I am trying to find a better dry cat food for my very picky cats. They hate, hate, hate, wet food and are free fed. A little background-Tornado is 9 1/2 and weighs 16 lbs. His sister Phoebe is also 9 1/2 and weighs 9 lbs. Phoebe has asthma and is on a daily inhaler; she is doing well. They are indoor cats with very low activity. They hate the dog so they stay upstairs while the dog is down. Piper, the dog get us during the day while the cats get us at night and get to sleep with us if they want.
Tornado needs to lose some weight. I was feeding them a mix of Wellness Supermix 5 with Wellness lite. They were doing ok, but I changed them to Natural Balance Ultra Premium because when I brought home samples they liked that the best. The kibble was just about the same size and shape as the Wellness which I think was the deciding factory for my two creatures of habit! Well, Tornado liked it so much that he gained 3 more pounds
I have heard good thing about the NB Venison and Peas for cats with asthma so I was thinking about trying that. It has less calories and fat than the Ultra so I was thinking that would help. I have read a few articles that mention feeding a food with higher protein and fat for diabetic cats which I am worried that Tornado is headed in that direction. I am thinking that Tornado will eat the same amount no matter what so maybe a food lower in calories would be the best. The indoor cat, lite or senior formulas all just have more grain and maybe more fiber. I am not sure about feeding EVO this late in the game.
I have spent the day looking at cat foods.
The "new" Solid Gold Katz N Flocken has 34% protein, 12% fat, 5% fiber and 323 calories (I wonder if this is a misprint on the solid gold site.)
The NB Venison & Pea is 32% protein, 12% fat, 4.5% fiber and 450 calories.
Innova is 36% protein, 20% fat, 2.5% fiber and 537 calories.
Felidae is 32% protein, 20% fat, 2.5% fiber and 477 calories.
Natural Balance Ultra (what they are currently eating) is
34% protein, 18% fat, 3% fiber and 553 calories.
Evo has 50% protein 22% fat, 3% fiber, and 542 calories
If I am looking for less calories then Solid Gold Katz N Flocken wins hands down! Then NB Venison and Peas followed by Felidae.
If I want higher protein and higher fat then of course EVO is in a class by itself. I know fat cat Tornado likes it as I have a sample here that I have given him some of before. Innova is good here also. The concern I have for these two is the amount of calories. Yes, I can try not to free feed, but I need to get them to eat the food first. Also, I didn't mention that Phoebe tends to hide most of the day, so feeding on schedule might be a problem for her. Actually, no one has ever seen Phoebe eat!! She waits until we aren't home or at night, I guess.
If I am going to be stubborn and continue to free feed, which of these might help fatty lose some weight? The funny thing is, between the two cats they might eat 3/4 cup per day max of kibble. I am assuming that Tornado eats the bulk of the food, but less than a cup isn't a lot of food for two cats, is it?
BTW, there are other foods I have looked at-Pinnacle, Nature's Variety, Timberwolf, but these were the ones I thought might work the best. I am open to other suggestions. I also have thought about mixing EVO with maybe the Solid Gold or NB Venison & Peas. Would that be a problem-should EVO be fed alone?
I did look at Eagle Pack which is what I feed the dog, but it was higher in calories and had corn gluten meal in it. I was thinking that I didn't want corn for the allergent factor, although I don't think either cats have food allergies. Also, I wasn't sure of having corn with a cat that I am afraid might end up with diabetes. Of course there are other ingredients in each of the foods that have a higher sugar content.
Is corn a problem for cats? If not, I could try Eagle Pack as I am very happy with them as a company. I would love to know more about the Solid Gold food as I like the higher protein, low fat, higher fiber and low calories! I didn't like the Solid Gold dog foods for Piper and know nothing about the cat food. I liked Canidae for Piper until we were dealing with food allergies, so I am willing to try Felidae.
OK, so do I look for lower calories because I really think Tornado will eat the same amount anyway? Or do I go with a higher protein and maybe higher fat? I do know I want less carbs if I can figure out which food that is, although it seems less carbs usually means more calories. I really am not ready to feed Raw, expecially since the cats eat upstairs in the old playroom! That is also one of the problems with canned food; my family will not be happy smelling that in their bedrooms
Tornado needs to lose some weight. I was feeding them a mix of Wellness Supermix 5 with Wellness lite. They were doing ok, but I changed them to Natural Balance Ultra Premium because when I brought home samples they liked that the best. The kibble was just about the same size and shape as the Wellness which I think was the deciding factory for my two creatures of habit! Well, Tornado liked it so much that he gained 3 more pounds
I have heard good thing about the NB Venison and Peas for cats with asthma so I was thinking about trying that. It has less calories and fat than the Ultra so I was thinking that would help. I have read a few articles that mention feeding a food with higher protein and fat for diabetic cats which I am worried that Tornado is headed in that direction. I am thinking that Tornado will eat the same amount no matter what so maybe a food lower in calories would be the best. The indoor cat, lite or senior formulas all just have more grain and maybe more fiber. I am not sure about feeding EVO this late in the game.
I have spent the day looking at cat foods.
The "new" Solid Gold Katz N Flocken has 34% protein, 12% fat, 5% fiber and 323 calories (I wonder if this is a misprint on the solid gold site.)
The NB Venison & Pea is 32% protein, 12% fat, 4.5% fiber and 450 calories.
Innova is 36% protein, 20% fat, 2.5% fiber and 537 calories.
Felidae is 32% protein, 20% fat, 2.5% fiber and 477 calories.
Natural Balance Ultra (what they are currently eating) is
34% protein, 18% fat, 3% fiber and 553 calories.
Evo has 50% protein 22% fat, 3% fiber, and 542 calories
If I am looking for less calories then Solid Gold Katz N Flocken wins hands down! Then NB Venison and Peas followed by Felidae.
If I want higher protein and higher fat then of course EVO is in a class by itself. I know fat cat Tornado likes it as I have a sample here that I have given him some of before. Innova is good here also. The concern I have for these two is the amount of calories. Yes, I can try not to free feed, but I need to get them to eat the food first. Also, I didn't mention that Phoebe tends to hide most of the day, so feeding on schedule might be a problem for her. Actually, no one has ever seen Phoebe eat!! She waits until we aren't home or at night, I guess.
If I am going to be stubborn and continue to free feed, which of these might help fatty lose some weight? The funny thing is, between the two cats they might eat 3/4 cup per day max of kibble. I am assuming that Tornado eats the bulk of the food, but less than a cup isn't a lot of food for two cats, is it?
BTW, there are other foods I have looked at-Pinnacle, Nature's Variety, Timberwolf, but these were the ones I thought might work the best. I am open to other suggestions. I also have thought about mixing EVO with maybe the Solid Gold or NB Venison & Peas. Would that be a problem-should EVO be fed alone?
I did look at Eagle Pack which is what I feed the dog, but it was higher in calories and had corn gluten meal in it. I was thinking that I didn't want corn for the allergent factor, although I don't think either cats have food allergies. Also, I wasn't sure of having corn with a cat that I am afraid might end up with diabetes. Of course there are other ingredients in each of the foods that have a higher sugar content.
Is corn a problem for cats? If not, I could try Eagle Pack as I am very happy with them as a company. I would love to know more about the Solid Gold food as I like the higher protein, low fat, higher fiber and low calories! I didn't like the Solid Gold dog foods for Piper and know nothing about the cat food. I liked Canidae for Piper until we were dealing with food allergies, so I am willing to try Felidae.
OK, so do I look for lower calories because I really think Tornado will eat the same amount anyway? Or do I go with a higher protein and maybe higher fat? I do know I want less carbs if I can figure out which food that is, although it seems less carbs usually means more calories. I really am not ready to feed Raw, expecially since the cats eat upstairs in the old playroom! That is also one of the problems with canned food; my family will not be happy smelling that in their bedrooms
