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Old August 1st, 2008, 05:54 PM
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kanis kanis is offline
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Question So confused! What do I feed my kittens?

Before I brought home my kittens, I did a considerable amount of research and decided that I would feed my little guys Orijens cat food and Taste of the Wild (breeder recommended it) It sounded like healthy stuff plus it received a number of great reviews.

Well, I just returned from my vet where one of my little guys had to get his anal glands expressed. The vet asked what I was feeding, I told him and he cautioned me. He said that I should be feeding them Hill's, Royal Canin or Medi. He said that Orijiens is being brought to court for their claims and that my kitties may end up with a variety of illnesses. Now, my cat Ares was fed Hill's for years and I wasn't too pleased with it.

What do I do? I want the best for my kittens. I read one thing on the internet and then I hear another thing from my vet.
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Old August 1st, 2008, 06:23 PM
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Your vet has a vested interest in those foods he recommended. He makes money every time someone buys it from his office.
Our cat guru, sugarcatmom, recommends reading these sites.

http://www.catinfo.org/

http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm

Hopefully it will help.
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Old August 1st, 2008, 06:38 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kanis View Post
He said that I should be feeding them Hill's, Royal Canin or Medi.
Typical. And wrong. Vets are so NOT a good source of nutritional info and you're right to be skeptical of his suggestions. You might be interested in reading this on the conflict of interest with vet-recommended foods.


Quote:
Originally Posted by kanis View Post
He said that Orijiens is being brought to court for their claims and that my kitties may end up with a variety of illnesses.
I'd be interested to know where he got this info. And is he aware of the massive class action lawsuit filed against the very companies that he's recommending? A bit hypocritical, if you ask me. You can read more in this thread: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=53644
And here: http://www.mflegal.com/petfoodlawsuit

Quote:
Defendants/Class Representatives:

MARS INC., MARS PETCARE US, INC. (makers of Royal Canin and Medi-cal), PROCTER
AND GAMBLE CO., THE IAMS CO., COLGATE
PALMOLIVE COMPANY (makers of Hill's/Science Diet), HILL’S PET NUTRITION,
DEL MONTE FOODS, CO., NESTLÉ USA INC., NESTLÉ
PURINA PETCARE CO., NUTRO PRODUCTS INC.,
NATURA PET PRODUCTS, INC., MENU FOODS, INC.,
MENU FOODS INCOME FUND, PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS,
INC., NEW ALBERTSON’S INC., ALBERTSON’S LLC,
THE KROGER CO. OF OHIO, PETCO ANIMAL
SUPPLIES STORES, INC., PET SUPERMARKET,
INC., PET SUPPLIES PLUS/USA INC., PETSMART INC.,
TARGET CORP. AND WAL-MART STORES, INC.,
Quote:
Originally Posted by kanis View Post
What do I do? I want the best for my kittens. I read one thing on the internet and then I hear another thing from my vet.
The best you can do for your kitties is not feed them dry food. A good quality wet food (canned, or even better, raw) is the way to go. Wellness, Nature's Variety Instinct, By Nature, Innova Evo 95% meat, are all good choices. Some worthwhile reading on this site on why wet is better than dry: http://www.catinfo.org/
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Old August 2nd, 2008, 01:03 AM
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kanis kanis is offline
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Thanks for the information.

I just feel so conflicted between trusting my vet and everything I've read off the net. I don't like the foods he's recommending.

Regarding the lawsuit, he stated that he just returned from a vet conference and that Orijen was being sued for false advertising on their food label. He gave me some material (created by Hill's) analysing the Orijen label - that sweet potato has higher carbs than corn and that there is actually corn in the food - it's called "zea mays". Looking at the label on the bag, it states "zea mays".

So frustrating and so confusing. All I want is the best for my guys. There's just so much conflicting material out there.
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Old August 2nd, 2008, 06:02 AM
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Check some of the old threads for zea mays. It has been discussed before and if I remember correctly the response directly from the company was that Zea mays is a corn silk , the fine hairs in the corn and apparently not considered a protein.

I personally feed Orijen and my guy loves it alot!!

Cindy
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Old August 2nd, 2008, 11:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kanis View Post
He gave me some material (created by Hill's-that should tell you something right there) analysing the Orijen label - that sweet potato has higher carbs than corn and that there is actually corn in the food - it's called "zea mays". Looking at the label on the bag, it states "zea mays".
Like Winston said, "zea mays" is actually corn silk and is included for urinary tract health. And wow, your vet really is clueless about nutrition if he thinks that corn has a lower glycemic index than sweet potato. Why do you think "high fructose corn syrup" is made from corn? Mmmm, sugary sweet. Please do not listen to your vet. He's bought the Hill's propaganda hook line and sinker.
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Old August 6th, 2008, 11:31 AM
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I foster kittens for my local humane society and when I compare my foster kittens who eat mainly raw, with one meal of kitten wellness, canned daily have a HUGE DIFFERENCE in their muscle mass than kittens who eat Royal Canin . I mean it is blatantly obvious.

Instinct, Organics by Nature, Wellness, grain free and Fromms, 4 starr grain free, are the best cat foods I have found so far (Raw being the best of course).
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