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Old January 5th, 2009, 03:53 PM
Borderkitty Borderkitty is offline
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Substitute for Feline SO?

I am new to the forum so please direct me if there is a similar thread. I have 2 neutered male cats who had minor blockages and have been eating SO dry for the past few years. I have no issues with the food except that it is getting quite pricey, $50 for a 16lb bag. The boys are both fairly large cats at about 16lbs each - large, not necessarily fat. I have a 3 year old who loves to share with his "big brothers" so I run through about a bag a month at 2 cups of food per day. My other 2 indoor cats eat Nutro indoor formula, which is what the other 2 were eating when the trouble started. I also feed the neighborhood cats since I live near State Game lands, a good place to dump unwanted pets - I have a dog and a 28 year old horse. My monthly pet expenses exceed $600. Wow, in writing that is a shock and a half. So, to get to the point, I am looking for a less expensive alternative that will keep the guys healthy without breaking the bank. Thanks!
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Old January 5th, 2009, 04:04 PM
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Hi Borderkitty, welcome to pets.ca! You've come to the right place, and boy have I got some news for you. You definitely don't have to feed your kitties the prescription food. It's overpriced, that's for sure, and the ingredients are actually quite horrible. The best thing you could do for all your cats is feed them wet food, whether that be a good commercial canned food or a raw diet. In fact, it might actually be cheapest if you were to make your own raw meals for the kitties. Here is some info on what cats should be eating, how to pick out a canned food, and also how to make your own if you're interested: www.catinfo.org
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Old January 5th, 2009, 06:53 PM
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Hi borderkitty.

Sugarcatmom is right, the best food to prevent crystals is canned. The water will keep the kidneys and bladder flushed so the crystals can't form.

Another important factor is urine ph which can be controlled by diet. A cat's natural diet and what they are meant to eat is meat, preferably raw.

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Old January 5th, 2009, 10:00 PM
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A good quality canned or raw diet is the way to go. And if your looking for inexpensive, a raw diet may be the answer.

Urinary SO dry formula is basically designed to make your cats more thirsty and encourage them to drink. Its cheaper and healthier for them, just to be on a completely wet/raw diet.

One of my cat's has chronic issues with struvite crystals, and the only way we've found to deal with them is a 100% raw diet, and the occasional use of the supplement methonione (an essential amino acid which helps create acidic urine) during flare ups.

There are a ton of websites and yahoo groups that can help you if your interested in learning more about raw diets.

http://www.rawfedcats.org/
http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php
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Old January 7th, 2009, 04:08 PM
Borderkitty Borderkitty is offline
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Thanks for all of the advice. I need to find a source of a good quality canned food. At one time I would have thought Nutro, which I feed dry would be good, but we won't go there. I guess my only worry is that the guys get bored and stop eating very expensive canned food. I fed SO wet for awhile and prior to that another pricey food and ended up feeding it to the outside strays, a strategy that doesn' t sit well with my husband. I will go to the pet store and start reading labels. thanks again.
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Old January 7th, 2009, 05:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Borderkitty View Post
I guess my only worry is that the guys get bored and stop eating very expensive canned food.
Yup, cats will do that. While they have no problem eating the same kibble every day of their lives, most cats seem to need some variety when it comes to canned. This largely stems from the fact that dry food is coated in various flavour enhancers in order to get cats to eat this crap in the first place. Canned food doesn't have the same taste "intensity", with the result that cats get bored of it sooner. My guy gets a different flavour for every meal, out of a selection of about a dozen different varieties.

Some brands you could look for are Wellness (which comes in the large 13oz size, making it more economical), Innova Evo 95% (check the dog food section for the larger cans, which are exactly the same as the feline version), Nature's Variety Instinct (dog version is also the same), Merrick, Eagle Pack, Precise, Evanger's...... I would stay away from fish flavours as these can be a problem for cats prone to urinary tract issues.
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Old January 7th, 2009, 08:05 PM
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I would stay away from fish flavours as these can be a problem for cats prone to urinary tract issues.
I don't feed tuna, but does that include salmon? My guys would have a hard time giving up salmon....
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Old January 9th, 2009, 12:53 PM
Borderkitty Borderkitty is offline
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Sugarcat, I have a question about the food you recommended, I always heard that dogs and cats have very different protein requirements, so you should always feed your pet the correct species food, I am a little concerned about the dog and cat formulas being the same. My question is a version of how can this work for both. Thanks.
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Old January 9th, 2009, 01:09 PM
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I admit I do not know much about cat foods but a friend suggested you check out Serengetti cat foods she was feeding her cats a prescription diet and has since switched them to this food and is overjoyed with her cats health since the switch she said there is foods in this line geared towards cats with special diets http://timberwolforganics.com/s.nl/it.A/id.107/.f
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Old January 9th, 2009, 01:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Borderkitty View Post
Sugarcat, I have a question about the food you recommended, I always heard that dogs and cats have very different protein requirements, so you should always feed your pet the correct species food, I am a little concerned about the dog and cat formulas being the same. My question is a version of how can this work for both. Thanks.
I think people who feed their animals raw diets would probably disagree with that notion...my dogs and cats get the same proportions of meat, bone and offal in their diets. Both species are carnivores, soooo.....
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Old January 9th, 2009, 02:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Borderkitty View Post
Sugarcat, I have a question about the food you recommended, I always heard that dogs and cats have very different protein requirements, so you should always feed your pet the correct species food, I am a little concerned about the dog and cat formulas being the same. My question is a version of how can this work for both. Thanks.
The issue is that cats have a high requirement for animal protein, while dogs can be a little more flexible. It doesn't mean that dogs are supposed to eat less protein, it just means that because animal protein is expensive, pet food manufacturers are going to try to get away with putting less of it in their canine products. Beyond just protein, there are other nutrients that are essential for cats (taurine, vitamin A, arachidonic acid) and these aren't always present in high enough quantities in your typical dog food. But the brands I listed are perfectly fine for both dogs and cats.
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Old January 9th, 2009, 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted by badger View Post
I don't feed tuna, but does that include salmon? My guys would have a hard time giving up salmon....
Oops, I just saw this now. I think it depends. Salmon, like tuna, is high in magnesium and phosphorus, which can be one factor (among others) in cats with bladder or kidney issues. So if we're talking about a cat that has suffered blockages or UTIs in the past, I tend to be less flexible about feeding any fish. However, occasional treats of human grade canned or fresh salmon are totally fine for most cats. The problem with salmon cat food flavours tends to be the source of the fish, which, lets face it, isn't going to be sushi grade wild Alaskan salmon. It's going to be the dregs of the fishing (or rather, fish-farming) industry. That opens up a whole new set of problems, like toxin levels and environmental ethics. Here's some more info: http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...ngerousforcats
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