Dry Food Recommendation - Finicky American Shorthair

I have an 8-yo American Shorthair Purebred. I've had cats all my life (50 years). I'm not a pet fanatic type that treats my pets like they are my children (as I have human children) but I'm also not feeding them Grocery Store cat food (lowest price Whiskas, Meow Mix, etc.) They're animals. I feed a combination of dry and small portion (1/3 small can) of wet once a day. I've had several breeds and found this breed to be a bit more finicky than others. Over the years I've tried several mid-priced lines. He ended up liking the IAMS Healthy Adult Chicken Dry Food and the IAMS Tuna/Salmon combinations in the wet. This IAMS I know from the ingredients is "mid tier" at best. He's healthy. No problems. I probably should stick to the saying "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it" but figure now that he's middle aged, maybe I should look at something a little higher quality but not getting into that fanatic price range wanting everything to be like organic, BPA free, blessed by a Saint, stuff. LOL.

It's really hard to determine what will work from reading hundreds of reviews on Amazon and Chewy, Petco, etc as each cat can be different. However, for mid-price, it seems the "Whole Earth" line and the Purina "Beyond" line get consistently good reviews. What's odd about my Shorthair is I've tired a couple grain-free brands and he didn't like it! Felines aren't supposed to eat grain! I guess they formulate the grain versions to get them addicted to it or something! LOL

Anyway, if anyone wants to throw a few mid-price brands out there I should consider, I'd appreciate it.

Hi! Try Merrick Backcountry, or maybe Natural Balance?

I'd put those a little higher than mid-priced. Generally, low-price is $1-$1.50 per pound. Mid is $1.50-$2.50 per pound. I know, this isn't a 150-lbs lion to feed and I'm not homeless, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Cats are carnivores, it’s not being “a fanatic” it’s giving them the correct diet so they live as long as possible and have the least health issues. I used to think like you as well but when u switch to a meat based diet the shedding, pooping, and weight all go down and round out perfectly. Their poops are also smaller and less smelly. I’ve seen it first have happen to 4 different cats. The difference is astounding when you feed a proper diet. You also don’t feed as much which helps balance the price out.
The only foods I recommend are nature’s variety raw boost, clean protein, essence cat food, and tiki cat.
There is nothing expensive about feeding a single cats. When I had 4 (one was a 15 lb main coon mix) I would go through a single 10 lb bag (along with some supplemented canned food) of natures variety a month for about 40-50$. Thats 10$ a month per cat. I’m a struggling college kid who is self sufficient and if I can do it most people should be able to as well.

My Lydia is really picky too. She doesn't like any of the Purina products anymore (including Friskies, Fancy Feast, Purina One, Purina Beyond. She doesn't care for many of the higher end stuff either. She does like Wysong dry foods (all of them) and Instinct. I want to try Tiki Cat or American Journey for her next.

Chewy does refund your money if a food you buy fails to please.

My advice: increase the wet food to 1 3oz can a day (what brand(s) do you feed?) and add some water if your cat will tolerate it. Cats have a naturally low thirst drive, so keeping them hydrated through their food is the way to go! This is ESPECIALLY important for male cats because they are more prone to UTIs.

For another dry food, I think the Chewy (dot) com brand American Journey falls into that range, although it is grain free. However, if he doesn't like it, Chewy will refund your money, so there's that.

What flavors does he seem to prefer?

I would go to some place like Petsmart (or any pet store) and get samples of various dry foods. Some pet stores have sample bags. That way you can see what your cat likes and what might not settle with him.

I decided to ask a few American Shorthair Breeders what they use. It's pretty common that many breeders feed real meat and/or high quality wet food and tend to not use or minimally use dry food. My cat has had not weight, digestion or any other health issues on the Iams dry and wet food. But as I initially stated I do realize the ingredients are decent but could be better.

So one of the breeders recommended several brands.

Diamond Naturals Kitten

Chicken Soup for the Soul Kitten

Kirkland Maintenance Cat (chicken and rice)

The Kirkland Signature Maintenance Cat gets very good reviews, has a bit better ingredient makeup than the Iams and is just as cheap! Sounds like a great bargain as others pointed out it's the same ingredients as Science Diet at half the price!

I should not obviously the breeder thought I have a kitten.