Pet food quality

[Mycon]

Hello gents,
I adopted a sweet new cat from the Humane Society 2 weeks ago, and I love her to bits. She does seem to have trouble digesting the dry food that we normally feed our cats (Purina Indoor,) which has prompted me to investigate different diets and brands. She seemed to do better with fish-based wet food, so I think that she might need a high-protein diet. Has anyone else done some digging into this sort of thing?

Oh, and here is my new friend, Lacey

[tchudson]

We had to feed one of our cats a high-protein cat food. Wellness is the name of the brand. I know it came in canned food, don't know if they had dry food or not.

[plpenn]

Our "puppy" eats Wellness. The kind we get her has a lamb base I think. She eats the dry food and less than a cup a day so it's not a huge expense.

[Mycon]

I got some sample bags of a grainless food from Petco. It is a tad pricey, but she's kinda little and it's only a bit more than the Purina. I think that high-protein is going to be the way to go, but it's still too early to tell. Other than the obvious lineage of Siamese, Calico, and Brown Tabby, she has some characteristics that make me think that she has a (very diluted) thread of Savannah in her which would explain the need for higher protein.

[The Pontificator]

Get kitty off the cheap food. Cats were not meant to eat corn.

http://catinfo.org/

The three key negative issues associated with dry food are:

1) type of protein - too high in plant-based versus animal-based proteins

2) carbohydrate load is too high

3) water content is too low

[perry]

I adopted a 4 year old cat about 2.5 months ago and did a little reading on foods. I decided to go with Blue Buffalo brand. I feed her the dry food for "grazing" during the day and half a can of wet food each evening. She was a bit overweight when I got her and I swear she's feeling a little lighter these days.

http://bluebuffalo.com/cat-food/bc-indoor-health-chicken
http://bluebuffalo.com/cat-food/spa-select

The Humane Society had her on Science Diet (and people food because she lived in the office) and I read that even that wasn't a "good" food to be giving her. I think there may be "better" foods than the Blue Buffalo, but it fit my desire for being reasonably priced (certainly more than many brands though) and having a good ingredient list and being pretty readily available.

[rickboone1]

blue buffalo. stay away from science diet, pedigree, all that garbage.

[datzc]

What exactly do you mean by "trouble digesting"?

[Mycon]

What exactly do you mean by "trouble digesting"?

I had her checked by the vet when I first got her, and she doesn't show other signs of illness. When she eats the Purina she has semi-solid stools and lots of gas. When I started giving her the fish-based wet food it cleared up. When I ran out and she filled up on the dry again, it came back.
I bought a box of Wiskas pouches and I've been pretty impressed thus far. The first several ingredients are actual fish meat, and the food itself is more like a can of tuna than the brown "meat" mass of other foods.

[Shave A Buck]

I have a dog and when I saw pet food I needed to respond. Whatever choice you make find out where it is made. Many pet items come from China these days which can be dangerous. Most pet food is awful as it is, Pay a little more and get a better quality.

[demaro]

Beautiful cat !! To keep her teeth in good shape , you have to give her dry food. Check out Premium Edge pet foods. I feed my cats and dogs with it , they have dog and cat food , and everyone does very well with it.

[TonyH]

We had to feed one of our cats a high-protein cat food. Wellness is the name of the brand. I know it came in canned food, don't know if they had dry food or not.


Our "puppy" eats Wellness. The kind we get her has a lamb base I think. She eats the dry food and less than a cup a day so it's not a huge expense.

My dog has eaten Wellness Core Ocean for the last couple of years. He has zero allergy issues now, eats less overall, weight is perfect, and his BMs are smaller and less frequent. It's totally worth the extra $$.

[gaseousclay]

Wellness is considered a good, healthy brand. I feed my dog Wellness vegetarian treats in between breakfast and dinner and he loves them. When I adopted my dog a couple weeks back, the Animal Humane Society gave us a bag of Purina One which I consider bottom of the barrel dog food. However, I'm not going to waste dog food so i've been feeding it to my dog and mixing it with a new, healthier brand called Nature's Choice. Now, I doubt Nature's Choice dog food is considered as good a brand like Wellness but our dog is 70 lbs and can eat like a champ, so cost is a consideration for my wife and I. I think the bag that I bought from Petco cost about $25 for a 15 lb bag, which is probably about $5-10 cheaper than Wellness. Anyway, I suspect the same holds true for cat food - there will be cheap cat foods and premium, healthier cat foods. I'd go with the healthier

[Dmoney]

I would like to chime in on Wellness Core as well.... It more expensive, but my cats eat MUCH less...literally half of the other "good" foods out there....I have also used Innova Evo as well, they are very similar and my cats love both....not too sure if they are avaliable in canned, but if I wanted to feed them "wet" I would just soak some dry food in water for a while....

In the long run, the "expensive" food actually costs less....

[Mycon]

As a full-time college student, money does have some consideration. Wellness is a ways above what I can spend regularly, but I got some sample bags of Natural Balance from Petco which has a similar ingredient profile. It's still pricey, but within the range where I think I can manage it. The Whiska Purrfectly Fish pouches are at my local supermarket for about 50 cents each right now.
One thing I noticed almost immediately when I increased the protein in her diet, was that she started acting perkier. She is more lovey and playful, and even more chatty since I cut the corn-based food from her diet. I am trying to get my mom to switch her cats to a similar diet. They've always had wet food supplementing their dry, but one of them is pretty chunky and the other has had chronic inflammatory bowel issues for years.

I was reading that some cats have kidney issues with the high protein diets. Have any of you experienced this with your pets?

[datzc]

I got flamed on another thread by commenting on pet foods, so I'll restrain myself and suggest that you avoid preconceived notions about "quality" or "corn" or "high protein" and try to find a cost-effective diet that helps avoid the gas and soft stools. There is no correlation between cost and quality with pet foods, any more than with shaving supplies.

It sounds like all you've determined is that Purina Indoor dry was not tolerated well. That's understandable. That product has high fiber from cellulose and soybean hulls to help prevent hairballs. It's possible (actually very likely) that your cat simply had too much fiber, no different than if we started eating huge bowls of bran cereal all of a sudden. Gradual acclimation to high-fiber diets is needed over days or weeks.

In selecting a pet diet, I would ignore the hype, marketing, fancy labels, and especially anything pet store employees recommend. On a student budget, I would look at Iams, which is available at grocery and discount stores and tends to be less expensive than other "premium" brands. I would avoid the indoor, hairball, and weight control products.

[Mycon]

I have no plans to go insane with this. The pouches are normally only about 10 cents more than the other canned foods, and when they're on sale they are even cheaper. I just like the fact that the main ingredients don't consist of by-products and potash. As for the dry, you may be right, though to be fair you said in your own words that cats are almost straight carnivore. Add to that the possibility that she may have some Serval lineage and you get a cat that needs more meat.

[Bertilak]

My vet recommended Purina One for my cat. She loves it. Will not eat canned food.

If there is anything missing in Purina One it might be whatever my cat gets from eating grass, which she loves to do. She likes a broad-leaf variety common in our area. We went so far as to put a big "patch" of it in a pot indoors. Kitty just grazes on it now and then (3-5 times a day?). This is usually her "desert" after she has had some of her dry food.

I have heard it is quite common for cats to eat grass. One explanation is it helps them vomit up things they can't digest (mouse bones and fur, bird feathers). Our cat spends a lot of time outdoors in a very rural area and does get her share of mice, lizards and birds.

Or perhaps she just likes its taste or texture.

Supposedly feral cats also like to "graze".

[DamnFineBob]

After being told by veteraniarians for years that we should only use dry food to keep my cats' weight down, I switched to a cat specialist and got the opposite advice. While dogs are omnivores (and most vets are dog people), cats are largely carnivores, and cannot properly digest all the grains put into hard kibbles. The additional water in canned food is supposed to be a plus, too, since cats tend not to drink enough.

My cats have lost considerable weight since I've switched them to canned food, and seem to enjoy it just fine.

One word of caution: Older cats may be in the early stages of renal failure, and fish-based soft food may exascerbate the condition. Beef is easier for them to digest, and poultry even easier yet.

Oh. much less being sick all over the place with canned food, too.

[Saturn]

Oh. much less being sick all over the place with canned food, too.

that was a problem with my cat when she was on dried food, as well. Frequent vomiting. I tried just about every dry food available locally, and she threw up on all of them. We took her to the vet for a checkup and they said there was nothing wrong with her, and just suggested we try different diets or feeding patterns.

Switched her to canned food, and she hasn't thrown up once since then. I don't know the reason why there was such a drastic difference, but... whatever works.

[blary54]

I dont know about best cat foods to buy but with our cats we always give them dry food then put a little bit of wet food each night at feeding on top of the dry. Seems like a good combination and the cats love the wet food.

[Sparafucile]

When comparing cat foods, always read and compare the nutritional analysis page (every manufacturer has it on their web site for each food that sell). Long and boring, but it's the only way to compare. And as someone else said, cats ARE carnivores.

I fed my kitties Wellness Indoor or Blue Buffalo, but found a dry food with even more protein from meat: http://www.redmoonpetfood.com/ It is close to 40% protein, compared to Wellness, which is in the low 30s. They have two that you can customize and add additives to and one for cats that are not well: Catwell, which takes no additives. If I buy the largest bag, it is the same price as Wellness or Blue Buffalo, about $3.00 a pound. And the cats like the taste...

As for wet food, my kitties ignore the Wellness or Blue Buffalo, and only want Fancy Feet! Rather than fight over it I let them split a 3 oz can a day...

Nice kitty!

[datzc]

Cats are carnivores, but that's not the same thing as "can only eat meat". Carnivores, by definition, eat other animals. Often the whole animal, not just muscle meat. Cats commonly eat things other than straight meat, and it's impossible to formulate a dry diet consisting of 100% meat. Yet 95% of cats in the U.S. eat all or mostly dry cat food and they're not dropping dead of malnutrition.

Remember when a cat eats a mouse or bird, it eats the stomach and intestinal contents of the prey, which is usually plant material.

Chasing the highest-protein cat food by comparing labels can lead to excessive protein intake, which is not healthy. Cats do best on balanced diets.

[JaDo]

Anyone make their own pet food? I've spoken to a few people that make a "batch" of food twice a week or so in a slow cooker of meat, rice etc.

One of my dogs is really struggling with allergies - dry, itchy skin. I think it is from her food. So, I'm want to use something else. Maybe I'll get some of that Wellness.

[DamnFineBob]

Anyone make their own pet food? I've spoken to a few people that make a "batch" of food twice a week or so in a slow cooker of meat, rice etc.

One of my dogs is really struggling with allergies - dry, itchy skin. I think it is from her food. So, I'm want to use something else. Maybe I'll get some of that Wellness.

While I've heard of people doing this for dogs rather easily, I believe it gets more complicated with cats. Cats have very specific nutritional needs, and not all nutrients are readily available in common people food. Taurine, for instance, is essential for their eyesight and only found in organ meats, I believe. I would consult a vet or other expert before rolling your own.

[mme29710]

Taste of the Wild for Cats is great. NO Grains

[Mycon]

Well, I had a discussion with my vet today. She thinks that Lacey has a mild allergy to chicken, and approved my rudimentary diet of mainly fish-based foods. Since she did the best on the Natural Balance dry, I think I will keep her on that for now supporting the wet food. It is one of the most expensive, but my parents will help me out with the cost. My mom would be a crazy cat lady if she let herself, and my dad has become a total softy on cats since he started caring for a feral group near his office.
There is another problem with my girl that has the potential to double all of my pet care costs...

She wants a friend...:tongue_sm

[gaseousclay]

does anyone have any recommendations for a decent quality dry dog food? I started buying Nature's Recipe for my dog but it got a 3 out of 5 stars from dogfoodadvisor.com. The thing is, I don't want something outrageously expensive - I think the $20-25 price point is about what I'm willing to pay for a 15-20lb bag of food. I like Wellness but they're sooooo expensive :sad:

[TonyH]

does anyone have any recommendations for a decent quality dry dog food? I started buying Nature's Recipe for my dog but it got a 3 out of 5 stars from dogfoodadvisor.com. The thing is, I don't want something outrageously expensive - I think the $20-25 price point is about what I'm willing to pay for a 15-20lb bag of food. I like Wellness but they're sooooo expensive :sad:

We used Canidae with my Jack Russell and he did very well on it. I think it's a bit less than the Wellness we're feeding him now.

[Mycon]

I wound up taking Lacey off of all of the wet food, and feeding her nothing but the Natural Balance Alpha Cat dry food. I don't know how that compares in price for the dog food (It's $22 for the cats) but it calmed her little tummy down. My vet also gave it high marks other than the price. The website you linked gave it 4/5 stars

[Arcadies]

I feed all 3 of my cats Wellness, Innova and New Balance, all canned and various flavors, all are high quality and very nutritious. I do not feed them dry anymore, it's bad juju for cats, something I found out the hard way a few years ago when my oldest was diagnosed with bladder stones and it cost me $700 to have them removed and get her back to 100%.

[jamesnj]

does anyone have any recommendations for a decent quality dry dog food? I started buying Nature's Recipe for my dog but it got a 3 out of 5 stars from dogfoodadvisor.com. The thing is, I don't want something outrageously expensive - I think the $20-25 price point is about what I'm willing to pay for a 15-20lb bag of food. I like Wellness but they're sooooo expensive :sad:

If you have a Costco near you, look into the Kirkland Signature dog foods. We feed the chicken formula to our three greyhounds, and they do well one it. Price is below your price point (around $25 for a 40 lb bag), and the quality is very good. Not quite as good as wellness, but our dogs wouldn't even eat the Wellness we tried. It's a pretty well liked food on the greyhound sites, but there are always a few haters. I found the price to be such that it alone was worth the yearly membership fee (plus, they sell Milkbones for a better price than anywhere else that I've seen).

James

[Mycon]

Sorry to rez my own thread, but I have another question. My second cat seems to have serious anxiety issues. I don't know what they did to her before taking her to the Humane Society, but she is stressing out big time. It doesn't help that her new big sister absolutely adores her and wants to play all the time, despite the fact that she's still pretty unsure. She was so scared on the way to the vet today that she wet herself in the carrier. Poor thing.
Can anyone recommend an otc calming agent? The vet gave her a tiny dose of sedative, and she's been acting a LOT happier. I'd like to give her a hand in getting adjusted to her new home and hyper-active sister.

[Sparafucile]

Rescue Remedy did nothing for my cats. The breeder who bred my cats swears by sedatives from these suppliers:

http://www.upwithherbs.com/

http://search.onlynaturalpet.com/search.aspx?searchterms=cat-sedatives

I haven't tried them, but she likes them...

[Mycon]

Is that himalayan in your pic one of your cats? The HS claimed that my new kitty is one, but she doesn't have the right facial shape. I'll upload a pic once she regains her weight and coat.

[Sparafucile]

Is that himalayan in your pic one of your cats? The HS claimed that my new kitty is one, but she doesn't have the right facial shape. I'll upload a pic once she regains her weight and coat.

She was and I loved her dearly; sadly she died over Memorial day weekend. She was not a Himalayan, but a Persian. I now have two Exotics (short-hair Persians). The three are really the same breed (Persian); their temperaments and characteristics are almost the same, but their coats differ. They all have the same facial shape. Go to the CFA website's "Breeds: page:

http://www.cfa.org/client/breeds.aspx

and click on each (Exotic, Persian and Himalayan) to see photos and read about them.

[Mycon]

She was and I loved her dearly; sadly she died over Memorial day weekend. She was not a Himalayan, but a Persian. I now have two Exotics (short-hair Persians). The three are really the same breed (Persian); their temperaments and characteristics are almost the same, but their coats differ. They all have the same facial shape. Go to the CFA website's "Breeds: page:

http://www.cfa.org/client/breeds.aspx

and click on each (Exotic, Persian and Himalayan) to see photos and read about them.
Man, this has been an awful year for pet deaths! I'm terrible sorry for your loss. Good luck with your 2 new furry friends too!
I've been bored lately, so I've been researching the heck outta cat breeds. Thank you for the link though, I hadn't tapped that resource yet. I did know that Himi and Exotic were essentially offshoots of of the Persian. That's why both me and my vet think that my new girl isn't pure Himi, due to her having a much longer snout and smaller eyes. The only way she's full breed is if she's an extreme example of the "doll-faced" variant of Himalayan.
I also found out from the HS that the reason her adopted sister Lacey (the one pictured at the intro to this thread) is such a clown, is because she's at least half Abyssinian. I talked at length to one of the foster ladies, who said that she and several others came in from someone who is attempting to breed Abyssinians but not doing a very good job of it. They keep tossing any cats that don't fit their criteria into the shelters.

Edit: here is a link to my post (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/190820-Let-s-see-your-companion-animals!?p=3562750&highlight=#post3562750) in the animals thread showing the new girl. She has lost so much hair due to malnutrition in this image that it is hard to tell her lineage.

[The Pontificator]

http://catinfo.org/

Can't remember if I posted this before. Above link is very useful info on what to feed...and what NOT to feed your cats.

My cat still eats that crappy Friskies canned food with the wheat gluten gravy but I have switched her over from Hill Science Diet dry food to Blue Buffalo which contains no grains. It's a start.

[Arcadies]

Yet 95% of cats in the U.S. eat all or mostly dry cat food and they're not dropping dead of malnutrition.

Remember when a cat eats a mouse or bird, it eats the stomach and intestinal contents of the prey, which is usually plant material.

They also acquire enzymes from the stomach of their prey that aids in digesting their own food, something a lot of cheap food brands do not provide. It is also why so many owners have issues with their cats vomiting all the time, of course the chemicals and artificial colors in said cheap food don't help. I think too many people take the easy and convenient route with their cats and feed only dry food, which is courting disaster, even if it is a high end dry food.

Unlike dogs, cats are designed to get the majority of their water from eating their prey, and they have a very low thirst drive and often will not drink enough water to keep themselves well hydrated and maintain a proper urine pH, which leads to UTI's, bladder stones and blockages, which are the leading causes of feline death in the USA. Now look at the UK, most feed their cats canned food and table scraps and do not feed dry/kibble food, and the issue of feline UTI, blockages and stones, so rampant in the USA, is almost non-existent....coincidence?

I mean..sure a cat can live a long healthy life on dry food, but why risk it..they are our family after all. I learned the hard way watching 2 of eldest cats suffer through stones and UTI's the last years of their lives.

[Mycon]

http://catinfo.org/

Can't remember if I posted this before. Above link is very useful info on what to feed...and what NOT to feed your cats.

My cat still eats that crappy Friskies canned food with the wheat gluten gravy but I have switched her over from Hill Science Diet dry food to Blue Buffalo which contains no grains. It's a start.

You did post that :) You also forgot the amount of ash in the gluten gravy too.
I decided to go with the Natural Balance dry food. My vet and I decided that Lacey probably has a chicken allergy and needs to be on a hypoallergenic diet. It is a royal pain to find food without chicken in it! 99% of wet foods have chicken in them, so it's really tough to find something to feed her. I mistakenly got their Alpha Cat variant which has some chicken meal in it, but she seems to be doing well on it. Once the bag is done I will switch them to the limited ingredient line, and get the slightly cheaper Green Pea and Salmon.
I talked my mom into switching her cats to the NB dry food. One of her cats is pretty obese and the other has suffered from inflammatory bowel disease for years. I'm not sure if the one has lost weight, but the other has had a marked improvement in his health. His demeanor is steady and happy, and his coat has gotten much thicker. He also has not had a flare-up of his condition since.