What does "rich" mean?

I've seen lots of foods mentioned here as being "too rich" for some cats. What exactly does that mean?
What kind of nutrients make a food rich...lots of protein, lots of calories?
Does lack of grain make cat food richer?
Is it just dry food, or can wet food be too rich as well?
And can feeding richer foods affect a cat's kidney function, digestive health, or urinary health?

Thanks in advance- you guys are very helpful!

for some cats it can be a combo of meats or grains or both ... some cats it is a high fat food or a high protein food

So...it really just depends on the cat?
Does a high protein, high fat diet make the cat's digestive and urinary systems work harder?

Just one more question...would it be better to feed high-quality dry and lower-quality wet food, or lower-quality dry and high-quality wet food (I don't think I can afford premium of both)?

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

Just one more question...would it be better to feed high-quality dry and lower-quality wet food, or lower-quality dry and high-quality wet food (I don't think I can afford premium of both)?

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IMHO, its better to feed high quality dry and low quality wet vs the opposite.

The reason I believe this, is because a low quality dry is substantially worse for them compared to a low quality wet.

I feed high quality dry, and low-mid quality wet.

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

So...it really just depends on the cat?
Does a high protein, high fat diet make the cat's digestive and urinary systems work harder?

Just one more question...would it be better to feed high-quality dry and lower-quality wet food, or lower-quality dry and high-quality wet food (I don't think I can afford premium of both)?

Click to expand...

DRY food high in protein makes the systems work harder and some just cant handle the high fat in some foods( kinda like humans some can eat fast food s others cannot)

wet food the GREAT news is that decent to good is found at every price pt ... How many are you feeding and what ages ??

IMHO also premium dry with lesser wet ... but at least what I found a 13oz can of wellness or eagle pack wet is about 2$... I can feed half of one to my boys a day( they also get dry) ( ie a buck a day ) ... the feeding requirements on a grocery food were double so I would have to feed double the wet of the grocery food and would save a wooping 12 cents a day ( and the food had LOTS of by products , flavors and chemicals vs the premium that does not)

Just a few more questions (sorry for bugging you with so many!)...

Originally Posted by sharky

DRY food high in protein makes the systems work harder and some just cant handle the high fat in some foods( kinda like humans some can eat fast food s others cannot)

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Why would this be? It seems like a cat's digestive system would work harder to digest lower-quality, low protein foods instead of premium high protein ones. Shouldn't high-quality foods be easier to digest? Would it be better to find a "happy medium" that's neither high nor low in protein and fat?

Originally Posted by sharky

How many are you feeding and what ages ??

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Three 7 year olds and one 9 year old. (Due to recall stuff, I will not feed anything by Menu, Diamond, or the makers of Orijen. I know I'm probably taking precaution too far and seriously limiting my options, but I don't want to take any chances.)

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

Just a few more questions (sorry for bugging you with so many!)...
NO problem

Why would this be? It seems like a cat's digestive system would work harder to digest lower-quality, low protein foods instead of premium high protein ones. Shouldn't high-quality foods be easier to digest? Would it be better to find a "happy medium" that's neither high nor low in protein and fat?
Cat are made to digest high protein and fat in a HIGH MOISTURE item ( ie a mouse is like 60% moisture )... Higher quality is in the eye of the beholder , many vets like corn since it pushes ( ie does not digest as well) threw the system ..In a dry food the fact that is has very little moisture =s the cats system having to provide it during digestion.. I like and aim for happy medium myself ... true story added some grain containing wet and my cat room boxes no longer reck ... the grain free diet recked havoc on two of my boys PH s within three days of adding some grain back all was much less smelly ...

Three 7 year olds and one 9 year old. (Due to recall stuff, I will not feed anything by Menu, Diamond, or the makers of Orijen. I know I'm probably taking precaution too far and seriously limiting my options, but I don't want to take any chances.)

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Have all had senior blood panels?
the last is likely to SEVERELY limit your options as truly almost EVERY company has recalled something at one time or another ... The recent ones have actual safeguards now better in place( ie nothing is fool proof look at the peanut fiasco) ... Many foods made at Menu are no longer made there , will you consider these wets>??

I guess you should stop eating spinach and bean sprouts too as they were recalled at one point.

I understand not going for the menu foods but Orijen's fiasco was only in Austrailia (however, I didn't check where you arefrom so if you're from Austrailia, please accept my apology). It's good to be careful though.

I'm confused on this 'rich' thing too. My vet told me the food I was feeding my older cat was too rich. I was feeding Orijen and Wellness grain-free canned. Of course, she suggested feeding him Hill's i/d wet and dry. He'd probably love it. So is it the Orijen which is high in protein (and fat) or the Wellness which is high in fat? So I've changed him to Wellness Complete Health which has grains. Someone told me that it also could depend on thetype of grain -for example, some cats have trouble with potato but are okay with tapioca. I think rice is supposed to be digestible but I don't know. I'm feeding him nature's Variety Homestyle canned which has grains.

So it's really a trial and error thing. why not try a food that's moderate in both? Wellness Complete Health Adult has 36% protein and 18% fat. that's moderate in relation to Orijen and other grain-frees. Or you could try Wellness Core which has high protein but moderate fat. (Wow, it sounds like I have stock in Wellness,doesn't it?) The guy at Global told me that Burn's has a highly digestible food. See if you can get samples of different foods. What Idid was go to as many pet stores as Icould to get the Wellness samples and any other samples. It's cheap yes, but better than having bags of food around the house. (I don't want todonate it to the Humane society because apparently, they have loads of donated food but since they are sponsored by Hills, they use their food only so what'sthe point?).

Rice is the most digestible grain to a cat in the white form ... tapioca is the ONLY known grain or grain like item NOT to cause allergies in humans so this is often thought to be the same for cats (time will tell)...Potato s ironically are seeming to be a high allergen and in some cases a blood sugar spiker ...

More issues arise from "richness" from a dry food as most wet foods are similar in protein , fat and moisture to a mouse or bird ( ie normal prey ).. but Dry food has the % in protein and fat but lacks the moisture thus the cats body takes from itself to digest it ( case with all drys) and in the higher % s some cat seem to have a harder time breaking it down .. I/D is very bland and easy to digest , NO I dont like the ingredients either

Core in dog is very moderate to me the cat is not but that IMHO

Burns appears to be relatively digestible

If you want to donate it ... please do ... many shelters have programs for low income folks to get food for their pets and often that would go to them