Cat food questions

My friend will be getting a cat soon (she is rescuing one) and has asked me to help her find good food for her cat. I was wondering what brands you would recommend I also have some other questions. Should you alternate different foods? I know people frequently do that with dogs but I'm not sure about cats. Should you feed dry food, wet food, or a combination of both? I have read that there are too many carbs in dry food and you should feed wet food instead. If she feeds just dry, should she add water or anything to it? But wouldn't that lower the amount of tarter that is scraped off the tooth? (I know not much comes off anyway but still.) Also regarding teeth, shes not willing to do raw so would brushing the cats teeth everyday work? I have also heard of something called plak buster (something like that), would that help if it was sprayed on her teeth?

Hello and Welcome! 

Thanks for visiting and for trying to help your friend take good care of her new Kitty  

There are many different viewpoints on some of the questions you asked about,

and pages could be (and have been) written about these topics,

but I'll be glad to try to help your friend get going in the right direction.

There is a growing school of thought that Raw is indeed the most natural and healthful diet,

and that it is also the best for oral health. I have not taken that step with my Kitties,

and since your friend is not interested in doing so, I won't spend any additional time on that option.

IMO, the next best option would be home cooked foods.

This is a substantial commitment in terms of time and responsibility,

and this option will deservedly have some threads dedicated to it in the forums that you can find with a search.

Many people feel that an all wet diet would be the next best option.

Proponents of that plan point to sources that show that eating kibble is of limited value in terms of oral health.

Additionally, the added moisture of wet food has clear benefits for their kidneys and overall health.

Due to the expense and time considerations, many people are not able to commit to an all wet feeding routine.

At this point, I'll suggest that she (and anyone who cares about their kitties and wants the best for them)

at least commit to one or two meals of wet food per day. I give my kitties wet (or home made chicken) for breakfast

and wet for dinner, and a small (~ 15 pieces) snack of dry between meals and before I go to bed.

The next consideration is Grains.

It is becoming more and more widely accepted that grains have no place in a carnivore's diet,

and that many of them add little nutritional value as most of them are not digestible by cats,

and therefore just end up in the litter box. I agree with this point of view.

Grain Free cat foods are becoming more widely available and affordable.

Next is Fish.

Most kitties LOVE fish, but there is growing concern regarding Fish in a cat's diet,

due to links to Kidney problems and Mercury poisoning.

Personally, I feed seafood oriented food on Party Night (Saturday) but I avoid it during the other 6 days.

OK, I'm going to think positively and hope that she will decide to at least go with a Grain free, primarilly wet diet.

She can find some options at her local pet food store, or tons of options and attractive pricing at PetFoodDirect.com

Since there are many good foods available now, you can hear a wide range of recommendations,

(and you can read many reviews and recommendations in the Nutrition section of this forum)

but I'll get you started with a few that my Kitties enjoy and have done well on.

Wet:
Wellness Grain Free Turkey

Wellness Grain Free Chicken

By Nature 95% Chicken & Chicken Liver

By Nature 95% Turkey & Turkey Liver

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Turkey

Dry:

We prefer Innova Prime, which is the only Grain Free I could find that didn't have Fish Meal.

(There are several other good GF dry foods available, but I'm trying to minimize fish in their diet.)

If she is not as concerned about the fish, and wants to save some money on a good GF Dry,

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken is around $30./ the big bag (12 lb maybe) at PetSmart.

Party Night (wet):

By Nature 95% Salmon, Mackerel & Sardine

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon

Wellness Grain Free has 2 or 3 good fishy options

If she decides against the Grain Free option, I'd encourage her to avoid CORN, wheat and soy...

here are some of my Kitties' previous favorites that fit the bill:

Wellness, Blue Buffalo Spa Select, Innova Cat & Kitten.

Tractor Supply sells "4Health" - a good quality dry without Corn, wheat or soy.

If I have wasted my time and she ignores everything else I have said,

My most BASIC food recommendation is "NO CORN."

Next is avoid anything that lists "meat" without specifying the type of animal it came from. (You don't want to know.)

Yes, many of us feel that it is best (for many reasons)

to feed more than one flavor / brand of food.

None of us have perfect, flawless knowledge regarding our kitties' needs,

so by feeding a variety, we enrich their choices and spread the risk in the event of a problem ingredient.

Oh, if she decides to brush Kitty's teeth, search the forums for more info, but

the most basic rule is to buy a CAT toothpaste - human toothpaste has flouride and other

ingredients that are not goof for Kitties.

Ok - I hope I have helped, and hopefully some other members will chime in here.

In the meantime, browse the forums and the articles for LOTS of good info for the Kitties!  

SevenWonders did an excellent job of answering your question. :nod:

The main thing is that cats are carnivores, and have no nutritional requirement for starch or carbohydrates in their diet at all. Many cat foods are loaded with carbs, because the protein comes from corn or wheat. Sadly, many grain free cat foods are also high in carbs, because they simply use an alternate source of protein, like peas or potatoes or something. SevenWonders has a thread looking for healthy grain free food options: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/242051/peas-potato-starch-fish-meal-yikes

There are a lot of commercial raw products out there, though many of them have vegetables or fruit or something in them. But they're pretty quick and easy to feed - dethaw patty or medallion, and serve. Nature's Variety Instinct has carrots, peas, and some potatoes, I think, in their cans. But they're in chunks, not many of them, and very easy to pick out before feeding.

For low-carb, grain free options in canned food, EVO 95% meat options and Before Grain are excellent choices. Rotating between brands and protein sources (chicken, turkey, lamb, etc.) is always a good idea, and for the reason SevenWonders points out. :nod:

Most people who feed wet food only feed 2 or 3 times a day. Cats bodies are designed to eat many small meals a day, so three meals a day is better than two. Those of us who do that feed in the morning (before work), the evening around dinner, and then before bed.

I feed raw, and am one of those people that feel strongly that kibble is completely inappropriate for a cat.