What cat food to feed????

[Zippy]

I don't know what cat food to feed.I hear Iams is good form one person then it is not good form another person.Then Natural Choice I hear is good but then I heard that was bad. :confused: So please can someone help me???

[columbine]

A lot of it has to do with the age, weight, activity level, and medical history of your cat - so this is a good vet question!

Love, Columbine

[catnapper]

I personally don't like Iams at all. Read their ingredients vs. Nutro. Nutro is a very good food.

I switched my guys to Prescription weight management, High Fiber Royal Canin and LOVE it. I see a difference in them.... they are losing weight and not as hungry as they were on the Nutro. A ton less hairballs too. Its only a few dollars more for a 17.5 pound bag of the prescription RC than the 20 pound store bought Nutro.

[fragrancehound]

I used to feed my cats various formulas from Science Diet(weight management, sensitive stomach, hairball formula, prescription) through the years but it caused to many problems. That is when I switched to Eagle Pack. Since my cats have been on Eagle Pack, a holistic brand, it really has done wonders. My oldest cat Panther used to suffer from IBD but once I switched him to Eagle Pack it completed disappeared. No more runs or vomitting.

I've heard that Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea Formula for Cats is supposed to be really good too.

[Zippy]

Ok thanks.So not more Iams.Nutro I have tryed before and they seem to really like.I didn't know anything about it.So I guess I will got back to Nutro.

[Freedom]

There are several ways to approach this.

Pet foods can be classified as such:
A. super market brands - lord knows, many cats and dogs survive on these, and these foods are both cheap and readily accessible.

B. pet store brands - more expensive, an extra trip to buy, supposedly more nutritious.

C. vet purchased foods - very expensive, limited availability (vet hours may not match your shopping hours), an extra trip to buy, supposedly more nutritious.

D. raw diet - requires that you investigate which supplements, both vitamins and minerals to add. Cats need taurine for their eyes, as an example.
You can ask your vet; that will tell you which food s/he prefers, and it will also tell you where that vet is coming from, which may be important down the road. After you ahve the answer to that question, ask your vet: "If I decided on a raw diet, which vitamins and minerals would I need to supplement?" Finally, your vet should advise you that feeding canned / wet food will lead to dental issues down the road and this type of food should be fed more as a treat once in a while and not as a regular diet.

Ask this even if you are SURE you will not use a raw diet. This way you will know which supplements are important and that will help you when you read labels on the foods.

Next you set priorities: your time available to get the food / prepare the food, your budget abilities, OH and don't forget if kitty will eat it, and how kitty looks and acts on it. You read some labels and you make a decision. Most cats want the same thing all the time, they don't like variety as we humans are used to, something different every meal!

Finally, if you are like most people, you will at some point in your pet's life run out of food, it is 11 PM, and a holiday or two follow when NOTHING will be open, and the super market is the only thing going. So you run out and buy a small bag of something or other to get you through. :D

Good luck!