Is it bad to keep switching cat food?

sharky · Feb 2, 2005

Garlic is a good thing for most kitties due to the antioxidents in it ... In pet foods there is a very small amount to avoid the possible toxicity all of us who are over 25 were told ...

Thank you for the pet guard info .. I will look into it .. someone has a link to a site that had some of the canned looking toward the rabbit ... older one has kidney issues and low protien helps...

I switch wet flavors but only use two or three brands with simliar ingrediants to avoid tummy issues.. the dry switch is the most important..

pat · Feb 2, 2005

I actually advise folks to avoid the use of garlic with their cats...the antioxidant value is there for humans, but for cats, it can lead to Heinz Body Anemia (just as onions can), and it is not advised as widely as it was. Part of the problem is that the sensitivity of cats to garlic varies greatly cat to cat, for some, you might be able to get away with feeding one of the brands still using garlic, for others, very quickly or eventually, it will cause serious health issues.

I know that when I was younger, garlic and brewers yeast was an oft suggested home remedy for fleas, but there is more information now on how garlic affects cats.

Here is one article:
Vet article advising against garlic use with cats

Yup, petguard rabbit and rice is a good one...just wish my crf kitty liked it

linkay42 · Feb 2, 2005

Originally Posted by Jen

Also, no food from the grocery store is really good (too many chemicals to give it longer shelf life which are horrible to the cat). Last week I spent 1 hour in the cat food section of Petsmart, comapring the ingredients to EVERY SINGLE FOOD. The absolute best one I could find it Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul.
Here's the ingredients:
Chicken, salmon, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), powdered cellulose, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, turkey, duck, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, salt, choline chloride, chicory root extract, dl-methionine, potassium chloride, taurine, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, kelp, cranberry powder, rosemary, parsley flake, salt, choline chloride, chicory root extract, dl-methionine, potassium chloride, taurine, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

It is such a great variety, with vegetables, and vitamins and cranberry.

Also, the magnesium is very low and so is the ash percentage.

I am going to switch to this. They have it at Pet Supplies Plus. Also there is a wet food too. One flavour only, but they have adult, kitten and low fat. I have been buying Nutro which is a good one but then I found Chicken Soup. Everyone should switch to this! I have not found another single cat food that has even comparable ingredients.

If anyone disagrees please let me know. I am curious and want to feed my cats the best food I can find.

Iams is actually not a very good food but it is waaay better then, say, Friskies or Whiskas or 9 Lives! I cannot remember what is so bad about it but it was basically killing my persian cat. It was shutting down his kidneys I believe. I posted about it awhile back asking what it is that makes it so bad since it is so popular, other then the fact that it is sold at grocery stores. I wil try to find it or if someone else knows.

I never could find this at Petsmart but have been buying it at Pet Supply Plus.
The last time I went they talked me into trying Solid Gold ..I have one cat and he is eating it but does not like it as well as Chicken Soup..Linda

sharky · Feb 2, 2005

Wood, paper, and cotton all contain cellulose. Cellulose is an excellent fiber. Wood, cotton, and hemp rope are all made of fibrous cellulose.http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/cell.htm
This is why I wouldnt give this to my cat..The absolute best one I could find it Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul.
Here's the ingredients:
Chicken, salmon, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), powdered cellulose, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, turkey, duck, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, salt, choline chloride, chicory root extract, dl-methionine, potassium chloride, taurine, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, kelp, cranberry powder, rosemary, parsley flake, salt, choline chloride, chicory root extract, dl-methionine, potassium chloride, taurine, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

eburgess · Feb 3, 2005

I wouldn't completly swich food.... I feed Limerick Iams and every so often he gets whiskas or sheebe wet food and tuna as snacks and speical treats.

woodsygirl · Feb 4, 2005

While I do not think it is bad to keep switching food, I think you need to watch out for what proteins are in the foods you switch often. I see a lot of posts reguarding how many great proteins are in their pets food, for example the Chicken soup mentioned above has duck in it. Having a cat with food allergies has caused me to examine these types of foods. When I went to the vet, all the prescription diets with novel proteins had either duck, venison, rabbit or lamb. These things are no longer novel proteins because they are in so many premium foods, making it harder to deal with food allergies. My cat has eaten all of the hypoallergenic diet proteins in over the counter foods making it almost impossible to find a new protein source. If I were switching cat foods, I would stick to one with only 1 or 2 protein sources, that way, if you something happens and you need to try a new protein for some reason, there is still one available to you.

jcat · Feb 4, 2005

Originally Posted by woodsygirl

While I do not think it is bad to keep switching food, I think you need to watch out for what proteins are in the foods you switch often. I see a lot of posts reguarding how many great proteins are in their pets food, for example the Chicken soup mentioned above has duck in it. Having a cat with food allergies has caused me to examine these types of foods. When I went to the vet, all the prescription diets with novel proteins had either duck, venison, rabbit or lamb. These things are no longer novel proteins because they are in so many premium foods, making it harder to deal with food allergies. My cat has eaten all of the hypoallergenic diet proteins in over the counter foods making it almost impossible to find a new protein source. If I were switching cat foods, I would stick to one with only 1 or 2 protein sources, that way, if you something happens and you need to try a new protein for some reason, there is still one available to you.

That's a very good point, and one that has also crossed my mind when I've been buying lamb, rabbit or venison cat food for Jamie, a poultry hater. A friend's cat (3-year-old Bengal) has developed such severe food allergies that the only thing she seems to be able to eat is a special food containing just lamb and potatoes.

rockcat · Feb 4, 2005

Ok, I thought I had a handle on this, but now I'm more confused than ever. My vet told me it wasn't necessary to buy the food sold at his office. I forget what brand it is. He said Purina One was an excellent choice. I have been feeding the kitties that their whole lives with a little wet food at dinner time. I was taught that dry food is better for them than wet. Now I'm reading the opposite! (Is it possible that my mother doesn't know everything???

)

Also, I avoid chicken flavors because Oliver got sick a few times after eating that flavor. Although they always get Purina One dry food, I do vary their wet food. Maybe the change is what got Oliver sick and not the chicken!

I'm SO confused!

pat · Feb 4, 2005

It's just that as they learn more, as cats live longer, opinions are changing re dry versus wet.

Here is a good little article to read:
is canned food better than dry?
and here is an article on hypoallergenic carbs for dogs and cats, and which carbs most often cause a food allergy:
interesting article

Hope this helps a bit!

rockcat · Feb 4, 2005

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

It's just that as they learn more, as cats live longer, opinions are changing re dry versus wet.

Here is a good little article to read:
is canned food better than dry?
and here is an article on hypoallergenic carbs for dogs and cats, and which carbs most often cause a food allergy:
interesting article

Hope this helps a bit!

Thanks! Appreciate the info and articles. Hmmm. I DO like cooking. Cooking for the kitties...something to think about. BTW, Oliver LOVES fresh spinach. I didn't see it on the list, but is it safe to assume he can have it regularly?

pat · Feb 4, 2005

Originally Posted by Rockcat

Thanks! Appreciate the info and articles. Hmmm. I DO like cooking. Cooking for the kitties...something to think about. BTW, Oliver LOVES fresh spinach. I didn't see it on the list, but is it safe to assume he can have it regularly?

Spinach is a hard one...it's on some safe plant lists, and it's listed on others as a plant that can cause diarrhea and/or vomitting etc. I think since I just don't know everything (

far from it), I'd have to suggest you ask your vet that one!

jcat · Feb 4, 2005

Just to put my 2 cents in - most cats seem to love spinach (and carrots).

sharky · Feb 4, 2005

thank you for the infomative article s .. i greatly apprciate protion sizes ...lol.. that is hard with kidney issues..

dartmouthcatz · Feb 5, 2005

Thank you everyone for all of your responses. I just went to the Pet Guard website and emailed them to find out where I can purchase Pet Guard locally.

Thanks again!

--Abrah, Catty, Chino, & Casper :-)

devlyn · Feb 5, 2005

I feed all my cats Purina Indoor. It's kept my younger kitties from getting tubby and my older one, Morris, has gained and maintained some healthy weight. I also feed them Friskies canned food. One can for all four of them to share each day. Morris especially likes the canned cuz his teeth aren't great and the dry food can be a little tough on his mouth.
I have four varieties of canned Friskies that I switch up. They tend to like the stew varieties better than the spam.
They also get some steak and chicken when I make it for myself. Simple, Morris and Arwen are all big fans of the fresh meat.
Dev

Is it bad to keep switching cat food?

sharky

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pat

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linkay42

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sharky

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eburgess

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woodsygirl

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jcat

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rockcat

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pat

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rockcat

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pat

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sharky

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