Still Confused ... Cat Food

[kit1469]

okay so after looking through tons of threads i have decided that i want to keep my cats on dry food ( yes i know its not the best for them) and then supplement it with soft food everyday (and possibly some raw stuff too .. though i tried that and they licked it a little and walked away) .. im currently on whiskas wich i have found out is apparently REALLY bad for them .. i have called the local grocerys and have some idea of the brands that are available in my town .. ive also looked up these brands on google .. i was just wondering what u guys would recomend out of what is available to me ..


Co-op <were very UN- helpfull for the record .. >

- Friskies < not much information found on this one >
- Whiskas < no thanks>
-Co-op Generic brand < no information found >

Extra Foods < quite helpfull >

-Purina < checked out thier website .. seems to have alot of information on everything from nutrition ( not thier facts tho) to behaviour and care .. maybe a good sign??>
- Iams <not a whole lot of info found>
- Multiple generic brands <...??? >
- Friskies < ^ >
-Whiskas < ^ >

IGA < Verry helpfull - Dont carry much tho>

-Compliments < heard alot of good things on forums .. first page on website ... HUGE list of recalls .. not likeing that>
-Purina < ^ >
- Whiskas < ^ >
- Multiple Generic Brands < ^ >

i was hopeing for any recomendations or information on these brands in both wet and dry foods so that i can make a informed and good desision for my darlings ... also recomendations on raw food "treats" i could give my kitties (and a way to get them to eat it) .. as well as regular treats .. i no its alot to ask .. im just trying to learn all i can to keep my loved ones stay healthy thanks

[Frenchy]

I think you should just pick the best of the worst , within the same brand , you can find some flavors that aren't so bad (look at each flavor's ingredients , sometimes they're different). Sugarcatmom once posted about some of the Fancy feast wet food was not so bad. So now I buy some of those , the ones without by-product. (I'll try to find her post with the different flavors for you) and for the kibble , if you have access to a Costco , the Kirkland kibble for cats is affordable. That's what I use , I mix the kibble and the wet food and some water. My cats love it and I feel they're getting the water they need.

[Frenchy]

Found it !

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=47128&page=2

read post #38 , there's a link.

[kit1469]

thanx for the advice but the only brands & stores i have access to are the ones above... any other big stores are an hour drive a way and since i dont have a car a $200 bus trip .. which isnt really an option ..

[sugarcatmom]

Canned Fancy Feast is Purina and would be available at any grocery store. If you can't get a better dry than the ones you listed, I wouldn't feed dry at all.

[phoozles]

Friskies can be okay - your main goal when looking at ingredients is a large portion of meat first - either a solid meat (i.e. Chicken) or a 'meal' (I.e. turkey meal). Stay away from anything that has a by-product or grain listed first.

Ideally you want a food that has a few meat options before grains are mentioned. If you're getting wet food, stick with pate style - but again, keep your eye on those ingredients. Each flavor is different, so you'll need to look at each one individually.

Usually grocery stores DO carry Fancy Feast - you might find that when you get there, but if not, I would go for Friskies - they are the next closest I've found to have somewhat decent ingredients, for the price.

Typically even the WORST wet food is better for your cat than any type of dry food.

Do you not have any smaller pet stores near you (i.e. Pet Valu, etc)? You'll find a much better selection there..

[phoozles]

Sorry, didn't mean to repeat sugarcatmom - we had a simultaneous posting going on there..

[rainbow]

I agree with sugarcatmom and phoozles....none of those listed are worth recommending. Where abouts in Saskatchewan do you live?

[kit1469]

i live in a tiny town called nipawin .. we have a home page on the internet if u want to check it out .. >> www.nipawin.com PA (the biggest city closest to us) is MUCH to far away ... i believe that the dry food above are basically the only ones here ... its even hard to get litter here (they dont get much in and run out of stock .. ALOT) i really want to keep them on dry food as well just because they are used to having food down ALL the time .. and i dont want to do that with the soft because we live in a basement apartment and have problems with ants in warm weather .. and i dont know if they would continue to eat the soft food if its there all the time .. i want them to see it as a daily "treat" because they are REALLY picky lol .. thanx for all the replay so far .. i will definately be looking into the fancy feast food.. if its the same a purina then would that dry food be at least a lil better than what they are on now??

[rainbow]

What about .....

Nipawin Pet Centre
338-1st Ave. East
Nipawin, Sask.
862-3191

[kit1469]

closed down about 6 months ago ... and it wasnt that good anyway lol

[rainbow]

Do you still have two vets there? We live in a small town and the vets here bring in premium quality food for those that want it. The vets there can do it because the distributor that brings in the other stuff they sell can get it for them. Maybe all you have to do is ask?

[kit1469]

the one vet in town has a reputation for being horribly crule with animals :sad: i wont go anywhere near it .. the others are nice enough and are who told me i should change my food in the first place but they want me to go on a vet brand and are just a family run organization .. in short they dont do things like that..

[phoozles]

Have you thought about ordering food online? I believe someone posted here not too long ago about a site that had all kinds of pet food at affordable prices that you could get delivered... ? I'll see if I can track it down.

[rainbow]

Good idea Phoozles. I know there's lots of on-line places in the States but can't remember what Canada has.

[kit1469]

definately a good idea but you need a credit card right ??

[phoozles]

You typically do need a credit card - I can't seem to track down the thread

www.petsmart.com is the US based, but they ship to Canada, and they have a "Bill Me Later" option, so I think you might be able to avoid the credit card system.. ?

Otherwise a google search might lead you in the right direction..

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by kit1469

i really want to keep them on dry food as well just because they are used to having food down ALL the time .. and i dont want to do that with the soft because we live in a basement apartment and have problems with ants in warm weather

What you need is The Anster! Or you could make something similar yourself by putting the cat dish inside another shallow dish of water. The other thing you can do is get an automatic feeder along the lines of this one: http://www.autopetfeeder.com/p_bowl.asp

Originally Posted by kit1469

.. and i dont know if they would continue to eat the soft food if its there all the time .. i want them to see it as a daily "treat" because they are REALLY picky lol ..

Pickiness can be overcome. Believe me, my cat's middle name is Picky-pants. Seriously, for the health and well-being of your cats, you do not need to feed dry. The only benefit of kibble is human convenience, it was not invented with any cat's best interest in mind.

Other than that, have you ever thought of making your own cat food? Sounds like it would probably be easier than trying to track down a decent commercial product in your 'hood. http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Pickiness can be overcome. Believe me, my cat's middle name is Picky-pants. Seriously, for the health and well-being of your cats, you do not need to feed dry. The only benefit of kibble is human convenience, it was not invented with any cat's best interest in mind.

I have to agree with sugarcatmom.

I have the pickiest cat in the world and managed to change her food from Fancy Feast, AKA kitty crack, to Wellness with a lot of patience and persistance. She was also a kibble addict, so I had to take away her free feeding of that stuff. She is also very skinny so I had to worry about any weight loss. BTW, after changing to Wellness, I can now get her to eat real meat that is cooked, she won't touch raw yet. Her fur is so much healthier now, so you can imagine what is happening to her insides.

[kit1469]

first of all i just wanted to say thanks for all the replys .. i went to the store and picked up a few different soft foods ... they have been getting them once a day at supper for about a week ... cleo LOVES it (suprising since hes the picky one) but Satis just outs her nose up and walks away .. she likes the wiskas soft (they got it sometimes before) but will not even go near this stuff .. now what??