Healthy start of my cat

andremichel

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I'm looking to give my cat a healthy start by getting her some new cat food. Can anyone suggest any brands that I should be considering?
 

mani

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Welcome andremichel


A lot of people here swear by a raw food diet (I haven't actually got that together, but there's heaps of good advice in the threads).

I'm not sure where you live - I'm in Australia, so am probably not much help to you, brand-wise, but I'm sure others will be.
 

just mike

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I'm looking to give my cat a healthy start by getting her some new cat food. Can anyone suggest any brands that I should be considering?
Welcome to TCS andremichel!  It's always good to see new faces.  I don't know what you are feeding your cat.  Have you looked into the Nutro brand?  It is in your area.  Here is a link that will tell you more about the 2 lines of cat food Nutro puts out.  You can find it at http://www.nutro.com/natural-cat-food.aspx   Nutro is made in the Nutro Company's own plants.  Every ingredient can be traced to it's source and each batch undergoes 600 quality and safety checks before it is released.  It is also a guaranteed product. 

If you decide to investigate a raw diet you can find it on TCS at this link - http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-feeding-for-cats

You will get a lot of ideas and different opinions here.  I know you will do what is best for your kitty and for your budget.  Welcome aboard
 
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andremichel

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Thanks for the advice. Yes I have considered a raw diet by I feel this will have a negative affect on my cats behaviour is it will return to its natural instincts and could become vicious. I have had a look round and have been considering Arden Grange cat food it is the closest thing to raw food without the added bacteria, so will be be so much healthier than the raw feeding. What do people think and does anyone have suggestions that are similar to the Arden Grange cat food idea?
 
 

mschauer

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Thanks for the advice. Yes I have considered a raw diet by I feel this will have a negative affect on my cats behaviour is it will return to its natural instincts and could become vicious. I have had a look round and have been considering Arden Grange cat food it is the closest thing to raw food without the added bacteria, so will be be so much healthier than the raw feeding. What do people think and does anyone have suggestions that are similar to the Arden Grange cat food idea?
 
Oh my. I don't believe I have ever seen so many misconceptions about raw feeding so concisely  stated! But since you really don't seem interested in raw feeding I won't bore you with the details. I'll just say that Arden Grange cannot in any way be said to be close to raw. 

Good luck in finding a good food that you feel comfortable with! 
 

sugarcatmom

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I have considered a raw diet by I feel this will have a negative affect on my cats behaviour is it will return to its natural instincts and could become vicious.
That's absurd. In fact, your cat would probably be happiest if fed the diet that nature intended. There is a large and steadily growing number of people feeding their cats and dogs a species-appropriate raw diet and believe me, viciousness is not one of the side effects: http://rawfed.com/myths/bloodthirsty.html
I have had a look round and have been considering Arden Grange cat food  it is the closest thing to raw food without the added bacteria, 
It's kibble, about the farthest thing you can get from raw food. You'd be better off finding a good quality canned.
 

emilymaywilcha

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Thanks for the advice. Yes I have considered a raw diet by I feel this will have a negative affect on my cats behaviour is it will return to its natural instincts and could become vicious. I have had a look round and have been considering Arden Grange cat food it is the closest thing to raw food without the added bacteria, so will be be so much healthier than the raw feeding. What do people think and does anyone have suggestions that are similar to the Arden Grange cat food idea?
 
That is a new one to me. Most raw food opponents are worried about harmful bacteria not being killed. Of course, that fear is controversial, as raw food supporters believe your own meat handling affects it, not the manufacturers.

The absolute worst thing you can feed a cat after toxic foods (chocolate, onions, mushrooms, grapes, and garlic) is dry food containing "meal" and "byproducts" instead of real meat, milk, grains, fruits, veggies, and artificial stuff. It does not matter what company makes it. If it is dry, it's bad for your cat.
 

ldg

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Hi, and welcome to TCS! :wavey: Congrats on wanting to learn about feline nutrition and feeding your kitty a healthier diet! :clap:

Well, I don't know what foods are available in the UK. But in helping you determine what's best to feed your kitty, we can probably help best by helping you know what to look for (and what to avoid) in cat foods. :)

Cats are obligate carnivores. In the wild, cats eat small live prey, and that is what their bodies are designed to digest: meat, fat, bones and organs. :) Our domestic cats are descended from desert animals, and unlike dogs, they have no (or little) "thirst drive." They are behaviorally and genetically designed to get all the moisture they need from the food they eat, not by drinking water. This site, written by a veterinarian, is VERY informative: http://www.catinfo.org


So with the assumption that you want to give your cat a healthy start by feeding a species-appropriate diet, here are the ingredients in the food you're considering. http://ardengrange.com/Pet-Food/cat-food.asp?id=36

Chicken Meal* 30%, Whole Grain Maize 16%, Whole Grain Rice 16%, Dried Brewers Yeast, Chicken Fat*, Beet Pulp, Fresh Chicken (Min 5%), Egg Powder, Fish Meal*, Fish Oil*, Cellulose, Minerals, Vitamins, Nucleotides, Prebiotic FOS, Prebiotic MOS, Cranberry Extract, Taurine, Glucosamine Sulphate, Chondroitin Sulphate & MSM.
*Preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract.

Unfortunately, the main problem with it is that it is kibble. With 10% moisture, not 75% moisture, kibble in and of itself isn't species-appropriate. And many kibbles are very high in carbohydrates. If you want to feed kibble, it's really best to look for a grain-free food that is low in carbohydrates. People put fences up around their gardens to protect their carrots, beans, peas, corn, etc. from .... cats? :lol3: Cats actually have no - zero - dietary requirement for carbohydrates. Cats use fat and protein for energy; they digest carbohydrates poorly, and carbs are typically stored in their body as fat. A diet high in carbohydrates is the number one cause of obesity and diabetes in cats. Trying to digest them takes a toll on their organs long term, so looking for foods that are less than 10% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis will be the healthiest. Feeding them kibble with grains is kind of like you eating only cereal with no milk for every meal. You'll survive on it - but you need fruits and vegetables. :nod: Your cat will survive eating kibble, but what she needs is meat and fat. :rub:

In this Arden Grange food, the first ingredient is chicken meal, which is good (most kibble has only "meals" in them. Meals are a rendered product, basically concentrated proteins. But in the rendering process, the packages of the foods that are being rendered are all included in the rendering vats. The plastic and styrofoam and stuff are supposedly all separated out. Personally, I wouldn't want "meal" to be the primary source of food for my kitties. Some people who feed kibble for dental health feed 20% of the diet as kibble - but only kibble DESIGNED for dental health actually helps).

The guaranteed analysis, when we remove the moisture ('dry matter basis") shows that the food is basically 37% carbohydrates.That's actually pretty high even for kibble.

If your budget and your lifestyle allow for it, what is healthiest for your kitty is moist food that also has a simple ingredient list, and is mostly meat-based. :)

I feed my cats raw food. I have 8 former feral rescue cats as pets living indoors-only, and we live in a VERY small space. They are definitely not aggressive or vicious. Having fed them kibble for many years, I saw a definitely improvement in their health when I switched them to all canned food. I switched to raw food in January of this year, and I've seen further improvement in their health AND their behavior (they're happier!) since switching to raw. But feeding raw definitely isn't for everyone. If you want to learn more about it, the raw feeding forum will be helpful. :)
 
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finnlacey

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WOW! Just WOW! That's a new one on me as well. I've never in my life heard that about raw food and I've certainly NEVER seen it. I've seen nothing but wonderful behavior come from feeding a raw diet as the kitties are happy, healthy and eating what they are supposed to be eating as carnivores. Domestic cats don't become vicious from eating meat sweetie, that's what they are designed to eat! They should be eating a carnivore, species appropriate diet but LDG already provided some links. If you would like to consider canned foods I feed Nature's Variety, Weruva, Merrick, Evo, Soulistic, and the grain free brands of Petguard. I do not feed anything with grains in them as that is NOT part of their natural diet. And yes, I'd love to go raw but it's a slow if not impossible task. It'll take me years at this rate but they like dehydrated raw so I am starting with that to get them into it. I'll get there! I hope...LOL. 
 

finnlacey

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Well if I could give a link to my site I'd show some that are in the UK but I can't.  
 
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