Vet told me not to feed friskies

Matts mom said:

the cats in the article you linked me to are 20-30lbs.

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I'm very confused. I did not post a link to cats at all. I posted a link to a nutrient chart of many canned food brands that was compiled by Dr Lisa Pierson.

I've always fed dry food, wet food is new to me. The good food i refer too is EVO,california natural, wellness, merrik, go natural etc. I won't feed what the vet sells because they push science diet. they told me not to feed him friskies, and offered me free food, and instead I went and bought him a bag of kibble...I figure even kibble has gotta be better than science diet for week of two....he's never eaten that stuff without it coming out one end or the other in the wrong consistancy.
I've already cut his food back by about half.I was originally feeding him by package instructions, which when I figured it out came up to almost 500 calories/day and he's ALWAYS asking for food/trying to get it himself. hes 14lbsand his current feeding guidelines come from the vets office based on the kcal of the Gonatural wet and wholesome blend kibble. not all foods give me a kcal measurement

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Those are okay brands if you are feeding the canned versions. I know their kibble versions are considered higher end, so if you must feed kibble, those are better than most. I just have never fed kibble. Not since 1985.

Evo kibble though, has been known to raise urine pH values though, which may cause struvite crystal formation. That is based purely on anecdotal accounts, not fact.

I've learned over the years to just not trust what is on the label, or what is on the website. It seems none of it ever adds up, regardless of brand. And when you try to get to the bottom of things, you get different answers depending on what customer service person you talk to.

I feed my current cats blue wilderness, cause my cats used to eat friskies, then science diet, and they both had severe gas,diarrhea, and some vomiting on it and put on too much weight. The vets suggest science diet here doesnt matter which vet you go to so no its not always the best choice even if they say it is. I had a sick cat on only science diet dry food his whole life and I think it led to unhealthy life and caused an early death im not even joking he got to be 35 pounds on it!

After switching my cats problems nearly dissapeared, one cat has some loose stools but turns out she is slightly allergic to fish so after buying canned food with little or no fish that helped her, no idea what dry food has no fish though?

and my other cat is in love with blue wilderness chicken dry food and both there coats are shiny and they lost a pound naturally in 2 years and are more active. One of my cats only eats friskies canned food but the other loves the blue canned food and its healthier.

The funny part is my sister has a pomeranian and she is on blue wilderness for dogs and the vet said its not good for her because it has so much protein its actually too rich and getting her over weight like eating steak dinners every night! I am not sure if the vet is right since I dont never owned a dog, but im sure if fed correctly I dont see why good nutrition is worse than junk with corn in it like science diet.

It's the cans I feed him...except right now, while I pay for my car repairs.....but  he'll be back to better canned food once I can afford it. i buy the 5.5oz cans, i know it's a little more expensive, but I suck at measuring it out, and he got pudgy on account of me not accurately measuring his food from13ozcans, so I figure it's worth it to bring him back into his weight. plus then I know what to feed him-open the can in the morning, feed it to him by bedtime if he whines or more, tough luck.since I feed different foods, sometimes he gets a few calories more, sometimes less.....it  was working really well til the car broke down and I couldn't afford the price of the food.....I'm sure it'll work again once i'm back on my feet

Matts mom said:

otto i'm  not so good with numbers can you simplify this or me? which foods  are good, which are ok, and which ones should I just ignore completely?  oh and here's the website for his kibble...www.nutreco-pet.ca  it isn't corn-laiden, hes allergic to corn....he usually eats the easy to digest formua in the purple bag

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25 % fruits and vegetables is way way too much. You see what I mean? This company is telling you that their grain free food is great for cats because it has 25% fruits and vegetables, when the fact is, cats are obligate carnivores and do not need any fruits and veggies, let alone 25 % of their daily intake!

The lifetime has grains as the third fourth and fifth ingredient, but at least no corn. But it has fish.

Their whole grains line, again grain heavy, and fish in every formula? Cats really shouldn't have fish. It is high in heavy metals and high in histamines. Cats eating dry food should especially not have fish. Especially male cats.

But of course, the bottom line, for me, is that they are dry foods.

I am not an expert, but I have formed very strong opinions against dry food, and much skepticism for pet food manufacturers in general, over my years of research.

But since you asked, I would feed canned friskies over any of those kibble foods. Over any kibble food.

if cost is an issue, perhaps a rotation of friskies and some other "higher end" canned foods.

yes i did ask, and thankyou for putting it in laymans terms. his easy to digest formula has salmon as its first ingredient..........that's the bag that ran out and was replaced with weight loss..............which is at least a chicken formula. He prefers fish flavored wet foods, and shuns others.....what do you suggest there? 

for example his.favorites are: california natural salmon and sweet potato, go natural whitefish,merrik tuna and whitefish . Maybe that's where I should drop in the friskies? he likes chef's diner and beef, mariners catch. 

Unfortunatey I myself have gravitated towards fish flavors based on his sensitivity to corn gluten. I noticed early that it wasn't on the labels of fish foods And he's shunning Evo beef all on his own...I'll put it down, and he won't eat it any more

I don't know what to say. I don't feed my cats any fish foods, ever. In 1985 I had a male cat who blocked. The vet, who was way ahead of his time, told me I must feed him only canned food from now on, and to avoid foods that contain fish. While my choices in brands, and my pickiness over ingredients has evolved over all those years, I remain steadfast in my belief that cats should not have dry food or fish. At least, not as a sole diet, and for my gang, not at all (with one exception over the years).

I am constantly trying different canned brands because I don't trust any of them, and even the ones I feed regularly, I don't particularity "recommend" them, they just happen to be brands that are working for me and mine for the time being.

It would be easier to tell you brands I won't feed, ever. LOL! But....everyone is different, you know? I form little prejudices against this or that brand, but other people feed their cats with them happily. My main advice for feeding cats is: first: avoid dry food, second: avoid fish. After that..well it's trial and error in every individual situation.

so...what brands would you NOT feed to a  cat with a sensitive tummy?

I would avoid foods with carrageenan for a cat who shows sensitive digestive issues. I would also give a probiotic every day.

I have two with sensitive digestive systems, Queen Eva I'm not sure of the cause, and Mazy I know her problems stem from 6 1/2 years on Hills Prescription c/d kibble. I have narrowed their brands down to By Nature Organics, the Turkey& Chicken, and the Chicken, Castor & Pollux chicken and vegetable casserole (NOT the "indoor formula"). Queen Eva also enjoys Natural Balance platefuls chicken, though I pick out potatoes, peas, and carrots from the last two foods. I call that her "McDonalds" because it is so high in carbohydrates (24 %)

None are ideal, tey all have things I wish they didn't, and there is some controversy about whether the By Nature organics has carrageenan. I have been assured multiple times that the ingredient list on the website is wrong (it lists carrageenan, but if it is wrong, why don't they FIX the website?) and the label on the can is correct (the can label does NOT list carrageenan) However both Queen Eva and Mazy can eat that food without trouble, but if they try to eat other foods with carrageenan such as Merrick Before Grain or By Nature 95 % or Welllness grain free they have trouble. So I have to go with what is working.

All the other foods and brands I have tried with them were unsuccessful because either they wouldn't eat them, or they aggravated their individual problems.

Jennie still eats a variety, of brands, Wervua (but high in carbs) Merrick BG (low carbs but has carrageenan) By Nature 95 % (carrageenen) Soulistic (carbs again), plus the other brands I already mentioned.

Having said all that I should mention that I am in the process of converting them to raw feeding. While at this time the goal is not 100 % raw, it's difficult to know where it will end. I am hoping for something like 1/3 commercial raw, 1/3 home made raw and 1/3 commercial canned.

But for my two with sensitivities, since starting to feed them Rad Cat raw, even as only a small part of their diet....wow.

Matts mom said:

so...what brands would you NOT feed to a  cat with a sensitive tummy?

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My longer answer is above . My short answer is this: trial and error until you find a few foods that work for Matt. There just is no one answer for every cat.

My main advice is, no dry food, avoid carrageenan, and use a probitoic

(edit) And while I know Matt loves fishy foods, keep in mind that fish is high in histamines (which cause allergic reactions)

Thanks otto. I don't know if raw feeding is even an option with matt, I've offered him its of meat and he won't touch anything but mice.  all other offerings end up being left, with  only a few licks. I do buy freeze-dried liver and chicken for his treats though and he eats that. no other ingredients, just freeze-dried meat. he likes that i wonder if he'd eat meat if I blended it? I used to make my own baby food, I could do the same for the cat for a treat......if he'll eat the beef that way

Are you talking the Friskies kibble or wet food? My kids have been on Friskies wet food all their lives. One will turn 16 this year and the other four, will be 12 years old. All outdoor cats.

I am always suspicious of Vets that say to you what they do. They are only there to make a profit and so have to push their food!  I took our cat in for 'scooting' recently and after the tests they said there was nothing wrong with her. That cost me $300!   

There is a wonderful holistic Vet in B.C. named "Dr. Andrew Jones" who has this amazing cat supplement that I swear by.

He started to tell his clients they could cure their animals at home and because of that got thrown out by the Veterinary College.   He has an amazing book called, "Veterinary Secrets" that you can purchase on Amazon and I highly recommend it!

If you are looking for kibble, don't take any that are coloured. The dyes are not good for your cat. Look for these 5 ingredients....the first is real chicken, meat or fish; the second chicken or fish meal (not meat meal-bad). Next , no corn, wheat , no grain.  Yes to Potato, brown rice and sweet potato. Vitamin C & E  and essential fatty acids. These are important for food allergies, arthritis and cancer protection.

I am an Animal Reiki Master and I approved this message! 

Blessings

Margaret Churchill

Heaven’s Touch

Animal Reiki      

 

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