Yelloweyes goes on Nutrition Adventures . . .

I our last episode, Yelloweyes learned that there is more to life than dry food alone, and indeed more to life than Purina Indoor Cat Formula. . .

So now that I know that I've got to upgrade, and Purina One is not the answer, what do I look for, really?

I suppose Authority is still a good possibility, but I would like to shop my local independent shops, and the possibilities there are:

NutriSource
Chicken Soup
Diamond Naturals (Indoor)
Diamond Naturals (Active)
Nutro

I am looking at the "first five ingredients" as advised. Actually, only the first three have chicken listed as their main ingredient, the others have chicken meal. Is this a big deal?

What is preferred for a grain - I see white rice, cracked pearled barley, and ground rice represented in these. Sharky said that the Brewers Rice in Authority is pretty low quality - what should I actually look for?

I prefer the word RICE/ ground rice ... rice flour is next ... rice bran is okay with either of those two ... the brown rice or whole brown rice

Rice is whole rice minus the bran easier to digest ... rice flour is one step more processed

chicken is 66% water ... so when on the label first in reality by wt after cooking it is 5th or 6th... Meal has minimal water as it was already removed , think jerky ( yes already cooked ) ... meal stay s number one ingredient after cooking

Is this why you like to see Chicken and Chicken meal as ingredients 1 & 2? If chicken meal is first, is that actually better than chicken if there is a meat/grain combo in the first two spots?

Now, of course, I just have more questions - -

For rice - does it matter whether it is white or brown? Do you only like brown rice only in conjunction with rice bran? I wasn't quite sure what you meant about this.

Also, what is your opinion of "cracked pearled barley" - is it all the same to the kitty?

Is corn bad? I have seen people say it is bad, and others say it is good or okay. Diamond Naturals seems to go out of its way to say it has "no corn," but the others all have it.

Sharky, I found your analysis of ingredients on my other thread (Wet vs Dry) VERY helpful. Thanks so much for taking time to do this.

I am looking seriously at NutriSource, though I haven't heard it mentioned on this site at all, so I don't know if that's a red flag. The first ingredients are:
Chicken, white rice, chicken meal, corn gluten meal, chicken fat

Now looking at it, I think Nutro might be better:
Chicken meal, ground rice, corn gluten meal, Poultry fat, Beet Pulp

Chicken Soup and Diamond might be better yet (oh, I am so confused!) They both have chicken / chicken meal to start with. I think I may be ignoring "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" on account of my feeling that it is a dumb name and my sister will laugh at me for having it in the house!

Is this why you like to see Chicken and Chicken meal as ingredients 1 & 2? If chicken meal is first, is that actually better than chicken if there is a meat/grain combo in the first two spots?
Yes it means overall the formula has more meat and thus more protein coming from meat
Now, of course, I just have more questions - -
No problem

For rice - does it matter whether it is white or brown? Do you only like brown rice only in conjunction with rice bran? I wasn't quite sure what you meant about this.
I prefer white only cause it is up to 30% more digestible
rice bran IMHO is okay in small amounts , essentially it is the non digestible part of brown rice
Also, what is your opinion of "cracked pearled barley" - is it all the same to the kitty?
LOW quality , barley is also a close relative of wheat a big allergen to kittys

Is corn bad? I have seen people say it is bad, and others say it is good or okay. Diamond Naturals seems to go out of its way to say it has "no corn," but the others all have it.
Corn is NOT bad , It is the least digestible of the grains , ie if you dont digest it , it comes out = more potty box contents

Sharky, I found your analysis of ingredients on my other thread (Wet vs Dry) VERY helpful. Thanks so much for taking time to do this.

I am looking seriously at NutriSource, though I haven't heard it mentioned on this site at all, so I don't know if that's a red flag.
No it is just liekly not a common brand

The first ingredients are:
Chicken, white rice, chicken meal, corn gluten meal, chicken fat But what is it preserved with ??

Now looking at it, I think Nutro might be better:
Chicken meal, ground rice, corn gluten meal, Poultry fat, Beet Pulp great prebiotic but is an allergen often via processing
Protein from meat likely is = but the nutro has a higher meat content and starts with meat ...


Chicken Soup and Diamond might be better yet (oh, I am so confused!) They both have chicken / chicken meal to start with. I think I may be ignoring "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" on account of my feeling that it is a dumb name and my sister will laugh at me for having it in the house![/quote]
I would use diamond naturals first , here is is cheaper ... it has fewer grains ( YES I like simple

)

This is awesome: Diamond Naturals is very doable. I had steered away from it because it listed "Powdered Cellulose" among the ingredients. Any opinions on this?

1st 5 ingredients are: (Active Formula)
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Chicken Fat, Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed

Originally Posted by yelloweyes

This is awesome: Diamond Naturals is very doable. I had steered away from it because it listed "Powdered Cellulose" among the ingredients. Any opinions on this?

1st 5 ingredients are: (Active Formula)
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Chicken Fat, Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed

Click to expand...

cellulose is not a fave but since it is farther down I would overlook it

Okay, I'm feeling good about this. They claim no soy, corn, or wheat - does this have something to do with the cellulose? Anyway, I just thought I'd get this whole thing out and see where the red flags now. By now I am so repulsed by the stuff I still have in the cupboards for them I can't believe I ever bought it. Wish us patience.

INGREDIENTS (Diamond Naturals - Active)
Chicken meal, ground rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, powdered cellulose, sodium bisulfate, salmon oil (a source of DHA), fish meal, methionine, choline chloride, taurine, dried chicory root, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Calorie Content: 4,000 kcal/kg (400 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy.

Originally Posted by yelloweyes

Okay, I'm feeling good about this. They claim no soy, corn, or wheat - does this have something to do with the cellulose? Anyway, I just thought I'd get this whole thing out and see where the red flags now. By now I am so repulsed by the stuff I still have in the cupboards for them I can't believe I ever bought it. Wish us patience.

INGREDIENTS (Diamond Naturals - Active)
Chicken meal, ground rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, powdered cellulose, sodium bisulfate, salmon oil (a source of DHA), fish meal, methionine, choline chloride, taurine, dried chicory root, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Calorie Content: 4,000 kcal/kg (400 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy.

Click to expand...

Overall a good food ...

I made an order with local independent pet store (called the Pet Ranch) today. They have a few things in stock and what they don't have they can order. The guy there said he used to work in a cat food plant (for better or worse) and seemed to know some things, which I think is better than average.

By the way - I also took back the sludge in a can I bought last week (1st ingredient was "meat" by-products), and exchanged for some Friskies and Meow Mix Market Selects as wet food options. Oh, the kitties will be sooo happy

I just learned alot from reading this thread. There's so many choices and the ingredients are so confusing!

Thanks yelloweyes for asking the questions and thanks sharky for answering them!