Your cat food

For those whom know me, it's inevitable that I ask this question. :)

What do you feed your cats? Type, brand, forumla etc.

My 3 cats currently get Felidae dry, 2x a day, and various low grade wet foods every 3 days as a treat. They also get the raw/barf diet when I have some availible to make up.

My ferret also eats some cat food. He's on...
Felidae
Maxximum Nutrition Kitten (Walmart Brand)
8 in 1 Ultra
Solid Gold
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul.
I also try to make him home made treats with a little meat in them, he's so stubborn it's been very hard to transfer him onto the barf diet!

Our cats get Nutro Max Cat adult. Other brands we have tried give our Rosie major gas.

My cats get Science Diet, and they each split one of those small cans of wet food a day.

Uabassoon: I'm not a big fan of SD, I realise they work well for some animals, specially those perscription diet if the animal really needs them.
Personally the ingredients in SD are not good enough for my taste, and I don't approve of them, or any other company whom uses BHA or BHT in their foods.

Is there a specific reason your cats are on that?

Fuzzy: I've been lucky I haven't run into that problem with my cats, but I had a dog on the Wellness food, oh man, I thought it would never end! lol :)

I free feed my cats Solid Gold, and they get different kinds of wet food as a treat. The 3 kittens get Royal Canin Babycat 34 :) I tried putting them on Natural Balance, but Peppurr threw up from it.

The Cat Factory: Yeah I know your gang gets Solid Gold, it's also a good food, my cats used to eat that, and might go back on it in a few months or so. :)

Natural Balance is also a great food, one of the best, but... man, my cats HATED to eat it, so I never bought it again. lil brats they are. :D

Sam gets IAMS Kitten formula dry, which is out for her at all times of the day.She also gets a small can of IAMS Kitten wet canned. Dudley gets IAMS Adult Hairball Control formula dry, which is also out all day for him. In the evening he gets 1/2 a can of IAMS Adult wet canned food with barley sprinkled on the top.

Very well fed!

:D

We used to give Dudley Science Diet...but that is a crummy brand (IMO) the ingredients are very cheap. Dudley was under weight when he was on Science Diet...he weighed only 9 pounds. We switched to IAMS and he plumped up like a hog. Now he is 12 pounds. The vet was very pleased that Dudley gained weight. :)

I usually feed my cats Nutro Natural Complete Care Weight Management Formula but right now I'm feeding them a mixture of Felidae, Nutro Natural Complete Adult Formula, and Nutro Natural Complete Care Weight Management Formula. They always seem to leave some of the Felidae in their bowls. When it's gone I'm not going to buy it any more. I had my RB Pepper on it before he passed away so I'm trying to use it up right now. They really love the Nutro Natural Complete Care food though. Cirrus acts like it's a big treat. :D

Kylie is on a mixture of Royal Canin Slim and hairball formula. I swear by the RC food

My 13 get Hill's Prescription Dies C/D. The only can that is fed id a spoonful in Fern and Willow's dishes because they will not eat the dry alone.

The foster mom cat has been eating Purina Kitten Chow. (I read all the kitten dry formulas and purina had the highest % of protein, and that was the ost important ingredient duinr this time for her)

AngelZoo, I'm not exactly attatched to Science Diet, but it seems to work well for my cats so I stick with it. While I would LOVE to give nothing but the best for my cats, fact is I'm a poor college student and I can't afford anything higher in price than that. But I figure my vet is ok with it, and my cats do well on it. So, why fix it if it isn't broken.

Mine all eat Royal Canin lite formula with the hair and skin formula as treats.

I too have HUGE problems with Science Diet for many many reason. I cringe whenever I see someone is feeding it. And of course vets don't have a problem with it. I wouldn't either if I got a cut back from the company for selling it. I have heard they are coming out with a more natural formula. *shrug* But then I haven't looked at the ingredients for several years either. *shrugging again*

My two furbabies are fed Techni-Cal Kitten Formula. It is out for them all day (Measured amount). My vet tells me it is the best food I can buy for them without having to buy from a vet office.

AngelZoo,

My cats WERE on SD Nature's Best. I just recently switched them to Felidae and they love it! My friend who is a vegetarian recommended it. I gradually introduced it to them and so far so good. I also split 1 can of ProPlan wet food between 7 cats in the morning and evening. I have noticed that my cat's coats are alot shinier and fuller since switching too. Felidae is actually less expensive than SD too.

I have a few links for people here.

I am personally 100% against feeding Iam's/Eukanuba. Now if any of you choose to continue feeding this food, that is your own deal, but I just want to bring this to the table (so to speak) to make sure you are making the right choice.
Iam's is not that great of a food any way, and too over priced, Eukanuba is a lot better, but there are still other foods better or just as good. Plus I don't agree with using by-products or corn in cat food, so thumbs down to both foods.
Some of these sites contain material that might not be suitable to all audiences (graphic material).
No, these are not just hype, these are long known, and on going problems with this company Iams/Eukanuba/Proctor & Gamble.

http://www.iamskills.com/index.shtml

http://www.pandgkills.com/IAMS/

http://www.peta.org/feat/iams/


moosmom: Actually the SD Nature's Best is even WORSE then the regular SD formula's! Not only did I analyze this but SD representatives of this new food, have said it themselves.
Felidae IS the best cat kibble, in my not so humble opinion. ;) hee hee. I will explain "less expensive" in just a moment.

Uabasson: I would like for you, and any one else to read this, it's a post I've made before and just carried it with me because it's been so hopefull to other people (or so they tell me).
I'm not telling you to change, this post can apply to just about any food. Vets are NOT nutritionist however, they do not always know what is best for a cats diet past "yeah he looks fat." or "He looks fine!" The reason why so many Vets say or sell SD and Iam's is because they are told to. In vet school their small nutrition course is taught and sponsored by a company like SD, in vet clinics they get paid to sell their foods, or to recommend it.
However, not ALL vets are this way, there are a few out there who do know their stuff!
Really, you have to know there's something wrong, if there is still vets out there saying "Oh yeah, Frisky's is a GREAT food! I wouldn't recommend anything less."

Here's the post which explains why it's not really MORE expensive to feed your animals the "better" and sometimes seemingly more expensive brands. In fact sometimes it can be cheaper! You can use this to compare any food, like SD to Felidae or what have you!


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A perfect example, Felidae, (which my cats are on now) is the best dry kibble, going by the ingredient list only, IMO.
I bought a 20 pound bag of this kibble for $29.92 (including tax).
I bought this around April 11th, so it's been over a month since I've had this bag, and it's not even half gone!!
Mind you this bag of food is split between 3 cats (two which are about 15 pounds, one which is 10, and a almost 5 pound ferret.) All which are very active animals and not fat!
This bag will probably last me another month or so. So this is 2 1/2 months at best this bag is lasting me, this is a GREAT deal! Not to mention your cats are getting great nutritional value!

Now... let's take something like frisky's or even purina (which I have fed both to these specific cats and many more.) Generally one of those 18-20 pound bags of food would last me about 3 weeks, with the same animals. Each of these brands are about $8.00 - 13.00 depending on where you buy it.

Now of course this amount can very from cat to cat, but this is just a general example of how it works theoretically. Some will eat a 20 pound bag of say, Frisky's in 2 weeks others in 4 weeks.

So lets break it down, over a period of 2 1/2 months.

With a "low grade" food such as Wiska's and Frisky's:
Price: $8.00 - $13.00
Size: 18/20 pounds
Number of Bags: 3.3 bags (this is almost 3 and a 1/2 bags!)
Overall Cost: $26.40 - $42.90

Now lets take Felidae:
Price: $29.92
Size: 20 pounds
Number of Bags: 1
Overall Cost: $29.92

So, over almost 3 months, this could mean a SAVINGS of $12.98, or at worst spending $3.52 extra for a great cat food! (Mind you, possibly saving you a lot of health problems and expensive vet bills in the long run, by picking the better food.)
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These discussions and information are good, but I personally feel that people, especially those here, do what they feel is best for their cats in their personal situations, with finances being a top reason for the choices they make. My Mimi ate Purina Kitten Chow for the first 12 years of her life. I gave her the kitten formula because she has always had the tendency to be on the thin side. When Butter moved in, he didn't need that high protein content, so I went searching for something else. They both eat Pro Plan Salmon and Rice (also made by Purina) now, in the dry form, and Mimi is supplemented with a can of Fancy Feast each day since she doesn't eat enough of the dry.

I do know that lots of animals have lived long, healthy lives on grocery store food (Purina, Friskies, Pedigree). I've owned a lot of them myself! I'm glad I'm in a situation where I can buy a higher quality food now, but I have been in a different situation and I tried to save my $$$$ for veterinarian care and emergencies.

Logan: If you read my last post, you will that there really isn't any foods out there more expensive then another.
Basically it states over a period of 3 months you wind up spending just about the same for the better and higher quality foods if not slightly less or slightly more in the long run.
So in my opinion, if you understand what I said, then a statment about financial situation against food, really doesn't hold any weight at all.

I know not every food will work the same for every animal.
And yes there are animals who will live long "healthy" lives on things like Frisky's, but on average, your animal will live a LONGER and HEALTHIER life on a better food. :)

Believe me, I have spent years feeding all sorts of food, trying to save money, trying to find the best for my buck, and I don't even have a lot of money right now, but I've finally figured out I'm not really spending any or much extra money at all by buying the better food. For those of you whom are feeding a low grade food because it's all you can afford, find another brand you would REALLY like to be able to feed, but you think you can't afford. And do my little evaluation example I showed you over a period of 3 months, and you might just be surprised to find your not spending any extra to get the better food. :)

I completely understand what you are saying, and I have seen those results too, especially with my dog food. The only thing I was really trying to say, without being rude to anyone, was that it is hard to read the "I don't like _____" to people who have simply answered the question that was asked. It seems like it would hurt their feelings, and I don't like to do that! :)

Logan: You'll have to just read past "how" I say things, and pay attention to the message of what has been said. I'm very straight forward and blunt in the things I say, and I honestly mean no offense by them. I'm just horrible at phrasing things, gently, lolol.


I tried the Adult Pro Plan Dry with my cats a while back, but it gave one of them a real urinary problem, I've heard people say that they don't like the food, it's done some very bad things for/to animals etc (no specific's really) but a lot of people just warned me against it was all.
At any rate I never bought that food again, it makes me wonder what was different about my cats, when I hear other animals whom did well on it.

So, you see what I mean? Pro Plan has been great for Mimi and Butter, and I don't plan to switch from something that is working.
And my comment was a "general" one, not pointed at you. I just sort of think that toning down sometime when we feel strongly about something that others might not embrace, is a good thing. We have a nice group here and I think you will enjoy it a lot

I give both Rocky and Fluffy Authority dry and wet food...They get their wet food in the mornings, and evenings, and they just eat whenever throughout the day.....I haven't tried any of these other brands but Authority works very well for my kitties..

Hiya

I am in the UK, so I don't have all the same cat foods available as you.

We can get IAMS dry food (but not the wet), the other stuff is

Dry:

Brekkies
Got Cat
Whiskas
Stores Own Brands

Wet:
Felix
Go Cat (Friskies)
Whiskas
Stores Own Brand
and one brand which is really cheap and only has "salmon Flavour" in it. Forgot it's name

My cat goes through phases where sometimes he will eat one thing but not the other (usually he starts to dislike a food, as soon as I buy 12 cans of it :rolleyes: ).

My question is, what is the best thing to feed him ? He is a plain "british housecat", I am not sure about his age, as he was a stray, but I am guessing at 1.5 years.

I tried IAMS, but it is very expensive. He loved it and scoffed it down. I know it says on the back of the pack you don't have to feed as much, but someone please explain it to my cat ??? He keeps begging for more.

At the moment he is fed mainly on Got Cat (Friskies) fry food, with the odd can of Whiskas or Felix. Is that ok ?

Thanks
Sabine