Iams

Iams is a low quality food by most of us ... what food are they coming from>>>??

the new cans are far better than I expected ....

I used to feed Iams and I never had any problems. It's ok. In a grocery store that's the best you can get. But I switched because there are better foods to feed which are available in pet supply stores and on line. I'm currently feeding Innova and switching to California Natural because the Innova is too rich in calories. I still sometimes feed the Iams canned. Here is an example of some better brands.

Natural Balance (Do not get weight control. Difference is regular has 34% protein. Weight control only 27%)

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, Vitamin K1 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ethylene Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite.

Natural Balance Venizon and Green Pea diet:

Venison, Whole Dried Green Peas, Venison Meal, Canola Oil, Venison Liver, Natural Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Kelp, DL Methionine, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Lysine, Rosemary Extract, Dried Parsley, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin C Supplement (Ascorbic Acid), Yucca Schidigera, Folic Acid, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin K1 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ethylene Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite

Innova:

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php...d%3D%272%27%5D

California Natural:

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php...%3D%2772%27%5D

Named meat sources and named organs such as chicken liver are preferable to by-products and whole grains are preferable to grain fractions. Ideally grains should be very minimal in a cat's diet.

I raised Cornish rexes - almost every rex breeder I know feeds Iams. My oldest 2 are 15 and 17 yrs old and have eaten Iams their entire lives. And no health problems - they rarely get sick.

Despite what some people claim, I feel Iams IS high quality food. Ling is a year old and she will be on Iams too. They are at proper weight, shiny coat, etc. If my cats were having problems with Iams, I'd change, but I see no reason to do so. Its quality food.

We used to feed Iams and only went off it when Nathan had his bout of UTI and the vet recommended a food lower in ash and magnesium. My MIL's 12 year old cat has been eating Iams for at least 9 years and is healthy as an ox. What were you feeding before though? I think Iams is a decent food, better than Meow Mix or Friskies or other "grocery store" foods, but not as good as some other foods you can get through a pet supply place. So depending on what you were feeding before, you could have either moved up in quality or down in quality by switching to Iams.

i use whiskers junior complete or go cat now and again i use iams but as missy only eats dried food i give her a variety she wont touch anything with fish in

Iams that you can get here in Iceland is marketed very aggressively as the best of the best catfood, and I think the price of it is according to that marketing; 6.6 lbs (3 kg) is priced at nearly 50 american dollars!!! and a 2.2 lbs bag is over 20 american dollars. Iceland is an overall expensive country, but I think those prices are simply outrageous for a cat food that isnt really the best of the best.

In one petshop I saw they sold a brand called 9-lives. I think I have seen that brand in a grocery store, and that it measures with whiskas in quality. Ok, just read the ingredients list of that food, just let me put it this way... If the corn is listed first in the list, then it probably isnt a good quality food... and the price.. for a 7 lbs bag= 22 dollars..

Royal canin cat food costs 26 dollars for a 4.4 lbs bag, another outrageous price.

I feed my cats a brand that is called proformance (american brand), not very well known, but my cats fur is amazing after I started to feed them this brand (had them on Solid gold). The strange thing though is that if I dont include in the food a little bit of the kitten food then they start to shed. With little bit of the kitten food included they are amazing. Besides the food I regularly give them meat of all kinds (chicken, salmon....). Not in big amounts, just give them a taste if they want while I eat. I also give them raw horse meat (has the same benefits as game and doesnt have the hard fat beef has) or liver on occasion.

I feed Iams. I don't think it's a "low-quality" food the way, say 9lives or Sheba is. I think it's a decent-quality food. It is far from the best you can do ideally. But it isn't bad. It's in the same category as every other food that at least has a whole real meat (usually chicken) as the first ingredient, but after that there are problems, like by-products or too many grains (fillers).

I'm switching her wet food soon though. Yet to see what to. My main problem with Zissou is that she won't eat anything that is not "chunks with gravy" style.

I think every so often you will get a bad batch of any brand of cat food. Or anything else that is mass-manufactured. It happens.

Both Breeders I got my cats from feed their cats Iams with no issues.

I just chose to feed Nutro Natural Choice because I got a sample and my cat liked it better. But right now they are both on Iams Hairball because I am trying to correct a loose stool problem with Theo.

I think Iams is a much better food than feeding Friskies or Special kitty and it is not cheap by any means. I just spent $15 on a bag of it.

Also another plus for Iams - none of my cats have ever had a UTI on Iams or thrown it up (as it contains no dyes). While they have gotten other brands as samples (Nutro Max, Royal Cain), its mixed in with the Iams and they eat it.

If your cat is doing good on Iams with no problems, why switch? Also, when my one rex was pregnant (I used to feed Science Diet) she refused to eat it - and then found out other rex breeders were feeding Iams - switched her to Iams and never had a problem.

I too feed Iams to all 6 of my kitties, and think it is one of the better foods out there. Science diet tends to create lots of gas, and I am not a big fan of Nutro. I am also a vet tech and in my own little personal study of all the animals that come into the hospital, the ones that are a good weight and have good coats are always on Iams. I would stick with it if I were you.

At first, we got Whiskas rattles for our cats, but we noticed they were often hyperactive and fought a lot. When we changed to Iams rattles they immediately calmed down, their coats became glossy and they were just more healthy-looking. However Iams is so expensive that now we mix their Whiskas and Iams rattles and they seem to be okay on it. I've never heard that Iams is a low-quality food. Here it's one of the best you can get.

imo iams is low quality food.
my boy had previous UTI and when we switched to iams it came back; as soon as i switched to a higher quality food, no uti.
they also puked iams quite a bit too.
they now eat nutri-source or evolve.

i had never heard that either until i started learning things on pet forums. its all about marketing. i think iams cat food is ok, iams dog food is crap.

im going to feed my cats either maxximum nutrition indoor formula (walmart's brand), or authority (petsmart's brand). they are pretty good quality, better than iams in my opinion (which maybe doesnt count for much hehe), and a lot cheaper.

Doesn't Maxximum nutrition contain Menadione? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menadione
as its vitamin K, which is not approved for long-term use and can cause serious serious problems?

It's difficult to find the ingredients, because Wal-mart doesn't sell it anywhere else and they don't post it on the website.

yes, it does, i posted about about it on this site and most responses said its ok

not approved by who?

Here is another link:http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione

Further down the page... The FDA has not approved, and has banned it in human supplements.

It is also in Purina Proplan, and other brands.

thanks, i was wondering why some people say its bad

I use Instintive from healthypetnet wet..
ingredients
INGREDIENTS: Organic Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Broth, Turkey, Chicken Meal (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Shrimp, Fish Oil, Ground Agropyron Repens Grass, Calcium Sulfate, Guar Gum, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Choline Chloride, Sea Salt, Taurine, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, D3, B12 Supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Inulin, Rosemary, L-Carnitine.

Calorie Content (Calculated): 1,370 Kcal/Kg Or 116 Kcal/Can (3 Oz).
along with dry...Life's Abundance...
ingredients:
Premium All Natural Chicken, Liver, and Turkey Meals, Catfish Meal, and Eggs provide high quality easily digested animal protein sources to support strong muscles, healthy organs, and overall health.

Chicken Fat, Catfish Meal, Eggs, Flaxseed Meal, and Fish Oil provides a natural balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids to promote healthy skin and shiny coat.

Whole Brown Rice provides an excellent source of highly digestible carbohydrates for short-term energy and dietary fiber that is gentle on the stomach.

Green Foods Phytonutrients satisfy your cat's natural craving for plants; such as, wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts, which fulfill certain nutritional and digestive needs.

Beet Fiber, Brewers Yeast, and Natural Bacteria Cultures help the digestive system work at peak efficiency, allowing your cat to get even more nutrition from our wholesome food.

Enhanced with Natural DHA and ARA to support good vision, a strong heart and healthy central nervous system.

Free from Artificial Colors, Flavors and Preservatives. Contains a blend of natural antioxidants helping to maintain a healthy immune system as well as keeping Life’s Abundance® stay fresh for longer.


Anything in either of these I should not be feeding to my cat?????

I ordered a sample of that canned food from the company. I'll let you know if my cats like it.

the Iams Eukanuba for dogs is fantastic. but the cat food i have only had problems with. its horrible for the teeth and causes UTI's and kidney problems left and right with extended use. I work at a vet and we get cats in all the time with urinary and kidney problems on Iams. I would recommend Hills Science diet if your cat isn't prone to weight gain or my favorite is Royal Canin.

Do you think it's the dry or the canned Iams and Eukanuba that's causing the UTI's and kidney problems?

well considering the wet pouches have just come out over her in the UK i would imagine it's the dry. but we haven't had the wet round enough to tell if it's made an impact. but with a cats diet it's best to have a wet and a dry food for digestion and teeth. their teeth are made for chewing! not for slurping and smacking. my ocicat actually snacks on broccoli, asparagus, melon, mango, banana, tomato and sometimes she steals my banana peels when i'm done. Meow Mix and Whiskas are the other no no foods. very bad for the teeth.

Personally I think there are better alternatives for my kitties, but it's better than some. We won't try it because I've read that Iams runs horrible cruel tests on lab dogs and cats, and we try not to support that sort of thing.

Those ingredients sound really good. I wanted to read more about this food and see how much it costs, but the website isn't working for me. What is "Ground Agropyron Repens Grass"?

I don't know what kind of grass it is but they're supposedly trying to create a food that's as natural to how they would eat in the wild as possible in a canned form so they included grass. I too, am eager to try this food on my cats and that's why I ordered a sample. The website is www.healthypetnet.com. If you can get to the website it's worth checking out because you can't even find this food on the pet food direct website. I just hope my cats like it.

You might want to consider that there are two sides to every story.
www.iamstruth.com

Their video actually shows that they do not perform these cruel tests. They don't even keep their cats in cages. They live in a home like environment with cat furniture, toys, window perches, interaction from pet lovers and they have a partnership with the ASPCA who regularly come out to the Iams facility to give guidelines on how to improve conditions for the cats that are only being used for feeding studies and no other experiment.

I don't know if Iams may have supported harmful research in the past but they aren't doing that now and haven't done so for years. The radical animal rights organization who continues to accuse Iams of this cruelty is known for twisting the facts.

When a food is only marginally better than say, Cat Chow, and charges nearly twice the price, because they market it as a better food and say it's "Good for Life" or something, I see it as a whole heck of a lot of marketing and I won't touch it. I don't want to pay for fancy TV commercials, I want to pay for good nutrition. So far I have yet to see a brand of food advertised on TV that I consider good enough to feed my animals.

Excellent point!!

Reddice, those foods sound fabulous, but way to expensive to feed my crew

It's not only marginally better than Cat Chow. It isn't as good as it should be for the price, but I think sometimes there is a false polarity in the foods. They aren't all either "terrible" or "great". Some of them, like Iams, are somewhere in the middle.
Zissou ate 9lives for a month while staying with my sister, and she was not doing as well as she was before. She smelled, and she had an oily coat. As soon as she'd started back eating Iams she was sooo much healthier.