Wet and Dry combo diet Feedback!

Hey guys,

I came to this forum a little while ago for advice which really helped, so now I am back for more!

Currently we feed our kitty a combination of wet and dry food, at fixed feeding times each day:

Morning = 1tbsp Orijen, 1.6oz First Mate Salmon

Afternoon = 1oz First Mate Salmon

Bedtime = 1tbsp Orijen, 1oz First Mate Salmon

The Orijen we feed in a feeder toy for her. We also mix in extra water with the wet food, as she will not touch her bowl of water (ever!).

While I believe this is a fairly good combination based on what I have been reading, I am a little worried about the First Mate Salmon, and would prefer to use it sparingly and switch to a non-fish based wet food instead. Also, there still seems to be mixed feedback on feeding ANY dry food. We added the dry food in to get her some more fiber, as we had concerns around her (un)often bowel movements (used to be 3 days between when we first rescued her, now it is every day and a half or so).

We have gone through the full range of First Mate types (chicken, tuna, turkey), but she seems fixated on the Salmon, refusing to eat the chicken and turkey at some points. I'm wondering if I should be trying a different brand (Natures Variety, Wild Calling, Merrick?) to try and get her back onto a poultry, or my concern is unwarranted?

Definitely work on getting her onto less fish based foods. I don't really think first mate is super great food. I'd definetly suggest rotating in other brands. if she's a fishy food addict it'll take some time to tradition her onto other foods. Consider using salmon freeze dried treats as toppers to non-fish based foods. 

What are the issues with First Mate in general, if you don't mind me asking?

I've seen that it has some potato, but all the discussions have shown that it's minimal, and the overall benefits of the brand are hard to find in something else that doesn't have it's own drawbacks.

If you have any suggestion to other brands I'm all ears!

krymarch said:

 
What are the issues with First Mate in general, if you don't mind me asking?

I've seen that it has some potato, but all the discussions have shown that it's minimal, and the overall benefits of the brand are hard to find in something else that doesn't have it's own drawbacks.

If you have any suggestion to other brands I'm all ears!

Click to expand...

I don't like potatoes at all in cat food, especially so high up on the ingredients list. It's very starchy and unnecessary. Their turkey version is probably the best one they make. Weruva is in my opinion much better food and it's less expensive. 

May I ask how old is your cat and what does it weigh? I don't know the calorie count in what your feeding but it seems light to me. To wean her off fish, I would gradually add a non-fish protein to her canned food until you have elimated the fish, if that is what you want to do.

missmimz said:

 
I don't like potatoes at all in cat food, especially so high up on the ingredients list. It's very starchy and unnecessary. Their turkey version is probably the best one they make. Weruva is in my opinion much better food and it's less expensive. 

Click to expand...

My understanding is that, despite being high on the ingredients list, it is the last "food" item in there, meaning it is in relatively low quantities. This is based on the discussions here: http://www.catforum.com/forum/38-he...-what-does-everyone-think-firstmate-food.html

Although I believe their formula's have changed slightly since then. 

I see they have also released a new option (Kasiks brand) that has gotten rid of the potato, but instead uses pea starch in otherwise the same forumla. Would this be a better or worse option? I simply like First Mate for cost (in Canada), and for the fact that it is locally made and processed. Wild caught Salmon and (at least) free-run poultry is another plus.

Weruva I haven't noticed for sale in most of the natural pet stores around here, and besides, a lot of the formulas appear to have potato or potato starch (in the poultry ones), or fish?

lvmygrdn said:

May I ask how old is your cat and what does it weigh? I don't know the calorie count in what your feeding but it seems light to me. To wean her off fish, I would gradually add a non-fish protein to her canned food until you have elimated the fish, if that is what you want to do.

Click to expand...

She is just over 2 years old, and weighs approximately 8-9lbs.

That was another thing I was wondering. We originally had her on a balanced diet between the feeding guides for each food, accounting for 1/4 of the dry and 3/4 of the wet. However we noticed her putting on a little weight from what was a healthy size. We cut back slightly to ensure she didn't keep putting additional weight on.

I should note that she is very food-obsessed. We rescued her from a hoarding house where she was stuck with 15 other cats, and had apparently had a litter at a fairly young age. I suspect she lived that first year of her life in stiff competition for food, very likely under fed. She goes crazy when it is coming up on feeding time, which is why we keep it at a very strict schedule. Otherwise she used to wake us up at all hours to try and get fed.

Thanks for all the discussion already, this is really helpful!

krymarch said:

 
My understanding is that, despite being high on the ingredients list, it is the last "food" item in there, meaning it is in relatively low quantities. This is based on the discussions here: http://www.catforum.com/forum/38-he...-what-does-everyone-think-firstmate-food.html

Although I believe their formula's have changed slightly since then. 

I see they have also released a new option (Kasiks brand) that has gotten rid of the potato, but instead uses pea starch in otherwise the same forumla. Would this be a better or worse option? I simply like First Mate for cost (in Canada), and for the fact that it is locally made and processed. Wild caught Salmon and (at least) free-run poultry is another plus.

Weruva I haven't noticed for sale in most of the natural pet stores around here, and besides, a lot of the formulas appear to have potato or potato starch (in the poultry ones), or fish?

Click to expand...

Weruva's cats in the kitchen don't contain any potatoes or potatoes starch. They do, however, contain some gums. Some do also contain some fish, but they have several that aren't fish based, so that may we a way to wean your cat off fish based foods. The bigger issue with fish isn't just whether or not it's wild caught, but that feeding long term fish based foods has been linked to medical issues, such as hyperthyroidism and urinary issues. Potatoes are a dealbreaker for me, whether or not they're the first ingredients or the last. They're totally necessary and added as a filler. For the price of First mate, I think it's a rip off. I don't know what you're paying for it in Canada but Weruva's cats in the kitchen is $10 cheaper a case on Chewy vs. First mate, and the Weruva cans are 6oz rather than 5.5.