Food

evnshawn · Mar 25, 2006

I have used several kinds of cat food in the past, and I notice with the better quality foods I actually spend less because the cats tend to eat less of it (and poop less out, which is good). However, Nutro, which I use now, costs the same as Science Diet, which I used to use, but SD is mostly by-products, which IIRC are not as bioavailable as meat.

So, one, in pet food, as in anything else, you can't go by price alone. And two, even though it seems like you're paying more because the initial investment (the bag of food) is higher, since I don't have to buy it as often, I've found that I actually spend less. With SD, seven cats ran me about $30 per month (one 20-lb. bag), but the Nutro seems to be working out to less than that as they seem to eat even less of the Nutro. Next time Shawn is in Microsoft Money I will have to have him check and see when I last bought a bag.

denice · Mar 25, 2006

I was the first one that responded to this so I guess I started it all. The person that asked the question originally is in the same situation that I was in. This is her first cat and it has some major health issues. I guess I was just trying to give her some real basic information.

jcat · Mar 25, 2006

Originally Posted by Denice

I was the first one that responded to this so I guess I started it all. The person that asked the question originally is in the same situation that I was in. This is her first cat and it has some major health issues. I guess I was just trying to give her some real basic information.

Yes, her cat has health issues, and the cause is unknown. Since her cat was suspected of having a condition that my cat has, I would definitely recommend a higher-end food with as little grain as possible, and no by-products. In other words, no supermarket food, and nothing with as much grain as SD.

maherwoman · Mar 25, 2006

For the record, I'm officially out of this conversation.

I don't like going on and on with something like this. If you guys want to debate it out amongst yourselves, go for it...but I'm not going to even be watching the topic anymore. A cat having a twitch probably has NOTHING to do with diet.

Have a good day guys.

semiferal · Mar 25, 2006

Purina ONE is as expensive as Nutro, Chicken Soup, and Felidae around here.

You do end up paying through the nose if you get smaller bags of food. If you get the largest available bag, you get much more for your money. NCCC in a 20# bag, for instance, is around $22 - more than twice the food for much less than twice the price.

jcat · Mar 25, 2006

Originally Posted by maherwoman

For the record, I'm officially out of this conversation.

I don't like going on and on with something like this. If you guys want to debate it out amongst yourselves, go for it...but I'm not going to even be watching the topic anymore. A cat having a twitch probably has NOTHING to do with diet.

Have a good day guys.

A "twitch" is a mild way of describing hyperesthesia, IME, (try a steamroller under the skin, or a half-inch wave),and if, as you've stated, your cats have never had health problems, how would you "know" that diet doesn't play a role?

AbbysMom · Mar 25, 2006

My Abby does twitch and pull fur due to food allergies and stress, and I do food her only certain higher quality foods to minimize this behavior.

You have been working so closely with the vets regarding your cat's problems. Have they discounted food allergies already? If your cat is currently responding well to the meds, it may not be a food allergy.

carrie007 · Mar 29, 2006

Just to clarify I'm not strapped for case! I simply don't know a lot about cat food and came here to get educated.

I certainly would not feed anything if I knew it would harm the cat. My cat remain on Purina Pro and I have been advised by several vets that this food is a good one.

yosemite · Mar 29, 2006

Originally Posted by carrie007

Just to clarify I'm not strapped for case! I simply don't know a lot about cat food and came here to get educated.

I certainly would not feed anything if I knew it would harm the cat. My cat remain on Purina Pro and I have been advised by several vets that this food is a good one.

Carrie, just a note of caution. Very few vets know much about non-prescription foods - it's a very very small part of their training. Often vets will just simply recommend whatever they get free from the different companies.

IMHO, it is best to do your research, read labels, stay away from fillers, dyes and by-products and feed the best you can afford in your price range. We recently went to a good quality wet food and a better quality dry food for our cats (we feed mostly wet now) and the difference in their coats is amazing to see. Their fur is like soft velvet - our neighbour couldn't believe how soft Mika was when he petted her.

laureen227 · Mar 29, 2006

Originally Posted by maherwoman

Wow...those are all expensive! Not everyone can afford that...

I would recommend Purina One or Cat Chow. All my cats have eaten these, and have never had any health problems.

the chicken soup brand is under $20 for a 18 pounds bag, which is just over a dollar a pound...really not that much when you think of it. i used to feed my ferals the cheaper stuff, but it's so much easier to feed them all the same food. i get the chicken soup food at the feed store - they don't carry it in the supermarket or in pet stores around here. you can read about it here. you can also order it there, if you can't find it around where you live

aussie_dog · Mar 30, 2006

I don't know if anyone mentioned it (I read the first half of this post, then skimmed the rest), but with premiums, you feed less, so in the end you actually pay about as much as junk foods. A certain size bag of Whiskas lasts 2 weeks, the same size bag of California Natural lasts over a month, which is obviously twice as long. If the price is twice as much as Whiskas, then it's balanced out, and in the long run, you pay even less, since you won't worry about liver issues or UTIs or anything like that from feeding junky foods. So it really DOESN'T cost an arm and a leg. Up front, yeah, it may seem like it, if you're not used to paying $10 (Canadian, for a 5 pound bag) instead of $6, but it lasts longer so you pretty much pay the same amount, sometimes even less (some seasons they'll eat more, other seasons they'll eat less, regardless of what food they're on).

Personally, I just can't imagine going back to junky foods because of how my animals look and feel. They've never felt better and I had a good 1-3 years to observe beforehand (Willow and Buffy started eating premium foods when they were 3 and 1 years old). Buffy is soft as silk and she used to have a sort of soft-coarse feel to her coat, and she's also so shiny, it's amazing. Willow is harder to judge because of the type of fur she has, but when the coat is flattened the right way, you can see the shine and health in it. Molly, the new girl, started on the premiums right away (first California Natural, then Felidae) but she had a dramatic change as well. When I first met her, her poops stunk to high heaven and she was a little fartin' machine, but a week later I couldn't smell a thing. Same thing goes for my dog, I thought he looked good for the first 6 years of his life but then I started feeding premiums and have noticed changes in him too. His coat now GLEAMS and is so easy to manage (tangles aren't a bitch to undo, for one thing), and his energy level is increased. And, and this will sound odd and possibly confusing, he has an aura or something of pureness or healthiness, or something. Kind of like the way you feel after you've just taken a shower after being sweaty for a few days. You feel somewhat PURE, and that's the impression I get when I watch Jake (and the cats, for that matter). When they ate the junk foods, the aura was all about grease and dirt.

laureen227 · Mar 30, 2006

Originally Posted by Aussie_Dog

Molly, the new girl, started on the premiums right away (first California Natural, then Felidae) but she had a dramatic change as well. When I first met her, her poops stunk to high heaven and she was a little fartin' machine, but a week later I couldn't smell a thing.

Chip's foster meowmy was feeding her cats Science Diet, so that's what he was eating [i did tell her she might want to switch, since there are better quality foods that are less expensive]. after i got him home [actually, on the way

] he was having really large stools, compared to the girls, & his coat felt quite a bit rougher. i've only had him eating the chicken soup for 2 weeks, & his coat is already softer & the poops have gone way down in size! definitely an improvement!

sharky · Mar 30, 2006

Originally Posted by laureen227

Chip's foster meowmy was feeding her cats Science Diet, so that's what he was eating [i did tell her she might want to switch, since there are better quality foods that are less expensive]. after i got him home [actually, on the way

] he was having really large stools, compared to the girls, & his coat felt quite a bit rougher. i've only had him eating the chicken soup for 2 weeks, & his coat is already softer & the poops have gone way down in size! definitely an improvement!

Amazing how quick some changes can come...

scott77777 · Apr 4, 2006

I'm using Pro Plan wet food right now and I'd actually have a hard time switching back to anything else.

Yes, it's expensive...I've been searching online for a less expensive supplier, but I want to talk to a local pet food supplier to see if they'll give me a discount if I agree to buy a few cases.

Since we've been feeding the cats Pro Plan, they've actually been less finicky about their food (so we end up throwing less out - they eat it all). My fiance has been commenting that their coats are also very smooth and healthy lately.

There's something about opening a can of fish and SEEING real fish, rather than a blended mixture of entrails, pureed animal "by-products" (yuck!). Granted, some of the Pro Plan food is also blended (like chicken and liver) and has by-products, but the quality still seems pretty high and there's always some "real" protein at the top of the list of ingredients. Fish, chicken, etc...

Other foods the cats seem to prefer:
Nutro / Max Cat
Pro Plan (dry - the high protein stuff)
Science Diet

Also -- we agree with our vet in limiting dry food -- the cats are maintaining a much healthier weight with wet food and seem to be less like "carb addicts". Our male cat had hit 17 lbs. + with dry food and was constantly craving more. Now that he's on wet food, he's less than 14 lbs. and cries much less.

I can't say that Pro Plan has made them poop any less in quantity or any less smellier, but is there a scientific "smell test" for poop?

carrie007 · Apr 4, 2006

I've switched my cat to Nutro. I find that she eat less of it then the other stuff. Funny thing on the weekend we heard her on top of a shelf trying to get her old food. My husband gave her some and the next day she had terrible twitching - so right away we tossed that food. Maybe all along it is the food that is causing her twitching. So we are going to keep her on Nutro and see how she is. She was on Parina Pro Plan, but she had mild twitching with that one. She is on Phenabarbitol, however I'm not so sure that is what is helping her. I think maybe the food was the problem. Am i crazy to think that?

I had no idea that low grade supermarket food could do that. No idea at all.

Now I know and I feel good that I am feeding her a healthy food.

mcloutie · Apr 4, 2006

I would just like to say that I worked as a veterinary assistant for a quite a few years in a veterinary office that reccommended cat foods with no by-products. And as a tech, I was the one to ask clients what brand of food they fed. In general, the pets that were fed food without by-products had shinier coats, and their anal gland expression was not done as often if ever (a rather unpleasant experience that some vets choose not too check unless there is a obvious problem). This is not too say that all cats who are fed food with by-products will be sick, it is just what my experience has been.

myfirstragdoll · Apr 4, 2006

I've had Hershey my Ragdoll on almost everything mentioned. He threw it all up or wouldn't eat it.. The only think he will eat is IAMS. I've had tests run on him to make sure wasn't anything wrong. At like my VET said even though it's the best food, it's not very good if your cat wont eat it. IAMS is what he'll eat so that's what I feed him. I know they are alot of concern about the IAMS company , but it's the only thing Hershey will keep down.

yosemite · Apr 4, 2006

Originally Posted by MyFirstRagdoll

I've had Hershey my Ragdoll on almost everything mentioned. He threw it all up or wouldn't eat it.. The only think he will eat is IAMS. I've had tests run on him to make sure wasn't anything wrong. At like my VET said even though it's the best food, it's not very good if your cat wont eat it. IAMS is what he'll eat so that's what I feed him. I know they are alot of concern about the IAMS company , but it's the only thing Hershey will keep down.

I do agree with you. If they won't eat a better food, then give them what they will eat. Many years ago before I knew about better quality food, my little Siamese girl was fed cheaper food and I had her for 14 years with only 2 visits to the vet - once for her vaccinations and once for a bladder infection. I lived in apartments during those days and she didn't go outside so I didn't even get her vaccinations every year. I also realize I was incredibly lucky with her. (I would never do that now that I know what a risk I was taking in that I could have brought anything home and made her very sick.)

Last, but certainly not least - your baby is beautiful.

laureen227 · Apr 4, 2006

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I do agree with you. If they won't eat a better food, then give them what they will eat. Many years ago before I knew about better quality food, my little Siamese girl was fed cheaper food and I had her for 14 years with only 2 visits to the vet - once for her vaccinations and once for a bladder infection. I lived in apartments during those days and she didn't go outside so I didn't even get her vaccinations every year. I also realize I was incredibly lucky with her. (I would never do that now that I know what a risk I was taking in that I could have brought anything home and made her very sick.)

Last, but certainly not least - your baby is beautiful.

& that's why mine get good wet mixed w/not so good wet - Cable's tummy does better, & they eat all of it, so i'm not throwing away stuff!

myfirstragdoll · Apr 4, 2006

Last, but certainly not least - your baby is beautiful.

Thanks!!!! I need new pictures of him, his color has came in and he's even more beautiful of course I'm his mommy so I would think so

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