Dry Food Suggestions

[thehistorian]

Hello fellow cat lovers! I am seeking a bit of advice. I have two beautiful, adorable black kitties I adopted back in early June two weeks after the death of my beloved moo-meow.

The one is a handsome (overweight) boy named Ramsey of an unknown age. The vet estimates he might be about 5-7 years old. The other is a small, spunky imp girl named Twyla. She only just turned one years old before I adopted her. I absolutely adore these sweet peas. I am in the very slow process of transitioning them to an all wet food diet because of Ramsey's weight and because Twyla much prefers it.

Of course, when I first brought Ramsey home he was a pretty avid dry food addict. He nibbled at wet food, but then get easily bored. Luckily, I have worked him up the point where he only gets one dry food meal a day and actually slams down his morning wet meal and afternoon wet snack like a champ.

Luckily, I have been able to keep them on the exact same diet and I have not had to separate them to feed them as they are pretty good about not stealing food from each other. Well, that is until one of them ups and leaves his or her bowl.

Yes, I did try to feed them separately etc. and keep the from each other's bowls. It did *not* work. They became extremely stressed out and frantic. These two are bonded, so it will not work any other way. I keep an eye on their intake and Twyla gets extra treats just for her.

So, their schedule is as follows:

6:00AM: Two whole 3 ounce cans of wet food. One is Fancy Feast Classic pate and the other is Fancy Feast Grilled Slices in Gravy. I know the grilled slices are not the best, but I have been using them as a sort of transition food and to keep Ramsey's interest. As soon as I am out of the current case, I am going to stick to just pate. In fact, I am going to introduce the fully size cans of Nutro Natural choice pates alongside the Fancy Feast pates. They love both!

12:00PM: I use the Nutro Natural Choice Perfect Portions trays. I split one half of an entire tray before them - so this meal is very small.

6:00PM: I put 1/4th a cup of Solid Gold High Protein Dry Cat Food into each food bowl for a total of 1/2 a cup of dry. This is where my question for you guys comes in! I do not think the Solid Gold is bad at all - it is as good as can be expected from a dry food. However, in about a month to three months, as my supply of dry food runs down, I wanted to make a change.

My plan is that once I am practically out of the Solid Gold, I am going to start putting down one whole can of wet food at 6:00PM and only one bowl of dry food at 6:00PM. As preference dictates, Ramsey will go straight to the dry and Twyla to the wet. So, at the point I would be giving Ramsey a smaller portion of dry but I still want it to be substantial enough to make up a good portion of his caloric needs for the day. So, my question is whether or not you guys think Solid Gold is a good food to stick with for this purpose?

I had been considering switching him to the much meat richer, famous Orijen for evening meals because it seems far closer to mimicking the nutritional value of wet food. I know I seem like I am going very slow with this, but I want to decrease his weight slowly so as to avoid complications such as fatty liver disease. Plus, I do not want to just suddenly yank dry food away from him. I tried that once for a few days. NOT good.

What do you guys think? Orijen or stick with Solid Gold once I add the extra can of wet food in the evening?

For reference, here is the wet foods they currently eat:

1. Nutro Senior Soft Loaf Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24

2. Nutro Adult Soft Loaf Turkey Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24

3. Nutro Perfect Portions Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Cat Food Trays, 2.6-oz, case of 24

4. Nutro Perfect Portions Grain-Free Turkey Recipe Cat Food Trays, 2.6-oz, case of 24

5. Fancy Feast Classic Poultry & Beef Feast Variety Pack Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 30

6. Fancy Feast Grilled Poultry & Beef Feast Variety Pack Canned Cat Food

The dry food I feed them now:

1. Solid Gold High Protein Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Adult Dry Cat Food, 2.5-lb bag

The dry food I am thinking of switching Ramsey to for his evening meals after I replace one even dry food bowl with a wet food bowl:

1. Orijen Cat & Kitten Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

I should note that I may always have to keep Ramsey on at least one meal of dry because Twyla is a bit of a greedy jerk and will stick her head into his food bowl after she has finished with her own. When it comes to wet food he will back down, but when it comes to dry, oh hell no. So, I am looking for the best, most species appropriate dry food to feed him (probably 1/4th a cup) that will not be likely to pack on the pounds.

So, please advise!

 

[Ann Marie Klacko]

Our cats LOVE Orijen! My cat Lee bea was a carb addict and rapidly gaining weight. They seem to eat less of the Orijen because it is richer (watch out for stinky poops!) but is appropriate amount of nutrition and whatnot. If one of our more recent additions didn't have food allergies, all five of our cats would still be on an Orijen diet.

 

[ScarlettGatsby]

I feed 1/4 cup fromm dry food a day to my cat and she loves it. I'm very happy with it.
I think Orijen is considered the best dry food, from what I've read, so if it's in your budget go for it. It's a little out of my price range (and I'd rather use the money for better wet food). So Fromm fits my budget and seems good quality. It's pretty high calorie, I'm not sure what Orijen calories look like but the Fromm Game Bird is 447/cup.

 

[neely]

I feed 1/4 cup fromm dry food a day to my cat and she loves it. I'm very happy with it..

I feed Carleton Fromm also but the Hasen Duckenpfeffer. I switched him over from Acana made by Champion Foods, same manufacturer as Orijen, when Champion built a new plant in KY and changed the formula in the U.S.
We'd love to see pics of your two adorable black kitties.
FYI, here's a past thread about Orijen:
New orijin food= not impressed

 

[Vega's Dad]

I'm not sure what Orijen calories look like

Around 4k kcal/kg except 3.7k for trim&fit I think

 

[abyeb]

I've heard that Orijin is one of the best dry foods, so I think that's a good option.

For overweight cats, when looking for a food, it's important that the food is high in protein (meat is preferable to fish as the main protein), and grain-free and low in starchy vegetables like potatoes and carrots (ideally potato-free).

 

[thehistorian]

I feed Carleton Fromm also but the Hasen Duckenpfeffer. I switched him over from Acana made by Champion Foods, same manufacturer as Orijen, when Champion built a new plant in KY and changed the formula in the U.S.
We'd love to see pics of your two adorable black kitties.
FYI, here's a past thread about Orijen:
New orijin food= not impressed

Ah, I did not know about the manufacturing switch or the formula change! Not pleased about that. Any one else have any other good suggestions? I might stick with the Solid Gold, but some folks have told me it is still too high on the carbs. My experience with Fromm is that it is way too high in carbs - even higher in carbs than Solid Gold High Protein. Have they changed their formula?

Oh, and here is my beautiful little imp Twyla:

My big handsome boy Ramsey:

Here are my precious babies together (they're like a married couple I swear):

I love them so much.

 

[neely]

OMG, I'm in love with both your cats, love the pics of them together.

Actually I used to feed Solid Gold to both my cat and dog. That was before Solid Gold was sold to Diamond Pet Food. Both the cat and dog noticed the difference!

 

[ScarlettGatsby]

Have you looked into Petcurian? It looks like it's very high protein low carb, but I never see it mention here. I really don't know much about it but have seen it on a lot of "best dry food" lists.

Has Orijen had the same issues Acana has been having with formula changes?

And no, Fromm isn't low carb. I just looked it up and it looks like the Game Bird one is 37% carbs 39% protein (dry analysis) while Orijen Tundra is 20% carbs and 44% protein.

The Wellness Core dry food might be good to look at too.

 

[thehistorian]

Thanks for the tips guys! Aww, Neely I am glad you love my furbabies! I tried Petcurian once with my recently deceased baby. She hated it! But Ramsey might be different. I am also not big on how rich Orijen and Acana are either.

I am also looking into this:

Instinct by Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Turkey Dry Cat Food

I know it is not high protein per say (most of it is probably peas - ugh), but I guess the less overwhelming, hyper rich diet appeals. I am still not pleased with this, though because I know the peas make up the majority of the rest of the calories.

I think I am going to look into Petcurian again.

 

[thehistorian]

Hey guys, out of curiosity, what do you guys think of this line from Nature's Variety Instinct?

Instinct by Nature's Variety Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food

 

[maryah]

Hey guys, out of curiosity, what do you guys think of this line from Nature's Variety Instinct?

Instinct by Nature's Variety Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food

That's what I feed my 1-year-old, along with low carb canned food. For a while she was on only the dry, and thrived on it. But I wanted her to have mostly grain-free wet, so after transitioning she still gets a small amount of the NVUP overnight.

 

[MeganLLB]

I use Earthborn. it is cheaper than origen and solid gold, and has more protein than both of them. Also has less carbs than orijen and more protein. only 30$ for a 14 lbs bag.

 

[thehistorian]

I use Earthborn. it is cheaper than origen and solid gold, and has more protein than both of them. Also has less carbs than orijen and more protein. only 30$ for a 14 lbs bag.

Really? I tried just about every high end dry food on the market with my angel Enya (R.I.P.), and Earthborn was one of them. I was not impressed with the formula. I remember there being peas, potatoes, etc. So far, the only one that I feel confident enough to transition my big boy to is Nature's Variety Ultimate Protein. It has the most satisfactory formula of all of them so far. As for price, it is worth it to me to keep him healthy.

I think I am going to give it a shot.

 

[MeganLLB]

It does have peas and potatoes but it also had 44% protein and 20% fat. You have to research where the calories come from. Most of the calories come from the protein. It is very low carb and if you research the calories do not come from the carbs so the amount of pea and potato must be small.

Highest protein lowest carb food that I could find for the best price.

 

[thehistorian]

It does have peas and potatoes but it also had 44% protein and 20% fat. You have to research where the calories come from. Most of the calories come from the protein. It is very low carb and if you research the calories do not come from the carbs so the amount of pea and potato must be small.

Highest protein lowest carb food that I could find for the best price.

That does not sound right. I beg your pardon for arguing, but even if most of the calories come from protein - what is the protein source? A lot of high end pet food companies stick potatoes and peas in dry food for the following reason: potatoes and peas also have a lot of protein in them, but it is plant protein. Not meat protein. Plant protein and meat protein are vert different and plant protein does next to nothing for cats.

So, in addition to cramming a bunch of potatoes and peas into their formulas to jack the protein percentage up without regard to the nutritional needs of cats, they also claim their foods are low carb. They are not. Potatoes and peas are high in plant protein and high in carbohydrates. Hence, Earthborne appears to have more feline appropriate protein, but it does not. It's a common trick that companies like Blue Buffalo and Wellness pull all the time.

The lowest carb, highest meat protein, affordable dry food I have found was Solid Gold High Protein. However, I do not like that Diamond owns them and because websites vary on what the ingredients list is, I am going to switch my boy to the NV Ultimate protein because I do not intend for it to be a huge part of his diet anyway and the bag will go slowly.

Until I begin the transition, however, I will let my kitties finish up the SG.

 

[MeganLLB]

SG looks about the same to me. It has peas and pea protein and a bunch of veggies. Plus it has just "chicken" as the first ingredient which means it was pumped full of water to weigh it down so it could be listed first as a protein, but actually its just water. So I don't see how SG is any better.

Nature's Variety looks better. Still has tapioca and all that is is carbs and whey protein which is not an animal protein.

But $45 for a 10lb bag is too much for me. I buy better quality dog food and pay $50 for a 40 lb bag. I don't understand why quality cat food is so expensive per lb but the same brand of dog food is so much cheaper.

 

[thehistorian]

SG looks about the same to me. It has peas and pea protein and a bunch of veggies. Plus it has just "chicken" as the first ingredient which means it was pumped full of water to weigh it down so it could be listed first as a protein, but actually its just water. So I don't see how SG is any better.

Nature's Variety looks better. Still has tapioca and all that is is carbs and whey protein which is not an animal protein.

But $45 for a 10lb bag is too much for me. I buy better quality dog food and pay $50 for a 40 lb bag. I don't understand why quality cat food is so expensive per lb but the same brand of dog food is so much cheaper.

SG is only better because of the lack of potatoes, potato protein etc. Yes, Nature's Variety is better and the more limited ingredients makes it easier to know what you are getting and less overwhelming to the cat's system. The tapioca is unfortunate, but if I remember correctly it is not as high in carbs as potatoes and peas. Unfortunately, dry food by its very nature needs some sort of carbs mixed in to make it cook properly. Nevertheless, I take some comfort in the fact that I intend for the dry NV to be a very small part of his diet. He is going to be getting 1 whole 3 ounce can of wet food in the morning, half a tray of wet in the afternoon, and only 1/8th a cup of dry in the evening. Eventually I hope to have him off dry entirely. I counted the calories and while the calories are still around 209-ish, it is much lower than his current intake is. We will slowly, cautiously make progress.

Because I only have the two cats and will only be feeding a 1/8th a cup of dry food to the boy, I can afford to just grab the 4lb bag of NV ultimate protein. And the plus side with the whey protein is that it is at least animal derived - which is more than I can say for potatoes and peas.

But you're super right. It is SO hard to find good quality dry cat food, but honestly it is not optimal for their health, anyway. My hope is to eventually get him on an entirely wet diet. But it is going to take a super long time.

 

[MeganLLB]

SG is only better because of the lack of potatoes, potato protein etc. Yes, Nature's Variety is better and the more limited ingredients makes it easier to know what you are getting and less overwhelming to the cat's system. The tapioca is unfortunate, but if I remember correctly it is not as high in carbs as potatoes and peas. Unfortunately, dry food by its very nature needs some sort of carbs mixed in to make it cook properly. Nevertheless, I take some comfort in the fact that I intend for the dry NV to be a very small part of his diet. He is going to be getting 1 whole 3 ounce can of wet food in the morning, half a tray of wet in the afternoon, and only 1/8th a cup of dry in the evening. Eventually I hope to have him off dry entirely. I counted the calories and while the calories are still around 209-ish, it is much lower than his current intake is. We will slowly, cautiously make progress.

Because I only have the two cats and will only be feeding a 1/8th a cup of dry food to the boy, I can afford to just grab the 4lb bag of NV ultimate protein. And the plus side with the whey protein is that it is at least animal derived - which is more than I can say for potatoes and peas.

But you're super right. It is SO hard to find good quality dry cat food, but honestly it is not optimal for their health, anyway. My hope is to eventually get him on an entirely wet diet. But it is going to take a super long time.

I would like to be able to do something like that. But my two cats have to be separated right now, which makes feeding take a bit longer because I have to do everything in different rooms and keep them locked away from each other. And with my schedule I don't have the time to feed them more than once a day, so I give them more dry food then I'd like to. Maybe once everyone can just peacefully coexist and not try to shred each other apart, the feeding routine can move a little quicker and I could do it twice a day and give them more canned food. But I don't see that happening for a long time yet.

 

[MeganLLB]

Actually now that I've studied the ingredients more, I think Nature's Variety Ultimate protein looks like a plant-based food. It has "chicken" as the one and only meat protein. Fresh chicken is about 80% water, and once it goes though the cooking process the actual amount of protein it offers is significantly less. All the ingredients listed after it are all plant proteins. Ground flaxseed is a plant based source of fiber that contains about 19% protein, tomato pomace is a food filler,
Another ingredient is whey protein concentrate. Whey is a by-product of the cheese industry. This particular type of whey is high in protein (80%) and moderate in the milk sugar, lactose (10%).

Concentrates of this nature can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.
The fact that is contains no meat concentrates and lists all of those plant based high protein fillers makes me question if it is a meat based food.

The Earthborn on the other hand only lists meat concentrates and lists 5 of them. Chicken meal, turkey meal, herring meal, salmon meal, and whitefish meal. Chicken meal contains 300% more protein than fresh chicken. And it lists all those other high protein meat concentrates as opposed to fresh meat.

Peas contain about 25% protein. Potato are a source of carbs but do not offer much protein or nutritional value other than calories. And it also lists ground flaxseed a source of fiber and 19% protein.

Even when you consider the protein boosting effect of the peas, the fact that it lists so many meat concentrates leads me to believe that it is a meat-based food.

If you want to go with Natures Variety, I would look at some of the kibble and raw boost options.