Which cat food is better?

Hi everyone,

I've been looking for some relatively inexpensive canned cat foods to feed my 2 year old male cat Shadow as he has recently been diagnosed with Struvite crystals and cystitis. I purchased two brands to try and my cat likes both though definitely prefers food #2 and they both keep is urine in check. I just wanted to get some thoughts on the two foods and which one you think is better.

Cat Food #1:

TURKEY, TURKEY BROTH, TURKEY LIVER, DRIED EGG PRODUCT, GUAR GUM, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CARRAGEENAN, DRIED KELP, SALT, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, TAURINE, OREGANO, PARSLEY, INULIN, IRON PROTEINATE, ZINC PROTEINATE, MENHADEN FISH OIL, ROSEMARY, SAGE, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, YUCCA SCHIDIGERA EXTRACT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, COPPER PROTEINATE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, SODIUM SELENITE, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, BIOTIN, POTASSIUM IODIDE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID.

Crude Protein MIN 10.0%
Crude Fat MIN 6.0%
Crude Fiber MAX 1.0%
Moisture MAX 78.0%
Calcium MIN 0.22%
Phosphorus MIN 0.18%
Taurine MIN 0.06%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids MIN 0.40%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids MIN 0.04%

Cat Food #2:

Turkey, Turkey Broth, Chicken Giblets, Beef Liver, Beef, Ground Rice, Egg Product, Oat Bran, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Salt, DL-Methionine, Carrageenan, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Ascorbate (source of vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid
Thanks in advance

Cat food #1! The second food has rice and oat bran, neither of which really belong in cat food.

I wouldn't feed either of these, but if you must choose one, I agree with @LisaHE.  Food #1 isn't great either though, it contains unnecessary veggies (parsley, oregano, rosemary, and sage??).  Both of the foods contain carrageenan, which I avoid feeding my own kitties.

Where are you located?  I'm sure there are other budget-friendly options for your kitty.

I live in Canada. I have a PetSmart, Pet Valu and Global Pet Foods near me as well as Walmart. The more affordable foods available would be something like the Fancy Feast or Friskies pates. However, I'm hesitant to feed those because of the by-products and unnamed meat sources. As well as the added color and artificial flavours. I don't want my cat to become addicted to these foods. I want to keep the cost at or below $50 a month so roughly $1.50 a day. In my area all of the quality foods available are in the price range of $2 - $6 a day. I would be willing to go up to $2 a day if it means feeding a much better quality food but I can't go any higher.  

I wouldn't worry too much about the by-products (http://www.thecatsite.com/a/by-products-in-cat-food-5-facts-you-need-to-know) and Fancy Feast doesn't contain artificial colors.

I like to feed a rotation of different brands and flavors, some which are more expensive (Tiki Cat, Nutro, Nature's Variety Instinct, Soulistic, Nulo, Wellness, etc.) and others which are more budget-friendly (Fancy Feast, Sheba, etc.).  It's good to have a variety of foods your kitty is willing to eat, so that your eggs are not all in one basket.  This way, you have options in case a product is discontinued, recalled, reformulated, etc.

I'm not sure what foods are available in Canada, but I know there are some Canadian members on here who might be able to help!

I feed Dave's Restricted Grain-Free Diet - low magnesium and phosphorous. I'm in US and order thru Chewy.com don't know if this is available to you. This food mimics the 'script diets yet doesn't have the unneeded unhealthy grains/chemicals in it and no carrageenan. He eats 5.5 oz a day with an additional 1.5 oz daily of Natures Variety instincts, limited ingredients, grain free, flavors are rabbit, turkey and lamb. One can is just not quite enough to keep a 12# cat happy. The NVI has similar ingredients, low P&M and are good treat flavors, so he doesn't become bored with Daves.  Chewy is 24 5.5oz can for $33.00, the NVI is 5.5 oz @ 2.99 at Petco but I get four days out of one can, so that's reasonable. 

There are other brands you can feed, look at the phosphorous & magnesium values and also the carbs which should be 3% or less. It is recommended no fish/seafood/fish by products as they are high in P&M, and no gravies,  carrageenan is supposed to cause cancer, soy is supposed to auto immune disease, so I stay away from those, but that is personal choice. Also, check out www.catinfo.org  this site is packed with info by a vet and well worth the time to read. When my boy was diagnosed I went thru 2 case of Royal Canin Feline Urinary SO, 1 case was only fed, 2nd case urine check only had trace of blood, vet gave permission to do 1/2 RC & 1/2 Daves at each meal till the RC was gone. So far so good, he'll go back for a recheck soon and there after every 6 mos to make sure what I'm doing is still working. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the information/recommendations. Chewy.com does not ship to Canada and as far as I know Dave's is not available here. My best bet will probably be to feed a mix of low cost foods with some more expensive quality ones. I was just hoping to pick a food somewhere in the middle instead which is why I chose the 2 foods in my original post.

ShadowsMom28 said:

 
Thank you for the information/recommendations. Chewy.com does not ship to Canada and as far as I know Dave's is not available here. My best bet will probably be to feed a mix of low cost foods with some more expensive quality ones. I was just hoping to pick a food somewhere in the middle instead which is why I chose the 2 foods in my original post.

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Please read www.catinfo.org. One of the first things Dr. Lisa says under cat nutrition, when reading labels is don't drive yourself nuts. Eating any canned food instead of kibble is 90% of the battle. Sure there lots of choices, expensive does not mean it's the best, I've heard of more dogs & cats having digestive problems on Blue Buffalo than any other brand of food. IMO, you need to be realistic on cost that you can sustain long term. When reading labels focus on phosphorous, magnesium and carbs levels as suggested on cat info.org. If those are in line, then don't worry about the rest of the ingredients. Sure you can make other choices, some people insist on raw diet or refuse to feed veggies, gums, cranberry, carrageenan, soy, grains, corn ect.  That doesn't mean these are horrible and your cat will die next month if you feed them. It just means that they, as you, are trying to make what they feel are the best choices for their cats. And unless there is specific scientific research to back up claims, those choices are only individual preferences. Also keep in mind a few grams of something may well be healthy or not dangerous. Consider the ingredients in a frozen pie, some not so healthy in that but it won't hurt you if only eat one slice. If you eat a whole pie day after day, then realistically you probably will end up with a health issue.

My friend has fed Friskies canned & dry food exclusively for decades. One of her cats passed last fall days before it's 22nd birthday, another died at 10 from auto immune disease, others lived to be 15-18 yrs old. So you really can't say Friskies is crap food and your cat will die if you feed it. Genetics come into play too.

I agree about "don't drive yourself nuts"! And with other comments that byproducts aren't so bad. And that we all have preferences for how we feed our cats: many of those are related to our cats' refined palates as well as their health oddities. Our Siamese mix cats, for example, have delicate stomachs so I've banned carrageenan and feed a very low-carb diet without any grains or carby vegetables. We -- people and cats -- all have individual reasons for feeding or not feeding individual ingredients.

That said, there are other ingredients that I might prefer not to feed them at all (gums used as thickeners) but rather than drive myself crazy by banning them completely, I feed them a few times a week. As someone else already mentioned, rotating foods with varying costs and ingredients is a great strategy. I find it useful for keeping the budget down, keeping the cats from getting bored with their food, and keeping myself from going crazy!

One thing I hate in foods is artificial colors. Won't eat it myself and don't expect my cats to eat it either. Apparently it can make young children irritable can't imagine what effect it has on a 10lb cat.

WOW i need to write down this list, because i plan to get a cat in about 6mths

ShadowsMom28 said:

 
I live in Canada. I have a PetSmart, Pet Valu and Global Pet Foods near me as well as Walmart. The more affordable foods available would be something like the Fancy Feast or Friskies pates. However, I'm hesitant to feed those because of the by-products and unnamed meat sources. As well as the added color and artificial flavours. I don't want my cat to become addicted to these foods. I want to keep the cost at or below $50 a month so roughly $1.50 a day. In my area all of the quality foods available are in the price range of $2 - $6 a day. I would be willing to go up to $2 a day if it means feeding a much better quality food but I can't go any higher.  

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I'm in Canada as well. Where are you? I'm in Toronto. We don't have access to Chewy's, your right. I just finished talked to them about an hour ago. They plan on shipping to Canada in the future, but not as of yet. There is also petonly.ca which I just found, and there is always Amazon and Ebay? Well.ca also sells some canned at good prices.

If you plan on rotating some more expensive brands, go through online orders. They are always more expensive in store. Especially at Global and Pet Valu. Petsmart has some good deals. I bought the Fancy Feast Pate beef and chicken cans a little while ago. My little guy loves them. I've finished those since, and now am working through Ziwipeaks (which I could never afford throughout the whole year!), Koha (chicken pate), Weruva Cats in the Kitchen, and Redbird Naturals. Even those are running my wallet thin, but I don't feel comfortable feeding Friskies or Whiskas for example. That's just me. I guess I'm paranoid. I'm pretty crazy about my little guy...

I'm also on the lookout for other foods. I think this is a great place for you to learn and get more information, for sure!

yogakitty said:

I'm in Canada as well. Where are you? I'm in Toronto. We don't have access to Chewy's, your right. I just finished talked to them about an hour ago. They plan on shipping to Canada in the future, but not as of yet. There is also petonly.ca which I just found, and there is always Amazon and Ebay? Well.ca also sells some canned at good prices.

If you plan on rotating some more expensive brands, go through online orders. They are always more expensive in store. Especially at Global and Pet Valu. Petsmart has some good deals. I bought the Fancy Feast Pate beef and chicken cans a little while ago. My little guy loves them. I've finished those since, and now am working through Ziwipeaks (which I could never afford throughout the whole year!), Koha (chicken pate), Weruva Cats in the Kitchen, and Redbird Naturals. Even those are running my wallet thin, but I don't feel comfortable feeding Friskies or Whiskas for example. That's just me. I guess I'm paranoid. I'm pretty crazy about my little guy...

I'm also on the lookout for other foods. I think this is a great place for you to learn and get more information, for sure!

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In the same boat here no chewy in canada. Kabby has urinary SO and it's much cheaper there than from vets.

Also IDK if Indy is pickier since starting the wellness or what but she no longer touches fancy feast which she was on before I got her.

She even will nip my ankles if I give her fancy feast instead of wellness.

IndyJones said:

Also IDK if Indy is pickier since starting the wellness or what but she no longer touches fancy feast which she was on before I got her.

She even will nip my ankles if I give her fancy feast instead of wellness.

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lol sounds like a keeper. I'd think it was the other way around! Fancy feast has a nice smell to it.......don't worry, I haven't tried it!