Science Diet vs. Instinct

[Stacia_Powers7056]

Which is best? I have tried to do my research but am still getting mixed reviews. My vet recommends Science Diet and says my cats need grains. Everything I’ve read about Instinct sounds great but it’s grain free. I’m trying to feed my cats the best possible food. Would you guys choose Science Diet or Instinct? Or is there a brand you find far superior to both of these, I’d love to hear!

 

[She's a witch]

I wouldn't feed so called Science Diet to my cats even if they paid me to I'm guessing your Vet's office sells this brand?

I don't mind Instinct, my cats love some of their flavours, but I'm still to make peace with montmorillonite clay they add. Still, they don't use gums which is a plus. I also dig out peas and carrots from the can whenever I see them to diminish the veggie's amount. Otherwise, it's good food.

The brand I really like is Rawz, no gums and good ingredients. Others high quality canned I can recommend, although with gums, are: Hound&Gatos, Dr Elsey, Essence, Koha, Pure Vita, Kiwi. For occasional fish feast they love Kaikoa. Some of these brands will send you free generous samples if you ask them.

But if you're looking for best possible food, you may be interested in the raw feeding subforum, plenty of knowledge and experts there if you'd like to try this path.

 

[Kieka]

Why does your vet say cats need grains?

Cats are obligated carnivores, their entire evolution revolves around eating meat. They don't even naturally produce some amino acids anymore because they eat so much animal protein. Cats need a diet that is high protein, moderate fat and low carb. That is what they are designed for and do best on. Grains are carbs and carbs lead to diabetes, weight retention and other health problems.

Most vets aren't diet savvy and some aren't even cat savvy. I'd go with natures variety and get a new vet who knows cats better. My vet is a cat specialist and ONLY sees cats, she recommends a wet diet with low carbs.

 

[kittyluv387]

Neither. Both are over priced for what they are for dry food. Instinct for wet food is just a scam because they charge so much but put inferior ingredients like pea protein in their foods. Nope if I'm spending that much it's gonna be protein from meat.

 

[maggie101]

No to science diet. Instinct ok but not super
Check out catfooddb.com for a better explanation

 

[lisahe]

Neither. Both are over priced for what they are for dry food. Instinct for wet food is just a scam because they charge so much but put inferior ingredients like pea protein in their foods. Nope if I'm spending that much it's gonna be protein from meat.

Exactly! Lots of cats don't like Instinct anyway: ours don't. I used to feed it occasionally, picking out the peas and carrots, but the cats didn't like it nearly enough to make it worth the money. And I also wouldn't feed Science Diet.

Our cats' wet foods include Tiki (which they've loved, then hated, now love again), Sheba pates (reasonably priced and pretty decent food), Miko (Chewy's knockoff of Tiki), Weruva BFF pates (very smooth, a lot like Sheba), and one kind of Chewy's Tiny Tiger (a sort of Fancy Feast knockoff, a dry pate I add water to). The bulk of their diet, though, is commercial raw and homemade cooked foods. I feel the best about their homemade cooked foods, which they absolutely love.

Our cats' list of forbidden ingredients includes carrageenan, agar agar (they both vomit from it), fish in any quantity, grains, peas, potatoes (one vomits from it), and legumes. IMO, "the best possible food" doesn't include any vegetable-based protein. It's also pretty low in carbs: our vet would disagree with your vet on the grains, Stacia_Powers7056 ! If you want to read more about why, check out Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats. -- it's a vet-written site with a lot to say about feline nutrition. (Our vet recommends it, too!)

 

[Bobsk8]

Nothing Science diet makes is any good, cat or dog.

 

[molly92]

Another vote for "anything but Science Diet" here! So many cheap carbohydrate fillers in that food. Anecdotal, but we had a dog on SD for years per the vet's recommendation, and he had so much trouble with skin allergies and weight gain. It was expensive and we thought we were feeding the best, but it never helped (maybe caused issues?) and looking at the ingredients, it makes sense.

Vets are really scared of recommending anything without grain right now because of the FDA investigation into grain free foods in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy. In my opinion, it's a huge leap to say that dogs need grain in order to prevent cardiomyopathy (the problem isn't the absence of grain, but the absence of taurine, which is found naturally in meat, but I can discuss that for days).

But that's neither here nor there with cats, because cats aren't dogs. Cats aren't having those problems. They used to, before minimum levels of taurine were required for cat food, but now dilated cardiomyopathy is very rare in cats. Whether or not a cat food contains grain is not really the issue.

Cats need as much animal protein as possible, and as little plant material as possible. They don't digest starches well, so keeping the amount of wheat, corn, potatoes, peas, tapioca, and rice low and the amount of animal meat high is important. It's hard to find a food without any plants at all, so I make judgement calls and make sure that if those ingredients are present, they're low on the list. Limiting fish is a good idea too because over a lifetime, a fish diet is linked to more health problems. And wet or raw food is hugely important for kidney health (instead of dry food).

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

IMO.. Neither. Look into getting something as high quality as tiki cat or you can look into doing homeade raw or cooked.

 

[Stacia_Powers7056]

Thanks everyone for your advice, it’s much appreciated! I’ve decided on getting Tiki Cat and see if my cats like it. Please feel free to comment what brand your cat eats!