Complete Dry food

[angieh]

I know that many of you would avoid feeding dry if possible and I understand the reasons, but having said that .......

Kizzy and Pip have Royal Canin Digestive Comfort mixed with Hills Science Diet, originally recommended by the vet. The Hills has recently been changed, and although I am always sceptical and think it's just repackaging with a price hike, in this case there must be something different because neither Kizzy, Pip nor Harley like it nearly as much as the Digestive Comfort, so I am considering a change. I'll still mix the Digestive Comfort (as it really suits Kizzy especially).

The only other dry I've tried (without success) is Joe and Jill's organic .............. I'm thinking Arden Grange. Any other recommendations? Another Royal Canin variety perhaps?

[calismum]

Alfie was on RC Sensible and did v well on that. Other than that I've not fed RC.

I've used James Wellbeloved and like that. I intend to feed kittens JW, Applaws or Burns. Just now they're still on Felix as that's what Dan fed them.

[JBalways2000]

I used Burns for quite some time before changing over to the Arden Grange Sensitive fish and potato. I am trying to put my boys onto more wet food now especially after AJ developing bladder problems as you know, but Hernie and Rhino always had very soft stools and problems in that area before feeding them the Arden Grange and have been great since so i would definately recommend it:D I always check the ingredients of any food im giving my boys to make sure there is a high meat content and not all that deriatives rubbish so i would always recommend burns or arden grange. they have the added bonus of not being tested on animals too!:D

[pinklizzy]

Is it the Hill's vet essentials you've changed to Angie?
We've had a number of cats refuse to eat it and as a result we're not going to stock as much of it. The kibble size is bigger as it's meant to incorporate the oral care range. Imogen has tried it and likes it but most of the time she has RC British Shorthair (unless I'm a bad mummy and we run out, then she gets Hill's samples! :oops: )

[angieh]

I've just gone and looked PL. It's called Optimal Care. Can't remember what it was called before the relaunch.

[dandysmom]

Can't offer any suggestions from my side of the Pond: Leia gets Purina One Senior and Chef's Blend, but just as a topping on the wet. Good luck finding one that suits.

Concidentally, in the monthly e-newsletter from my vet, they mentioned today that Hills is raising their shipping charges as of September first here.

[MrsH]

Our 2 are fed James Wellbeloved and we're happy with it but we don't have any specific dietary needs to accommodate. Morgan Cocker is fed Burns dog food and I would change Molly and Jason to their cat food if they weren't happy with JWB

[angieh]

It's a bit hit and miss with cats isn't it? What I may want them to like is the least likely to appeal. I forgot that I had tried the Applaws dry, which they didn't like, although they did like the little tins! But only as treats very occasionally will they get those.

I may ask various companies for samples and see how we get on .............

[Tink]

I have fed them Evo but am weaning them off that as Proctor and Gamble just bought Natura and even though they promise to keep the formula, who knows where they will source the ingredients?
So i've introduced Wellness Core which has gone over really well.
In the past I've also liked using Blue Buffalo Wilderness and Go! Natural Cat Turkey and Duck by Petcurean.

[pinklizzy]

Oh yes, optimal care! I think it was just called adult maintenance before, as far as I know it was just the packaging and bag sizes they changed rather than the formulation?
As far as other brands, Imogen is a fan of the fish flavours and always liked James Wellbeloved white fish-it comes in smaller bags too so you don't get stuck with a lot of uneaten food.

[Darwin]

I feed a small amount of dry food to my cats, but only when I have to leave them alone in the daytime. I have recently become better educated on the content and quality of commercial cat foods. In my opinion cats should not be fed grains (carbohydrates) as part of their diet and for this reason the dry cat food I choose is Orijin, as it does not contain grains. Cats digestive tracts are not designed to digest grains. Wild cats do not eat grains. Most commercial dry foods contain LOTS of grains. I would not feed a rabbit meat, so why would I feed any of my cats grains?

Otherwise my cats eat a raw meat/bone/offal diet.

I do realise cats often LOVE dry food but that does not mean it is good for them. Kids love McDonalds but I would never let them eat it.

Finally I know vets plug certain dry food diets but they do this as they are sponsored to keep the manufacturers food in their clinics and some vets income is approaching 50% from the sale of such foods apparently- go figure why they plug it as the optimum diet! Much of the info they have on feline nutrition comes from the maufacturers of dry food, so I think they are biased.

But the choice is yours, these are just my informed opinions :)

[angieh]

Further to the point made by Darwin above that cats do better without being fed grains, I have looked more carefully at this cat food that is now available in U.K. I have had communication with the man who began importing this food and he sent me a sample last year. Certainly it was eaten with gusto, but it was a period of change for me after losing Merlin and I can't really remember all the details. I am thinking of giving it another go. No cereals, but I am not sure that cats are natural eaters of sweet potato :lol: :lol: :lol:

Anyway, here are the nutritional details (http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/taste_of_the_wild/178009#more) just in case anyone is interested .....

[MrsH]

The trouble with discussions about what to feed one's pet is that they often get a bit controversial.

Orijen is a really excellent food and Angie is wise to give it another go, but I have to take some exception to the way in which Darwin has worded his response. To say that he is now better informed is (to my mind at least) to suggest that those of us who feed other dry foods are ill-informed.

My cats are very happy on James Wellbeloved (which does contain grains - rice and maize gluten) Fair enough, cats weren't designed to eat grains but there are a lot of ingredients in all cat foods including Orijen which fall into the "unnatural for cats" category. Blackcurrants, turnip greens, sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin etc. are surely not natural foods for cats yet are in Orijen and I'm sure there are very good reasons for their inclusion, but please, don't imply that by feeding other brands we are feeding our cats the equivalent of McDonalds ie junk food.

If we avoided all "unnatural for cats" foods, we'd be queueing up to source fresh, live mice!

[dandysmom]

If I'm not mistaken, cats in the wild eat the stomach contents of their prey which contain grains and vegetable matter. Just a thought.

[angieh]

Yes, that's a good point Eileen. There's only ever "that" bit left, which I think is the gall bladder.

[Darwin]

The trouble with discussions about what to feed one's pet is that they often get a bit controversial.

Orijen is a really excellent food and Angie is wise to give it another go, but I have to take some exception to the way in which Darwin has worded his response. To say that he is now better informed is (to my mind at least) to suggest that those of us who feed other dry foods are ill-informed.

My cats are very happy on James Wellbeloved (which does contain grains - rice and maize gluten) Fair enough, cats weren't designed to eat grains but there are a lot of ingredients in all cat foods including Orijen which fall into the "unnatural for cats" category. Blackcurrants, turnip greens, sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin etc. are surely not natural foods for cats yet are in Orijen and I'm sure there are very good reasons for their inclusion, but please, don't imply that by feeding other brands we are feeding our cats the equivalent of McDonalds ie junk food.

If we avoided all "unnatural for cats" foods, we'd be queueing up to source fresh, live mice!
I am sorry you take exception to the way you think I expressed my views. Of course the problem with forum discussions is that you can not detect the tone of the response. I never had, nor have, any intention of being offensive. I do feel better informed (than I was) but I was not insinuating you, or anyone else, was poorly informed, although I am sure some cat owners are ;)

However, my interpretation of what I have read and now consider to be valid evidence, is that cats should not eat grains and I do consider much of the commercial food available, both wet and dry, not to be best suited for a cats ideal nutrition. Even Orijin is not ideal but of all the dried foods on the market I do consider it to be one of the best available.

I do still consider many of the foods people feed to be the feline equivalent of fast food, but I stand by peoples rights to feed them to their cats if they choose to. I would not (although have in the past). It is just my opinion, which is what a discussion board is about, the expression of different opinions. People may agree or disagree as they wish. I know many consider owners like me who feed raw food to cats to be reckless, placing their cats at risk of salmonella or choking on bones, but that is their view. There are lots of viewpoints, we are entitled to our own.

As for the mice, well I do know some people do indeed feed thawed frozen mice occasionally to their cats (you can get them from pet shops for reptiles). A step too far for many people I expect :)

But I suppose the bottom line for me is that dry food is not a good option for cats, it is convenient for owners, myself included, and in small proportions probably does no harm, but I would never again feed my cats dry food as a major component of their diet.

Peace out :cool:

[Darwin]

If I'm not mistaken, cats in the wild eat the stomach contents of their prey which contain grains and vegetable matter. Just a thought.
A valid point! But the grain in a rodents gut must be a tiny percentage by weight of the overall meal whereas in many commercial dried foods the grain content percentage by weight is HUGE, way beyond what they would get from eating rodents gut contents.

[Elaine]

The following was taken from the felinecrf.org website.
Cats are obligate carnivores. This does not mean they can only eat meat. It means that unlike other species, such as humans and dogs, they cannot manufacture certain amino acids essential to life. In order to obtain these amino acids, they must eat food which contains them, and ideally that means they must eat meat.

It is a myth that our domestic cats are miniature versions of the big cats such as lions. Big cats are part of a pride, and hunt together. Domestic cats, in contrast, are solitary predators, and if they are living in their own version of the wild, normally they would only eat what they could catch. They catch mice, insects, whatever passes by or what they can hunt. This means they have evolved to eat little and often. They eat very little plant material, only what would be found in a mouse's stomach. They eat very few carbohydrates for the same reason.

Originally cats were desert animals, so they evolved not to want to drink much. Since a mouse is approximately 60% water, historically this was not an issue - they got sufficient fluid intake from their food. Therefore ideally cats also need to eat wet foods.

So to summarise, cats need a food containing a large percentage of meat-based protein, with limited vegetables and grains. They need to eat little and often, and ideally a wet food.

That is the ideal. However, back in the real world, there can be problems.

[Elaine]

Some of you know that I am not a fan of dry food diets but would never condem anyone else who feeds them to healthy cats.
I have fed dry foods in the past and my experiences tell me that it was more convenient for me than for my cats. I now feed an all wet diet.

[dandysmom]

I agree that sometimes it's easy to misinterpret a post, as we don't have the advantage of hearing the tone of voice, facial expressions and body language that we do in a face to face conversation. That said, I am a convert to wet food with a little additional water added, and only a tiny sprinkling of dry on top for increased palatability, and small but frequent meals - 4 daily in my case. Dry is a convenience for the owner as Elaine has said, and most cats do like it, but there is also the danger of cystitis.

[angieh]

I absolutely know and agree that cystitis and other urinary problems may be exacerbated by feeding dry - and also acknowledge that feeding dry is hugely convenient for a cat owner. IF I could buy a nutritional gravy I would definitely do so - Pip loves it but will NOT eat the meat, so there would be huge wastage. Kizzy, as some of you know, did have digestive problems when she first came here and the Digestive Comfort dry food cured that for her (and for us). I do have a water fountain and Kizzy in particular likes to drink daily from it. Pip still likes his running tap.

I suppose you would say that if they only had wet food to eat, they would soon come round .... always pluses and minuses.

[dandysmom]

I so agree about the gravy ... they love it; Leia always laps it all up before eating the food. I imagine it might bee a bit pricy but would definitely buy it if it were available.

[Elaine]

I suppose you would say that if they only had wet food to eat, they would soon come round .... always pluses and minuses.

I wouldnt say that at all Angie, as many have experienced, cats can hold out longer on the fussiness over hungry scene. Nor would I criticise what you feed, I just have a bee in my bonnet as usual;) :lol:

[angieh]

Rightly so Elaine - I would follow if I could.

Harley at least eats wet.

[dandysmom]

I wouldnt say that at all Angie, as many have experienced, cats can hold out longer on the fussiness over hungry scene. Nor would I criticise what you feed, I just have a bee in my bonnet as usual;) :lol:


They can hold out longer than I can; Leia absolutely refused to eat the Royal Canin the vet prescribed for her cystitis. But on her present diet she's had no recurrences, knock wood, so I feel I'm doing something right. Wet, extra water and small meals.

[Tink]

I have been slowly trying to increase the wet food in my house so that the cats hopefully eat more of it than the dry. I cannot eliminate dry food completly because my ferrets eat it and right now it is not feasible for me to give them a balanced, raw diet. So there is always kibble out.

That said, I choose for the kibble that IS out to be no grain and low carbohydrate.

However, ANY kibble (even if it is no grain, low carb) will have certain fillers in order to bind the food together. Seeing as no kibble can ever be perfect, this is something I have taken into consideration and the kibbles that I do offer I weigh the pros and cons of the fillers that are needed to bind the proteins and fats together into a kibble type food. Personally, I compare ingredient and guaranteed analysis carefully in the hopes I can find a kibble with the least amount of fillers and those fillers would also be comparably low in carbohydrates and free from grain. I also like my kibbles to be free from corn, wheat, or soy.