Following on from Jenny's and my threads on food/changing diet

[Soupie]

Which cat foods "wet"or "dry" have the highest meat content and therefore are more natural/healthier for cats to eat?

I was at the pet store (PAH) this morning stocking up on some cat milk and Pousse's dentabits and I took the opportunity to look at the ingredients in the different meats and have picked up some natures:menu chicken salmon & tuna to try because it appears to have higher meat content.

Are traditional cat foods like felix and whiskers "bad" for cats as we have always fed these with bog standard dry food and never had an unhealthy cat as a result of their nutrition - only road accidents and old age deaths. Have we (as a family) been lucky with our cats?

As I said in previous posts there is much more choice available and I am impressed by the wide range of dry foods now available and so am exploring the newer meats as well.

Do you think foods like felix and whiskers will start increasing the meat content to compete with other foods such as natures:menu, iams and the other one - hifi/hilife?(is that the right name?)

Discuss? :)

[alexgirl73]

The thing is Soupie, as someone pointed out to me recently, not so long ago the only thing cats were being fed was table scraps, and whatever they could hunt outside!! I feed my 2 boys on whiskas with no problems. I prefer to give them wet and dry food as it gives them a variety of textures and they enjoy it. Teddie, as I have said before, gets white fish and almo nature at the moment because she has such a sensitive stomach. I would dearly love to feed her on whiskas (and so would my purse, lol). I think it all comes down to personal choice. My thoughts are that in the majority of cases, expensive cat foods are a con, and millions of cats live quite happy, healthy lives without being fed them. With pedigree cats (and I don't mean to offend anyone here), I believe that a lot of the problems they have with dicky tummies, comes from being fed 'exclusive' foods that breeders are using. But in the end it comes down to what you want to feed your cat. Go-cat, whiskas, RC or jwb. Feed your cat what they will eat and what suits your lifestyle!!

[Fran]

Up until recently when I got my pedigree kittens, I always fed the 'bog standard' traditional cat foods to my cats without problems and with them living to ripe old ages. The reason I looked more into what is now available is because my Siamese kitten was a very fussy eater and wouldn't eat the usual whiskers kitten stuff I have previously fed my kittens. So I looked into the more 'premium' types of cat foods. I feed a variety of things here and my older cats still have Felix, Whiskers, type cat foods as well as the newer Natures menu that I have started having since getting my Siamese. My older cats have Supacat dry and my kittens have Royal Canin kitten but I am considering switching all my cats over to Royal Canin biscuits. I don't know whether it is psycholgical but you feel that you are feeding them better if you give them a more premium food but are you and do they really benefit? as like you my moggies have always lived to good ages with very few if any problems being fed the 'usual' cat foods :?

[charliebubs]

I don't know what's better or worse and I agree that it comes down to personal choice.

I have tried feeding my lot on Natures Menu, Hi-Life and Applaws because of the high meat content, but they don't seem any more excited by it and in fact seem to prefer the bog standard Felix that I feed them. I do try and vary their diet a bit though.

In relation to dry food I do believe that Whiskers, Go-Cat etc contain a lot of artificial colourings and preservatives (you can see that some of the biscuits are coloured) and salt and sugar, so I choose to use a more natural brand. My cats are given a selection of Nutro, Royal Canin, Arden Grange and James Wellbeloved. I know that these are not a cheap option, but it's my choice.

When I had Midas and he was really poorly I spent a lot of time trying different foods with him and would feed him just whatever he would eat, be it supermarket foods or more expensive brands.

I don't think there is a wrong or right way to feed our cats.

:)

[jenny]

having done quite alot of research into pet food for an assignment on my dog behaviour course, this is my imput on the matter.

generally speaking, my opinion is that alot of the commercial pet foods contain a very low meat content, approx 4% and the meat content is usually 'derivatives' meaning a low quality meat source.
i also find they have alot of additives etc and ingredients such as maize that they cant digest properly.

people who tell me their pets prefer 'bakers' , 'whiskas' or whatever it might be, is a bit like saying your children prefer macdonalds. well of course they do, there are more flavourings, sugars etc in there and more fat content. they are more palatable so they prefer it.

as far as quality goes, i would personally say burns, natures menu and hi life are the better diets. they have a good meat content, which i believe should be simply 'chicken, turkey, salmon' or whatever it may be rather than 'chicken meat meal'. you will also find the meat content is more like 60% rather than 4%.

infact, specialist foods such as science plan appear to have alot of rubbish ingredients in them including the whole maize thing and derivatives, and they charge u almost double what other diets costs, even natures menu and burns.

so its a good idea to look at your pet food labels because u arent always getting what u paid for.

90% of the dog behaviour cases i see are due to the wrong diet. diet can have many factors such as allergies, aggression, hyperactivity, bad coat condition, as well as low activity levels, depression etc.

and it is true, many pets will live a happy life on baker, iams, whiskas etc, and do very well on it, and others wont. its all down to the individual animal at the end of the day, however i personally choose to try and feed the most natural option with no additives and a good meat content.


for anyone whos interested, the nature diet website offers loads of fact sheets.
if u follow this link and click on 'nature diet ingredients vs other foods' it will take u to a fact sheet. it tells you how to read your pet food label and what the ingredients really mean.
http://www.naturediet.net/health_advice/index.html?library_branch=health_advice/general_information/

[dandysmom]

I'm not going t mention brand names, as they're different on this side of the Pond. but I have generally fed all my cats the slightly above supermarket brands moist food, and a premium dry food plus one supermarket brand that they've all liked. Maybe I've been lucky but most of mine have lived very long lives, 20, 19 1/5, 17 (the youngest age I lost a cat was 12, and he had an untreatable fungal lung infection). I occasionally splurge on some of the high-priced moist foods. All of mine are or were in excellent health. Basically what I'm saying is if your cat likes what you're feeding him/her and is thriving, stick with it. I've no experience with cats with finicky tummies or irrititable bowels..........

[Fran]

as far as quality goes, i would personally say burns, natures menu and hi life are the better diets. they have a good meat content, which i believe should be simply 'chicken, turkey, salmon' or whatever it may be rather than 'chicken meat meal'.


Are you saying Jenny, that you would avoid foods that contained a 'meat meal' content?

This is taken from the Burns Nutrition web site

DUCK & RICE FOR KITTENS

http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/Images/kittenpouch0106.jpgContains: Duck Meat Meal (min 39%), Brown Rice (min 21%), White Rice (min 20%), Maize, Duck Fat, Chicken Liver, Seaweed, Minerals and Vitamins.
Typical Analysis/100g: Protein 30.0%, Oil 14.0%, Fibre 2.0%, Ash 7.0%, Vit A 15,000 iu/kg, Vit D3 1200 iu/kg, Vit E 70 iu/kg, Moisture 8%, Copper 18mg/kg, Sodium 0.2%, Calcium 2.10%, Phosphorus 1.15%, Magnesium 0.12%, Taurine 500mg/kg, EFA 2.6%

[jenny]

yes i was suprised to see this on the burns kitten food when it was posted as a free sample thru my door! very unlike burns!

i think my decision has been made toward which food i will feed!

[Fran]

These are other products in their cat range, so it's not just the kitten...


http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/Images/bags/CATCHICKEN75.jpgCHICKEN & BROWN RICE
- no battery hen meat used

Contains: Brown Rice, Poultry Meat Meal,Maize, Poultry Fat, Chicken Liver, Seaweed, Vitamins and Minerals
Typical Analysis/100g: Protein 28.0%, Oil 12.0%, Fibre 2.0%, Ash 7.0%, Vit A 15,000 iu/kg, Vit D3 1200 iu/kg, Vit E 70 iu/kg, Moisture 8%, Copper 18mg/kg, Sodium 0.2%, Calcium 2.16%, Phosphorus 1.1%, Magnesium 0.12%, Taurine 500mg/kg, EFA 2.6%

http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/Images/bags/oceanfish75.jpgOCEAN FISH

Contains: Brown Rice, Fish Meal, Maize,Fish Oil, Chicken Liver, Seaweed, Vitamins and Minerals
Typical Analysis/100g: Protein 28.0%, Oil 12.0%, Fibre 2.0%, Ash 7.0%, Vit A 15,000 iu/kg, Vit D3 1200 iu/kg, Vit E 70 iu/kg, Moisture 8%, Copper 18mg/kg, Sodium 0.2%, Calcium 1.25%, Phosphorus 0.77%, Magnesium 0.09%, Taurine 500mg/kg, EFA 7.8%

[Soupie]

Well tried Pousse on some natures:menu meat today and she is rather unimpressed with it and has just come to ask for food when there is plenty fresh down!

So unless she warms to it will be sticking to whiskers and royal canin/iams - she's been fed whiskers all her life and no digestive problems so I'm not going to force her to change at her age if she doesn't like the NM.

[jenny]

thats a bit disappointing with the burns range isnt it!

i recently had a look at Wafcol in the dog section and it appears to be better than james wellbeloved! strange.

as i say, every animal is different and some will do great on one diet and not on another. i know people who have had trouble with both burns and james wellbeloved.