What Food ??? Smh

[nikon71]

Do you happen to have a cat specialist nearby? I am so glad we have a cat-only vet for our two!

I am looking around. The thing is I just hope they don't push these RX diets as well. I need alternatives. I don't want to feed Rey something for urinary measures and then develop skin/ear issues. Food is suppose to heal not harm

 

[lisahe]

Rawz looks great but pricey

I wish Rey ate only wet food. He is too used to the dry over the yrs. He is also very stubborn. (He gets that from me hehe jk) What doesn't make sense. He has urinary issues but feed him a dry diet??? Thankfully I am learning more on pet nutrition. Sounds like you have your fur babies on a good diet. =)

Yes, Rawz can get expensive. I bought a few cans today for $2.29 a can, which is fairly typical here. The cats seem to like it again and it's great food so I'm glad (sort of!) to feed it. I'm also glad they've started to like Sheba to balance that out a bit.

Our cats have tetchy stomachs so the diet is especially important. I'm glad we were able to get them off dry food fairly easily! (It took a month or two... they were stubborn, too, but first I started feeding it just at night, then I gradually decreased that as I increased the wet food and kept going until they were just getting a little sprinkle of kibble crumbs on their wet food. And then one night the cats and I forgot about dry food!)

Good luck with Rey, I hope you can find more foods that he likes! And do keep trying to reduce that dry food if you can, even if it's a little. Cats are strange: sometimes they'll just change their minds about their food.

 

[HPeters]

I am curious as to why you believe that the Hills diet is full of junk?

 

[Jem]

I am curious as to why you believe that the Hills diet is full of junk?

Here are the ingredients of their adult hairball (dry) food.

Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Gluten, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Lactic Acid, Fish Oil, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, L-Lysine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, Iodized Salt, L-Carnitine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Green Peas<(>,<)> Apples, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli, Beta-Carotene

Now you may notice that the first ingredient is chicken but the next two (which would equal together to more than the first alone), are not good.
Wheat and corn should not make up the majority of a cat's diet. And even the chicken meal is only 6th on the list. It also contains soy (a no no) and even more carbs and wheat products (beet pulp, wheat gluten) Even the chicken liver is just "flavor" not real liver. Oh and just because there wasn't enough, more carbs (peas).

Now, I'm not totally on the "grain free" band wagon for ALL cats, especially considering they simply replace it with other carbs like potatoes and peas, that many cats don't tolerate well either (well the peas anyway). But it should definitely NOT be the MAIN source of proteins and calories in your cats diet.

Is this the worst food I've ever seen? Nope. But it's definitely not high on my list.

***I'm not a nutrition expert by any means so my thoughts may not be "expressed" in the proper terms. I'm just quickly stating a few key points "in my opinion".***

 

[daftcat75]

Vet visits are pricey. If Rawz works or Fancy Feast for that matter, then go with that. You pay now or you pay later. A dozen years of dry food with my Krista and now it all seems to have caught up with her this past year. If I only knew, she'd have been a raw cat from the start. But Fancy Feast Classic pates are not a terrible food. Their other lines are junk with the gluten or starches but the Classics are good. From a species-appropriate ingredient perspective (e.g what you should be feeding a cat), Fancy Feast Classic beats Pride by Instinct, BFF, Weruva, or whatever else you were looking at. Of the foods mentioned in this thread, only Rawz is better than Fancy Feast Classic in my opinion.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Here are the ingredients of their adult hairball (dry) food.

Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Gluten, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Lactic Acid, Fish Oil, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, L-Lysine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, Iodized Salt, L-Carnitine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Green Peas<(>,<)> Apples, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli, Beta-Carotene

Now you may notice that the first ingredient is chicken but the next two (which would equal together to more than the first alone), are not good.
Wheat and corn should not make up the majority of a cat's diet. And even the chicken meal is only 6th on the list. It also contains soy (a no no) and even more carbs and wheat products (beet pulp, wheat gluten) Even the chicken liver is just "flavor" not real liver. Oh and just because there wasn't enough, more carbs (peas).

Now, I'm not totally on the "grain free" band wagon for ALL cats, especially considering they simply replace it with other carbs like potatoes and peas, that many cats don't tolerate well either (well the peas anyway). But it should definitely NOT be the MAIN source of proteins and calories in your cats diet.

Is this the worst food I've ever seen? Nope. But it's definitely not high on my list.

***I'm not a nutrition expert by any means so my thoughts may not be "expressed" in the proper terms. I'm just quickly stating a few key points "in my opinion".***

I agree with most of what you wrote, but just would like to add that I tend to avoid foods with "powdered cellulose" for my cat. Somehow, I just don't get wanting to feed a cat powdered wood pulp as a bulking agent or fiber. Sigh. A lot of hairball and weight control recipes have it -- it pretty much goes in the cat's mouth and out the other end; cats get no nutritional value from it.

 

[daftcat75]

I agree with most of what you wrote, but just would like to add that I tend to avoid foods with "powdered cellulose" for my cat. Somehow, I just don't get wanting to feed a cat powdered wood pulp as a bulking agent or fiber. Sigh. A lot of hairball and weight control recipes have it -- it pretty much goes in the cat's mouth and out the other end; cats get no nutritional value from it.

Not to be that guy (except I’m going to be that guy)...

That’s pretty much fiber’s job to pass through the cat unchanged. Whether it’s psyllium, pumpkin, or cellulose, fiber is meant to be indigestible bulking material that helps small stools become big enough stools to come out rather than staying in and getting smaller and drier. I prefer pumpkin myself (though Krista disagrees) because it also provides moisture. Bulk without moisture can become just as problematic as not enough bulk. If you don’t need to add bulk, then I’d go with Miralax which brings in the moisture without adding bulk.

 

[lisahe]

I prefer pumpkin myself (though Krista disagrees) because it also provides moisture. Bulk without moisture can become just as problematic as not enough bulk.

We put a little pumpkin in our cats' food for a while last summer (attempting to stave off hairballs) and our picky cat loved it!

 

[daftcat75]

The only way I can get Krista to eat pumpkin is the Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Tuna with Pumpkin. I give her an ounce once or twice a week like a treat. She thinks, “tuna!” and I’m giving it for the pumpkin.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Not to be that guy (except I’m going to be that guy)...

That’s pretty much fiber’s job to pass through the cat unchanged. Whether it’s psyllium, pumpkin, or cellulose, fiber is meant to be indigestible bulking material that helps small stools become big enough stools to come out rather than staying in and getting smaller and drier. I prefer pumpkin myself (though Krista disagrees) because it also provides moisture. Bulk without moisture can become just as problematic as not enough bulk. If you don’t need to add bulk, then I’d go with Miralax which brings in the moisture without adding bulk.

I know what fiber is, lol. You're not telling me anything I don't know already. (I have plenty of fiber input at TCS, if you search.)

I, too, prefer pumpkin to powdered cellulose, when extra fiber is desired.

 

[HPeters]

Here are the ingredients of their adult hairball (dry) food.

Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Gluten, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Lactic Acid, Fish Oil, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, L-Lysine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, Iodized Salt, L-Carnitine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Green Peas<(>,<)> Apples, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli, Beta-Carotene

Now you may notice that the first ingredient is chicken but the next two (which would equal together to more than the first alone), are not good.
Wheat and corn should not make up the majority of a cat's diet. And even the chicken meal is only 6th on the list. It also contains soy (a no no) and even more carbs and wheat products (beet pulp, wheat gluten) Even the chicken liver is just "flavor" not real liver. Oh and just because there wasn't enough, more carbs (peas).

Now, I'm not totally on the "grain free" band wagon for ALL cats, especially considering they simply replace it with other carbs like potatoes and peas, that many cats don't tolerate well either (well the peas anyway). But it should definitely NOT be the MAIN source of proteins and calories in your cats diet.

Is this the worst food I've ever seen? Nope. But it's definitely not high on my list.

***I'm not a nutrition expert by any means so my thoughts may not be "expressed" in the proper terms. I'm just quickly stating a few key points "in my opinion".***

Its understandable that the chicken meal is lower on the list since it is essentially dehydrated chicken. I know cats are carnivores and require a high protein content in their food, however that protein doesn't have to come from strictly meat- corn gluten meal is the protein that is in corn, soy also has high protein.
In the wild cats would get their starches from the stomach contents of whatever little rodent they caught so grains are always essential in a cats diet

 

[Jem]

I know cats are carnivores and require a high protein content in their food, however that protein doesn't have to come from strictly meat- corn gluten meal is the protein that is in corn, soy also has high protein.

Yes but WHERE the protein comes from, with an animal that is an obligate carnivore matters. How their bodies have evolved to metabolize proteins and all other nutrients is an important factor when deciding the quality and digestibility of their food. And even though, there is protein in what you mentioned, the amount of (for example) wheat, you would need to meet the nutritional requirement for protein is MUCH higher then if they got it from an animal source. So essentially you are adding way more carbs than they should get to meet those requirements.
And as I mentioned before, I'm not a totally grain free follower. I do understand that they do get plant based food by consuming the stomach contents of their prey, but tell me, how big are those stomachs compared to the rest of the animal? And also keep in mind that their pray do not ONLY consume grain. Their prey also consume bugs, seeds, grass, fruit, flowers, nuts etc... So were not even talking a full stomach of "grains". And corn is not an easy digestible source of food, even for humans.

And even if the corn gluten meal has been processed to the point where it is mostly protein and very little carbs....it has to have been processed to that point. That's not good either. We all (human and animal) need to start moving away from heavily processed foods.

 

[nikon71]

Just looking back on this thread and how I should have listened to my own instincts.

Rey will be crossing the rainbow bridge on Tuesday.
His arthritis is really bad. He is also in the beginning of kidney failure. He has been drinking so much water and going to
the box so much. (has to be painful for arthritis) His quality of life is so compromised and I have agonized over this decision and I feel it's the right thing to do for him

I believe the rx food is what caused the kidney issues. The foods were high in protein/phosphorus - that lead to kidney issues.
Looking at a list on Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline CKD
The fancy feast & RX food was high in both protein and phosphorus.

It's interesting the the Now Fresh I choose was low.