What to feed?

[onster]

Hi there

I adopted onnie back in December from the local humane society and at the time they were feeding him (and thus reccomended) royal canin cat food. He is black and had beautifully shiny fur, minimal shedding with no dander ( I notice with black cats that tends to show up more) but after reading on here that its not really all that good of a food and considering its quite pricey I changed to the best alternative I could find here- Nutro max for the indoor cat. His fur isn't as shiny anymore, has dander and he sheds quite a bit now. Also after the recall scare I wanted to change foods from the Nutro but I'm now at a loss since Nutro seemed to be the best I could find? I'm tempted to change back to royal canin since his fur was much nicer then...any suggestions? Is it maybe just the temp change that's having him shed more etc and not the food? I don't see why a better food would make his fur worse?

[chico2]

Onster,if you go to the catfood thread,you'll get lots of advice on better foods.
I just started my 3 cats on Orijen,they also eat Chickensoup-for-cat-lovers-soul+canned food twice daily.
You are right,better food makes a difference in the fur,Nutro is not very good food.
I too have a black cat and my Chico is very shiny.

[~michelle~]

before i knew alot about food i fed my cats royal canin as well...... they now eat Innova and i have never met 3 cats so soft and shiny.... it has been wonderful for my kittens

[onster]

Thanks chico and michelle . I've seen your cat in the photo section chico, he is very beautiful indeed

Can I ask where you both get the food? Just the regular petstore? I had gone to the local pet valu with a few names of foods (nutro was not first on the list) I had found here but when I asked the sales associate they looked at me like I was naming food from mars. Other than pet valu there's many petceteras...I think they may have innova?

[rainbow]

The better quality premium cat foods are not found in the pet chain stores. You will find them in the smaller locally owned pet stores. The better brands are Felidae, Orijen, Innova and Solid Gold.

[onster]

thanks rainbow - guess I'll crack open the phone book . Anyone in KW that can recomend a store?

[rainbow]

Where's KW?

[Stacer]

onster, look for a Global Pet Foods, there should be at least one in the Kitchener Waterloo area, hold on I'll go check...

Ok, I found some locations: These stores will have the best selection and the best foods. If you're concerned about price, there should be a wide variety of prices on some good food there.

I recommend Orijen, Innova EVO, GO! Natural, California Naturals, ask the clerk for some help.

Global Pet Foods
Forest Glen Plaza
700 Strasburg Rd., Unit #13
Kitchener, ON
N2E 2M2
(Homer Watson Blvd. and Block Line)
Tel. : 519-749-2821
Fax : 519-749-0576

Global Pet Foods
669 Belmont Ave. West
Kitchener, ON
N2M 1N8
(Belmont Ave. and Glasgow St.)
Tel. : 519-571-4444

[onster]

rainbow, sorry I use too many abbreviations sometimes - KW = Kitchener Waterloo ( I live in waterloo) though I did visit BC last summer, so gorgeous! I went to vancouver, whistler and radium hot springs.

Thank u so much Stacer price isn't really an issue because I believe good food now will prevent future vet bills! I just didn't want to pay a lot of $ for a food that was no good anyway.

[rainbow]

Hee hee....that's okay. I kept trying to think of a state and all I could think of was Kentucky and Kansas so the KW didn't fit. I'm glad you enjoyed B.C. when you visited. I don't think I could live anywhere else.

[Scary]

I miss BC too - I lived in Van off and on for a few years but life keeps yanking me back to southern ontario. :sad: Rainbow, what part? (I bet its drool-worthy, most of BC is!)

Onster, I switched my cat last month off of Nutro when I learned it was an ok-at-best food too... so now I'll add my vote for Innova EVO (despite the increased litter box odor) and Orijen... and from all I hear here, Solid Gold, Wellness Core and Felidae are great too though the new Wellness Core is extremely pricey.... mind you that's a great attitude about price now vs. vet bills later!

~Scary

[rainbow]

I live in the Kootenays (south east part) of B.C.


Onster, did you choose a new food yet?

[Cram]

For all of the good foods, check their websites. They have store locators that will help you find a store near you that sells their food. For example, here is a list of stores in Kitchener that sell Felidae (you could do the same thing on Innova's website www.naturapet.com:

Animal Crackers (Frederick)
519 578-1471
385 Frederick St. Frederick Mall
Kitchener, ON N2H 2P2
map and directions
0
Global Pet Food
519-571-4444
669 Belmont Ave W
Kitchener, ON N2M1N8
map and directions
0
Pet Valu
519 744-7411
1005 Ottawa Street North
Kitchener, ON N2A 1H2
map and directions
0
Pet Stop
519 748-2333
600 Doon Village Rd
Kitchener, ON N2P 1G6
map and directions
0
Animal Den Inc.
519 742-5414
501 Krug St. Unit 117
Kitchener, ON N2B 1L3
map and directions
0
C.B.'s Pet Food & Supplies
519-893-3743
1335 Weber St. East
Kitchener, ON N2A 3A7
map and directions
0
Global Pet Food
519-749-2821
700 Strasburg Rd. Unit 13
Kitchener, ON N2E 2M2
map and directions

[Cram]

Oops, just noticed you were in waterloo. Here's a list of places that sell Natura products (like Innova):

Animal Den Wellness Centre
501 Krug St. Unit 117
Kitchener, ON
(519) 742-5414

Creature Comfort Pet Emporium
1553 King St. North
St. Jacobs, ON
(519) 664-3366

Global Pet Foods
669 Belmont Ave W
Kitchener, ON
(519) 571-4444

Global Pet Foods
700 Strasburg Rd.
Kitchener, ON
(519) 749-2821

Parkdale Pet Place
478 A Albert Street
Waterloo, ON
(519) 884-6043

Pet Valu
94 Bridgeport Rd E Unit 37/38
Waterloo, ON
(519) 886-6234

[onster]

wow! I clearly need to get out more... I didnt know half these stores existed!
thanks everyone, u guys are awesome .

Ive had cats before, in dubai (im egyptian tho) where I used to live 6 years ago..but they were all strays that hung around cuz we fed them so their diet consisted of leftovers and the odd can of tuna i could sneak them. My first real 'pet' - and not semi adopted stray- I got when I moved here, my mom's friend's son could no longer keep his cat because he was moving to an appartment with no pets allowed. It was supposed to be temporary but after he got a lease where pets were allowed he didnt want Ty anymore ( but yay for me). I didnt really know much about pet nutrition and just fed him whiskas or kirkland. He was already used to going outdoors when we got him and he was an indoor-outdoor cat for 6 years until he went missing this september :sad:. It was then that I stumbled across this site when looking for found pets and reading advice on how to find lost animals etc. Ty was never found despite having posters put everywhere ( and getting the meanest prank calls from people who 'found' him - ie. bored teenagers with nothing better to do on thanksgiving ). By december i couldnt take it anymore and adopted onnie ( who is indoor only) , i needed a kitty and I though if Ty ever was found I would just have 2 cats. Anyways this was long! hehehe i think im procrastinating cuz I have an exam tomorrow and I should be studying! hmmm I seem to have forgotten my point on that ramble

anyhoo I will let you all know what food I go with and the results I dont know about Enova though with the increased litter box; onnie is a real stinker...but then again my brother is in charge of that duty ! cat puke is my department lol

Again, a big thanks to everyone and sorry for rambling!

[chico2]

Onster,no need to apologize it's always nice to read a little history on someone,sorry about Ty:sad:
It is a sad fact,roaming cats will eventually not come home,too many dangers out there,whether you live in the city or country.
I am a firm believer in bying good quality food for my cats,do the best I can to keep them healthy.
However I had cats(a loong time ago)who lived on Pussn'Boots and table-scraps who lived a very long time
Good luck with the food,I am going to get a bigger bag of Orijen today,my first was a sample-bag(good idea to try first)and they like it!

[Scary]

Originally Posted by chico2

Onster,no need to apologize it's always nice to read a little history on someone,sorry about Ty:sad:
It is a sad fact,roaming cats will eventually not come home,too many dangers out there,whether you live in the city or country.
I am a firm believer in bying good quality food for my cats,do the best I can to keep them healthy.
Good luck with the food,I am going to get a bigger bag of Orijen today,my first was a sample-bag(good idea to try first)and they like it!

I just want to say ditto, ditto, ditto to the above! Onster, my heart goes to you for Ty... and do keep us in the loop of the choices you make for onnie. There are some great and helpful people here... thanksgiving or not.

Also - ask first, but most good stores will let you return a food bag if your cat doesn't agree with it.

[rainbow]

Ditto for me too. I'm also sorry to hear about Ty.

Never hesitate to ask any questions you may have as we are all here to help one another.

Originally Posted by Scary

Also - ask first, but most good stores will let you return a food bag if your cat doesn't agree with it.

I agree....the stores get re-imbursed by the companies.


And, BTW, welcome to Canada.

[onster]

Thanks all, I bought a sample size of orijen yesterday and I'm pleased to announce than onnie picked it out of his food when I tried mixing it with the left over royal canin he had - so much for gradually introducing it ! hahaha I was reading the ingredients and thinking..hmmm I wonder what this tastes like, sounds so appealing (well, mostly)

I bought him some Innova wet food for a treat too and he liked it and I bought him a new collar and 3 new toys and some cat grass

And thanks rainbow, canada is great but I have to say waterloo is very very boring...at least I have onnie to entertain me What made losing ty especially hard was that he was essentially my first friend in Canada - a specialy indeed.

[rainbow]

Well, it didn't take much to convince Onnie that Orijen is a great food.......smart cat.

[Lukka'sma]

Originally Posted by rainbow

Orijen is a great food.......smart cat.

I could not agree more

[onster]

Just wanted to thank everyone again and give a progress report. Onnie is loving the Orijen and...no more flakes! Onnie now has awesome shiny fur

To anyone thinking about Orijen, I highly reccomend it. Also, Onnie used to throw up quite a bit (hairballs etc) on his other food ( nutro max), but now that he is adjusted to Orijen I haven't seen any 'surprises' anywhere . I'm happy to announce that I also found Orijen is being supplied at more and more places, even the pet store at the mall, with all the recalls going on.

The sample size has a coupon on the back that is $2 off (sample is about $2) towards your next purchase. Onnie was a bit iffy about it at first ( well first he picked it out of his food to eat it...then he decided nope, his old food was better) but now he loves it. So do give it some time.

[Prin]

Yey! That's great news! I'm glad you're having success with Orijen.

[Scary]

Originally Posted by onster

Just wanted to thank everyone again and give a progress report. Onnie is loving the Orijen and...no more flakes! Onnie now has awesome shiny fur

Onnie was a bit iffy about it at first ( well first he picked it out of his food to eat it...then he decided nope, his old food was better) but now he loves it. So do give it some time.

Thanks for the update... we like to hear them
Good also to know about the iffy-at first but then likes it part... Luna liked Orijen for the first few tastes, now is much less interested (I think she's gotten used to the EVO, its been almost 8 weeks on EVO now) but I do want to try switching to Orijen and will do so gradually starting now...

[krdahmer]

Originally Posted by onster

I bought him some Innova wet food for a treat too and he liked it and I bought him a new collar and 3 new toys and some cat grass

And thanks rainbow, canada is great but I have to say waterloo is very very boring...at least I have onnie to entertain me What made losing ty especially hard was that he was essentially my first friend in Canada - a specialy indeed.

Ah-ha so you cat shop like me... I need some of this and this but oh wouldn't they love this little toy, and oh those collars are so cute... LOL

And so sorry to hear about Ty.

And as for Orijin, I really wanted to try it, but it is definitely not in my budget. (Went with California Naturals.) Do you think it would be good for a treat? I was thinking of picking up a sample bag and using it like treats because so many here say their cats love it.

[onster]

Yeah, definately stick with it Scary. Onnie realy loves it now, but when I first started feeding him ( after his initial delight) I was worried that he wasn't eating it at all ( never saw him ate and it didnt look like the kibble was going anywhere) so I would give in and put a handfull of nutro/royal cannin on top- which he would eat. However I have to say, he eats much much less of it than he ate of both royal canin/ nutro, so if ure kitty is eating less dont necessarily think that it isn't liking it. I only stoppd worrying about Onnie starving himself when I saw him eat up the orijen in front of me.

krdahmer, I think that would be good, it couldn't hurt anyway! Ive learnd though that my kitties think that anything coming out of my hand is a treat..so it might as wel be good for them. In fact, with Ty when I ran out of treats I would just go to his food bowl and pick out some kibble then call for him and give him the kibble one by one, he was none the wiser
and yes, I am a kitty shopaholic...pet supply stores are my wonderland

[Scary]

Originally Posted by onster

Yeah, definately stick with it Scary. Onnie realy loves it now, but when I first started feeding him ( after his initial delight) I was worried that he wasn't eating it at all ( never saw him ate and it didnt look like the kibble was going anywhere) so I would give in and put a handfull of nutro/royal cannin on top- which he would eat. However I have to say, he eats much much less of it than he ate of both royal canin/ nutro, so if ure kitty is eating less dont necessarily think that it isn't liking it. I only stoppd worrying about Onnie starving himself when I saw him eat up the orijen in front of me.

Thanks! I've been adding some to Luna's dish (about 20% for a few days, increasing to 50% tomorrow) and its disappearing with the EVO so we'll see when the Origen mix gets higher...
ALSO: I've been told several times that cats often eat less quantity of a higher protien diet (which Origen and EVO are), as they're getting all their nutritional needs met without the fillers... we just have to ensure they drink enough water.

Originally Posted by onster

Ive learnd though that my kitties think that anything coming out of my hand is a treat..so it might as wel be good for them. In fact, with Ty when I ran out of treats I would just go to his food bowl and pick out some kibble then call for him and give him the kibble one by one, he was none the wiser

Lucky you! My Luna is a sniffer, so when I try that she busts me everytime... sometimes I swear I can her her scoff "yeah right Mom, nice try."