dry food dilemma

ondine · Nov 4, 2011

We have six indoor only cats, ages three through six. Four split a can of Fancy Feast twice a day and are free fed kibble. The other two will only eat kibble. We currently use the Authority brand (Petsmart) as the cost is reasonable and chicken is the first ingrediant. However, all six cats have throw up their dry food at least once in the last month, so I was thinking of changing.

But nothing, even the premium brands, seems to have a better ingrediants list. The really expensive stuff still have rice or vegetables and I am not convinced they are any better for the cats than grain, which I've always avoided.

I'm really frustrated as all the cats have clean bills of health, yet every one of them has thrown up at least once.

Any ideas?

cat person · Nov 4, 2011

Ondine said:
We have six indoor only cats, ages three through six. Four split a can of Fancy Feast twice a day and are free fed kibble. The other two will only eat kibble. We currently use the Authority brand (Petsmart) as the cost is reasonable and chicken is the first ingrediant. However, all six cats have throw up their dry food at least once in the last month, so I was thinking of changing.

But nothing, even the premium brands, seems to have a better ingrediants list. The really expensive stuff still have rice or vegetables and I am not convinced they are any better for the cats than grain, which I've always avoided.

I'm really frustrated as all the cats have clean bills of health, yet every one of them has thrown up at least once.

Any ideas?

I have an F3 Savannah, who could NOT tolerate most dry foods. But, he is too food aggressive to be fed wet food. So after trying many different dry foods, he and I settled on EVO. The Chicken and Turkey Formula. It is NOT a cheap food, but it is the only dry food he will eat and can digest. This is a link to to the dry food I am using: http://www.evopet.com.

Some other good foods are:http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=cat&pid=23 (Wellness Core), http://bluebuffalo.com/cat-food/grain-free-wilderness (Blue Buffalo grain free), http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/ (Taste Of The Wild) and http://www.canidae.com/cats/grain-free-cat-food/dry.html (Felidae Pure Elements).

Lastly, I just want to say all dry foods do have some fillers. At least in my experience.

ducman69 · Nov 4, 2011

If it tastes really good, they might be inhaling it too fast. Check Amazon for "Slimcat Distributor Ball". Around $5 IIRC, and keeps em entertained and fed for about an hour.

Something as simple as raising the bowl can also help.

I wouldn't worry about veggies, but if you want to switch brands, I'm a fan of Blue Wilderness and Wesley and Buttercup enjoy that for one of their three meals everyday. Well formed poops that aren't too stinky, Wesley has vomited before but very rarely and no food just hairball, and to date they've had a clean bill of health and are very active... but then again they aren't even two years old yet and its only 1/3rd of their diet so take that positive result with a grain of salt.

ondine · Nov 5, 2011

I had raised the bowls but it didn't t make a difference. All six are throwing up about once a month. Hmmm ... maybe I will try looking at the timing. Wonder if anything else is going on?

I will try that feeder ball but I have a feeling only one of the cats will use it. The rest are too lazy! LOL ....

minka · Nov 5, 2011

Here are a list of some foods that have better quality and ingredients than Authority: (though you are right about it having good ingredients for the price :nod

By Nature, Blue Buffalo, Merrick, Innova, Wellness Core, Simply Nourish and Nature's Variety

Like others have said, you may just need to switch your cats to a wet only diet. The last two may be a struggle, but when it is done, they will be much better off. Oh, to help with this transisition, you would need to stop free-feeding. :nod:

Oh, and yea, about veggies, as long as the food is 43%+ protein, the veggies aren't going to be a large portion of the diet, just a better source of vitamins and minerals that are lost when the meat is cooked.

2coolcats · Nov 6, 2011

Ondine said:
We have six indoor only cats, ages three through six. Four split a can of Fancy Feast twice a day and are free fed kibble. The other two will only eat kibble. We currently use the Authority brand (Petsmart) as the cost is reasonable and chicken is the first ingrediant. However, all six cats have throw up their dry food at least once in the last month, so I was thinking of changing.

But nothing, even the premium brands, seems to have a better ingrediants list. The really expensive stuff still have rice or vegetables and I am not convinced they are any better for the cats than grain, which I've always avoided.

I'm really frustrated as all the cats have clean bills of health, yet every one of them has thrown up at least once.

Any ideas?

I disagree, there are several brands that have a better ingredients list than Authority. Several brands have more meat as primary ingredients and fewer fillers. Wellness Core is an example.

Also, I'm not sure how you are not convinced that grain-free is ANY better than with grain foods. There seems to be adequate science and anecdotal evidence, what makes you skeptical?

But 1 throw up a month doesn't seem too bad. If it were a reaction to the food I would think it'd happen more often. I'd check with the vet before switching.

minka · Nov 6, 2011

2coolCats said:
I disagree, there are several brands that have a better ingredients list than Authority. Several brands have more meat as primary ingredients and fewer fillers. Wellness Core is an example.

Also, I'm not sure how you are not convinced that grain-free is ANY better than with grain foods. There seems to be adequate science and anecdotal evidence, what makes you skeptical?

But 1 throw up a month doesn't seem too bad. If it were a reaction to the food I would think it'd happen more often. I'd check with the vet before switching.

I think you may have misunderstood the OP. I think she meant that she avoids grains already, and she can't see how a load of potatoes, apples and cranberries in premium foods are any better for a cat.

ondine · Nov 6, 2011

Thanks, Minka:

Yes that's exactly what I meant. Can't seem to find ANY dry food that doesn't have stuff other than meat. I will keep trying.

And Ducman - I ordered the slimcat balls - we'll see how they work. Thanks!

ducman69 · Nov 6, 2011

Ondine said:
Thanks, Minka:

Yes that's exactly what I meant. Can't seem to find ANY dry food that doesn't have stuff other than meat. I will keep trying.

And Ducman - I ordered the slimcat balls - we'll see how they work. Thanks!

Cool! At the very least, it can be used as a toy now and then.

You won't find dry that is 100% meat/fat, as the meat when cooked loses some nutrients and also will not bind to form a cohesive kibble that doesn't crumble (exception to the Blue Buffalo cold form pieces which are just meat I think but are also not as tasty as the regular pieces). So they will throw in a few veggies and a starch in there, but as long as its low carb w/ the calories coming from the meat and fat then its ok, and no need to worry if there are a little bit of peas/potato/cranberry etc in there.

meuzettesmom · Nov 7, 2011

Everyones advise on dry food is better than my experience. I don't go to PetSmart or a chain store. My budget is very limilted. I found Science Diet for senitive stomachs at a feed grain store. That made them stop the puking. Now I found Nutra Max Cat. They love that. I need a Kitten food too For I have a kitten and an old cat. I am trying that brand kitten food too. IAMS Kitten they like. I don't like the brand. Since they perform weird tests on cats.

minka · Nov 7, 2011

Ondine

If your goal is to feed a 100% meat diet, you will have to feed wet or homemade. Like Duncman said, dry Has to have some starch/veggies in it to bind the kibble together, (I looked into the Blue food that he mentioned as well, and all of their dry foods have potato or rice in them.. :shrug

so finding a grain/veggie free dry is impossible. Have you thought about feeding them wet food?

Willowy · Nov 7, 2011

I'm not sure why you say you've always avoided grains. . .Authority is quite high in grains, corn included. It's not bad for the price but it's definitely not grain-free. I don't believe that grain-free dry is any better (or worse) than grain-inclusive dry, only because I think potatoes and peas are no better than, say, oats and barley. It is easier to find a grain-free with a higher meat content, though.

I don't know what stores you have available in your area. But there are quite a few dry foods with more meat content than Authority. My cats do very well on Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. Taste of the Wild is also good for many cats, but neither of these are available at Petsmart.

ollieoxenfree · Nov 7, 2011

Have you looked into holistic blend? I get it at Dominion (our Loblaw branch) and recently Sobeys began selling it. Those are the two main grocery chains where I live. Holistic varieties are grain, animal by-product and preservative free. I had wonderful results with my dog, since this is my first kitty I might switch to a holistic food. I trust them over other store brands. Also, if I read correctly on another forum, cats should always receive wet food. So Oliver gets a large wet meal in the morning and dry throughout the day.

dry food dilemma

ondine

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cat person

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ducman69

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ondine

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minka

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2coolcats

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minka

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ondine

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ducman69

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