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Best Brand of Cat Food - Page 2

post #31 of 53
1/21/01 at 9:26am
Anne and Sandie
Didn't know where to post
my update so please check my vet stress reply this am


I used to supplment my young
kitties' diet w/vit but you are right, my vet says with quality pet food not needed even possibly harmful these days.

After many decades of cats and
most of them livng into late
teens, (kidney failure still a
major killer) I strongly agree
a quality food pays for its self
in the long run. Plus dry diet
becomes more important today since most experts recommend dry
exclusively. (I admit, I feed
both wet & dry and snacks)

Anyone feed Eukauba for seniors?
Reply
post #32 of 53
1/21/01 at 10:44am
Thanks fo your input Judy.
Puff diet is only of concern
because we want him to add
a few lbs. He did get organ meats but I sopped when chewing became difficult. My vet likes the taurine supplement for seniors.

Puff is lactose tolerent so yes,
vet added a little cream to diet
likes cream cheese. He gets a little butter/marg from my toast
good for hairlballs to.

Readers: remember Puff is
18/1/2 I don't recommend his diet
for others esp all his extras.

I'll be careful trying "missing
link with my dogs.Thanks for warning

I'm going to Pet Smart will look for a Eukanuba Senior
Reply
post #33 of 53
2/9/01 at 8:22pm
I personally feed only premium brands, California Natural, Felidae, Innova, they are Organic, as well as having no bad ingredients or preservatives in them. Are you aware of where your vet gets his dog food information? Mainly, when they are still in vet school, representatives from "dog food" companys come in & give their talks, and as I understand it they are not given much time in nutrition. Their are several good books out now about how pets should be fed & cat food is not the best way. Yes lots of dog & cat foods do indeed have floor sweepings, road kill, diseased animals & even our companion animals that have been put to sleep (with the flea collars intact). The injection that is put into animals to put them to sleep is still preserved even after the rendering process has taken place. It is also proven in dogs that the vaccines are giving them cancer & causing many other health problems, they should not be administed year after year, I would imagine this is true for our cats also. I home cook for my dogs & do not vacinate every year any more.

[Edited by My3boys on 02-09-2001 at 10:25 PM]
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post #34 of 53
2/10/01 at 6:41am
Mythreeboys,
I alwys welcome new information ,
PUff is doiing so well, I decided not to chance "Missinng Lnk" His felo supplement seems to improve his appetite. He can take 2% milk and a little cheese
but the vet recommended cream was too much
I have heard the talk about our pet food and hope that feeding quality foods somewhat lessens
the risk of unspeakable ingredients.

Yes, I DO have concerns about over-vaccinating. Especially,
with older animals. Puff just got all his shots but it had been several years.
Reply
post #35 of 53
2/10/01 at 6:54am
Mykatsmom, it sounds like you are doing something right to have your cat live to 18 1/2 years of age, I have just in the last year found out how bad some foods are. I personally have never had a cat live past 14. I'm curious as to what you had been feeding your cat all these years. I know that all cats will react differently to any brand of food, some cats will live forever on bad food & some cats will die young on good food, I think that the genetics has lots to do with it also.
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post #36 of 53
2/10/01 at 8:32am
Hi My3boys,
Until a few years ago I had 5 'boys' and my two shep/huskies were males also. (They were put down at 15)

Most of my cats succumbed to kidney disease but most all of my cats have lived to late teens.
I had two go to 19. I have
always fed the best as kittens
and added vitamins in the 'old days' not as concerned in middle years and the best possible after 12/14.' Honestly all fed differently and all had individual tastes/preferences

Currently I have a 10 yr old male (a neighbor's runaway)
"V" for visitor. Puff my 181/2 yr old male, a rescued male, 8mos
Velvet, came with rescued sib huskey from my vet. and just recently a rescued male 6mos
male RuPaul (my too pretty to be a boy Turkish Van)

The young ones are first time Eukanuba kitties and are doing well. one can take milk and
one won't touch canned food.
Neither are 'snack kitties'.

I'm CA high desert and unbelieveably, it's pouring rain and threatening snow so purusing this site I followed a link to
http://www. mypetsname.com
try it it's fun and cute photos too.
Reply
post #37 of 53
2/10/01 at 8:39am
Hi My3boys,
Until a few years ago I had 5 'boys' and my two shep/huskies were males also. (They were put down at 15)

Most of my cats succumbed to kidney disease but most all of my cats have lived to late teens.
I had two go to 19. I have
always fed the best as kittens
and added vitamins in the 'old days' not as concerned in middle years and the best possible after 12/14.' Honestly all fed differently and all had individual tastes/preferences

Currently I have a 10 yr old male (a neighbor's runaway)
"V" for visitor. Puff my 181/2 yr old male, a rescued male, 8mos
Velvet, came with rescued sib huskey from my vet. and just recently an internet rescued
6 mos male, RuPaul, (my too pretty to be a boy Turkish Van)

The young ones are first time Eukanuba kitties and are doing well. one can take milk and
one won't touch canned food.
Neither are 'snack kitties'.

I'm CA high desert and unbelieveably, it's pouring rain and threatening snow so purusing this site I followed a link to
http://www. mypetsname.com
try it. it's fun and cute photos too.
Reply
post #38 of 53
2/10/01 at 8:44am
Well, there is always going to be a new oppinion and new facts out there. We can only do what we feel best for our friends. There is no perfect way to feed our cats. I personally dont feed wet and let them eat free choice. They get snacks on occasion and seem to be very healthy and happy. I use science diet hairball mixed with eukanuba now. I find it very helpful when it comes to the litter box and the hairballs. Their coats have always been good. I fed purina for years and the only difference I have found is the litter box. This is enough reason for me to stick with it!! I am going to start a thread on vaccines so we can chat about that issue.
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post #39 of 53
2/10/01 at 10:00am
Sandie,
Yes, all are different eaters.

My vet and her partners would strongly agree with you. They prefer dry only. New kitty
just gobbled up both and I still feed wet because my elderly are used to it.

I'm reading that many of you are using "hairball formula', I
haven't tried because it was 'new' and I thought maybe a 'gimmick'. Also they are on Eukanuba kitten. My two young kitties are thick-medium long-haired. IT really makes
a noticible diference?
Reply
post #40 of 53
2/10/01 at 12:08pm
I think the "hairball" formulas and all the special formulas are gimmicks and/or remedies for the inadequate diets that we feed to begin with. If they are fed properly, they don't need special diets in most cases, as the food, itself, is making them sick.
Remember the "taurine" fiasco?
All they needed there was an adequate diet. Don't ever believe the "balanced and complete" BS. It is only balanced and complete for what is known today. Next week or next year it will change, because we will never know ALL there is to know about feeding our animals. (which they instinctivly know and practice when given the chance)
Judy
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post #41 of 53
2/10/01 at 1:06pm
Good point Judy, the nutrition standards are constantly changing. I personally had two cats go blind back in the 60's, probably due to the lack of Taurine. The complete & balanced diet, how can packaged kibble, nothing like what they really should eat, give them full nutrition? Has any else noticed that sometime when you buy cat food, you get a bag that makes your cats sick? My daughter has opened bags that have smelled exceptionally bad before.
Reply
post #42 of 53
2/10/01 at 2:07pm
If the bag smells bad, take it immediately back to the store as it is probably outdated, and the fat in the product could be rancid. Rancid fats are extremely dangerous to feed and are cancer causing. Luckily they do stink.
This has happened to me on occasion, and it is not the manufacturer's fault. The store where you bought it probably kept it past the expiration date. I don't know if all the food cos. have these dates, but the Iams Co. does.
Judy
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post #43 of 53
2/10/01 at 6:56pm
I don't know about the hairball formula. I find that it works great. Since I have been mixing it with their Eukaneba they have had less of a problem. You see, I have 11 in the house...just because the hairball is black doesnt mean it was the black cat. It could have been someone grooming the black cat. I can't chase everyone in the house to get the hairball medicine in their mouths every day for a few days. So I figured I would give it a shot. It actually worked. I have given up on the 100% nutrition part. I feed what I think and have read is the best. However I do recomend even the Purina over the wal mart or grocery store brand. Now this is only for people I run into and they tell me they cant afford the pricey food. I tell them they need to switch or the vet bills are going to be more than the food! I also use an Omega fatty acid suppliment because I have found they really like the taste and I love what it does for their coats.
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post #44 of 53
2/10/01 at 7:15pm
The Omega 3 fatty acid is one of the few oils that works quickly on the coat and skin. If you are going to supplement with fats, use that one. Some foods have it already added. Eukanuba is one of them. I am not familiar with the others. The most popular source is fish oil.
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post #45 of 53
2/10/01 at 8:58pm
I have also had a lot of success with hairball formula. My Squirt sheds quite a bit and used to throw up hairballs pretty regularly. Since I switched to hairball formula, this had not been a problem.
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post #46 of 53
2/11/01 at 2:30am
Yeah, the Omega 3 I use is called 3v formula by DVM. I have only found it at the vet. It is a liquid pump. I only use half a pump a day for the 11 cats. I use Eukanuba but because here in CT it is so cold in the winter, the house gets real dry from the heat. I find it's harder to maintain my black cats during this time. Also, if you bathe your cats frequently (as I do since we show) it helps to restore the oils lost from the shampoos.
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post #47 of 53
2/11/01 at 1:31pm
I don't use the hairball formula. I give a little real butter regularly as this helps with hairballs, and is also a natural source of fats and fatty acids, and natural vitamins. I also bring in grass in the summer for them. This keeps the hairballs down naturally.
Judy
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post #48 of 53
2/11/01 at 1:57pm
Judy, whenever my cats eat grass, it makes them throw up, is this how you control hairballs? I would think if they had oils it would pass out in the stools. So how do these things work?
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post #49 of 53
2/11/01 at 8:01pm
Judy:

I like the suggestion about the butter. I never thought of that. How do you feed it to them? How much and how often, too?

Come to think of it, when Squirt used to go outdoors and eat grass on his own, I don't remember as big of a hairball problem. My neighbors will think I've lost my mind if they see me outside tearing up grass!
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post #50 of 53
2/11/01 at 8:14pm
That's the idea. They do throw up hairballs when they eat grass. The butter keeps them moving the other way. Then hairballs aren't an issue any more. A pat of butter once or twice a week once they are clear.
Have you ever notice how most cats love butter! I think it is good for them.
Cats eat plenty of grass if they have a chance. They don't need it for nutrition, but I think it is good for digestion, and hairballs.
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post #51 of 53
2/12/01 at 3:05pm
For any of you that DON'T get the emazing cat tip of the day, this was in today's email from them. Timely to this thread.

Grass For Your Cat

Cats are carnivores, but don't be surprised if your cat
develops a taste for eating grass.

Grass is a good source of fiber and vitamins and may help
your cat bring up hairballs. If you keep your cat indoors,
you should provide her with some grass blades to munch.

You can find a kitty grass kit in many pet shops, or you
can make your own indoor lawn. All you need is a stable pot
with some clean (preferably sterilized) soil. Sprinkle some
seeds of grass, parsley or thyme (try catnip for a true
kitty paradise). Water daily, without drenching the soil,
and keep in a well-lit place.
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post #52 of 53
2/13/01 at 6:22pm
Hehe, just make sure you are prepared to clean up the throw up. Most cats will do this after eating regular grass.
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post #53 of 53
9/9/01 at 5:58pm
I don't have my kitty yet...(few more days) but she is coming from a shelter where there is dry and wet food for all.....there is no way to tell which she prefers, so I went and bought some IAMS dry and wet food, and figured that I would put them both out at the same time and see which she prefers.... is that a good idea??/


After reading about all the Eukanuba posts, I am sorry I got IAMS....maybe I will switch...

Val, Thanks
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