Catfood Calorie Control Vs Satiety

[ra7en]

I have twins, has them since kittens, they are now 4yrs old (last 2 cats died at 20+ well taken care of, never been to a vet, aside from day of death - the mate died from missing her partner a year later)

First they think they are dogs LOL, from fetch to walks and belly rubs. who knew hah!

2nd one is a lover, the other is playful. now Mr. playful (willy) eats all the time, especially if you do not play with him, or he is bored and a wide variety of reasons. So he is around 17 lbs -but holds it well - both the boys are tom cats - huge! Loki, is more lean.

Problem, the suggested RC calorie control, and did that for a couple years, then switched one day to RC satiety control, they loved that. but the issue is, they want to eat it all the time. I worry for Loki if he is getting any substance out of it. I get woke up more in the middle of the night 2am, 3am and sometimes 4am to eat it. It used to be 3am only (which is bad enough)

Does this food not "fill them up" so to speak? We've free fed our cats for 30yrs. never had this issue, as you can tell, they live long lives with us, and rarely go outside if at all, except these guys - ooooo they get mad if you don't take them out (we always leash them).

Also how can i feed Loki normal food, and willy on his diet food. I'll start here first. We think this food is not "filling them up" and therefore keep asking for more - we have dry food out, but they prefer the wet. Hard on the wallet thats for sure.

Thank!!

 

[KarenKat]

I would check the ingredients, calorie content and the protein content. Ingredients look pretty comparable, both start with a great amount of meat by-product ingredients (I might mix in something without byproducts for balance). Looks like they have the same moisture at 86%, and the calorie control (depending on the version of the canned) is 6.5% min protein and 49 kcal for the morsels in a 3 oz can. The satiety has 5.8% min protein and 51 kcal per 3 oz can.

Could be that the less protein is less satisfying, or it could be that they find that food so much tastier. A vet visit as a precaution might not be a bad idea if they seem constantly hungry, although it seems likely it was the food change.

As for feeding different foods to Loki and Willy, you can feed them in separate rooms, or get a microchip feeder so they can’t eat each other’s food. It’s a problem we have with a tortie that loves food and chunks up on kibble (so she eats wet) and another cat that doesn’t eat much wet but slowly munches kibble. The tortie is always interested in some kibble snacks!

 

[lisahe]

I would check the ingredients, calorie content and the protein content. Ingredients look pretty comparable, both start with a great amount of meat by-product ingredients (I might mix in something without byproducts for balance). Looks like they have the same moisture at 86%, and the calorie control (depending on the version of the canned) is 6.5% min protein and 49 kcal for the morsels in a 3 oz can. The satiety has 5.8% min protein and 51 kcal per 3 oz can.

Could be that the less protein is less satisfying, or it could be that they find that food so much tastier. A vet visit as a precaution might not be a bad idea if they seem constantly hungry, although it seems likely it was the food change.

As for feeding different foods to Loki and Willy, you can feed them in separate rooms, or get a microchip feeder so they can’t eat each other’s food. It’s a problem we have with a tortie that loves food and chunks up on kibble (so she eats wet) and another cat that doesn’t eat much wet but slowly munches kibble. The tortie is always interested in some kibble snacks!

KarenKat's advice is good. I bolded the parts about protein because that's likely the key here. (Actually, meat protein is almost always a key to feeding cats well!) I didn't look at these specific foods' ingredients but I'd generally suggest staying away from any and all diet foods that substitute something that's not meat -- be that grains, potato, peas, or any other form of vegetable matter even if it calls itself something like "pea protein" or "potato protein" -- for meat ingredients. It's meat, not vegetables, that cats' bodies are designed to process.

 

[ra7en]

this is from ROYAL CAININ if that helps.. I was informed by the vet that is the best, and it is under prescription

 

[ra7en]

As for feeding different foods to Loki and Willy, you can feed them in separate rooms, or get a microchip feeder so they can’t eat each other’s food. It’s a problem we have with a tortie that loves food and chunks up on kibble (so she eats wet) and another cat that doesn’t eat much wet but slowly munches kibble. The tortie is always interested in some kibble snacks!

can you elaborate more on the microchip - imma nerd so this interest me. how does it work exactly?

 

[Willowy]

can you elaborate more on the microchip - imma nerd so this interest me. how does it work exactly?

SureFeed Microchip Small Dog & Cat Feeder, White - Chewy.com
It scans the cat's microchip and only opens when the right cat is there. Of course, some pushy cats have found that they can stick their head in while the "approved" cat is eating, and hold the flap open with their head while they eat. . .but it works most of the time . For tough cases there are also feeding boxes:
http://meowspace.biz/microchip-id-cat-feeder-box

 

[LTS3]

this is from ROYAL CAININ if that helps.. I was informed by the vet that is the best, and it is under prescription

Most vets have very little knowledge on proper nutrition. Big name companies like Royal Canin sponsor vet school nutrition classes and veterinary conferences. Some vets get commission for selling prescription foods.

Royal Canin is not thought highly of here on TCS. The ingredients are very poor.

Prescription foods are not needed for weight loss or to keep the tummy full. Feeding a quality meat meat based cat food and the appropriate amount of calories daily will keep tummies happy Canned food is better stepping tummies full than dry food. Some people do feed a mix of both quality canned and dry food.

Catinfo.org has more detail on cat nutrition.

 

[kittyluv387]

Those prescription diets are horrible. Those calorie restricting/ weight loss ones are especially useless. They are eating more of it because the food you're feeding them is devoid of nutrients that a cat needs. Royal Canin foods are mainly full of filler. They just need to eat a high quality food in smaller amounts. Please do check out catinfo.org

 

[ra7en]

Most vets have very little knowledge on proper nutrition. Big name companies like Royal Canin sponsor vet school nutrition classes and veterinary conferences. Some vets get commission for selling prescription foods.

Royal Canin is not thought highly of here on TCS. The ingredients are very poor.

Prescription foods are not needed for weight loss or to keep the tummy full. Feeding a quality meat meat based cat food and the appropriate amount of calories daily will keep tummies happy Canned food is better stepping tummies full than dry food. Some people do feed a mix of both quality canned and dry food.

Catinfo.org has more detail on cat nutrition.

O?
thank you very much for that info. similar with all business (when I was a manager at a hardware store, we stocked the vendor that trained us in their product - go figure) I don't mind the wet food, as long as it is effective. dry food is just there for "meh..." the do not seem to eat it much. It is just when we switched to the Satiety they went nuts and bug me every couple hours instead of every 4-6hrs. Maybe they like it.

 

[ra7en]

Lots of good info here - wow!!
So what can you recommend for out kids? I am loosing sleep these days LOL
shot me a recommendation - I live in a metropolis so there are tons of cat stores all over us (well pet stores)

 

[kittyluv387]

They feel hungry because their current food just has a ton of carbs. They need more meat/protein/fat based food.

As for what kind...you'll have to look around. And some brands are online only. A lot of us like Dr. Elsey's canned through chewy.com. You basically want to pick up some canned food that has low carb content. I would try to stick to less than 15% of calories coming from carbs. Lower the better. But really catinfo.org is a great source of information. And there is a ton of canned foods out there so you have to do some homework yourself and come back with more detailed questions, if any.

Edit: Oh and yes combination feeding is fine. I think Dr. Elsey's has good dry food as well. Again, ton of options that you have to look into yourself.

 

[ra7en]

It was only when the vet prescribed the RC that they started geting whinny and hungry. today its up to almost 1hr intevals. So after reading this (about 30min ago) I went out and got what I used to feed them FRISKIES - it worked for my other 2 cats at 20yrs old,
According to the chart not SUPER good, but has to be better than the RC.
This store was across the street. Later tonight I'll look over that list(chart) and see what I can come up with
I'll also check out Dr.Elsey's canned since I used chewy a lot.

But, got home, Set it down - BOOM! gone in one go. But the real test will come in if they bother me in an hour or two., :-)

 

[kittyluv387]

It was only when the vet prescribed the RC that they started geting whinny and hungry. today its up to almost 1hr intevals. So after reading this (about 30min ago) I went out and got what I used to feed them FRISKIES - it worked for my other 2 cats at 20yrs old,
According to the chart not SUPER good, but has to be better than the RC.
This store was across the street. Later tonight I'll look over that list(chart) and see what I can come up with
I'll also check out Dr.Elsey's canned since I used chewy a lot.

But, got home, Set it down - BOOM! gone in one go. But the real test will come in if they bother me in an hour or two., :-)

Nice!!

 

[lisahe]

Yes, Friskies and Fancy Feast pates are very decent foods -- the Fancy Feast Classic pates, in particular, are very low in carbs, high in protein and fat, so much more likely to keep a cat happy for hours.

Good luck.

 

[ra7en]

Hi, so far so good
I am considering this - is this a better selection?
Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Salmon Formula Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24 - Chewy.com

You guys have been so helpful, even got 2more hours of sleep!

 

[ra7en]

opps forgot I switched to Salmon Wet Cat Food | Paté | Friskies®
from the royal cainin calorie control/satiety

 

[kittyluv387]

I'm glad things are getting better! Feeding primarily fish isn't normally recommended. There's a correlation between fish and hyperthyroidism per catinfo.org. And many people are worried about the metals that could be present in fish. I personally feed the turkey and chicken canned from Dr. Elseys and I feed a fish based food once a week as a treat.

 

[ra7en]

O interesting. I know they like chicken, I'll give that a shot. thanks to you Loki, has stopped bothering me for something to eat every hour, he is back to 3-5hrs in between instead of an hour. LOL!!!

 

[kittyluv387]

O interesting. I know they like chicken, I'll give that a shot. thanks to you Loki, has stopped bothering me for something to eat every hour, he is back to 3-5hrs in between instead of an hour. LOL!!!

Variety is good anyways. My cats get the same food only twice in a week so they never get sick of a food! Btw cats have shorter and more acidic intestines. So it's safe to leave a little bit of canned out when you go to sleep. As long as you toss it in the morning.

 

[LTS3]

A variety of proteins is best, seafood limited to occasional meals.

Can I Feed My Cat A Fish-based Or Fish-flavored Diet?
Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats – Little Big Cat
Tuna is not your cat's friend - read why...