cats don't like healthy food??

I have tried so many of the holistic & natural dry foods and wet foods and my cats just don't like it!! does anyone have any suggestions as to what a good food is that my picky boogers will actually eat???I have tried blue buff,by nature,california nayural,wellness,natural balance! they didn't like any of these!I ended up feeding all of these to my fosters!I am really at a loss? I have also tries all the same canned foods as well as eagle pack and a few others! they just don't seem to like any of these!I want them to eat healthy!I considered raw but I have 6 kids ( no extra freezer space and no room for another freezer) not to mention I live in the middle of nowhere and there is really nowhere to buy it from daily or weekly!I am so confused about the grainfree diets! will they cause kidney problems? do picky cats like them? do I feed less? is it still ok to free feed? I leave out dry and I feed wet 2 times daily!please any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!I just want my furbabies to be healthy!Sorry post is so long!Thanks!Price isn't really an issue as long as it is something they will eat!!!again thanks!

Hi!

I have 5 indoor cats and I have the same darn problem!! It's so frustrating. I would much prefer to feed them good quality canned food, regardless of the cost, but they just don't like it for the most part. Over the years, so many times I'll go and buy "one of each" and hope that I'll find one they devour.....the only one that's come close is Merrick's line of canned:

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/canned_cat_food.php (there more on subsequent pages, can click to next page at bottom of each page, there's 4 in total)

Their favorite of these "Cowboy Cookout" and the Thanksgiving one they like, too.

They don't mind a couple of the Eagle Pack.............but what I find is..........sometimes they'll eat it and I get excited and buy more, but find they just don't like it enough to eat it on a daily basis.

I do find that some of the better quality foods are quite dense, so I add a little water to them, kind of mash up with a fork, then put into the microwave for about 20 seconds (test it; just until it's slightly warm).....warmed canned food is supposed to be smellier to a cat (in a good way!).

I wonder if the problem is similar to some humans........we get hooked on junk food and then aren't too keen on good stuff like fruits and veggies?

Try the Merrick though...... the only problem I found with it is that there's a bit more water in it (which is fine!) but a normal sized can seems like a smaller amount on the plate than others...........

Oh yes!! this is one of the few that they were willing to eat!!! it is driving me nuts!!lolI have 5 too!

Are you kidding, cats like healthy food Mine are hooked on junk and would rather starve than give it up. I don't feed really bad junk, Royal Canin Kitten, but they are 2 1/2 yrs. old I did get it away from them and found that the diarrhea was worse on the better foods so I gave it back until I can come up with something. Also, for those of you who feed it, they just changed the formula for the Royal Canin Kitten 34, now called 36, they added wheat gluten and made some other changes. I feed Avoderm chicken and fish wet, not the chunks, and they seem to like it. They turn thier beautiful little noses up at everything else but Innova which gives them the runs. They didn't like Merrick either, but some cats do. I also add water to make it soupy.

Originally Posted by twokatz

Are you kidding, cats like healthy food

Mine are hooked on junk and would rather starve than give it up. I don't feed really bad junk, Royal Canin Kitten, but they are 2 1/2 yrs. old

I did get it away from them and found that the diarrhea was worse on the better foods so I gave it back until I can come up with something. Also, for those of you who feed it, they just changed the formula for the Royal Canin Kitten 34, now called 36, they added wheat gluten and made some other changes. I feed Avoderm chicken and fish wet, not the chunks, and they seem to like it. They turn thier beautiful little noses up at everything else but Innova which gives them the runs. They didn't like Merrick either, but some cats do. I also add water to make it soupy.

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Ya know, they DID eat the Royal Canin!! I just wish I could get them to eat something more healthy (less grains and fillers) I really have no problemwith diahrrea!but I have a crier!oh and does he cry if I don't give him something he likes!!I was considering INNOVA! maybe they will like that???but is it healthy?I want to try grain free but they scare me a little ( I keep hearing conflicting information)

Proudmamiof4,

You mentioned that you lived in the middle of nowhere.....so I assume it's often difficult to get to the stores that sell the premium canned food? I have that same problem, somewhat........so I'd previously considered ordering canned food online. There's this company (shipping, at least for U.S. residents seems extremely reasonable): http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/b...p?dept_id=131&

I just looked up what it would cost for 24-5.5 oz cans of Merrick and it's wayyyyyy cheaper than in the store, it's less than $1.00 per can (in the store here, it's between $1.69 and $1.99)

There was also another site like this that sold only premium cat food (dry and wet)....I can't seem to find it now, prices were fantastic, too.......for both product and shipping.......i thought I'd bookmarked it but it appears I didn't. Will post it if I can find it.

I have the same problem. I order harry the best quality food from the internet and recently all he'll eat is felix. He turns his nose up at everything else and it's driving me mad; I have a cupboard full of food!

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

Proudmamiof4,

You mentioned that you lived in the middle of nowhere.....so I assume it's often difficult to get to the stores that sell the premium canned food? I have that same problem, somewhat........so I'd previously considered ordering canned food online. There's this company (shipping, at least for U.S. residents seems extremely reasonable): http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/b...p?dept_id=131&

I just looked up what it would cost for 24-5.5 oz cans of Merrick and it's wayyyyyy cheaper than in the store, it's less than $1.00 per can (in the store here, it's between $1.69 and $1.99)

There was also another site like this that sold only premium cat food (dry and wet)....I can't seem to find it now, prices were fantastic, too.......for both product and shipping.......i thought I'd bookmarked it but it appears I didn't. Will post it if I can find it.

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That is exactly what I do too! I started ordring thier food a few months ago, prior to that we had to travel over an hour and a half!!I agree the online prices are much cheaper!I am considering Orijen,wellness core,Solid gold or evo?? any suggestions? anyone tried these?

I tried the Orijen once and my cats quite liked it. It's actually made here in Canada, actually here in Alberta. I was impressed with their ingredients in the dry food.

Considering my cat Fuzzy's probably issue (itching) with the Go Natural food, I think I'll either buy some Orijen or the Wellness Core. I like how Orijen is grain-free.

Okay I am pretty sure ( based on them not liking lots of the foods) and the research I have been doing!I am going to get one of the grain free ones I mentioned!now it is just deciding which one is the best one for my cats!!and finding enough canned foods that they like that are good for them!!

Originally Posted by proudmamiof4

Ya know, they DID eat the Royal Canin!! I just wish I could get them to eat something more healthy (less grains and fillers) I really have no problemwith diahrrea!but I have a crier!oh and does he cry if I don't give him something he likes!!I was considering INNOVA! maybe they will like that???but is it healthy?I want to try grain free but they scare me a little ( I keep hearing conflicting information)

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Innova is healthy but it is not grain free. Evo, by the same comapny is grain free but is very high in protien and fat so it is too rich for many cats. Both also contain dairy which is a problem for many. Merrick also just put out a grain free dry food and canned food for both dogs and cats, it is called Before Grain. The only problem with the canned cat food is it is only meat, nothing else and is meant for supplemental feeding only. I have not tryed either. I just bougt some Wellness to try but have to wait until the girls are over thier reaction to the last new food I tryed!

Okay I am pretty sure it is either going to be Evo,Orijen or wellness core! I am going to try to a completly grain free diet and see if they like it and if they do well on t!I am just confused as to how much to feed? and is it ok to do both wet and dry? and how often? I guess I will have to research it some more!wish me luck .....who knew the little boogers could be so picky??lol

Oh yea they can be picky. Sometimes mine get on an "I ain't gonna eat that and you can't make me" kick . I have to leave for work by 6:30 am and they act like nope, but maybe if you drive all the way home at lunch and beg I might. I leave dry out and do canned 2x a day. I wouldn't worry about how much, just feed them the same as you do now, you'll know if it is too much. Be sure to start slowly so you don't upset thier system, add the new to the old a little at a time over several days, but I'm sure you know this.

Why can't they be more like the ferals and the fosters???lol they eat anything!and lately due to the fact my picky cats do't like anything I get them and I have been buying huge bags......the ferals & the fosters have been eating pretty darn good!!loland yep, I have been giving them everything slowly!I made the mistake in the very beggining of changin abruptly and oh boy!!it was a horrible mess!!

I feed Orijen in a rotation with California Natural Chicken (not grain free) and Taste of the Wild (grain free). They like all these dry foods very well.

I also feed wet food. I use different brands and flavors.

Some of the dry food companies may send you a sample to try.

Another online ordering source I have used ---

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/default.aspx

Good luck.

I recently switched my cats from Nutro Max Indoor Formula to a grain-free diet -- Wellness. It took about a month for them to really accept the Wellness Core, but they eat it regularly now. I feed them half dry and half wet, all Wellness brand, but I got a few cans of the grain-free Natural Balance wet food to try out... see what they like the most.

I read somewhere that a lot of the "less superior" foods coat their dry foods with an enticing flavor (like, fat, or something "junkfood-like" that's bad but yummy) so they attract the cats to eat it. Before I settled on Wellness, I tried Innova, and they hated it. I am guessing it's because a lot of the better foods don't coat their (dry) foods with enticing junk to trick the cat.

Hi, Proudmamiof4!

Evo, Orijen and Wellness Core are generally considered some of the best foods out there. You can feed both wet and dry (just not mixed together), or, even better, go all wet. My cats get Evo Cat & Kitten, the Evo 95% flavors, Wellness Core, Wellness grain-free Chicken, Beef & Chicken, and Turkey, as well as all the Nature's Variety grain-free Instinct flavors. They also get a few Natural Balance flavors and the Solid Gold Gourmet flavor. No dry at all.

If you don't mind, what negative things have you heard about grain-free? Every indication I've received is that it's both healthier and more easily digested than foods that contain grains (with kitties being the obligate carnivores they are); did I miss something maybe?

Thanks for sharing and good luck on your food hunt!

A.C.

Grain frees are actually lower in digestablity due to most reling heavy on potato .. the HIGH HIGH dry protein in a grain free dry is looked upon by many as not good for the long run ( time will tell) and this does not apply to wet as they are more digestable and the protein is in a proper format ) ... Truely the jury is out as a Entire generation has yet to be raised on grain free dry s .... Good points are more and more are at least doing feeding trials to substaciate that in the short term they have everything needed for growth and maintence ...

Something like 99% of all dry foods are sprayed with either fats or digests in a dry food ... otherwise no animal would eat them ....

One of my cats developed cystitis (FLUTD family)a few months after I switched mine over to Innova. I joined a cat group on FLUTD and have read that others have had the same problem with their cats.

Mine barely touch any of the grain free foods and the one brand they hated the most was Merrick's (all of their flavors).

For dry, mine have liked Wellness Core (but stopped feeding it because of a fish problem in the house), and From's Duck ala Veg.

Okay so I am wondering is it ok to do a grain free dry with a regular ( meaning not a grain free) canned? because I have tried the by nature,Befor Grain,natural balance and they hated all 3!!( I think all 3 were the grain fee??) so would it be pointless to still do a grain free dry? or if I do completly wet....how much do I feed them? right now I give wet twice a day and leave out the dry.They really only nibble ( any brand) the dry.They eat all o the wet!! the bigger cans are getting about 6oz each a day total and the smaller are getting about 41/2oz each daily! how much more would I have to feed them to do just wet? and can anyone suggest an brands for picky cats? they like merrick,they will tolerate the california natural venison and brown rice,blue spa selects,natural life,and they pretty much don't like any of the other healthy ones I have tried! this month I ordered california natural chicken and rice ( they won't touch this)eagle pack duck ( they hate it) natural balance indoor formula ( won't touch it)by nature ( will nibble but not really eat it) I just don't know what to do???