Iams Food

[marine]

Thanks for the welcome. This is a great site! Again, new to the kitten scene. I currently feed our kitten Iams kitten food. It appears to be a good product. Is there better?

Way too many choices. I also use Tidy CAt Crystal Blends. How is that?

 

[danalee2682]

welcome again! there have been several threads on quality foods. until someone more knowledgable comes along, i would suggest starting by searching this forum for "quality food" "good cat foods" etc. i personally would not recommend iams because it contains by-products. but there are several good brands out there that do not contain by-products and use high quality ingredients. there are many variables to consider, including your price range, and location to a good pet store.

best of luck in your search, and congrats on your new addition!

 

[pushylady]

I used to feed Iams, I stopped when I learned of the company's testing practices. Overall, it's not a bad food, but there are better ones on the market. Medi-Cal which I got from the vet seemed to be the best one of the many I've tried.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Marine

Thanks for the welcome. This is a great site! Again, new to the kitten scene. I currently feed our kitten Iams kitten food. It appears to be a good product. Is there better?

Way too many choices. I also use Tidy CAt Crystal Blends. How is that?

You'll get as many opinions as there are people here. Best advice is to read the label on the food - try to avoid by-products for sure.

I'm currently in the process of trying various different brands without by-products and fillers and having the main ingredient to be good meat. Our cats don't like them as much as the "junk food" brands but after several weeks of no choice they are eating them much more quickly and apparently enjoying them.

As for kitty litter - same goes. I've gone from clumping clay litter (Bijou was sneezing a lot as a kitten and I was worried he would inhale some and it would clog up his little system), then to Swheat Scoop (too dusty for me) to finally World's Best Cat Litter which I love. There are others that do not like WBCL - it's really individual preference.

 

[tabaqui]

Originally Posted by pushylady

I used to feed Iams, I stopped when I learned of the company's testing practices.

Ayup.

I don't know if Meow Mix tests like that, but I haven't found out they do yet, so.

Besides, IAMS used to make my kitties barf an awful lot.

 

[eilcon]

We feed our foster kitties Iams, but it makes one of my own three (not sure who) vomit, so they get Purina One Chicken and Rice. It's not top of the line, but is a decent food and reasonably priced. They all do well on it.

For litter, I've tried them all, but finally settled on Arm and Hammer Multicat. It's a little dusty, but clumps well and seems effective at odor control, at least at our house.

 

[babyharley]

I feed Harley Whiskas, which he loves. He also loves the Whiskas wet food pouches, plus, the Temptations treats are a kitty favorite!

I know there is better (I've heard a lot of people voting for Nutro) but I don't have access to a pet store (nearest one is 45 min away...) so Whiskas is doing good for Harley, and the vet say's he's at a healthy weight and everything, so its really a personal preference! Harley will really eat anything anyways...

 

[marine]

Hearing great things about the Nutro line. Any experience out there?

 

[kai bengals]

Nutro, Iams, Science Diet and Eukanuba all get a big thumbs down from me. Tried them all, with poor results. Horrible products.
Innova or Wysong are what I'd suggest. Purina One and Pro-Plan are also not bad.
Of course I recommend a raw diet with a Wysong supplement ....but that's me.

 

[mrod1]

I switched a few times and finally went to Nutro, which I love. Resonable price for a premium food, no by products, and My cat loves it. I recomend Nutro, and petco carries them.
I use Arm and Hammer Multi cat clumping litter. I only have one cat, but I live in a small apartment, and that litter seems to be strong enough. I used to use the crystals, but even when Buddy went pee a few times it would begin to smell. Good Luck and Welcome to TCS

 

[tari]

I've also heard that Iams isn't very good quality food, and their testing practices leave a lot to be desired.

I've got all three of my boys on Nutro wet food...different formulas for each of them, depending on what they need. I love it...they love it, so everybody's happy.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Marine

Hearing great things about the Nutro line. Any experience out there?

I do demos for them ... the food is great for many ... It can be great for some and not for others... I Wont touch most purina products.... nor do I use any food with by product( bil jac is the exception due to what they are) I try to avoid soy, corn , chemical preservatives


Right now I do dry , canned and raw /or cooked homemade...

 

[nyanchan]

I am currently feeding my bengal kitty Science Diet. She seems to like it. My older cat is on prescription Royal Canin for his UTI issues...I would really talk to your vet to see what is best for your kitty. I had no idea how much food really mattered! I'm 23 and I used to just buy whatever was on sale, thinking that the newest cat food advertised was the most tasty...but then my cat got a UTI...and let me tell you, vet bills are not fun!

I guess the ingredients in certain foods can trigger certain health issues for some cats. But ya, check with your vet to see what they recommend. My vet has recommended Sciene Diet, Royal Canin, Eukaneuba, and some others but I can't remember the names....sorry! good luck, there are so many choices out there, it'll make your head spin!

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by nyanchan

I am currently feeding my bengal kitty Science Diet. She seems to like it. My older cat is on prescription Royal Canin for his UTI issues...I would really talk to your vet to see what is best for your kitty. I had no idea how much food really mattered! I'm 23 and I used to just buy whatever was on sale, thinking that the newest cat food advertised was the most tasty...but then my cat got a UTI...and let me tell you, vet bills are not fun!

I guess the ingredients in certain foods can trigger certain health issues for some cats. But ya, check with your vet to see what they recommend. My vet has recommended Sciene Diet, Royal Canin, Eukaneuba, and some others but I can't remember the names....sorry! good luck, there are so many choices out there, it'll make your head spin!

Please read the ingrediant s on your S D ... it is nearly identical to grocery store stuff

 

[nyanchan]

actually, I've done that. When my cat got the UTI, I did some research and supposedly, the level of magnesium is partly what contributes to urinary health. I compared science diet and royal canin to the Friskies and Whiskas I used to feed my cat, and the percentage of magnesium and ash is incredibly different.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by nyanchan

actually, I've done that. When my cat got the UTI, I did some research and supposedly, the level of magnesium is partly what contributes to urinary health. I compared science diet and royal canin to the Friskies and Whiskas I used to feed my cat, and the percentage of magnesium and ash is incredibly different.

did I miss read is kitty on a rx SD formula??

 

[charcoal]

Originally Posted by Marine

Hearing great things about the Nutro line. Any experience out there?

Mine love thier nutro food. The stores here don't carry the kitten food so I order it online but I get Charcoals adult food here and they love both.

 

[nyanchan]

Originally Posted by sharky

did I miss read is kitty on a rx SD formula??

Yah, he is on Prescription Royal Canin S/O....my kitten is eating regular Science Diet <but she has no UTI issues>. But even the regular Science Diet compared to the Friskies, the magnesium and ash content is different. I'm not positive on the stats, but the vet told me the less magnesium, the better. Something about it affecting the ph level in their urine.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by nyanchan

Yah, he is on Prescription Royal Canin S/O....my kitten is eating regular Science Diet <but she has no UTI issues>. But even the regular Science Diet compared to the Friskies, the magnesium and ash content is different. I'm not positive on the stats, but the vet told me the less magnesium, the better. Something about it affecting the ph level in their urine.

yes magnesium does affect acidity .... dont take this wrong but most high end foods have lower mag... and many have better quality

 

[pat]

I do not recommend Iams when asked for my opinion - I prefer foods with no by-products.

Unlike some, I find Nutro - especially the Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care line, to be one of the better quality foods on the market for the price. Is there better - yes, and it's more expensive. Depending on your wallet, look for foods that do NOT contain: by-products, by-product meal, animal or poultry digest, corn gluten meal as the only source of protein, corn - in cracked, whole, meal or grits form (corn gluten meal is a source of protein and not as likely to cause an issue with a kitty who reacts to corn, however many prefer to feed a food w/out corn gluten meal), soy or wheat, multiple grains in one food.

I prefer my dry foods to be preserved w/out BHA/BHT, to have meat(beef or lamb, venison what have you) or poultry/turkey or the meal of these, listed as the first ingredient.


Brands that I consider worth looking at - Nutro Natural, Innova, Innova EVO, California Natural Chicken and Rice, Natural Balance and their Venison and Green Pea (also available in canned), Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul, PetGuard and Felidae.

hth a bit,