Premium, Schremium!

My cats are of the pampered class.

They eat Wellness, Innova, and Innova EVO (which they have officially gone nuts over).

For treats, it's Old Mother Hubbard, Greenies, and Zukes.

I spend $100 at a time when I buy their food, BUT the food (canned, dry, and treats) lasts me 3-4 months. They eat far less of this than Science Diet when we fed them that. Currently, they get 1/4 coup of dry, 1/4 5.5 oz can, and a small bit of treats twice a day.

I've never fed my cats Purina, Iams, Fancy Feast so they rally have no idea if they are missing anything.

Yes, when I adopted them, my vet told me to not feed them any of the other food and since I find the premium food cost effective (as I said, one big purchase lasts a few months) I see no need to switch to a less expensive brand.

Also, since both kitties had urinary infections when they were babies, I definitly make it a point to keep them on Wellness as it has crandberries in it and there has been no reoccurance o the infection.

For those who want to switch to premium but think it might be expensive, opt for mom and pop shops that have frequent customer cards or coupons. I save 15% everytime I buy because my total goes over $50 - savings that I never really found at PetCo. It certainly helps!

The other thing is though, premium foods are cost effective. Innova EVO IS expensive, but you can feed a LOT less than the amount you would feed in Meow Mix.

Although they are more expensive, they will last you a lot longer because your pet won't have to eat so much. So you do hand over more money, but you keep it longer. I've been going off my bag of Exclusive for several months [for two dogs]. The bag of t/d I bought my dog is almost gone in a couple of weeks, just for one dog.

I really think it's more of a continuum than a "these ones are right and anything else is wrong". You have your super-cheap ones and your super-expensive ones, and then there's everything in between. And the price does not necessarily reflect the quality all the time. However, at least all these foods are actually cat food, so that's already a step above what a lot of cat's people feed them. I have seen negative effects with some of the very cheap foods, but probably was an underlying problem that the food aggravated.
I don't know, if I won the lottery or something I'd probably start feeding raw (after I learned how to do it right) but right now that would make the grocery bill for Zissou's food more expensive than mine .

Feed what fits into your budget and what your cats will eat and thrive on.

I feed Nutro, with 6 cats it is cost effective for us, it is something that all 6 do very well on and most importantly, it doesn't contain whole grain corn which one cat has allergies to.

I just have to say that I can't believe people don't think organic is better for people! Organic = no pesticides or harmful chemicals. I'd have to guess that not ingesting chlorine is better than ingesting chlorine.

I wish Nutro produced an organic line! I'm a vegetarian and I would never force my cats to eat a vegetarain diet, but I would like to know the animals that did die were at least free range and not factory farmed.

Anyway, all of my animals growing up ate plain ol' Purina Chow for the majority of their lives. Now that I know better, I prefer to give them food that is more nutritious. My cats are like kids to me so if spending an extra $10 every few months ensures them a longer healthier life, I'll spend it.

I'm another, obviously. My cat eats Friskies. I think it's a safe statement to say that the majority of the cats in America are fed regular cat food. And they're living healthy, normal, long lives... it's not like there's some epidemic of sick cats, or cats who look normal but are secretly rotting on the inside. The vets would be overwhelmed and you'd hear about it on the news.

Originally Posted by emmylou

I'm another, obviously. My cat eats Friskies. I think it's a safe statement to say that the majority of the cats in America are fed regular cat food. And they're living healthy, normal, long lives... it's not like there's some epidemic of sick cats, or cats who look normal but are secretly rotting on the inside. The vets would be overwhelmed and you'd hear about it on the news.

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That is a very good point. I think I just want to prevent anything from possibly happening by feeding healthy food in the first place. =cats not as obese, less chance for illness, less UTIs, food lasts much longer too! Those are all things I consider and remind myself about when I go by food for my babies.

I started my cats on Purina Chow and they were hungry ALL the time. Once I switched to a higher quality, their appetite significantly decreased because they weren't just eating filler. Their coats are much softer and more healthy.

And if you actually ask a vet what to feed your animals, I'm sure they'd recommend premium.

Some humans can eat processed, fattening and fried food daily and look fine... but it all catches up eventually. Most of the time in the form of heart disease and cancer. A cat may LOOK healthy without actually being healthy.

I'm not trying to change anybody's mind. But my honest opinion is that premium food is better for cats.

Originally Posted by MrsMeowgi

And if you actually ask a vet what to feed your animals, I'm sure they'd recommend premium.

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It depends on the vet. A lot of them get kickbacks from the companies of the foods they recommend/sell in the office. My vet recommends T/D because that's what she offers.

Yet she told me that she feeds her cats IAMS, and she thinks I'm nuts (her word!) for feeding my furbaby Nutro because it's more expensive. She said my cat has me wrapped around her paw for feeding her the expensive stuff.

I told her straight out that if I could afford it I'd feed raw. She rolled her eyes at that. This same vet is telling me that IAMS dry is preferred because my kitty needs the dental benefit. I told her that cats teeth are made for tearing, not crunching. And besides, Ginger crunches once then swallows, so there would really be no benefit to her. She didn't like that response. I think I'm looking for a new vet. I don't think a vet that perpetuates a myth is the one I want to trust my girl to!

Vets are trained in medicine, but not necessarily in nutrition!!!

Originally Posted by GingersMom

It depends on the vet. A lot of them get kickbacks from the companies of the foods they recommend/sell in the office. My vet recommends T/D because that's what she offers.

Yet she told me that she feeds her cats IAMS, and she thinks I'm nuts (her word!) for feeding my furbaby Nutro because it's more expensive. She said my cat has me wrapped around her paw for feeding her the expensive stuff.

I told her straight out that if I could afford it I'd feed raw. She rolled her eyes at that. This same vet is telling me that IAMS dry is preferred because my kitty needs the dental benefit. I told her that cats teeth are made for tearing, not crunching. And besides, Ginger crunches once then swallows, so there would really be no benefit to her. She didn't like that response. I think I'm looking for a new vet. I don't think a vet that perpetuates a myth is the one I want to trust my girl to!

Vets are trained in medicine, but not necessarily in nutrition!!!

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That is what the low cost vet here by me told me about food. They only sell premium foods at the clinic and he told me to stop feeding mine Iams, that it's healthiness is just a myth a lot of vets buy into to sell more of it. He also explained to me about urinary problems being a result of poor diet among other things so that is why I switched in the first place. However this vet has also told me some very odd things to do for my cats I brought in. Like the FIV/FeLV positive one who was unneutered, he said I shouldn't neuter him and just let him go which is ridiculous, perhaps let him go, but he has got to be neutered first so he doesn't get all those ppor females sick too. And he told me that cats only get pregnant twice a year tops, even if kept in with unneutered males. Which is also weird, I mean, as a vet I would be warning people that you never what could happen with a willing female and a male who doesnt really care if the female is ready or not.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

It depends on the vet. A lot of them get kickbacks from the companies of the foods they recommend/sell in the office. My vet recommends T/D because that's what she offers.

Yet she told me that she feeds her cats IAMS, and she thinks I'm nuts (her word!) for feeding my furbaby Nutro because it's more expensive. She said my cat has me wrapped around her paw for feeding her the expensive stuff.

I told her straight out that if I could afford it I'd feed raw. She rolled her eyes at that. This same vet is telling me that IAMS dry is preferred because my kitty needs the dental benefit. I told her that cats teeth are made for tearing, not crunching. And besides, Ginger crunches once then swallows, so there would really be no benefit to her. She didn't like that response. I think I'm looking for a new vet. I don't think a vet that perpetuates a myth is the one I want to trust my girl to!

Vets are trained in medicine, but not necessarily in nutrition!!!

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Yes, you have a great point. When my dog was diagnosed with renal failure, the vet pretty much MADE me buy a huge bag of KD diet. And of course, he is able to charge whatever he wants for that. So, he probably bought it a discounted rate and charged me full price for it. Makes sense that he'd want to sell me the KD; it's very lucrative for him!

I'm no vet, no health expert or even animal expert. But I've heard that dry food really doesn't clean their teeth at all.

I'd look for a new vet, too! I'm very surprised she would tell you you're nuts for feeding your cat a better quality! Especially since the advantages of feeding Nutro are actually visible (at least they were in my cats!)

I'm fortunate that my vet is great but he's also very expensive.

Originally Posted by ChrissyR

But, the rest of the household and the ferals all get Wal-Mart Special Kitty dry and canned.

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Canned Special Kitty is manufactured in the same facility and with the same ingredients as canned 9 Lives. Wal-Mart specifically commissioned Del Monte to make the canned Special Kitty exactly the same as canned 9 Lives. Dry Special Kitty is not so good unless it is kitten formula. All the others had low taurine levels. They are the only cheap foods I don't have a problem with. I used to feed them canned Special Kitty and they turned out fine.

Nowadays, however, they deserve Drs Foster and Smith. My husband jokes that they had been tenured.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

However, at least all these foods are actually cat food, so that's already a step above what a lot of cat's people feed them.

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Life is good in the U.S. for cats!!!

I just read an article in the Pet Product News that thousands of cats had died from a contaminated Chinese brand cat food. I cannot imagine that kind of things actually happen in the U.S. Several years ago Pedigree shipped a contaminated batch of dog food manufactured in Thailand to Taiwan and hundreds of dogs died.

I am from a tiny, tiny town in Taiwan. I had never even seen packaged cat food until I came to U.S.

Any cat food in the U.S. would be superior than the choices we have in Southeast Asia.

I feed my girl Felidae. She has a corn allergy, and has had an amazing turnaround since the switch from Iams (which was the best I could find locally).

She is very active now, her third eyelid doesn't show all the time (in fact, I haven't seen it in a very long time ), and she doesn't have bald spots anymore (her fur's gotten very plush and thick). She also used to have very dry, flaky skin and that went away almost immediately.

I was going to alternate with evo wet, but it gave her bad gas and house-clearing poop. She loved it (of course), but I had to discontinue it for my nose's (and her digestive tract's) sakes. The neighborhood stray got a few extra-good meals though.

Originally Posted by shengmei

Canned Special Kitty is manufactured in the same facility and with the same ingredients as canned 9 Lives. Wal-Mart specifically commissioned Del Monte to make the canned Special Kitty exactly the same as canned 9 Lives. Dry Special Kitty is not so good unless it is kitten formula. All the others had low taurine levels. They are the only cheap foods I don't have a problem with. I used to feed them canned Special Kitty and they turned out fine.

Nowadays, however, they deserve Drs Foster and Smith. My husband jokes that they had been tenured.

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I feed 9 lives, too. The kits think they are getting something special then. I do know that we buy roughly 50 pounds of dry food a week for everybody, including the ones on Purina One. The sensative ones also get Iams pouches. I figure it evens out that way. lol

I wish Nutro produced an organic line! I'm a vegetarian and I would never force my cats to eat a vegetarain diet, but I would like to know the animals that did die were at least free range and not factory farmed.

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To know if they are free range you would have to actually go to the farm and see it. Free range nowadays can be as simple as 100 birds in a 5 x 5ft pen. That is still considering uncaged and "free ranging".

Yes, you have a great point. When my dog was diagnosed with renal failure, the vet pretty much MADE me buy a huge bag of KD diet. And of course, he is able to charge whatever he wants for that. So, he probably bought it a discounted rate and charged me full price for it. Makes sense that he'd want to sell me the KD; it's very lucrative for him!

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We sell most of the line of Hill's Prescription Diets and we only get $10 per bag, the rest goes to Hill's. It has nothing to do with being lucrative, maybe for big clinics that sell it all the time. Prescription Diets are no joke. K/D has been proven to extend the lives of many cats in renal failure, as well as dogs. Your vet was pushing it so much because it works. m/d is the same way, it helps balance glucose for diabetic cats.

no vet, no health expert or even animal expert. But I've heard that dry food really doesn't clean their teeth at all.

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T/D does. It's made larger so most animals can't swallow it without chewing some of it, and it's made so it doesn't break as easily. My dog is on it and her teeth are very clean, and I don't have to brush them or anything. My boss/vet feeds it to his dog and she's been on it for forever [she's about 5] and she's had her teeth cleaned like... twice and both times it was just because he put her under for other things.

I used to feed my cats t/d. I'm just not very impressed with the food because I feel it doesn't have much meat in it. Spotty did not do very well on the food. Although his teeth were in good shape, he was vomiting a lot on that food because, when Spotty eats his dry food too fast he throws up and with T/D it was a food in which he had to eat more to get the nutrition he needed. So he was hungry all the time. T/D is very low in calories but in spite of this he gained a lot of weight from the high corn content.

Hill's m/d, Did you know that the canned Hill's m/d has more carbohydrates than a lot of other wet foods on the market? If you ever want to find out more about the nutrient analysis of different foods, which ones have the most protein, the most or least amount of carbs and how many calories per cup of dry food or can of wet food, this is the website to check out. It can help you make decisions based on your individual cat's needs.

http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/foodfaq.html

I've decided the best nutrient analysis as far as dry food for my indoor cats is something high in protein, like 35%, moderate in fat, only 25% of calories coming from carbs, and less than 400 calories per cup. That's why I chose the Iams multi-cat. I can see that California Natural and Eagle Pack holistic select may be good choices too but Iams multi-cat is the food I can most reliably obtain. California Natural takes 2 bus trips and Eagle Pack would have to be ordered on line. And my cats are doing very well on Iams.

I thought about California Natural but I'm concerned about sunflower oil having pro-inflammatory effects. Spotty at one time was diagnosed with IBD but he doesn't have any symptoms of it now and hasn't for a long time. I'm trying to figure out if that may have been a misdiagnosis, diagnosed with IBD when he really just had an upset stomach from eating too fast and vomiting dry food which also lead to an inflamed nasopharynx(area between the nasal pasage and the mouth) which caused him to stop eating for several days which landed him in the animal ER in the Spring of 2005. But just in case I'm afraid to feed something with sunflower oil which California Natural has.

I used to feed my cats t/d. I'm just not very impressed with the food because I feel it doesn't have much meat in it. Spotty did not do very well on the food. Although his teeth were in good shape, he was vomiting a lot on that food because, when Spotty eats his dry food too fast he throws up and with T/D it was a food in which he had to eat more to get the nutrition he needed. So he was hungry all the time. T/D is very low in calories but in spite of this he gained a lot of weight from the high corn content.

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I feed it to keep my one dog's teeth clean... and also because it slows her down [so she can't suck it up so fast.]

The prescription diets may not have beautiful ingredients in them... but they keep sick pets alive which is what people want. They want a diet formulated for their cat in renal failure that will help prolong there time here. I can't give specific statistics because we covered this in a food meeting ages ago, but you cna call Hill's and ask them about it.

Originally Posted by Plebayo

I feed it to keep my one dog's teeth clean... and also because it slows her down [so she can't suck it up so fast.]

The prescription diets may not have beautiful ingredients in them... but they keep sick pets alive which is what people want. They want a diet formulated for their cat in renal failure that will help prolong there time here. I can't give specific statistics because we covered this in a food meeting ages ago, but you cna call Hill's and ask them about it.

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I can see where you're coming from working in a vet clinic. And I agree that prescription diets save lives and so for that reason they are important. But I must emphasize, that Spotty did not do well on Hill's t/d. The larger kibbles did not slow down his eating at all, rather the less than premium nature of the food, caused Spotty to eat more, be hungry all the time and vomit frequently and at the same time he gained weight because of the carbs. I'm glad it's working for your dog. That's great!!! I've even read about cats that vomit on Nutro and do well on Purina Cat Chow(surprising). So we must go with the formulas that work for our pets. But I personally would only turn to Hill's prescription diets if my cats had a more serious condition like kidney disease or diabetis or something life threatening and there is no other alternative. So I'll only call them if I need them to save my cats lives.

Oh yeah I wouldn't feed t/d normally as a main diet. I started her on it for her teeth, but if someone asked me what to feed their pets I wouldn't say "go feed t/d" so I do agree with you. It works for what it does, but I wouldn't consider it a great food to feed. I also don't think it does much for cats except get them to chew a little better [therefore still cleaning their teeth some] however, I wouldn't feed it to my cat even if he could eat it [he has food allergies].

But I am just saying the prescription diets do work for what they are made for... so it isn't a vet gimmick. To be honest, our vet sells it because everyone else sells it, and it would be difficult to choose another brand of food, like a holistic one because which one do you choose? Do you choose Natural Balance? Addiction? Solid Gold? They are all good, but there are so many.

So I'm sorry if I sounded like t/d is the only one! I just meant... it works for what it was made for. By no means would I tell someone to feed it because it has amazing ingredients. [Gotta love that corn and by products!]