Best Cat Food

tinkerfellouch · Jan 9, 2015

I am new to this whole kitty ownership. But, I know that Corn meal should not be part of a cats diet, After all cats are carnivores right? And I am NOT listening to my friend and trying to make ehr vegan, I think that is extremely unhealthy for my baby. So what brands can I rely on for good quality and no cornmeal in it.?

tabbysia · Jan 10, 2015

There are a lot of brands that contain no corn, wheat, or soy, such as Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Acana, Orijen (I think), Weruva and Halo. I'm sure there are many other brands too, but my brain isn't working! Certain varieties of these brands are also grain-free--something else to consider.

Are you feeding dry, wet, or a combination of both?

pocho · Jan 10, 2015

Hi! I am a vegan that feeds my kitties a raw diet. That means I have to handle raw bloody meat. But as much as it could upset me somehow it feels as natural to feed them that as it is for me to be vegan. Have you looked into any commercial raw frozen foods?

tinkerfellouch · Jan 10, 2015

I am trying to do a combination of both. And Don't get me wrong I have nothing against a vegan diet(I could not do it but I respect those that can.) But kitties aren't meant to be on one. I have thought about it but I need to know expense on all of it and help in choosing the right onw.

pocho · Jan 10, 2015

I say don't waste your money in dry then and find a high quality canned food with no grains or carreegenan(I always spell that in a ridiculous way..) or gums. You can try Primal frozen raw too. I think members on this site have done the math and high quality canned is alittle more money than commercial raw, not sure though.

lisahe · Jan 10, 2015

Our cats like a couple of the brands already mentioned: Weruva (their Cats in the Kitchen foods are affordable, real meat shreds) and Primal, though they prefer freeze-dried to frozen. They also like Tiki Cat, Rad Cat, Soulistic (two of the chicken-only pouches), and several kinds of Nutro Natural Choice.

The prices on those vary. I would say that commercial raw works out to roughly the same cost as good canned food. (Tiki Cat is expensjve but it's very good and all meat, a much, much better value than Weruva's high-priced lines. And I get a good deal in Rad Cat... I could go on and on! I've found that prices can vary a lot.)

Like Pocho, I've eliminated carrageenan (the cats used to eat Wellness Core, which has it, but lately they just aren't into pates, ho hum), though the gums have been harder. Most important are low carbs (I even drain some of the goop from the Soulistic food) and no potato, since one cat seems to barf if she gets it. They don't get any grains, including rice, either. I, too, think wet and raw foods are preferable to dry, particularly if you want or need to eliminate as many ingredients as we do -- potato has become ridiculously ubiquitous -- but know that some cats are nearly impossible to wean from dry food. Ours loved and preferred it when we adopted them but a slow transition helped them forget it!

Anyway, good luck, TinkerFellOuch!

chromium blues · Jan 10, 2015

pocho said:
Hi! I am a vegan that feeds my kitties a raw diet. That means I have to handle raw bloody meat. But as much as it could upset me somehow it feels as natural to feed them that as it is for me to be vegan. Have you looked into any commercial raw frozen foods?

It drives me nuts when people try to force their own dietary choices onto their cats. Good for you for letting them be true to themselves!

LTS3 · Jan 10, 2015

Catinfo.org is a good place to start

Many people here recommend an all canned food diet but don't feel bad if you need to feed some dry food. Maybe try to feed at least one canned food meal every day.

The "best" commerical brand of food is the one your cat will eat

Look for a grain-free brand. I like Nature's Variety Instinct and Weruva, even though I mianly feed my cats raw food.

Spend some time at the pet store, both the chains and independent stores, to see what brands are available and check out ingredients in the store or online. Some brands are only available at indepenent pet stores. Then choose a brand to try. Some independent pet stores have smaple size bags of dry food or occasionally have pet food reps come by to promote the brand and hand out samples. Pet shows/expos/fairs usually have pet food reps giving away free samples and such. Here's one that will be in various US locations this year: http://www.amazingpetexpos.com/index.php

ankitty · Jan 10, 2015

I like Nature's Variety Instinct canned food and TIki Cat, also. ZiwiPeak is good. too.

I'm transitioning to raw food, and my cats just love Rad Cat, Primal Frozen nuggets, and Stella & Chewy Freeze Dry. I also get Primal Ground and other brands chubs (frozen raw) and add taurine etc. (catinfo.org is good place to start, I think).

If these brands are out of your budget range, people usually recommend Fancy Feast Classic (grain free) canned food. Some studies show that cats tend to get dehydrated with dry food even if drinking from water bowl, so make sure that your cat is well hydrated and watch how much your kitty's peeing.

lisahe · Jan 10, 2015

LTS3 said:
Spend some time at the pet store, both the chains and independent stores, to see what brands are available and check out ingredients in the store or online. Some brands are only available at indepenent pet stores. Then choose a brand to try. Some independent pet stores have smaple size bags of dry food or occasionally have pet food reps come by to promote the brand and hand out samples. Pet shows/expos/fairs usually have pet food reps giving away free samples and such. Here's one that will be in various US locations this year: http://www.amazingpetexpos.com/index.php

I totally agree about visiting pet food stores! The independents where I live are very friendly and some of them have people who give great advice and occasional free samples. Definitely ask questions if you have any at all. Our Petco has a very helpful vet tech who's a cat specialist and knows a ton about cat food and health. And a friendly and incredibly knowledgeable woman at a regional chain told me about nearly every food brand in the store when our previous cat was sick. Best of all, she has a cat herself and told me all about how she feeds him. And that's pretty much how I feed our new cats, including Rad Cat.

Also, our independent stores will order just about anything I want to try.

tabbysia · Jan 10, 2015

You're lucky. At my Petco, I have to go find someone when I'm ready to check out. The employees consist mainly of teenagers that flirt and giggle at each other.

lisahe · Jan 10, 2015

Our Petco has improved a lot in recent years... I used to hate going in there because it had that old stale animal smell. It's nicer now and the people who work there always offer to help. We have a lot of pet (food) stores around here, which might be part of it.

tinkerfellouch · Jan 10, 2015

Here its petsmart that is good. Pet co looks like...well...trash honestly.

maureen brad · Jan 11, 2015

Wild Calling has no corn etc. look into it, no carrageenan, no veggies, no fruit, basically just meat and nutrients. It even has ground bone. I feed raw and sometimes the wild calling rabbit and buffalo. Definitely do not make your cat eat a vegetarian diet. That will kill a cat.

emandjee · Jan 11, 2015

There are a lot of great brands that big box stores will not carry at your local independent stores. I also use Wild Calling, Tiki Cat, and Nature's Variety. I've also recently found First Mate as another great source of canned cat food that has no guar gums or carrageenan, either. I shop at my local independent pet store, and found that their prices are often comparable to these big box stores or cheaper! Some will also have a rewards program, too. Last December I got a free kitty tote filled with 5 types of canned food and a bunch of toys for being a loyal customer, plus I got $20 off that day for their rewards program! The staff there are infinitely much more knowledgeable about feline nutrition and are very helpful and friendly without being overly pushy, too. I often get free sample treats with every purchase, but I love shopping there, lol.

Here's a link of stores in your area, in case you're interested and never really knew that "inconspicuous store" ever existed:

http://www.yellowpages.com/prescott-az/pet-stores

Good luck on your healthy food find!

I'm so glad you're doing whatever you can to feed your kitty a biologically appropriate diet!

lisahe · Jan 11, 2015

TinkerFellOuch said:
Here its petsmart that is good. Pet co looks like...well...trash honestly.

We're supposed to get a PetSmart this year, I think. Maybe that's a reason why Petco seems cleaner than before!

2cats4me · Jan 14, 2015

LisaHE said:
We're supposed to get a PetSmart this year, I think. Maybe that's a reason why Petco seems cleaner than before!

@LisaHE , not sure where in Maine you are located but the two PetSmart we have so far are in Biddeford & Augusta . I love PetSmart , I shop there all the time ..

bonepicker · Jan 14, 2015

Tabbysia said:
You're lucky. At my Petco, I have to go find someone when I'm ready to check out. The employees consist mainly of teenagers that flirt and giggle at each other.

You must go to the same one I do, no supervision! I hate that store!

lisahe · Jan 14, 2015

2Cats4Me said:
@LisaHE , not sure where in Maine you are located but the two PetSmart we have so far are in Biddeford & Augusta . I love PetSmart , I shop there all the time ..

I'm in Scarborough, where there will allegedly be a new store, though I haven't seen any news on that in a while... Biddeford isn't far but there are so many other stores, including some independents and regional chain stores, close by that I've just never made it to the Biddeford store! I went to one in Florida with my mother this summer, though, and thought the selection was pretty good.

2cats4me · Jan 14, 2015

LisaHE said:
I'm in Scarborough, where there will allegedly be a new store, though I haven't seen any news on that in a while... Biddeford isn't far but there are so many other stores, including some independents and regional chain stores, close by that I've just never made it to the Biddeford store! I went to one in Florida with my mother this summer, though, and thought the selection was pretty good.

When the one in Biddeford first opened we went but it was far from us . I was so happy when they built one in Augusta .

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