Dry food only, suggestions?

purrfectmisha

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I am currently struggling with a picky eater at home. Misha is seven months old, she started refusing baby cat food about two months ago, adult food she eats, I guess the size of the kibble didn’t please her. The vet said that as long as she’s getting enough nutrition from dry & wet and home cooked food it’s okay.

What bugs me now is that she stopped eating any kind of canned food a month ago. I tried Applaws, Royal Canin, Animonda, Sheba and even Whiskas, something I’m not proud of. She might lick some of the souse but won’t eat any of it. She wasn’t really keen on eating meat either, she might try a bit of chicken now and then but.. literally just taste a small bit and leave it again (and that is only if it’s raw, if a boil it, she just smells it and walks away) I took her to the vet and he said that she is as healthy as she can be and that it’s okay to feed only dry food but offered me RoyalC.  .. from what I’ve read that is by far not the best choice.

I am currently feeding her with Applaws grain free with 80% chicken meat, or at least they advertise this way. I am sure that you are more familiar with dry foods that can be used as main food& nutrition source, can you offer me anything better? Orijien is actually too expensive where I live, I was thinking of Animonda Grain free, is it a better option than Applaws?

Thanks in advance!
 

di and bob

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Some cats just plain prefer dry food and there is not much to be done except find a good one and make sure she gets plenty of water. I have an almost 16 year old who has thrived on dry all his life, and he'll only eat some of the cheapest! I would research it on the internet and wait for some other people to post here, someone will surely be able to answer your question. It is very early in the AM here, so post a little something every once in a while to bring it back up to the top. Good luck!
 

Brian007

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What's wrong with Royal Canin?  You've got me worried now as I feed my cat, Dudley, with it every so many rounds (I get a different brand at least every other bag for variety in an otherwise boring diet).  I've also fed him successfully on Hills Science Plan, Iams, Purina, and One (he's not even one year old yet, so I haven't had that many rounds to explore what he likes and what he doesn't).  

He's also incredibly fussy when it comes to wet food and won't even go near Applaws.  But he will eat Gourmet (which is too rich and gives him diarrhoea), Sheba (ditto), tinned tuna in spring water, and Encore (which costs a fortune and I can't afford it too often).  I'm a life-long vegetarian who has never dealt with raw meat and it doesn't cross my mind as it isn't in my house, and I live alone.  So, he hasn't been offered any to try as yet.  My mum (another vegetarian) sometimes gives her cats the freshly roasted, hot chicken you can get in some supermarkets, and also bags of frozen fish like cod, which she zaps in the microwave.  I've been meaning to get Dudley some of these to try but I always forget as I'm not used to going down those aisles. 

I'm actively on the hunt for a suitable wet food myself, so am very interested in your thread and am looking forward to suggestions...
 

Freedom

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Difficult to find a good cat food review site. 

If you have a dog, use Dog Food Advisor, and get a cat food from the same brand you use for your dog.

This site provides some assistance with cat foods:  http://www.petfoodratings.org/quick-cat-food-reference-table/

Foods are listed alphabetically by brand.  Scroll down to your brand, then click on the name on the left for details.

Brian007, Royal Canin is not a grain free food.  Cats can not digest grains; in the wild they do not eat any.  So they never adapted to digest grains.  RC uses grains as fillers - makes the cat feel full, but there is no nutritional value.  Remember that placement on the list of ingredients is also important.  The nearer to the beginning, the more of that thing is in the food.

High quality food brands:  Earthborn Holistics (they have never had a recall!) , Instinct RAW, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, and others.  All of these make various formulas; be sure to ONLY select a grain free formula.
 

maito

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When I read about the disadvantages of dry food I made this. It may be helpful.

Liver paste in the size of dry food, then I started making my own paste of chicken liver (not boiled just in a pinch of hot water and a spinach leaf in the blender), then just raw liver in pieces as treats. It was a process. I didn't try to push it on him, I just interchange it with his dry food increasing the frequency of meat as he became more receptive. Eventually, he began preferring it over dry food.

One side note: a diet heavily on liver or other entrail is bad, use it as the catch only. It has to progress to a good balance of meat, entrails, and bones.
 
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purrfectmisha

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I did try her to eat a homemade pate from liver, but she was not keen on it, I will try again in the future with only putting it in hot water, great advice!

Problem is I don't really have a choice with grain free food here.. the main thing that sells in my country is Royal Canine and (believe it or not)

Whiskas! Those are considered the "good suff" I believe it's just a waste of money on RC - just an over-advertised product that delivers very little for it's price.

My choice with grain-free food in Bulgaria is narrowed to the point that everything is super expensive because of the lack of choise..  so my question was, i looked into a couple of foods that I can afford on daily basis, but can't seem to decide which is best? Applaws, Animonda, Sanabelle

Below I am putting the ingredients of the foods, can please someone look into them, they are all grain - free?

Applaws - 

Composition

Dry Chicken Meal (50%), Dry Salmon (13%) Chicken Mince (13%), Potato, Salmon (6%), Beet Pulp, Brewer‰Ûªs yeast, Salmon Oil (1% source of Omega 3), Chicken Gravy (1%), Fish Gravy (0.5%), Vitamins and Minerals, Dried Egg, Cellulose Plant Fibre (0.03%), Sodium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Seaweed/Kelp, Cranberry, DL-Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Yucca Extract, Citrus Extract, Rosemary Extract.

Additives

Nutritional Additives: Vitamins: Vitamin A (retinyl acetate) 27,850 IU/kg, Vitamin

D3 (Cholecalciferol) 1,200 IU/kg, Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate) 615 IU/kg; Trace Elements: Selenium from Sodium Selenite 0.13 mg/kg, Iodine from Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 1.5 mg/kg, Iron from Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate 80mg/kg, Copper from Cupric Sulphate Pentahydrate 48 mg/kg, Manganese from Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate 38 mg/kg, Zinc from Zinc Sulphate Monohydrate 135 mg/kg. Technological Additives: E1705 Enterococcus faecium cernelle 68 (SF68;NCIMB 10415) 1,000,000,000 cfu/kg as an aid in the establishment, maintenance and restoration of a balanced gut flora in cats, Natural Antioxidant: Mixed Tocopherol and Rosemary Extract.

Analytical Constituents

Crude Protein 37%, Crude Oils & Fats 20%, Crude Fibre 2.2%, Crude Ash 10.8%, Calcium 2.8%, Phosphorus 1.6%, Omega 6: 3.5%, Omega 3: 1.4%, Taurine 2,000 mg/kg.

Animonda 

Ingredients:

Poultry meal, potato starch, chicken fat, beef fat, poultry protein, poultry liver, beet pulp, yeast, fish oil, whole egg, cellulose fibers, chicory, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride, yucca schidigera

Analysis:

Protein 30%, fat 18%, crude fibre 2.1%, crude ash 6%, water 8%, calcium 0.9%, phosphorus 0.8%, magnesium 0.08%, fatty acids omega- 3 0.35%, taurine 2.4g/kg.

Sanabelle

Fresh poultry meat (min. 20%), potato flakes, powdered fresh poultry meat, potato flour, animal fat, dried and defatted meat, liver (dehydrated), meat extract, beet pulp, powdered chicken eggs, fibre, flax-seed, fish oil, brewers dried yeast, cranberry (dehydrated), bilberry (dried), powdered shells, chicory powder, dried marigold flowers, yucca extract (dried).

Analysis:

Protein

32%

Crude fat

16%

Crude

3%

Ash

7%

Calcium

1%

Phosphorus

1%

Magnesium

0,7%

Vitamin A

17,000IU

Vitamin D3

1.500IU

Vitamin E

150 mg

Taurine

2,000mg
Technological additives: Antioxidants.
 

IndyJones

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What's wrong with Royal Canin?  You've got me worried now as I feed my cat, Dudley, with it every so many rounds (I get a different brand at least every other bag for variety in an otherwise boring diet).  I've also fed him successfully on Hills Science Plan, Iams, Purina, and One (he's not even one year old yet, so I haven't had that many rounds to explore what he likes and what he doesn't).  

He's also incredibly fussy when it comes to wet food and won't even go near Applaws.  But he will eat Gourmet (which is too rich and gives him diarrhoea), Sheba (ditto), tinned tuna in spring water, and Encore (which costs a fortune and I can't afford it too often).  I'm a life-long vegetarian who has never dealt with raw meat and it doesn't cross my mind as it isn't in my house, and I live alone.  So, he hasn't been offered any to try as yet.  My mum (another vegetarian) sometimes gives her cats the freshly roasted, hot chicken you can get in some supermarkets, and also bags of frozen fish like cod, which she zaps in the microwave.  I've been meaning to get Dudley some of these to try but I always forget as I'm not used to going down those aisles. 

I'm actively on the hunt for a suitable wet food myself, so am very interested in your thread and am looking forward to suggestions...
Someone else already mentioned Royal Canin isn't grain free but of bigger concern is the food in general Indy was on it when I first got her and it smells more like chicken scratch than cat food. It smells very "planty". I also have heard they have had recalls. Since I started her on the performatrin grain free she won't touch the royal canin anymore she picks it out and drops it on the floor.
 

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I'm totally converted.  And won't be buying Royal Canin again!  I feel so bad that I'm going to splash out on some 80% meat food to make up for it.  
 
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purrfectmisha

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Please make sure you make a transition, mixing the new with the old food, your kitty's stomache isn't used to eating such food and sudden change might lead to diarrhea!
And if anyone can check out those ingredients I posted up, would be much appreciated.
 

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Be careful when feeding liver. Too much liver in the diet can cause vitamin A toxicity in cats. I would limit giving cooked liver to a small piece as an occasional treat.
 

sargon

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IMO, and it *is* a controversial opinion, good quality dry food isn't  the demon that people make it out to be. All else equal, wet food is a bit better, because the moisture is handy, especially for cats with urinary and kidney issues, or who don't drink well, but for cats who drink well, i'd pick high end dry food over low end canned food any day

Besides moisture, most arguments of wet vs dry involve low end foods, where, yeah, the canned ingredients are vastly superior, and yeah.. fancy feast classics beat kit'n'kaboodle  cat food by a landslide, but if you're talking about higher end dry foods, that just isn't true.

In any case, here are some of the better dry foods that i[m familiar with (The kentucky Orijin is generally considered overpriced and not very good, so if that's what they sell near you, you're better off without it, IMO.)  They're all common or at least common enough in the US, but you're from Bulguria, so i don't know about availability.

-Taste of the wild is a decent food, and is a lot cheaper than most premium cat foods.  it is on a lot of people who feed their cats high end food's  lists as "the cheapest food I would feed my cat"  The Rocky Mountain Feline with "venison"  formula is their better offering (though as you might expect, the actual amount of venison is pretty low), both because too much fish is bad, and, because more cats seem to like it.

-nature's Variety instinct makes a petty good food that isn't insanely expensive and is well regarded (Their chicken meal formula.. the others can get pricey)

-Solid Gold Indigo moon is another high protein (42%) grain free food that cats love ( it is my cat's current favorite)

-Canidae Grain-Free PURE Elements with Chicken Dry Cat Food is well rated and sanely priced, if a bit less well known than some others.

-Nulo Freestyle Chicken & Cod Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat & Kitten Food is another well rated and sanely priced food that is a bit less commonly talked about
 

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You said she'll lick the sauce on canned foods. My cats do that too but won't eat the meat shreds. Try a mushy pate style food so it's a smoother texture. You can even add extra water to the pate to make it more of a "sauce."

Fancy Feast pates are usually irresistible to cats. 
 
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purrfectmisha

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Thank you for the responses but that really doesn't help me much..
I could find some of these foods but only in really small packs like 0.400grams or 1.5 kg
Applaws, Animonda and Sanabelle along with taste of the wild (have heard bad reviews for the packaging here, burnt smell and different colour) they all have packs of 10kg or 7.5kg. A small pack costs almost twice as much for a kg of a big pack..
So.. for those that will read only the last post, please check out the ingredients listwd in the #6 post and please let me know what you think is better as an option.


P.s. I am surprised about the review for Orijien, I used to think that it is a quality=price food, thanks for the eye opener, I was feeling a bit bad that I cant provide what I thought was the best option on our market
 
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purrfectmisha

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You said she'll lick the sauce on canned foods. My cats do that too but won't eat the meat shreds. Try a mushy pate style food so it's a smoother texture. You can even add extra water to the pate to make it more of a "sauce."

Fancy Feast pates are usually irresistible to cats. 

I tried pretty much every substance, if I put water in it she won't look at it. I know she loves the water from the human tuna cans, she drinks it as if it's the juice of gods, if I dare put tuna water on canned or any food really, she walks away again.. really hard to trick her, what a monkey!
 
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Going just off ingredients, I'd try them in the order they are listed. My least fave is the sanabelle ingredients, the Animonda has less phosphorous so that is good if your kitties lean to bladder crystals or UTI
 

IndyJones

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You said she'll lick the sauce on canned foods. My cats do that too but won't eat the meat shreds. Try a mushy pate style food so it's a smoother texture. You can even add extra water to the pate to make it more of a "sauce."

Fancy Feast pates are usually irresistible to cats. 
Funny you say that. Neither of my cats will touch fancy feast. Kabby who loves pretty much anything doesn't like it
He took one mouthful and spat it out shooting me a look of revulsion.

Indy won't go near it. So I'm stuck with 6 cans my cats won't eat.
 

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If your cat doesn't like the texture, try running chunky/shreds thru blender.
 
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purrfectmisha

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Going just off ingredients, I'd try them in the order they are listed. My least fave is the sanabelle ingredients, the Animonda has less phosphorous so that is good if your kitties lean to bladder crystals or UTI


Thanks a lot, she's currently finishing a pack of Applaws, I'll later on switch between that and Animonda, while Animonda has only one flavor of grain free, Applaws has a couple, so she'll be enjoying a variety of that, I'm sure she'd get sick of eating the same o er and over again.
 

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I second the recommendation of Canidae Pure Elements chicken.  The price is reasonable.  Consider also Purina True Nature Chicken & Egg recipe, as well as Evolve Chicken & Rice.
 

Columbine

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Thanks a lot, she's currently finishing a pack of Applaws, I'll later on switch between that and Animonda, while Animonda has only one flavor of grain free, Applaws has a couple, so she'll be enjoying a variety of that, I'm sure she'd get sick of eating the same o er and over again.
It's not a great idea to switch between kibbles, especially ones of varying quality. Sudden changes in kibble can cause tummy upsets. A better way to do it would be to mix the two together (after offering a taster of the new kibble to be sure she likes it ;) ). That way you can still keep costs manageable whilst keeping your girl's tummy happy :)

From some of the brands you listed, it looks like you're ordering from Zooplus ;) It really would be worth trying some of their wet foods, just to see if you can find one or two she likes. My girl loves Catz Finefood, Bozita, GranataPet, Animonda Carny, Smilla (not quite such good ingredients, but it is pure meat and great for the price) and Thrive Complete (very much a luxury/treat for her, but she goes bust for it :yummy: ). Some of these foods are sometimes available in the Rewards Scheme too (at least, they are in the UK ;) ), which is a great way to try them out. All these foods are on the Bulgaria site so you should be able to get hold of them :)

Another trick I use is to get pure meat freeze dried treats like Cosma Snackies and crumble one or two over the wet food. I've yet to meet a cat who doesn't go for this, and it isn't all that expensive - one tube lasts quite a while when used in this way.

Yes, you can feed an all dry diet and many cats will do just fine, provided they drink enough to compensate for the dryness of the kibble (which often means taking extra measures such as a water fountain to encourage drinking). However, cats are obligate carnivores, and the very nature of kibble means that it has a higher carb/lower meant content than canned food. Finding a wet food she likes can only be a positive for her in the long run :) [article="30756"][/article]

Having said all of that, the first rule of feeding is the best food for your cat is the one she'll happily eat! The most wonderful food in the world is useless unless it gets inside the cat ;)
 
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