Cat food elitists... recommendations, please?

[Flaxbee]

I am trying to wean my herd of cats off crappy dry food onto better, healtier brands but I live in a tiny town with very little choice so I'm going to be reduced to ordering over the 'net.

I only have one guy who needs moist (b/c of old/sensitive teeth) and I'd like the rest to get the majority of their nutrition needs from a kibble, if possible. If there are some high-quality moist foods that I could try for my senior guy, please let me know.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[lizziegrace]

1. I've used Iams canned

and give Science Diet Oral Care to both my cats. They tend to eat the small pieces of regular food too fast and they gack everywhere. The larger pieces in Oral Care, force them to chew their food and the gacking has diminished significantly.

My personal experience with Iams dry is that it causes an awful stench in the litter box and some cats have digestive trouble with it...

:)

[LeftyMom]

2. Newman's Own is good

as is Blue, which has neat kitty trading cards in it. I've heard really good things about Pet Promise as well. All three make canned and dry foods.

You may want to check in the Pets Group and either PM Lorien or search for her posts on the subject because she's very knowledgable about high-end kitty food.

edit: Here's a listing of brands that don't do lab testing on animals. If you can please stick with one of these. http://www.iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp

[Flaxbee]

5. I try to avoid EVERYTHING/ANYTHING that tests on animals...

beauty/health products, etc. Iams is easy b/c it's at the grocery store but I've heard bad things about the company and the way they treat their animals (I know you didn't suggest it... just using this post to also reply to other posters).

I really admire Paul Newman... our local store carries a lot of his 'human' food but none of the cat/dog foods. Wah.

[LeftyMom]

6. Try seeing if they'll special order for you

Chances are if you want a higher end pet food (which is a huge expanding market) somebody else in town does too but hasn't said so. Even if you're the only buyer throwing that onto thier order since they already carry the brand shouldn't be a big deal.

[sbj405]

23. You can order the cat food from costco.com

They have both the canned and dry http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4013944&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=48077&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&topnav=&mc=48025

[Brigid]

3. Iams dry food.

My cats have loved it for years. They have forumlas for kittens, for overweight cats, and for seniors cats, as well as the reglar adult food.

[tuvor]

19. Knowledge is power. You might want to read this.

Iams... the suffering behind the 'science'

http://www.uncaged.co.uk/iams.htm

[MissMillie]

25. that's very unfortunate

it's one of the only dry foods that my Siouxsie is NOT allergic to. Almost every other brand I have tried makes her scratch herself raw.

[tuvor]

26. Check with a raw food store.

Our dog (SPCA rescue) would scratch himself, too, and I think salmon oil supplements from our local raw food store may have helped. (Been a couple of years, so my memory's not clear.)

At any rate, if you check with a store that specializes in raw pet food, they might be able to steer you in the right direction.

Good luck!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

I like Nutro Natural.

We use both the wet and dry. We have four cats in the house and now they won't even eat cheap dry food. They LOVE everything from Nutro.

Pricewise, it's similar to Iams. I have issues with Iams though due to their animal testing. Nutro no longer does animal testing.

http://www.nutroproducts.com/completecare.asp

[Flaxbee]

10. I bought Nutro a few times and the kids didn't go for it...

and now it seems that the second or third ingredient is 'corn gluten meal' which is what the cheaper brands use now as their main ingredient. What's up with that? :shrug:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. I never even noticed that.

Anyway, now that they're on Nutro, it's all they eat, so it looks like I'll be sticking with the Nutro. I used to just buy whatever, so they would eat anything. Now that they get a specific brand, they're all fussy.

[Flaxbee]

12. I know Nutro is considered to be good...

was just hoping they weren't cheapening their mix, you know?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

13. Oh and you might want to look into Pet Guard.

You might have to find it at a health food store though. My cats loved the dry food, but hated the canned food. All of their stuff is natural and they even have an organic line. I did notice that they also have corn gluten as a third ingredient though. Oddly enough, corn is considered a gluten-free grain though, so I'm confused. I give my cats their organic treats and also their natural flea collars work well.

http://www.petguard.com

If your cats will eat it and you can afford pricey food, Spot's Stew is very good. Only one of my cats likes it though. Their Dream Coat supplement is very good though. Midnight always looks ragged in the summer without it, even though she's a shorthair.

www.halopets.com

They also like the Steve's Real Food, frozen raw food, not the freeze-dried stuff though

http://www.stevesrealfood.com/

[Flaxbee]

14. thanks.. I'll check all these out.

Right now I have four different brands I might order from a pet food site and will see which one(s) taste-test the best. I have seven cats, two older and five in the 1-4 year range. The younger cats definitely prefer dry, one of the older ones likes both and the oldest gent is the one I have to be very careful with, teeth-wise.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

15. If the oldest likes it, Halo's Spot' Stew is very, very soft.

It's literally a stew made with human-grade ingredients.

[REP]

22. Corn Gluten Meal is NOT "Ground Yellow Corn"

I have cats who cannot tolerate ground yellow corn (miraculous barf fountains, anyone?) and they eat Nutro Natural Kitten, even though they're all adults. I believe it is one of the finest dry foods, and I did a LOT of research.

Castor & Pollux's Organix isn't bad either, but it's hard to find 20# bags in stores.

[XemaSab]

4. Braised Liver Little Friskies

are the tastiest, according to this dude I know who hitchhiked across the country eating cat food and sleeping under overpasses for a year.

[Beausoir]

7. Consult your vet over the phone. We have always used Science Diet.

Now, one of my cats is in renal failure so we switched both of them to Science Diet KD. So far...the one who was in renal failure has had a dramatic turn around and is doing great.
The one who didn't have renal failure adapted to the gradual change and looks and seems to feel fantastic!

[Flaxbee]

9. I don't like any of the vets in my area...

I looooved my vet in Virginia, but I don't like anyone in my area, and I've visited all within a 50 mile radius.

Yet another reason I'm thinking of moving back to Virginia!

[JackDragna]

28. Another for science diet here.

I switched my cat from Iam's to Science Diet and my cat seems to be happier and healthier. My cat isn't old by any means, but I've still seen an increase in activity and improvement in overall mood. Science Diet gets my cat's paw of approval.

[ceile]

31. Science Diet is great.

My kitty has diabetes and ever since I put him the WD formula he's been great.

[haf216]

8. ProPlan or PurinaOne

Each one has lots of different formulas so you can get what your cats need. Purina One is easy to find, Pro plan is only at Petsmart or a other pet stores.

[Dangerously Amused]

16. Another big fan of Nutro here.

I love that their pet food is one of the very few on the market to have "human grade" ingredients. Here is a little into from their site:


"Nutro supports the safe, ethical and humane treatment of all animals, including those used by our suppliers who provide our ingredients."

---


Easy to Digest for Sensitive Stomachs
Made with Rice, The Most Digestible and Gentle Cereal Grain. No ground corn.
High-Quality Chicken Protein for Healthy Digestion, No Chicken By-Products (Heads, Feet or Intestines)
Optimum Blend of Soluble & Insoluble Fiber, Including Complete Care's Unique Vegetable Blend, Helps Promote Gut Health


---

Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Rice Flour, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Flaxseed Meal, Tomato Pomace, Brewers Dried Yeast, Natural Flavors, Dried Beet Pulp, Mixed Vegetable Fiber (carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach), Potassium Chloride, Menhaden Fish Oil, Oat Fiber, Soy Protein Concentrate, Cranberry Powder, Choline Chloride, Taurine, DL-Methionine, Vitamin E Supplement, Dried Egg Product, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), L-Carnitine, Inositol, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Lutein, Dried Chicory Root, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin A Supplement, Garlic Flavor, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B-2), Beta-Carotene, Calcium Iodate, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B-1), Lycopene, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.


---

And here's the site:


http://www.nutroproducts.com/


Good luck.

[politicat]

17. Ours like Felidae (we get it at the Feed and Seed store.)

Mix it with a little chicken broth and it becomes a GREAT moist.

[tuvor]

18. Research feeding your cat raw food.

They weren't designed to eat man-made foods.

[Flaxbee]

20. yes, I've also considered "BARF"

Biologically Accurate Raw Food (or something close). Kibble isn't a naturally-occuring substance, I know ;-)

[tuvor]

21. Good for you.

You asked, and no one weighed in on something I feel stongly about, so... :)

The only reason I feed our cat vet-prescribed kibble is because he's so used to it (we learned late), that he actually won't eat the good stuff. (At 17 cat-years, it's hard to change some habits.)

However, I can certainly vouch for how good raw meat (and veggies) have been for our two dogs, one of which was adopted at four years old and clearly NOT raised on raw!

Good luck!

[riona]

24. Mine likes

Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care and Iams Multicat. They probably have senior versions.

[Madrone]

27. Innova EVO is excellent. Highest protein on the market.

No grains, very low carbs.

They also have canned. Best commercial option for an obligate carnivore not in renal failure.

[philosophie_en_rose]

29. Natural Balance -- good for pets; easy for you; not tested on animals

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/catformulas/home.html

Natural Balance has wet, semi-dry, and dry food. However, my opinion is that the best food is the "sausage." It's a tube of meat that you slice and feed your pets. It's soft like wet food, but easier to store and far less smelly all around.

The only problem with Natural Balance is that pets really, really like it. So they can pork up if you feed them too much. I feed my dogs the kibble, but use the semi-dry "tube" to put heartworm pills into.

[huskerlaw]

35. I second Natural Balance!

I used to feed my cats Science Diet until a person that does cat rescue told me it was made with by-products (it is, it's right on the label). :puke:

Natural Balance uses human-grade ingredients and it's available at PetCo.

[Bill McBlueState]

30. I'll ask the one in my house

My cat food elitist doesn't have opposable thumbs and as such, has a hard time participating in internet discussions. (Her extremely short attention span is also a hindrance.) But she does have strong opinions on the issue.

[liontamer]

32. wellness

uses human grade ingredients. the wet food is amazing, and the dry food is like crack for cats.

[Flaxbee]

33. oooh, crack for cats. That's just the kind of thing I'm looking

for... a healthy alternative that they actually will EASILY take to so I don't have to endure too many baleful stares, pitiful meows about them starving to death b/c I only put out healthy food... ;-)

[bettyellen]

34. i use royal canin- sensitive formula #33, and it's like crack, too

it's is higher protein than a lot of drys and very digestible. my cats seem to barf to easily with grains and get all farty on innova and natural balance.
it's supposed to be very good for their caosts. too. and has a rep that very finicky cats love it. i get it at Petsmart.
there are a lot of threads in the pet group on cat food if you want to do more reading.

[madinmaryland]

36. Check your PM. I will get an answer from my wife later.

[Mother Jones]

37. The scoop on elitist foods....

If you can afford it, I would go with raw, as others have suggested. Preferably organic or raised without hormones/anti-biotics.

Second to this, super premium kibble/canned combination- no, this does not include Iams, Science Diet or any other supermarket brand or TV ad.

First and foremost, Dr. Martin Goldstein's "The Nature of Animal Healing" (a bible on pet care -seriously, this book changed my life)

I simply didn't know about pet food when I had my pets on Science Diet. It wasn't until I learned they had FIP that I started researching. Now I feed them a variety of raw and cooked whole, real foods. Both cats and both dogs (all 4 are rescues that came in various terrible stages) are now in amazing shape.
We don't have vet bills, no heartworm meds, no flea control, no smell in the house (even litterbox), no bad teeth, no hot spots, etc....Put the money into the food and your rewards will be very obvious in about 1 month.

One last suggestion - If you live in a small town, do you have any farms nearby? Would be cheaper for you to source your own fresh meat....would at least be worth looking into.

Best of luck to you, and good for you for trying to do the right thing for your beloved pet!