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View Full Version : I need your opinions on Nutro cat food



katladyd
10-16-2010, 08:27 PM
I was at Pet Smart today and was trying, again, to find a food that would be healthy and put weight on Mac, yet not be to Ming's liking so that Ming would not gobble it up. (it is hard to feed them seperately at my place). Anyway, one of the employees there recommended Nutro Natural Choice canned food. I read the ingredients and it passed muster there, but I was afraid that it would taste too good and that Ming would eat it all. Still, I definitely want to upgrade my wet cat food, so I bought 4 cans as a kind of sample test. Well, Mac LOVES the stuff! Better yet, Ming hates it! (he will eat nothing but junk!) Mac eats some, leaves, goes back and eats more, leaves, returns for more, and so on. I have never seen him love a food so much. I just want to know how it stacks up as a quality food. I know it's better than what I have been feeding, but how good is it really?:confused: Anyone have any info on this?

krazyaboutkatz
10-16-2010, 10:56 PM
I've never fed the canned Nutro to my cats before so I don't even know what the ingredients are. A long time ago I used to feed them the Nutro Complete Care dry food. I'm sure it's got to be better than Friskies or Fancy Feast which most people consider to be junk food for cats. The better quality foods always have real meat as the first ingredient and no corn. I think there are some websites where you can put in your food info and compare it to other brands. At least Mac seems to love it while Ming doesn't so that's a good start.:)

katladyd
10-16-2010, 11:07 PM
Well, the first four or five ingredients are meat, not meat by-products, so that much is good. They also had Wellness there, so I think I will try that, too. I know that food is good, it's just that they were never crazy about it, but maybe now that he has had a taste of the good stuff....:D

krazyaboutkatz
10-16-2010, 11:21 PM
Well, the first four or five ingredients are meat, not meat by-products, so that much is good. They also had Wellness there, so I think I will try that, too. I know that food is good, it's just that they were never crazy about it, but maybe now that he has had a taste of the good stuff....:D

Yes,try some of the Wellness canned as well. My Pearl is a picky eater and even she loves it. I've been buying the Chicken, Chicken & Herring, Turkey, and Turkey & Salmon flavored ones and they're all grain free and have 10% protein in them which is great too.:)

moosmom
10-17-2010, 07:10 AM
Max Nutro is what I tried on my cats. They didn't care for it.

I find Blue "Wilderness" works best for my cats. You've really got to read the labels for ingredients. Wilderness cat food is high in protein and first ingredient on list is CHICKEN. Not Chicken Meal By-Product Meal. All natural ingreients. My cats love it and don't eat as much. A big bag is $33. One bag with 6 cats lasts me a month. I also give them canned as a treat.

I've noticed my cats coats are shinier and healthier. RB MooShoo lost weight on it.

Freedom
10-17-2010, 08:35 AM
You can read this cat food rating chart:
http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

Click on the food name for the detailed review.

I had to laugh, reading your explanation. The things we do for our pets . . . looking for a quality food one cat HATES, ha haaa. Only another multi cat owner would understand . . . . .

mrspunkysmom
10-17-2010, 11:43 AM
I use Nutro canned along with Blue canned. My cats enjoy them both, actually eat the food and not just the juice.

katladyd
10-17-2010, 03:04 PM
I use Nutro canned along with Blue canned. My cats enjoy them both, actually eat the food and not just the juice.

I know what you mean. Ming will eat most of his Fancy Feast (which after reading how bad it is I will change!) while Mac just lapped up the juice on some of them. I'm going to try some Wellness, too. Maybe they will both eat that and things will be even. Those of you with one cat are missing ALL the fun!:rolleyes:

katladyd
10-17-2010, 07:20 PM
Max Nutro is what I tried on my cats. They didn't care for it.

I find Blue "Wilderness" works best for my cats. You've really got to read the labels for ingredients. Wilderness cat food is high in protein and first ingredient on list is CHICKEN. Not Chicken Meal By-Product Meal. All natural ingreients. My cats love it and don't eat as much. A big bag is $33. One bag with 6 cats lasts me a month. I also give them canned as a treat.

I've noticed my cats coats are shinier and healthier. RB MooShoo lost weight on it.

I trust you, Donna, so I went out and bought a 2 lb. bag of Blue "Wilderness", duck flavor, and both boys LOVE it! Thank you for the tip. Thank you to everyone who responded, also. I bought some Blue "Wilderness" canned, too. It was so nice to see the boys savor their meal, not just eat it.

krazyaboutkatz
10-17-2010, 09:01 PM
Yes, it can be difficult in a multi-cat household to find one brand of cat food that everyone will like. It can also be very hard once cats have been used to eating foods like Fancy Feast, Meow Mix, or Friskies to convert them over to higher quality foods that are much better for them. I guess it would be like a person giving up hamburgers and french fries for eating something healthy like a broiled skinless chicken breast and broccoli.:)

I have to feed my kittens in the bathroom and I still have a feeling that Alani is stealing some of Blaze's food. Blaze is smaller and much thinner than Alani. I've tried separating them but then Alani will cry and he won't eat so I know how hard it can be to separate cats during feeding time. My other cats all eat in the kitchen or dining room area and they each have their own mats. I just have to watch to make sure that Ziggy won't steal any of their food.

I hope that Blue "Wilderness" will work out well for your cats and keep them healthy. Good luck.:)

katladyd
10-22-2010, 01:10 PM
Okay guys, it has been almost one week since I started feeding my boys "the good stuff". The change has been amazing! Mac is finally starting to put on weight and his fur is starting to get softer and more shiny (just a little but it's a start). Ming has adjusted to the new food and his dandruff problem is starting to clear up (he has always had dry skin and some dandruff). The energy levels are going up, but more amazing of all is that MAC HASN'T PUKED IN A WEEK! This is a cat that spilled his dinner at least once a day. I now find no 'surprises' on the carpet. I have been feeding them Blue Wilderness Duck for their dry food and assorted flavors of Wilderness and Nutro canned. This is going to be their diet from now on. Thanks PT!:love:

krazyaboutkatz
10-23-2010, 12:56 AM
Okay guys, it has been almost one week since I started feeding my boys "the good stuff". The change has been amazing! Mac is finally starting to put on weight and his fur is starting to get softer and more shiny (just a little but it's a start). Ming has adjusted to the new food and his dandruff problem is starting to clear up (he has always had dry skin and some dandruff). The energy levels are going up, but more amazing of all is that MAC HASN'T PUKED IN A WEEK! This is a cat that spilled his dinner at least once a day. I now find no 'surprises' on the carpet. I have been feeding them Blue Wilderness Duck for their dry food and assorted flavors of Wilderness and Nutro canned. This is going to be their diet from now on. Thanks PT!:love:

This is wonderful news!!!:D I looked up the website for Blue "Wilderness" and it sounds like a very good food. It's also grain free so I bet this is helping to keep Mac from throwing up and it'll also help their energry levels because it has a lot of good protein in it. You'll soon have 2 big kittens again and healthier ones at that. I hope they both continue to do well on their new diet.:)

columbine
10-23-2010, 09:33 AM
You can read this cat food rating chart:
http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

Click on the food name for the detailed review.

I had to laugh, reading your explanation. The things we do for our pets . . . looking for a quality food one cat HATES, ha haaa. Only another multi cat owner would understand . . . . .

Interesting website! I had to wonder, though - it mentions brewer's yeast as an "alcohol production byproduct." Guess the webmaster's never shopped in a health food store.

Anyway, from your description, it sounds like the food you picked was exactly what was needed for your cats' situation!

Love, Columbine

katladyd
10-26-2010, 01:46 AM
It's been a week and a half, and still no puke. Ming was a bit hesitant about "new food" for a couple of days, but now they both chow down on the "good stuff"! They both LOVE the Blue Wilderness Duck dry food. They prefer the Nutro canned food. Guess what? Petsmart is starting to carry Wellness! I bought a can of that to see how it went. I haven't fed it to them yet, but if they like it, they will be getting that, too.:D

krazyaboutkatz
10-26-2010, 11:29 AM
This is great news.:) I don't know if you have any Pet Clubs close to you but I've found that they have the cheapest price on Wellness canned cat food. Pet Club is like a Costco for pets. Petco and Pet Food Express also carry the canned food but I think it's a bit more than Petsmarts. Good luck.:)

katladyd
10-26-2010, 12:11 PM
Well, Wellness canned is a no-go. They both smell it and walk away. Oh well, they love Wilderness and Nutro, so I'll go with that. It won't help them if they won't eat it.

krazyaboutkatz
10-27-2010, 11:26 AM
Well, Wellness canned is a no-go. They both smell it and walk away. Oh well, they love Wilderness and Nutro, so I'll go with that. It won't help them if they won't eat it.

Oh well, at least you've already found a food that they both like.:) Which flavor did you try? A long time ago I tried a can of Wellness Cat/Kitten food on my cats and they didn't like it either. I think it was chicken flavor. They must've improved them because now they love it but they've also been on the grain free food for quite a while now so maybe this has also helped. I also don't free feed them so they have scheduled feedings which makes them hungrier at meal time.

katladyd
10-27-2010, 12:53 PM
It's funny, but because Mac needs to put on some weight, always has, I free feed. Since they've been on the Wilderness Dry, they actually eat less. Probably because they keep it down and don't puke it up!

krazyaboutkatz
10-28-2010, 11:37 AM
It's funny, but because Mac needs to put on some weight, always has, I free feed. Since they've been on the Wilderness Dry, they actually eat less. Probably because they keep it down and don't puke it up!

With the better quality foods that are high in protein, they don't need to eat as much because it doesn't contain all of the fillers,grains etc., that the cheaper quality foods do. It probably also contains more calories per cup so Mac should get plenty of calories while still eating less. You'll also notice less stool waste because their bodies will use most of the food. They should also have more energy and will probably feel a lot better now too.