Ok, the situation is that we graduated Kittyboy from kitten food to adult food a few weeks ago. Now that we are finally at a certain comfort level having a cat in the house (after many years without pets) its time to adjust his diet to something a little better.
It seems the quality and healthiness of grocery store cat food has taken a serious down turn over the years. Maybe just my perception as my last cat did just fine on meow mix and the like.
Anyway, doing a bit of research has brought me to the conclusion that I need to feed the little Lordling moist or wet food made primarily from fresh meat with little or, preferably, no grain filler. This isn’t a problem, but every single article I read seems to be shilling for one manufacturer or another and one boasted of some sort of clay as an anti-caking/clumping agent that was also a source of minerals.
So for the cat lovers here, what food do you recommend?
Keep in mind that the “preferred” diet of freshly homemade meals from raw foodstuffs is a no-go at this time.
I currently have three cats (litter mates, about two years old). Their basic diet: a bowl of crunchies (kept filled), a bowl of fresh water (also kept filled and changed frequently), two cans of moist food (one each morning and evening). Occasionally they get treats from the table, but not too often.
Brands vary. I avoid the super-cheap stuff. Friskies is a favorite because the cats like it and I can buy it in 48-can boxes. Dry food: usually Purina One or Iams. I’ve tried some of the fancier stuff from pet stores, but often the cats simply won’t eat it.
Their diet is supplemented by the occasional mouse, bird, or housefly. They tried a frog, once, but it got away from them.
My previous cats were given pretty much the same diet; one lived to be nineteen, and the other to fifteen. The latter developed diabetes in her later years and had to be given special food that I purchased via the veterinarian. (don’t remember what it was called)
You might ask your vet office what they would recommend, but don’t stress over this too much. Most cats are pretty hardy critters
I have three cats, two young and healthy, and one senior citizen who has had major bladder issues for years and is on three medications every day.
I keep a bowl of dry crunchies out all the time: Taste of the Wild.
My vet (a top feline specialist who has written textbooks and who routinely has trainee feline specialists from all over the world circulate through his practice) recommends low carb cat food-- cats are carnivores, after all. Here’s a list– go for the lowest carb percent (<4). I buy two cases of Fancy Feast from Amazon every week. Happily, it is one of the cheaper brands. Not all FF is low carb, and I get it from Amazon because I can get the flavors I want (can’t count on finding it at the grocery store) and because it’s so convenient.
I also feed my dogs Taste of the Wild dry food and get it from Amazon, too.
ETA. Cats are “hardy,” but you have to watch out for urinary issues, especially in males.
I’ve had feline overlords all my life, and while we did have one who lived to be 19 on a diet of Friskies (Science Diet after developing urinary issues) and wildlife, we know more now about feeding them.
The current set of overlords all free-feed Halo’s grain-free Spot’s Stew (the chicken flavor; I’m not up to salmon-breath). The oldest cat has IBD and switching to grain-free helped him a lot. An 11.5 pound bag lasts the three of them a month, so you get value for money.
The oldest gets a quarter-can of high-calorie food monring and night (with his medicine mixed in). The others get a quarter-can each of Fancy Feast morning and night.
Vet says that Halo is a great food, and that the Fancy Feast wet food is fine for the two youngest as it’s mostly a treat.
Halo also makes grain-free wet food, if you want to check it out on Amazon. If anyone starts to get fat or need a switch to grain-free, I’ll try it myself. (Halo’s Spot’s is on ThelmaLou’s list.)
(BTW, Halo makes these kitty treats that all of mine love – they have catnip in them!)
ThelmaLou – I have an issue with that list – all of the FF flavors that are lowest-carb make me gag. I might need to switch the little darlings to the Halo stuff.
I hear ya! (Or should I say I smell ya! :rolleyes: ) BTW, the Halo “pate” is on the list, but not Spot’s Stew.
I just went over that list and ordered some new brands from Amazon. I’ve created a list at Amazon with only low-carb cat foods. Makes shopping easier.
My oldest cat Max (Maxito Pie Kittie Baby aka The Divine Mr. M – see pet nicknames thread) will eat anything, God bless him. Even with three meds mixed in.
EC (aka Princess Poppy) will approach the bowl, look at it, smell it, and if it appeals, she’ll have a nibble or two. But if it doesn’t appeal, one glance/sniff and she’s gone in a huff (or as Jack McFarland would say, “She jumps on her Huffy bike and rides right on out of there”). She has gotten worn out on the Fancy Feast flavors, so it’s mostly for her benefit that I’m trying some new brands.
Tikva is a pretty good sport and will eat the wet food, but actually prefers Taste of the Wild Dry.
We have a cat with a dicey stomach. The foods she tolerates best are Pure-Vita chicken and peas (grain free) kibble, and Purina Pro (also grain free) wet food. For treats, she gets Hills Prescription Diet, which she’s wild about.
Thanks alla yalls, Specially you ThelmaLou for that list. Have to admit, the snot rockets flew when I started looking at prices. Of course it has been a while, and my memories are dated and out of sync with reality of pet cohabitation today. Lord so many choices, I can remember when a few of these were “prescription” foods. (oh gawd I just told all of you how long its been since I’ve had a cat haven’t I?)
Another vote for Halo products! My cats have been so shiny and healthy on them.
That’s what we feed our little monsters, too.
Fancy Feast is REALLY cheap.
Believe me, if they develop urinary problems, the expense will be off the chart. (If you treat them, which I assume you will.)
Our Overladies and Lord dine quite well on a always filled bowl of crunchy (alternates between Science Diet Oral Care, Purina One Healthy Metabolism, and Urinary Health from either Iams or Purina). They also split an envelope of Friskies, which they like for the gravy.
Ours pretty much always detested canned food, and after it kept being wasted, we stopped trying to feed it to them. They both loved Taste of the Wild dry food, any flavor. Then Boris developed a urinary blockage, and now they both get fed prescription food.
The 24 hours of diagnosis and treatment for the urinary blockage was probably the cost of a couple of years’ worth of food. Vet care is expensive.
yes, yes it is expensive for non-preventive medical care. I DO remember that much. Part of why I’m looking to change the food we feed the current furry child, as part of a long term preventive approach to medicine for him.
When we got my cat from the ASPCA she came with Halo dry food and Triumph wet We found the Triumph impossible to source and went with MaxCat which I can buy at local shops for $1.15/can, or sometimes cheaper on sale. Roughly $20/mo. Halo we buy from Amazon, a 6 lb bag lasts about 3 months and costs $19.
She gets 1/4 cup dry and a 1/2 can wet, broken into two feedings. People seem to think a mix of dry and wet is ideal at the moment.
I used to feed ProPlan then when the price went up switched to Purina ONE, my catcat who free-fed on that his whole life (and never had wet food except as a treat), lived to be 19. If I needed to economize I would feel perfectly comfortable feeding Purina ONE or even CatChow Natural.
I feed my two cats Nutro Max Cat. They like it, their weight is good, and they’re both healthy. The better the food, the less they’ll eat because they’re satisfied, and the less they’ll poop. Occasionally, I’ll slip Target a bite of people meat, but she’s dainty and can use the extra calories. The vet gave her blessings at Target’s last checkup.
At the time they either didn’t carry it or I didn’t like the price or it wasn’t a Prime item and the shipping made it untenable. I can’t remember, it was a few years ago. We’re not changing now.
Iams dry food is high quality and readily available.
I used to feed Iams to my cats. But I’ve since decided that it’s not a good quality food. I’m not alone in coming to that conclusion.
Our cats are both doing really well on Costco’s Nature’s Domain. They only get dry regularly with the occasional chunk of tuna or other bit of meat from us. Recent vet visit confirms they are in prime health.