Kitten food -- fancy vs. not

As stated before, we have a 9 week old kitten.

She is currently on Purina One (kitten) with a touch of wet food added to it. We will be adjusting to all dry food in a short while.

However, I'm curious if there is a huge difference between Purina One and Science Diet?

We don't have access to a car regularly but we have a good public transit system here, which is why we opted for Purina One -- it's easier to come by. Well, that and money since Lola eats so much (she's growing!).

One thing that bothers me about Purina is that Nestle makes it and I wonder how much could a candy company really know about kitty food? I don't know.

Anyone?

IMHO One is likely a tad bit better than Science diet...

lol.. MOST foods are now owned by BIG companies... Science diet is owned by Colgate ... Royal canin and Nutro by Mars... Evo by Proctor and Gamble

what store s do you have access to and what is your price range for a month of food

I live in Downtown Phoenix, so there really isn't much. I checked Safeway today for Purina One, but no luck. There is a PetSmart along the light rail, so we may just use that from now on -- but my experience there has been poor.

Our vet recommended Science Diet but stated Purina One is the best "OTC" food... yet, I am having trouble locating it.

We are flexible on cost.

Well howdy, I grew up in Phoenix... Petsmart had MANY options ... and IMHO would be worth a trip.. their house brand Authority is a solid food, IMHO far better than either Sd or One

You stated that you will be adjusting Lola to an all-dry diet soon. Is it possible for you to continue giving her wet food at least once a day?

Other members can explain much better than I the benefits of a wet food diet, but I would suggest you continue feeding her some canned food. It does not matter if it's low-grade like Frisky or a "premium" brand like Evo, but it's important to include some wet in her diet.

IMO Science Diet is not worth the extra money it costs. It is way overpriced for the quality. It's probably lower quality than Purina One although I can't say for sure as I have not compared them directly. I wouldn't call either one 'high quality' food though or either anywhere near the best you can get OTC. Most of the cat foods sold in grocery stores are pretty low quality.
Petco/Petsmart is a step up as far as selection and quality available although they do still sell the lower end foods they also have some better brands such as Wellness, By Nature, Blue Buffalo...

Vets "recommend" SD cause the company promotes it to the vet - and most vets really don't know nutrition - only what the company claims. SD is not high quality food - too much corn/grain/fillers if you really read the ingredients.

I agree to make the trip to Petsmart - you will find a lot more quality food there then grocery store brands. Yes it costs more, but in the long run you will have a healthier cat and less vet bills.

We currently feed Blue Buffalo (chicken) and various quality canned foods each day - and add some raw in 2-3 times a week (mainly beef).

All dry diet can cause more UTI problems - especially in a male cat.

Hey everyone! Thanks for your responses :-) We did make a trip to PetSmart, and discovered that Purina One will be our best bet. I actually did not see Blue Buffalo? We will be discussing with the vet the best option for Lola in regards to wet food -- if we do give her some, it won't be much, it tends to get hard quickly and she won't touch it.

I have to say that most vets don't know much about feeding cats. If your vet already reco'd SD - to me that tells everything.

There is no harm in feeding her wet food every day. Eventhough she is a kitten and growing and needs calories - getting her used to wet is a good idea b/c it is beneficial to her kidney function ( a dry food-only diet is dessicating/dehydrating to a cat), usually has less filler in it on a dry matter basis and is less calorically dense than dry. So once she is off the more calorie-laden kitten version of her food, this will help keep her lean and hydrated.

Consider what she would be eating if she were hunting for herself - mice, birds, lizards, bugs... someone else here can give you the info on %'s for a mouse re: protein, fat, fluid, etc.

Cats are obligate carnivores (first thing my vet said to ME!). Grain is not a part of their normal diet; it has been inserted by man as a convenience and a cost-saver. That said, in the case of some house cats, they need a little grain for urinary ph balance and some of the premium grain free foods are too rich and can cause digestive upset.

I personally would feed Authority over P1.

I will have to compare again the foods you have all mentioned, but we won't be able to get to a PetSmart again for a bit. The PetSmart's we have gone to (3 of them now) have all been incredibly unknowledgeable -- so it's hard to get information when I need it, on the spot like that. I have yet to have success at one of the stores.

We do have some science diet wet food (about 8 large cans), so we are stocked for awhile.

I would definitely suggest giving canned food regularly even if the bulk of the diet will be dry, because if you feed only dry when your cat is a kitten it can be very hard to get them to eat canned food later in life.

The Blue Buffalo may look like it has a different name because the actual brand name is very small on the package.

This is what it looks like:

To me, the key thing is what food your kitty will eat and thrive on - and that can differ from cat to cat, and price point is not a clear indicator of what will work best for your cat, assuming all the foods you're looking at at AAFCO tested - i.e., meet minimum standards for a complete nutritional diet for your cat. There are very few certified feline nutritionists out there, so keep that in mind when you're reading recommendations on the internet.

My boy cat didn't do well at all on the very high end foods - I think they were too rich for him. And my girl was picky on certain wet textures. And, last year my boy developed struvite crystals (he was adopted as an adult, so I've no idea what his diet was or what role it may have played with the crystals). Thank goodness, Hills CD has controlled the crystals, so I'm not one to say vets have no clue on the role of food in the care of cats.

That said, to me the most important deal is finding a vet you feel comfortable with, and keep her in the loop with whatever you choose to feed. Take your time changing foods - too abrupt a transition can cause digestional upsets. Also perhaps consider getting a pet fountain if you can afford one - a lot of cats tend to drink a bit more water from a fountain than a bowl.

Originally Posted by darlili

To me, the key thing is what food your kitty will eat and thrive on - and that can differ from cat to cat, and price point is not a clear indicator of what will work best for your cat, assuming all the foods you're looking at at AAFCO tested - i.e., meet minimum standards for a complete nutritional diet for your cat. There are very few certified feline nutritionists out there, so keep that in mind when you're reading recommendations on the internet.


That said, to me the most important deal is finding a vet you feel comfortable with, and keep her in the loop with whatever you choose to feed. Take your time changing foods - too abrupt a transition can cause digestional upsets. Also perhaps consider getting a pet fountain if you can afford one - a lot of cats tend to drink a bit more water from a fountain than a bowl.

Click to expand...

Wow I could not have said that more perfect

I realize I am a bit late in updating and I am not sure if anyone cares, but I am going to add this anyway.

We went to PetCo in search of Halo products -- but their lowest weight on their label was 5 pounds and Lola is just over 2. Therefore, we did end up with Blue Buffalo Kitten (and a bag of Halo treats... we got it for free).

Since Lola has been absolutely crazy. It's hilarious. I am happy and I think she is too. She has some science diet wet food as the BB was a bit out of our immediate price range and we already had about 7 cans of Science Diet at home.

I checked the label and see no mention that it is owned by a huge company, but I could be wrong (ie: Nestle, P&G, etc)... if I am, someone let me know?

Originally Posted by SubconsciousMe

I realize I am a bit late in updating and I am not sure if anyone cares, but I am going to add this anyway.

We went to PetCo in search of Halo products -- but their lowest weight on their label was 5 pounds and Lola is just over 2. Therefore, we did end up with Blue Buffalo Kitten (and a bag of Halo treats... we got it for free).

Since Lola has been absolutely crazy. It's hilarious. I am happy and I think she is too. She has some science diet wet food as the BB was a bit out of our immediate price range and we already had about 7 cans of Science Diet at home.

I checked the label and see no mention that it is owned by a huge company, but I could be wrong (ie: Nestle, P&G, etc)... if I am, someone let me know?

Click to expand...

Most pet food companies are no longer owned by the pet food company...

Many do not list the parent company on the label, some do... research is usually the way to find out who ones the company

I would also recommend feeding wet food once daily. I have a small pile of kittens right now, and a female who is recovering from raising them. I feed them Nutro kitten formula canned as well as Nutro kitten formula kibbles.

To keep the wet food from drying out, I add warm water. This makes it easier for kittens to eat as well, plus it increases their water intake which is always a good thing. Additionally, cans of food come in a small size which would probably make for less waste if your kitten won't eat it before it goes bad in the fridge.

I also try to mix up the canned food I feed all of my cats, so they aren't getting only one kind.