Eukanuba

I have been feeding our kitten Eukanuba. I had been told that Iams is not the quality it used to be. Now Eukanuba is made by Iams. Does this maen the quality of this food is not as good as before? Has anyone heard this about Iams?



Also I have noticed the kittens poop really stinks when we use the Eukanuba. She also goes more often. Any thoughts on this?


Should I change her food to Science Diet or Pro Plan?

I forgot to say we are using dry food for her.

Thanks so much for any input!

Iams and Eukanuba have been made by the same company for years. I will say thay at the clinic we used to use Iams kitten food for the kittens we had but this year all the kittens have been having diarrhea non stop so we changed their food to Science diet kitten and it has cleared up. Maybe they changed their formula?

Eukanuba is a rich food and it may be that it is too rich for your kitten. You can try switching her food to a different brand but do it slowly. If you do change her diet suddenly it can cause stomach upsets.

When Xavier was a kitten we fed him the most expensive brand we could find assuming that the more you paid the higher quality the food was. He had diarrhea all the time and it didn't stop until we switched his food to another brand.

Personally I like Wellness brand cat food. My cats have been on it for a couple months and I've seen less stool, they eat less of it and their coats have never looked as good as they do now. Wellness makes a kitten formula as well.

BadHabit, I did not mean that Iams is now making Eukanuba. I ment that a different way but I guess it did not come out right. I know that the company has been the same for years. Sorry for the confusion!

Our kitten does not have diarrhea. She has a soft to hard stool but not to hard. You think the food is to rich for her.? Is that why she is having smelly stool?

I have never heard of Wellness. Can I buy that at Petsmart? This is where we buy her food now. I bought Pro Plan for our dogs and I almost bought it for her. The breeder was feeding her Iams. Our kitten did not seem to have trouble with the food change. I know you have to do it slow. The breeder was also giving her 9 lives in a can so I gave her that when I brought her home. I had it in the house for our outside cats. I just bought a big bag of the Eukanuba kitten food for her. I guess if things do not change I will change the food again when the bag gets half empty. I hate to change food again! Have you also heard of the change in the Iams company?

Thanks

I thought you meant Eukanuba is NOW being made by Iams...

Have your kitten been wormed recently or checked for worms? If not then it would be best to drop a sample off to your vet because worms can cause a soft stool and often a smelly one.

If she's negative for worms then you can try and switch her food to another brand and see if that makes a difference.

Thank you so much. I think she may have been checked for worms but it would not hurt to check again. I will have that done and go from there.

but I also noticed the smell. For those of you who do not experience this, it is the kind of smell that makes you look under the chair you are sitting in to see if kitty has been bad right under it.
After I had two cats, I had to switch foods because I could NOT make the smell go away near the litter box.
I switched to Science Diet, and the smell was gone within a week. Really remarkable results.

We were feeding the bengals Eukanuba kitten food and never noticed a smell. I finally switched over when Scooter was close to a year old..... It got to be too expensive for us. Now, I can buy a 20 lb. bag of Iams for the same price as Eukanuba, and feed 5 cats.

I think another source for a cat/kitten's upset stomach is constantly changing their food. Nine Lives doesnt seem like a very good brand for a breeder to be using. I would definitely switch to a higher quality brand. When raising our 4 kittens we fed them Science Diet kitten food, dry, all the time and they still eat Science Diet now. If you're unsure of whether your kitten has been checked for worms (did the breeder not tell you?) then I would take your kitty to a vet. Worm infestation can cause multiple different bowel problems if not treated and it's imperative that all kittens be treated for this at their first Vet check up.

Steph

catsaplenty, I was not sure if the vet checked her for worms. He did nothing. We had her checked again and nothing. As for the breeder telling me. Yes she said she did not have her wormed. Also she has been off the 9 lives for sometime now. She was also feeding her Iams. Not just 9 lives. The kittens stool is now hard like it should be. Also I do not change her food all the time. I was just asking if I should be feeding her a better food. I was not sure if Eukanuba was good because of what I had been told about Iams. I would need to change her food again only if the quality of the food is not good. I want the best for her!

Well, even though Eukanuba is a top brand diet, if it doens't work with your cat than yes, by all means change to something else.
Have you thought about Innova?

How long has she had this problem for? Sometimes cats get diahrea just from switching foods to quickly, or it just plan ol' doesn't agree with them. If its been a month and your still having problems then switch, typically any problems with a new food should be cleared up by the end of the first week.

Iams, I think a couple years ago changed their formula, its not as high grade as it used to be, or they changed suttle ingredients. I will not use any Iams products period, because they do animal testing.

There are many other excellent (if not better) brands of cat found out there besides whats in the Iams/Science Diet circle.

Also noticed the smell. Have noticed it with others. Currently using ProPlan and it's now gone. I also noticed that anything other than chicken and turkey flavors in the foods will give you that lingering smell. I try not to feed the fish and beef flavored cat foods.

I would never feed my cats anything made by IAMS. They tortured so many animals when they did their studies. I feed my cats Nutro Max. Nutro contains no by-products so it is alot better than Eukanuba or IAMS. Innova and Felidae are both great foods from what I've heard with Innova being the best food. Another one is Authority, you can buy it at PetsMart and it is very inexpensive. My cat Peppurr was losing his fur badly, he was eating Whiskas, we switched him to Nutro Max and all his fur is coming back. All my cats have smooth, glossy fur, stink free poop and they look very healthy!

I am not saying IAMS and Eukanube are bad foods, it's just my opinion when I say I would'nt feed them to my cats. You would understand if you read some of the things about them. Sorry if I sound like a meany.

Originally posted by AngelzOO
Well, even though Eukanuba is a top brand diet,

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No, it's not. Eukanuba, Science Diet, Pro Plan, Iams and others are all just a rip off. They are made by huge corporations (Euk and Iams are by Proctor and Gamble) that use throw away substances from other products they make, put them in a bag and write lies on them to trick and deceive well meaning pet owners, throw a hefty price tag on it so you think you're getting good stuff and they make even more money.

Nutro Naturals and Natural Balance (I like better than the Nutro Naturals) are both great foods available at Petco for a good price, probably a little more than the above brands but you feed a lot less.
Innova, Wellness, California Naturals, Wysong, etc are all great foods, more pricey though and difficult to find, especially outside large cities.

I have used several brands including Innova, Felidae, Wysong, Solid Gold and Califoria Natural and they have done well on all of these but seem to do best on Innova.

I feed my cats Paw's and Claw's from TSC (Tractor Supply Company) and they are in excellent health. They have nice shiny coats and bright eyes. Their poop doesn't stink badly and they poop less than when I fed them an expensive brand. I personally don't think some of the "high quality" foods are all they're cracked up to be. If your cat does well on it great if not then there are planty of other brands that could be right for you and your cats.

Kyttin

All my cats now get Royal Canin. They make so many different blends that are so good for the cats. It is worth the long drive to go and get it every month. My kittens get BabyKat 34, and my adults get Outdoor Formula. I have noticed such a difference with them, higher energy levels, sleeker coats, less vomiting of hairballs on the long-hairs. I am sold on the product, and not just because their banner is hanging in the forums. If you click on the banner and read about their product, I think you will be impressed too.

Also, I would like to respectfully ask that those of you who are posting negative information about pet food, perhaps you can take it to PM's or emails (libel suits do happen) Most of the posts about the pet food are just negative words with no links or research to look at just the words right there. Remember that you cannot believe everything you read, and although there are bad pet food companies out there, there are also good ones. Sometimes the rumors are started by their competitors in an attempt to ruin them too. So just be careful please in what you say and how you say it, and if you can support your statements with links for people to go and make up their own minds, that would be great as well.

When people email me and tell me how sad they are that they can only afford generic food for feral cats they see outside, I remind them that a feral cat (or any cat for that matter) will eat a raw mouse in a matter of minutes and suffer not one whit from it- except to perhaps get tapeworms, and although generic cat food isn't the best thing to feed for ferals, it is better than them starving from no food at all.

A few rescues/shelters I have helped out at have tried Eukanuba, but I don't recall any that actually stuck with it.
IAM's is known for changing their formula without telling the public.

I don't know if you weaned them properly onto the new food from the old, but sometimes during this transition poo's can get really stinky, but clear up. Personally if a food STILL isn't working, by the time the first little bag is gone, I just move on to a new food, or the old one.

Originally posted by hissy
Also, I would like to respectfully ask that those of you who are posting negative information about pet food, perhaps you can take it to PM's or emails (libel suits do happen) Most of the posts about the pet food are just negative words with no links or research to look at just the words right there. Remember that you cannot believe everything you read, and although there are bad pet food companies out there, there are also good ones. Sometimes the rumors are started by their competitors in an attempt to ruin them too. So just be careful please in what you say and how you say it, and if you can support your statements with links for people to go and make up their own minds, that would be great as well.

When people email me and tell me how sad they are that they can only afford generic food for feral cats they see outside, I remind them that a feral cat (or any cat for that matter) will eat a raw mouse in a matter of minutes and suffer not one whit from it- except to perhaps get tapeworms, and although generic cat food isn't the best thing to feed for ferals, it is better than them starving from no food at all.

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First, I never say anything I can't back up, but I don't ever want to endanger TCS so whatever I say from now on will contain a little disclaimer as well as instructions to contact me not this site. How 'bout that?

Second, for those people who feel bad, you feed the best you can afford. You do what you can, like in everything in life. There are many foods that are higher priced that are no better or even worse than lower priced food. It's not about the price tag, it's about reading the labels, learning what the terms mean, and doing the best you can with what is available and affordable to you. And thank goodness there aren't any ferals around here, I know I could not afford to feed them! Bless you who do.


*All of the above is my own personal opinion and in no way affiliated with The Cat Site or any of its members; any objections, discord or complaints should be addressed to me personally at [email protected]. Thank you*

Alicat! LOL You are too funny. That remark wasn't just addressed to you. I am sorry if you took it that way. It has come up in this forum time and time again and hardly ever are there links to back up what people are claiming.

It just seemed the opportune time to say something about this in this thread, because of the heavy views it was getting and the way the thread was leaning.

I know full well the horrors of the pet food industry in some cases. But I also know that with new laws and more people becoming aware of the *bad stuff* that the industry is changing slowly. Many people come here looking for answers, and if you can provide those answers and a way to research them, that is what the forums are about.

I think it is safe to say that we all care about our cats, and we feed them to the best of our abilities. I grew up with cats who lived for years on MeowMix and Friskies, but do I feed my cats that food? No, not because I do not believe in the products, but because there are better foods out there made for prolonging the health of my cats. Which is why I feed Royal Canin blends. When I was managing 6 feral colonies at once, I was feeding them whatever I could get. People were dropping off generic brands, inexpensive brands, and quality brands as well. These cats had been misplaced because of a trailer park being demolished and if we weren't feeding them something, they would of all died. Eventually over time, they were TNR into loving homes or as barn cats.

At any rate, ali I was not pointing fingers, just making a suggestion is all. Thanks!

Hissy, I didn't think you were! But I do like to take responsibility for what I say and after reading your post felt it would be a good idea to do so more obviously.

Yes, many animals have lived well on the "lesser" foods, and still do. I have the option financially not to support these companies, which is more the point for me than anything else.

No offense or indignation here at all. Just taking personal responsibility for my words.