Food choices

[Elaine]

There are alot of opinions on which food is best to feed cats, many of those opinions are strongly held. Many of those who feed raw feel that those who dont are condeming our cats to death. On this and other forums we are often reffered to other websites, which may or may not have already looked at. For me, although they may have some good points, they do not convince me that they are the holy grail on feline nutrition.
It can sometimes begin to sound like some sort of fundamentalist religion, may way good, your way bad. Please! We are talking cat food here, not the meaning of life. There have not been that many studies done on feline nutritional requirements, so alot of info is mainly personal opinion and/or prejudice. People like some manufacturers and hate others. Big names are great while small ones may be suspect and vice versa. This despite the fact that both may manufacture thier food in the same factory and by the same methods, using the same employees and machinery and maybe even the exact same ingredients.

If there were one perfect food for our cats, we'd ALL be feeding it, but there isnt, so we all do the berst we can.

When it comes to cat food, I'm not a big fan of foods which contain alot of fruit and veg. They are designed to apeal to you and have no real nutritional value to your cat, but if your cat likes them then why not...
I'm not going to get all high and mighty about "bad" ingredients, who am I to say what you feed is bad anyway. I am not the cat food police.:lol:
One of my biggest things is fluids, I personally feel that our cats dont drink enough and are not naturally drawn to water as dogs are.

[Darwin]

Feline nutrition is certainly an emotive subject amongst cat owners. I certainly seem to care more about what my cats eat than waht I do!

It is also big business and a very competitive market, hence the fortune the manufacturers spend on marketing.

[Elaine]

I agree. I made the post because we have had many posts in the past about cat foods which have ended up being quite emotive for one reason or another and I just wanted to point out that it is personal opinion and or prejudice that we feed what we feed.
There has not been nearly enough studies into feline nutritional requirements to sway me either way and I think that we all do our best by our cats when it comes to feeding.

[angieh]

Thanks Elaine - how sensible and I agree. I did not know actually that there have not been that many studies done on feline nutritional requirements. It seems that not only cat owners are doing the best they can but vets too - except that vets don't actually admit that their recommendations may not be based on good research.

There is no doubt that we all, as we love our cats, do the very best we can for them. Sometimes the cats themselves go against what we would wish for them and refuse to co-operate. ;)

The best I hope for is that my three lovelies enjoy their lives and have lots of love and fun.

[dandysmom]

Well put, Angie. As to not co-operating, Leia is quite fond of one of Fancy Feast's chicken tins that has some rice and carrot in it: she simply manages to eat around most of it and leave what she doesn't like. Not that there is a lot of it to begin with.

[Elaine]

If you have the time, this makes for good reading...
http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

[Tink]

Love the comment about "I am not the cat food police", that made me giggle :lol:
I agree that food discussions can get out of hand, I've seen it loads of times on ferret forums as well. I usually try to stay out of it when I see it only because, as you said, there is no perfect packaged food out there and we are all doing our best. I have seen people list ingredients and one by one pick apart why their kibble is superior to someone else's. Kibble is never going to be perfect. No matter what. So really, when arguing like that, isn't it a lost cause because each has their pros and cons, right?
I understand the viewpoint of raw feeders and even for a while was trying to do this diet myself for my ferrets..however, I found from the short time I did try that not only was it not feasible for me but I noticed some things that made me feel uncomfortable and decide to put the whole project "on hold". Not to say I will never feed raw but not to say I think it is the only way to go. Again, I can only do my best and rest assured that the food my cats get has been carefully considered and they are in a loving home that cares for their well being. I do think a lot of things raw feeders say is probably true, however I do not like when I feel I am being talked down to or they are making it seem like that is the only way for a cat to be healthy, etc. I have heard raw feeders before say all kibble is junk and that has bothered me because though I know it is not perfect I put a lot of research and money into my cat's diet and I feel it's unfair to lump that into the same category as the most filler-filled foods.
So anyway..I see both sides. And like best when everyone is respectful in such discussions. On other forums, sometimes I just avoid the food section altogether because the arguments and condescending are maddening but I haven't felt that way on this forum so I'm sure there will not be an issue as we are all friends here :wink:

[Elaine]

See, now I just came across this
http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html
condeming dry kibble and claiming that raw is the way to go but there are pit falls with raw feeding too.There is a thread already here titled "does any one feed raw?" If you care to read through it again there are a few dodgy things on there by people who feed raw and advocate feeding raw pork. Now I really dont mind what people prefer to feed their cats but until there is the "perfect" diet available, I will do what I think best for my cats.

[angieh]

Very nicely said, Tink.

Speaking of food, either raw or not, with pork in it - I bought a mixed selection of pouches from Waitrose a while ago - their "basic" range. All pouches were eaten by Harley, who was at that time a stray cat and therefore generally hungry, except the pork which he wouldn't touch.

[calismum]

Good thread here.

My two newbies have been brought up outside by Mum for the first few weeks of life and then had a supplemented diet of cat food pouches. I have found they will, so far, eat anything put in front of them.

I think, for me, the main issue is when feeding dry trying to ensure they drink enough.

I have had a few cats fed mainly dry who have ended up with kidney problems. I have had a few cats fed mainly wet who have ended up with teeth problems.

So, I intend to feed a mixture of both. I have over the last week spent quite a bit of time looking at the make up of the varous foods available. I am amazed at the difference in some of them and the similarities in others.

These links were very informative and certainly thought provoking.

Thank you.

[Shelley123]

It is only recently that i have begun to take more notice of whats in petfood and to read labels. Previous to this i must admit to believing it was a good food if the company was well known.
I am more knowledgable now but our boys just love Felix and Jerry refuses other foods. Tom is a bit more adventurous and enjoys some of Malaika's raw food when she has it. They have a bowl of dry in the morning but always have plenty of water down.
A point Elaine has made about Cats nor being drawn to water has made me think. Malaika's breeder told us always to soak her kibble and never give it dry as she could become dehydrated. Basenjis don't drink a lot. Previously i have always fed kibble dry but nearly always soak it now.

[dandysmom]

That's really interesting about the Basenjis not drinking. Didn't they originate in North Africa in the same area that the progenitors of our domestic cats? I seem to remember reading that there were Basenjis pictured on the tomb walls of some Pharaohs as well as cats. Maybe both being from semi-arid places is why they are neither big water drinkers as a rule .....???

[Shelley123]

That's really interesting about the Basenjis not drinking. Didn't they originate in North Africa in the same area that the progenitors of our domestic cats? I seem to remember reading that there were Basenjis pictured on the tomb walls of some Pharaohs as well as cats. Maybe both being from semi-arid places is why they are neither big water drinkers as a rule .....???

They originated in central Africa, Eileen. The Congo basin, one of their names is Congo Dogs.
They were in Egypt also and have been depicted in tombs.
The breed are very much unchanged from ancient times.
It is an interesting theory about the water drinking, cats and basenjis.

[farthing]

I don't think we can really judge what people feed their animals, even food classed as junk by many has all the nutrients required to keep a cat healthy. Lets face it cats are living longer and longer and diet as well as improved vet skills and general care must play a part in it.
Only recently have I really considered what I feed and after a lot of reading decided to fed only wet food with a high meat content. I chose Hi-life because it was affordable and had no gluten- I wanted to try Candy on a gluten free diet due to her IBD. It has worked for me and luckily the cats love it- its also easier for the toothless oldies to eat a wet food.:lol: :lol:
We all do what we can for our animals and I think it is important to have different opinions, its the only way we will learn.