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-   -   What is the best cat food? (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=14061)

Chatito April 14th, 2005 03:06 PM

What is the best cat food?
 
When I adopted my kitty I got a "free" bag of food. She's a medium hair cat but the hair on her back is quite long so the lady told me to feed her Nutrience Elite (adult hairball control). She doesn't really like it though. I give her less than half cup and it can sit there for two days almost. She's drinks more than she eats.

Should I buy her another brand to see if she likes that one better? Do more commercial brands (Whiskas, Iams, etc.) offer less nutrients?

Chatito April 14th, 2005 03:12 PM

Oh, another thing...not related to the food.

Everytime she plays with her toys she starts meowing like she's calling other cats; probably because she would have playtime with the other cats at the shelter plus she was a mom and one of her kitties was there for adoption too. I play with her but she's still looking desperately for other cats. I think she can smell my friend's cat that we had here recently. It breaks my heart but I can't get another cat for her (I'm lucky I was able to get her to begin with). What else should I do to comfort her?

amber416 April 14th, 2005 03:26 PM

Foods like whiskas and Iams are not very good. Take a look at the first four ingredients and try to stay away from fillers like corn as well as animal by-products. If you did decide to switch your kitties food a couple of good brands are wellness and innova, among others. My cat eats Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul and she loves it! She was on Iams as a kitten and when I switched her over to CSFTCLS her coat changed a lot, it got much shinier and there was less shedding (she is also a medium hair cat).

happycats April 14th, 2005 04:21 PM

I use Performatrin (pet value brand) It' really good, I am also trying Kirkland (Cosco) brand, it is really cheap $10.00 for a 20LB bag! so far it seems pretty good !

Shamrock April 14th, 2005 04:57 PM

I use Go Natual and Felidae for my 3 cats.

As mentioned, the first four ingredients are the all important ones. Corn and by/products listed are indications of a less nutriitous food.
Corn is a very common ingredient in pet food - yet often not easily digested by many cats.

Here is a link to a comparison chart.. The foods listed are commonly considered to be "some" of the best available in a commercial food.
[url]http://cats.about.com/cs/nutrition/tp/premdrycatfood.htm[/url]

heeler's rock! April 14th, 2005 05:07 PM

We feed our 3 kitties Natural Balance dry food, and a tsp. of Wellness wet once a day. They love it!

Definitely try a higher quality food as we have a foster cat who is eating Whiskas, and her hair falls out in clumps. Her coat is also very dull and greesy! :yuck: We would feed her our cats food, but we spend enough with 3 cats eating it, that we can't afford to feed the foster this, although we do give her the Wellness wet food too. :D

CyberKitten April 14th, 2005 06:04 PM

I feed YY Wellness products. She arrived as a kitten with Hills Science diet but I gradualy changed her to Wellness stuff - Both brands are highly recommended but I like the variety in Wellness. Now and then, I even give her the occasional Fancy Feast.

I think most people on the Board are aware of Iam's horrible reputation - their food is not totally awful nutrionally (but certainly not the best) but the fact they conduct painful research on animals (many cats and dogs) makes me ill and I would never buy a single one of their products!

dogmelissa April 14th, 2005 08:50 PM

Oh please, enlighten me
 
Someone please send me proof of these "painful" animal tests that Iams does?


Without choosing a brand, I would recommend that whatever brand/type of food that you choose, that you try to get one with a hairball formula or at least one that has a higher percentage of fibre than a non-hairball formula one (check the ingredient listings).

I have 2 long-haired cats and one of them actually *pulls* her hair out at times (the vet said she has a similar cat that does the same thing so I don't worry about it). Both of them have been on a hairball diet for the 6 years that I've had them, and the only time I get hairballs in in the spring shed (like right now), and usually only one or two out of each of them. My third cat is short-haired and he used to be on a hairball formula, now he's on a Sensitive Stomach formula, but he's never had a hairball, ever.

The other alternatives include those gels that you can buy and feed to the cat periodically if you aren't satisfied with a hairball-formula food. If you give it to your cat regularly, she likely won't have hairballs at all, and it has the added benefit of working as a laxative if she ever gets constipated (worked like a dream for one of mine!).

Hope that helps... and hoping someone can enlighten me about Iams.

Melissa

CyberKitten April 14th, 2005 09:22 PM

Re Iams - are you suggesting our word is not good enough? Sorry, I am tired, a little cranky and there are a zillion videos out there documenting their abuse. It is what one would call general knowledge. No good pet owner uses Iams and when they see those videos and read the info, they stop. It is pretty horrific. The videos show dead beagles just laid on the floor and cats living in cages with lots of injuries and medical issues never treated. A FINE company, NOT!!

I am too tired to search for it now. You will have to take my word for it or find the documentation yourself. It is definitely ALL over the net and on web sites of rescue groups and other animal advocates. Actually, a search on THIS site will likwly bring it up because it has been discussed here often.

Prin April 14th, 2005 09:47 PM

[QUOTE]I think most people on the Board are aware of Iam's horrible reputation - their food is not totally awful nutrionally (but certainly not the best) but the fact they conduct painful research on animals (many cats and dogs) makes me ill and I would never buy a single one of their products![/QUOTE]
Are you just talking about the PETA thing or is there new proof? I just don't believe the PETA thing. It just doesn't check out.

CyberKitten April 14th, 2005 09:58 PM

I am not a fan of PETA. One has to take what they say with a grain of salt.

JDG April 15th, 2005 12:25 PM

I'm confused, I don't know where to shop!
 
I've been busy reading all these posts about Pet Food and Iams food, etc and I'm a little confused. . . . .

My family always had cats, and in two weeks my husband and I are getting two kittens of our own.

My question is [b]WHERE DO YOU GET THE FOOD YOU FEED YOUR PET[/b]

Surely,
Not from the grocery store (sells stuff like no name and Iams)
Not from the Vets (sells Science Diet)
Not from the local pet store (They sell animals, and I wouldn't want to support a store that probably gets animals from puppy mills)

Where's left? I want to make sure I have good food in stock before the kittens arrive.

Thanks for they help,


Joey

Writing4Fun April 15th, 2005 12:31 PM

When I lived in Montreal, we always bought our stuff at JE Mondou. :)

CyberKitten April 15th, 2005 12:39 PM

I buy Wellness at a pet store. One that does NOT sell puppies or kittens or other tiny beings. Fancy Feast I buy at the grocery store. I did read recently that one should not purchase cat food at a grocery store but it seems to me the occasional Fancy Feast won't kill her. (But FF is cheaper at WalMart and along with her dry stuff, it is sort of junkfood for her). I also find Wellness now and then at a health food store called Great Ocean on Quinpool Rd in Halifax. They also have some great chicken and rice kitty food ($1.99 for a tiny can tho) that she liked. (She is a diva - likes the good stuff, lol)

I also give her the occasional semi raw chicken heart. I decided raw presented a lttle too much danger of parisites and so I cook it just a bit before giving it to her. She loves them!

I do not feed any beef of any kind - too afraid of BSE - and I know the one in a million stat but I had a cousin (in Montreal) die of CJDvar, the new kind of CJD that is thought to be contracted from BSE tainted beef so I have not eaten any beef since -even tho I like the occasional steak, sigh! I also NEVER feed her any tuna cat food because of the danger from poisons and other toxins (mercury for ex) that have managed to get into tuna and obviously it affects a kitten's digestive system more profoundly than a human's. I do feed her the human version of tuna now and then. She is not that crazy about it. She does love lobster tho, lol

I think just time and your attention will help your cat overcome not having her feline playmates or her kittens. Mama cats usually manage to get over having their kittens out of the nest. YY's mom seemed to be glad to bid her adieu, - gave her a small kiss and it was byebye, lol

Prin April 15th, 2005 01:36 PM

[QUOTE=JDG]
Where's left? I want to make sure I have good food in stock before the kittens arrive.
[/QUOTE]

Look in the Yeller pages under "Pet Foods- retail". There are stored who sell just food. Like JE Mondou, Woofers, Le Croque en Bol, Le Reveille du maitre, Club k-9, etc. Mondou only carries the most popular brands though- ours doesn't have anything holistic or non-commercial. I go to Woofers on Sources. They are really knowledgeable and the lowest food they sell is Eukanuba, last time I looked. They have some CRAZY foods.

If you need addresses, I have a bunch.

Chatito April 15th, 2005 07:13 PM

Thanks, guys, you've been quite helpful. :thumbs up


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