Specific canned food rotation

Hi everyone! I've just stumbled across this forum, and I'm glad I did. l asked this question at the end of someone else's post, and decided it might be better to start my own. l've read as much of the forum as l could, but if l'm repeating old questions, l apologize.

 I recently started to re-"educate" myself about feline nutrition, and I'm looking for any and all information that I can find. And there is a huge disparity between sources. The articles I've read from feline nutritionists vary greatly from the information I found on the cat food sites. My veterinarian tends to agree with the point of view of the nutritionists, btw, even though she sells two brands that I personally wouldn't buy. Anyway, I would love any thoughts or input from fellow feline-enthusiasts.

Since getting my younger cat 2 1/2 years ago, I switched from all-dry to mostly wet, with dry to graze. Over the last 6 months, I've switched from grocery store food to (what seems to be) better quality food. I don't like the idea of feeding only one or two same foods in case the ones I choose are too high or too low in something, then it could become a chronic issue over time. So, with that in mind, l now rotate between 6 different wet foods, and mix 2 different dry foods for grazing (only one cat will eat the dry). They eat much, much less of this food than they did the grocery-store stuff, and they are slim, healthy, and as active as indoor cats can be. Some of my cat-loving friends say that cats should not be fed such a mixed diet as it upsets their digestive system. If anyone has any suggestions, or info, l'd love to hear.

Siamese, 6 years

Cornish Rex, 2 1/2 years

Canned:  Wellness Core,  Go! Grain Free,  Innova Cat+Kitten (the only one with grain: rice),  Wellness Grain Free,  Evo Cat+Kitten,  Blue Wilderness Grain Free

Dry: Wellness Core and Evo Cat+Kitten mixed together (only the Rex grazes)

l'm adding a kitten to the family in 4 weeks (my profile pic) so l know l'll have to give him a kitten-only diet.

l chose those foods based on my personal understanding of the articles l read. lf anyone knows of anything negative about these choices, or the mix, please share. Thanks

Don't listen to your friends. The digestive system upset occurs when you switch a cat from always eating one food to always eating another. If you only fed your cat Science Diet her whole life, and then boarded her at a kennel where cats are fed Iams, for example, she could vomit. As long as your kitty eats a variety of proteins and pet food brands, there should be no problems. Remember cats are opportunistic hunters so in the wild, they don't go looking for mice and skip meals when they only see rats.

Pat yourself on the back for choosing grain-free wet foods. That is always important. But there is more you have to look for on the label. Many foods, including EVO, contain something called carrageenan. I don't know why, but other board members say that is bad for cats. If any foods you feed now don't have carrageenan you might want to just buy them. But I am not an expert. The best person to ask about nutrition is LDG.

My former vet recommended Wellness. My current vet said Blue Buffalo is very good. My cat eats Blue Buffalo because it has real chicken as the first ingredient - no chicken meal or chicken byproducts - and no artifical flavors, colors, grains, or perservatives. But now I know BB is not the best thing out there and neither is Wellness just by posting on his board. The absolute best thing you can feed your cats is not available at regular pet stores, but for someone who is still learning about feline nutrition, you are doing pretty good.

Hi Andrya!

Andrya said:

Some of my cat-loving friends say that cats should not be fed such a mixed diet as it upsets their digestive system.

Click to expand...

Depends on the cat. If yours haven't had any issues with their diet changes, then you absolutely can (and should) offer them plenty of variety. I have 5 cats that eat somewhere around 25 different brands of canned and raw food (no kibble) and I've never had a problem switching their food. A cat that's eaten only one food for many years may be more sensitive to changes, but that can be overcome by making slower transitions and using probiotics. The concept of feeding one food exclusively for the life of the cat was a brilliant marketing scheme (scam) by pet food manufacturers to try to instil brand loyalty in their customers. 

Sugarcatmom said:

The concept of feeding one food exclusively for the life of the cat was a brilliant marketing scheme (scam) by pet food manufacturers to try to instil brand loyalty in their customers. 

Click to expand...

We have long threads about this. If you scroll down to read them you will be shocked what really happens at pet food factories.

All the foods in your rotation are great! You could even add Weruva - they make great canned food (and in pouches now, too!). Dry food isn't typically good for cats, but as long as she has some wet food in her diet I'm sure she'll be alright.

Thanks for the responses, you guys are great.

l typed "pet food factories" into the search bar, and read some posts regarding commercial foods.

l also found and watched the CBC documentary, A Dog's Breakfast. l think l'm going to start learning a little bit about the raw diet, with the intent of perhaps using it as a supplement to their commercial diet, rather than their primary source of nutrition. l just don't know enough yet to safely switch them, even if it is healthier.

For now, l'm happy that they like the foods they're getting, they're not the least bit fussy, nor are they hungry. l remember way back in the day when my cats got the same food day in day out - they'd just about knock me over when l went to feed them. They had enough food quantity-wise, but probably not enough nutrition to sustain them between meals.

Thanks for the Weruva tip - it's a name l've seen pop up throughout the forum, but have never seen the food in a store. l see you're in Toronto, so l know l'll be able to find it somewhere in Ottawa

Pet Valu sells a lot of it! That's where I get most of my commercial pet foods. nice to meet a fellow Canadian!

Andrya said:

Thanks for the responses, you guys are great.

l typed "pet food factories" into the search bar, and read some posts regarding commercial foods.

l also found and watched the CBC documentary, A Dog's Breakfast. l think l'm going to start learning a little bit about the raw diet, with the intent of perhaps using it as a supplement to their commercial diet, rather than their primary source of nutrition. l just don't know enough yet to safely switch them, even if it is healthier.

For now, l'm happy that they like the foods they're getting, they're not the least bit fussy, nor are they hungry. l remember way back in the day when my cats got the same food day in day out - they'd just about knock me over when l went to feed them. They had enough food quantity-wise, but probably not enough nutrition to sustain them between meals.

Thanks for the Weruva tip - it's a name l've seen pop up throughout the forum, but have never seen the food in a store. l see you're in Toronto, so l know l'll be able to find it somewhere in Ottawa

Click to expand...

You can learn everything about raw feeding in the subforum here. There are different ways to feed it, including as a supplement to wet food. It is more important to cut out the dry than add in the raw at this point because you picked some good cans for your kitties.

Specifically, you want Weruva's Paw Lickin' Chicken and/or Nine Liver (also chicken). The others have useless veggies.

BTW your name is like mine. I am Andrea.

Well not all other Weruvas have veggies...the Cats in the Kitchen pouches (Love me Tender, 1 if by land 2 if by sea, and pumpkin jack splash specifically) don't have useless veggies. The pumpkin is helpful because it helps Cookie when she's blocked up, and it isn't used as a filler in Weruva, but a supplement.

kittylover23 said:

Well not all other Weruvas have veggies...the Cats in the Kitchen pouches (Love me Tender, 1 if by land 2 if by sea, and pumpkin jack splash specifically) don't have useless veggies. The pumpkin is helpful because it helps Cookie when she's blocked up, and it isn't used as a filler in Weruva, but a supplement.

Click to expand...

If pumpkin is really useful to cats, why don't more companies put it in their receipes? It seems like everyone adds peas, carrots, potatoes, and something else (often cranberries), but I have not seen pumpkin listed on many of them.

Does Cookie need pumpkin for a medical reason? I have not heard anything about healthy cats needing it.

Cookie gets constipated occasionally. Vet's checked her for any issues in the past when the constipation first flared up, but found nothing. So I give the Weruva Pumpkin Jack Splash to her about every three days or so, and it has enough fibre to keep her regular. That and actual canned pumpkin are the only (natural) things that work for her. Pumpkin is a source of fibre for kitties, so it is good that Weruva includes it, IMO.

l see what you mean about the Carrageenan showing up in foods - every one of the canned foods l feed my cats contains it. Five out of the six have it showing up fairly early on the list too.

The best choice seems to be Go! Grain Free, which has it listed close to the end of the list (it also contains pumpkin):

Chicken, turkey, chicken broth, chicken liver, turkey liver, turkey broth, duck, salmon, dried egg, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, guar gum, apples, blueberries, cranberries, cottage cheese, alfalfa sprouts, pumpkin puree, sea salt, spinach, broccoli powder, dried bananas, flaxseed meal, minerals (iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, cobalt amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), inulin,, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin), choline chloride, salmon oil, sunflower oil, rosemary, carrageenan, taurine, yucca schidigera extract, beta-carotene.

 

I don't like that ingredient list. Less carrageenan than others, sure, but cottage cheese can cause tummy upset because it is a dairy product. Guar gum is just a filler or preservative, not there for a nutritional reason. The best things you can feed your cats (if you don't want to feed all raw) are these:

Yes, I second what Emily said, you don't really want veggies in a cat food because they really don't need them. For me the only exception is pumpkin, but that's because of my constipated Cookie. (just had to throw that emoticon in somehow...makes me laugh )