Need Help finding a "Light" Food :(

[shais_mom]

Well, I have been feeding Kylie Royal Canin for almost as long as I have had her. And since she has started to get portly, I have been giving her the "Slim" version.
She really needs a hairball version b/c she has been coughing up more hairballs lately than she did on the Royal Canin Indoor Version. :(

I have been thinking of switching her to a light hairball formula for awhile and can't decide which to try. I absolutely LOVE Royal Canin and swear by it but apparently it is too rich for her blood! Surprise seeing's that she is such a princess!!!
I can't decide to try Iams Hairball light, Science Diet Hairball light, or Nutro.
I am not a big fan of Iams, but the people that have used it swear by it as do the people with Science Diet.
Any thoughts?
I won't be around this weekend so I won't respond until at least Monday.
Thanks!

[bisi.cat]

Out of these three I've voted for Science Diet, because I'm afraid that Nutro doesn't offer a Hairball Control/Slim Diet and I am also not fond of IAMS...

But if your Kylie loves Royal Canine Slim Diet so much, why don't you stick with it!?
I've tried such a lot of different Hairball Control Diets on Nellie (because she has the hairball problem, too), but none of the diets really worked...so instead of changing her diet I would suggest to try an add some olive oil (or similar) to her food and give her malt paste...and of course a daily grooming session is helpful for the cat and fun for the purrson!;) :)

[Former User]

I would also choose Hill's, as we're not fond of Iams either, it turns the cats coats weird, they feel filthy, sort of matted (that's with our cats, that is) :)

[Steffi N]

Lovable has been eating Pro Plan Extra Care Indoor Cat formula. He likes it, and it has been helping with the hairballs.
Here is a link about it.

Pro Plan Indoor Cat Formula (http://www.proplan.com/brands/cat/indoor/indoor_details.asp)

[krazyaboutkatz]

I voted for Nutro Light Formula. The actual name is Nutro Complete Care Weight Management Formula. It causes less shedding, fewer hairballs, and less vomiting. It also has 30% less fat than the adult formula to help manage your cat's weight. It contains L-Carnitine to help the body burn fat. My cats also love the taste. :) Here's the link to it: www.nutroproducts.com. Good luck with whatever you decide. :) BTW I also give my cats Laxa-Stat at least once a week to help control hairballs too.

[Nomilynn]

My cats eat Iams Hairball Light. I tried Nutro (I mixed hairball with light) and Bassett hated it. I've never seen a Science Diet Hairball light - does this exist? Although I know all the "evils" of Iams, I did ask my vet about it and the cats also really like the taste. I mix that with a Canadian food called "Medi-Cal" reducing formula (Bassett and Nutmeg are both tubby, and Tilly is just right, so she doens't need to gain!) and that mix seems to work best for us.

[RedHedd]

I feed Mitzi Pet Gold Light Hairball Control Formula for my not-so-light little hairball :D. Now that I've got them both on a feeding schedule it does seem to be making a difference. I like this formula because the first ingredient listed is CHICKEN. Pure, unadulterated, fresh chicken. No "by products" for my furballs - they're too precious to me.

http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?familyid=8841&sku=3557170660&tab=2&dept_id=571&c1=547&c2=571&c3=&ct1=Food&ct2=Hairball+Control+%26+Special+Needs&ct3=

[carole]

I know Purina have brought out new hairball one, I have not tried it yet, but am thinking of it, just a suggestion.

[shais_mom]

Thanks for the suggestions.
:)
I am not totally sure that Nutro does have a light hairball formula. But I will take Tracy's word for it. I have seen that food before.
Yes Kylie loves the Royal Canin Slim but I just don't think it is doing a suffient job, getting her weight down. And it doesn't help with the hairballs.
She HATES anything drizzled over her food. Tuna juice, oil, doesn't matter, she won't eat it if I try anything like that. And she HATES the hairball rememedy even worse!!! If possible. I have to literally hold her down and pry her mouth open to put it in. It stresses her out and me out. Very much!!!
I feel so mean when I do it.
I have never heard of Pet Gold Light Hairball Control Formula, I don't think we have it around here. The closest we would have to that would be Innova, or Wellness, or Solid Gold and I have no idea where those are carried.

[Uabassoon]

we're not fond of Iams either, it turns the cats coats weird, they feel filthy, sort of matted (that's with our cats, that is)

I agree with that, two of the cats I petsit for are on Iams and I HATE the way their fur feels. It almost makes me not want to pet them, at first I thought maybe they just needed to br brushed but that didn't help at all. Their fur just feels really gross.

[NoahsMommy]

Staci,

Royal Canin is coming out with breed specific cat foods that really may help. I'm waiting for the "Maine Coon" variety to come out for Noah..he needs hairball stuff too and that's one of the things in the food. It also encourages CHEWING the food instead of inhaling it like my Noah likes to do. I *think* it helped with their weight too. I know Kylie isn't a maine coon, but I bet it would help her a lot.

Does brushing Kylie's fur help at all?

[zippy-kat]

I voted for the Sci Diet.

Recently, I tried to switch K'Cee over to the Royal Canin. I started mixing it with her sci diet; she ate around the new stuff--totally wouldn't touch it. Then, she decided she liked it. But after a couple days, her stool became hard as a rock; she had trouble going potty. Soooo...back to the sci diet for us!

Clarice and Tinker are both on the light/senior hairball formula. It doesn't cut out hairballs completely, but we have def. seen a difference.

[Russian Blue]

First, have you tried the Zoom Groom brush for cats? I know many people who swear that the Zoom Groom picks up more hair than any other brush. I haven't tried it myself but here's a link:

Zoom Groom (http://www.petsmart.com/cat/shopping/grooming_supplies___tools/products/product_25116.shtml)

There are also these treats that are also supposed to help:

Hairball Prevention (http://www.petsmart.com/products/product_12319.shtml)

I really can't say that IAMS is better than Science Diet, or the other way around. Actually, I try to stay away from both of them! :p If Nakita needed a food for hairball control, I would go with the Flint River Hairball Management Formula. Click on the link and scroll halfway down the page to find the description:

Flint River (http://www.naturespet.com/flintcf.html)


You may also try a higher fibre diet for you cat. This will help with any blockages that may occur because of the fur. Try adding a half a tablespoon of canned pumpkin to some wet food.

Also, many cats will lose more weight on canned food rather than dry food. So you might want to feed your cat more wet food and you will have the added benefit of getting more water into your cat! It also couldn't hurt to talk to your vet about your concerns. He/she may be a couple of other suggestions.

Good luck!

;)

[catmandu]

My cats like Iams , but I keep hearing that they have changed the Formula too much. So I got the Eukanuba to give them more protein. But I thonk that most of the Premium brands are the same. Moose swears by the Weight control Nutro Complete Care , some like the Pro plan indoor Cat , some Thge Royal Canin indoor Cat ansd some The Science Diet Chicken and Rice.And they mostly all like Fancy Feast and Whiskas Temptations!

[Cincy'sMom]

Obviously I can't say I know anything about cat food, but we have decided to change Cincy to California Naural Reduced Calorie food, for about the same reason...the Sensible Choice just doesn't seem to be doing it. I chose California Natural becuase of the reputation of their products (Heathwise, Innova, etc) and becuase it is all human grade food.

The website is here (http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab) . On this site you can comapre the ingredients of many foods, find a store near you (there is one in Findlay, one in Lima, a 2 in Toledo), and see all their products. I did not see any that were "reduced hairball", but if you see something you want to try, I can pick up a bag and bring it to you the 19th.

[shais_mom]

Well I bought the Science Diet Lite Hairball today. I also saw the Nutro but it was $14 for 8# and the SD was $8 for 7#. I realize that cost doesn't matter to me b/c the Royal Canin was more expensive than that but still!!!!!
But I have a whole bag left of the RC that I mixed together so it will be awhile before she starts it, I just wanted to make sure that I had it so I had PLENTY of time to incorporate it into her food so we don't end up at the vet with gastritis again.
But she has become slightly picky lately. I hope she didn't decide she doesn't like the RC b/c it is a little pricey to set outside for the neighbor's cats!!!

[rabbitinred]

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but hopefully those who need the info will find this!
I have an 11 year old Zeus, who I just adopted a year+ ago, he was sickly and had matted hair and coughed up hairballs-big ones, every single day. And this poor cat had been living with a vet as it had been dropped off there a year before I adopted him. I found a GREAT food, and alllll 10 of my lovelys LOVE IT and not only does it STOP hairballs, it reduces the odor in the litter box too! REALLY!
Its at WAL-MART of all places, and it's called MAXIUM NUTRITION Hairball Formula for adult cats. Now Zeus eats hearty, and put on the few pounds he was missing yet DID NOT put on any extra weight. The price is right and chicken is the first ingredient. They have other formulas for those with no hairball trouble!
Good Luck!! :)

[shais_mom]

Ok I have tried all three, and out of the Iams mixed with the Science Diet, she picked out the Iams. The Science Diet mixed with the Nutro she has picked out the Nutro. I haven't tried the Iams mixed with Nutro yet. I will probably stick with the Nutro.
She seems to like it thus far. :D:)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Originally posted by shais_mom
Ok I have tried all three, and out of the Iams mixed with the Science Diet, she picked out the Iams. The Science Diet mixed with the Nutro she has picked out the Nutro. I haven't tried the Iams mixed with Nutro yet. I will probably stick with the Nutro.
She seems to like it thus far. :D:) All of my cats love the Nutro too.:D