Food vent

ninacaliente

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Sprout's bowel issues seem to have resolved since I started feeding canned lamb formula exclusively. We started off with an Rx lamb formula, and when that went well we decided to switch all the cats to a lamb food to make our lives a bit easier.

So my search began. After looking through long lists of lamb formula dog foods, I've discovered that there seems to be only ONE lamb formula cat food available in my area. It seems to be a great food - NV Instinct Lamb. However, the Instinct Lamb is available only in canned. I tried the dry Prairie Lamb, but that was a no go for Sprout. So all 3 cats have been eating Instinct lamb canned for the past several months.

I started out splitting 24oz each day between the 3 cats, but over time I noticed they seemed to be losing a bit of weight, so now I've been feeding 36oz between the three each day and that seems to fill them up. Since the Instinct is only available in 6oz cans at $1.79 each, that means I am spending $10.74 per DAY on cat food. I know that Sprout needs it, that canned food is better for them and I like the grain-free aspect, but I am really getting tired of listening to my DH rant about the $300+ monthly cat food bill.

This is really just a rant about the lack of options for cat food. It seems that almost EVERYTHING has chicken in it if you look far enough down the ingredient list. Is it really too much to ask for some company to make a grain-free lamb formula dry cat food???? Or even for NV to make larger cans of the Instinct???

Grumble, grumble... This is the wrong attitude to have on Thanksgiving. I should just be thankful I found a solution to Sprout's problem, even if it costs a bit of money. Thanks for listening to me whine.
 

hesster

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You're feeding three cats 12 ounces of wet food every day? That seems like a lot of food. My 10 pound cat will only eat around five ounces and seems to maintain a healthy weight.

Is it just chicken you're wanting to stay away from, or do you specifically want lamb? There are cat foods that don't contain chicken.
 
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ninacaliente

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Originally Posted by Hesster

You're feeding three cats 12 ounces of wet food every day? That seems like a lot of food. My 10 pound cat will only eat around five ounces and seems to maintain a healthy weight.

Is it just chicken you're wanting to stay away from, or do you specifically want lamb? There are cat foods that don't contain chicken.
They were each getting two 4oz meals per day, and they were losing weight. I have 2 growing Ragdolls (big boys) and a Sphynx (a breed which apparently burns calories faster than most cats to maintain body temp without hair). Since I switched to feeding them two 6oz meals per day, they do walk away with a little left in the bowl, but they always come back to finish it - I have not had to throw any away. They've all had clean stool samples, so I don't think parasites are an issue.

I don't know exactly what the ingredient is that causes Sprout's bowel issues; I was told that chicken is a likely culprit, so I've stayed away from it. He has done well on grain-free canned lamb, but regular dry lamb (not grain free) made him sick. If I could find a non-chicken food other than lamb that would give me a significant savings, I would try it, but so far no luck.

I saw that Wellness came out with a Core canned fish formula, but I don't know that it would be much cheaper than what I am feeding now. I am hoping they'll come out with a non-chicken grain-free dry, as they have done with dog formulas. I'm keeping my fingers crossed - we'll see.
 

zorana_dragonky

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I don't know if this would help, cost wise, or not, but California Natural has a few non-chicken wet formulas, but they aren't lamb. There is a venison formula and two types of fish: California Natural. Good luck with your kitties.

I know this is probably prying but... What happened to your other kitties? Didn't you have six or seven a few months ago?
 

jack31

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I'm not sure of your location but if you have Kroger's locally you could try their brand Brandon Farm Naturals cat food which is a 95% meat grainfree they make a turkey, a beef and a fish can all of which have no chicken--they are a 6.5 oz can for like $1.19

Leslie
 

sakura

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Wow, I would definitely be feeding Sprout separately from the other cats and giving the other 2 less expensive food, including dry. You don't have to feed all 3 cats the same thing, especially when 1 has pretty specific dietary needs.

Have you ever tried the Natural Balance Allergy dry cat food? The only meat in it is duck.
 
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ninacaliente

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Originally Posted by Jack31

I'm not sure of your location but if you have Kroger's locally you could try their brand Brandon Farm Naturals cat food which is a 95% meat grainfree they make a turkey, a beef and a fish can all of which have no chicken--they are a 6.5 oz can for like $1.19

Leslie
Thank you for the suggestion, but no Kroger's around here that I've ever seen. Sounds like a good option for those who have Kroger's though!

Originally Posted by zorana_dragonky

I don't know if this would help, cost wise, or not, but California Natural has a few non-chicken wet formulas, but they aren't lamb. There is a venison formula and two types of fish: California Natural. Good luck with your kitties.

I know this is probably prying but... What happened to your other kitties? Didn't you have six or seven a few months ago?
I'll have to price compare next time I'm at the store. I'm kind of hesitant to mess with the protein source now that we've found something that works for Sprout, but if it's a significant savings I will try it.

The other four kitties have been rehomed; I'd rather not go into all the details of why, but there were a variety of factors that contributed to that decision. I miss them terribly, but I feel confident that they will have good futures. I've gotten recent updates on two of them, and they are doing well. I think my three remaining cats are enjoying their increased territory and cuddling time as well. And I have had to learn that I cannot personally save every neglected cat I come across.
 
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ninacaliente

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Originally Posted by Sakura

Wow, I would definitely be feeding Sprout separately from the other cats and giving the other 2 less expensive food, including dry. You don't have to feed all 3 cats the same thing, especially when 1 has pretty specific dietary needs.

Have you ever tried the Natural Balance Allergy dry cat food? The only meat in it is duck.
We may have to go back to feeding them seperately. I was hoping to find a dry that Sprout could tolerate and feed that to all the cats, but going back to seperate feedings is something I've been considering. Of course, then I have to decide what to feed the other two cats!


I'll do some research on the Natural Balance. Thanks!
 

zorana_dragonky

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Originally Posted by NinaCaliente

I'll have to price compare next time I'm at the store. I'm kind of hesitant to mess with the protein source now that we've found something that works for Sprout, but if it's a significant savings I will try it.

The other four kitties have been rehomed; I'd rather not go into all the details of why, but there were a variety of factors that contributed to that decision. I miss them terribly, but I feel confident that they will have good futures. I've gotten recent updates on two of them, and they are doing well. I think my three remaining cats are enjoying their increased territory and cuddling time as well. And I have had to learn that I cannot personally save every neglected cat I come across.
Good luck finding a food that your kitties will like that won't upset Sprout's belly. I didn't mean to pry. Please don't feel obligated to tell me the details. I'm sure you did what was best for your kitties! I was just curious.


I hope everything goes well!
 
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