HELP - need food recommendation :)

Hi,

 I just adopted a cat from the Humane society. She's around 3-4yrs old, maybe 10lbs (with a LITTLE "jelly belly" hanging down), has a nice shiny coat & good skin. She  seems to be happy & really healthy. She was maintained at the shelter for 9.5 months on a mixture of "middle-of-the-road" Purina dry food.

I know that I held-up great when I didn't eat particularly well as a younger person, and I think that's the deal with her too. But now I'm 53 and I make sure I eat a healthy vegetarian diet so that I stay healthy. I'd like to do the same for her. I really need to be as proactive as possible with both of our diets since I no longer work & have little cash for Drs. & Vets.

I want to feed her primarily on a good dry kibble, with a small spoonful of some wet food and maybe a treat or two each day. She will be indoors only so not terribly active (although I'll try to run her around after toys each day).

My head is exploding after reaearching this on the net annd getting recommendations. It seems that any food processed in a shared plant is suspect, and that  for everyone who loves a food, there is someone who hates it. Is there any concensus? I just know from what I've been told, that I want to keep the protein percentage under 32% for kidney health, and I need to keep the fat around 16% or higher for her skin & coat. I'd like all the goodies you find in premium foods, like UT health ingredients, low ash content, low or no grain (even though she seem to have no problem now), hairball preventative ingredients, etc...

Could I please get recommendations from some of you who have already figured this out. I'm willing to pay for a medium/high priced food. I have a Cosco membership if Diamond really isn't the "Great Satan" as I've read, and access to a few Pet & Feed stores.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Some kibble is probably okay and I offer it in small quantities for overnight snacking (1/2 cup between 6 cats).

They are primarily fed canned. Dry food can really do a number on a cat if they are prone to urinary tract issues. Lots of vets are now recommending that cats be fed  canned foods. The food gives them more moisture as well and so you avoid expensive vet issues associated with dehydration.

Feed 100% wet food. Dry food is made for the convenience of people, but it can cause all sorts of health issues:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-dry-food-is-bad-for-cats-and-dogs/

Since you are on a budget, try Fancy Feast classic line or Friskies pate style foods. I have seen both at Costco. Feed fish flavors sparingly (once a week) as fish has mercury content and causes other issues such as fish addiction (refusing to eat anything but fish).

Definitely go with 100% canned it is much healthier for the kitty.  Here is a site with lots of good information about Feline Nutrition on it.  http://catinfo.org/  It is written by a Veterinarian.  It has saved my kitties a lot of illnesses.  And as mentioned above if you don't have a huge cat food budget, Fancy Feast or Friskies are excellent options. 

I agree with all of the above, and if you need help in getting your new furkid to eat canned food, here are some tips on transitioning her:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264675/...ties-to-timed-meals-and-new-food#post_3408209

SamsHuman said:

I want to feed her primarily on a good dry kibble, with a small spoonful of some wet food and maybe a treat or two each day. She will be indoors only so not terribly active (although I'll try to run her around after toys each day).

My head is exploding after reaearching this on the net annd getting recommendations. It seems that any food processed in a shared plant is suspect, and that  for everyone who loves a food, there is someone who hates it. Is there any concensus? I just know from what I've been told, that I want to keep the protein percentage under 32% for kidney health, and I need to keep the fat around 16% or higher for her skin & coat. I'd like all the goodies you find in premium foods, like UT health ingredients, low ash content, low or no grain (even though she seem to have no problem now), hairball preventative ingredients, etc...

Click to expand...

Hm, the info you've been told seems different from what I know.

Wet food all the way if you can afford it (you mentioned you can). Dry food has so much carbs that cannot be used by kitty. Feline obesity, UTI, you name it. 

Protein under 32%? Cats thrive on meat protein. They need protein - I think it's 80% ideally? The best kind for cats is high protein, moderate fat, and low carbs.

What is the reasoning for wanting to feed her primarily dry?

Thanks so much everyone for the info

I've had a lot of cats during my lifetime and they've all been on a dry food with wet toppers. When I was younger it was grocery store food, then I upgraded to high-end  with my last batch of four cats on the east coast. Everyone seemed to be healthy - in fact, my large male is 18yrs now & still living with my ex. My favorite Vet ever recommended mainly dry food to keep healthy teeth & gums, and I've seen the mouths of a friends cat who fed only wet and they were awful. I know I could brush Sam's teeth, but I don't think it's necessary since I've had really good luck in the past with dry food.

I went online after bringing Sam home and looked for coupons for the two foods I planned to mix together for her basic diet - Blue Buffalo and Wellness - and that's when I read everything about take-overs & reformulation, recalls, etc... That's when my brain exploded and I looked for a good forum (you guys) to ask questions.

The 32% max protein for long term kidney health and 16% max fat numbers are straight from my vet (she takes care of my roommates two dogs and I trust her).

I apreciate all the info Re: soft food, and it might just be the absolute best way to go, but I want to stick to what I've done in the past that had good results for me. Now I just need to know which dry food I can trust.....

Any recommendations on a good dry food anyone?

  Thank you!!

I've heard good things about Taste of the Wild, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Wellness CORE, and Merrick Before Grain.

Since you're already dead set on it, you could just continue feeding the dry food that the shelter used to feed her with. She's healthy, happy and have a nice coat and skin from there.

Yeah, that's a shame that some vets are still telling the myth about dry food cleaning teeth as well as protein being damaging to kidneys. Actually the lack of moisture and a low thirst drive can cause kidney damage, as can diabetes complications. Both of these can be directly attributed to high-carb dry kibble. As far as teeth, some cats do better than others just as people do. Some just have better luck than others. I can go once a year for cleanings and be fine. Others go twice a year and dread hearing bad news each time they go.

There are better options for kibble heads than there used to be, but these better options are going to have higher protein than the lesser quality brands. That's why they're higher quality: more meat, more protein/bioavailability. If I were to feed kibble, I'd look at Evo and the other brands that members here have listed.

Most vets do not get a lot of nutrition education. I know you like and trust your vet, but she sounds very old school about feline nutritional needs. Here are some other vets' takes on what you have heard.

Why dry food is not any better for teeth than wet food: http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/

Protein needs for cats: http://endocrinevet.blogspot.com/2011/11/optimal-protein-requirements-for-older.html

Feline nutrition needs in general: http://www.catinfo.org/

A cats teeth health is more genetics than anything else.  I have two cats that were fed dry for several years and I now have managed to get them to about 1/2 wet and 1/2 dry.  They are both 10 years old now, one has beautiful teeth with no gingivitis, the other one has had issues.  She has lost 5 teeth because of gingivitis.  I got her when she was 2 months old and she already had bad breath.  

Most of what I have read as far as food ingredients go high phosphorous levels is what is hard on kidneys not protein content.  

I'm not sure any of us are going to be able to recommend a food for you with specific of X amount of protein and X amount of fat, etc., when that is not what WE look for .  We look at ingredients, number one.  And what we are looking for is LACK of carbohydrates.  That is the best thing for cats.  The less carbs the better.  That's why the higher the protein the better. 

You asked for a consensus, and I don't think you'll ever get one.  Not even on a specific wet food .  There are just too many options out there.

If you have a Costco card, Kirkland makes a good quality kibble for cats, but I don't know if it falls into your parameters .. On the Wellness, I just googled it, and the particular one I looked at was higher in both protein AND fat than you said you were looking for, as i suspected, since it's grain free.  But like I said, I don't know which specific one you are thinking about.  So, as I said earlier, I don't think any of us can make a recommendation and keep within your parameters...it's just too encompassing.  I say, just go with your gut, and what she will eat . but DO  read all the links people have provided.  They have very interesting  and informative information in them. 

And as Denice mentioned, tooth health is probably more genetics than anything.  I also fed my cats kibble before I started learning about nutrition, and one of my cats had to have 4 teeth extracted by age 7, and yearly dentals (this while eating kibble).  Now that I feed raw, one of my cats gets moderate tarter build-up, and another only gets mild build-up, so that tells me it's the cat, not the food. (My 3rd cat is 14 and has eaten kibble, then canned, then raw, now back to canned and has NEVER had a dental, so she's got really good genetics )

Hi again and thanks everyone

Blue Buffalo & Wellness were what I fed my four cats in New Jersey and I was happy with the results. I was online looking for coupons when I came across all the controversies - Wellness has supposedly been bought-out and the formula changed for the worse, and there were recalls & problems with Blue Buffalo (I think they were associated with Diamond? - can't remember now). That's when I started looking for recommendations and got the 32% protein/16% fat numbers from my Vet. Unfortunately, I then read some pretty awful things about the foods that were recommended too. Soooo, that's how I ended-up at this site.

I guess I'll just have to take the plunge with something. I'm looking at FELIDAE ADULT INDOOR (or maybe PLATINUM SENIOR?) -  has anyone had any experience with Felidae? They also offer a grain free...

Thanks again for all the info. I might go 1/2 wet to 1/2 dry now that I know her teeth won't suffer. I'll definitely read through all the links you guys gave me.

I've read that feeding kibble is basically the same as feeding crackers to humans for oral health - it just crumbles, without cleaning the teeth or gums.  If your cats will eat it, chunks of meat that they have to chew through or things like chicken necks are great for teeth and gum health.  

If you really want to stay with kibble, I'd get a high protein, grain free one with as few filler ingredients as possible.  Ignore the marketing for 'seniors', 'indoors', 'hairball' etc. - those are all gimmicks.  Good luck with all of your research!  I don't feed kibble except on rare occasions to foster kitties who haven't transitioned to canned / raw food yet, but I keep Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken with freeze dried raw added: http://www.naturesvariety.com/Instinct/RawBoost/cat/chicken   I like this brand, although again - I feed kibble rarely so I don't have much to go by, other than the ingredient list.