So Much Conflicting Info Out There...

[VOXLEO]

I am at my wits end trying to figure out what to feed my cats. It seems that for every single claim that some ingredient or other is just AWFUL, there is a counter claim that it is just fine. For every ratings site that evaluates some brands as high quality, there is at least one that puts that same brand as not so good. I don't know where to turn to find trustworthy information anymore.

I find it really ironic that years ago I didn't care, and assumed everything was fine, and had a cat that lived to be 21 despite her indoor/outdoor lifestyle without a sick day in her life after surviving being bit through the skull as a kitten by the dog across the street! She ate large DOG kibble for the most part, with a rare treat being the occasional box of actual CAT food such as Meow mix or Tender Vittles. Now I am scrutinizing everything ever since that massive pet food debacle in 2007, but nothing is ever simple enough to figure out without getting a Phd in feline nutrition and a completely transparent ingredient list and sources from each manufacturer.

At this point, I am looking to feed a variety of brands and flavors so that I'm not dependent on any one thing to be complete for the kitties, and just trying to avoid complete junk food without spending a fortune. How does anyone make sense of the vast amount of misinformation out there? Even some of the dedicated and supposedly unbiased review sites are baffling in their conclusions, which makes everything suspect and overwhelming. I feel like I have to do a new research project every few months when the cats stop liking something that had been staple before or some brand changes hands in a merger.

All of this concern started when I got a diagnosis of kidney issues on the last kitty, and I am starting to wish I had never learned anything at all about any of it. It seems like it doesn't matter what I give them I am bound to feel like something is killing them and its all my fault. I try to consider the source whenever I read something, but even the so called experts can't seem to agree about how to choose a quality food. I don't know what to think except that maybe nature will help balance things out by them hunting outside as it seemed to be the case with my first cat.

The dogs I worry about a little less, as at least there is some consensus and consistency across the reviews and ratings for dog foods, maybe because they can tolerate more omnivorous diets? But the cat foods are shrouded in mystery and frustration for me. I am so stressed out just trying to figure out how to keep them from starving to death because nothing that is available is safe. Is there any comparable site that does cat food as thoroughly as the dog food advisor website does dog food? I really like that they explain why each food gets the rating it does, unlike catfooddb, which can seem highly inconsistent in their conclusions even within review of one product. I cannot fathom why Lotus is considered so below average a brand there, while it is consistently a top tier (and high priced) brand by other measures?

What are we to do to make sense of anything?

 

[Azazel]

Catinfo.org

 

[kittyluv387]

What A Azazel said!

 

[KarenKat]

When I started learning about cat food I read What Cats Should Eat by Dr Jean Hofve. What Cats Should Eat – Little Big Cat

It helped me understand why certain ingredients are not considered good, and what resources say that. She has a list of preferred brands and a lot of detail on other aspects of nutrition.

I’ll warn you she is very strict with her criteria, but for me it was a good guide to stick to until I could read a cat food label and understand if I was comfortable feeding that brand or flavor.

For me, my guidelines for wet food includes:
Named meat as first ingredient after moisture
No peas, wheat, corn, soy, potato or other plant proteins
No really unnecessary additives
Minimal veggies
High protein, med fat, low carbs
Only one or two cans in my rotation should include carrageenan or agar-agar

It really does make you crazy. I think indoor/outdoor cats are so healthy because they supplement their diets with live prey and get lots of exercise. But us indoor cat owners have to be choosy with foods within budget to make sure it’s species appropriate. That’s my take anyway.

 

[lisahe]

Yes to both those sites! And yes to KarenKat 's list. Those are my basic criteria, too, with two amendments: no starchy veggies (instead of "minimal") and I almost never feed anything with carrageenan or agar-agar. Lots of what we feed is homemade food, just meat with a premixed supplement.

As for this:

I cannot fathom why Lotus is considered so below average a brand there, while it is consistently a top tier (and high priced) brand by other measures?

First off, for lots of us, the criteria are driven by our cats' digestive systems. Some cats can live long lives eating the cheapest, most grain-filled dry food plus a few years of fish-based canned food -- that's the story of how we fed our last cat. We didn't know better. She lived to be at least seventeen, though probably would have lived longer had her on-and-off digestive ailments been properly diagnosed when they first appeared. What I learned about feline nutrition -- starting with those two sites -- in her last months came in handy for the two cats we have now. There's been barfing, diarrhea, lack of appetite... but they do great with a meaty, all wet, high-protein, low-carb diet. Cats just aren't made to eat vegetables; carby vegetables don't belong in cat food.

Second, price isn't always (or often?) linked to quality, at least based on the criteria our two cats give us. Ziwi Peak, for example, is very expensive food but, for example, their chicken food has chickpeas and I absolutely refuse to feed legumes to the cats. Although I have a lot of problems with the cat food database site's conclusions, I couldn't even feed Lotus juicy foods (at least the chicken or pork) because they have potato, which makes one of our cats barf. I looked at the chicken and pork pates, too, which have agar-agar (I don't trust that or carrageenan) plus carrots and potato. Another no can do. For our cats, Fancy Feast or Sheba pates are a far better choice (despite the synthetic vitamin K, which I also don't really trust) because there's no vegetable matter to make Edwina barf. Clearly I have no problem whatsoever feeding some foods with byproducts, which many people scoff at. (Dr. Pierson of catinfo.org has no problem with them, either.) We feed a range of everything from those two foods to two kinds of homemade to Stella & Chewy's frozen raw medallions. The cheaper foods balance the budget hit of the frozen raw food; I think the homemade is the best for the cats' health. Everything about this is a balancing act. Figuring out Cat Catering's current menu took some time.

I could go on and on but won't! The big thing is to not get too stressed, despite all the claims and choices, not to mention your cat's preferences. Start with something easy to find: depending on your cat's health, digestive system, and preferences, plus your budget, you might find that Fancy Feast or Sheba or even homemade is a better choice than Ziwi Peak or Lotus, though of course there are plenty of other foods that lie somewhere in between.

Good luck and welcome to the Cat Site!

 

[KarenKat]

no starchy veggies (instead of "minimal")

To clarify minimal veggies (and fruit I should have added) only referred to the weird things like spinach, blueberries, pomegranate!?, green beans etc that aren’t starchy. I also avoid potato, corn, peas entirely. I’m sometimes lazy on carrots lol.

 

[mizzely]

My focuses

Wet
High protein
Moderate fat
Low carbs
Fits my budget
Cat likes it
Cat does well on it

The rest of it I don't pay attention to.

 

[kittyluv387]

Lotus is expensive but has a ton of carb. Might as well be wet dry food.

 

[tabbytom]

I am at my wits end trying to figure out what to feed my cats. It seems that for every single claim that some ingredient or other is just AWFUL, there is a counter claim that it is just fine. For every ratings site that evaluates some brands as high quality, there is at least one that puts that same brand as not so good. I don't know where to turn to find trustworthy information anymore.

Here, maybe you can go through this thread that's complied by two of our dedicated members :-

check-this-out-chart-for-cat-food-ingredients.394476

 

[VOXLEO]

Thanks - all helpful for some much needed perspective.

My focuses

Wet
High protein
Moderate fat
Low carbs
Fits my budget
Cat likes it
Cat does well on it

The rest of it I don't pay attention to.

This is probably really solid advice, though I do check ingredients for protein boosters vs actual meat content as well. It's just I've grown so untrusting of corporate shenanigans, I am paranoid of poisoning my pets. They are my kiddos, and I hate to think I am not doing all I can (within reason) to ensure they are happy and healthy. Not to mention avoidance of vet bills that have seemingly gotten a lot more like human medical expenses lately! Literally I go through this every three or four months ...