That is what my parents feed their cats right now, and with my current situation, I cannot afford what I usually feed them, which is Nutro(which I HighLy recommend). So they are just eating what my parents are providing, which has been working fine for now. I would definetly recommend feeding a higher quality food from a pet or feed store. My girls will be eating Nutro again, as soon as possible!
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question about food,,,,
- Thread starter tom w
- Start Date
It's a good question as to why it continues to be so recommended. Their prescription foods I agree do wonders, but all you have to do is look at the ingredients list of the non-prescription foods, and understand what they are, to realize you are paying top top dollar for ingredients that no one would consider premium or top of the line (imo).
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- Feb 17, 2005
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Vets recommend it because Science Diet spends a lot of money advertising in vet schools, I believe. It has corn and by-products in the ingredients, and neither of those is good.
elizwithcat......you are correct with the reason why vets stock and sell Science Diet which is made by Hills. Anyways......in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best commercially available foods out there today is Innova EVO which is made by Natura. It is very high in protein and very lacking on carbs (fillers such as corn and rice, grains). The only problem I have found with it is finding it. I finally talked to a manager of a local pet store and they have agreed to carry it and have assured me that they will NOT run out of it, so far, so good. It isn't any more expensive than the Royal Canin which we switched from. I'll post the link to their web-site and check the ingredient list for yourselves.
http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab
http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab
Money talks....vets make thier living on sick cats, could it be that's why they recommend foods that aren't good for cats? Just something to think about IMO.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #26
Hi, Yvonne stopped in to a pet store today and she called me and asked what to get for food because thay had all different kinds, we decided to try some nutro complete care adult,indoor, I mixed it with some of the cat chow we have been using and so far they all pick out the nutro and leave the cat chow. Plus I could see right away they didn't eat near as much before they were full.
You know, I just switched over to Innova. I was looking for a better product to feed my kits, and when I went to their website to do a store search *gasp* I discovered that the feed store right down the street carries it! They also carry Nutro, Felidae, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, California Natural, and other high-quality brands. Lucky me! Woooooo! It's a lot more expensive than what I was feeding, but I figure between not needing as much litter, not needing to feed them as much because there is essentially no "filler" in it, and reduced long-term vet bills, that it'll all balance out. I plan to see how long it takes to use a 16.5 lb bag for two kits so I have an idea of monthly costs for my budget.
Purina is one of the worst. In fact, all dry food is junk. No offense, but all the good things about dry food that are claimed have to do with convenience for the owner, ie. doesn't spoil, no mess, economic, easy to free feed, long shelf life. And people wonder why their cat is so sick. Cats are getting all the same diseases humans have been getting. Ever wonder why? Could it be we both are living on highly processed foods? Many think so.
Not to turn this into a IMO discussion, but that paints the entire veterinary profession as folks with ulterior motive doesn't it? Versus folks who work very long hours, for not as much pay as you think, because they love animals. I've met some fine vets, I've met some who I wondered why ever they chose the profession, but I'd never judge the entire profession by those few.
So far so good!Originally Posted by Tom W
Hi, Yvonne stopped in to a pet store today and she called me and asked what to get for food because thay had all different kinds, we decided to try some nutro complete care adult,indoor, I mixed it with some of the cat chow we have been using and so far they all pick out the nutro and leave the cat chow. Plus I could see right away they didn't eat near as much before they were full.
Your right, not all of them have such a bad motive. I just think that there's not enough answers for the reasons why certain vets recommend certain foods and why hardly any of them recommend a diet closer to a natural diet for carnivores!
I feel the same way about doctors. I feel too many of them push drugs for everything and not enough of them focus on why things are happining and preventing the problem to begin with.
I know for a fact that doctors get big kickbacks from drug companies and that is a big motive!!!!
I didn't mean that it's all inclusive with all vets and all doctors. So if there are any vets out there with good motives and have done lots of research on different foods to recommened and don't care about the money and care most about the animals-I wasn't including you in that previous statement!
I really like the Evo. It's been bulking my little Lola up...as much as possible, anyway, considering that she has about the tiniest little frame I've ever seen on a kitten (she's almost 6 months and weight about 5.5 lbs.)...without by-products and carbs. The extra protein is visibly helping her develop muscle and I've only been feeding Evo for a month. I thought about Royal Canin or Nutro for her, but we seem to be doing great on Evo, and I don't worry about Leo (who doesn't need ANY extra weight, he's perfect right now) nibbling on the stuff in her bowl occassionally. And he eats Cal Natural, so I don't worry about her eating his food.Originally Posted by Obi
You know, I just switched over to Innova. I was looking for a better product to feed my kits, and when I went to their website to do a store search *gasp* I discovered that the feed store right down the street carries it! They also carry Nutro, Felidae, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, California Natural, and other high-quality brands. Lucky me! Woooooo! It's a lot more expensive than what I was feeding, but I figure between not needing as much litter, not needing to feed them as much because there is essentially no "filler" in it, and reduced long-term vet bills, that it'll all balance out. I plan to see how long it takes to use a 16.5 lb bag for two kits so I have an idea of monthly costs for my budget.
Actually, the vet sells it because the company markets itself to vets. The quality of the food is mediocre (just look at the ingredient list). However, the quality of the commercials the company pitches to vets and vet students is outstanding. And that's why vets recommend the stuff.
Actually, general practice vets make most of their money on healthy pets. Annual checkups and vaccines and fecals and routine bloodwork are your high profit margin items. Care for sick cats costs clients a fortune, to be sure, but the treatments and tests are also expensive for the vet hospital. The costly treatments have much lower profit margins for the vet, plus the doctor must spend additional time consulting with specialists, formulating treatment plans, etc - and this time is uncompensated. It's a much better use of a vet's time, from a financial perspective, to spend the same time on more annual exams and vaccines for healthy pets.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35
A little update, I can't believe how much less of the Nutro the cats eat compaired to the Purina cat chow indoor. They don't act like they are hungry all the time either like before. I think in the long run we will save alot of money with the Nutro.
Glad to hear the Nutro seems to be working for you!
I feed my 90 pound dog Nutro.
35 pounds of feed lasts a month here, so it's pretty darned cost effective.
Nutro also makes dog food.
I feed my 90 pound dog Nutro.
35 pounds of feed lasts a month here, so it's pretty darned cost effective.
I fed Science Diet for years. Then I started feeding Innova and within about 3 weeks I noted that my cats' coat had become sooo soft and downy, they pooped less, and their skin no longer had "flakes" coming off when I combed them. How cool is that!
They free feed and they were "older cats" by then but both stayed a perfect weight even though they are indoors mostly.
About 2 months ago, I started them on EVO. They love it! Their poops are even smaller. Yeah! I've done a lot of asking and talked with the sales person for the company. They said that the only possible problem is that it is so high in protein it could cause kidney stress in cats who already had kidney problems , including and especially "older" cats. I checked with my vet who approved it for my 14 year old male and 7 yr. old female.
going to the http://www.naturapet.com website which someone else posted is a real education about "what's in the food." If I would, :lol, I would! feed them a "natural food diet." But they won't eat it, and the one time I did make the effort you would have thought I was trying to poison them! I know it could take awhile, but I live where it's hot a lot and I don't have the routine or patience to worry about the natural food..and I don't cook for me,..so it's unlikely I would maintain cooking for them.
As to some of the brands, including Purina and IAMS, they are now owned by Proctor and Gamble. Check out the info posted by PETA (Ok, I know, they are radical, but the pictures are there, the letters are there)...about the way they mistreat animals. It will make you pretty sick.
As to Science Diet, their parent company makes foods specifically for medical conditions,...but IMO, if a cat were fed either natural food diet or the EVO with the low carb count and natural preservatives, they would be less likely to need the special diets from Hills/Science Diet.
The price initially of the Innova is more than grocery brands, and the EVO is more expensive than that. But the old adage, you pay now, or you pay later is good to keep in mind. With good nutrition, your pets are less likely to need expensive later-in-life vet care. And a few cents a day to keep my "kids" with me longer is a small price to pay, and I am convinced they are doing well because of the food they are now on, even though they spent thier early lives on SD and IAMS (which used to be a much better food than it is now, IMO) .
I'm new, are we allowed to post IMO?
They free feed and they were "older cats" by then but both stayed a perfect weight even though they are indoors mostly.
About 2 months ago, I started them on EVO. They love it! Their poops are even smaller. Yeah! I've done a lot of asking and talked with the sales person for the company. They said that the only possible problem is that it is so high in protein it could cause kidney stress in cats who already had kidney problems , including and especially "older" cats. I checked with my vet who approved it for my 14 year old male and 7 yr. old female.
going to the http://www.naturapet.com website which someone else posted is a real education about "what's in the food." If I would, :lol, I would! feed them a "natural food diet." But they won't eat it, and the one time I did make the effort you would have thought I was trying to poison them! I know it could take awhile, but I live where it's hot a lot and I don't have the routine or patience to worry about the natural food..and I don't cook for me,..so it's unlikely I would maintain cooking for them.
As to some of the brands, including Purina and IAMS, they are now owned by Proctor and Gamble. Check out the info posted by PETA (Ok, I know, they are radical, but the pictures are there, the letters are there)...about the way they mistreat animals. It will make you pretty sick.
As to Science Diet, their parent company makes foods specifically for medical conditions,...but IMO, if a cat were fed either natural food diet or the EVO with the low carb count and natural preservatives, they would be less likely to need the special diets from Hills/Science Diet.
The price initially of the Innova is more than grocery brands, and the EVO is more expensive than that. But the old adage, you pay now, or you pay later is good to keep in mind. With good nutrition, your pets are less likely to need expensive later-in-life vet care. And a few cents a day to keep my "kids" with me longer is a small price to pay, and I am convinced they are doing well because of the food they are now on, even though they spent thier early lives on SD and IAMS (which used to be a much better food than it is now, IMO) .
I'm new, are we allowed to post IMO?
Two-Cat and Obi.....I too, have noticed the change in their coat and having less stool to scoop. In a house with six resident cats that is a big help on the purchasing of cat litter. I don't know what you all pay for the Innove-EVO but here locally it is $29.99 for a 15.4 pound bag and that is actually cheaper than the $32 that I was paying for a 15 pound of the Royal Canin Kitten 34 formula. Since getting them off a food that used corn, and corn meal as a filler the two of our cats that had loose stool has not been seen since. I believe that some cats have a harder time with the digestion process of corn than others do. A 15.4 pound bag lasts us a little over 3 weeks, free-feeding. I do know that the EVO isn't available in all areas. On the website that I posted they have a way of putting in your zip-code and seeing if any local shops carry it. Pretty neat feature.....I think.
