Advice for the great wet vs. dry debate needed

mai_kitties

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This is gonna be long... sorry


Well I knew it was gonna happen sooner or later with so many boys in my crew. Bear has crystals and a low urine PH. A round of antibiotics and some nasty PH increasing gel stuff and he seems to be peeing normal again. However I know that this is probably not the end of it.

My vet really wants me to put them on an all wet diet. My wallet wants me to put them on a high quality dry diet with a little wet food supplement of high quality. Currently my bums get a half a cup of Chicken Soup each and I split one can of Wellness or Natural Balance between them a day. The dry is free fed through out the day so they are all used to grazing when they want.

If I were to put them on an all wet diet, the Wellness would go right out the window. There is no possible way I can afford a months supply of Wellness to feed six cats wet every day. I have done some research and found that Friskies makes some special diet for urinary tract health and it tends to run about $.40 a can. But of course the one of the first ingredients is meat by products.

So this is the advice I need...

1. Is one can per cat a day a good amount to feed? It's all I can afford, it actually goes above my budget.

2. My cats love to sample each others food, they play musical food dishes, so feeding them each something different would not be possible so would the special diet stuff be OK for all the other cats too (**posting the ingredients at the bottom).

3. High quality dry vs. low quality wet? I like the changes I have gotten from the high quality dry with a supplement of high quality wet. Cleaner litter boxes, shiny coats, active kitties. The low quality wet might help with one cats crystals and PH problem but I will probably lose all the pros that their current diet affords.

So what are your opinions. I am most concerned about one can of food per cat a day. I just don't feel like it would be enough. I also really don't want the by products or all the grains. But it would be all wet so that has to count for something right?

Ingredients Special Diet Sliced Chicken Gravy Dinner:
Water sufficient for processing, meat by-products, chicken, wheat gluten, corn starch-modified, artificial and natural flavors, soy flour, potassium chloride, taurine, calcium phosphate, salt, added color, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin A supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), pyridoxine hydrochloride, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, biotin, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, potassium iodide. A-6142

Crude Protein (Min)12.0 %
Crude Fat (Min)3.5 %
Crude Fiber (Max)0.2 %
Moisture (Max)78.0 %
Ash (Max)1.5 %
Potassium (Min)0.20 %
Magnesium (Max)0.022 %
Taurine (Min)0.05 %
 

furryfriends50

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Sophistacat makes a wet food too which i ended switching to instead of friskies. It is another $0.10 cheaper for a 5.5 ounce can. I think that they may make something similiar to the friskies wet food you are talking about.

ingrediants of one of the sophistacat cans: Elegant EntrÃ[emoji]169[/emoji]e
Ingredients: Poultry By-Products, Turkey, Water Sufficient For Processing, Meat By-
Products, Animal Liver, Fish, Guar Gum, Flaxseed Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt,
Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, D3, B12 Supplements, Thiamin Mononitrate,
Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement,
Folic Acid, Biotin), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate,
Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite), Carrageenan, Taurine, Natural
Flavors.

i think it is a bit better anyway.

you'd have to email the company and ask how many calories are in that specific flavor of friskies. from their you can figure out how many cans a cat would need per day.
 

korina

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I am by no means a vet, but I will convey some of my vets recommends and some of my own knowledge.

I have always told people the reason I dont have 6 cats is that I cannnot afford to feed them wet only diet of my approval.

Here is my suggestion to feed wet affordably and suppllement with dry.

Buy the 13oz Dog versions of Natures Variety Instinct 95% Chicken, or EVO 95% chicken (Evo is likely FAR cheaper)

So lets say that is 2$ for evo, 2.40 for Instinct. It takes my cat about 6 meals to finish that can, so I would say that would satisfy your cats greatly.
Then for the sake of economy let them have a meal of dry, don't free feed, at the end of the night, or in the morning put out the dry, if they dont finish in 5 mins put it away.

Do you think that would work for you?
 

fattykitty

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Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? They have a fairly decent cat food for about 65 cents for a 5.5 oz can. Evo Dog Food is a great deal too. Korina, six meals! How many cats do you have and how much wet do you feed them per day? Felidae also isn't too pricey.
 

korina

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Originally Posted by fattykitty

Korina, six meals! How many cats do you have and how much wet do you feed them per day? Felidae also isn't too pricey.
I only have one cat on a wet only diet, so normally she eats an entire 5.5 oz can a day.

Somehow the big dog cans stretch to 6 meals.

Plus, if I were to follow my doctors orders of 150 calories a day, 6 servings from a dog can would work.

My only problem with the dog cans is I feel it gets wasted, I tend to put more out, and my kitty gets sick of it, even though NV Chicken is one of her favs. The Dog sized cans are def best for multiple cat households.
Generally she gets a different variety every day.
Usually she gets Merricks Chicken Pie or Thanksgiving every other day (both are low calorie, 150 a can and the CHEAPEST) then on the opposite days they get NV Instinct Chicken, Lamb, Rabbit, as well as NV Harvest Seafood, Lamb, and another flavor.
 
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mai_kitties

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Thanks for the replies.

I never really considered dog food cans for the cats but that is a really good idea. My only concern with that is making sure the cats get their necessary nutrients such as taurine. But I suppose I could always get a supplement to mix in. I guess I will have to research the EVO 95% and Natures Variety 95% dog food.

My other problem it seems is that one of my boys is a dry food addict and doesn't touch his wet food unless it special tuna day.

And yes I know of a Trader Joe's but it's pretty far out of my way to go to. I will usually hit it up if we have go to that area for something else, but for regular shopping it's just to inconvenient. I wish they would open one closer since I love that store. Next time I am out there I will pick up a few cans to see if they like it.
 

ping

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I would be concerned about feeding strictly canned dog food and no cat food to cats. They need taurine in their diet without they can go blind. Dog food is not sound for a cat.
 

fattykitty

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Originally Posted by Ping

I would be concerned about feeding strictly canned dog food and no cat food to cats. They need taurine in their diet without they can go blind. Dog food is not sound for a cat.
The dog foods of those brands have the same ingredients as the cat foods.
 
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mai_kitties

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I did go and buy a can of each and I was surprised to see that both of them have taurine in them. Dogs don't need taurine as far as I know so it is weird that its included in both varieties.

I did compare the ingredients and both have the same exact list and the same exact percentages. However, I did find out that the one store carries and will order the 13.5 oz cans of the EVO cat food for me and it's the same price as the dog.

We tried the EVO tonight with the normal canned food results... 4 chow hounds, 1 who nibbled and 1 who looked at me like I forcing him to eat poison.

Will try the Nature's Variety tomorrow.

I can already tell switching them to all wet is not going to be easy.
 

ping

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mai_kitties

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Actually I said in my post above that the store which has the EVO sells the cat in the 13oz. If the cats will eat the EVO regularly I will get the cat can's. It's strange though the case of cat is $1 more than the case of dog.

The percentage of taurine is not listed on either the cat or the dog can's themselves. Just listed in the ingredient list. I am thinking of calling both companies to find out though.
 

arlyn

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Dogs do indeed need taurine to prevent Dilated Cardiomyopathy, so yes, dog foods do have it.

I'd be more concerned about feeding such a high percentage of protein to a cat with urinary issues.
 
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mai_kitties

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Now my vet didn't mention anything about high protein being bad. We are getting to the end of the antibiotic round and I have to call him to discuss what to do next. I will have to discuss that with him as well.
 
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