"premium" Food Vs "economy" Food

[Nature9000]

So when I worked for the pet stores, even I got sold on the premium pet food brands (I use wholehearted from Petco right now), at Pet supermarket it felt like we had to shove Performatrin down our customer's throats, at Petco it didn't matter and we could suggest whatever we felt comfortable; but I have a question that a customer once asked me "What does it matter?"

Even my aunt said "it's funny how there are so many of these fad-type diet foods for animals that were never around back in the day, and our pets did fine then". I claim not to like Purina or Friskies, foods where I don't know what the ingredients mean. I understand the difference between Salmon meal and salmon by product....sort of....but does it really all matter? What do you feed your pets? Purina? Merrick? Wholehearted, Sciencediet, etc? Why do you feed them what you do? Is premium really better than economy brand, or is it all just moneymaking marketing schemes to make the customer pay more?

 

[jen]

Many of them are money making marketing schemes. But the bottom line is cats are obligate carnivores. When people ask me what food to feed their cats or what is the best, I just remind them that there are not only many great foods out there but to remember that cats are meant to eat meat, not grains or vegetables. Sure cats used to eat junk back in the day, many also went outside and hunted mice and birds, many also didn't get as good of vet care as they do now. We know cats do everything possible to hide their sickness, pain and discomfort. So how many of the cats from the old days were sicker then their owners even knew because proper vet care and knowledge was just NOT AVAILABLE. You can argue "my cat did fine its whole life on crappy food" but how much of that was luck, lifestyle, genetics, etc.

It's a loaded question really.

 

[cheesycats]

I think some premium brands are pretty gimmicky. I don’t think grain free is the main thing you should be looking for in dog or cat foods. Most are packed full of other carb sources that far outweigh the meat content which is the main issue. The fact that kibble is still the prodominant type of food that is fed and has been for a century almost, there’s still a lot to be seen about raw and wet food diets. There’s no denying that any living being on a fresh whole ingredient diet is going to do better and live significantly longer. But do I think a premium brand with 50% carbs Is better than a cheap brand with 50% just becuase one is sourced with corn and the other peas? No. Cats should be on a 90% meat diet at least. Dogs should be same or as low as 70%. But I’d venture to say 99% of the worlds dogs and cats are on foods far lower than that. Wether it’s well meaning people feeding premium expensive foods or people who have no clue or care what they feed their animals and feed friskies/pedigree I don’t think it really matters as far as life spans go. Crappy high carb food is crappy high carb food no matter how you look at it or how much you pay for it. As far as quality of said life I think premium brands do make the difference. You do usually feed less, coats are shinier, softer, etc. I’ve seen it in my own pets and many others. However There are many people I meet daily though who think 5 orange poops a day and 2 cups of food from the dollar store and fur loss is totally normal for a cat. So I think a lot of people who say “oh my pets do/did great on dog chow/meow mix” have no clue what a healthy pet should look like. There’s a reason Pet obesity has sky rocketed in the past 50 years, and why there is a raising issue with urinary problems in cats and cancer in cats and dogs and it’s most likely the crap foods we’re feeding our pets and the fact that humans are mostly clueless on what a healthy in shape animal should look like.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ The more expensive foods contain less filler and higher quality ingredients. Some contain no by- product at all . They are made in smaller batches. You also get fancy marketing and labeling : Non GMO ; Free Range Chicken ; Kitty Kosher ! ... etc . As far as I can tell the nutritional content is almost identical. I think by law it has to be .
I think cats can become fussy if we spoil them. They like the flavor, smell and texture . I feed the different varieties of Friskies wet food and Purina soy/corn free Beyond dry kibble ($ ! ) . Fancy Feast is a treat once a week . Sometimes I steam a chicken .
We have had cats that lived over 20 years . They know we love them and that's the most important thing .

​

 

[jen]

I also opt for canned Friskies Classics and Fancy Feast Classics, due to their low/no carb features. I had to pick my battles with cat food and feed them the best I could afford. I opted for as few carbs as possible as I feel that is the most important thing.

 

[tangers40]

The most important thing to me, really, is what my cat will eat.

She absolutely turns her nose up at the "cheap stuff", in both wet and dry food. So, I buy her something a little more expensive because she will eat it, haha!

 

[lisahe]

I also opt for canned Friskies Classics and Fancy Feast Classics, due to their low/no carb features. I had to pick my battles with cat food and feed them the best I could afford. I opted for as few carbs as possible as I feel that is the most important thing.

There's the key thing: "pick my battles." I'm not quite sure what the cats' criteria are (they're not fussy about price) but for me the biggest thing is to keep the carbs as low as possible. Beyond grains, potato, peas, and other carby stuff (there's so much!), I avoid carrageenan because our cats have sensitive stomachs.

As far as "premium" versus "economy," I'd much rather feed a can of Fancy Feast pate than a can of something more expensive that has veg fillers like peas or potatoes that just drive up carbs and lower protein. That's not good for cats and not good for the food budget. By-products, on the other hand, can be pretty nourishing. And individual organs that are considered by-products are often listed ingredients in lots of the commercial raw foods we feed.

To help sorting out what ingredient terms mean, here's a page from AAFCO, the pet food people.

 

[Azazel]

I feed most of my cats raw, but I have a couple that get some canned too. For them I look for brands with high meat based protein, low carbs, and not too many extra fillers. I have fed Weruva, Ziwipeak, and Rawz.

I don’t really pay attention to the label “premium.” I look at the ingredients and composition. But I have found that the ones labelled “premium” are more likely to be good. Not all of them though.

 

[lisahe]

I feed most of my cats raw, but I have a couple that get some canned too. For them I look for brands with high meat based protein, low carbs, and not too many extra fillers. I have fed Weruva, Ziwipeak, and Rawz.

I don’t really pay attention to the label “premium.” I look at the ingredients and composition. But I have found that the ones labelled “premium” are more likely to be good. Not all of them though.

Yes, it's pretty much the same here, including that we also feed a lot of commercial raw food since it's easiest to find the ingredients/balances I want there. For the one canned meal a day, we feed a pretty broad range in terms of price: Fancy Feast, Nutro Natural Choice, Fromm, Koha, Feline Natural, Wellness Core, and Weruva. Oddly, the Koha we feed (duck stew) is one of their cheaper foods and one of the only ones that doesn't have something carby that I refuse to feed! Rawz got set aside for a while; the cats just haven't been loving it lately. They're like that!

 

[duckpond]

I try to feed high protein, moderate fat, and low carb. I try to stay away from carbs as much as possible, whether in a cheap food, or an expensive food. I don't really think where the carbs come from are as important as how many are in the food. I try to also keep artificial color and flavors to a minimum. And the most important thing, is will my cats eat it. That's usually the hard part.

I do feed dry, Dr. Elseys chicken only.

I also feed 2 wet meals per day. Tiki cat, the chicken flavors, and the after dark flavors are big hits right now. Almo nature complete chicken and green beans and chicken and carrots. American journey minced flavors, are well received. Fancy feast classics are sometimes yes, sometimes now, as are the grilled flavors. Against the grain tuna mango tango is our go too right now for fish. Weruva is off and on again, i never know with it right now, it was the favorite for a long time, i think they got tired of it.

 

[Sonatine]

I'm on a budget (both for time and money), so I feed my cat a mix of canned (sheba and nulo) and dry (crave). My goal is usually to get a food that has the highest protein and lowest carbs within my price range, and I rotate the wet foods for variety. I don't really bother to avoid specific ingredients; I don't care if the food has grain in it as opposed to potato or peas, if it's an otherwise good food, but since grain-free foods are so popular right now, they also tend to coincidentally have better nutrition in other areas. The protein content and quality/amount of meat based ingredients are my selling points.

Since this is my first cat, I don't really have much firsthand experience to say how big of a difference the diet makes (I may be on a budget, but she still eats better than most of the cats I know), other than that she is healthy, happy, and active, but lots of cats who eat garbage food also fit that description.

The main thing that I do notice is the quality of her fur. Friends' and neighbors' cats I've known throughout my life always shed terribly, but Amelia hardly sheds at all, and she's incredibly soft. She's also never had a hairball that I know of. That may be due to genetics or her grooming habits rather than her diet, though. Too many variables! That said, buying her the best food I can is one way that I can try to give her the best life possible, so I'll keep at it.

 

[sargon]

In general, premium foods have more and better sources of protein, less questionable artificial ingredients, and less and better carbs.

premium kibble may use pea or potato to up the numbers a bit, and that isn't great, but it tends to not be in the top 3-5 ingredients, whereas in cheaper foods, soy and corn protein tend to be in the top 3.

likewise, they tend to use rice or sweet potato, or tapioca instead of wheat soy and corn.

 

[lisahe]

In general, premium foods have more and better sources of protein, less questionable artificial ingredients, and less and better carbs.

Yes, the artificial ingredients are a definite downside of cheaper foods: I won't feed the Fancy Feast Classics with sodium nitrite.

But I really see variety as key. If, say, I only feed one food a week with an ingredient I don't really approve of, that dilutes the risk of that ingredient.

 

[lollie]

I feed Merrick, Halo, and Blue. Three wet meals a day. She also gets a small bowl of dry to munch on. As others have said, protein is the main thing. Show me an overweight cat, too fat to want to play, and ten to one you're looking at a cat being fed high carb.

 

[foxxycat]

the best diet is one they will eat. we tried the fancy high priced foods and they either puked it, caused constipation or vomiting. We like 4Health from tractor supply. As long as I stay away from corn products it's all good.

 

[cassiopea]

I personally favour the more pricier fancy foods, I do personally think there is a difference, reasons being...


- Morgana seems to have an allergy to anything cheap. When I used to feed her purina/friskies/whiskas/iams dry or however, her eyes swelled and she had tears that ran down her cheeks and caused more sores. When I bought better quality food she never had a problem since. She also is a dainty eater with a lean and slender frame, so good food helps aid and maintaining good weight.

*On the top side, I remember awhile ago that iams had some serious accusations of animal welfare issues, like animal cruelty in animal testing. This is a big topic as is so I'll leave it at that, but it did make me hesitant for a long time in getting the brand, whether all authentic information or not.

- Liffey has an allergy too, her bottom lip swells up like an overdone lip filler. Same thing as Morgana, now no problems with the food she is currently using.

- Meadow was a former stray that I picked up from the street, and had a lot of health problems at the time, so she needs an extra boost here and there.

- I find their poopie movements and quality and fur coats are much better overall. Lot's more protein, less filler/faux stuff and crisper ingredients.

- It was the same with my doggies, some of the cheap food tend to give my Great Pyrenees diarrhea, same thing happened with my parents German Shepherds.

I do have favourites and the like. I am not crazy about brands like Performatin, as they don't seem to like it and the shape of the kibble (Triangle) makes them difficult for them to chew.

Currently using "Go!" and they all equally love it. Tasty and easy for them to eat. They offer a lot of specials at my local pet stores which makes it an extra bonus on the budget. I'll use another company once in awhile if there is a special flyer price, food that they of course safetly had before and enjoy.


Now of course not all fancy brands are equal, I do think there are some gimmicky sides to to that world so I like to remain diligent on my choices. I keep my budget around $20-$30 (Feel I don't need to spend more for good food) and I pay very close attention to the ingredients and where the food is made.

Sometimes I do go ahead and use cheap wet cat food once in awhile to mix with the good stuff if I am in a bind for time - they enjoy it just fine with no other problems. For other fancy wet food they love Go and Weruva.

They will also occasionally get cooked liver and chicken Home made broth too.


It really is an individuals choice and what works for them!

 

[Tabas1234]

I personally favour the more pricier fancy foods, I do personally think there is a difference, reasons being...


- Morgana seems to have an allergy to anything cheap. When I used to feed her purina/friskies/whiskas/iams dry or however, her eyes swelled and she had tears that ran down her cheeks and caused more sores. When I bought better quality food she never had a problem since. She also is a dainty eater with a lean and slender frame, so good food helps aid and maintaining good weight.

*On the top side, I remember awhile ago that iams had some serious accusations of animal welfare issues, like animal cruelty in animal testing. This is a big topic as is so I'll leave it at that, but it did make me hesitant for a long time in getting the brand, whether all authentic information or not.

- Liffey has an allergy too, her bottom lip swells up like an overdone lip filler. Same thing as Morgana, now no problems with the food she is currently using.

- Meadow was a former stray that I picked up from the street, and had a lot of health problems at the time, so she needs an extra boost here and there.

- I find their poopie movements and quality and fur coats are much better overall. Lot's more protein, less filler/faux stuff and crisper ingredients.

- It was the same with my doggies, some of the cheap food tend to give my Great Pyrenees diarrhea, same thing happened with my parents German Shepherds.

I do have favourites and the like. I am not crazy about brands like Performatin, as they don't seem to like it and the shape of the kibble (Triangle) makes them difficult for them to chew.

Currently using "Go!" and they all equally love it. Tasty and easy for them to eat. They offer a lot of specials at my local pet stores which makes it an extra bonus on the budget. I'll use another company once in awhile if there is a special flyer price, food that they of course safetly had before and enjoy.


Now of course not all fancy brands are equal, I do think there are some gimmicky sides to to that world so I like to remain diligent on my choices. I keep my budget around $20-$30 (Feel I don't need to spend more for good food) and I pay very close attention to the ingredients and where the food is made.

Sometimes I do go ahead and use cheap wet cat food once in awhile to mix with the good stuff if I am in a bind for time - they enjoy it just fine with no other problems. For other fancy wet food they love Go and Weruva.

They will also occasionally get cooked liver and chicken Home made broth too.


It really is an individuals choice and what works for them!

How did you make the home broth? And how did you serve it to your cats?

 

[MargoLane]

First cat, and first month of ownership, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

But it really seems to depend on the cat; if you have a cat with health problems (I do!) then one of the main options available for managing is diet. When I adopted my cat, I was told she had food allergies, but within a week of having her, she needed a three day stay in the hospital for suspected IBD. She doesn't have a lot of daily symptoms, but when she does have a flare up, she gets pretty close to death (think blood coming out of both ends).

So for her, I'm currently not giving myself a budget on her food while I work out what's best for her. I'm trying her on raw, because of all the success people have had and it's not cheap. But, I can't have her flaring up that seriously because a. I love her and b. frequent hospital says are going to be way too expensive.

Plus....IBD makes for room clearing farts and poops. So, really hoping to get that secondary benefit with raw. And that is worth plenty of premium food to me!

 

[Purr-fect]

Arnold and Greg get premium foods. Weruva pawlicken chicken canned, some natures variety instinct dry chicken and greenies for treats. I know there is even better, raw or frozen or homemade, but I think their diet is pretty good.....certainly the best we have ever fed our cats. Scary to think that their monthly food budget combined is about what I spend on my food each month!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Even though we feed raw, I've still visited the food aisle of pet stores for various reasons and I have to admit I would probably opt for a mid-priced food vs. the super cheap or the "most expensive", only because I feel that there seems to be a limit as to how good a kibble can be but no limit to how much can be charged for it.
The cat we aren't feeding raw is doing good on Fancy Feast pate with certain raw foods on the side (he likes carnivore blend--tripe, organs, and hearts--all boneless, seems to help keep him from being constipated as much). He also likes Instinct. FF might not be "as quality" as Instinct but he eats it =)
When shopping for a food pretend every single bagged or canned option is packaged the same, in a plain, black bag with the ingredients, GA, and no other unnecessary information. No gimmicks, no buzz words, no advertising allowed. Your choices might actually differ if you pretend the pictures and description words aren't there!