And yet another dry food question...

After reading so many cat food threads here, I revisited the food I've been feeding Smidge for the better part of a year. When I brought her home I started with Iams b/c I didnt know any better. I re-read the Iams label today, and "chicken" was the first ingredient, then "by-products" *shudder*, etc...

She's been getting a mix of two Royal Canin's food but "chicken" doesnt appear till the fourth ingredient but no by-products of course. I checked Nutro dry while I was in pet smart too and similar.

Now I'm confused. I thought we should strive for meat as the main ingredient and to avoid by-products and other stuff....but the pricey cat food I reviewed had meat as the fourth ingredient.

I want to do right by her but I'm thinking there isn't a compromise here? More meat but more icky stuff or less meat less bad stuff....anyone have suggestions or brand names to review? I checked out five brands last time I was at the store and no resolution and frankly, I'm a bit miffed I've been paying premium prices for food that doesnt have meat as a top ingredient.

Help?

Nutro natural. I love it and there is no more stink

Check out Natural Balance. After long and hard deliberations, I have decided that is what the kitties will be eating. To be honest, I tried Nutro natural and Jasmine's litter box smelled really bad. I'm not saying that I wouldn't recommend it though, a lot of people have had very good results, but I wasn't to impressed with it.Innova and Feliade (sp?) are also supposed to be really good.Good luck! I know its hard!

I researched long and hard and chose Innova EVO as my dry food.
The cats are thriving on it.

http://tinyurl.com/nmqj8

My sweet baby Sadie LOVES Natural Balance. She was on Royal Canin's kitten food, but I switched her to Natural Balance as it has a higher protein content. I discussed the change in food with Sadie's vet before making the move to Natual Balance.

She is so cute. I love the spots and strips.

Nutro Natural balence Felidea and Innova are all great foods ... talk with your vet but use your head... IF kitty like basic try Nutro or Califonia natural / also for tummy issues... If baby likes multi flavors try one or the other three..

Nutro Natural Balance had the same first four ingredients as the Royal Canin I believe. Any other than Iams that has (real) chicken as the first ingredient?

And which is better/worse? Meat first with crap, or meat fourth less crap?

I do like the selections Royal Canin has - I mix the WC and the Indoor forumla and get the Indoor Nutro pouches. Smidge still has a gut though

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

I researched long and hard and chose Innova EVO as my dry food.
The cats are thriving on it.

http://tinyurl.com/nmqj8

Click to expand...

Thank you! Innova looks GREAT!
I hope I can find a store that carries it.
I hope Smidgey likes it...she is quite the carb junkie though.

Originally Posted by CDubbie

Nutro Natural Balance had the same first four ingredients as the Royal Canin I believe. Any other than Iams that has (real) chicken as the first ingredient?

And which is better/worse? Meat first with crap, or meat fourth less crap?

I do like the selections Royal Canin has - I mix the WC and the Indoor forumla and get the Indoor Nutro pouches. Smidge still has a gut though

Click to expand...

Natural Balance regular cat
INGREDIENT LISTING
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Duck, Lamb Meal, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, Vitamin E) Canola Oil, Oatmeal, Fish Meal, Brewers Yeast, Rosemary Extract, Dried Skimmed Milk, Natural Flavor, Dried Eggs, Carrots, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Kelp, DL Methionine, Dried Cranberries, Lecithin, Parsley Flakes, Tomato Pomace, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin C Supplement, Yucca Schidigera, Folic Acid, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ethylene Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite.

Nutro
Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Rice Flour, Natural Flavors, Rice Protein Concentrate, Herring Meal, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Vegetable Fiber (Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Water Cress, Spinach), Oat Fiber, Yeast Culture, Potassium Chloride, Menhaden Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Choline Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Taurine, DL-Methionine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Inositol, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Dried Chicory Root, Cranberry Powder, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Calcium Iodate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid.
Nutro supports the safe, ethical and humane treatment of all animals, including those used by our suppliers who provide our ingredients.



The green is meat ... meat meal is better first as meat alone is 66%h2o and thus fall s to fifth or sixth after cooking ... but both have meat first
Evo is a 50/50 food reads well but many have digestive difficultys due to high protein yet low moisture

Oops! I thought Nutro and Natural Balance were the same - I swear I saw the label as "Nutro
Natural Balance"

and I thought posters used the terms interchangeably. I feel stupid now

I did find the Innova (only four stores carry it in a metro area of 1.7 mil). Do you pouches will give her enough moisture to handle the dry?

It is harder feeding my cat than it is myself!

I would see if you could get samples of the Evo ... One of my lps will give you three or four samples... I dont know depends on the cat...

i picked up some free samples of Hills Science Plan indoor cat dry food today from the vet. Tabs wolfed it down so i think i'll go back for the big bag. Has anyone else used this? At the moment she's on Iams but i just keep reading such negative things about that here.

These are the ingredients for hills.

Chicken (minimum Chicken 40 %; minimum
Chicken and Turkey combined 53 %): Chicken and
turkey meal, ground maize, maize gluten meal,
ground rice, animal fat, cellulose, tuna meal, digest,
potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, soybean
mill run, calcium sulphate, salt, DL-methionine,
potassium citrate, taurine, vitamins and trace
elements. Naturally preserved with mixed
tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract.

Originally Posted by yorkiegal

i picked up some free samples of Hills Science Plan indoor cat dry food today from the vet. Tabs wolfed it down so i think i'll go back for the big bag. Has anyone else used this? At the moment she's on Iams but i just keep reading such negative things about that here.

These are the ingredients for hills.

Chicken (minimum Chicken 40 %; minimum
Chicken and Turkey combined 53 %): Chicken and
turkey meal, ground maize, maize gluten meal,
ground rice, animal fat, cellulose, tuna meal, digest,
potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, soybean
mill run, calcium sulphate, salt, DL-methionine,
potassium citrate, taurine, vitamins and trace
elements. Naturally preserved with mixed
tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract.

Click to expand...

the ones in dark res I would avoid the bright read I wouldnt use at all

thanks for that sharky. I'll look for something else instead.

petsmart lets you return anything.

That they do. Baby Brat was eatting her litter and the lady said bring the rest you did not use back in we will refund ya

Originally Posted by CDubbie

Thank you! Innova looks GREAT!
I hope I can find a store that carries it.
I hope Smidgey likes it...she is quite the carb junkie though.

Click to expand...

Mine are carb junkies too and LOVE EVO