Is fancy feast truly horrible for cats?

[cutepixie93]

Lol wow Walmarts got good deals on ff catfood. I try to avoid that place as much as possible, usually only two or three cashiers open, parking is a nighmare and I rather support ma and pa stores. I got my kitty litter there already and they got cute toys. I'll prob stick to ff and jus feed the classics (got to tell my mom about ff medleys she feeds that to her cat)

 

[nickie leo]

Raw is really not a healthy diet. Pets are too domesticated to digest it properly. Also would you want to eat raw food? This info by the way is being passed down directly from a veterinarian who also teaches vet techs. There is really no best food if price is no object ideally you would feed what follows AAFCO standards best and has a meat source as the number one ingredient and low carbs. A guaranteed analysis is helpful as well to look at as well as if the food as formulated or if animal feeding trials were used. Feeding trials are usually the better bet. I have lots more info if interested on AAFCO standards and so on. Have a blessed day

 

[peppermintplant]

Raw is really not a healthy diet. Pets are too domesticated to digest it properly. Also would you want to eat raw food? This info by the way is being passed down directly from a veterinarian who also teaches vet techs. There is really no best food if price is no object ideally you would feed what follows AAFCO standards best and has a meat source as the number one ingredient and low carbs. A guaranteed analysis is helpful as well to look at as well as if the food as formulated or if animal feeding trials were used. Feeding trials are usually the better bet. I have lots more info if interested on AAFCO standards and so on. Have a blessed day

I'm sorry to be rude, but that doesn't sound very likely, especially since until recently a large number of domestic cats were used to control vermin populations. I don't think they were cooking up the mice and rats before they ate them.



For what it's worth, a lot of veterinarians take very few classes on cat nutrition, and I've read that any of the classes at vet schools are sponsored by Hill's. Now, Hill's prescription diet really helped my vet and I get my cat's IBD under control, and I'm grateful for that, but a lot of their ingredients are not really things that cats should be eating — cats are obligate carnivores and did not evolve to eat corn and wheat gluten. This is not to say that there aren't veterinarians who are going far beyond those few vet school classes and learning about the best diets for cats — Dr. Lisa Pierson, who runs catinfo.org, is one of them — but I would be skeptical of a vet who said that cats were "too domesticated" to eat raw food when most cats did just that until the past century or so, when commercial kibble and canned food became commonplace. And many veterinarians who have become experts on cat nutrition do recommend a raw food diet.

 

[denice]

If a cat's digestive system is working properly they can handle raw food and will thrive on it.  Unfortunately many cat's digestive systems aren't working properly.  The highly processed species inappropriate food has caused issues, hence all the IBD now which one of my cats has.  I have found a few vets that aren't towing the Hill's line.  My vet believes that low carb wet food is far superior to any dry kibble.  She is fine with a balanced cooked diet and I believe that she is beginning to come around about a raw diet.  I doubt that she will push a raw diet because she can't control how people handle the meat before it is fed.  My vet is also a board certified feline specialist which I think has a lot to do with it.  A general vet often doesn't have a lot of knowledge about cats.  The typical general vet in a small animal practice has a lot more experience with dogs and tends to think of cats has small, odd looking dogs.

 

[marc999]

Raw is really not a healthy diet. Pets are too domesticated to digest it properly. Also would you want to eat raw food? This info by the way is being passed down directly from a veterinarian who also teaches vet techs. There is really no best food if price is no object ideally you would feed what follows AAFCO standards best and has a meat source as the number one ingredient and low carbs. A guaranteed analysis is helpful as well to look at as well as if the food as formulated or if animal feeding trials were used. Feeding trials are usually the better bet. I have lots more info if interested on AAFCO standards and so on. Have a blessed day

A vet. who teaches vet techs. 

I stopped reading after that. 

 

[laralove]

Raw is really not a healthy diet. Pets are too domesticated to digest it properly. Also would you want to eat raw food? This info by the way is being passed down directly from a veterinarian who also teaches vet techs. There is really no best food if price is no object ideally you would feed what follows AAFCO standards best and has a meat source as the number one ingredient and low carbs. A guaranteed analysis is helpful as well to look at as well as if the food as formulated or if animal feeding trials were used. Feeding trials are usually the better bet. I have lots more info if interested on AAFCO standards and so on. Have a blessed day

I think those of us who feed raw can attest to the fact that they do, in fact, digest it highly efficiently considering their stools are reduced significantly and are practically odorless. That compared to stools on commercial food in which much less is processed and thus passed through, more of it and smellier. As far as the AAFCO standards, you know what has meat as the number one source and no carbs? Raw meat. 

But to answer your question, no. I wouldn't want to eat raw food. I also wouldn't want to eat a live mouse, lick my entire body on a daily basis, or poop in a pile of clay, but I'm not a cat. If I were, I'd want to eat raw meat. 

 

[marc999]

 
...As far as the AAFCO standards, you know what has meat as the number one source and no carbs? Raw meat. 

But to answer your question, no. I wouldn't want to eat raw food. I also wouldn't want to eat a live mouse, lick my entire body on a daily basis, or poop in a pile of clay, but I'm not a cat. If I were, I'd want to eat raw meat. 

Now that, is a classic answer filled with fact and wit  

 

[oneandahalfcats]

But to answer your question, no. I wouldn't want to eat raw food. I also wouldn't want to eat a live mouse, lick my entire body on a daily basis, or poop in a pile of clay, but I'm not a cat. If I were, I'd want to eat raw meat. ...

ROTFL! =^.^=

 

[peaches08]

Raw is really not a healthy diet. Pets are too domesticated to digest it properly. Also would you want to eat raw food? This info by the way is being passed down directly from a veterinarian who also teaches vet techs. There is really no best food if price is no object ideally you would feed what follows AAFCO standards best and has a meat source as the number one ingredient and low carbs. A guaranteed analysis is helpful as well to look at as well as if the food as formulated or if animal feeding trials were used. Feeding trials are usually the better bet. I have lots more info if interested on AAFCO standards and so on. Have a blessed day

I love sushi and ceviche.

Most vets have a very limited education in pet nutrition and it is usually sponsored by big name pet food companies. And the 4D meats allowed...blech. so much for standards. Most balanced raw recipes are much higher in quality and address the nutritional needs in a much better way.

 

[laralove]

I love sushi and ceviche.

Most vets have a very limited education in pet nutrition and it is usually sponsored by big name pet food companies. And the 4D meats allowed...blech. so much for standards. Most balanced raw recipes are much higher in quality and address the nutritional needs in a much better way.

Oh, fair point. I love sushi as well. I have never tried ceviche, though I've wanted to. It's on the list.

 

[peaches08]

Oh, fair point. I love sushi as well. I have never tried ceviche, though I've wanted to. It's on the list.

I LOVE ceviche! Yummy!


I forgot to mention, remember the issues with bean sprouts? Spinach? Just this past summer, bagged lettuce? I can't recall exactly when the net I pot and brain eating amoeba thing was, but that was due to the person's drinking water! The point is that raw meat isn't the only thing that can hurt you. Safe food handling practices should be used, period. I haven't looked at a bag of dry kibble in a long time...do they have correct handling practices written on there? Most people just keep the food in the bag and feed straight from it onto dirty dishes. Then look at me all crazy when I say that I feed raw.

 

[laralove]

Most people just keep the food in the bag and feed straight from it onto dirty dishes. Then look at me all crazy when I say that I feed raw.

Exactly! I visited my mom today and she asked about Oliver. I mentioned I had transitioned him to raw and she was in disbelief. How unsanitary! All that bacteria! He'll get sick! So much easier to just feed dry. 

*sigh* True. Also easier to live in filth than clean. Easier to cheat than study. Easier to fall into debt than live modestly. Easier does not mean better!

 

[linda carella]

My 2 cats are throwing up on fancy feast salmon cat food canned. I only give them a little bit . They mostly eat dry. I was worried about one of them because he lives outside. But he is drinking his very well. I have beenRead all your threads and I feel better about why they are throwing up eating the canned food. Why does this happen? And is it ok if I just feed them dry food?

 

[peppermintplant]

My 2 cats are throwing up on fancy feast salmon cat food canned. I only give them a little bit . They mostly eat dry. I was worried about one of them because he lives outside. But he is drinking his very well. I have beenRead all your threads and I feel better about why they are throwing up eating the canned food. Why does this happen? And is it ok if I just feed them dry food?

It really is best to feed wet food at least part of the time. Cats have a very low thirst drive, and are often mildly/chronically dehydrated on a dry-only diet. You could try feeding a different flavor. Chicken or turkey might be easier on their stomachs, at least at first, especially if the dry food you are feeding them is chicken or turkey based. And fish in large amounts can cause problems for cats.

You could also try feeding smaller amounts. For a cat who is not used to wet food, 3 ounces all at once may be a bit too rich, especially if they wolf it down like it's a treat. Eating too much too fast can definitely cause vomiting!  If they haven't eaten wet food before, it's a good idea to split their feeding into meals or leave dry food out for them to "graze" on — a sudden switch can cause upset tummies. You could try two dry food meals and one wet food per day. So if the dry food says feed half a cup (or whatever, for their weight), give them a quarter in the morning, a quarter at night, and 1-2 ounces of wet for "lunch," then gradually increase the wet and decrease the dry.

If they're not tolerating the Fancy Feast well, there's another brand called Sheba that is carried at Target, Pet Smart and Petco, and some grocery/drug stores. It's usually about the same price as FF (at my Target, it's usually about 4-5 cents cheaper per can). In my experience, it seems a little more moist/smooth and less dense than Fancy Feast, so it may be a little easier to digest.

 

[catspaw66]

My ladies love the Sheba food, but my local WalMart stopped carrying it. They reduced the size of the cat food selection to add more cheap dog food.

 

[peppermintplant]

 
My ladies love the Sheba food, but my local WalMart stopped carrying it. They reduced the size of the cat food selection to add more cheap dog food.

That sucks. I have one cat who won't eat any wet food besides Sheba or FF, and the grocery store FF is like half dented cans, so I order Sheba off Amazon for her. It's more expensive that way, but if you have Prime it's still only like 65-68 cents per can and they have good sales sometimes.

 

[catspaw66]

The Sheba is just a treat to mix with some of the Friskies flavors they are not overly fond of.

 

[leos mom]

Hello,

This will fly against the idea of the quality high cost holistic cat foods out there, however I joined here to specifically respond to this post, finding it while doing a search, to speak as a cat owner for most of my life, to mention what I feel are crucial points for consideration before making decisions on what to feed your beloved kitty.

Regarding Fancy Feast --  All the vets I would say to, when asked what do you feed him, --  well mainly he gets his favorite wet junk food, Fancy Feast and then I also feed ..., (noting "better quality" brands of wet and dry I tried to incorporate into his diet), every vet would say in response, well Fancy Feast would not be considered junk food really.

There are more organic , pure, etc cat foods out there now, so many brands to mention, however, one major worry I would say to watch out for now, which is a trend that I find hard to find any one great high quality brand that isn't avoiding its use - Rosemary Oil.

Its known to over time as a culmulative affect, to cause seizures as a volatile oil, is a neurotoxin.

Why is it used? I am guessing its more Inexpenisve - a small quantity can be used as a food preservative, so its cheaper than something healthy such as lecithin, or using more vitamin E (the items used as healthy natural food preservatives for human foods).

I fed my Cat Chelsea who lived to almost 19, a steady diet of fancy feast and yes when younger, as a dry food what i knew was kitty junk food, kit n kaboodle and other such normal store brands. (this was pre-evolution of all the natural brands which later in his life I started to use as they came out - Wellness beign the firts I can recall).   Later i changed to wellness, and blue buffalo when they came out, and sadly I also changed to Merrick's wet food which I thought was wonderful as a wet cat food, only later to realize that it had rosemary oil.  My chelsea did exhibit seizures the last 2 months of his life, so I do always now wonder. Also another cat I adopted was healthy and later also exhibited neuro oddities, before passing two weeks later.

I would say also with the better foods out there now, another consideration is how they are being packed with carbs known for humans to be antioxidant powerhouses, but cats are not humans. Cats is it coincidence??? (said sarcastically) have had a sharp increase of diabetes over the past decade or two, -- Meaning before when all we had is purina and such "junk foods" , but now with dry foods and wet packed with high sugar vegetables and fruits such as carrots , blueberries, potatoes, and so on, diabetes is increasing now, not before with the old junk foods of corn etc.

I am not saying corn as first ingredient is safe by no means however the great healthy holistic, organic, natural etc expenisve brands using so many carbs isn't any better (in my opinion) in actuality.  Cats do not need sugary carbs in such high amounts (brown rice is far better because it is a complex carb that releases as a sugar in slower amounts into the blood stream), and when my most recent cat died of cancer so i was doing heavy research on antioxidants, nutrition for cats, their metabolism etc, etc

for instance when looking at astaxanthin, (a powerful antioxident caratenoid- more powerful than Vit A nd E) in cat studies where this was digested by cats and found to make it into the mitochondria for beneficial affects, they noted this was important because cat's livers can't digest beta-caratenoids (such as carrots etc.) for its useful benefits, and can only digest vitamin A Palmatate.  So the use of carrots in cat food are also useless fillers and also in its high sugar content can't be called beneficial by any means, and may help the onset of diabetes. Peas are added for argenine, a very important amino acids for cats, but when have you seen a cat eat a pea by choice? They are carnivores, so argenine would be better coming from your high quality vitamin powder used in modest safe proportions, than from peas that are also high sugar vevgetables, that could aid in the onset of diabetes.

There are many others issues I could note for your consideration of foods, which leaves me asking what do I feed my cat now???

and this isn't to push any one answer, its just to help inspire being "Fully Informed" when making the choice that sits right inside of you for your loved one.

 For me personally its a no rosemary oil, no wheat gluten, low fruit and veg (none preferably) brown rice, less meal, preferably all real quality meats, type. (Still searching when it comes to his hard food extra snacking food portion).

So why I mainly came to reply is to simply say research rosemary oil and beware of foods which now have it. Everyone touts the expensive brands as the only way to go and shame people for using what they deem the "junk foods or low quality" brands, however, its become too PC for me, that I feel many aren't thinking of what the higher brand foods now contain which are equally detrimental in the short and long run. Rosemary oil short term and all the sugary fruits and vegetables over time are equal or I would say even exceed in speed the detrimental affects of potential diabetes .

It does deeply concern me now as I am search for that high quality, high protein, no grains food which does not have rosemary oil. So far they all do. Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Evo (dry versions which I always have as a side offering besides my cat's regualr wet food meals).  The only food I could find recommended so far was Artemis however they do have barley and rice.  Although real meat is number one ingredient.

I think back to chelsea being raised on the "junk food" diet of Fancy Feast for most of his life and some store brand crunchy food as his side dish and think maybe I would choose rice and barley over rosemary oil myself, now for my new baby Leo. (due to my personal experience using one with rosemary oil.)

As far as Fancy Feast however for wet food -- please just beware of this one immediately serious concern -- a few years ago, they had a food recall that spanned almost a year i believe, because of many cats dying from immediate vomiting after eating,and or sudden onset of seizures, and sudden kidney failure.   It was due to the wheat gluten in some of the fancy feast flavors, that had been contaminated in shipping containers that had melamine, which contaminated the wheat gluten.

So that is why you may see now wheat gluten as some taboo item for cat lovers. (also simply because its a protein which some are allergic too and cats may get allergies too),  (For me too now because fo the previous contamination of it)

-- But this doesn't mean Fancy Feast needs to be avoided - simply if there is worry about any future contaminations - my advice for safety would be when buying Fancy Feast as I still do for my kitty, do not get any which have the wheat gluten.  The ones that do not, are the classic varieties - classic beef, classic turkey and so on. (but read the ingredients labels when buying, to make sure)

 I think (but I am guessing here -- the wheat gluten is used to form the ones that are called loaf or chunks, and also used in the morning varieties for texture thickening. Possibly the grilled varieties for the gravies etc too)

So to sum up -- all the vets I encountered did not discount fancy feast as junk food.  (More middle average range) Just please avoid wheat gluten varieties. If you do wish to move to higher quality purer natural brands, (because by-products etc are not great things by any means too), please read the ingredients list of these purer "better" brands and monitor how much sugary carbs that are not neccessary for a cat and can lead to diabetes over time (a great pure multi vitamin powder is far better!) , and please research the rosemary oil issue before choosing your next hard or wet canned food. Fortunately, less companies add it to their wet food -- I find the difficulty is now finding a brilliant healthy high protein, no grains, dry cat food that doesn't have rosemary oil in it but some wet foods now use it too, so please beware.

And for any cat owner who's cat suddenly exhibits a tilted head, unstable walk etc and the vet might first suspect the usual culprit of a B1 (Thiamine) deficiency, if kitty is healthy in all other ways, please remember if you feed cat foods with rosemary oil to mention that as well.

 

[marc999]

I have a small mountain of canned cat foods in my closet, from low price to high.  

By-products is another bone of contention among cat food ingredients.  It doesn't bother me, nor others.  It depends on your interpretation of 'by-products'. 

 

[leos mom]

I agree, because in essence if a cat was eating in the wild, they would be consuming what we call "by-products" (skin, hair, feet, lol or whatever part they chose to munch on from their prey that wasn't the pure inside meat).  Those items also contain healthy items.  Humans eat the extras at times too - as in some eat pigs feet etc, and in jello we are eating all the skin etc that is considered by-products normally for humans.  (Research how jello is made or what gelatin is if anyone reading this does not yet know how its made or where it comes from).

The main concern regarding by-products used for the pet food industry is simply that they may be dying sickly animals not considered for any other use in other ways, but can be used and labeled by-products for pets.  That isi the concern with by-products.  If just scraps we don't normally eat as cuisine, then it wouldn't concern me either because cats will eat things I wouldn't like mouse souffle lol, but then again, fully knowing what gelatin is I have enjoyed a few jello desserts in my time!

But at the end of the day I am concerned about the bets brands now and think back to the innocent days of the pet food industry and how Chelsea was the healthiest long lived cat I had so far. (A he) He was brought to a vet once when he had a tooth issue, and the vet came out shocked at his age written on the chart, to ask me, seeing i put the specific day of his birth too, so I must really know his full age as 12 1/2, if I could by any chance be mistaken.  I said no that is his real birth day month and year, I lived next to the owners and brought him home at 6 weeks old, when he started to eat his own food, so why?

He said if I had to age this cat by his muscle tone , strength, agility, coat, eyes and teeth, I would say no more than 7 years old! Went away shaking his head amazed.

At that time in Chelsea's life it was only fancy feast up to that point, and "junk food" cat foods from my local supermarket and deli.

He had a very healthy long life with very very few vet visits throughout and so its making me wonder now, when after him I adopted other cats from shelters who were fed the best ones, who havent lived as long and two having sudden unexplained departures, (using the foods with rosemary oil in tyring to do best for them diet wise) whether the old way modified by what I now know in some ways improving on it somewhat, might be better for my new cat leo. Out of love for my cat and being an overall cat lover, let's just say I am becoming a bit jaded over this new mantra of only the best brands are decent, when seeing what they contain as well. Its a true balancing act -- but what you said I do think is a key way to go and I have done the same - mix things up. That avoids a dependency on one food when a recall comes from lack of B1 for instance.  (which can lead to seizures when B1 deprived for more than two weeks). When mixing the diet up you have a better chance of protecting them from such deficiency issues and providing the most well balanced diet for them.