Sorry, but one more pet food question

I am going to switch Dori to Royal Canin dry adult cat food. Right now I feed her the Science Diet Chicken & Rice adult formula. She is strictly an indoor cat and when reviewing the different formulas of Royal Canin to pick which was best I noticed that they make a food that is for indoor cats. One of the "features" of it is that it has a "Hairball Transit System" that helps eliminate the formation if hairballs. How does that actually work? Dori is a year old and she has never had a hairball before. She has short hair, but she has been shedding alot. I thought that I read or heard somewhere that some foods that state that they remove hairballs make the cats go to the bathroom more, therefore they lose some nutrients that they really need. Is that true?

Sorry for all the cat food questions, I just want to make the right choice. Rather ask than regret it later

One of the "features" of it is that it has a "Hairball Transit System" that helps eliminate the formation if hairballs. How does that actually work?

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This link explain more about Royal Canin's "Hairball Transit System":
http://www.feline-nutrition.com/transit.htm

I thought that I read or heard somewhere that some foods that state that they remove hairballs make the cats go to the bathroom more, therefore they lose some nutrients that they really need. Is that true?

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Because fiber helps pass hairballs through the digestive tract, foods formulated for hairball control are often higher in fiber. Fiber is undigestible therefore as the amount of fiber increases, the overall digestibility of the food decreases so the cat needs to be fed larger amounts of food in order to get all the nutrients it needs. Large amounts of fiber can cause nutrients to move through the digestive tract too quicky without being absorbed causing some nutrients to be lost...thus the higher recommened feeding amounts. Since fiber is undigestible (more food must be fed) and absorbs moisture larger, more frequent stools often occur.

Here is a good article on fiber in pet foods:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...tem=fiberfacts

Originally posted by squirtle

Sorry for all the cat food questions, I just want to make the right choice. Rather ask than regret it later

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I think it is great that you are taking such an interest in your pet's nutrition! It is one of the most influental thing you can do for your pet's lifelong health!

I went to a cat show recently, and asked all the breeders who I talked to what they fed their beautiful cats, and EVERY one that I asked said Royal Canin. And all their cats were so vibrant and muscular and had such shiny coats.

It definitely made me raise an eyebrow. I have been interested in learning more about the brand too.

Aqua

Royal Canin is one of those companies that is very good about sending you samples of their different types of food if you ask (or even if you don't - I asked for a sample of kitten food almost five years ago, and they're still sending me samples). They just brought out two new kinds: Exigent, which is for picky cats (it has two different kibble shapes), and Oral Sensitive 30. If your cats have allergy problems, you'll have to be careful to check the ingredients of each type, because they differ to a certain extent, e.g., some contain soybeans, and others don't. JC is allergic to beat pulp (he gets really bad, itchy dandruff from it), so our neighbor's cat gets the samples. So far she has loved all the types except for mature and senior (which is what she should be eating, at c. 19 - 20).