Looking for an updated opinion on fish based foods

[xcourtney3]

It's been a while since I've looked up food issues and thought I'd post to see if opinions have changed. I'm currently feeding 4health indoor adult formula to my cats and it is working great. 4Health now offers a grain free formula, but it is fish based. I have a male and a female, and the male has a history of 2 stress related urine crystal issues. I was previously told that grain free is not a good option for cats with a history of cystitis and also that fish based formulas for male cats is bad.

Here's ingredient lists for both.

4Health Indoor Adult

Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, egg product, ground rice, powdered cellulose, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), salmon, potatoes, millet, natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, ocean fish meal, sodium bisulfate, potassium chloride, DL-methionine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, dried kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberries, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein 32.0% (min.), Crude Fat 14.0% (min.), Crude Fiber 8.0% (max.), Moisture 10.0% (max.), Magnesium 0.1% (max.), Zinc 120-mg/kg (min.), Selenium 0.4 mg/kg (min.), Vitamin E 150 IU/kg (min.), Taurine 0.1% (min.), Omega-6 Fatty Acids 2.2% (min.)*, Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.4% (min.)*

4Health Grain Free Whitefish, Potato, and Pea

Ingredients:
Whitefish, Fish Meal, Salmon Meal, Turkey Meal, Whole Potato, Dried Peas, Pea Protein, Tapioca, Poultry Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Egg Product, Turkey, Natural Flavor, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Whole Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Dried Carrots, Choline Chloride, Dried Cranberry, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Fish Meal, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Cobalt Sulfate, Potassium Iodide.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min) 35.0%, Crude Fat (min) 18.0%, Crude Fiber (max) 3.0%, Moisture (max) 10.0%, Zinc (min) 120 mg/kg, Selenium (min) 0.4 mg/kg, Vitamin E (min) 300 IU/kg, Taurine (min) 0.1%, *Omega-6 (min) 3.0%, *Omega-3 (min) 0.5%

Any opinions?

 

[cprcheetah]

Grain free is actually an excellent choice for bladder kitties as carbohydrates can aid crystal formation.  And no fish isn't a good choice, it should be fed sparingly.  http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/

 

[xcourtney3]

How would grain free affect weight?/How does high protein affect weight? My cats need to lose a few pounds.

 

[vball91]

Cats being obligate carnivores are geared toward a diet that is high in animal protein / moderate fat / low to no carbs. While grain free is better than most, it can sometimes just be a marketing label with starchy vegetables taking the place of grains and still having too high a carb content. Wet food is much better than dry, especially for cats prone to urinary issues. Moisture helps keep the system flushed out. Www.catinfo.org is a site written by a vet that has a lot of great info on feline nutrition.

 

[raintyger]

Grain-free is GOOD for crystal kitties, not bad! Actually, what vball91 said is more accurate--it is the carbs, including ingredients like potatoes and veggies, that are bad. Grains are perhaps worse than a lot of the other carbs since they can cause allergies.

By the ingredient list I'll assume you're feeding dry. Dry is especially bad for kitties when considering UTIs. Feeding dry puts the cat in a state of chronic dehydration, which leans towards crystal/stone formation because the urinary tract isn't getting flushed out as much when compared to wet. Dry food also makes the urine pH more alkaline. Alkaline urine is prone to struvite crystal and stone formation. Protein acidifies the urine naturally, and wet food has more protein than dry.

Grain affects weight by encouraging weight gain. Higher protein will make the kitties leaner. On this website there's a lot of people who ask why their cat isn't losing weight, even on the weight loss formulas. Weight loss formulas are lower in calories, but higher in carbs. Mostly they are a marketing gimmick. When the members switch their kittes to a wet or raw food diet, the cat loses weight appropriately. Raw food especially is known to build more muscular, lean kitties.

 

[saveoldcats]

Grain-free is great as long as there isn't a bunch of fruit and veges instead. Cats can't digest plant matter very well and they just add more carbs. The recommendation for senior cats is at least 50% of calories from high quality protein and less than 10% calories from carbs. Catinfo.org has a spreadsheet where the content by weight on can is converted to percentage of calories. If you eliminate any fish-based food, I found less than 10 cans of food that meet the requirements. Many of the expensive foods are less than 30% calories from protein and almost 70% calories from Fat.

The reason fish should be avoided is contaminants from ocean and the fact that ocean fish are high in iodine--the suspected cause of hyperthyroidism in cats. Hills Science diet has a new prescription food that is iodine deficient called y/d that brings cat thyroid hormone down to normal in 3 months. Unfortunately the food is very low in meat protein and has grain and gluten. So may treat hyper-t but poor nutrition.

Dr. Mark Peterson, vet endocrinologist, says the only way to get low iodine meat is to raise the animals yourself and make sure they are fed iodine-free food. Most poultry and red meat animals are actually fed iodine in their diet so their meat has iodine.

Check out the foods a person is to avoid before thyroid scans. Those are high in iodine. No fish, no dairy, no eggs, no cheese, etc.

I'm wondering if range-fed or organic chicken or turkey might be low iodine. I want to make a food for my 16-year-old cat just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.