Survey? What food do you feed your cats?

I currrently feed blue buffalo - for the dry kibble I feed the "indoor" formula (chicken). I usually mix it with the blue buffalo wet (chicken). My kitties are on a scheduled feeding and get fed twice a day. For treats I give them greenies- they LOVE those. As soon as they hear the crinkle of the bag all five are at my feet begging lol.

I'm definitely picking up some Greenies for treats! Y'all really seem to like them!

I have six cats, all indoor, all very active at perfect weights. I feed them three times a day on one hundred percent fresh raw meats, organs and bone-in meals.

Meats (hearts, gizzards, thighs, legs, breasts, etc.) = Duck, Turkey, Chicken, Pork, Beef, Rabbit

Bone-in (wings, ribs, legs) = Chicken and Rabbit

Liver = Chicken and Turkey

Lung, Kidney, etc. = Rabbit and Beef

Once a week, each cat will also get two thirds of a sardine (for Omega 3s) and they all share a couple dozen crickets. Once every now and again, they'll also share a couple of raw eggs, or I'll offer an unusual meat like Bison.

I use Whole Life's Freeze-dried 100% Meat Treats (Chicken), for enticement when a cat is having an "off" day (thankfully, this rarely happens now) and for emergency recall training. No other treats.

Best regards!

AC

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

I have six cats, all indoor, all very active at perfect weights. I feed them three times a day on one hundred percent fresh raw meats, organs and bone-in meals.

Meats (hearts, gizzards, thighs, legs, breasts, etc.) = Duck, Turkey, Chicken, Pork, Beef, Rabbit

Bone-in (wings, ribs, legs) = Chicken and Rabbit

Liver = Chicken and Turkey

Lung, Kidney, etc. = Rabbit and Beef

Once a week, each cat will also get two thirds of a sardine (for Omega 3s) and they all share a couple dozen crickets. Once every now and again, they'll also share a couple of raw eggs, or I'll offer an unusual meat like Bison.

I use Whole Life's Freeze-dried 100% Meat Treats (Chicken), for enticement when a cat is having an "off" day (thankfully, this rarely happens now) and for emergency recall training. No other treats.

Best regards!

AC

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Did I read correctly, you feed crickets? As in the bugs that sing me to sleep? I assume they are a good source of protein. I just had to ask. You could make an ice cream out of them- apparently, this lady made ciccada ice cream by boiling them and crushing them and mixing them into ice cream. It sold out in an hour. The health dept asked her to stop selling it. Sorry, I went off topic but was interested in your cats' cricket diet. How did you start them on crickets?

Originally Posted by SweetPea24

Did I read correctly, you feed crickets? As in the bugs that sing me to sleep? I assume they are a good source of protein. I just had to ask. ...How did you start them on crickets?

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As a small part of their diet, yep, I offer my cats a couple dozen crickets once a week. Not only does it provide nutrients not found in their regular meals, it's a great way to let them exercise their hunting instincts just a bit. I dump the live crickets in the tub after blocking the drain and let the cats have at 'em.

As for that woman - while I'm all for the entrepreneurial spirit, I really wish I could unread what you wrote!

AC

I feed my guys dry Blue Buffalo for sensitive stomachs, sometimes mixed with the regular chicken & rice formula of Blue if PetSmart doesn't have enough of the sensitive stomach type. I sometimes mix in dry Taste of the Wild if the cats seem to be getting bored with the Blue.
I feed one special needs cat a can of Blue Wilderness daily. A few others get Meow Mix Market Selects every day w/ lysine or meds, and the others get it every so often as a treat. I'm trying to work on incorporating wet food into all of their daily diets because I know it's better for them than dry.

Right now my cats are getting Royal Canin Rabbit limited ingredient dry food because I have one cat Mr Grey with severe food allergies and several who refuse to eat canned food so I had to switch them all to the same food to avoid the allergy cat getting the food.
I also feed Instinct Rabbit canned food, for the ones who will eat canned. I have started feeding my senior cat Wellness grain-free canned foods very recently too because she was refusing to eat the Instinct food, but I have to be very careful to make sure Mr Grey doesn't get into it at all (even a small amount of the 'wrong' food can trigger his eosinophilic granuloma complex and severe lip/mouth ulcers.)

Before Mr Grey developed his allergies, I was feeding Orijen dry food and Wellness and Instinct grain-free canned foods.

Right now Connor's still on his shelter diet, Science Diet Optimal Care for the dry. Yes, he's toothless and eats dry food lol. He just eats the kibbles whole. Well, half of them. The other half winds up on the floor. Once he's settled in more I may change to something better, if I can find a brand of decent quality that isn't too expensive.

They weren't specific on what wet they gave him so I'm experimenting, starting with Science Diet since that's his dry brand. So far he's a one flavor cat; only likes turkey and won't touch anything else.

I'll probably pick up some Greenies for him soon. I've yet to meet a cat that doesn't love those things.

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

As a small part of their diet, yep, I offer my cats a couple dozen crickets once a week. Not only does it provide nutrients not found in their regular meals, it's a great way to let them exercise their hunting instincts just a bit. I dump the live crickets in the tub after blocking the drain and let the cats have at 'em.

AC

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This cricket thing fascinates me. I'm going to try it and see what happens. I'm not so much concerned about the nutrients in crickets as I am to give the cats some exercise and play time. I'm going to check out the nutrient thing though and see what's in 'em

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

As a small part of their diet, yep, I offer my cats a couple dozen crickets once a week. Not only does it provide nutrients not found in their regular meals, it's a great way to let them exercise their hunting instincts just a bit. I dump the live crickets in the tub after blocking the drain and let the cats have at 'em.

As for that woman - while I'm all for the entrepreneurial spirit, I really wish I could unread what you wrote!

AC

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Sorry for grossing you out. I felt bad for the ciccadas, they only get to come out every
13 years and mate and some lady does that.

Good idea with the crickets. I had .a chameleon once and had to hnd feed him crickets. Hmmm may be an idea. As long as they got all of them.

I feed my cats Now Grain free cat food and Blue Buffalo wet food. I am also a fan of Wellness wet food. The interchanging of Blue Buffalo and Wellness doesn't upset their tummy at all. I also enjoy cooking for my cats, so as a treat will bake or boil protein with some cat friendly vegetables, they just love
it. So many cheap cat foods are filled with fillers and fake meat, as I call it, which can have a negative impact on our kitty's health.

Originally Posted by Aleicia

I feed my cats Now Grain free cat food and Blue Buffalo wet food. I am also a fan of Wellness wet food. The interchanging of Blue Buffalo and Wellness doesn't upset their tummy at all. I also enjoy cooking for my cats, so as a treat will bake or boil protein with some cat friendly vegetables, they just love
it. So many cheap cat foods are filled with fillers and fake meat, as I call it, which can have a negative impact on our kitty's health.

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Thank You for providing that link I agree if you are going to feed dry food you should choose the best one.. not that the Pet Food companies make it easy these days, what with all the species inappropriate ingredients. Corn? Wheat Not to mention Carragean? I just read that this causes Celiacs' in humans, but is linked to serious stomach problems in animals and humans.
Great what's next?

There has always been two schools of thought about dry food, since cats need water in their food not just their bowl.

my cat died in my arms on 5/4/2011 as a result of the nutritional deficiencies caused by feeding Wellness canned food over "a period of time".

If I had a second chance I would definitely feed Honest Kitchen if I could afford to.
I'm not sure how much it is . But if it saved even one vet bill it would have paid for itself.

What kills me and ultimately killed my cat, is..........I THought I was feeding Him well. Wellness had a good reputation up until this quiet, no media, no FDA ,no way for someone who was off-line at the time and had 2 cases of "recalled" food so didn't need to go to the store.......

I not the only ex-owner who didn't hear the whisper of a warning from Wellness.

I would also look seriously at HALO.
They use some grain but the food is high animal protein, species appropriate, thiamine containing... and more promising than products that have been quietly bought up by big corporations to exploit their niche market appeal and street cred.

Wellness hasn't been a family owned and run company since at least 2006.
Yet it retained it's reputation for being just that right up until Feb 28 2011
when it made it's inadequate announcement.

Weurva was looking like the hands down winner until I Wiki'ed and found the company was now making producing a line for Petco Soulstice and there have already been problems. So now I need to look further.

Wiki has been a really good way to begin to research the Brands and companies you think you know.
Wellpet LLC is the owner of Wellness. What does that mean? Who is Wellpet LLc ? How is WellpetLLc related to Berwind? What other industries is Berwind associated with besides timber and coal?

Good Luck to all of your kitties. My sister wants my help choosing a better food. I have to do better this time.

Originally Posted by leanansidhex

...my cat died in my arms on 5/4/2011 as a result of the nutritional deficiencies caused by feeding Wellness canned food over "a period of time"....

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I'm very sorry to read this, Leanansidhex. I lost a cat to the 2007 pet food poisoning; like you, I held him in my arms while he died. It was a horror then and it remains so today, four years, four months and seven days later.

If you don't mind and are able to talk about it, could you tell us how the food was connected to your kitty's death?

<<<hugs>>>

AC

I feel like I need a qualifier before I begin. I have four cats. Emory is 3.5 years old, Cassidy is 3 years old, Delaney is 3 years old, and Finnegan is about 20 months old.

For all of my cats, I feed a 50% wet/50 % dry diet. I had been feeding 75% wet/25% dry, but I found that I needed to make a shift and the 50/50 diet seems to work well for all involved. I feed my three girls Blue Buffalo Healthy Living Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe kibble. And, as for wet, I feed a very varied selection -- ranging from Evo, Innova, California Naturals, and ZiwiPeak to Blue Buffalo, Wellness, and Solid Gold to some Science Diet, Fancy Feast, and Friskies. They tend to be picky with flavors and textures, but I've found that variety works well for them. I previously fed a grain-free diet, but it did not work well for my cats. However, I do try to incorporate some grain-free and even raw into my kitties' diet.

As far as Finnegan is concerned, he has severe allergies and is on 50/50 mix of Royal Canin Hypoallergenic kibble and Hill's Z/D kibble. And, he eats Hill's Z/D wet exclusively. And, unfortunately, as of now, we do not deviate from that plan. He has been doing well for over 6 months and has had no symptoms. For this I am very grateful as he was quite the sick kitty before being put on this regimen.

Where treats are concerned, I have to be very careful with Finnegan and so he gets only hypoallergenic treats. I will, very rarely, give him a novel protein raw food, but I don't do it often. For him, I much prefer to keep it simple. For the girls, however, they get a range of treats from fresh and homemade raw to purchased raw to natural treats to the everyday variety of packaged treats. Perhaps the most important thing is that I don't go overboard. Their main diet is their main diet -- I try to keep treats in the background.

Each of my cats seem to do well. I do what I can to ensure that everyone gets what they need as individuals and as a group. I add supplements when possible and remove what is unnecessary. Could their diet be better? Maybe. But, there's a lot to say about healthy looking and feeling cats. And, while I know the basics regarding nutrition and what is "best" for cats, I feel like the cornerstone of any food regimen is that the cats eat the food provided and maintain their condition. And, if that's the only qualifier I need, then I know I am doing a good job by my four kitties.

I wouldn't trust wikipedia aa anyone can write.on it. Wellness did reveal their recall so the pet store should have pulled the batches. There is a thread re:weruva here also.

We've only had Dexter + Gigi for 2 weeks and they are now 10 weeks old. They had been weaned onto Whiskas Junior wet food and Whiskas Junior dry food from their previous owner.

I feed Dexter + Gigi 4-5 times a day depending how hungry + active they've been. I work from home so I don't free feed them unless I'm away for most of day, which has happened a couple of times so far, and this just means that I leave dry food out for them.

Their wet food are a variety of:
Animonda Carny + Grau (kitten), Pfotenliebe

Their dry food:
Whiskas Junior

Their daily menu looks like:
3-4x 100% wet food
1x 50-50% wet + dry food mix

Once a week I give them chopped chicken hearts + gizzards that I mix in with their wet food. Sometimes I give them milk (lactose-free) alongside their fresh water.

Originally Posted by NutroMike

This cricket thing fascinates me. I'm going to try it and see what happens. I'm not so much concerned about the nutrients in crickets as I am to give the cats some exercise and play time. I'm going to check out the nutrient thing though and see what's in 'em

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I have 3 geckos and my crickets escape all the time. Wyatt never eats them, just plays with them. Its gross to find the bodies, but at least I don't have to deal with a cricket making noise in my bedroom

Originally Posted by SweetPea24

I wouldn't trust wikipedia aa anyone can write.on it. Wellness did reveal their recall so the pet store should have pulled the batches. There is a thread re:weruva here also.

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Sorry I haven't responded. I'm so new to the internet as a whole, and forums completely, that I Just found a way to retrace my earlier postings on all sites.

I mentioned wikipedia as "a place to start". It gave me an idea where to begin digging into a product. I also used the Brand website as a cross reference to create an initial profile.

I then looked for details that may have been incorrect or pertinent information that was not included in those initial sources. Look way beyond the first results and first pages, as it is easy enough to have complimentary results come up on the first pages.

With every search it became easier to find connections that could not be made from reading product labels, watching commercials, visiting pet food brand websites, pet food retailers, or even reading mainstream magazines about pet ownership.

Many of "veterinarian?" websites I found had information on nutrition that tended to skew toward the whatever they were suggesting/selling.

Many of those sites where very convincing and sophisticated in their presentation. Many sites echoed and repeated results from the consumer research results companies.

There was one vet site that "felt" more wrong, seemed more wrong, than the other sites, but I couldn't figure out why.
Since I am the target consumer, YES, my impressions are entirely relevant.

It took almost an hour of reading glowing testimonials, cutesy pet stories and endless pictures of animal dressed up for the holidays to find the important incongruity in their Holistic message.

They advocated the use of SLENDEROL, by Pfizer and COVENIA.

Attempts to corroborate the initial wiki and brand site info, has led to new found, useful information that has come from many diverse sources.

These sources include, but are not limited to, industry insider websites for investment companies, pet food manufacturers, professional recall specialists catering to corporate clients, the Canadian equivalent to the U.S. FDA, marketing companies used by pet food companies, Consumer research done for pet food companies in regards to public perception of brands and how to best use this information to create a favorable impression of their brands, nutrition results on various ingredients and possible non favorable outcomes of using those ingredients ....

I could go on but that is a good overview for anyone else wishing to do deeper analysis of for-profit companies that they trust their pets lives to.

One more thing that I think is important, if you want to follow up, Veterinary Care (big picture) is being bought into by "investment firms" that leverage the value of the business or hospital and then sell their interest in the business, reaping HUGE profits.

That information came from THE companys' site under their presentation for future investors.

I contacted the investment company for further information on their relationships with individual pet related "acquisitions" but never heard back from them.

I also contacted the acquired companies directly and heard back in replies that varied little from each other. I was assured nothing had changed, everything was well and would remain status quo.

Interesting to me, because that would mean a reversal of past, documented, management of "acquired targets".

All of my "proof" for my posts have been written (and parsed) ad nauseam in another community, under the same username. Best located under my posts (inclusive), rather than just my threads.
I refer anyone interested to them first because I a Am Tired, and I think it's all been covered.

If after reading my responses, Sincere questions remain, or anything not addressed that is important to you I will happily discuss on this site.

Also, I'm sure most of you can understand when I say I'm also done "discussing" this with the 1% that are are stuck on some random aspect, but won't read further or educate themselves relative to the actual discussion, but still think they have something relevant to say.

None of Us of course! [smiley face] I don't know how to use the icons

My intent was to inform any other owners that had not heard of did the under-the-radar Voluntary Recall that might still have a chance.

When you say [Wellness] "did reveal their recall so the pet stores should have pulled the batches" I think I understand your reasoning. Unfortunately, in my situation, "timing was everything".

I am not alone in my lack of fortunate timing regarding this recall. Search the Results for Wellness recall 2011.


Wellness choice of a voluntary recall kept the FDA from listing Wellness, on FDA recall website (I have e-mail updates sent) kept the info off the evening news and out of newspapers.

Good for Wellness image and Wellness business---(text book damage control) not so good for getting the word out to owners of at risk cats.

I wasn't aware that checking the Wellness website everyday would be necessary. I wasn't aware of TruthAboutPetFoods.com then. Those are the only places I have found that the Voluntary Recall was Initially disseminated.

I had purchased 2 cases of Wellness just before the recall.

The Irony? They swiped my buyer card, or loyalty card that day.

When the Wellness cans I had purchased that day were recalled, the Pet Store could have contacted me to inform me that My Boy could be adversely affected, Wellness was the only brand on the receipt.

They did not. Seems the "Loyalty" aspect of their card does not apply to them.

Sorry I took so long to respond. I'm not as adept at navigating forum sites and their usage as I am at compiling and extrapolating Data.

Thank You for the heads up on the Weruva thread.

My kitty is on 100% wet.

She gets 3 meals per day. 2 of her meals (breakfast and dinner) are canned wellness kitten formula and her 3rd meal rotates with a "special" food (anything and everything besides the wellness).

She doesn't really like the wellness kitten anymore, though, so when it's out I'm just going to switch her to the rotating menu of wet food I want her to eat as an adult. So far she likes everything she's tried... besides the wellness kitten, her main food.

For her "special" food she's tried and loved all the following... basically every brand I can find! Almost all grain-free and only the occasional fish flavor. I like to give her a wide variety of proteins too.:
Pouches:
Wellness Pouches
Natural Balance Pouches
Soulistic Pouches
Cans:
Merrick BG (especially the quail!)
Wellness CORE
AvoDerm
Halo
Petite Cuisine
Fussie Cat
BFF
Wellness
Soulistic
EVO
by Nature
Innova
... and even Fancy Feast! (hey, even I eat McDonald's sometimes! )

I can't wait until she's grown up and her "menu" is settled! It's more stressful than it should be figuring it all out!!

I couldn't believe avocado was actually a selling point in a cat food.

There are cat owners posting replies on various sites who state they have lost cats and/or kittens from feeding Avoderm.

You should be able to do successful research on Google.