Ottawa- cat food stores

[embean]

Hello,

I'm looking to switch my cat to a grain-free dry food. I feed her wellness cans (most of which are grain free) but I believe their dry food still has grain in it.
I've posted a couple of times here, and always assumed this forum was american, but I see it's Canadian now, which is brilliant!
Does anyone live in Ottawa? What are the best places to buy pet food? I've been going to Global & Berry's on 4th ave.

My internet research has narrowed me to a few choices.
- Innova Evo
- Nature's Variety- Instinct
- Merrick before grain
- Horizon legacy.

It's hard to get pricing information online though (due to few online Canadian retailers) so I think that might be the deciding factor. But which store has the best prices? Has anyone had luck with the Sandy Hill co-op?

Global & Berry's seem to be a bit pricey- usually at least a couple of dollars more than other places (Pet Circus on bank actually has pretty good prices, but not very good selection).

Opinions?

[Macomom]

Hello Embean,

I have great luck with the Sandy Hill Co-Op. If they don't have something in stock, they will order it, call you and keep it until you can come and get it. Membership is $15.00 and you typically get 3-4 dollars off per large bag of food. Does not take long to make back your membership money.
We have them sourcing a few treats for us, since we are looking for products that are made in the US/Canada. My only complaint is that parking is tough around the store, but that is quite minor really. And usually someone will offer to carry your food out for you if needed.
Hope this helps.

[embean]

I think Global has a buy 10 bags, get 1 free. Depending on your food it could work out well.

But, I'd rather support an independent place like Sandy Hill, and if their customer service is that great, then even moreso.

[dartfrog]

Originally Posted by embean

Hello,



My internet research has narrowed me to a few choices.
- Innova Evo
- Nature's Variety- Instinct
- Merrick before grain
- Horizon legacy.


Opinions?

A little off topic but did you look into Origen? its made in Canada and with all fresh ingredients (and is grain free)

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by embean

I'm looking to switch my cat to a grain-free dry food. I feed her wellness cans (most of which are grain free) but I believe their dry food still has grain in it.

Any possibility you'd consider eliminating the kibble and feeding only wet? The problem with feeding cats dry food goes beyond just the grain issue: there's the fact that it's only 10% (or less) moisture, when cats should be eating foods with 60-80% moisture to maintain bladder and kidney health; the fact that it's highly processed and still requires starch (in the form of potato or tapioca - not appropriate ingredients for cats) to maintain the kibble shape; and finally, because kibble, contrary to popular belief, is NOT good for feline dental health - their teeth are designed for tearing into flesh, not grinding crunchy nuggets. If it's a matter of wanting to let your cat free-feed, it's truly not a problem to leave canned food out for many hours.

[embean]

Originally Posted by dartfrog

A little off topic but did you look into Origen? its made in Canada and with all fresh ingredients (and is grain free)

That's another one I was considering. The thing that throws me off is the inclusion of so much "random stuff." Keep it simple?

[embean]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Any possibility you'd consider eliminating the kibble and feeding only wet? The problem with feeding cats dry food goes beyond just the grain issue: there's the fact that it's only 10% (or less) moisture, when cats should be eating foods with 60-80% moisture to maintain bladder and kidney health; the fact that it's highly processed and still requires starch (in the form of potato or tapioca - not appropriate ingredients for cats) to maintain the kibble shape; and finally, because kibble, contrary to popular belief, is NOT good for feline dental health - their teeth are designed for tearing into flesh, not grinding crunchy nuggets. If it's a matter of wanting to let your cat free-feed, it's truly not a problem to leave canned food out for many hours.

Yes, that might be a direction I'm heading in. My biggest consideration is that, my cat doesn't seem to LIKE wet food. Whenever I give her some, she only eats maybe 1 tsp a day. And, I've tried different flavours, etc. So I'd be skeptical of taking away dry food, because I wouldn't want her to starve or something. I'm sure she'd eat more of it if she had no choice. But when the cat seems to prefer dry food? Anyway, I at least want to move to a higher-quality dry food for now, because you may remember my Science Diet post you chimed into.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by embean

Yes, that might be a direction I'm heading in. My biggest consideration is that, my cat doesn't seem to LIKE wet food. Whenever I give her some, she only eats maybe 1 tsp a day.

Right, that's a common problem with cats, partly because cat's food preferences are set very early in life, and also because pet food companies coat dry food with various flavour enhancers in order to enforce that addiction. It can take lots of time and patience to transition a kibble addict over to wet food, but it is well worth the effort. I would start by leaving canned food out all day and feeding dry food only twice a day, picking it up after a certain amount of time. Gradually feed less and less dry, or pick it up earlier and earlier. You can pulverize some of the dry and sprinkle it on top of the canned to make it more familiar. More tips can be found here: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitionin...o_Canned_Food_

[embean]

Just for interestingness' sake...
Comparisions of grain-free prices from Sandy Hill co-op prices (keeping in consideration the membership fee)

Orijen- $6.42/kg
Horizon legacy- approx. $6.79/kg
Innova evo- $8.00/kg
Merrick before grain-- $9.00/kg
Wellness core- $11/kg

Prices based on largest size bag available (usually means cheaper unit price).

Not that price = quality, or that this is going to make my decision, I just thought it was interesting to look at after the math, so decided to post it here.

[embean]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Right, that's a common problem with cats, partly because cat's food preferences are set very early in life, and also because pet food companies coat dry food with various flavour enhancers in order to enforce that addiction. It can take lots of time and patience to transition a kibble addict over to wet food, but it is well worth the effort. I would start by leaving canned food out all day and feeding dry food only twice a day, picking it up after a certain amount of time. Gradually feed less and less dry, or pick it up earlier and earlier. You can pulverize some of the dry and sprinkle it on top of the canned to make it more familiar. More tips can be found here: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitionin...o_Canned_Food_

I think a big problem, something I've seen with other cats as well, is that she doesn't know HOW to eat the wet food yet, she will usually lick it for as long as possible before chewing it, and then she gets "peanut butter on roof of mouth" face. I'd probably give up, too, if it took that much effort!

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by embean

I think a big problem, something I've seen with other cats as well, is that she doesn't know HOW to eat the wet food yet, she will usually lick it for as long as possible before chewing it, and then she gets "peanut butter on roof of mouth" face. I'd probably give up, too, if it took that much effort!

Most cats lick up wet food rather than chew it. As long as they're actually ingesting it and not just pushing it around the plate, that shouldn't be a problem. You can add a tsp or two of warm water to help her lap it up better. I'd also suggest feeding some raw chunks of meat if you can, so that her jaws and teeth get a bit of a workout.