Cat ingredient help

Hannah531

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Messages
70
Purraise
61
I found two foods my kitty boy will eat that meet the phosphorus, magnesium and carb requirements that he needs to keep his urine PH right but one had three different types of gums and a bunch of minerals/vitamins I don’t know much about and the other has carrageenan.

I've poured over these so much my eyes feel like they’re going to bleed - can I get some opinions? (They’re about the same in cost, within a dollar)

Option 1:
4D229A28-0D9B-44F7-87B3-E1E6544A1A67.png

Option 2;
B2AD49BE-CC87-47CB-B02A-E054975B2E93.png
 

Furballsmom

Cat Devotee
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
39,270
Purraise
53,927
Location
Colorado US
Hi!
I'm personally not concerned about carrageenan, but I was wondering, would you be ok with rotating these foods, maybe feed one for a few days, then the other, or some similar schedule that you'd be comfortable with?
 

KarenKat

Kitty on the half shell, tortie power!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
2,960
Purraise
7,257
Location
Littleton, CO
I try to avoid gums and carrageenan, but if you find something that works and there is no apparent discomfort from the food I say go for it. I think the concern is about causing intestinal inflammation but I’ve fed foods before with gums and or cats seemed fine with it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

Hannah531

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Messages
70
Purraise
61
Hi!
I'm personally not concerned about carrageenan, but I was wondering, would you be ok with rotating these foods, maybe feed one for a few days, then the other, or some similar schedule that you'd be comfortable with?
I think i'd be more concerned if it were one of the first 3-5 ingredients as well and from what I understand the 'food grade' variant of it is not harmful but then something sciency about the acids in stomachs blah blah blah. It raised the red flags in a few pet care groups I'm in - cue the eye bleeds :lol:
I guess I'm not opposed to rotating as they're similar in calories per oz and he seems to like them equally but I guess I've never understood that method enough to consider it? Are there any 'no-go' rules for rotating foods?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

Hannah531

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Messages
70
Purraise
61
I try to avoid gums and carrageenan, but if you find something that works and there is no apparent discomfort from the food I say go for it. I think the concern is about causing intestinal inflammation but I’ve fed foods before with gums and or cats seemed fine with it.
I was initially told to avoid 'Algas' which I found out later is the same thing as Carrageenan, but of course after my kitty boy decided the one of the foods he liked was one that had it (He's been super picky). He's only ever vomited once in his life with us and it was a direct result of nausea after being neutered so I'm not sure his stomach is bothered by much, he had a crystal scare and the most important thing for him is keeping his pH right and moisture.

Aside from vomit, is there anyway to notice intestinal issues? Diarrhea?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

Hannah531

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Messages
70
Purraise
61
That, and if he doesn't want to eat as much or at all, and acts differently from his normal self.
Fair enough! He was super hard to transition off of dry food in the first place but he's bounced back completely so I'll keep my eyes out about it.
We're moving in the next year (military) and it's our first move with a cat so I'm probably already a little to anxious about everything right now and none of this ingredient nonsense is helping lol.
 

KarenKat

Kitty on the half shell, tortie power!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
2,960
Purraise
7,257
Location
Littleton, CO
We had a kitty with IBD, and there were a few foods that seemed to bother him. Other than diarrhea and vomiting, he would pace back and forth and yowl in obvious distress. I don’t think the food had gums or carrageenan, it was just rich and didn’t agree with him. We also literally heard his stomach gurgle when he wasn’t feeling well.

I’m sure each cat is different, so any behavior that would not be typical around the food change.

As for how to swap, if he has a pretty good stomach you might be able to alternate each day. My tortie Olive we alternate every meal and she eats better that way. No issue we have noticed.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

Hannah531

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Messages
70
Purraise
61
Thank you so much! My primary concern is that we maybe driving back across the country (ugh) and stopping in hotels/relatives etc. it’s going to be a LOT. He’s good in the car to the vet/his brothers house and his carrier is always available to him for naps so he’s comfortable with that. But there’s a huge difference in a 30 min trip and 24 hours of car time. I’m also fully aware I’m prematurely panicking lol
 

Furballsmom

Cat Devotee
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
39,270
Purraise
53,927
Location
Colorado US
He’s good in the car to the vet/his brothers house and his carrier is always available to him for naps so he’s comfortable with that
oh gracious, you are SO lucky with this!! My Poppycat is one of those felines who pretty much blasts our ancestors every time we have to go gather him up to head to the vet LOL and he's too wary - leaving the carrier out doesn't work for him.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

Hannah531

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Messages
70
Purraise
61
oh gracious, you are SO lucky with this!! My Poppycat is one of those felines who pretty much blasts our ancestors every time we have to go gather him up to head to the vet LOL and he's too wary - leaving the carrier out doesn't work for him.
Oh noooo! I always tell my husband we got lucky, considering this is our first cat because of how chill he is. (I'm 95% sure he thinks he's a dog)
 

KarenKat

Kitty on the half shell, tortie power!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
2,960
Purraise
7,257
Location
Littleton, CO
We traveled from California to Colorado a few years ago with our two cats - we debated between driving and flying and in the end we flew. It was still over an hour to the airport we stayed in a hotel before the flight and 10 days after the flight before moving in. If we had known how well they would do in the hotels (and how badly they did in the airplane - Olive fought the sedative and tried to dig through the carrier to escape lol) we would have driven. They weren’t bad at all during the driving and they did good in the hotels. Sounds like your kitty does really good in cars and he probably will be so much better than you think.
 

cataholic07

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
1,502
Purraise
1,691
I'd go with option 2 to be honest. Not only cause no carrageenan but also because meat is the first ingredient lol.

As I had a cat who died from GI Lymphoma (yes she was fed wet food since age 7) I personally will never feed a cat any food with carrageenan in it. To me it's not worth the risk.

If your cat has urinary issues make sure to feed 3 times a day to help ensure the urine ph isn't too high.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

Hannah531

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Messages
70
Purraise
61
I'd go with option 2 to be honest. Not only cause no carrageenan but also because meat is the first ingredient lol.

As I had a cat who died from GI Lymphoma (yes she was fed wet food since age 7) I personally will never feed a cat any food with carrageenan in it. To me it's not worth the risk.

If your cat has urinary issues make sure to feed 3 times a day to help ensure the urine ph isn't too high.
I was feeling that way too but it didn't jump out to me as badly as the carrageenan. I've heard/read SOOOOO much conflicting information - hence the eye bleeds lol so it's always good to hear first hand experiences.

Yes! Right now he's eating 7am, 4pm, and 9pm. We've been monitoring his pH levels too, so far so good!
 
Top