The importance of % of Ash in kibble ?

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2cats4me

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Due to the fact that my cats will not eat wet food and cannot eat FF  ( the only one they would eat ) because it makes them sick , they eat kibble . I want to feed the best one possible ..  Right now they are eating a 2 lb bag of BB Wilderness Salmon and they really like it a lot . The dry matter carb % is 22  which is not horrible .  The Ash however is 9.0 % .  So I was comparing to Natures Variety Instinct kibble (which  they like as well ) has almost  1/2 the %  of carbs  but the Ash in the Instinct Chicken is almost 13 % . That sounds like a lot . The Phosphorus & Magnesium in both brands is close but being  a little lower in the NV  .. In general which would be better ?

I know the majority of you do not approve of feeding dry food but that is what works for us . I would appreciate some advice on this issue . . Thank you ..
 
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I have fed both brands of food and, personally, prefer NV over BB due to the difference in carb%.

On the BB, half the cats gained weight (ones that did not need to) and the others lost (again, ones that did not need to.) When I switched to NV, weights started coming back to where they need to be.

The above scenario holds true for both me personally and for the rescue I work with. So, that's about 75 cats or so that have been on both long enough to see a difference.

Overall, though, you'll have to see which your cats do best on.

**As a side note**
Have you tried Purina's new Muse line of food? It comes in pate form and a form similar to the FF appetizer trays (but it a complete balanced meal.) I ask only because I had the same problem with FF causing vomiting (of the projectile form!) I've been feeding Muse for about 6 weeks with no issue and the food has been accepted by everyone thus far, even my pickiest eaters (and those 2 are SUPER picky!) Well, I say everyone...I have 1 that I have finally graduated off of Gerber turkey (only fed as a treat) and onto NV's limited ingredient turkey formula. It only took me 2 1/2 yrs lol!!
 
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2cats4me

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CatPack said:
I have fed both brands of food and, personally, prefer NV over BB due to the difference in carb%.

On the BB, half the cats gained weight (ones that did not need to) and the others lost (again, ones that did not need to.) When I switched to NV, weights started coming back to where they need to be.

The above scenario holds true for both me personally and for the rescue I work with. So, that's about 75 cats or so that have been on both long enough to see a difference.

Overall, though, you'll have to see which your cats do best on.

**As a side note**
Have you tried Purina's new Muse line of food? It comes in pate form and a form similar to the FF appetizer trays (but it a complete balanced meal.) I ask only because I had the same problem with FF causing vomiting (of the projectile form!) I've been feeding Muse for about 6 weeks with no issue and the food has been accepted by everyone thus far, even my pickiest eaters (and those 2 are SUPER picky!) Well, I say everyone...I have 1 that I have finally graduated off of Gerber turkey (only fed as a treat) and onto NV's limited ingredient turkey formula. It only took me 2 1/2 yrs lol!!
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Thank you so much for your reply ..  I think that is what I will do ,  try the NV after and see which they do best with .  They have only been eating the BB for a couple weeks but are having no issues at all with it ..  I do like the fact that the NV has much lower carb % . It is just the Ash % that concerns me .    

No , I did not try that Muse on them I was afraid it would make them sick .
 
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I had the same hesitation with the Muse. But, out of a bit of desperation with one of my 3 yr olds, decided to give it a try. So far, no issues whatsoever. Was an added bonus that I was able to get my pickiest to finally eat a canned food that didn't contain fish. Plus, not having carrageenan, xanthan gum, agar-agar or egg product (and no pork) means all (expect 1 on NV) can eat the same food.
 
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There was a time when the "ash" in pet food was indicted as a toxin or such.  But to me once I understood what ash means it never made any sense.

What's known as ash is literally ash, but it's not IN the food.  It's what is leftover when the food is burned.  What it indicates is how much of the food content doesn't incinerate at whatever temp they use.  A higher ash content would indicate perhaps higher bone and other mineral content, compared to something that is lower.  The ash content probably isn't something that is too usable by the metabolism of your cat.  (I'm stretching here though, I don't really know for certain, more of a hunch.)  But I don't find it to be anything actively harmful.

Dry food is already a big compromise for a cat as you know.  But if I had to choose between those, with my current knowledge and thinking on this, I would choose based on lower carb content without regard to the ash content.
 
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2cats4me

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2bcat said:
 
There was a time when the "ash" in pet food was indicted as a toxin or such.  But to me once I understood what ash means it never made any sense.

What's known as ash is literally ash, but it's not IN the food.  It's what is leftover when the food is burned.  What it indicates is how much of the food content doesn't incinerate at whatever temp they use.  A higher ash content would indicate perhaps higher bone and other mineral content, compared to something that is lower.  The ash content probably isn't something that is too usable by the metabolism of your cat.  (I'm stretching here though, I don't really know for certain, more of a hunch.)  But I don't find it to be anything actively harmful.

Dry food is already a big compromise for a cat as you know.  But if I had to choose between those, with my current knowledge and thinking on this, I would choose based on lower carb content without regard to the ash content.
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Thank you , that is very helpful ..  Yes I do know that wet food is better but I cannot force my cats to eat it  so it is what it is ..
 
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