What brand of cat food?

Hi. I am new here. I don't own a cat - I own two small dogs - but my sister has 2 cats. Zoe she has had since she was a kitten. Zoe has had a ton of issues - she's overweight, she has been on prozac, she has aggression issues and sometimes decides to stop using her litter box. And at one point she was pulling her fur out in patches. Last time Zoe got taken to the vet she flipped out so bad they had to sedate her 3 times in her carrier before they could even get her out.

My sister has been feeding her Royal Canin since she was a kitten.

I know NOTHING about cats but with dogs, sometimes behavorial problems can be affected by their diet. In the dog world, Royal Canin isn't a very highly recommended brand although it sure does cost enough. I was wondering if anyone here had any dry kibble (is cat food even called kibble??) recommendations? Zoe is around 4 and has been to the vet a thousand times for her issues. The vet is pretty mainstream and always puts her on different meds instead of trying to find the cause of the problems.

I feed my dogs some raw and some super premium kibble but like I said, I woulnd't even know where to start to tell my sister what to change about her feeding. Is it OK to feed a cat a mix if foods, too? Like I was thinking maybe shrimp or tuna at breakfast then measured kibble for the rest of the day?

I don't know if my sister is ready for raw feeding - I told her I was going it and she almost gagged. lol - was actually kinda funny.

Anyway, sorry for the long post but any advise is welcome. I am going to continue to look at the Behavior section on this forum, too.

Thanks.

Basically good cat food companies make good dog food ...

What tests has the vet do? Cats do have behavior issues NOT connected at all to food just like dogs ... How did you sister get this cat? and you say kitten , how old

I would suggest eliminating wheat, soy and fish from the cats diet... Canned food is better than dry ... Please do not feed shrimp and tuna routinely as neither is terribly good for kitty...

Thanks for the reply.

I have no clue what all tests have been done. This has been going on for years. Lori, my sister, was going to get a cat from a local rescue place but made the mistake of going into a pet store. There was a cat with an eye infection and the owner said she couldn't afford to treat the cat. So, my sister purchased the cat. Not sure of the age - not super tiny but def a baby.

Is there a type of meat that is good to feed the cat on a routine basis? There are a number of companies that make 100% meat in cans but I'd rather use "people" foods if possible.

Most cats do well with chicken , turkey , lamb , duck , venison, rabbit and beef..... since she seems to have some inflammation try chicken or rabbit ... note a lot of the 100% cans do not have added vitamins and minerals thus they are fine in the mix but not the sole food..

ask your sister when the last urinalysis , stool sample and blood work was done....

As cat owners become more informed consumers, we need a way to compare one brand of dry or canned cat food against another, to ensure our cats get the very best nutrition they need for growth, healthy skin, teeth, and muscle development.


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Cat Food | Kitten Food

My step dad feeds his cats Blue Buffalo Wilderness because one of them kept having vomiting issues. They seem to be doing really well on it. I am thinking that I will be switching foods soon.

I had a puker and a pooper... ugh!

Went through several foods ... Taste of the Wild Feline Formula worked, but then it has salmon in it....

So maybe a limited ingredient food product.

I agree with Sharky that some of her issues may be psychological and hard wired I'm afraid. But still.. all medical stuff needs to be R/O. She does sound like she has anxiety. Wondering if Elavil has been tried???

Before Grain, By Nature, Wellness (Core), Innova (EVO) and several others make wet food that has no grain fillers, additives, by-products etc. This will also help with Zoe's weight, as RC and many other foods have a lot of carbs in them... and it does to cats basically what it does to us - makes us FAT!

My cats also like BFF but that has ALOT of fish in it...

BB Wilderness is another that is grain free.

The problem with feeding human food w/o any balancing with supplements, etc is that you can deprive her of necessary nutrients. Things like human tuna, cooked chicken... should only be given as treats. Occasional raw is good, too. My boys like beef stewing meat and white meat chicken. (There is a raw sub forum on here, too.)