Questions about cat food

rustypixel

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I'm here to ask if the food experts can look at the ingredients listed below for two canned cat foods that I'm looking into and if I can be given suggestions as to which is the better of the two. Also, what, if any, are the major differences for foods aimed specifically towards kittens. Lastly, what can anyone say about Merrick's BG brand of food?

Thanks for any and all replies.


Innova EVO Cat/Kitten

Ingredients:
Turkey Chicken Turkey Broth Chicken Broth Chicken Meal Herring Carrots Whole Eggs Salmon Meal Natural Flavors Guar Gum Seaweed Extract Apples Tomato Flakes Cottage Cheese Herring Oil Potassium Chloride Apple Fiber Inulin Vitamin C Sea Salt Choline Chloride Sunflower Oil Beta Carotene Vitamins/Minerals




Wellness Kitten

Ingredients:
CHICKEN, CHICKEN LIVER, CHICKEN BROTH, SWEET POTATOES, CARROTS, SALT, GUAR GUM, GROUND ALFALFA, CRANBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, SQUASH, ZUCCHINI, GROUND FLAXSEED, GARLIC POWDER, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, TAURINE, CARRAGEENAN, IRON PROTEINATE (A SOURCE OF CHELATED IRON), BETA CAROTENE, ZINC PROTEINATE (A SOURCE OF CHELATED ZINC), VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, COBALT PROTEINATE (A SOURCE OF CHELATED COBALT), THIAMIN MONONITRATE, COPPER PROTEINATE (A SOURCE OF CHELATED COPPER), FOLIC ACID, MANGANESE PROTEINATE (A SOURCE OF CHELATED MANGANESE), NIACIN, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, SODIUM SELENITE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, POTASSIUM IODIDE, BIOTIN.
 

sharky

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your copareing apples and oranges...

EVO is a grain free meat based

the wellness is grain free but is more based on what most call cat food

usually the difference is protein and fat ... in kitten they are higher as are some micro nutrients to support growth..

EVO is an all stage in the cat/ kitten formula

Merricks grain free cans are meant NOT to be feed alone but I am about to try them with my dry eaters
 
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rustypixel

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Thanks for the reply. What do you mean by your quote below? I would like/plan to feed wet in the morning and evening with a measured amount of dry in the middle. Would my kttens/cats reap any benefit of my using Merrick's grain free along with grain free dry?

Thanks again.


Originally Posted by sharky

your copareing apples and oranges...

Merricks grain free cans are meant NOT to be feed alone but I am about to try them with my dry eaters
 

sharky

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yes they would get benifit that way... non complete food s like BG wet are a great side when serving dry
 
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rustypixel

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Thanks again for your reply. I guess my last question on this is would there be a problem feeding a mixture of wet and dry together at the same time? Possibly crushing the dry into a semi powder and mixing with the wet.

Thanks yet again.



Originally Posted by sharky

yes they would get benifit that way... non complete food s like BG wet are a great side when serving dry
 

sharky

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many cats dont like that way and also if left too long a bacteria bloom could occur..
 

meowers

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Stumbled upon this thread, and I'm glad. thanks for posting the ingredient list for Innova, that might be what I switch to, as I'm currently looking for the best food possible for Kitty.

She's been eating SD, and everything is fine, but it's not the best from what I've learned on here. Any suggestions on what the best, most natural, most healthy cat food is? I only have one cat, so she's not very expensive, and can splurge on good stuff.
 

laureen227

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are you in a major metropolitan area? what kinds of places do you have access to that carry food?
 

zorana_dragonky

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Hey Laureen, I have read all kinds of Sharky's recommendations on what to feed our kitty friends (it was one of the biggest reasons why I joined the forum), but I am curious - what do you feed all your kitties?
 

laureen227

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well, i have to watch what i feed - Cable will get the runs w/too rich of a food

currently, kibble is Royal Canin Special 33 - has lysine for Pixel [dry only eater
] & they all seem to like it better than some others i've fed.
wet - they get either chicken soup or authority lamb & rice, plus about a tablespoon of homemade. that way i can add stuff to keep Chip litterbox bound.
the ferals get authority kibble & 9 lives wet. they lucked out recently w/Katz-n-Flocken, because my inside cats didn't like it. plus they get leftover RC in the mornings when i refill the inside bowls.
in the past, i've fed the inside kits the authority kibble - or the chicken soup kibble. i was severely cash strapped this past fall, so had to eliminate the homemade... but i'm back to making it, now.
 

cc12

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I use the EVO for my strays and they get some dry so it will stretch. I use Pet Promise for the dry for them.
Kittens get Wellness kitten food. I like the ingredients.
 

meowers

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So I went to the pet store today and bought a bag of KatznFlocken (sp?) because all the ingredients seem good and lots of protein. It's better than SD, now that I know what to look for its alot better! Still feeding Sd wet food cause she loves it.
 

jesi

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I've just switched my Mish to Halo Spot's stew (dry) which looked like the healthiest choice at petsmart, and Ive finally gotten her off of the horrid Iams (I know! It took me a long time to find something she would eat that was healthy)!

I had a mini freak out until I saw that halo dry does not contain garlic! whew! Thank goodness because she likes this stuff!
 

sharky

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Solid Gold is a good food a bit grainy and a bit low in fat but overall a IMHO much better choice
 

meowers

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Is Solid Gold a grainy food? I looked at all the labels and picked the one with the most real meat listed first. Why can't they just make a 'good' food and a 'junk' food...What is the best cat food?...I really don't know what I'm doing...
 

cc12

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Cat food that has no by products, digest or a bunch of fillers are best. No food coloring and rendered fat. The ingredients should start with a meat. It should also not be full of grains. The example I always use is you don't see cats mowing down corn fields. You see them hunting for meat when left to their own devices.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Meowers

Is Solid Gold a grainy food? I looked at all the labels and picked the one with the most real meat listed first. Why can't they just make a 'good' food and a 'junk' food...What is the best cat food?...I really don't know what I'm doing...
that varies by who you ask
there are many threads on it
this thread will give a broad insight to that question
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...highlight=feed

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/produ...?id=4&code=130

Protein, Min 34%solid I like higher but

Fat, Min 12%this is bordering IMHO too low for most cats , even some light s have more
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 323another on the low end most ave near the 400 mark


Ingredients [COLOR="Orange "]Lamb[/color] this is 66% water and falls to the 5th or 6th ingrediant by wt after cooking ... lamb is also a HOT meat ( I will answer if you want)| Chicken Meal REAL first ingredient and a good one | Millet a grain and low digestible one at that | Brown Rice another grain this one is better digested and I prefer rice and oats to any other grains| Ocean Fish Meal WHO is it , this does not even state white or not | Cracked Pearled Barley another grain and the low end in quality for barley| Canola Oil An oil I wish I could avoid at all costs ... look up rapeseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Flaxseed grain like and useless in this state for the omega 3s | Potassium Chloride | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root |Amaranth another grain | Parsley Flakes | Spearmint | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Kelp | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Apples | Lentilsa starch plus protein | Quinoaanother grain the last two are rarely used in dog and cat food | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

Originally Posted by CC12

Cat food that has no by products, digest or a bunch of fillers are best. No food coloring and rendered fat. The ingredients should start with a meat. It should also not be full of grains. The example I always use is you don't see cats mowing down corn fields. You see them hunting for meat when left to their own devices.
very true... no dry food actually seem good
when using those,,,,,

Rendered fats are a ??able as cooking renders the fat and animals have eaten that for 100 s of yr
... very few foods with none and these use veggie oils to make up for the fat s neither is good but I IMHO choose A( fats ) over B(oils) after careful thought and research
 

meowers

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Well, I guess it's back to the pet food store. They are going to think I'm nuts
but i dont care as long as my cats getting really good food.

What is a Hot food?

Just the ok for sure last night from my fiance to get another kitten! So, I gotta pick a good food and stick with it before I bring home a new baby kittie
Getting an Ocicat,or maybe Egyptian Mau, after seeing that really cute pic...
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Meowers

What is a Hot food?
you mean, a good one? just read the labels - look for a named meat meal as the 1st ingredient - like chicken meal, or lamb meal, etc. some kitties have problems w/alfalfa, so i avoid it on principle [don't need any problems!]. no garlic...
check out the thread Sharky posted for more info:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...highlight=feed
 

meowers

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I finally decided on Wellness cat food, cause it seems better. Thanks for all the great advice!

chicken and turkey flavour wet foods, and the blue bag of adult dry food
 
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