Wet food brands...

I'd like to start varying the brand of wet food I feed the cats, just for the sake of giving them a bit of variety. However I'm having a hard time coming up with different brands... I have on my 'list' so far California Natural, Innova and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul - what other ultra premium/human grade (whatever term you want to use) natural foods are there, WITHOUT garlic as an ingredient (had Wellness on the list as well, but it has garlic).

Also, is varying the canned food okay? I know that when switching a cat's entire diet you're supposed to do it gradually to avoid an upset stomach - so will using different canned foods upset their stomachs? Canned is only a small part of their diet; the four of them split one 5 ounce can a day, if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Juniper

I'd like to start varying the brand of wet food I feed the cats, just for the sake of giving them a bit of variety. However I'm having a hard time coming up with different brands... I have on my 'list' so far California Natural, Innova and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul - what other ultra premium/human grade (whatever term you want to use) natural foods are there, WITHOUT garlic as an ingredient (had Wellness on the list as well, but it has garlic).

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One problem in rotating different foods is if a cat becomes allergic to something in a new food and then trying to figure out which brand had which ingredient that gave the cat problems! I have used Wellness, Nature's Variety and Merrick canned foods for Nakita. I don't have the ingredient listings at hand so I can't confirm if Nature's Variety or Merrick contains garlic. Sorry! You can get all of the above at Global Pet Foods in Toronto.

Originally Posted by Juniper

Also, is varying the canned food okay? I know that when switching a cat's entire diet you're supposed to do it gradually to avoid an upset stomach - so will using different canned foods upset their stomachs?
Thanks!

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I really think it is best to introduce any new food slowly. I think it also depends on each cat on how well their systems accept new foods so just watch your cats for any litterbox or digestive problems and go from there.

I have heard mixed messages about giving kitties variety. Some say to do so, and other's say it can upset their tummies. I do hope that someone here may have something to add to that.
As far as brands, I give Skylar Nutro-Natural Choice kitten.. He loves it and it's a food that I am quite comfortable with. I don't like "canned" because of the aluminum, and Nutro soft food comes in a little pouch.
I didn't realize that Wellness had garlic in it.. Thanks for pointing that out

Mine have always had a variety of different canned foods - a 5 or 6 oz can in the morning divided into 5 plates and another in the evening and w/d Hills always available. What tends to happen is if they get the same food twice in a row, they won't eat it - they leave it and eat more of the dry. So, I use the same flavour but a different brand, and they eat it They seem to like some flavours in one brand but not in another, so it is very much a mixed bag here. Their consistently favourite brand , however, is proplan - it seems to be the one they can have for longer periods of time before they decide they are bored with it. They have always eaten this way, though, and have not experienced any dietary problems with this. I have heard about gradual changes as well, but my experience have been different so I don't know what advice I can offer. I do miss some of the Canadian foods we used to have available in Ontario, but there is a trade-off with other good quality foods here that weren't available in Canada:-).

Kathryn

Petguard! Baylee looks SO disappointed whenever I put her little bowl in front of her and she doesn't have any Petguard wet food in it.

Felidae is another good one, as is Active Life (if you can find it), Natural Balance (Dick Van Patten's) is also another good one.