What cat food do I get???

[lute]

I know all about the good the and the bad in dog food but have no clue when it comes to cat food. My fiance and I ended up adopting a big 5yr old spayed front declawed female gray cat. She is so perfect! In the 2 days we've had her she has become a spoiled kitty. She spends a great amount of time at her food bowl...she eats a lot. My fiance got her a small bag of Purina's Cat Chow. I know that's not a great food. I do know that much. I guess what I'm asking is what are the good cat foods at Petco and PetSmart? I would like something that is high quality but good for adult cats.

[columbine]

What's her name? Can we see a photo?

There are a lot of senior formula foods out. I'd suggest a grain-free food, as cats can't really process grain.

(Smudge says "Gray cats are the best!")

Love, Columbine

[katladyd]

I recently upgraded my cat's diet and am very pleased with the results! I feed Blue Wilderness Lamb or duck for their dry and either Newman's Own, Spot's Stew, or Nutro Natural Choice, for their canned. Their coats are shinier and they have a lot more energy than they used to. Any of these are good. Nutro has a little grain in it, but the rest are grain free, which is very good for cats.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Congrats!!!:D I'm glad that she's working out well for you and I too would love to see pictures of her.:) What's her name?

I recently switched my cats from Innova Evo dry to Wellness Core dry. I didn't like the fact that all of the Natura Pet Products had been bought out by Procter & Gamble and I just don't trust them. You can buy Wellness Core dry at Petco and you can buy the canned Wellness at both Petco and Petsmart. Petsmart's prices are usually better than Petco's. I've been trying a variety of grain free canned foods on my cats and it seems like Wellness is the only one that everyone loves. Both of my girls are very picky so they won't eat some of the other grain free canned foods like my males will.

I've also tried Nature's Variety which is very expensive. Petco is now also carrying Merrick's Before Grain in both dry and canned. I haven't tried the dry since I'm pleased with Wellness Core but I did buy some of the canned food. My males seem to like it but my females hate it so I won't be buying it again. I also tried Petco's Soulistic Chicken canned food and everyone except for Ziggy seems to like it but they do get tired of it. I later found that it says product of Thailand on it so I don't know if I can fully trust this product. It does have a lot of great moisture in it though.

Cats need much more protein than dogs so you need to look for foods that have meat as the main ingredient. I'd also try to stay away from grains if possible because cats don't need them. I try to stay away from some of the grain free foods that seem to have way too many fruits and vegetables in them. They tend to have too much fiber in them for my cats and it can give them the runs. Some cats can't handle grain free diets because they're too rich for them especially the canned food. It's recommended that you don't give them large portions of canned food in one sitting. I was told this about Innova Evo from the manager of An Jan Food & Pet Supply.

Since grain free dry food has a lot of calories, if you do free feed then you should measure it out. I feed my cats 4 small feedings a day, 2 in the morning and 2 at night. My adult cats usually eat about 1/2 can of food per day and about 1/3-1/2 cup of dry per day. My kittens eat about 3/4 of a cup of dry food a day. I just started mixing some canned Wellness in with some dry for them so I may need to change their portion size. If your cat doesn't like the food that you buy her, then you can always return it and buy something else. Good luck.:)

[katladyd]

KAK is right, with the dry don't feed them a lot at one time. Grain free fills them up quickly, so even though it is more expensive to purchase, it lasts longer. I feed my cats some of the foods with the veggies in them and neither of mine has suffered from it. Try it with yours and if you have problems, try one of the brands without the veggies. Mac will eat just about anything but Wellness and Ming hates all the expensive brands except the Blue Wilderness dry. He LOVES that. Just shop around and find one that your kitty will like.

[moosmom]

Katladyd is right, Wilderness Blue is a great food!! I've got 5 cats and a couple were really packing on the pounds. Because my puddies are all indoors, I went to the pet store to read the labels and find out what was in some of the foods I've fed my cats. The CRAP that is in the cheap foods was unhealthy. I decided to try the Wilderness Blue. It is high in protein. I found my RB MooShoo's and Shortie's pouches were going down. I would free feed them, but noticed that they weren't eating as MUCH as with the crappy food IAMS. It's a little pricey but well worth it. My cat's coats are soft and shiney.

They key is reading labels. The very first ingredient in Wilderness is Turkey. Because of RB Murphy's hyperthyroidism, I had to find a cat food that was low in protein. I chose Blue Indoor Cats. I highly recommend it.

[Freedom]

You have received great advice!

Here is a link to a cat rating chart, so you can start learning about cat foods:
http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

See the menu on the left? The link above gives you the Quick Cat Food Reference Table; that is the page you are on with the link above. You can also look at the Complete Cat Food Listings, for more detail on a specific food.

I feed Taste of the Wild, which is grain free.

When you switch off the Purina to a better quality food, you will have few to no hairballs to cope with. HOORAY! I discovered this when I switched to Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, an unexpected bonus with a house full of kitties.

You mention she spends a lot of time at her food bowl. Once you have a good food, if she continues this you will need to stop the free feeding. Kitties put the weight on easily and quickly. It is really a task to get it off.

Now, I will join the chorus: let's see some photos! :D

[catmandu]

At the Found Cat Hotel My Cats love Pro Plan Canned and Dry with Fancy Feast and Fancy Feast Classic thrown in.
Add to that some Deli Meat and take out and we all eat well!!!:love:

[lute]

Thanks so much for the great advice! I always get my questions answered on PT! That's why I love this place! I thought you were suppose to free feed carts. I was told that by a cat rescuer. once we find a decent food she likes we will probably stop free feeding. She sleeps by her food bowl too sometimes. She's got a little bit of a "pocket". She is still somewhat active and will lay with her toys if you are playing with her.

I only have one pic of her right now. It's not a good one either. I took it with my phone. We named her Blunt. We also call her Big Worm from the movie Friday. My bf's favorite movie.:D

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1158.snc4/149997_1210504460629_1169250991_30736928_3855338_n .jpg

[Freedom]

She's got a little bit of a "pocket".

Also called "spay sway."

Hello Blunt, you are a gorgeous gray lady! So happy to meet you!

My vet says cats need to be fed twice daily. I reply: my cats haven't read your books; they insist on 3 feedings per 24 hours. :D

[mrspunkysmom]

Also called "spay sway."

Hello Blunt, you are a gorgeous gray lady! So happy to meet you!

My vet says cats need to be fed twice daily. I reply: my cats haven't read your books; they insist on 3 feedings per 24 hours. :D

LOL

I'm typing through the cat that thinks he is on the three hour diet.

Mine eat Blue Wilderness Dry Chicken and a mixture of Blue Wilderness canned and Nutro Natural Balance. They won't go back to the cheap stuff now.

Jane says Gray a a great color.

There are other good foods out there but you won't find them at Petsmart or Petco

[Lilith Cherry]

Napoleon , our found cat, is eating Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul which is grain free and also not too expensive.. He has gone from thin as a rake and no shine too sleek and muscled in only a few weeks! I highly recommend it.

[moosmom]

"Spay pocket"??? I have one of those!!! So does Shortie and Maya Linn. RB MooShoo did too!!

I free feed my cats. Once you've changed their food to a premium dry food that doesn't have fillers or by-products, you'll find your cats will be satisfied and eat less.

[phesina]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1158.snc4/149997_1210504460629_1169250991_30736928_3855338_n .jpg

Blunt, you are gorgeous!

[katladyd]

My cats get one-half of a can of wet, morning and evening, and they free feed with Blue Wilderness dry (I will never stop feeding this stuff, it's great!). They don't constantly go back to their food bowls with the good stuff. Now, Mac needs to put on a little weight and the good stuff has stopped his vomiting. Now the food stays inside him and he is slowly gaining weight and his fur is soooo soft! Good cat food DOES make a difference!:) By the way, Blunt is truly gorgeous!

[lute]

Awww! Blunt says thanks, but she is well aware that she is beautiful! You can keep telling her though. :D:p

If you have a good quality dry food Blunt will stop eating when she's full? Right? I talked to her previous owner today and she said that Blunt has always been free fed. I'd like to continue to free feed her since that's what she's use to. I'll keep you updated on what food we pick up tomorrow. I'm really leaning toward the Blue Wilderness. I like the ingredients and you all seem to have good success with it. I think we're gonna try it.

On an un-food related topic. I've got a small slicker brush I've been brushing Blunt out about 3 times a day. She seems to like it. I feel a little bit of flea dirt behind her ears. What is the best flea preventative for cats? I use Frontline on Chloe only when she needs it. I give her garlic pills a couple times a month in the winter if I saw a flea. When I was working in the vet clinics I always saw cats come in that had reactions to flea preventative. I do know a lot of these cats were reacting to Sergent's products. Bought at Wal-Mart or a similar place. I would never use these products. I haven't seen any fleas, just felt the flea dirt. Wondering what is a good preventative.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Blunt is gorgeous and I hope to see much more of her.:) I've been using Advantage on my cats for many years now. I actually buy the largest dog one online and then I measure it out for my cats according to weight and this saves me a lot of money. My former vet actually recommended this to me because the ingredients are the same in both the cat and dog advantage. Now the advantage multi might be different though. Good luck.:)

[luckies4me]

Blue Buffalo, Wellness or Royal Canin are your best bets. Specifically Royal Canin as they have done a TON of research, design kibbles for specific cat breeds based on the type of teeth they have, and have specific dietary formulas for a whole range of different health problems, picky eaters, health and beauty etc. My kittens will not eat anything else. It is expensive. A few dollars more than Wellness but definately worth it. I can show you photos of my felines if you'd like to see what their coats look like.

[lute]

I didn't know royal canin made cat food. Yeah, if you wanna show me their coats. I may end up trying it sometime.

[luckies4me]

I've been having quite a bit of trouble uploading photos to Pet Talk lately so I'll try to upload as many as I can. Anyway, no other cat food company has done as much research as Royal Canin has. Also, a lot of their foods are made specifically to prohibit the formula of both types of urinary stones in cats.

[luckies4me]

Well unfortunately I don't have very many photos of my cats now that I think about it. lol. I really should take some more!!!

And before anyone says anything, lol, yes Ickeris is a fatty and needs to go on a diet. He is a neighborhood slut and loves to get treats from everyone.:p Unfortunately since he was feral when I got him, it is pretty much impossible to keep him indoors. Once we move he'll be indoors only and he'll just have to get used to it!

As you can see, Ickeris is a long haired cat. He has NO mats, his hair is very soft. He resembles a small lion with his mane. :) Peaches, my curly haired kitten is very soft for a curly wirey haired cat. Meow Meow is extremely healthy as well. Look at how clean and clear their eyes are. These are all things you want to look for as far as health goes.

[lute]

Your kitties are very pretty and yes, they all look very healthy and alert. Thanks for sharing!

[cassiesmom]

Smudge says "Gray cats are the best!"

Love, Columbine

Cassie agrees one hundred percent! Blunt is beautiful!

When I brought Cassie home from the shelter, she had been fed wet food two times a day. No dry food ever. The vet told me to continue wet food two times a day but also to free feed dry food. As she has gotten older I have gradually switched to feeding her three times a day, smaller amounts. She tended to "snarf and barf" when I was only feeding her two times a day. I've also noticed that she eats less dry food as she gets older.

My next-door neighbor has two purebred Siamese cats and she feeds them only Royal Canin. She also boils water and then refrigerates it before she puts it in their dish. I'm not sure why but we have really hard water so that might be part of it.

[Catlady711]

Gorgeous kitty!!! :D:love: Looks alot like my Bear!

Whatever food you go with, stick with the same brand. If you do alot of switching and there's ever an allergy problem, you'll never know which food might have caused it which will delay solving the problem.

Good brands that I have personally used over the years: Science Diet (Hills), Iams, Purina One, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, & Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul.

For flea protection I use Revolution for Cats on my own kitties. It not only gets fleas, but also takes care of a couple types of intestinal worms, earmites, and is also a heartworm preventative. It's a topical you put on the back of their neck and get from your vet. I've been happier with it than Frontline. It has a much smaller volume of liquid, which also makes the kitties happier since they don't like having wet spots on their fur an don't like to sit still for very long to apply it. Never had any issues using it in several years on my cats. Think we only ever had 1 cat of all the ones at the hospital that had an issue with it, and we have ALOT of cats on that product.