Is fancy feast truly horrible for cats?

Plan said:

Sheesh, all this info is overwhelming for a relatively inexperienced cat owner like me. I've got a friend who says dry food is best, and she's urging me to feed my kitten dry food. Then I see people on here saying wet food is essential, and others who are going the homecooked or raw route.

Is there a good FAQ or resource specifically for new owners of kittens? My primary concern is making sure my little guy gets the nutrients he needs as a kitten...then I can figure out what he needs as an adult when the time comes.

Click to expand...

There is absolutely no validity to dry food being better for cats. If your friend mentions the old "dry food is better for teeth" argument, it's a myth with no scientific basis to back it up.

As for kittens, as long as they are not still nursing, their nutritional needs are not different from an adult. It's just that commercial kitten foods are usually better formulated in that they are higher in protein and fat and lower in carbs (all good things for all cats without health issues). As long as you are feeding an all stages or kitten food, and lots of it, you are filling their nutritional needs.

If you want to learn more about why many people are going the raw or home-cooked route, there is a lot of great information with links here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources

Plan said:

 
Sheesh, all this info is overwhelming for a relatively inexperienced cat owner like me. I've got a friend who says dry food is best, and she's urging me to feed my kitten dry food. Then I see people on here saying wet food is essential, and others who are going the homecooked or raw route.

Is there a good FAQ or resource specifically for new owners of kittens? My primary concern is making sure my little guy gets the nutrients he needs as a kitten...then I can figure out what he needs as an adult when the time comes.

Click to expand...

Kudos to you for researching for answers!  Seriously, it is so easy to just take other people's advice, no matter how wrong that advice may be.

In addition to vball91's comments, check out www.catinfo.org.  It's written by a vet who researched cat nutrition.

Fancy Feast makes a canned kitten food.  Check out Petsmart and other places for sales.

vball91 said:

There is absolutely no validity to dry food being better for cats. If your friend mentions the old "dry food is better for teeth" argument, it's a myth with no scientific basis to back it up.

As for kittens, as long as they are not still nursing, their nutritional needs are not different from an adult. It's just that commercial kitten foods are usually better formulated in that they are higher in protein and fat and lower in carbs (all good things for all cats without health issues). As long as you are feeding an all stages or kitten food, and lots of it, you are filling their nutritional needs.

If you want to learn more about why many people are going the raw or home-cooked route, there is a lot of great information with links here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources

Click to expand...

peaches08 said:

 
Kudos to you for researching for answers!  Seriously, it is so easy to just take other people's advice, no matter how wrong that advice may be.

In addition to vball91's comments, check out www.catinfo.org.  It's written by a vet who researched cat nutrition.

Fancy Feast makes a canned kitten food.  Check out Petsmart and other places for sales.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info and the link. I just finished reading the page where the nutritionist tackles the "my cat is fine on dry food" argument, and there's some interesting stuff there. The issue of water intake and avoiding dehydration is something I've read several times, in different places, and it's something I am paying special attention to.

Plan said:

 
Sheesh, all this info is overwhelming for a relatively inexperienced cat owner like me. I've got a friend who says dry food is best, and she's urging me to feed my kitten dry food. Then I see people on here saying wet food is essential, and others who are going the homecooked or raw route.

Is there a good FAQ or resource specifically for new owners of kittens? My primary concern is making sure my little guy gets the nutrients he needs as a kitten...then I can figure out what he needs as an adult when the time comes.

Click to expand...

Check out the articles section of this site.   www.thecatsite.com/atype/45/Cat_Care  I like to think of them as an owner's manual for your new cat.

Thanks!

What do you guys think about "rotating" meals for my kitten? He's about 8 weeks old and I've been feeding him a few different kinds of canned food, as well as dry. Partially it's to see what he'll eat (Answer: Everything so far lol), and part of it is because I want to get him used to different types of meals so he doesn't become a picky eater. They're not wildly different meals, just different canned versions from different brands -- turkey one meal, chicken another, beef, etc. There is some overall consistency as he always eats the chicken meals at least once a day.

Is this a sound strategy? Is it okay for the kitten's health?

(I am using the specially formulated kitten food, BTW.)

Changing up the menu is a great idea.  It provides more well-rounded nutrition and in the event of a food recall, your cat will eat something else.

How much food is he getting?  Kittens need a lot of food.

At 8 weeks, he should get many frequent meals, as much as he wants really. Glad he likes all the canned food he's tried so far.

Plan said:

 
Thanks for the info and the link. I just finished reading the page where the nutritionist tackles the "my cat is fine on dry food" argument, and there's some interesting stuff there. The issue of water intake and avoiding dehydration is something I've read several times, in different places, and it's something I am paying special attention to.

Click to expand...

I love the catinfo.org site. When I started looking into and reading up on what is involved in owning a cat (I adopted my first 2 months ago!) that was only the second website I read. Completely flipped everything had I figured on in regards to feeding a cat. The homepage article is worth the read just by itself.

I'm aiming for switching to raw in the future, and I already use the storage tote litter box from the get-go. Best make-it-yourself idea I've come across in a long time!  

For now I also feed the FF Classics line, minus the fish flavors, plus I have started buying the 12.5 oz cans of Wellness chicken and turkey flavors. Shelly has only ever turned up her nose at one line, and that is Newman's Own; other than that, she has eaten everything I have put down for her (I only feed her wet food).

Plan said:

 
Thanks!

What do you guys think about "rotating" meals for my kitten? He's about 8 weeks old and I've been feeding him a few different kinds of canned food, as well as dry. Partially it's to see what he'll eat (Answer: Everything so far lol), and part of it is because I want to get him used to different types of meals so he doesn't become a picky eater. They're not wildly different meals, just different canned versions from different brands -- turkey one meal, chicken another, beef, etc. There is some overall consistency as he always eats the chicken meals at least once a day.

Is this a sound strategy? Is it okay for the kitten's health?

(I am using the specially formulated kitten food, BTW.)

Click to expand...

You want to expose him to as many different foods as you can right now. During kitten phase cats develop a sense of "safe" food, which is why they can be picky later on. So feed him different brands, proteins, and textures (shredded, stew, pate). I would even try a little raw.

Fancy Feast isn't the worst food you could feed your cat. You need to make sure that they are getting a balanced diet. Just understand that the more canned food you feed the animal the more likely they are to wind up needing dental cleanings later in life as they are not actually chewing anything to help break the tartar off of their teeth. You have to make sure to feed the appropriate amount of food (either canned or dry) to your cat to make sure that they're receiving the right amount of calories and not going to become overweight. Canned food (of any variety) is a lot higher in calories than dry food, so make sure to take that into consideration when you feed it. Just make sure to monitor your pet's weight and, as you always would, keep an eye out for any medical issues that may occur in life. Plenty of cats I have worked with in my career as a vet tech have been feed exclusively canned food and been fine (Fancy Feast included). Just make sure not to feed exclusively FISH canned food as too much fish can lead to urinary tract issues. 

^^^Cats don't chew any more eating dry food than they do wet, if you're trying to make that disproven point that "dry is better for the teeth." Cats' teeth aren't designed for chewing the way omnivores/herbivores are - their teeth are made to rip and tear meat into smaller chunks which are then swallowed whole.

I doubt your assertion that wet food has more calories, considering that wet foods are +70% water and dry foods are all high-carb, some with 30-50% carb content. It's not hard to figure out which food leads to obesity, & it's a known fact that free-feeding dry is a fast track to weight isues. M own cat eats an all-wet diet and has dropped weight in the 2 months I've had her; good thing considering she weighed 14.5 pounds 2 months ago.

Canned food (of any variety) is a lot higher in calories than dry food

Click to expand...

Certainly not . Most canned food brands are around 30 calories an ounce. Most dry foods are around 100 calories an ounce. Canned food is very high in moisture so that doesn't leave a lot of room for calories. Maybe if you converted it to dry matter basis. . .no, I think it still comes out about the same as kibble that way :dk:. That's why canned food is better for weight loss.

Anariel said:

 
Fancy Feast isn't the worst food you could feed your cat. You need to make sure that they are getting a balanced diet. Just understand that the more canned food you feed the animal the more likely they are to wind up needing dental cleanings later in life as they are not actually chewing anything to help break the tartar off of their teeth. You have to make sure to feed the appropriate amount of food (either canned or dry) to your cat to make sure that they're receiving the right amount of calories and not going to become overweight. Canned food (of any variety) is a lot higher in calories than dry food, so make sure to take that into consideration when you feed it. Just make sure to monitor your pet's weight and, as you always would, keep an eye out for any medical issues that may occur in life. Plenty of cats I have worked with in my career as a vet tech have been feed exclusively canned food and been fine (Fancy Feast included). Just make sure not to feed exclusively FISH canned food as too much fish can lead to urinary tract issues. 

Click to expand...

Cats, do not literally chew their food.  Their teeth are designed to shred and cut. They are carnivores - which typically swallow pieces whole. There is no need for them to break down food the way a human does.  They do not have the same amount of molar teeth as us and other animals such as cows.

There is absolutely no proof that kibble helps with dental problems. The cat is "chopping" the kibble, not technically chewing it.  If chewing crunchy food kept away tarter nobody would need a dentist.  And, as we know, most people do.  Decay isn't caused by not chewing, it's caused by anything which can get caught between the teeth and gum area.  IDK about anyone else but I find anything crunchy I eat is the main culprit behind a lot of my dental issues, soft foods such as yogurt sure aren't getting stuck between my gum line.

BTW, most dry food comes in denser calorie wise than wet food also.  A cup of wet food on average is probably about 250-300 calories if I remember.  I know the dry food we use on occasion clocks in at just under 500 (500!) calories for a cup.  Much of which is carbs.

Anariel said:

Fancy Feast isn't the worst food you could feed your cat. You need to make sure that they are getting a balanced diet. Just understand that the more canned food you feed the animal the more likely they are to wind up needing dental cleanings later in life as they are not actually chewing anything to help break the tartar off of their teeth. You have to make sure to feed the appropriate amount of food (either canned or dry) to your cat to make sure that they're receiving the right amount of calories and not going to become overweight. Canned food (of any variety) is a lot higher in calories than dry food, so make sure to take that into consideration when you feed it. Just make sure to monitor your pet's weight and, as you always would, keep an eye out for any medical issues that may occur in life. Plenty of cats I have worked with in my career as a vet tech have been feed exclusively canned food and been fine (Fancy Feast included). Just make sure not to feed exclusively FISH canned food as too much fish can lead to urinary tract issues. 

Click to expand...

Very good advice about not feeding fish. It can also lead to vitamine B deficiency because the thiaminase in fish breaks up the thiamine (vitamin B).

However, as others have mentioned, cats' teeth are not designed for chewing. And even if they were, chewing kibble to break tartar is as efficients as chewing pretzels or peanuts in humans to break tartar.

Regarding calories, 30 g of kibble are, on average, 100 calories. Most pate complete wet foods are 100 calories/ 100 grams (30 g = 1 oz).

vball91 said:

At 8 weeks, he should get many frequent meals, as much as he wants really.

Glad he likes all the canned food he's tried so far.

Click to expand...

Thanks. As much as he wants, huh? I've been worried about overdoing it and starting a bad habit of overeating. Would you say that's not a concern for a kitten? At what point should I really regulate how much he eats?

Plan said:

Thanks. As much as he wants, huh? I've been worried about overdoing it and starting a bad habit of overeating. Would you say that's not a concern for a kitten? At what point should I really regulate how much he eats?

Click to expand...

Many would advise to let him eat as much as he wants until he is 1 year old. This has not worked out for us. I think that 6-8 months is a more appropriate age to start measuring food and introducing scheduled feeding, if you haven't already. However, he will have growth spurts. You will see that there will be times when no matter how much you feed him he'll still be hungry - that's perfectly normal. In the mean time, enjoy your kitty. Time flies by really fast.

Plan said:

 
Thanks. As much as he wants, huh? I've been worried about overdoing it and starting a bad habit of overeating. Would you say that's not a concern for a kitten? At what point should I really regulate how much he eats?

Click to expand...

As a general rule, kittens need a lot of nutrients in the growing years to ensure that their bodies and immune function develop well. Eight weeks of age is quite young. He would have just recently stopped getting his nourishment from mom and will need to now get this from solid food which needs to be complete and balanced. That said, metabolism activity level, and frame size are important considerations. No two cats are alike in this respect and so if your kitty seems like he may the more sedate type who is not that active, you will want to start looking at caloric control sooner, but you are very far from needing to be concerned about this, at this age. If your kitty is a bundle of energy like my young tuxedo boy, Thomas, has been since we took him in at 4-5 months, then you shouldn't have to worry about calories for the first couple of years at least. I would think at the age of 8 months to a year, you should have a good sense of his energy levels and metabolism and how well he is managing his intake of food based on his weight at that age.

I just want to say how much easier it is for those of you who have kittens to get them used to all varieties of good healthy food so that they don't grow to be fussy & picky.
It can be stressful & expensive trying to transition older cats on to different foods.

tiho said:

I just want to say how much easier it is for those of you who have kittens to get them used to all varieties of good healthy food so that they don't grow to be fussy & picky.
It can be stressful & expensive trying to transition older cats on to different foods.

Click to expand...

Up until October of last year, my cats were on dry food for the most part. They are 9.5, 7 and 1.5 years old. They now eat 80% wet canned. The transition was fairly easy, but I acknowledge that this will not be the case with every cat.

Anariel said:

 
Fancy Feast isn't the worst food you could feed your cat. You need to make sure that they are getting a balanced diet. Just understand that the more canned food you feed the animal the more likely they are to wind up needing dental cleanings later in life as they are not actually chewing anything to help break the tartar off of their teeth. You have to make sure to feed the appropriate amount of food (either canned or dry) to your cat to make sure that they're receiving the right amount of calories and not going to become overweight. Canned food (of any variety) is a lot higher in calories than dry food, so make sure to take that into consideration when you feed it. Just make sure to monitor your pet's weight and, as you always would, keep an eye out for any medical issues that may occur in life. Plenty of cats I have worked with in my career as a vet tech have been feed exclusively canned food and been fine (Fancy Feast included). Just make sure not to feed exclusively FISH canned food as too much fish can lead to urinary tract issues. 

Click to expand...

Other than dental cleanings, what does your office advise for cat owners to do for their cats' teeth?

Every cat I've pulled off of kibble and put on canned either maintained weight or lost weight.  I never had to watch for calories like so many owners do, my obstacle was carbs.