looking for new dry food

maxy24

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My two have been on Before Grain for quite a while now and unfortunately they were doing much better on Felidae. Both have looser stool and are shedding much more. I want to find something else that they will do well on. I am very sad to stop feeding this because it is grain free but I guess their bodies disagree.

I'm having trouble finding an affordable food that has no fish, so my first question is; just how bad is fish? I have three foods I'm looking at, two have fish and one does not, none are grain free.

food #1:
Chicken, Chicken meal, brown rice, rice, chicken fat, natural flavors, sunflower oil, flaxseed, Vitamins, Potassium Chloride, Minerals, taurine, DL methionine, Rosemary Extract.

Crude Protein (min): 36 %
Crude Fat (min): 16 %
Crude Fiber (max): 1.5 %
Moisture (max): 10 %
Vitamin E (min): 300 IU/kg
Taurine (min): 0.1 %
Magnesium (max): 0.12 %
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min): 0.25 %


Food #2:
Chicken meal, peas, sweet potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potato protein, roasted venison, smoked salmon, natural flavor, ocean fish meal, methionine, taurine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


Crude Protein: 42.0% Minimum
Crude Fat: 18.0% Minimum
Crude Fiber: 3.0% Maximum
Moisture: 10.0% Maximum
Zinc: 120 mg/kg Minimum
Selenium: 0.4 mg/kg Minimum
Vitamin E: 150 IU/kg Minimum
Taurine: 0.15% Minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids *: 2.8% Minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids *: 0.3% Minimum



Food #3:

Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Potatoes, Egg, Barley, Chicken Fat, Rice, Herring, Sunflower Oil, Apples, Carrots, Lactose-Free Milk, Herring Oil, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Alfalfa Sprouts, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, DL Methionine, Choline Chloride, Vitamins/Minerals

Crude Protein (min): 36 %
Crude Fat (min): 20 %
Crude Fiber (max): 2.5 %
Moisture (max): 10 %
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid) (min): 3.6 %
Vitamin E (min): 300 IU/kg
Taurine (min): 0.3 %
Magnesium (max): 0.1 %
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min): 0.35 %
Total Microorganisms (min): 90,000,000 CFU/lb

So what do you like the best and why? I know two of the foods say "vitamins" and "minerals" so if you'd like a list of what those are I think I can get them.

This is the food they did really well on: http://www.canidae.com/cats/cat_and_kitten/dry2.html

This is what they are doing poorly on: http://www.beforegrain.com/
 

simkie

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I think the first option looks like California Natural and the third might be Innova?

I can tell you that I had my kitties on California Natural and was happy with it...until I had to move home when my mother was dying and my kitties were put on Innova by default--it's what her kitties were on. I immediately noticed better coats and less stinky poops. I've had my kitties on Innova since then and they do very well. I do feed some Merrick wet food as well.
 

sharky

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I would suggest avoiding potatos as it is a main ingrediant in the BG and not in the pervious food

Food 2 is taste of the wild I feed it with good results but woul not recommend it for you ... i would recommend food 1
 

kluchetta

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From what I understand, the word "meal" is actually good...it is a more concentrated form of the chicken, herring, etc.

My cats (5 of them) do very well on both Artemis and Taste of the Wild. I have three litter boxes for 5 cats, and have very little waste product to scoop at the end of every day. I have cats that are between 2 and 19 years old and from purebred to found-under-a-trailer.

But in the end, every one is different.
 

GoldyCat

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#2 looks like grain-free, according to the ingredients you listed. Sorry I don't have any suggestions for you. I'm still trying to find something that works for all of my cats. I currently have them all on kitten food because the pregnant (now lactating) mom was eating the regular cat food instead of the kitten food I put out for her.

I'd like to go grain-free. I got a sample of Taste of the Wild, which they all like. Just didn't have enough to keep them on it for an extended period to see how they would do. My biggest problem is the only stores that carry it are 45-50 miles away. I'll probably end up with Wellness Core because I can get that at a store that within walking distance.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by GoldyCat

#2 looks like grain-free, according to the ingredients you listed. Sorry I don't have any suggestions for you. I'm still trying to find something that works for all of my cats. I currently have them all on kitten food because the pregnant (now lactating) mom was eating the regular cat food instead of the kitten food I put out for her.

I'd like to go grain-free. I got a sample of Taste of the Wild, which they all like. Just didn't have enough to keep them on it for an extended period to see how they would do. My biggest problem is the only stores that carry it are 45-50 miles away. I'll probably end up with Wellness Core because I can get that at a store that within walking distance.
do you have anyone carring Diamond ?? if so they can easily get the taste
 
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maxy24

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LOL, you're right, #2 is grain-free, how could I miss that? My friend mentioned the same thing about potatoes so I think maybe I will try out the first food and see what happens. And you were all correct, food #1 is California Natural, #2 is Taste of the Wild and #3 is Innova.
 

sharky

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the first is at best a half definition as it is not AFFCO , the true one also includes what is and is not allowed in a named meal
.. Most things in pet foods are rendered to some degree ... Meal is considered higher quality as it remains by wt and protein level the same before, during and after cooking ( it takes very little research to find all of that on a google search
)... fresh meats on label as first ingrediant loose up to 66% of there wt which then places them at the fifth or sixth ingredient after the extruding or baking process
 

happilyretired

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My boy prefers (and I feed) a wet diet, but I like him to have some dry available. I've tried quite a few premium brands, and he hates most of them. He likes Taste of the Wild, but I recently got a sample of Fromm (chicken), and he really likes that a lot. I haven't yet tried the duck with him (another sample), but he likes their wet food duck, so he may like that too.
 

jenny_may

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I have no advice to which foods you should choose, sorry!
But i thought i would ask a question in this thread as i have a question about dried foods.

I was feeding Lily a strictly dry food diet until she got ill and i started buying her Purina Gourmet chicken tinned food. Now she is all better, she keeps just wanting her canned food as well as the dry food. I have compromised and feed her both the canned and Purina Pro Plan for Delicate cats.

However after reading a few of these posts I do not know whether Purina Pro Plan is a good dry food to be feeding Lily after all.

The ingredients are: turkey (18%) then rice (18%), maize gluten meal, dehydrated turkey protein, rice gluten meal, animal fat, dried whole egg, maize, liver digest, yeast, beet pulp, fish oil, potassium chloride, choline chloride, l-lysine, and then DL-methionine, sodium chloride, minerals and zinc.


Again, sorry to be using your thread but i didnt want to start a new one asking almost the same thing!
 

hana

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We give wet, semi wet, and dry food (give them breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

We give several, but off top of my head, the more recent one that we got that they like is SOLID GOLD (in a purple, shiny bag). This was also recommended by the private store's owner, who gives it to his cat. (They sell all natural cat food.) My cats are soooooo picky, and they do like it.

California Natural dry food they will barely touch, unfortunately (and the wet food, will just run away if we open can). (Doh!, and we bought a pack of 24 cans.)

Felida, the wet food, they like a lot (blessing!, as for some time, we have tried soooo many different types). Felidae, I was thinking of trying, but I assume you guys don't recommend this? I'm glad you are so observant with their needs and effects. :eek:)
 
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maxy24

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I used to feed Felidae, as I said, but when they changed the formula I was quite upset, they downgraded ingredients (and not price) and my dad got a bag before I knew it was new, both cats completely rejected the new formula.

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions, I'm going to the store tonight and I'll look around a bit to see if I can find any other foods in my price range at that store.
 

hana

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Oh, how bad of Felidae. What a let down. I know that their price hiked up sooo much for the cans. They used to be by far the lowest prices, and still grreat quality. We give the canned food, but did nothtink that it changed content. I did't record the ingredients from past in can. Do you guys know?
 
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maxy24

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oh I'm sorry I should have said, they didn't change the wet food, only dry, the wet is still very good
 

GoldyCat

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Originally Posted by sharky

do you have anyone carring Diamond ?? if so they can easily get the taste
The place I can get the Wellness Core is a ranch supply and feed store. In cat food they carry only Wellness and Blue Buffalo, which they say is for ranch cats. They didn't have the Core, only two of the adult cat flavors, but will order any of the Wellness food I want. I would have to ask if they can order Taste of the Wild, but doubt it if they don't already have an account with the company.
 

hana

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Originally Posted by Maxy24

oh I'm sorry I should have said, they didn't change the wet food, only dry, the wet is still very good
Thanks, and glad to hear the wet food hasn't been changed, though the price hiked up not even in a sneaky gradual amount!

I'd never tried the dry food but had been tempted to trying it some time. Perhaps I will NOT anymore, thanks to your feedback.
 
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