can help you with! For the high quality foods I think its like 30$ for a 20lb bag! Thats what I pay for perscription diet at least!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by erinb_86

Well guys I checked out the Orijen site and although none are extremely close to me I will be passing one on friday on my way to see my mom and I think I will have to stop in a get a few bags. I am going back on my way home for christmas so this will be a perfect opportunity to see if Tux will actually eat the stuff! I am very excited to get my baby on the good brand! Would it be weird to ask roughly how much I should expect to shell out? I will pay whatever for it but it would be nice to be prepared so I don't gauke too much to the lady at the counter! :p
Thanks for all the food health!
the online sites in USD a five lb was 15-20
 
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erinb_86

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Well I called the place I will be stopping at and they said it $14.99 for 2.2 kg....thats an awesome price! I mean for 4 lbs of iams its like $11! Oh I am going to be so excited if Tux likes it cause not only is it reasonable and accesable to get, but it's also so healthy for him! Thanks guys so much for recommending it too me...I'll keep you posted on how my babe likes it if you want
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by erinb_86

Well guys I checked out the Orijen site and although none are extremely close to me I will be passing one on friday on my way to see my mom and I think I will have to stop in a get a few bags. I am going back on my way home for christmas so this will be a perfect opportunity to see if Tux will actually eat the stuff! I am very excited to get my baby on the good brand! Would it be weird to ask roughly how much I should expect to shell out? I will pay whatever for it but it would be nice to be prepared so I don't gauke too much to the lady at the counter! :p
Thanks for all the food health!
Orijen makes sample packs that you could pick up and try before spending the big bucks on a full size bag. When you see the sample rack you'll see lots of different ones - don't be confused.


There is Orijen for dogs as well so watch that too. There is Orijen for kittens, adults, etc. . . . .

I pay (I posted in another thread and can't remember now) but about $43 for a large bag but that will last me easily 2 months since I'm feeding wet morning and night and just about 1/3 to 1/2 cup Orijen dry per day. Our daughter gives Mika extra Orijen in her room at night (so Bijou can't get to it since he needs to lose weight and I want him to eat more wet food than dry).

If you have a local pet store that you usually buy from, they may order it in for you if you ask (assuming your kitties like it). I've been super lucky with Bijou and Mika - I can change their food abruptly and they have no diarrhea and that's one thing you have to be careful of when changing dry food. Some folks that have kitties with sensitive tummies change the food over a period of 10 days to 2 weeks by gradually adding the new food to the old food until the new food "takes over".
I changed Bijou and Mika over immediately and they loved the Orijen from the start.
 
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