Whiskas for kittens?

gratefulbear629

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I have been feeding my kitten (who is 7 weeks old today) Hill's A/D. Since he is healthier now and eating well I would like to switch him to a new food. I was going to go out tonight to Pet Smart but it's very crazy out due to the big snow storm coming. I bought 4 cans of Whiskas Savory Pate Ground (Kitty's Stew, Chicken Dinner, Mealtime and Chicken & Tuna Dinner). It says it's for both cats and kittens and that it is 100% complete & balanced nutrition for growth and maintence.

Does anyone else feed their kitties this? Is it good for my growing little boy? Or is there a different type of food you would recommend?

Thanks!
 

zanniesmom

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I think there are better foods. The only ones at Petsmart that I would recommend are the Nutro pouches for kittens and canned Natural Balance. At smaller pet stores you can get Innova, Felidae, Chicken Soup, Evolve, Eagle Pack. Those are the ones I would feed. I would read the labels carefully with a kitten this small to make sure there is no garlic added. I don't think the first three have it, not sure about the others. I am not a fanatic about absolutely no garlic, but this little guy could tolerate even a chance of anemia at his size. Becky
 

pat

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Originally Posted by GratefulBear629

I have been feeding my kitten (who is 7 weeks old today) Hill's A/D. Since he is healthier now and eating well I would like to switch him to a new food. I was going to go out tonight to Pet Smart but it's very crazy out due to the big snow storm coming. I bought 4 cans of Whiskas Savory Pate Ground (Kitty's Stew, Chicken Dinner, Mealtime and Chicken & Tuna Dinner). It says it's for both cats and kittens and that it is 100% complete & balanced nutrition for growth and maintence.

Does anyone else feed their kitties this? Is it good for my growing little boy? Or is there a different type of food you would recommend?

Thanks!
With that big storm coming, I would have done the same, but as soon as you can, I would can the Whiskas (hah!) and buy a better quality food. If Petsmart is your usual place to buy cat food, the better brands they carry include the Nutro Pouch for kittens, their own brand (Authority), I would not bother with Iams or Science Diet, or 9-Lives or Friskies which they also carry.

If you can get to a Petco, you'll have further choices such as Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance canned, or some of the Petgold flavors.

Whiskas makes use of by-products for it's protein sources, way too much for me to recommend it.

Hope the storm isn't as bad as they are predicting,
 

hissy

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Be careful with the chicken soup canned. I bought some last month and the stuff was rancid. I ended up taking it back, it had green sludge on the top of it
 

pat

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Originally Posted by hissy

Be careful with the chicken soup canned. I bought some last month and the stuff was rancid. I ended up taking it back, it had green sludge on the top of it
EWWW!
 

scamperfarms

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Originally Posted by GratefulBear629

I have been feeding my kitten (who is 7 weeks old today) Hill's A/D. Since he is healthier now and eating well I would like to switch him to a new food. I was going to go out tonight to Pet Smart but it's very crazy out due to the big snow storm coming. I bought 4 cans of Whiskas Savory Pate Ground (Kitty's Stew, Chicken Dinner, Mealtime and Chicken & Tuna Dinner). It says it's for both cats and kittens and that it is 100% complete & balanced nutrition for growth and maintence.

Does anyone else feed their kitties this? Is it good for my growing little boy? Or is there a different type of food you would recommend?

Thanks!
i feel ya on the storm. We got hit hard here in the Minnesota cities. I wouldnt reccomend Whiskas for a kitten. They do use heavy heavy bi products. There dry food has no real meat at all. *shudder*

I feed Friskies for wet (which is not much better mind you. but a small bit) but I dont have any itty bitty ones. When mine were that small, and I did raise them from varing of 3 weeks to 5 weeks when i got them. I fed Purina Pro Plan dry food moistened. But Now bless their hearts they make wet food. And A kitten variety as well!
 

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Originally Posted by hissy

Be careful with the chicken soup canned. I bought some last month and the stuff was rancid. I ended up taking it back, it had green sludge on the top of it
I keep hearing about the same problem with Felidae dry over here. It's imported ( as ocean freight), sits in a customs warehouse for ages, and has a high fat content - talk about a recipe for disaster. I wonder how that could happen with a domestic brand of canned food?

I have to agree with the other posters - there are foods far superior to Whiskas, many of which have already been recommended.
 

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Whiskas is a really crappy food. Also, there is no food 'appropriate for all ages". Kittens have different requirements as do adult cats, as do senior cats, etc.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by mellanie

Whiskas is a really crappy food. Also, there is no food 'appropriate for all ages". Kittens have different requirements as do adult cats, as do senior cats, etc.
Mellanie,
You may feel that way, but there are foods with different per centages of fat and protein than in regular "formulated for adults" cats on the market...per AAFCO standards, they are considered suitable for all lifestages. If one is in a predicament with with a 7 month old not wanting their kitten food, I'd certainly suggest it, and in other situations.
 

zanniesmom

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Originally Posted by mellanie

Whiskas is a really crappy food. Also, there is no food 'appropriate for all ages". Kittens have different requirements as do adult cats, as do senior cats, etc.
I disagree. I think that kitten foods are a tactic by the pet food companies to sell more expensive food. Most canned foods are higher in protein and fat than any dry kitten food. Wellness came out with a kitten food that is exactly the same ingredients as their cat food. I wrote and asked what the difference was. They said they are the same. Becky
 

pat

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Here is an interesting and informative article with the specific differences in nutritional requirements of kittens versus adults. I would never recommend that one feed a kitten a "rated for adults only" food. Kittens are just like children, they have different, specific nutritional requirements in order to grow up healthy and able to function to their full potential.

kitten and adult cat nutritional requirements - article and table
 

zanniesmom

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How are children's nutritional requirements different than adults? Yes, they require fewer grams of protein and so forth. But that is handled by them eating smaller servings of the same food. They need calcium to grow bones, but adults need calcium, too. I guess what I mean is that adults and kids don't eat separate foods. Chicken is as nutritious for kids as it is for adults. And in cats, I find it reasonable that they don't need different foods, either, just different amounts. Adults can survive on lower protein, etc, as shown in that chart, but do they thrive? Mice and birds don't come in growth and adult formulas.
Becky
 

pat

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I did not say that kittens required different foods per se, but that they do have different nutritional requirements. I think the article shows it nicely.

I am rather cynical about some cat food brand claims, but I do not have a problem with food formulated specifically for a kittens needs.

Re kids....I was never a pediatric nurse, but as I recall, a child's vitamins are different than an adults..there are different requirements for growing strong bones etc. I honestly don't know why you would disagree. This table illustrates what I was thinking and seems to agree with my thoughts on this, click here for table showing changing nutritional needs based on age

I am sure we can agree to disagree
, but hope others reading this thread, will take a look at the article link I posted, as I believe kittens do need special care in their diet.
 

hissy

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"Kittens have very different nutritional requirements than those of adult cats. Kittens need a food that is complete and balanced. They need a combination of six different classes of nutrients for good health: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water"

"Kitten food products should be labeled for use by kittens, not just cats."


Amy Shojai- Complete Kitten Care

"Your kitten can get a whole myriad of diseases and ailments because of vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the wrong kind of food. A cheap kitten food often has unhealthful additives. Problems caused by inferior food can lead to feline lower urinary tract infection and obesity. Your kitten needs more protein, taurine, fats and vitamins than older adult cats."

Dusty Rainbolt-Kittens for Dummies

Just my own comments now. I consider these two women tops in the field of kitten nutrition. I have never fed my kittens anything other than quality kitten food, and my kittens have grown up in optimum health with plenty of energy.
 

zanniesmom

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I am not trying to be disagreeable. Just a discussion. I think that kittens need good nutrition, and so do cats, and that is is completely possible to meet the needs of both with one food. I think that cat food manufacturers of the grocery store type take shortcuts on adult cat food that they shouldn't, because the problems don't show up right away. That if a cat is maintained on a good food from kitten through adult, that it will pay off in the long run, and that it can be done with one food. Well, I guess I don't believe that either. I feed different brands and different ingredients to make sure they get exposed to a lot of different foods in case a nutrient level is less in one than another. But I think you could feed the same food. For instance, Innova. You could start a baby cat on that and then keep it on it as an adult. You couldn't do that with Purina, but that is because their adult food is deficient, and I think that with many cats you will see nutrition problems. I am not expressing myself well here. I hope you can see that I have a point even if you don't agree. Becky
 
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gratefulbear629

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Hi again guys. Just another question. When I first got CJ he had diarrhea. we had him on meds for a while and he was better. But now I just noticed that he had diarrhea again. Do you think it could be from the Whiskas?

I have been feeding him that since Saturday and tonight was the first I noticed it. I know you said Whiskas has a lot of extra junk in it so I thought maybe that could be the reason.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by GratefulBear629

Hi again guys. Just another question. When I first got CJ he had diarrhea. we had him on meds for a while and he was better. But now I just noticed that he had diarrhea again. Do you think it could be from the Whiskas?

I have been feeding him that since Saturday and tonight was the first I noticed it. I know you said Whiskas has a lot of extra junk in it so I thought maybe that could be the reason.
It could be a number of things...just changing foods can do it, it could be the food you've switched to, or? There are a number of reasons a cat gets diarrhea. Was there a specific diagnosis the last time - it may just be further treatment is needed. I'd give it a day or so to see if it's easing off, and if not, contact your vet for a followup.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by zanniesmom

<snip> But I think you could feed the same food. For instance, Innova. You could start a baby cat on that and then keep it on it as an adult. You couldn't do that with Purina, but that is because their adult food is deficient, and I think that with many cats you will see nutrition problems. I am not expressing myself well here. I hope you can see that I have a point even if you don't agree. Becky
I agree with a lot of what you have to say Becky, and it's a good discussion to have! Nutritional deficiencies account for a lot more senior catizen problems than I think we even know yet. And I sure agree there are brands of foods I'd trust more for use from kitten through adult to seniorhood, than others
 
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