Cat Foods

I'm re-evaluating what and when we feed our kitties.

They have been on an all dry food diet and I think this is leading them to drink lots more water, pee alot and I'm not sure they are getting or using all the nutrients they need from the food.

I'm switching them to Innova wet food. Anyone have any opinions about this cat food?

What are YOU feeding your cats and is it meeting your cat's dietary needs?

Are your cats on dry only, wet only or a combination?

I've read lots of things concerning all the unhealthful ingredients that make their way into cheaper cat foods and I want to feed my cats so that they are healthy and not overweight. Currently my Wooster (age 4) is overweight and my Jeeves (age 5) is underweight.

Thanks

WHat are they on now???

wet food is best ( well okay raw/cooked homemade done right is best )
wet/ dry is good and economical
dry is the least money and if quality can be fine

I do wet / homemade with one
the other get dry and gravey...lol she like gravy but not the wet itself

I dont agree with the five food groups thing but Innova is great food ... My dog has the innova evo in her mix ... the all like some of the wet ... I do prefer califonia natural made by innovas maker natura far far better but that is my humble opinion

I use Pureina One....and my cats do drink quite a bit of water. They seem to be doing fine on it, and they are full of energy and their coats are shiny and eyes are bright.
We don`t do much wet food since they hardly eat any of it...and sincethey drink water I don`t worry too much about it. I wish I could get them to eat raw...but they are not interested in it except to play with it and toss it around.
Linda

We feed wet-only to five out of our six; they eat a mix of Merrick's and California Natural. Our sixth - so far - has completely refused to eat wet and that is the only reason he's eating dry California Natural kibbles. We're continuing our efforts to convince him over to a wet food diet - trying every trick in the book and then trying them all again. From all that I've read, wet food really is much, much healthier for them.

I feed about half top quality dry, half home made raw. I'm trying to eventually quit the dry completely or almost completely. I think raw is the best if done correctly and from safe ingredients. Top quality wet is also good, but very expensive.

Originally Posted by jeeveser

I'm switching them to Innova wet food. Anyone have any opinions about this cat food?

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i don't have an opinion but my cats think innova wet is disgusting. they won't eat it.

Originally Posted by jeeveser

What are YOU feeding your cats and is it meeting your cat's dietary needs?

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my guys get Sensible Choice Adult for their kibble. and for their wet a variety consisting of: Fancy Feast, Pro Plan, Friskies pouches, Meow Mix wet, and a couple flavors of Nutro here and there.

Originally Posted by jeeveser

Are your cats on dry only, wet only or a combination?

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they get a combination. 1/4 c dry in each bowl (3) for the day (split into 2 feedings). for wet, they get 2 feedings of 6 oz split between the three. sometimes i will take another 3oz can and split it before bed if they are begging (they aren't always hungry before bed). so i go through 4 to 5 3oz cans/pouches a day.

Hi there! I don't feed the Innova wet, only because there appears to be some discrepancy as to garlic continuing to be an ingredient. I am currently free feeding a measuring amount of Innova EVO, supplemented by Natural Balance wet in the AM and PM. I also really liked the ingredients in the wet Merrick, but it didn't agree with Clinton's system, eww!

Good luck!

I feed either Nature's Variety Prairie or Felidae for dry (they get 1 cup split between 2 bowls) and then they get two meals of wet...we have converted the kibble addicts in my house and have branched out to include Evanger's, Trader Joe's brand wet food, Whole Foods brand wet food, Merrick, and every once in a while, Lola will eat Wellness. They generally will eat a half a can of wet each at this point, but I'm starting to reduce the kibble and pile on the wet. So we'll see. Right now, this method is working great for us!

As a company, I don't like natura and won't buy their products. They have extremely sketchy and unfair distribution practices and the reason these foods get reccommended as being 'the best' is because store owners get kickbacks from the company for selling them. There is no one best food out there and Evo actually made my two quite sick. Personally, I wouldn't feed Innova, but that's just me.

This is the Food I feed to My Overweight kitty Duke



Crude protein min. 28.0%
Crude fat min. 10.0%
Crude fibre max. 6.0%
Moisture max.
10.0%
Ash max. 6.5%
Calcium min 0.9%
Phosphorus min 0.8%
Magnesium max. 0.1%
Salt min 0.8%
Vitamin A min. 25,000 I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 min. 1,600 I.U./kg
Vitamin E min 110 I.U./kg




Chicken meat, a high quality source of protein (cats are obligate carnivores).
Chicken fat, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
Chicken fat, a high quality source of linoleic and arachidonic essential unsaturated fatty acids, which promotes well conditioned skin and a shiny coat.
Lecithin, provides a high level of linoleic acid and contributes to fat digestion.
Optimal levels of magnesium and urine acidifiers, which prevent the development of calculi (stones) in the bladder.
Flaxseeds meal, a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.
Dried kelp, a good source of chelated minerals for improved assimilation.
A special mix including the following herbs, for optimum weight loss:
Dried dandelion: Liver tonic with turmeric helps control excess weight.
Dried turmeric: Hepatic protection and antiarthritic benefits
Dried fenugreek: Helps treat anemia, diabetes, weight loss; also an excellent tonic
Dried ginger: Helps improve digestion
Special preparation of friendly micro-organisms which produces a beneficial intestinal microflora.
Yucca schidigera, which lowers the production of ammonia in the stool and decreases offensive odors.
L-Carnitine help reduce body fat.

Sibohan my other Kitty Gets



Crude protein min. 28.0%
Crude fat min. 18.0%
Crude fibre max. 3.0%
Moisture max.
10.0%
Ash max. 6.5%
Calcium min 0.9%
Phosphorus min 0.8%
Magnesium max. 0.1%
Salt min 1.0%
Vitamin A min. 25,000 I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 min. 1,600 I.U./kg
Vitamin E min 110 I.U./kg


Chicken meat, dehydrated chicken and dried egg product, all high quality sources of protein.
Chicken fat, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
Chicken fat, a high quality source of linoleic and arachidonic essential unsaturated fatty acids, which promotes well conditioned skin and a shiny coat.
Lecithin, provides a high level of linoleic acid and contributes to fat digestion.
Optimal levels of magnesium and urine acidifiers, which prevent the development of calculi (stones) in the bladder.
Lutein is a powerful antioxidant that helps maintain a strong immune system.
M.O.S. (Mannanoligosaccharide), prevents the colonization of pathogenic bacterias from binding onto the gut walls.
Dried kelp, a good source of chelated minerals for improved assimilation.
A special mix including the following herbs, for optimum maintenance:
Dried rosemary: Detoxifies the hepatic and cardiovascular systems
Dried thyme: Toning and antiseptic effects
Dried oregano: Prevents respiratory and digestive spasms
Dried fenugreek: Helps treat anemia, diabetes, weight loss; also an excellent tonic
Special preparation of friendly micro-organisms which produces a beneficial intestinal microflora.
Yucca schidigera, which lowers the production of ammonia in the stool and decreases offensive odors.

I am also re-evaluating what I'm feeding the cats. Raven (14 mos.) eats Cat Chow Indoor Formula dry food and Sheba wet food. The only wet food she has eaten for me is Sheba or Special Kitty, and I've stopped the Speical Kitty. George (2 mos.) is getting Science Diet kitten wet food although I try to get him to eat the dry food, he won't. Lately he seems not to like the wet food much anymore - maybe because the only flavor they have is chicken and liver (yuk!) I also think he sometimes sneaks some Sheba since Raven doesn't eat all of her food at once. I also mix some of the kitten's dry food in with the Cat Chow since I'm gone at work for 8 hours and it's possible George is eating that as well. I was considering trying Nutro Natural Choice cat food.

Nutro is supposed to be good. I always liked Eukanuba but I heard on hear they use some chemical preservatives. Lots of people seem to like Purina One. There are some ultra-premium brands which I can't thnk of the names of right now.

My kitties are on raw and love it! Theres a company locally that grinds and packages all the meat with bone for dogs and cats so it makes it pretty easy.

Good for you! Sierra eats Innova Lite wet, and has eaten Innova for many years! Serenity now enjoys her Innova wet, as well! I very strong support and recommend Natura products!

I feel dry (nutro natural), with wet as treats only. I've heard that the dry is better for their teeth and that a wet food only diet will lead to early tooth decay.

Originally Posted by Rang_27

I feel dry (nutro natural), with wet as treats only. I've heard that the dry is better for their teeth and that a wet food only diet will lead to early tooth decay.

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This is actually a myth. Dry food does very little to clean a cat's teeth; it either just crumbles in their mouths with no abrasive action, or they just swallow it whole. Likewise, wet food does not promote tooth decay. However, any food made of low quality ingredients or one that is high in starches and sugars will lead to tooth decay.

The benefits of a wet food diet over an all-dry food diet are substaintial...

This article has been posted before and leads to feeding a raw diet, but it does cover wet and dry food very well...

Cat Food Info

Yah I think the wet is bad for teeth is mostly propaganda. When my vet said this to me I found myself a new vet and luckily my new vet is also ok with my doing a raw diet too.

My crew gets Royal Canin dry- I feed IAMS canned as well. I do not free feed, the cats are fed four times a day and the kittens (depending on their ages) are fed more.

I forgot to mention that my girls eat scheduled meals.

I've fed my rexes Iams dry their entire life. Many rex breeders do - cats living to mid/late teens with no problems. I only fed the canned Iams as kittens.

Our outside cats get Kirkland Cat food which is made by the Diamond Dog food company (a high quality food for dogs and cats).

All my cats have nice coats. I tried Science Diet and none of them ate it. I would not use the cheaper brands nor ones with any kind of dyed color in it (especially Meow Mix)

I live in Europe, so some foods that are available here aren't sold in North America, and vice-versa. I would prefer that the cats ate canned food only, but that isn't their preference, so we've reached a compromise of dry for breakfast, and canned for dinner. After reading a great deal about and discussing raw feeding, I've decided it's too risky in terms of bacteria, parasites, bird flu and nutritional imbalances. All the vets I've gone to (quite a few, because of our local shelter) advise against it.
The dry foods I'm now using on a rotating basis are: Serengeti, Felidae, Solid Gold, Nutro, and Dick van Patten's; I also fed them Innova and California Natural when the brands were available here.
The canned foods I buy are generally just organic meat and/or fish, and primarily European brands: Almo nature, Cosma, Schesir, and Miamor Feine Filets; whenever I can get them, I also feed Solid Gold and Felidae. Jamie will occasionally eat Nutro canned; ZsaZsa loves it. They loved Innova canned when it was available, and also the California Natural venison.

My 3 furrys eat Solid Gold dry only The company has been making all natural foods for 30 years The cats absolutely love it