Fancy Feast It Is

peaches08 said:

 
I'm of the ilk that feels that wet is still better than dry as a general rule, but to each his own.  I also feel that one can of wet a day is better than all dry.  But everyone is doing what they can, and sometimes getting the cat to eat is a challenge!

And yeah, the grocery brands are next to the FF and have a label like "Kroger" or "Clear Value" or something that indicates the store's brand on it. 

LOL @catsallaround the only time Grey ever growled at me was when I was trying to retrieve a strawberry she'd stolen.  I was not having her yack THAT up all over my very pale brand new sand-colored carpet.

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Oh  bummer , we do not have Kroger  here ..  That is okay anyway . I buy my Fancy Feast on  Amazon Subscribe & Save  and  I do save  a little each month .. I subscribe to 5 cases per month and buy a few in store when they have sales ..

I have gone one step further in spoiling my cats .. There is one flavor of FF they will not eat so I mixed it with FF  Grilled Liver & Beef and heated in the microwave and they licked the dish clean .. 

I just made more work for myself ..

Mine are eating FF too.  When I got a pair of kittens, Luke and Mimi, last January, I tried feeding them a variety of expensive grain free food.  They didn't eat it.  FF kitten - they lap it up.  They do thankfully like the pate.  Most of the cats I have had will just lick the sauce off the sliced varieties and leave the a lot of the solid food.  My 16 year old cat, Boudicca, eats FF too. 

Years ago, I fed my cats dry food exclusively.  One of my cats, Chester, developed diabetes at age 10.  My vet at the time (1998) said feline diabetes couldn't be controlled by diet.  Chester was on insulin for two years before it went completely out of control and he died at age 12.  In 2004, another of my cats, Misty, was also diagnosed with diabetes, at age 10.  Different era, different vet.  My vet suggested Purina DM high protein dry food combined with wet food.  Needless to say, after trying a few brands, Misty preferred Fancy Feast.  She was off insulin in about a month, and lived to 19 1/2 with normal blood sugar!

One odd thing.  After I started feeding wet food, I had three out of four cats (including Misty) diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  The one who didn't get it preferred the dry food.  I've read it could be the can linings   Can't win!   But they eat what they eat.  And no more diabetes.

LindaMc62 said:

 
Mine are eating FF too.  When I got a pair of kittens, Luke and Mimi, last January, I tried feeding them a variety of expensive grain free food.  They didn't eat it.  FF kitten - they lap it up.  They do thankfully like the pate.  Most of the cats I have had will just lick the sauce off the sliced varieties and leave the a lot of the solid food.  My 16 year old cat, Boudicca, eats FF too. 

Years ago, I fed my cats dry food exclusively.  One of my cats, Chester, developed diabetes at age 10.  My vet at the time (1998) said feline diabetes couldn't be controlled by diet.  Chester was on insulin for two years before it went completely out of control and he died at age 12.  In 2004, another of my cats, Misty, was also diagnosed with diabetes, at age 10.  Different era, different vet.  My vet suggested Purina DM high protein dry food combined with wet food.  Needless to say, after trying a few brands, Misty preferred Fancy Feast.  She was off insulin in about a month, and lived to 19 1/2 with normal blood sugar!

One odd thing.  After I started feeding wet food, I had three out of four cats (including Misty) diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  The one who didn't get it preferred the dry food.  I've read it could be the can linings   Can't win!   But they eat what they eat.  And no more diabetes.

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I know what you mean .. There is always something .. My 2 went from eating most flavors of Fancy Feast and now decided they only want 2  , Grilled Chicken & Chicken Primavera .. 

Rather deal with thyroid issue then diabetes or kidney. Sad it has to be a choice.  My cat who was at the vet a few days for blood sugar and that was very costly.  He is food controlled currently and has done fine minus the times he got into dry his sugar will spike.  

catsallaround said:

 
Rather deal with thyroid issue then diabetes or kidney. Sad it has to be a choice.  My cat who was at the vet a few days for blood sugar and that was very costly.  He is food controlled currently and has done fine minus the times he got into dry his sugar will spike.  

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I agree. I use methimazole compounded to a gel I put on my hyperthyroid cat's ear.  Quick, easy and she doesn't mind at all.  An overactive thyroid controlled by medication can also protect the blood flow to the kidneys.  It gives you something else to tweak to keep an old cat going.  Misty, the cat that died at 19 1/2, had healthy kidneys right up until the end.  Her heart gave out, which, of course, could have been caused by her thyroid issue. But something has to get them eventually, and she had a good quality of life, and lived much, much longer than she would have on dry food and insulin!

2Cats4Me said:

 
I tried , I really did ..  So many different brands , textures & flavors .. I cannot afford to waste anymore money on experimenting ..

From Sheba  all the way up to Blue Wilderness , they just sniff it and walk away .

Trust me , you do not  know these cats .. If they don't like it , they will NOT  eat it .. 

I ended up feeding them their kibble anyway .. 

I am just tired of it so I bought a few cans of Fancy Feast  and what do you know . 

The brats licked their bowls clean .. Of course they will not eat the Classic Variety but they love the Grilled and I know

that is not ideal but it will have to do for now ..

I got berated on another site for feeding my cats junk but  they NEED   a wet diet , right ? 

Maybe someday I will try to add a higher quality but for now they will eat Fancy Feast ..

Thank you for listening ..

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I am so glad I found this thread, because I have a really "nagging" question about Fancy Feast.  I have two very, very finicky special needs Oriental Shorthair senior cats.   When I feed them a "higher" end grainless cat food, it usually comes up "warm meal"- for one of the cats, (ugh) and they seem not to be able to tolerate these higher end brands. 

One of my kitties, Sir Hubble Pinkerton has been dealing with an on and off pancreatitis problem. One of my vets wants him to be on a lower fat diet. I am bonking heads with her, because this advice is really appropriate for dogs; not cats.  We have tried raw food for him, and he will take a few bites  (did a slow transition) and then leave the food on the plate.  The other cat, Dr. Hush Puppy, thinks I am trying to poison him with raw. 

Sir Hubble is now battling a raging UTI -culture came back Ecoli- and I am worried that since Fancy Feast Chunky Chicken is ONE of the foods he will eat and keep down- may be responsible for this infection.  Both cats seem to tolerate this food well with very few bouts of upchucking. But I am about at my wit's end about whether the FF could be responsible for the ecoli. My vet says "no", but the ingredients are rather low quality.

Any suggestions out here? I am pulling my hair out about now.  Thanks so much!!  And I am so glad I found this site!!

jo singer said:

 
I am so glad I found this thread, because I have a really "nagging" question about Fancy Feast.  I have two very, very finicky special needs Oriental Shorthair senior cats.   When I feed them a "higher" end grainless cat food, it usually comes up "warm meal"- for one of the cats, (ugh) and they seem not to be able to tolerate these higher end brands. 

One of my kitties, Sir Hubble Pinkerton has been dealing with an on and off pancreatitis problem. One of my vets wants him to be on a lower fat diet. I am bonking heads with her, because this advice is really appropriate for dogs; not cats.  We have tried raw food for him, and he will take a few bites  (did a slow transition) and then leave the food on the plate.  The other cat, Dr. Hush Puppy, thinks I am trying to poison him with raw. 

Sir Hubble is now battling a raging UTI -culture came back Ecoli- and I am worried that since Fancy Feast Chunky Chicken is ONE of the foods he will eat and keep down- may be responsible for this infection.  Both cats seem to tolerate this food well with very few bouts of upchucking. But I am about at my wit's end about whether the FF could be responsible for the ecoli. My vet says "no", but the ingredients are rather low quality.

Any suggestions out here? I am pulling my hair out about now.  Thanks so much!!  And I am so glad I found this site!!

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I wish I had some answers for you ..  I  agree that Fancy Feast is not the best quality but in my case it it the only   wet / can diet that my cats will eat  and they have had no  issues such as vomiting or diarrhea .I feel that is important for them to be on an all wet diet . Of course I will still try to get them to eat better quality brands but for now FF is what they will eat ...  I guess the best advice I can give is just listen to your vet and go with  your gut ..

jo singer said:

 
I am so glad I found this thread, because I have a really "nagging" question about Fancy Feast.  I have two very, very finicky special needs Oriental Shorthair senior cats.   When I feed them a "higher" end grainless cat food, it usually comes up "warm meal"- for one of the cats, (ugh) and they seem not to be able to tolerate these higher end brands. 

One of my kitties, Sir Hubble Pinkerton has been dealing with an on and off pancreatitis problem. One of my vets wants him to be on a lower fat diet. I am bonking heads with her, because this advice is really appropriate for dogs; not cats.  We have tried raw food for him, and he will take a few bites  (did a slow transition) and then leave the food on the plate.  The other cat, Dr. Hush Puppy, thinks I am trying to poison him with raw. 

Sir Hubble is now battling a raging UTI -culture came back Ecoli- and I am worried that since Fancy Feast Chunky Chicken is ONE of the foods he will eat and keep down- may be responsible for this infection.  Both cats seem to tolerate this food well with very few bouts of upchucking. But I am about at my wit's end about whether the FF could be responsible for the ecoli. My vet says "no", but the ingredients are rather low quality.

Any suggestions out here? I am pulling my hair out about now.  Thanks so much!!  And I am so glad I found this site!!

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Hi there ...

Just curious as to why you feel that FF is responsible for the e.coli? E.Coli is a very common bacteria found in UTIs, and the source can be from many things, feces, environment, rodents, raw food that is contaminated or not handled properly. It is possible to get it from commercial food, but I think this would be a very rare occurrence and there would be no way to know for sure, short of testing the food.

If you want to continue feeding your cats raw food, there is nothing that says you can't rotate raw/homecooked with a bit FF. I have a female who is not real keen on premium commercial food and so I give her a bit of FF now and then, but I also add in a bit of premium food to boost the protein level. My concern is feeding too much of FF due to the synthetic ingredients it contains, so I feed this sparingly while continuing to experiment with my female to get her to eat better quality foods.

oneandahalfcats said:

 
Hi there ...

Just curious as to why you feel that FF is responsible for the e.coli? E.Coli is a very common bacteria found in UTIs, and the source can be from many things, feces, environment, rodents, raw food that is contaminated or not handled properly. It is possible to get it from commercial food, but I think this would be a very rare occurrence and there would be no way to know for sure, short of testing the food.

If you want to continue feeding your cats raw food, there is nothing that says you can't rotate raw/homecooked with a bit FF. I have a female who is not real keen on premium commercial food and so I give her a bit of FF now and then, but I also add in a bit of premium food to boost the protein level. My concern is feeding too much of FF due to the synthetic ingredients it contains, so I feed this sparingly while continuing to experiment with my female to get her to eat better quality foods.

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Thanks so much for your responses.   I like the idea of mixing the raw/home cooked with FF. Glad to say we have no rodents, and any raw food that we have is handled properly. I am a nut about that in fact  With some of the excellent info I am finding about low-fat for cats with pancreatitis- and how low fat is not essential - in fact possibly detrimental- this diet is really appropriate for canines, not felines. The vet I am bonking heads with is a canine specialist- really an excellent vet- and I am trying to convince her that cats are not little dogs <LOL>. I am glad that she is open to discussion at this point so I am gathering information to send her.  

Since I am a huge fan of Susan Thixton  and her excellent articles about pet food, after reading this article, that is what brought on my concern about ecoli in Fancy Feast.

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/dirty-secrets-of-the-pet-food-industry/

Thanks again, I will definitely be trying your suggestions in my attempt to wean them off the FF. 

I had first experience this month with transdermal delivery of medicine-BOY did it make life easy for me and the cat!

I also believe fancy feast had nothing to do with your cat getting a UTI. Ritz got a uti, bacteria based, maybe e coil. My vet said the cause was "she peed where she popped". In other words, after she popped, she licked her vagina, and that's how she got a UTI. FWIW, I feed prey mode raw, and certainly don't blame the food. Ritz is prone to stress induced uti, so was actually relieved that her urine came back positive for bacteria, and not crystals.
(Edited to correct typos, darn auto-correct!)

momof3b1g said:

Did you ever try Merrick Cowboy Cookout? All 7 of my cats love it. I even mixed it with daves yesterday because they dont care for the daves.

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Is merrick a good make or not one of the top? I'm wondering how good it is. No shouting please. I'm talking cereal free kibble. I feed my cats dry and they get a tin of wet at bedtime - my bedtime. I have always fed my cats dry food and I sent lotto to rainbow bridge last year age 20. I don't lime merricks wet.

Ritz said:

I also believe fancy feast had nothing to do with your cat getting a UTI. Ritz got a uti, bacteria based, maybe e coil. My vet said the cause was "she need where she popped". In other words, after she popped, she picked her vagina, and that's how she got a uti. FWIW, I feed prey mode raw, and certainly don't blame the food. Ritz is prone to stress induced uti, so was actually relieved that her urine came back positive for bacteria, and not crystals.

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Thanks for the reassurance. I appreciate that a lot.

Thanks for the tip about the raw food you are feeding. I am assuming that is the name of the product? I am on the lookout for a raw diet that cats really like.   

I was just concerned about the FF and now I am much relieved.  

By the way, Sir Hubble is doing really well. The meds are working nicely, and he is truly beginning to "feel his oats" which is just great.

"Prey model raw" is a type of feeding raw, it's not a brand name like Friskies or Fancy Feast or RadCat. For more information, please see the subforum, Raw and Home Cooked Food forum.

I actually like Fancy Feast as a food. Yes, it's made with by-products. But organs are very nutrient dense, and the food IS balanced nutritionally, so it's not like it can be all... liver or pancreas or something. :dk:

I do prefer the pate type, because it's species-appropriate for a cat being high protein, lower carb, though the issue with the gravies isn't just that they usually raise the carb content, it's that they're made with some kind of starch - in FF, it's wheat gluten, which *can* irritate kitty intestines. For the money, you're not buying fat, which is the issue with so many of the higher-end foods: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245993/high-quality-canned-high-fat

DO click on the link to the spreadsheet, at the very end of the first post. It's rather eye-opening, mschauer's analysis. Yes, cats do very well with a high fat diet. But fat is also more complicated to digest, and for kitties with any impairment of the GI tract - even just inefficiency due to age - they may simply feel better eating a high protein, moderate fat diet.


jo singer as to the E. coli infection, I doubt very, very much it was the diet. Cats naturally carry e. coli as part of their microbiome. The problem is when it grows out-of-balance, or something that causes the bladder wall to become inflamed (be it stress, physical or otherwise), the bladder is then more prone to infection, as that inflamed bladder wall becomes a "perfect" host to bacteria that are not normally be a problem. (I have a kitty that was developing chronic UTIs, so have explored the subject extensively, both with the vet and via my own research).

If he's not on probiotics - especially if he's needed antibiotics to control the infection - probiotics will help re-establish the healthy bacteria he needs to help keep the problematic strains in check. My vet recommends human probiotics, as the quality is often higher for less expense. There is claim that the strains in animals are different than humans. I'm sure this is the case. But it is such a new area of research, we don't really know yet - no one does - what specific strains are best for cats. There *is* research on L. acidophilus, and we know it provides them the same benefit it does people. I actually give all my cats probiotics twice a day. I use a supplement that has 7.5 billion CFU per capsule and contains lactobaccillus (L. acidophilus and others), bifidobacterium (which work in the colon as opposed to the intestines), and S. boulardii, which helps fight intestinal inflammation (among other things). It's called Nexabiotic, and I give 1/2 cap in the AM and 1/2 a cap in the PM. My theory is that with their short digestive tracts not meant for fermentation of fiber (which is how people maintain healthy gut bacteria), cats in the wild ingest "probiotics" with every meal, as they eat the guts of their prey - and we simply do not provide that via any diet we feed... unless we supplement with probiotics.

@LDG  , Thanks for the info ..   At the moment my cats are eating  FF  Chicken Primavera .. It is the only variety they will eat  now ....  They love chicken so I am going get a  few cans of the Classic Chicken Feast and try to get them to eat that too .. They do not like Pate but I am going to hide a little under the Primavera and see if they eat it ..

LDG,

Again thanks,

He is on a probiotic twice a day also. half a cap AM and PM. I am very fortunate that my vet is holistic, and she uses human products quite a bit in fact. Since he loves the FF Chunky chicken I will be using it, but want to ultimately switch him to raw diet. My vet and I are working on that now.

He is also on Baytril 22.7 mg a day (once in the AM) and so far knocking wood, no diarrhea, no side effects at all- only effect is he is getting better!  He also was receving a product called traumateel- a homeopathic anti-inflammatory- which alleviated his pain quite nicely. I like the "teel" products. He also has a mild case of asthma and is getting a "teel" product for that also.  I think he is stressed. Not sure why- but while he seems like a rather calm kitty, he is OCD (is on elavil)  for that. Poor kitty is a walking medicine cabinet. 

But he is a happy kitty most of the time- super affectionate- wants to be underneath me all the time and loves to play with the iPad kitty game. He's not doing too badly for an almost 14 year old man.

2Cats4Me said:

@LDG
 , Thanks for the info ..   At the moment my cats are eating  FF  Chicken Primavera .. It is the only variety they will eat  now ....  They love chicken so I am going get a  few cans of the Classic Chicken Feast and try to get them to eat that too .. They do not like Pate but I am going to hide a little under the Primavera and see if they eat it ..

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Mine hated pate foods too. I tossed them in a mini-food processor, added water, and drizzled gravy from the non-pate foods on them. Then I just added water and mashed them up. Then I just added less and less water. Of course - I had the feral cats outside to eat leftovers from foods I didn't want the inside kitties eating, so I never waste any food. I'm sure that makes a HUGE difference in my approach (my willingness to use stuff I don't need all of).

jo singer said:

LDG,

Again thanks,

He is on a probiotic twice a day also. half a cap AM and PM. I am very fortunate that my vet is holistic, and she uses human products quite a bit in fact. Since he loves the FF Chunky chicken I will be using it, but want to ultimately switch him to raw diet. My vet and I are working on that now.

He is also on Baytril 22.7 mg a day (once in the AM) and so far knocking wood, no diarrhea, no side effects at all- only effect is he is getting better!  He also was receving a product called traumateel- a homeopathic anti-inflammatory- which alleviated his pain quite nicely. I like the "teel" products. He also has a mild case of asthma and is getting a "teel" product for that also.  I think he is stressed. Not sure why- but while he seems like a rather calm kitty, he is OCD (is on elavil)  for that. Poor kitty is a walking medicine cabinet. 

But he is a happy kitty most of the time- super affectionate- wants to be underneath me all the time and loves to play with the iPad kitty game. He's not doing too badly for an almost 14 year old man.

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That's wonderful! You know, none of mine ever got diarrhea from any antibiotics either. :dk:

And WOW you have fantastic vets to be so ... well-informed! Yes, I've seen a lot of people's kitties benefit from those products - especially traumeel. Are you aware they're closing North American distribution? You may want to stock up, or chat with your vets about this: http://edzardernst.com/2014/05/homeopathic-manufacturer-to-close-north-american-subsidiaries/

Yes, it is due to our penchant for lawsuits. And homeopathic remedies have been under attack.

I have a cat with asthma and arthritis. Curcumin with BioPerine has worked wonders for her. If you're no longer able to get Traumeel, that's worth discussing with your vets. I just wrote about it, here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/279924/...lief-interesting-observation/210#post_3601100

Oh no on the "Teel" products closing. I will definitely ask my vet to load me up on the two we use. Thanks so much for the info and links. Bless you.

I am so lucky to have found this vet 10 years ago. She is amazing.

My Perla IS a Fancy Feast kind of girl. I gave in after months and months AND months of trying commercially made raw sprinkled heavily with Fortiflora (which was the only way she would eat it and I mean, doused.... :slant then trying some high quality grain free canned foods with absolutely no luck. There are only THREE other brands of canned cat food that she will willingly eat. EVO chicken/turkey, Instinct Venison and Core turkey (original) other than those it is ALL FANCY FEAST for her. rincess: :lol3: She does eat the pate but only cares for a few of them. She was my cross to bear back then but now, I am just happy that life is easy going with her meal time. :nod: