What could be the best diet for my kitties?

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juni's mom

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Hello~ ^^
well...I have been searching for the best ideal diet for my two cats for quite some time now. They have tried most of products at Petsmart and I feel like I am missing something. I want to privide the best for my cats but I think I am not doing great as their mommy. I look at the labels and it never fails. By-products, corn gluten meal...etc... Sometimes I get very concerned that I am juggling with my kitties' health by changing and trying different kinds of food. I have been asking vets for this matter and all they answer is ' You get what you pay for.' Not good enough...
Not the answer I hoped to hear from them... To be honest with you, I am in a desperate situation. I am more than willing to spend a good amount of money for my kittie's better future!! But...I can't seem to find a perfect diet for them.

Bruce is mainly on Nutro Complete Care Indoor and some Science Diet Sensitive tummy food mixed sometimes. He has been through Eukanuba, Iams, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Purina One, Nutro Max, Nutro Complete care adult, Purina Cat Chow Indoor.... I was thinking about changing his diet to Science diet completely but as you all know the first ingredient is By-product in it. Eukanuba, Iams....these brands could be my choice again but i don't think we get much for what we pay for.

Junior loves wet food and he tried, of course, all sorts of canned, pouched food now. He is mainly eating Fancy Feast,Pro Plan,Iams and Frieskies(pouches, sometimes) and some Purina One and Fancy Feast dry food on the side.

(sigh) I think it's time for me to settle with some nice organic diet for them.

wellness, Felidae, innova(?)...etc...
Are these holistic products really beneficial ?

Bruce weights more than 18 pounds and he has a bad dandruff problem.
please could somebody give me a good advice on this matter??
 

mec407

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My boy eats Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care. He likes it a lot, and the vet said it was an excellent choice. I think I pay about $8.50 for 4lb bag. He used to be on Science Diet and Purina ONE for a while, but the kibbles were so small that he'd basically swallow them whole without actually chewing them. He would end up with hiccups as a result. The Nutro has a larger kibble, which gives him no choice but to chew it. That has the added benefit of keeping his teeth clean(er).
 

renny

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My kitties are on Natural Choice and I'm just trying them on Natural Balance (a little better quality). And they absolutely love them! I've found their coats are shinier and softer, there have been absolutely no hairballs and they have really high energy levels! They also get some wet as a treat in the mornings. I'm with you in being concerned about the number of preservatives, by-products and carbs in the generic pet store foods.
 

mec407

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Originally Posted by Juni's mom

Bruce weights more than 18 pounds and he has a bad dandruff problem.
please could somebody give me a good advice on this matter??
Try the "Weight Management" version of Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care. That's what mine eats. He was almost 17 pounds at one point, but he's been holding steady at 15 pounds for the past year or so, and his dandruff has cleared up a bit as well. He still has it but it's not quite as bad. I also comb his fur with a fine-tooth comb, which seems to help, and gets rid of all the loose dead fur.
 

hs4816

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My personal opinion is that cats need meat... not cranberrys, carrots, peas, etc. So I tend to avoid the super-expensive "holistic" foods - but that's just my bias.

All dry foods need to have a source of carbohydrate because that is what helps everything "hold together" and allows it to be dry. I try to find foods that use rice as the carbohydrate because corn/wheat/soy tend to contribute to more food sensitivities than rice. I'm guessing that the holistic foods that use vegetables are doing so to avoid even using rice... I'm just not convinced that it's so much better it's worth the extra money.

As far as "corn gluten meal", I've been speaking to several experts on cat food. I'm told that this is not the same as corn.... it's the very tiny center of the kernal and is a high source of protein (not carbohydrates). Plus it contributes to acidification of cats urine - a good thing!

I've read that "best" food for cats is wet - because proportionately it's much higher protein. Dry is advantageous because it can be left out without spoiling.

So with all my reading and researching done, I've decided to feed my babies nutro pouches/canned (max or natural) and Acana dry. (Acana is a brand available in canada that is wheat/gluten/soy/byproduct free and uses rice). However if Acana isn't available I would be comfortable using Nutro dry or California Natural Chicken and Rice and maybe some others --- but I'm sick of reading labels!

Hope that's somewhat helpful. Really, there is no "perfect" food - but if we give our babies the best we can (and lots of love) then we are good mommies!

 

renny

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Originally Posted by Juni's mom

Bruce weights more than 18 pounds and he has a bad dandruff problem.
please could somebody give me a good advice on this matter??
Omega-3 and 6 are excellent for skin and fur condition. Check to see that any food you put him on contains this. If not you can get it in supplement form (a liquid that you can sprinkle on their food) which well help clear that up! (takes a couple weeks to see the results!)
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by hs4816

Really, there is no "perfect" food - but if we give our babies the best we can (and lots of love) then we are good mommies!

Yes there is. The perfect food for them is what mother nature provides for them to eat in the wild. Simple and really makes a world of difference.
 

turtlecat

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Originally Posted by bengalbabe

Yes there is. The perfect food for them is what mother nature provides for them to eat in the wild. Simple and really makes a world of difference.
While I agree that raw feeding is perhaps the most natural and therefore healthiest way of feeding any cat or dog, I think that it is not for the average pet owner. There isn't always the quality of meat/ bone/ nutritional additives available to the person, and if handled improperly, it has a higher risk of making your cat ill. I always say that if you feel like you can in good peace of mind be assured that the food they are eating will not cause them food poisoning, then sure that's great. I'm worried abot that myself, and am not assured that I will be able to ensure that my cats are receiving helathy amounts of their requred nutrients if I feed them raw. I'm simply not educated enough on the food safety aspects. (nor could I afford the food and supplements.)

That said, for people (including myself) looking for a commercially available food, it is almost impossible to find the "perfect" one. I like Royal Canin because it's a good quality food, and isn't out of my price range.
 

yosemite

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I've just recently switched ours over to Merricks as it has no by-products and I have to tell you I'm amazed at the difference in their coats. They are both incredibly softer now than before and they love the food.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by turtlecat

While I agree that raw feeding is perhaps the most natural and therefore healthiest way of feeding any cat or dog, I think that it is not for the average pet owner. There isn't always the quality of meat/ bone/ nutritional additives available to the person, and if handled improperly, it has a higher risk of making your cat ill. I always say that if you feel like you can in good peace of mind be assured that the food they are eating will not cause them food poisoning, then sure that's great. I'm worried abot that myself, and am not assured that I will be able to ensure that my cats are receiving helathy amounts of their requred nutrients if I feed them raw. I'm simply not educated enough on the food safety aspects. (nor could I afford the food and supplements.)

That said, for people (including myself) looking for a commercially available food, it is almost impossible to find the "perfect" one. I like Royal Canin because it's a good quality food, and isn't out of my price range.
If your saying that there is no perfect commercial food then I agree with you 100%! You can't force a carnivore to be a herbavore or an herbavore to be a carnivore without drastic consequences. Look at the mad cow epidemic for instance. That was caused because they fed cows to cows.
Anyway, the original post was asking what the best 'diet' was for her kitties. She wasn't asking what the best commercial food was for her kitties. The best 'diet' would be one that nature intended.
Im not going to go into a discussion about food poisiong and raw food because i've been through that debate too many times. I just want to say don't believe the hype and don't believe everything you hear. Common sense is the key.
 

kai bengals

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A cat is a carnivore.....there is no argument there. If you doubt it, please have a look at your cats teeth.
Dry food (Kibble) is pretty much a poor choice for a carnivore. It's a: "I can survive on this because it's all I've got" type food.
A cat's teeth aren't even designed to chew this type of food! Cat's teeth are designed to tear and rend flesh and bones.
The only real choice for "best diet" is a raw diet. This is what cats (and dogs) are designed by mother nature to eat.
There is a bunch of nonsense mis-information out there about salmonella and viciousness from eating raw meat. It's just hype.
All my cats get a raw diet. Why? Because I want the best for them and yes, I'm willing to pay more, do more and put up with the extra effort it takes to feed them this diet.
I feed myself well and I'm not going to feed my cats some dried up biscuit because it's more convenient for me to do so.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

All my cats get a raw diet. Why? Because I want the best for them and yes, I'm willing to pay more, do more and put up with the extra effort it takes to feed them this diet.
I feed myself well and I'm not going to feed my cats some dried up biscuit because it's more convenient for me to do so.
That's exactly how I feel. I must say though at the beginning I was confused about how to feed them and I was concerned about them getting sick too. But I took the plunge and I have not looked back since. I have since come to realize that there is a reason for the mis-info and that is because the big compaines don't want to lose sales. It's all about money ,folks.
 

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I applaud you both for your dedication, I truly do. However, I have neither the time nor the desire to learn all about supplements, etc., etc. in order to feed raw. Cats being fed commercial foods have been living for many years and often pampered housecats into their late teens and 20's so I'm guessing all commercial food cannot be that bad. I care about my cats so I try to find the best commercial food available, i.e., no by-products, additives, etc. and feel quite confident that they are getting good nutrition without the raw diet.

As someone who works a full time job outside the home and still has to spend weekends keeping my home clean and my meals cooked every day, I'm quite happy to spend the extra money on a better quality commercial food and forego the raw diet.

For those of you who favour it, I'm glad you are being so good to your cats and as I said above, I think you are great to spend the time and effort to do this for your beloved animals.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

I applaud you both for your dedication, I truly do. However, I have neither the time nor the desire to learn all about supplements, etc., etc. in order to feed raw. Cats being fed commercial foods have been living for many years and often pampered housecats into their late teens and 20's so I'm guessing all commercial food cannot be that bad. I care about my cats so I try to find the best commercial food available, i.e., no by-products, additives, etc. and feel quite confident that they are getting good nutrition without the raw diet.

As someone who works a full time job outside the home and still has to spend weekends keeping my home clean and my meals cooked every day, I'm quite happy to spend the extra money on a better quality commercial food and forego the raw diet.

For those of you who favour it, I'm glad you are being so good to your cats and as I said above, I think you are great to spend the time and effort to do this for your beloved animals.
Thanks, and I do think that there are those that truely do not have the time it takes. But I just want to dispel one more myth about the raw diet and that is that you have to suppliment. Suppliments are needed in a commercial diet because of the lack of nutrients from the cooking process and the ingrediants, but not in a raw diet. As long as you feed the whole animal you do not need to suppliment. Doing so might actually have disadvantages. I supplimented at first but have since cut all suppliments out.
 

sharky

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First I would do raw and two of my three do at least two days a week but it does take time energy as I am balenceing two or three differnt meals.. so right now I have one on wet ( canned) homemade and raw ... one on kibble ( she is very healthy and doesnt like raw or canned much) and my dog eats raw homemade wet and dry


I use nutro natural choice dry for the mainly dry
My dog get s nutro natural choice , evo and bil jac
My crf girl eats no dry...

reasonably good dry s
California Natural
Feline Caviar
Nutro
Royal canin
Innova
Natural Balence( I only recommend the venison and pea )
wet foods read the labvel meow mix is reasonabley good as is Authority by petsmart... as well as wets by the dry makers above
 

lionessrampant

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

I applaud you both for your dedication, I truly do. However, I have neither the time nor the desire to learn all about supplements, etc., etc. in order to feed raw. Cats being fed commercial foods have been living for many years and often pampered housecats into their late teens and 20's so I'm guessing all commercial food cannot be that bad. I care about my cats so I try to find the best commercial food available, i.e., no by-products, additives, etc. and feel quite confident that they are getting good nutrition without the raw diet.

As someone who works a full time job outside the home and still has to spend weekends keeping my home clean and my meals cooked every day, I'm quite happy to spend the extra money on a better quality commercial food and forego the raw diet.

For those of you who favour it, I'm glad you are being so good to your cats and as I said above, I think you are great to spend the time and effort to do this for your beloved animals.
Thanks for that. I've also read numerous journal entries in Veterinary journals that doubt the effectiveness and complete-ness of a raw diet. Maybe it's the thing of the future, but until a group of people with degrees in the subject can come to a conclusion that endorses the effectiveness of this diet, I'm going to stick with a high quality commercial diet. It's also safer for people, as well. I knew this one lady who got toxo and miscarried because she was handling raw meat, not to mention the fact that I simply do not purchase meat. Not to mention that if your cat has a condition like FeLV or FIV, raw meat is dangerous. There is too much doubt surrounding this for me to be sold. Like Yosemite said, kitties on a top-quality diet can live into their late teens and 20's. I'd say that's a good enough testament to the diet for me!
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by lionessrampant

. I knew this one lady who got toxo and miscarried because she was handling raw meat,
you get toxo from cat poop not from raw meat.
Originally Posted by lionessrampant

:
kitties on a top-quality diet can live into their late teens and 20's. I'd say that's a good enough testament to the diet for me!
Yeah and people who smoke can live a long life too but no one argues that smoking is bad for you.
 
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