What type of food do you like best for your cats?

Hello all. I'm thinking of switching my two cats (one female adult, one male kitten) from Science Diet (lite adult hairball prevention and kitten formulas) to a better, natural dry food. I've seen a number of threads about food, obviously, but since they're all spread out I was hoping to get feedback in one place. I'd love to know your opinion on:

Do you feel strongly that canned food is better than dry kibble?
Which brand do you feed and why (just briefly)?
I'm concerned about preventing urinary issues with my male kitten. Is it true that it's best to just go with a good quality natural food until symptoms appear?
And, any opinion on hairball prevention natural foods?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

I do indeed feel that canned is better than dry, with 6 cats though, you have to budget carefully, better some canned food in their diet than none at all.

I feed the Nutro Natural Indoor complete care dry food.
It's quality is very good and it fits nicely into my budget (I go through 40 pounds of catfood a month).

If you feed a good quality canned or a combination of good quality dry/canned, chances are food related UTIs and blockage are reduced.

I have no opion on hairball foods as I've never needed one specifically for hairball prevention.

Originally Posted by rblaude

Hello all. I'm thinking of switching my two cats (one female adult, one male kitten) from Science Diet (lite adult hairball prevention and kitten formulas) to a better, natural dry food. I've seen a number of threads about food, obviously, but since they're all spread out I was hoping to get feedback in one place. I'd love to know your opinion on:

Do you feel strongly that canned food is better than dry kibble?
Which brand do you feed and why (just briefly)?
I'm concerned about preventing urinary issues with my male kitten. Is it true that it's best to just go with a good quality natural food until symptoms appear?
And, any opinion on hairball prevention natural foods?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Click to expand...

Canned is much better than dry. Especially for cats with food allergies and older cats.

I feed Felidae for the kibble and Gracie gets Wellness cans, Leo gets Evanger's cans and Raphael gets Eagle Pack cans.

For urinary health in a male especially, you need to get the moisture from canned food into their diets. Too many carbs and sugars and grains can cause blockages. A lot of natural wet foods, like Felidae for instance, include cranberries in their formulas for urinary health. Felidae also puts cranberries and DL Methionine (which is sometimes used in the treatment of UTI's) in their dry formula. Make sure there aren't a lot of grains in the food, whatever you go with.

Canned is better than dry, and raw is better than canned (but only if you can do it properly!)

There are several excellent brands out there, but everyone has their own preferences and their own reasons for preferring certain things. My favourite brands in canned are: Innova EVO (they have a canned now yay!), Merrick (how could you go wrong? Real pieces of real food in a can, and so many varieties!), Wellness (I love the company, love the food, but some on this forum are concerned with garlic content, though I've never heard that concern expressed elsewhere), Wysong (the Au Jus is great for adding to a dry diet, but shouldn't be fed exclusivley as it's not complete) and Felidae (but my cats don't like that one).

In dry, Innova EVO, Felidae, and Wellness top my list. I'm anxiously awaiting Merrick dry and see what the response to that is, (coming this spring apparently!).

My two are raw fed. I use a pre-made mix which is easy and convenient and best suits my lifestyle. I only use a little commercial food anymore, and that's because my oldest cat STILL won't eat her meal without a teeny spoonful of wet on top. I use either Wellness or Innova EVO.

Concerning urinary issues, I wouldn't "wait for symptoms to occur" if I were you... Be proactive and prevent your kitten from getting sick at all! If you feed at least a portion of his diet as wet food, you've taken a step in the right direction!

I've found hairballs are usually reduced on a higher quality diet because fur and skin quality improves and shedding is reduced. Less hair they swallow means less hairballs! My two hardly shed at all anymore.

Good luck!

Do you feel strongly that canned food is better than dry kibble?

canned is way beter than dry ... I too prefer raw but that is not for everyone
Which brand do you feed and why (just briefly)?
My Zoey is eating Nutro the natural choice adult .... It is very good quality and she will eat it ... the best natural food is the one your kitty will eat ...
I'm concerned about preventing urinary issues with my male kitten. Is it true that it's best to just go with a good quality natural food until symptoms appear?
I would have you look at Nutros Max cat as it is certified to help with urinary health issues( I am sure others( Pro Plan has one though I wont use it ) are but make sure they are certified which means testing was done to ensure the food really helps)
And, any opinion on hairball prevention natural foods?
I have Zoey on a food that helps with hairballs and she is doing well ... Kandie my longhair didnt have hairball trouble till about age 15 , she eats raw and canned ... and only gets a hairball when she eats dry food

IMO, Science diet is not a very good quality food, so switching might be a fabulous idea.

I feed dry, but honestly its because I'm lazy and I hate the smell of wet food. That's not a very good reason, I know.

Royal Canin is my brand of choice. Sam gets the Special 33 for sensitive tummies. Its amazing how much less he eats of a high quality food than of a lesser brand. I like Royal Canin's ingredients, and that's why I chose it.