Background: my cat is a month shy of 12 years old, and currently has been eating Eukanuba adult formula kibble. I tried, a couple years ago, to switch him to the mature cat formula, which he ate for about a month and then decided he wasn’t going to eat it anymore. He’s not normally finicky like that, but cats is weird.
Anyway, a new pet store moved into the neighborhood now within walking distance. They don’t, as a matter of course, carry Eukanuba. While I could special order it and pick it up there, that seems like an unnecessary extra hassle; and in any case, I’d like to get him on a cat food geared for older cats.
He doesn’t currently have any kind of digestive issues. He’s missing a few teeth, but doesn’t seem to be having problems with the kibble he eats now. He’s hyperthyroid so gets medication twice a day, which we disguise/dissolve in about a tablespoon of canned food. He also gets Greenies dental treats, usually about 4-6 a day, to help keep his teeth healthy.
So, all that out of the way, what’s a good choice for him? I’m looking for a reasonable price point; in this case “reasonable” being $20 or less for a 7-8 pound bag.
The guy at the pet store recommended Natural Balance, but I’m a little skeptical of a nutritional formula made by an actor/comedian (Dick Van Patten) who presumably has little background in pet nutrition. Has it even been vetted by a veterinarian?
I’d like at least a couple recommendations, in case he pulls his suddenly finicky routine again. TIA.
What kind of kibble is the best is pretty debatable. A good rule of thumb for finding a higher quality and thus ‘better’ kibble is to look at the ingredients. The first two or three ingredients should be some sort of meat. Like lamb or chicken or beef. But watch out for things like ‘chicken meal’ or ‘beef meal’. That’s not the same. I haven’t bought high quality cat food in a long while since I just can’t afford it. But when I was doing it, I really liked Solid Gold for my indoor kitties. And they ate it right up. Other good brands are Wellness and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul. It basically all comes down to what you like yourself and of course, what your kitty likes
Read the ingredients. Cats are carnivores (dogs, like humans, are omnivores) so meat needs to be high up there in the list. As the previous post said, avoid “meal.”
I feed my cats Natural Ultra Mix by Castor & Pollux, supplemented by Wellness canned food that I get delivered from Amazon.
I’ve been happy with “Taste of the Wild” food for my kitty. It’s grain-free, and less expensive than some of the other grain-free foods. The cat is thriving on it.
I’m using Wellness grain-free for indoor cats and my kids are thriving on it. It might not be in your price point depending on where you get it. Currently it’s $37 for 12 lbs at Petsmart. They have a senior formula but I have no experience of it. I used to have a senior cat with a jumpy tummy and I fed him Purina One for Sensitive Systems, and he did well on it; a lot cheaper and easier to find too, but I do like using grain-free when I can.
Interesting point: my vet says use canned not dry as the dry is held together with fat and has too many calories; makes indoor cats get obese too easily. Not the message we used to get for sure, and I am trying to feed more canned, but oddly my little girl prefers the dry. Back in the day when I had one who loved canned I was told give her dry as it’s better for her. Huh. Much like people food, there seem to be changing ideas.
ETA when choosing wet food I pick based on what they will eat and the one with the highest protein level. Right now it’s Fancy Feast chicken with gravy.
