Which food is better?

taryn

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Solid Gold which is grain free(and slightly cheaper/ same price than NB)- http://www.petco.com/product/109059/...tFlink_DryFood

or

Natural Balance Original I have been feeding them(some grain but not bad, just rice, barley, and oatmeal)- http://www.petco.com/product/7953/Na...tFlink_DryFood

or

Natural Balance reduced calorie(haven't tried it, but it is more expensive than the regular NB)- http://www.petco.com/product/10960/N...NaturalBalance

Remember Attitude has a weight problem and I'd really like to see if I could get her to lose weight. Either way I am sticking with their current NB until I buy my 10th bag to get one free(I'm only 1 or 2 bags away so I'm not losing that) it also gives me time to slowly transition it in on the free bag, in case they decide they aren't eating it even though they are anything but picky. Nuts is almost skinny for his size at 9.8 lbs he is larger body size then Attitude who is 11.4 lbs as of last week so I would really need something that won't make Nuts drop weight as well, if that is even possible. I will say both of them are Maine Coon mixes and are 9 months old so they are going to be big cats. Attitude's ideal weight is 9-10 lbs, I'll prolly get her to 9.5- 10 lbs and see how she looks so she isn't that far off her ideal weight but I know it will definitely take time for her to get there. I just want what is best for them, as we all do and I just thought I'd ask ya'll opinion on which one you think is best.

Taryn
 

sharky

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IMHO and this is based not on kitty science but human... many are gluten intolerant( by gluten I mean the protein in wheat , rye and barley).... an intolerance or a allergy can cause wt gain as the protein is not digested properly...

Potato is nearly all starch thus not good for wt loss normally....

I would choose the Solid Gold as it has a higher protein... but truthfully I would find a higher protein and fat with or without grain food where the protein is coming mainly from meat ... I would choose something like Taste or Acana which are lower protein but the protein is more from meat
 

sharky

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the solid gold

Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols)sunflower IMHO a way better oil, Chicken, Natural Chicken Flavor, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Ocean Fish Meal, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Dried Chicory Root, Parsley Flakes, Pumpkin Meal, Almond Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sesame Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Thyme, Blueberries, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli, 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.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein (min.) 46.0%, crude fat (min.) 20.0% Very nice unfortunately the potato likely gives 10-15% of the protein, crude fiber (max.) 3.0%, moisture (max.) 10.0%, DHA (min.)* 0.05%. *Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles.
 

sharky

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natural balance

Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Chicken, Brown Rice, Duck Meal, Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Natural Mixed Tocopherols), Potatoes, Carrots, Lamb Meal, Salmon Meal, Canola Oil, Natural Flavor, Dried Egg, Brewers Yeast, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Spinach, Parsley Flakes, Cranberries, L-Lysine, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid.


Guaranteed Analysis
# Protein (min.) 34%
# fat (min.) 18%

# fiber (max.) 3%
# moisture (max.) 10%
# taurine (min.) 0.16%.
# omega 3 fatty acids* (min.) 0.5%
# omega 6 fatty acids* (min.) 3%.

by my color coding you will see the NB actually has a higher meat content
 

sharky

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IMHO a much better option to maintain and loose wt
http://www.petco.com/product/110900/...F_OvalHolistic
Ingredients
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Fish Meal, Potato Starch, Chicken Fat (preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols), Potatoes, Natural Chicken Flavor, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Oatmeal, Flaxseed (natural source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Blueberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Taurine, L-Lysine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Turmeric, Fish Oil (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Black Malted Barley, Oil of Rosemary, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Calcium Iodate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Zinc), Iron Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Iron), Copper Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Copper), Manganese Amino Acid Complex (source of Chelated Manganese), Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Salt, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium.


Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min.) 45.0%, Crude Fat (min.) 18.0%, Crude Fiber (max.) 4.0%, Moisture (max.) 10.0%, Magnesium (max.) 0.10%, Taurine (min.) 0.15%, Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min.) 0.15%, Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min.) 2.0%. *Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles.
 
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taryn

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If I could afford Taste or Blue Buffalo I would feed them. I asked about the ones I can afford. It's a stretch to even afford the NB so going much higher than that is out of the question.

Taryn
 

sharky

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what is the price of NB by you? I ask because on ave here Taste is 3-5$ cheaper for a 15lb bag... and about 8 $ cheaper than SG
 
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taryn

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It's $33 plus tax, the SG is actually cheaper than the NB for 15 lb bags. All I have here is PetSmart(which doesn't carry NB or SG) and Petco, which does but they are more expensive. No one here locally carries Taste and while the price is cheaper online once you add the shipping it's more than the NB or SG and out of my price range. Same with Amazon, they ship it free but it's out of my price range.

It's rather annoying to be truthful.

Taryn
 

nutrolori

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Originally Posted by Taryn

Solid Gold which is grain free(and slightly cheaper/ same price than NB)- http://www.petco.com/product/109059/...tFlink_DryFood

or

Natural Balance Original I have been feeding them(some grain but not bad, just rice, barley, and oatmeal)- http://www.petco.com/product/7953/Na...tFlink_DryFood

or

Natural Balance reduced calorie(haven't tried it, but it is more expensive than the regular NB)- http://www.petco.com/product/10960/N...NaturalBalance

Remember Attitude has a weight problem and I'd really like to see if I could get her to lose weight. Either way I am sticking with their current NB until I buy my 10th bag to get one free(I'm only 1 or 2 bags away so I'm not losing that) it also gives me time to slowly transition it in on the free bag, in case they decide they aren't eating it even though they are anything but picky. Nuts is almost skinny for his size at 9.8 lbs he is larger body size then Attitude who is 11.4 lbs as of last week so I would really need something that won't make Nuts drop weight as well, if that is even possible. I will say both of them are Maine Coon mixes and are 9 months old so they are going to be big cats. Attitude's ideal weight is 9-10 lbs, I'll prolly get her to 9.5- 10 lbs and see how she looks so she isn't that far off her ideal weight but I know it will definitely take time for her to get there. I just want what is best for them, as we all do and I just thought I'd ask ya'll opinion on which one you think is best.

Taryn
I would definitely shop at Petsmart vs Petco if you have a choice and want to save money. I am in both stores frequently and you are right about Petco being more expensive. Sometimes up to $3 or $5 more per bag. After shopping at Petco and buying 10 to get a free one you almost buy your "free" one after paying more than just shopping at Petsmart.

As for food, the ones you listed are good foods. My Chester prefers Nutro Natural Choice Weight Management (Indoor), sometimes I go back and forth with the Nutro Max Cat Indoor Weight Management just for kibble variety. Chester does well on them and is a lazy boy so he needs the weight management.

Good luck!
 
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taryn

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I don't want to feed food with corn and Nutro is packed full of it, honestly for the price of Nutro there shouldn't be any corn in it. It's like Iams and Royal Canin, overpriced for the ingredients they contain. For the amount of money Nutro, RC and Iams cost I think I should be getting a food not packed with corn, and with almost no meat(Nutro contains chicken meal and no other meat, RC contains more meat but it too has a lot of corn) or corn and by-products(Iams.) Honestly if I'm going to spend that much money on cat food I at least want it to not have corn, but that is my choice, different cats have different tastes, same as different pet owners have different food preferences. Petco is the only one that carries what I feed, I wish PetSmart did carry the NB or even the SG but they don't.

I still don't know if I should switch to SG or stick with the NB or switch to 'diet' NB.

Taryn
 

sharky

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IMHO and that it what it is ... I would do the SG as too me diet food is like feeding food with corn and by products ( high carb low usable protein)

do you have a store that sells horse supplies?
 
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taryn

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Not really, other than a store that only sells horse feed. My town is small but a lot of it is built up so you can't keep horses. If I see Mitzi I might have her ask the farmer(across the railroad tracks, he owns Daisy) what feed store he uses for his cows, bison(he has a male bison), and his horse(he has a beautiful horse.) He has chickens too and a rooster(I hear it if I'm outside not inside and my grandparents raised chickens when I was little so a rooster doesn't bother me.) The farmer owns most of what is here so where Paul lives we are is kind of rural in the immediate vicinity. What am I looking for?

I wasn't too into using the diet NB, it seems a waste to me to pay more for less food.

I wish I could afford Taste, it's just so frustrating to know that there is a lot better food but I can't afford to feed it, but I know feeding NB is better than like Cat Chow(which I feed the outside cats) or even worse Meow Mix.

Taryn
 

sharky

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most stores selling horse feed often have "better" cat foods for very low prices... example in my area Taste at pet stores is 25-28$ for 15lbs at the feed store it is 20-22$
 

Willowy

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Do you have a Tractor Supply Co in your area? If so, they sell TOTW for a very reasonable price. I just found it at the TSC here for $22-something for 15 pounds. The usual pet food store I go to charges $25-something. I mean, I never thought to go to Tractor Supply for high-quality pet food, LOL. But someone on the dog forum said they have a lot of good food and I'm glad I checked it out.

BUT....my cats don't do well on straight TOTW so I mix it with a few other foods. Try the TOTW website's store locator to see if there's a supplier in your area. Sometimes it's surprising to learn who carries the good stuff.
 
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taryn

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Been to their website, the only person local is a dog groomer and I know she doesn't have cat food. Even if she did I wouldn't buy from her, she hurt my Old English Sheepdog while grooming her and tried to claim she was simply being aggressive, uh no stupid, you are ripping her fur out with a Matbreaker, and she is yelping and letting you know you are HURTING her, not holding the fur on a mat I would have just cut off. Mitzi who is a groomer(her shop is right next to Pam's) has had too many dogs ruined on getting groomed from this woman, most have to be muzzled.

Let me put it this way, she lived behind us and had a perfect view of our backyard and she never touched Abby again, we found a new groomer. We were lucky she was still young when this happened(it was only the second or 3rd time she got groomed) so she wasn't ruined on getting groomed, an 80 lb dog ruined on grooming is a lot worse than a 10-15 lb dog ruined on grooming.

That is it for local suppliers.

Taryn
 
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