Iams Wet Food

madpiano · Apr 9, 2006

Since a couple of weeks Iams wet food is available in the UK. Can anyone explain to me what the heck is in this stuff ? My cat is known as "the anorexic cat" as he doesn't really eat a lot. A kitten tin of Whiskas can last him all day, of the normal Felix / Whiskas pouches he will eat the gravy and leave the meat behind (which is why I buy supermeat). I saw Imas wet food in the shops for a while, but as it cost more than twice of what whiskas cost, and is the typical "chunks in gravy" I never bothered before in buying it, until they had a "buy one get one free" last weekend.

I tried it on Bubbles last night, fully expecting to see all the gravy licked off with the meat left behind, but his bowl was licked clean and he was asking for more ! He went through 5 pouches so far today and he is now sulking, as I refuse to feed him any more. He can do with some extra weight, as he is way too skinny but this is getting ridiculous. He doesn't even eat Hi-Life like that (one of his favourite brands, but he doesn't get it often as he is still a kitten).

I am having the suspicious feeling that Iams is putting cat-nip in the food, or something else which is addictive for cats. I mean, Bubbles looked like he is 3 months pregnant yesterday after 5 pouches of the stuff. And I have also noticed that he is quite hyper and more aggressive than usual. He has been biting and scratching a lot, and attacked my ex earlier when he was trying to stroke him.

The ingredients list don't help much:

Meat and Animal derivatives
Oils and Fats
Derivatives of Vegetable Origin
Minerals
Various Sugars

Thats all it says. Has anyone else tried it ?

zissou'smom · Apr 9, 2006

Iams is based in my hometown. The ingredients you listed sound very different from what I'm familiar with. Is that the actual list on the package???? Are the laws in the UK regarding food labels that different, if anyone knows?

If your cat will eat it and won't eat anything else, why not feed him it? Zissou's been eating mostly Iams since she was 3 months, and she does well on it. I'm trying to get her to like a better kind of wet food, but so far haven't found one.

Its one of the most popular brands in America, if you do a search on this forum you will find an obscene amount of info.

amykins · Apr 9, 2006

If your cat will eat it, why not? Different foods work for different animals. If your cat is the "anorexic" cat because he doesn't eat what you put in front of him, why not be happy he's actually eating?

As for the ingredients list, is that all it says? Are food label laws different in the UK? They list EVERYTHING they put in it, not just food terms.

jcat · Apr 9, 2006

The food labels in the UK are different because the EU, of which the UK is a member, has changed the laws regarding ingredients and labels. That's why foods such as California Natural and Innova are no longer exported to EU countries. Producers with a higher turnover, e.g., Nutro, Eagle Pack, Felidae, agreed to change their ingredients and labels. I believe Iams has a base in the Benelux, and the food therefore isn't considered an "import".
If your "anorexic" cat has decided to eat Iams, why not continue with it?

madpiano · Apr 9, 2006

Yup, thats the list on the package. Thats all there is, so I don't even know how much meat is in there.

I am not worried about feeding him something he likes, all fine by me. He does like Hi_life, but there is no kitten variety and he is skinny as it is, so he gets a can of adult food once in a while. He eats it, but only one small tin and he doesn't ask for seconds (or thirds...) like he does with Iams. Iams seems to send him crazy. Thats why I am a bit concerned. Iams dry food is his favourite dry food, but he is fine with the recommended amount and doesn't overeat on it. But he isn't a big fan of dry food full stop.

I am also concerend of about aggressivenes. He is an unsnipped Tom, so he is kind of rough at the best of times, but this weekend, after 2 days on Iams he has become not just aggressive, he is actually vicious and he hasn't cuddled at much as usual. I have several deep scratches and had to put plasters on some of his bites....that bad. He is also hyper, meaning he wants to play more. He normally asks for a play with a little nibble, the weekend he started biting and scratching really hard to ask for a play session, and then he didn't want to play. He just sits there, looking at his cat teaser, lucklustre chases balls with me and all he seems to want to do is attack my hands.

All of that and his obsession with the food makes me wonder what exactly is in those "derivatives of vegetable origin", and if they use cat-nip in their food. It's not dangerous, but would make a cat addicted to this particular food and could cause aggression in a Tom Cat ?

I will switch back to Whiskas as soon as all the pouches are finished (can't cheat him, he knows where they are kept and I am sure he counted them ;-) and see if he gets better. He really wasn't any fun this weekend.

jcat · Apr 9, 2006

It's probably time to get him castrated - it sounds more like hormones than food. The longer daylight hours mean more females are going into heat. If he like Iams, he'll probably also like Eukanuba (same producer).

scamperfarms · Apr 9, 2006

I agree its probably not the food. Its spring.

That being said. Also...if he doesnt usually eat much, and he suddenly filled his bellie..hes gonna have more energy.

amykins · Apr 9, 2006

Originally Posted by madpiano

Yup, thats the list on the package. Thats all there is, so I don't even know how much meat is in there.

I am not worried about feeding him something he likes, all fine by me. He does like Hi_life, but there is no kitten variety and he is skinny as it is, so he gets a can of adult food once in a while. He eats it, but only one small tin and he doesn't ask for seconds (or thirds...) like he does with Iams. Iams seems to send him crazy. Thats why I am a bit concerned. Iams dry food is his favourite dry food, but he is fine with the recommended amount and doesn't overeat on it. But he isn't a big fan of dry food full stop.

I am also concerend of about aggressivenes. He is an unsnipped Tom, so he is kind of rough at the best of times, but this weekend, after 2 days on Iams he has become not just aggressive, he is actually vicious and he hasn't cuddled at much as usual. I have several deep scratches and had to put plasters on some of his bites....that bad. He is also hyper, meaning he wants to play more. He normally asks for a play with a little nibble, the weekend he started biting and scratching really hard to ask for a play session, and then he didn't want to play. He just sits there, looking at his cat teaser, lucklustre chases balls with me and all he seems to want to do is attack my hands.

All of that and his obsession with the food makes me wonder what exactly is in those "derivatives of vegetable origin", and if they use cat-nip in their food. It's not dangerous, but would make a cat addicted to this particular food and could cause aggression in a Tom Cat ?

I will switch back to Whiskas as soon as all the pouches are finished (can't cheat him, he knows where they are kept and I am sure he counted them ;-) and see if he gets better. He really wasn't any fun this weekend.

It might be time to get him the ole snip snip. Plus, my cat was a little bit of a handfull until he was about 1.5 years, even after he was fixed.

zak&rocky · Apr 9, 2006

Def get him the ol' snippity. Iams is better than whiskas in the us, so I would assume it is the same over there. 5 pouches seems like a lot for one cat in one day, maybe he was having some tummy issues for so much new food in one day. I would continue giving it to him in moderation. You didn't say if you exclusively feed wet. Mine get the equivelant of one pouch or 1/2 can each a day, but they also get dry food. You may find in the long run it is going to be cheaper to feed better food b/c he will have less health problems, but your first step in w/ a healthy happy kitty should be to have him neutered.

sharky · Apr 9, 2006

I have to agree with the others ... Your boy needs the neutering and if the food is working stay with it

madpiano · Apr 9, 2006

I know that he does need the snips and maybe it was just the hormones. I will see how it goes. But for the price of Iams I would have expected it to be better than it is. It does have a lot of fillers and as they don't even say how much meat it has, I don't expet it to be an awful lot better than Whiskas. It says it has 9% Protein. Whiskas has 9.5%. Both is not an awful lot, and both include vegetable protein in that count. Iams cost nearly 3 times as much as Whiskas.

I know that people have said that their cat's fur is better after eating Iams. I have checked out the american website and it contains a Vitamin which is normally sold to humans to fight baldness. If that is all the difference in it, it will be cheaper to buy whiskas and get some of those vitamins from the health food store and mix them in. I will still feed Iams dry food. It's more expensive than Friskies, but not ridiculously so and it doesn't send him loopy.

madpiano · Apr 10, 2006

I made some enquiries at work today. Of the people who have tried Iams, they all said their cat's behaviour changed. Some just noticed a slight difference of being a bit hyper, but the people who have unsnipped tom-cats have the same experience as me. They get loopy on it and aggressive.

My friend has 2 un-neutered Tom Cats living in her flat. They have the odd squabble, but nothing serious, after giving Iams Wet Food they fought all over the place, raced through the flat knocking things over, and she had to seperate them. They growled at each other, which they have never done before.

I came home today to a soppy, cuddly cat. I fed a pouch of Iams. 10 minutes later I had a cat attached to my leg with all claws and teeth embedded in it. He lay down for a stroke, only to attack my hand the moment I came near him. I can't wait for those pouches to be finished. It's back to Whiskas as soon as possible.

Iams dry food seems to have no effect.

booktigger · Apr 16, 2006

I have deliberately not tried mine on Iams wet due to the cost of it. But, HiLife do do a kitten food, and I know someone who does rescue work and feeds purely HiLife wet and dry, even to kittens - she has done a feline nutrition course, so knows a lot about nutrition, and that is what she found to be best.

yorkiegal · Apr 16, 2006

I should have learnt by now not to feed Tabitha any expensive food! She absolutely loves this new Iams wet food but at 2 pounds for 4 sachets she's not going to be fed this exclusively. I generally give her a handful of dried Iams everyday plus two pouches of whiskas or felix. She often just sucks the jelly off and leaves the meat. Since i started with the new Iams she has licked the bowl clean and wanted more within 2 hours. We've reached a compromise now where she has one luxury meal a day and one cheap one. She's also keen on those new Ollie wet food meals which come in the disposable bowl but they're just as pricey. She's being spoilt rotten at the moment because she's not well but i'm sure i'm making a rod for my own back. I haven't noticed any behavioural changes with the Iams, just a much smellier litter tray and a lovely shine to her coat.

reneerose67 · Apr 17, 2006

hello
I have gorgeous male tabby, indoor cat (rescued stray). He's quite picky about his food and so I've been through so many kinds... and did start trying those new IAMS pouches. Of course he loves them (although he does just lick it more often than not), but I seriously question how healthy it is. One clue: Various sugars!!

Food manufacturers use sugars and salts to get cats 'hooked' on their food. I would avoid this. However I am really struggling to find high quality *wet* food in the UK. In the US, where I was living, I was very happy with Wellness and Max Cat. Now that I've moved here it's been very difficult finding the right wet food, so I've used mainly dry -- Nutro (all flavours), Wellbeloved, Hills Natural Best, Hills hairball, IAMS dry in a pinch, some diet ones from the vet which he rejected.

Does anyone know how I can get Nutro wet food here? it's so frustrating!

The best rule of thumb for cat food is to follow the guidelines in The Natural Cat Book. No by-products. No sugars, salts, artificial flavours or preservatives. I suspect many of the foods including Hi Life are not particularly pure. I mean, why add Ash to the food?!

reneerose
PS I am now seriously considering making his food from scratch! not so hard as it sounds but it is a process. I recommend the Natural Cat Book, esp for those who have cats who are unwell. Food is so important for health.

sandysmom · Apr 18, 2006

when we first got sandy from the shelter, they'd been feeding her Iams but the vet told us to give her a better quality food with less by-products. It seems like there's a lot of crap in there!

reneerose67 · Apr 19, 2006

I agree... they are considered 'high end' but that was probably in their earlier days. now they are mass produced and I think full of crap! I have stopped the IAMS pouches and already his 'feline acne' has cleared up and he seems in better spirits... now I just need him to run to the bowl for nutro (health food) like he did with those pouches!

renee

booktigger · Apr 19, 2006

I was puzzled by your earlier comment about the purity of foods - I checked some of the cat food I have in the house (HiLife and Whiskas) and none say that Ash is added to the food, in fact the complimentary HiLife is just meat and jelly, so surely the Ash comes from the meat?

sharky · Apr 19, 2006

Originally Posted by booktigger

I was puzzled by your earlier comment about the purity of foods - I checked some of the cat food I have in the house (HiLife and Whiskas) and none say that Ash is added to the food, in fact the complimentary HiLife is just meat and jelly, so surely the Ash comes from the meat?

ash would be where protein fat and moisture are listed ... It is the minerals left after the food is burned ie ashes

Iams Wet Food

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