Rotating canned food

Columbine said:

Elfilou Have you tried Thrive Complete? My guys go crazy for it. It's pretty calorie dense too.

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Ah! I just checked if I could order it somewhere here (sometimes I can't get certain American brands) but I can! Is it kind of eh... pate-like? She doesn't seem to like anything with big pieces in it.

LisaMarie12 said:

Okay.  There's no taurine  - nothing, no vitamins / minerals that cats need - in AN.  As far as feeding incomplete foods on a regular basis, generally the amount has to be extremely low, I think about 10% of the daily diet (I may be wrong, someone correct me otherwise) which would be about 2 tbspns, provided you are feeding AN along with other complete and balanced foods.  Otherwise this creates an imbalance b/t the foods you feed that are properly supplemented, diluting the nutrients.

Not long ago I met a woman (I work at an indy store, pet food retail) who was feeding her adult cat mostly AN and some kibble from another brand. It was a fairly young cat and the cat is now having eye trouble - losing her eye sight, it is that serious.

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Woah, that's pretty rough. I got these vitamine sticks which she absolutely loves, and I give them to her on days where I feel she hasn't eaten much. It's called "MiaMor Cat Confect Vitamin sticks". Main ingredients are taurine and vitamin A. Stacked up on them so she at least gets a good amount of taurine when she doesn't eat much. Should I just give her one every day? As far as I know there's no such thing as "vitamine/taurine overdose" right? The more the merrier?

The AN ones that I have right now aren't the complete kind, I really just got them to mix into her food every now and then. I actually got her Grau kitten today which seems like a good food. High percentage muscle and organ meat and complete with supplements, and mixed it in with about a spoon of AN the first time, and she loved it. Even the second time without AN. Which I'm really happy about. I'm probably still gonna try Thrive though! Really want to have a good set of foods that she likes.

I'm in the UK, so most brands I suggest are European

Thrive is shreds - it really is very similar to the Almo Nature Classic range in look, maybe a touch chunkier. I get it from Zooplus.

For paté style, my fussy boy (who was an AM classic addict) likes Catz Finefood and GranataPet too.

OH yes that does sound like the Almo Nature one that she likes. The fish-looking shreds Great that's gonna be so good for variety in textures. I found it on Zooplus too, ordering it right now! Thanks for suggesting it, now to hope she'll like it!

Is there anyone that has a multiple-cat household with a mix of kidney and non-kidney cats? I'm trying to find a balance with the food and it's making me crazy, since Sara needs something that is lower in phosphorus (and at some point, lower protein, not worried about that right now though). My head hurts after two days of researching this stuff. On top of that, two of the four non-kidney cats are kittens, so they need higher protein and phosphorus.

Currently they get 1/3-1/2 a can of Friskies every night (it's more of a treat really for them). Sara will be getting k/d on the side, but since she likes to eat the regular food in addition to that, I really need something other than Friskies, which has 1.7% phosphorus. At least until the kittens are older, I'm aiming for something more along the 1% range. Oh, and while they probably will eat anything, they prefer pate. At least if I can net about 1% per week with the rotation, that would work too. Actually, not sure if it works that way or not, but that's how it works in my head. Also aiming for about 35-50% protein since that's about what everyone is getting with it now.

Once the kittens are grown up (they'll be a year in May but not sure they'll be fully grown or not, but I hope so, they are huge now!), I'll probably reduce the canned food down to 0.7% phosphorus. They'll have regular "adult" dry food too at that point.

ETA: Unfortunately, cost is something I have to take into consideration as well. So unless it's going to be a very small part of the rotation, anything $2/can or more probably won't work.

Donutte said:

 
Currently they get 1/3-1/2 a can of Friskies every night (it's more of a treat really for them). Sara will be getting k/d on the side, but since she likes to eat the regular food in addition to that, I really need something other than Friskies, which has 1.7% phosphorus. At least until the kittens are older, I'm aiming for something more along the 1% range. Oh, and while they probably will eat anything, they prefer pate. At least if I can net about 1% per week with the rotation, that would work too. Actually, not sure if it works that way or not, but that's how it works in my head. Also aiming for about 35-50% protein since that's about what everyone is getting with it now.

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One food came to mind when I saw your cats prefer pate: Wellness Core's beef/venison/lamb is .85% phosphorus dry matter, 48% protein. It's pretty caloric (210/can) so good for kittens and kidney cats if they like it. (Our previous cat loved the stuff when she was sick with kidney and other ailments, and it agreed with her.) The prices for Wellness vary a lot where I live, from $1.69 or so to over $2.00 a can so I'm not sure about that piece of things!

Donutte said:

 
Is there anyone that has a multiple-cat household with a mix of kidney and non-kidney cats? I'm trying to find a balance with the food and it's making me crazy, since Sara needs something that is lower in phosphorus (and at some point, lower protein, not worried about that right now though). My head hurts after two days of researching this stuff. On top of that, two of the four non-kidney cats are kittens, so they need higher protein and phosphorus.

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 This food list may be helpful, it includes commercial brands which lists the phosphorus, protein, sodium, fat, etc... on a DMB (dry matter basis); you can find something here on the lower phos end to feed all your kitties:

http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm

You can also contact companies directly if you don't see a manufacturer you are interested in on this list, I have done so in the past for several companies and all have responded with comprehensive DMB lists (unfortunately I don't have access to my files now but I can post in a few days or you can PM and I'll send you what I have).

LisaMarie12 said:

 
 This food list may be helpful, it includes commercial brands which lists the phosphorus, protein, sodium, fat, etc... on a DMB (dry matter basis); you can find something here on the lower phos end to feed all your kitties:

http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm

You can also contact companies directly if you don't see a manufacturer you are interested in on this list, I have done so in the past for several companies and all have responded with comprehensive DMB lists (unfortunately I don't have access to my files now but I can post in a few days or you can PM and I'll send you what I have).

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I actually have this and two others that give information bookmarked! I've probably looked at Tanya's list more times than I can count, then found two others that have some on their lists that are not on hers (like Canidae). That would be great if you could send what you have! Unfortunately a lot of these don't really say if they are pate or not, and when I look them up I find out they are not Or they are little cans.

LisaHE said:

 
One food came to mind when I saw your cats prefer pate: Wellness Core's beef/venison/lamb is .85% phosphorus dry matter, 48% protein. It's pretty caloric (210/can) so good for kittens and kidney cats if they like it. (Our previous cat loved the stuff when she was sick with kidney and other ailments, and it agreed with her.) The prices for Wellness vary a lot where I live, from $1.69 or so to over $2.00 a can so I'm not sure about that piece of things!

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Ironically, I have that very specific one (down to the flavor) on my very short list. I went to Petsmart yesterday and it was $2.29 a can! It looks to be a bit cheaper on Amazon ($40 for a 24 pack).

I wish more of these came in the really big cans. Those are perfect for one night's worth of feeding for my cats!

Donutte said:

 
I actually have this and two others that give information bookmarked! I've probably looked at Tanya's list more times than I can count, then found two others that have some on their lists that are not on hers (like Canidae). That would be great if you could send what you have! Unfortunately a lot of these don't really say if they are pate or not, and when I look them up I find out they are not Or they are little cans.

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Ok - when I get back home (next week) I will send you what I have via PM. I think I have 3-4 companies, among them Wild Calling.

Originally Posted by Donutte
Ironically, I have that very specific one (down to the flavor) on my very short list. I went to Petsmart yesterday and it was $2.29 a can! It looks to be a bit cheaper on Amazon ($40 for a 24 pack).

I wish more of these came in the really big cans. Those are perfect for one night's worth of feeding for my cats!

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Wow, $2.29 is really high! The food's worth a try: Brooksie loved it and the phosphorous level is great, though our new cats don't especially like it. Good cat food is not cheap: I know what you mean about the big cans!

LisaHE said:

 
Wow, $2.29 is really high! The food's worth a try: Brooksie loved it and the phosphorous level is great, though our new cats don't especially like it. Good cat food is not cheap: I know what you mean about the big cans!

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I may look into getting that one, at least as part of the rotation.

I received my order of Nutro Max Cat Chicken and Lamb today. Will see how the cats like this one. I'm looking up the nutritional info and wondering why I bought this one, lol. I think it was a mix-up in my head. I guess it's still better than the Friskies though. I think.

Donutte said:

 
I may look into getting that one, at least as part of the rotation.

I received my order of Nutro Max Cat Chicken and Lamb today. Will see how the cats like this one. I'm looking up the nutritional info and wondering why I bought this one, lol. I think it was a mix-up in my head. I guess it's still better than the Friskies though. I think.

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It's decent food and definitely a step or two up from Friskies, given that there aren't byproducts. The phosphorous is a little lower, too, which is a plus, though Friskies seems to have lower carbs; probably there's less rice. It's carbs I really have to watch for with our cats and their stomachs! I guess we all have our individual things to watch with our cats, don't we?!

In any case, I hope your cats like it!

LisaHE said:

 
It's decent food and definitely a step or two up from Friskies, given that there aren't byproducts. The phosphorous is a little lower, too, which is a plus, though Friskies seems to have lower carbs; probably there's less rice. It's carbs I really have to watch for with our cats and their stomachs! I guess we all have our individual things to watch with our cats, don't we?!

In any case, I hope your cats like it!

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I have too many things to look out for, lol. I have a CKD kitty, an obese kitty, two kittens and ONE normal adult. I don't know if I need to look out more for fat or carbs with my big kitty. My CKD girl needs lower phosphorus, and my kittens need more phosphorus/protein.

Hmmm not sure how much of a hit the Nutro Max Cat was. Most of the cats didn't stay out there for long. Even Maple (my big girl) didn't stay out there long. Sara, on the other hand, is gobbling it up. We'll see if they go back, they usually go back a few times.

ETA: I just went to check on the food and it's ALL GONE. I'm not sure Penelopy or Maple got much of it, Pea-Pea has been playing all evening with the big box from Amazon. Maple has been laying on the couch most of the evening. It's possible both snuck out when I was not looking. Not sure about Oscar, haven't seen him much, I think he's on my bed. When I went over there to check, Oliver was walking away licking his chops. If he wasn't a growing kitten I'd be trying to restrict his food 'cause he's a little "hoover" as someone here call it.

I don't normally see the food completely GONE this fast, lol.

I'm glad your cats liked it - all of my gang likes the Nutro MaxCat varieties......they like the Nutro Natural Choice cans too.   With the Natural Choice, I always get them the minced and sliced varieties (since historically they aren't wild about pates) but last time I was in PetCo, I accidentally got a couple of the Chunky Loaf cans - they still ate it right up!   Nutro isn't one of my favorite brands to feed (not that there's anything wrong with it, but I try to steer mine more towards Weruva, Tiki Cat, Earthborn, etc) but Nutro is definitely one of the cats' favorite food!  It's good quality for the price, and my gang eats it really enthusiastically, so as long they continue to love it, it will have an honored place in our can rotation 

I think I was messed up in the head when I got it actually (researching cat food for days will do that I think), as I was looking for something with a phosphorus range more in the 0.9-1.1% range. I figure that is better than Friskies though, I think it was 1.23% vs ~1.7% for Friskies.

Ironically, in my research, I found a Friskies that almost perfectly fit what I was looking for in terms of phosphorus, protein, and calories AND my pocketbook! I was seriously amazed. I think it was part of the Friskies Selects Indoor selection they have. I realize it's not the best quality but almost all of the high-quality ones have higher protein and/or phosphorus than what I'm looking for. Not necessarily looking for low protein, but don't want really high protein either.

but anyway, I think Nutro Max will be staying in my rotation also, at least in the short term.

Donutte said:

Hmmm not sure how much of a hit the Nutro Max Cat was. Most of the cats didn't stay out there for long. Even Maple (my big girl) didn't stay out there long. Sara, on the other hand, is gobbling it up. We'll see if they go back, they usually go back a few times.


ETA: I just went to check on the food and it's ALL GONE. I'm not sure Penelopy or Maple got much of it, Pea-Pea has been playing all evening with the big box from Amazon. Maple has been laying on the couch most of the evening. It's possible both snuck out when I was not looking. Not sure about Oscar, haven't seen him much, I think he's on my bed. When I went over there to check, Oliver was walking away licking his chops. If he wasn't a growing kitten I'd be trying to restrict his food 'cause he's a little "hoover" as someone here call it.

I don't normally see the food completely GONE this fast, lol.

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I buy the nutro natural choice the ones without carageenan like chunky chicken loaf, they all seem to like that one

bonepicker said:

I buy the nutro natural choice the ones without carageenan like chunky chicken loaf, they all seem to like that one

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Our cats really love (love!) the Nutro Natural Choice, too, but one of @Donutte's cats has kidney disease and those are (or at least were, when I ran the numbers a year or two ago) higher in phosphorous than the Max Cat.

Donutte said:

 
I have too many things to look out for, lol. I have a CKD kitty, an obese kitty, two kittens and ONE normal adult. I don't know if I need to look out more for fat or carbs with my big kitty. My CKD girl needs lower phosphorus, and my kittens need more phosphorus/protein.

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With Maple, I'd probably watch out more for the carbs than the fats: the fats are probably more likely to keep her satiated than the carbs. (Or maybe not? As is well-documented, cats can be so unpredictable!) And how great that Sara liked the Max Cat food. The 1.23% is a little off but not bad!

LisaHE said:

 
Our cats really love (love!) the Nutro Natural Choice, too, but one of @Donutte's cats has kidney disease and those are (or at least were, when I ran the numbers a year or two ago) higher in phosphorous than the Max Cat.

With Maple, I'd probably watch out more for the carbs than the fats: the fats are probably more likely to keep her satiated than the carbs. (Or maybe not? As is well-documented, cats can be so unpredictable!) And how great that Sara liked the Max Cat food. The 1.23% is a little off but not bad!

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Yeah, high quality and low phosphorus don't seem to go together much, with a few (very expensive) exceptions. I have yet to win the lottery, lol.

I'm leaning more toward low carbs too. I know, at least with humans, fat is more satisfying. I think I'll end up having both a very low carb (but higher fat) and a very low fat (but higher carb) in the mix. I think I'm gonna look into the Friskies Selects and see if it will be good to add to the mix. Unfortunately it's higher carb and lower fat, so will probably use that one once a week or so. Trying so hard to find a happy balance and it's sooooo hard!!

How often do people rotate the canned foods anyway? Every day? Every week?

I rotate with each meal. I have about 8 different ones at any given time

bonepicker said:

I rotate with each meal. I have about 8 different ones at any given time

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Whew. Ok, I don't feel like I'm going overboard now. I've been ordering all different things like crazy!

Has anyone tried Felidae Pure Sea? It looks like a great combo also. Yeah, it's seafood, but I would only feed it once a week. Most of what I'm getting is chicken based.