What is the the best food on the market?

zazusdad · Oct 7, 2005

Ok guys and gals,

What is the best food on the market for kittens?

I have always used Iams Eukanuba for my dogs. My vet said that S. Diet or Iams is good but He is a dealer for Both. I have read about a few different brands that say "their the best" but don't say why.

What are the key things to look for? I know that we all have personal reasons why we think one is better than the other. I just want to make sure that my cats are getting what they need and not a bunch of other stuff they don't.
Just look at this little guy! He need the right food
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9055/ZAZU5.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9055/ZAZU6.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9055/ZAZU1.jpg
Thanks

yosemite · Oct 7, 2005

You'll probably get as many answers as there are brands of food.

I've recently started experimenting with some of the brands with no by-products as there seems to be some concern over what by-products contain. Some of these brands that I've been trying are Wellness, Nutro, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, Natural Balance, Felidae and Paul Newman's.

So far, only Wellness and Natural Balance have been "approved" by our kitties.

Kittens should be getting a kitten formula of whatever brand you choose since it is richer and they need it for their early growing months.

moggiegirl · Oct 7, 2005

I am a huge fan of Natural Balance. I love the ingredients on their labels, lots of named animal based proteins, no byproducts or corn. In addition to them making high quality pet foods, I also love that they make zoological formulas for animals at zoos and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. They also donate a lot of their profits to animal welfare charities.

yosemite · Oct 7, 2005

Originally Posted by moggiegirl

I am a huge fan of Natural Balance. I love the ingredients on their labels, lots of named animal based proteins, no byproducts or corn. In addition to them making high quality pet foods, I also love that they make zoological formulas for animals at zoos and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. They also donate a lot of their profits to animal welfare charities.

That's good information to know, Moggiegirl. Thanks.

vanillasugar · Oct 7, 2005

I honestly can't give you a brand reccomendation. I don't believe that's fair to you. What I will do is arm you with the tools you'll need to chose a food yourself.

What you need to learn how to do is learn how to read an ingredients label. I believe this is an invaluable skill to pet owners as they'll never be duped by advertising again! "Oh this is the best food eh? Let me take one look... I don't think so!"

Here are some great places to start. Learn what ingredients are good and which should be avoided. Learn what cats actually need in their diet and which they can't process. These skills will help you to find the best cat food

http://www.api4animals.org/689.htm
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=004
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/reading_labels.htm

Good luck!

pat · Oct 7, 2005

hi, honestly there are so many threads on this, the best thing I can suggest is that you do a search on recommended cat foods and read what comes up, which will be a lot of discussion, brand names and my lists of what to avoid and some of why I feel that way.

ckatz · Oct 7, 2005

No one is going to comment on how adorable this little guy is!!!!

bengalbabe · Oct 7, 2005

oh he's sooo adorable...thanks for pointing that out!
He deserves the best food. So no commercial food for him. Why send him to Mc Donalds which you cvan make him a nice home cooked meal.

dawnofsierra · Oct 7, 2005

He certainly is such a precious baby!

Serenity eats Innova regular. I strongly support and recommend Natura's products.

nekokaasan · Oct 7, 2005

When we brought the boys home from the rescue, they brought a bag of Science Diet kitten with them, but we've switched them to Nutro and they are doing well on it. I have heard that Sci. Diet has a lot of fillers, the ingredients in Nutro seem to be better.

What an adorable little man! He does deserve good food.

yosemite · Oct 7, 2005

I have been remiss. I also saw his pictures and he is truly adorable. I think this lovable little guy has found a great home with you.

sharky · Oct 7, 2005

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

hi, honestly there are so many threads on this, the best thing I can suggest is that you do a search on recommended cat foods and read what comes up, which will be a lot of discussion, brand names and my lists of what to avoid and some of why I feel that way.

I am starting to type this stuff in my sleep...lmao

pat · Oct 7, 2005

Originally Posted by sharky

I am starting to type this stuff in my sleep...lmao

I need to see about creating a sticky or writing an article, something I can refer folks to.

xomycatsxo · Oct 8, 2005

For an inexpensive yet great food.. I feed all of my cats Maximum Nutrition - which is actually found at Walmart. The ingredients in this food is actually MUCH better than many, many expensive named brands. I noticed many of Science Diet's foods have a by-product as their first ingredient. It is extremely true that many vets are clueless when it comes to nutrition, and any good vet will admit that they are not up on what foods are better than others.

I just did a search and found this on a website:

"This is what Purrever has learned about feline nutrition:

We all know that if we eat healthy, we will lead healthier lives. The same goes for your pet. People are always asking me what cat food I recommend. One with no dyes & the first ingredient should be meat such as chicken or turkey--never by-products & corn meal. Usually the darker the food, the higher the quality. Please don't buy into the television advertisements! They make their cat food sound so healthy & delicious when most are comparable to fast food. (Read the ingredients!) If price is important to you, I recommend MAXIMUM NUTRITION. There is Kitten, Adult, Senior & Reduced Diet & Hairball Formula--which is Purrever's fav as it has LYSINE in it--helps fight Feline Herpes & builds immune system!. Maximum Nutrition is sold only at Wal-Mart yet made by another company. Compare the ingredients to any premium food. Best bang for the buck. "

There is tons of good stuff on the web about Maximum Nutrition. I've linked to many forums from doing searches that people say, hands down, this food has better ingredients than most out there. Of course there are some better ones out there, but this certainly isn't a bad food by any means and easy on the wallet when you have many to feed (especailly if you do foster/rescue work and can't afford to be picky).

sharky · Oct 8, 2005

Originally Posted by xomycatsxo

For an inexpensive yet great food.. I feed all of my cats Maximum Nutrition - which is actually found at Walmart. The ingredients in this food is actually MUCH better than many, many expensive named brands. I noticed many of Science Diet's foods have a by-product as their first ingredient. It is extremely true that many vets are clueless when it comes to nutrition, and any good vet will admit that they are not up on what foods are better than others.

I just did a search and found this on a website:

"This is what Purrever has learned about feline nutrition:

We all know that if we eat healthy, we will lead healthier lives. The same goes for your pet. People are always asking me what cat food I recommend. One with no dyes & the first ingredient should be meat such as chicken or turkey--never by-products & corn meal. Usually the darker the food, the higher the quality. Please don't buy into the television advertisements! They make their cat food sound so healthy & delicious when most are comparable to fast food. (Read the ingredients!) If price is important to you, I recommend MAXIMUM NUTRITION. There is Kitten, Adult, Senior & Reduced Diet & Hairball Formula--which is Purrever's fav as it has LYSINE in it--helps fight Feline Herpes & builds immune system!. Maximum Nutrition is sold only at Wal-Mart yet made by another company. Compare the ingredients to any premium food. Best bang for the buck. "

There is tons of good stuff on the web about Maximum Nutrition. I've linked to many forums from doing searches that people say, hands down, this food has better ingredients than most out there. Of course there are some better ones out there, but this certainly isn't a bad food by any means and easy on the wallet when you have many to feed (especailly if you do foster/rescue work and can't afford to be picky).

this food has corn , animal fat and digest... I would only recommend it if you live in an area where wal mart is your only option... It is far from premium being comparable to iams.... jmho

pat · Oct 8, 2005

Originally Posted by sharky

this food has corn , animal fat and digest... I would only recommend it if you live in an area where wal mart is your only option... It is far from premium being comparable to iams.... jmho

Where did you find the ingredients list? I was just doing a 'net search, couldn't find a thing on it.

sharky · Oct 8, 2005

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Where did you find the ingredients list? I was just doing a 'net search, couldn't find a thing on it.

I do many jobs in wal mart I read itat my local wal mart ... It is funny it says animal fat and omega 6 at 1.6% for the dog will give a nice coat..

... Yes Pat I have read nearly every dog and cat food for 30 mile radius...

pat · Oct 9, 2005

Originally Posted by sharky

I do many jobs in wal mart I read itat my local wal mart ... It is funny it says animal fat and omega 6 at 1.6% for the dog will give a nice coat..

... Yes Pat I have read nearly every dog and cat food for 30 mile radius...

I must admit, every pet store I'm in I'm scouting all the toys and catnips and treats

xomycatsxo · Oct 9, 2005

I have to buy a bag in the next day or so, so I can post the ingredients then. I do know that some people swear by this food... as far as being something less expensive and still very good. Nutro, which we all know is very good, is what I had my cats on and it was getting too expensive w/ the amount of cats I have. I have been using this (MN) for awhile and my cats have done awesome on it. There's a lot of controversy regarding "by-product/chicken meal".. some think it's good and necessary, some think just the opposite- and some think if it is sometimes made (by various companies) to be very nutritional. I wish it was just much easier to understand what is good and what's not. Just the facts, not opinions- but obviously that's not the case.

I love my cats more than anything, and I don't think feeding them the Maximum Nutrition is doing them a disservice.

I've been thinking of making my own food but I have so much going on that I would think it's a big commitment- so I need to do a lot more research.

sharky · Oct 9, 2005

Originally Posted by xomycatsxo

I have to buy a bag in the next day or so, so I can post the ingredients then. I do know that some people swear by this food... as far as being something less expensive and still very good. Nutro, which we all know is very good, is what I had my cats on and it was getting too expensive w/ the amount of cats I have. I have been using this (MN) for awhile and my cats have done awesome on it. There's a lot of controversy regarding "by-product/chicken meal".. some think it's good and necessary, some think just the opposite- and some think if it is sometimes made (by various companies) to be very nutritional. I wish it was just much easier to understand what is good and what's not. Just the facts, not opinions- but obviously that's not the case.

I love my cats more than anything, and I don't think feeding them the Maximum Nutrition is doing them a disservice.

I've been thinking of making my own food but I have so much going on that I would think it's a big commitment- so I need to do a lot more research.

Yes you have a lot of homework to do..lol..You arent doing them a diservice ...many a cat lived long lives on generic food.. we all do ... by products arent good unless it is fresh organ meat given raw or cooked ( yes there is a brand that does this) ... chn meal is good but just like chn we dont know the amount of bone..

What is the the best food on the market?

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