IAMS for mature cat

Ingredients
Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Corn Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamins (Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Rosemary Extract

I have a cat with urinary issues.. is this product (dry) alright for him to eat. It has DL-methionine included which many do not.


It's getting expensive feeding prescription foods. And sometimes I can't get to the Pet Smart to buy an equivalent. Background info: almost 4 yr. Male cat. Had cathether and hospital stay 4 days in summer 2014 or 2015. No recurrance of the crystals.

I alternate his meals with Urinary SO wet by Royal Canin=vet product
He also takes Vet's Best Urinary Tract supplements with Cranberry etc.. horsetail tablets.




Thanks in advance

For urinary issues, any wet food is going to be better than dry because hydration is so important. An all wet diet would be best, but prescription foods are usually not very good, especially considering the price. Even a low-cost canned would be better than a high quality dry (which Iams is not). I think low phosphorus levels are also helpful for urinary issues.

Users who have more experience feeding cats with urinary issues on a budget might have more specific recommendations for you.

My vet said Fancy Feast and Whiskas products are the worst.
The cat likes FF's Florentine Chicken and Chicken.+ Friskies wet Shredded Turkey.
He gets alot of water from his fountain.

Do chicken by products make the animal fat?

Iams kibble is terrible food. That ingredients is awful. Corn as the second ingredient? Nope. I wouldn't even feed that to my feral cats. For a cat with a history of urinary issues you should avoid kibble at all costs, especially low quality kibble. You should have him on 100% wet food or raw food. Fancy Feast classic is actually pretty decent wet food for the price.

tynk15 said:

My vet said Fancy Feast and Whiskas products are the worst.
The cat likes FF's Florentine Chicken and Chicken.+ Friskies wet Shredded Turkey.
He gets alot of water from his fountain.

Do chicken by products make the animal fat?

Click to expand...

It depends on the formula, but Fancy Feast classic pates (not the kinds with chunks and gravy!) are pretty healthy. (Vets are rarely properly educated in feline nutrition.) They're mostly meat, which is important for cats. By products are not human grade food, but they do not contribute to weight gain. Vegetables and carbs are 100% unnecessary for a cat's diet and are just empty calories, and these cause many cats to gain weight.

Even if a cat seems to be drinking lots of water, they are still not getting nearly as much as they would from an all-wet diet.

I fed Iams, (had assumed it was better than the other grocery store brands because of the way it was priced higher) and my male cat got crystals and the other one got fat.   I will never feed Iams again.  

I switched them to blue buffalo for several years, and he did not get any crystals from that. 

The vet never told me that I should have changed how I was feeding them.    

This is one of the places where I found out I was feeding them wrong =  www.catinfo.org  

I am gradually moving them to a better diet now.    

Don't be automatically put off by formulas that contain meat by-products.  By-products can include organs and other parts, such as chicken feet, that are by no means unhealthy for cats to consume.

We tried Iams wet.  The cat wasn't enthusiastic about it, and a close inspection of the label revealed some fairly basic and ordinary ingredients; nothing special.  To top if off, Iams was priced much higher than similar brands/flavors, i.e. Friskies.  I buy several varieties of Friskies before I would buy any more Iams.

It's already been stated here in this thread, but I just wanted to add that I also feed Fancy Feast Classics to my two cats (one of which has had urinary issues in the past).  Just make sure you are buying the "Classic" varieties (the pates) and stick with the non-seafood flavors.  Even though it is not advertised, Fancy Feast Classics are low-carb and grain-free.

Try to avoid feeding the low-quality dry foods that are stocked by most grocery stores.