Thinking of switching to Wellness Indoor

[mollie-boo]

Hi all!!! I am considering switching my medium haired, female cat (approximately 18 months) over to Wellness Complete Health Indoor. Mollie has had food issues since I got her from the HS when she was 8ks. old. I switched her from Pro Plan Kitten to Blue Buffalo Kitten and for the following three months she has severe gastrointestinal issues (loose, mushy stools). After exhausting every test, dewormer, probiotic, etc. at my vets suggestion/request, I decided to switch food. I gradually put her on Nutro Naturals Kitten and have since switched her over to the regular Adult (chicken formula, non-indoor). Her GI/bowel issue have improved greatly; she only has an episode once a month at the most I truly blame that on her fluffy hair (i.e., poop getting caught). She does have a problem with hairballs also. I would really appreciate your opinion and/or suggestions on a couple of questions:

1- Is Nutro Natural Adult Dry Food good or bad?
2- Is Wellness Complete Health Indoor a better option if her system will tolerate it?
3- Do you have any other foods you can recommend for cats who have a sensitive GI system but are still nutritionally good for them?

Thank you all for taking the time to read through this and respond!

 

[sharky]

Hi all!!! I am considering switching my medium haired, female cat (approximately 18 months) over to Wellness Complete Health Indoor. Mollie has had food issues since I got her from the HS when she was 8ks. old. I switched her from Pro Plan Kitten to Blue Buffalo Kitten and for the following three months she has severe gastrointestinal issues (loose, mushy stools). After exhausting every test, dewormer, probiotic, etc. at my vets suggestion/request, I decided to switch food. I gradually put her on Nutro Naturals Kitten and have since switched her over to the regular Adult (chicken formula, non-indoor). Her GI/bowel issue have improved greatly; she only has an episode once a month at the most I truly blame that on her fluffy hair (i.e., poop getting caught). She does have a problem with hairballs also. I would really appreciate your opinion and/or suggestions on a couple of questions:

1- Is Nutro Natural Adult Dry Food good or bad?Mostly good... Since her system is doing better with it for her it is GOOD

2- Is Wellness Complete Health Indoor a better option if her system will tolerate it?Not IMHO
3- Do you have any other foods you can recommend for cats who have a sensitive GI system but are still nutritionally good for them?
I normally use one meat one grain foods for cats with issues.... all mine have some and currently use a two meat two grain( grain s are rice and oats)


Would you like me to color code both foods for you?

 

[sharky]

IMHO generally I stay away from indoor foods as they normally are lower in fat... cat s digest protein and fat well but have limited ability to digest many carbs . Carbs are nessasary to keep the food together and in some GI cases aid in digestion...

 

[kylew]

I read that Indoor formulas are designed for less active cats. My guys are strictly indoor, but they are hardly less active. Sometimes I think I'm living inside a pinball machine!

I'm currently feeding a prescription dry food for Intestinal Sensitivity. It's very expensive. I tried switching them to Wellness Core and Natural Balance Chicken & Green Pea dry, but they wouldn't eat either. My next thought was Nutro but I was scared off by their recall history. Is that something I don;t have to worry about anymore?

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by KyleW

I read that Indoor formulas are designed for less active cats. My guys are strictly indoor, but they are hardly less active. Sometimes I think I'm living inside a pinball machine!

I'm currently feeding a prescription dry food for Intestinal Sensitivity. It's very expensive. I tried switching them to Wellness Core and Natural Balance Chicken & Green Pea dry, but they wouldn't eat either. My next thought was Nutro but I was scared off by their recall history. Is that something I don;t have to worry about anymore?

Recall s happen... Here is IMHO the thing... How many of our human foods have been recalled >?> Pet food recalls are few and far between..

But Nutro is one I no longer suggest for those who have needed an RX... They added wheat to the Natural choice line so IMHO it is no longer a good option for sensitive tummy's or allergies

 

[mollie-boo]

Thank you for the help!
Yes Sharky, I would love it if you would color code the ingredients.
Based on the addition of wheat to the Natural line, do you like Max better? She has done well for the most part with Nutro, I just know that it is not the best (nor the worst for that matter) of cat foods out there. My vet wanted her on SD, but we never went that way. I know Eukanuba also has a line for sensitive stomachs but again, I think we are back to mid-range foods.
Sharky, should I keep her on the Nutro but slowly add in a better food?
My main goal is to have her on nutritionally solid food that will also agree with her sensitive GI tract.
One more question

, is there anything that can help with hairballs? She looks like a ragdoll (she's a mix of things though), so we have that type of hair.
Again, thank you soooo much!!!!

 

[sharky]

This will be two post cause well my eyes wont allow it

...

You can mix ( I have found that worked best for sensitive ones)

IMHO Nutro is Light years ahead of Eukanuba and SD ... but yes it is a solid mid line ...

Max was designed for the UTI health ... Natural choice was not though it does meet the % guidelines for it ... Both now have wheat which IMHO makes them =.... Max does taste better..

I use butter for hairballs

Do you want me to color code the eukanuba? also

 

[mollie-boo]

Thanks Sharky!
No need for Eukanuba - I have tried my best to avoid both that and SD like the plague...even though my vet was unhappy with that choice

If I stick with Nutro, do you think Wellness Complete or Core would be a good add-in?

 

[sharky]

Realize I am not color codeing for the usual ingrediants but for what commonly cause s issues..

It is now called indoor adult but it was the Hairball for years
http://www.thenutrocompany.com/max-c...d-chicken.aspx

Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Wheat Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavors, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Rice Flour, Chicken, Tomato Pomace, Oat Fiber, Yeast Culture, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Menhaden Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Choline Chloride, Barley Malt, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Zinc Sulfate, Dried Cranberry, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Inositol, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, L-Carnitine, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Potassium Iodide, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Dried Blueberry, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

Crude Protein (min.) \t30.00%
Crude Fat (min.) \t15.00%
Crude Fiber (max.) \t4.00%
Moisture (max.) \t10.00%
Ash (max.) \t6.75%
Linoleic Acid (min.) \t4.00%This should be covering the hairballs
Magnesium (max.) \t0.09%
Zinc (min.) \t250 mg/kg
Vitamin E (min.) \t150 IU/kg
Taurine (min.) \t0.16%
Ascorbic Acid (min.)* \t18 mg/kg
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) (min.)* \t0.05%
L-Carnitine (min.)* \t50 mg/kg
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles.

 

[sharky]

I will code both...lol.. this is lots of posts

 

[sharky]

Blue buffalo kitten mostly to compare and contrast

http://bluebuffalo.com/products/cats...-chicken.shtml
Ingredients

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley Brown rice is Far less digestable; barley is wheat sister, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Salmon Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal (natural source of DHA-Docosahexaneoic Acid), Natural Chicken Flavor, Whole Potatoes, Peas, Dried Egg, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed (natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Fish Oil (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium .
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein \t36.0% min
Crude Fat \t20.0% min
Crude Fiber \t3.5% max
Moisture \t10.0% max
Magnesium \t0.04% min
Calcium \t1.0% min
Phosphorus \t0.9% min
Taurine \t0.15% min
Vitamin C * \t200 mg/kg min
DHA * \t0.2% min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* \t0.5% min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* \t4.0% minshould cover the hairballs but if sensitive to something may not

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles.

 

[sharky]

http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/produ...21#ingredients
indoor first
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Rice, Ground Barley, Ground Rice, Whitefish Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Oat Fiber, Chicken Liver, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Cranberries, Olive Oil, Chicory Root Extract, Cranberry Extract Powder, Cranberry Fiber, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Beta&ampampampshyCarotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, L-Carnitine, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophil us, Taurine, Rosemary Extract.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein \tNot Less Than \t30.0%
Crude Fat \tNot Less Than \t12.0%
Crude Fiber \tNot More Than \t5.0%
Moisture \tNot More Than \t11.0%
Ash \tNot More Than \t6.5%
Magnesium \tNot More Than \t0.098%
Vitamin E \tNot Less Than \t300 IU/kg
Taurine \tNot Less Than \t0.2%
L-Carnitine* \tNot Less Than \t100 mg/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acid* \tNot Less Than \t3.00 %
Omega 3 Fatty Acid* \tNot Less Than \t0.50 %
Glucosamine Hydrochloride* \tNot Less Than \t400 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate* \tNot Less Than \t300 mg/kg
Total Micro-Organisms* \tNot Less Than \t80,000,000 CFU/lb

 

[kylew]

Originally Posted by sharky

But Nutro is one I no longer suggest for those who have needed an RX... They added wheat to the Natural choice line so IMHO it is no longer a good option for sensitive tummy's or allergies

In the end I decided to leave well enough alone. It was only about saving a few bucks anyway. They both eat the RC Gastrointestinal HE, and my little IBD guy is thriving lately. So I'll go to Starbucks a little less often

Thanks for the info.

 

[sharky]

Core


Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Potatoes, Salmon Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor. Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Tomato Pomace, Cranberries, Chicory Root Extract, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Rosemary Extract.

This is a naturally preserved product.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein \tNot Less Than \t50.0%
Crude Fat \t
Not Less Than
\t
18.0%
Crude Fiber \t
Not More Than
\t
3.0%
Moisture \t
Not More Than
\t
11.0%
Calcium \t
Not More Than
\t1.8%
Phosphorus \tNot More Than \t1.45%
Magnesium \t
Not More Than
\t
0.10%
Vitamin E \tNot Less Than \t400 IU/kg
Taurine \t
Not Less Than
\t
0.3%
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)* \tNot Less Than \t200 mg/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acid* \t
Not Less Than
\t
3.50 %
Omega 3 Fatty Acid* \t
Not Less Than
\t0.80 %
Total Micro-Organisms* \tNot Less Than \t90,000,000 CFU/lb

 

[mollie-boo]

Thank you again Sharky! This really helps me!
If I stick with the Natural Choice, would you recommend adding wet into her diet in lieu of mixing with a higher quality dry? If so, any suggestions of a wet that works well for sensitive tummies?

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by mollie-boo

Thank you again Sharky! This really helps me!
If I stick with the Natural Choice, would you recommend adding wet into her diet in lieu of mixing with a higher quality dry? If so, any suggestions of a wet that works well for sensitive tummies?

Wet IS a Great addition... I would avoid ones with any grains in the first four to five ingredients... if you have one with grain look for rice and oats ... single meat would be best IMHO.. You can find these anywhere from Walmart to the Botique stores( ie price will vary widely)... I would suggest only buying two can s of any flavor till you know the reaction