Worst Cat Food Brands?

[Azazel]

Well words like crap, bad, trash, junk, garbage, terrible, dreaded, the worst, yuck, shouldn't be fed, and lacking in education would hurt anybody's feelings. That's not being too sensitive. Foxxycat actually sent me a sample of the Indoor food she uses for her cats and the little extra fiber helped Maggie with some poop problems she had been having. Purina canned foods actually saved Demi when he was having pee problems and I couldn't get him to eat the more expensive brands. So one person's garbage can be another cat's saving grace.

Sometimes I feed Weruva to my cat who needs low phosphorus. I’m well aware that it has crap ingredients like xanthum gum but it’s also been a saving grace because it’s hard to find low ph non prescription can foods. I don’t take it personally if anyone thinks it’s garbage food... it has pros and cons. I don’t think anyone in this thread is intending to offend you personally. It’s great to know which foods work for your cat but its also good to always be critical and know what the disadvantages of some foods are. The pet food industry is a mess and no brand is perfect.

 

[maggiedemi]

Yeah, but is it really necessary to use harsh words like crap and garbage all the time? It's not just this thread, but often on the forums when I mention I use Purina foods.

 

[duckpond]

We all have our opinions, some very strong opinions, on all things cat related. Type of food, brands of food, vet care, indoor, outdoor, Basically everything that has to do with cats.

I do think we should all voice our opinions, and hopefully with a bit of reasoning to back it up, Why i feel that way. Not just blanket statements.

I also think, as you point out maggiedemi, words matter. If you want to inform, educate, change someones opinion thats fine, but words like you mention, and when we suggest that someone does not care for their cat as much we do, because of how or what they feed, how they vet, or if they let their cat outside, the litter they use..ect...ect...we are not then helping, we are hurting.

People may be too sensitive these days, i know i have had to back myself down some, i have strong opinions, and get frustrated easily, i post in a hurry and dont take time to format my thoughts well. We should speak our mind, and give our opinions, try to educate, but i have seen it time and again in different posts, on many different issues, an arrogance of attitude. "I know whats right, and if you dont do it like i do, then you dont love your cat as much as i do." This shuts people down to what we want to accomplish. Even if what you are saying is 100% correct, tone, and blanket negative statements can turn someone off your message, totally. I have this problem myself, not pointing fingers at anyone, just saying, and i am working to be better with this. And hey, if you see me do it in a post, point it out, im a work in progress...lol

Much of what we post about is subjective, not written in stone, not the same with each cat.

 

[Azazel]

Yeah, but is it really necessary to use harsh words like crap and garbage all the time? It's not just this thread, but often on the forums when I mention I use Purina foods.

Sorry I’m one of the guilty ones with a potty mouth. I guess since I have such a potty mouth I don’t really consider those harsh words but I can see if someone else might interpret them that way. Hope I didn’t offend you. My anger is really directed to the pet food companies and their level of dishonesty, especially with pet food consumers like you who are loyal and swear by their products. I wish they cared more about pets and treated consumers with more respect.

 

[KarenKat]

On an interesting side note, I have been creating a spreadsheet of the cat foods I buy or have tried and adding the catfood.db dry matter info. Assuming it’s accurate, the Purina Indoor Cat Chow that our tabby did terrible on and the Natural Balance Green Pea and Chicken that he had more energy with and lost excess weight withhave practically the same dry matter composition.

Important lesson for me that what ingredients are in the food is sometimes more key than the numbers. Not sure where the protein was from but even Green pea protein (while not ideal) was better that what was in Cat Chow.

 

[maggiedemi]

Thanks guys for hearing me out. I'm glad I said something instead of just feeling hurt and leaving. Duckpond said what I was trying to say much more eloquently. And Azazel you bring up a good point, it's up to the manufacturers to make our cats' food healthy, affordable, available in local stores, and taste good enough for them to eat! I never had any problems getting my childhood cats to eat canned food, so they must be doing something different with the taste.

 

[Furballsmom]

And hey, if you see me do it in a post, point it out, im a work in progress...lol

No worries - but I'll never have the "opportunity" because YOU're amongst the more gracious people I've read

 

[duckpond]

No worries - but I'll never have the "opportunity" because YOU're amongst the more gracious people I've read

Thank you, i try, and i must return the complement, as you are very nice yourself! but occasionally i read back over a post i made, and think WOW i could have sounded a bit nicer. If we are talking, face to face we see facial expressions, and voice inflections, that usually tells us someone is joking, or playing around. but with written words its not always as easy to tell. so, i trust if i do sound grumpy someday, you will tell me

 

[Furballsmom]

but with written words its not always as easy to tell. so, i trust if i do sound grumpy someday, you will tell me

 

[maggiedemi]

I have to say that since this thread, there have been a lot of nice discussions in the nutrition forum where people have stopped using words like crap, junk, and garbage. And I have to say, I hear your message now. Today I looked at my can of cat food and said well this has soy, wheat gluten, and corn starch in it. But with the judgmental shaming words, I couldn't hear your message. I hear you now and will keep this in mind. And I thank you for hearing me.

 

[catloverlady]

I have heard different opinions about Purina dry food and most of the people I know are considering it a bad food, again it all boils down to pure opinions. I have heard from someone though that it's supposed to contain a lot of by-products and other bad things as well. I was feeding my baby Purina for a very short time but then switched over to Fromm food. I know that Fromm is a more expensive brand but I really want my baby to have the best seeing I went through the heartbreak of losing cats in the past.

 

[mia26]

Being a holistic nutritionist, I am very cautious what I feed my cats as I only want the very best for them. I have done extensive research on feline nutrition as I don't always take the vets advice. In my experience vets are paid to promote vet brands that don't necessarily make the cat 'healthier'. Plus in my experience difference vets will tell me different things when it comes to cat nutrition.
Through my own personal research, I have found the following brands are brands to stay away from due to cards, gluten, soy, additives, coloring:
* Pruina
* Iams
* Hills Science Diet
* Royal Canin
* Blue buffalo
* Fancy Feast
* 9lives
*Meow Mix
* Nutro
* Natural Balance
* Tender Vittles
* Diamond
* Solid Gold
* Whiskas
* Premium Edge

Each to their own, only each owner will know what it best for their cats.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Being a holistic nutritionist, I am very cautious what I feed my cats as I only want the very best for them. I have done extensive research on feline nutrition as I don't always take the vets advice. In my experience vets are paid to promote vet brands that don't necessarily make the cat 'healthier'. Plus in my experience difference vets will tell me different things when it comes to cat nutrition.
Through my own personal research, I have found the following brands are brands to stay away from due to cards, gluten, soy, additives, coloring:
* Pruina
* Iams
* Hills Science Diet
* Royal Canin
* Blue buffalo
* Fancy Feast
* 9lives
*Meow Mix
* Nutro
* Natural Balance
* Tender Vittles
* Diamond
* Solid Gold
* Whiskas
* Premium Edge

Each to their own, only each owner will know what it best for their cats.

Normally, I'd agree. But we've fed holistic brands and now feed a raw diet (have for many years!) but one cat in particular did not do well on any of these but does OK on FF classic pates. It's frustrating to realize the cat that needs the best nutrition is the only one who seemingly does poorly on "good" food but doesn't puke, get constipated, have liquid diarrhea 6 feet high on the wall, etc., when fed less than better brands.
We've been working very closely with a few vets (holistic and not) to improve his immune system, and so far (4 months or so in) little improvements have been made.
I'd love to feed this cat a quality food. Right now, it seems like I can't. so I kind of identify with people here that feed these "bad" foods because their cats eat them and do well and have tried other methods that failed =/

 

[Furballsmom]

Yeah.
I did a lot of the same research, came to much the same conclusions, tried for about three years to go high end, the big guy said nope, not happening. He will starve if he doesn't get what he wants. So, I shifted focus, went to some other grocery store brands and we finally have a workable menu but he won't be taken off Purina brands.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Yeah.
I did a lot of the same research, came to much the same conclusions, tried for about three years to go high end, the big guy said nope, not happening. He will starve if he doesn't get what he wants. So, I shifted focus, went to some other grocery store brands and we finally have a workable menu but he won't be taken off Purina brands.

That's just it! I hope mia26 doesn't think I'm picking on them because I'm not =) Their list is very good and very true. But sometimes cats imprint on a food and it can be nearly impossible to change that. And sometimes cats (like mine, ugh) have such a damaged, screwy system that bringing it back to health is pretty much futile and just letting them be happy is good.
Also with that stated it's always good to keep reading and learning and think "the next kitten/pet I bring in here I'll start this way" and see how that takes off. Some cats are so fixated on brands and types (dry food) that changing them (especially as they get old) can *maybe* be done if someone is around 24/7 to constantly convince them, or has the money to offer canned or raw foods only to be thrown out.
The issue with tough loving dogs into a diet is fine. Most dogs are pigs and will eventually hog food down and be OK with it, but cats you cannot do this with. You can't willfully starve a cat into eating a new food, to do so is asking for serious problems that will cost a LOT of money to resolve.

 

[maggiedemi]

Tender Vittles was discontinued over 10 years ago. So you can take that one off your list. I remember feeding that to my very first cat over 30 years ago. It was pouches of soft dry food. It was really different compared to today's kibble.

 

[duckpond]

3 of my cats will eat a bit of this and that..... sometimes The other one will not.

Its not just about brands, my little white girl will NOT, until very recently, eat wet food. And wouldn't you know it its almo nature salmon. So with her its either all dry, or fish for wet, rock.... hard place.

I have worked for years to get her to eat wet, from the cheapest to the most expensive, and just no. Vet and i finally agreed, and he said much the same thing as 1bruce1 . She is not going to eat the wet, feed her a kibble she likes, or she is going to end up with some serious health issues from refusing to eat. My vet likes wet food for cats, so he helped me for quite some time try to transition her over to wet, he really did not care which brand. So she eats kibble, and now some salmon wet. Luckily for me the kibble she decided on is in my opinion one of the best ones. But it was down too feed her something she is happy with, or keep trying to feed her the "right" food and make her sick.

I think we owe it to our cats to feed them the best food we can, and that they will eat. But what is the best food for one is not always the same for all. Be it a brand or a type of food, feed them the best you can, and dont stress so much. I think all brands have some better foods in their lines, and some less quality foods in their lines. This is across the board, cheap food, to the most expensive holistic foods. I think when we blanket promote or discourage any brand, or type, thats when we have a problem.

I will say my vet sells Science diet out of his office. However he has never tried to "sell" me on it. He has always been very open to discussing any brand or type of food. He said he sells Science diet because he knows it will react with a cat that is sick, or has health issues. Not necessarily for all cats, or for all times, but sometimes its the best go to, in his opinion.

 

[duckpond]

Tender Vittles was discontinued over 10 years ago. So you can take that one off your list. I remember feeding that to my very first cat over 30 years ago. It was pouches of soft dry food. It was really different compared to today's kibble.

I remember that one from a long time ago too. we gave it to our cats too, i dont even remember what was in it, but we thought at that time we were doing great by splurging on it!

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh that's right, I remember those pouches of tender vittles!!

 

[1 bruce 1]

We had a cat that ate these like crack, and would always angrily growl the "nom nom nom" sound thing as they cleaned that pouch up!