How important IS grain-free, really?

I'm just intrigued to know. When I first started feeding Squiggy, I fed him ONLY grain free. However, he turned his nose up at both Natural Balance and another brand (I can't remember off-hand), and while he ate the Blue Wilderness, it gave him terrible diarrhea. When I switched him to Iams, the diarrhea stopped. I've been feeding him grain-free wet, but he's still extremely gassy and has very stinky poops. (Don't worry, he's been tested for internal parasites and all is clear there. I'm currently using probiotics with him.) Could it be that the grain-free is actually contributing to his stinky gas and poop problem? Thanks in advance!

Just a thought, but sometimes grain free and higher end foods can be too rich for the cat's system. Did you do a gradual transition? 

MeowFrau said:

 
I'm just intrigued to know. When I first started feeding Squiggy, I fed him ONLY grain free. However, he turned his nose up at both Natural Balance and another brand (I can't remember off-hand), and while he ate the Blue Wilderness, it gave him terrible diarrhea. When I switched him to Iams, the diarrhea stopped. I've been feeding him grain-free wet, but he's still extremely gassy and has very stinky poops. (Don't worry, he's been tested for internal parasites and all is clear there. I'm currently using probiotics with him.) Could it be that the grain-free is actually contributing to his stinky gas and poop problem? Thanks in advance!

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Are you giving him canned or dry? 

I did, and the grain-free dry continues to tear his stomach up each time I try it. I've tried a couple of different brands and everything.

momof3b1g said:

 
Are you giving him canned or dry? 

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Both. The canned I give him is grain-free. The dry I give him is not because, as I stated earlier, attempts to put him on the grain-free dry caused bad diarrhea. 

MeowFrau said:

 
Both. The canned I give him is grain-free. The dry I give him is not because, as I stated earlier, attempts to put him on the grain-free dry caused bad diarrhea. 

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First..have you thought about feeding him canned only? Also do a search. I am pretrty sure there were others posting about the same issue with Blue Wilderness. I assume its not the "grain free". But that brand of food. 

momof3b1g said:

 
First..have you thought about feeding him canned only? Also do a search. I am pretrty sure there were others posting about the same issue with Blue Wilderness. I assume its not the "grain free". But that brand of food. 

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I have, but I have not done that because of a) costs (once I'm out of grad school and have a full-time job again, that may be a more plausible option) and b) I am so afraid of leaving wet food out for extended periods of time (when I'm in class or at my part time job). Also, I've read a few places that wet food causes stinkier poop, and I've noticed that being true for Squiggy. So interesting to know that about Blue Wilderness. Wonder what he may tolerate better? He is a little finicky about his dry food. Natural Balance Duck & Pea was a no go, but I think he just doesn't like duck. I tried another brand whose name escapes me and he wasn't into that at all. I'm thinking of maybe trying Taste of the Wild? It seems a little more cost effective than brands like Wellness. I have a giant bag of Orijen Six Fish that came with him when I adopted him, but I know that I can't afford to feed him that on a regular basis.

thats odd...i only just started the grain free food for my senior and disabled kitties on someones suggestion that it may help build muscle and weight gain for my senior and help keep my disabled guy strong, plus i was having one heck of a pooping issue whenever i gave my disabled kitty standard canned food (he is incontinent right now)..now i see the difference in them both instantly...Wobbles walks more with less giving out of his legs and his poops are not wet and easier on him as well...and Squiggly my senior sleeps better and seems all in all much happier...

Is this a kitten or full grown cat?

Kittens have very "responsive" bellies and even a flavor switch can cause smelly poo and upset

tummies.

Cats don't really need carbs, but it is hard to find totally carb free AND something they will be willing to eat.

All the boards I scan seem to think wet food is better than dry because of the extra moisture.

If you find something canned he will eat, I would stick with it.  I leave my canned out all day and don't have

a problem with it.  We put anything the cats won't eat out for the seagulls in the morning (fat seagulls = very finicky cats) and

I've seen them eat the SAME darn food outside that they would not touch inside.  CATS!  and they are fine...that would mean the food

was out 24 hours.  I don't recommend it, but you can't control what a cat does outside.

Have you tried some of the other Natural Balance LID recipes, like Chicken and Pea? He might like that better, unless he objects to peas. Natural Balance is just that - balanced, plus, their specialty is diets for animals with sensitivities and allergies. Merrick is another excellent grain-free diet. Some grain free diets are too low in fibre which can lead to some cats not being able to digest them properly. Finding a grain free with a more standard fibre content might just work for you.

If you're going to go the more conventional route, you can do much better than Iams for about the same cost. Nutram, Performatrin, and Nutro Natural Choice are much better quality than Iams but don't break the bank.

MeowFrau said:

 
I'm just intrigued to know. When I first started feeding Squiggy, I fed him ONLY grain free. However, he turned his nose up at both Natural Balance and another brand (I can't remember off-hand), and while he ate the Blue Wilderness, it gave him terrible diarrhea. When I switched him to Iams, the diarrhea stopped. I've been feeding him grain-free wet, but he's still extremely gassy and has very stinky poops. (Don't worry, he's been tested for internal parasites and all is clear there. I'm currently using probiotics with him.) Could it be that the grain-free is actually contributing to his stinky gas and poop problem? Thanks in advance!

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I think the questions of transitioning is there. Assuming this is a kitten, their stomachs are pretty reactionary to new diets. I made the switch to grain free when I first got Hugo and found his poop stank to high heavens before rotating different wet brands. Someone on this forum told me to keep the dry constant and rotate the wet. At the same time, while rotating the wet, I found one particular brand Kakato with exceptional low taurine (0.01% I think) gave him a poop issue that he could clear the room.

Fish based food also causes stink and thus you might want to stick with poultry based products.

The smell and gas usually comes from undigested proteins in the food.

To answer the question in the title - everyone has their own opinion, but IMO grain free is not nearly as important as low-carb. A food with a lot of potatoes or peas in it is no better for cats than one with grains.

Not all grain free foods have the high protein, moderate fat, low carb nutrient profile that is best for cats. Also, some of them are very high in fat (especially the canned varieties) which may be hard on a kitten's tummy, AND they are not always high enough in protein. Fat and carbs are both cheaper than protein, and all pet food companies are trying to make a profit. So they tend to increase one or the other and keep protein lower than it really should be.

There are less expensive canned foods that don't have grains or vegetables, even though they may not be labeled "grain free". Fancy Feast Classics are one option that's often recommended. Sheba is another good option.

Perhaps he/she would prefer weisswurst in the morning?

Perhaps he/she would prefer weisswurst in the morning?

Yeah, or bacon and eggs?

Grain free is pretty worthless if it is instead filled with cheap fillers like veggie/fruit waste matter,  potato and pea powder and other carbs and starches.

Most of the high end foods that cost 4 or 5 times the price like Wellness Core and Blue Buffalo are all filled with these fillers.

I chose to feed Sheba pate as it has no fillers, higher protein, and is about 1/4 or 1/5 the price of other "grain free" starch filled foods. I just paid 47 cents per can the other day, normally it's 50 cents. It is pretty much nothing but meat, organs and vitamins without all of the extra fillers and other junk. Sometimes I soak a small amount or Core grain free kibble in lots of water, and mixit into his Sheba. He gulps it down and it mixing a small amount of dry in helps defer some cost further.

It could be that your cat is allergic/sensitive to an ingredient in the food, or it could be a low quality protein source in the food that isn't being digested optimally.  Or some combination of factors.  Iams is essentially expensive junk food for pets and you can definitely do better for the price.  

I love these sources for info on quality cat food: http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/      

http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2011/08/best-dry-cat-foods-so-far/

You might also want to check out http://truthaboutpetfood.com/

I feed my wet food hater Orijen and a small amount of Avoderm Salmon in Salmon Consomme (mostly to get supplements into her).  My IBD cat gets Hound & Gatos novel proteins...I want to get her on raw but she's rejected everything we've tried to date.  My five month old kittens get a combo of Weruva, Stella & Chewy's, and Orijen.  All of these foods are human-grade (SUPER important to me) and manufactured by companies with excellent reputations.  The Weruva initially appears to be a starchy food due to certain veggie fillers, and the fact that it contains sauce, but it actually has an ideal protein/carb ratio.  You really have to dig deep and do your research on cat food.  Going by black-and-white guidelines- e.g., "Dry food is bad", "Saucy food is bad", "fruit and veg are always bad"- is overly simplistic and erroneously excludes some actually high quality foods.  

Ideally,  cats are going to eat a raw diet that's comprised of a minimum of 90% USDA approved meat.  If you want to ensure your cat's future health, that's a hard and fast rule you can't go wrong with.  Many cat owners will find it either too much hassle or cost-prohibitive, so we do the best we can with what we have.  The operative word there is "best", and you can't do your best if you're uninformed or misinformed.  If you want to understand a little better why grade of meat is important, I recommend this article: https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/inde...r-you-a-your-pet-carnivore&Itemid=144&lang=en

Best wishes to you and Squiggy!  Love that name, btw.  I'm having Laverne & Shirley flashbacks now