Lesser of THREE evils?

[tabbysia]

I know none of these are perfect for cats, but if you had to pick one carb combination (and I do), which of these would be the better choice, especially for a kitty with gastrointestinal issues: whole ground brown rice/oatmeal combo OR peas/potatoes combo OR a food that contains all of them (more equal balance)? "None of the above" is not an option in dry food, which I have to feed for now.

By the way, I know that meat is the best. I'm talking about things that are listed in the food after the meat source (deboned turkey, turkey meal).

 

[ldg]

I'd use this online dry matter basis calculator to determine which one was lowest in carbs: http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

Whatever's lowest in carbs means the starches aren't as big a part of the diet.

 

[goholistic]

Low carbs is key like LDG said.

Also consider what your cat can tolerate, especially if he/she has GI issues. Some cats are allergic to grains, some are allergic to peas. Some can't tolerate any of these.

 

[tabbysia]

I did try the calculator, but the ash content was not listed for either food, so I am not sure how accurate it will be for me. Percentages are given for magnesium, taurine, and omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. I wasn't sure if I should add these percentages to the box that says Ash/OTHER minerals. The carb content of the food that has everything--rice, oatmeal, peas, and potatoes--has about a 46% carb content (if I am doing it right). The food that has just peas and potatoes has about 41% carbs (again, if I am doing it right). I'm not sure if the 5% makes that much of a difference. Both foods have 30% protein and do have a meat source listed first. I have not tried a food that has just rice and oatmeal yet.

The grain-free "pea/potato only" food also has 12% fat and 7% fiber, while the "everything" food has 10% fat and 3.5% fiber, if that makes any difference.

I"ll have to compare a rice and oatmeal only food to see if the percentages are any different, but I have decided to try grain-free for a while.

I have started switching to grain-free with my sensitive kitten to see if his stools improve. Every food I have given him has had rice so I'm hoping that cutting it out will help. I've had both cats on a no corn, wheat, or soy food for a while, which really helped my adult cat that used to vomit. I have never tried completely grain-free until now. She (adult cat) seems okay with peas and has had no trouble keeping the food down. I can't really say that my kitten is sensitive to peas because he has had loose stools on every food, including the ones without peas.

Sorry for all of the long rambling. If you made it to the end, congratulations! I hope you can make some sense of this!

 

[goholistic]

Sometimes you have to guess the ash content. I forget what the average is...maybe 8%?  30% protein is really low. You want to try for at least 40% protein from the guaranteed analysis. Most dry foods are at about 10% moisture.

There is a dry food that is pretty low in carbs for a dry (13.5% according to the calculator). It's called GO! FIT + FREE Grain Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Recipe (http://www.petcurean.com/for-cats/go/fit-and-free-grain-free-chicken-turkey-duck), but is not readily available at all pet food stores. You may have to purchase it online. It is higher in fat, too, so you'd have to be careful about proportion control.

EVO used to make a high-protein, low carb dry food. Unfortunately, their products have all been recalled recently and haven't yet made it back on the shelves (at least not in my area).

Nature's Variety uses a novel carb - tapioca - in their dry formulas. And I think the carb content bounces around 17%. The chicken formula is highest in protein I think.

Of course, with all of this said, at some point you should try to introduce wet foods into their diet. Cats need the protein and moisture. Even if you buy just a couple of the small 3 oz. cans to try and only give them a small amount to start.