Help with Australian cat food choices

[rose2015]

Wow @Tobilei  what an AWESOME response! Love reading this with a cuppa. BTW, i have discovered yet another brand for you to research a bit on. It's called "Nutrience" although i couldn't find a wet / canned option.

Couple of questions re: the Barf style patty. Do you think it's safe if i give it twice a week (as variety) and raw meaty bones twice a week - or is it too much bone and cause sickness? At the moment i only give the Barf patty once a week but thought about doing it twice.

@NightwriterWelcome to our ongoing dilemma! WHY is it so difficult here? GRRRR. Feel terrible for your little Ragdoll,poor darling. BTW do you feed Ziwipeak as the main diet? Do you think it would be safe to add it in as once a week as a variety? My little one gets constipated with too much grain free, she needs a tiny bit of complex grains (such as barley or a tiny bit of vegetables to keep things moving inside!)

Ok all @Tobilei  @Cuddlemum  @Nightwriter   Need your advice on cat poop! Warning warning, don't look any further if you're eating.

These are photos of this morning's 'load', i think it's the result of either a BARF style patty or overeating on a chicken wing (greedy gut). Hubby also accidentally fed her more than usual amount of kibble (she normally only gets a very  tiny amount but he gave almost double unknowingly, not sure if it would have gone through her yet).

This poop is normal brown on the outside, but very light on the inside (i cracked it open - so gross right). Normal, or should i be in panic mode?

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

**POOP PHOTO ALERT - WARNING*

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• rose2015
• Jun 20, 2016

13495062_10157270522725727_566576427519799220_n.jp

• rose2015
• Jun 20, 2016

 

[nightwriter]

Thanks guys for the welcome! Willow is doing great on Ziwipeak and even though she backslid a little recently which meant a trip to the vet, the vet's advice of 24 hours without food has actually improved her poops even more dramatically!! She is almost pooping like a normal cat, but she is always going to be a sensitive one. (I took the list of ingredients down to my vet when I was first considering trying it, and he liked the look of it!)

Ziwipeak is our cat's main diet and I liked it because I was trying to go as raw as possible without actually having to do raw if that makes sense @Rose2015? I think I even Googled something like 'raw cat food without effort' and thats how I stumbled on Ziwipeak LOL I think its a great choice to add to your cat's diet though and it seems gentle enough that I transitioned our other cat (he was almost 1 when we adopted him) fairly quickly with no tummy upsets.

Okay wow, I have not seen cat poop like that before - I hope someone else can input on this one?

 

[rose2015]

Hi @Nightwriter  That's such good news that Willow's poop is going back to normal  - what a relief. Is it an intolerance or IBD or something else? I'm wondering what causes so many cats to have sensitive tummies, it's very common and something i think pet food companies should be careful with.

@Nightwriter  Do you think it would be safe to include Ziwipeak just as a bit of a treat /rotation eg once a week. Or would it mess up nutritional balances? I emailed Ziwipeak and they mentioned i would have to transition her over (however i don't want to feed Ziwipeak exclusively), i think they were giving me a textbook answer though. What do you think?

HaHa @Nightwriter, i know what you mean about "raw cat food without the effort". I give my little one premade BARF style patties 1-2 times a week as variety, however i think it could be a little high on the bone content / or veggies. She gets a weird light coloured poop after it digests though, some say it's normal, some say it's not (light brown and dry on the inside, not too dissimilar to the photo).

Also, another quick question. re: Ziwipeak. If my little Zoe gets constipated on grainfree, would there be the likelihood that she'd get constipated on Ziwipeak?

Ohhhh, regarding the weird poop. I've asked a couple of other people. They think there is a bit of undigested veggie and perhaps a large chicken meal. Which makes sense because she nibbled on some green beans (little thief stole it while i was preparing dinner). Then later on she gorged on a chicken wing and ate way too much. Plus the BARF patty has some veggie, so with all combined, i think the result is that poop. Fingers crossed that's my theory anyway (sigh).

At least i've found lovely people like yourselves who care about their cats too!

 

[tobilei]

Hey guys, sorry for the absence! Been a little busy!

@Rose2015 white poop is caused by bone. It could be that she's having a little too much bone (it can also cause it to look kind of weird, sort of like fairy floss, or it has done in my kitties in the past). As for the ziwipeak, it is possible, however ziwipeak is quite high in fat so I guess it depends on how she responds to fat in her diet as well. All you can do is try I guess!

(I'm very jealous of all the good food she eats! Mine decided to not eat wellness anymore the other day after I bought AN ENTIRE PALETTE of it, grr! It became like a stand off. I dished it up. They looked at it. Bossy (Jasper) buried it promptly. Tilly glared at it, then at me, then ran and hid under the table. I removed all traces of other food and left it there, plonking them in front of it from time to time. Bossy continued to bury it any time he was near it, then proceeded to bury Tilly's as well, looking at me in defiance the entire time. Tilly just gave the bowl a wide berth and meowed at the pantry for food when she remembered she was hungry. I finally gave up. It was always still there at dinner time and it's too expensive to keep throwing out! (sorry another cuppa requiring post ) Ziwipeak went the same way and so did the Holistic Select

Thanks for the tip! Nutrience? May I ask where I find this? I did a bit of a google but could only really find it overseas and the one link I could find here they were all chicken based so I'm thinking I'm looking at the wrong thing.

At the moment I'm facing a 12 week elimination trial (sigh). I hate that he's permanently on prednisilone and I need to try and figure out what the issue is if I can. I bought Bossy some fresh crocodile today (at just $9 for 300g! He really does eat better than us). He sniffed it and gave it "the butt". So I tried cooking it. Served it up warm with a bit of the concentrated broth. Nope. I found it under a pile of my paperwork. I broke open a can of Wellness Simple Lamb and Oatmeal (for dogs). It looked promising. He sniffed, he snuffed, he started eating it from the can YIPPEE!

So I popped some on a plate. He looked. He tasted. "The Butt" (and bury). I gave him the can. The standoff began. I gave up. I'm tired.

Home cooking honestly not looking like an option. I'm tossing up between the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic and the Hills Z/D dry. He won't eat the wet. Maybe after he's only had dry for a couple of days he'll cave. Pfft, who am I kidding? I'll cave before he does! Tilly is going to have to do it too. I can't have him cheating on his diet and she's been having some dandruff (plus the stomach issues). I need to test them both with chicken. How on earth did I get here?!?!!

Thanks for listening! I hope your bubby is doing well

@Nightwriter I hope your baby is doing better now too

Thanks for listening guys! Sorry it's so long! I need to get in here more often than once a fortnight!
 

 

[rose2015]

@Tobilei  AWWWW you are awesome with your posts. Can't write too much atm, but will get back soon. In the meantime, I've looked at Vets All Natural again (keeps coming up in my google search when i type in 'premade raw for cats'). So i thought i would look at it properly.  So i learned that that the weird muesli thing is actually reduced for a cat's intake, and you need to soak it before to mimic the stomach of a prey's stomach. He explains it on the site more. I think i may try it as my Zoe needs to chew more and i can't find ANY premade raw with chunks - they're all mince and we end up with the high bone content / slightly white poop problem. I've asked Ingrid from the Conscious Cat as well as another 2 people from a reputable cat rescue group that i follow, and they all agree that it's a good line. I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes. Who knows Miss Zoe could end up constipated or the other end of the spectrum! Hopefully all okay.

I don't think i will use it as the only food, but definitely a few times a week for chewing and Raw benefits. Do you think it's something that could work for Jasper and Tillly? You could do Kangaroo or Lamb for them?

@Nightwriter  i wonder if this could work for you too?

Will let you know how it goesand will write back properly later

Take care fellow feline fan friends!

xo

 

[tobilei]

 
@Tobilei  AWWWW you are awesome with your posts. Can't write too much atm, but will get back soon. In the meantime, I've looked at Vets All Natural again (keeps coming up in my google search when i type in 'premade raw for cats'). So i thought i would look at it properly.  So i learned that that the weird muesli thing is actually reduced for a cat's intake, and you need to soak it before to mimic the stomach of a prey's stomach. He explains it on the site more. I think i may try it as my Zoe needs to chew more and i can't find ANY premade raw with chunks - they're all mince and we end up with the high bone content / slightly white poop problem. I've asked Ingrid from the Conscious Cat as well as another 2 people from a reputable cat rescue group that i follow, and they all agree that it's a good line. I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes. Who knows Miss Zoe could end up constipated or the other end of the spectrum! Hopefully all okay.

I don't think i will use it as the only food, but definitely a few times a week for chewing and Raw benefits. Do you think it's something that could work for Jasper and Tillly? You could do Kangaroo or Lamb for them?

@Nightwriter  i wonder if this could work for you too?

Will let you know how it goesand will write back properly later

Take care fellow feline fan friends!

xo

I do like the vets all natural. The ONLY thing I didn't like about it was the addition of garlic, but he's a vet so I guess it's fine in the amounts it's in. He does a pre-mix you can buy with kangaroo in it from petbarn that's for cats. I noticed he has a new range out today. BARF frozen but they're all for dogs. Maybe he'll make a cat range too. I don't recall if it had bone in it or not. It had chicken so as soon as I saw that it went back in the freezer. Prime100 is sold at Best Friends petstores and they make mince with Chicken and mince with kangaroo as well for cats. It's in the fridge section and has no bone.

I gave up today. After umming and ahhing we decided that we could spend the next 12 months trying to figure out if the problem is food (or more) so bought a bag of the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic and a can of the dog food (and a can of Hills z/d canned). By the end of this week that's all he'll get for 3 months. As much as I hate it, I hate it less than the thought of him having to be on prednisolone for the remainder of his life and once I've ruled out chicken as his problem (and fish and lamb and all the other meats in cat food) I can then wean him onto anything. Hopefully by then he'll be happy to see wellness or vets all natural being served up

Kangaroo I can't do. Jasper also has a problem with it I've tried 6 times and every time he gets kangaroo he starts to throw up the next day and continues to throw up until I put him back on something else. It sucks because it's one of the few novel proteins available (and not as hideously expensive as Venison!)

Would you believe the both of them decided last night that they really liked the Holistic Select Duck? Urgh!!! I'm pretty sure they play games with me

Good luck with the v.a.n. Let me know how it goes!

 

[moorspede]

CET isn't available here, I bought some from Amazon hoping that at least she'd like the taste but no. Our animal hospital staff all use and recommend Troy PlaqueOff For Cats (Composition: Ascophyllum nodosum, Brewer’s yeast). It's a powder that you put on the cat's food. They DO NOT recommend putting anything in the water as the cat may stop drinking.

 

[LTS3]

I came across these list of Australian canned foods:


http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...anned-food-suitable-for-diabetic-cats.134090/

Both are for diabetic cats but they are all perfectly fine for non-diabetic cats as well. The foods are just low carb.

@Rose2015 Nice pictures of cat poop

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• LTS3
• Jul 2, 2016

 

[moorspede]

Raw food available in Sydney:

The Complete Pet Company's site and 'the Sassy Treats' site don't seem to contain percentage breakdowns of proteins, fat, grains, and plant matter. Neither does Vet's Choice although it looks as if theirs has too much grain,

This is a breakdown of Bigdog kangaroo.

Kangaroo, finely ground kangaroo bone and cartilage, lamb heart, kangaroo liver, kangaroo kidney, kangaroo heart, carrots, celery, apples, pears, ground flaxseed, fish oil, yoghurt, alfalfa powder, kelp powder, wheatgrass, garlic.

• Moisture maximum – 68%
• Crude Protein minimum – 16.5% (53% D.M. basis)
• Crude Fat minimum -4% (19% D.M. basis)
• Crude Fibre maximum – 1% (3% D.M basis)
• Calcium (Ca) minimum – 2.2% (8.8 D.M basis)
• Phosphorus (P) minimum – 1.4% (4.4 D.M basis)
• Calcium: Phosphorus Ratio – 1:0.6
• Ash – 3.4%

Dr B's

Ingredients:
Finely ground kangaroo meat & bone, finely ground beef liver & beef heart, whole raw eggs, yoghurt, chicken meat, offal and bone, derived from finely ground chicken frames; finely ground and crushed raw carrot, finely ground and crushed raw apples, dried kelp powder, finely ground salmon frames.

Typical Analysis:
Moisture - 73%
Crude Protein - 17% (63% D.M. basis)
Crude Fat - 8% (30% D.M. basis)
Crude Fibre - 1% (4% D.M basis)
Salt – less than 1% (4% D.M. basis)
Calcium (Ca) minimum - 5% (D.M basis)
Phosphorus (P) minimum - 4% (D.M basis)
Calcium : Phosphorus Ratio – 1 : 0.8

Calories - 585kj / 100gm - 675 KJ /serve (115gm)

Can anyone understand this and translate?

 

[LTS3]

The Raw and Home Cooked forum here on TCS has some Australian resources and brands:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/252759/raw-feeding-or-barf-in-australia-need-some-food-advice

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/318881/australian-raw-feeders

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/254970/can-someone-please-confim-if-im-understanding-this-right

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/320356/raw-so-many-questions-confused

Should have shown what the spoiler thing looks like

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• LTS3
• Jul 3, 2016

 

[moorspede]

Thanks LTS3, that answered my question. People keep insisting that raw is easy, I can't see it myself. (

 

[moorspede]

Sorry to keep rabbiting on in this thread but have any Aussies tried this BARF? All I've been able to google about it is that these people were selling vegan dog and cat food in 2012 which is not reassuring.

http://www.completepet.com.au/raw-food/about-our-raw-food/what-is-in-the-complete-meal-for-cats

I emailed them asking for a nutrient breakdown, ie what percentage meat, grains, plants and was told there was no grain or plants.

 

[rose2015]

Sorry to keep rabbiting on in this thread but have any Aussies tried this BARF? All I've been able to google about it is that these people were selling vegan dog and cat food in 2012 which is not reassuring.

http://www.completepet.com.au/raw-food/about-our-raw-food/what-is-in-the-complete-meal-for-cats

I emailed them asking for a nutrient breakdown, ie what percentage meat, grains, plants and was told there was no grain or plants.

I have not tried the BARF brand but I've tried another brand which does a similar patty, called Big Dog for Cats. Their customer service is great,so I recommend touching base with them if you have questions. My little one LOVES the kangaroo but the only problem I have is that it is a little high in bone content for a cat, so think I will only keep it for back up. Instead there is another brand which allows you to make your own raw food, however they supply the base nutrients. It is a boneless style raw food brand, which means you still need to supplement with a couple raw meaty bones a week for dental health. The brand is called Vets all Natural. I'm about to purchase my first pack soon and will let you know how it goes.
Any questions, just ask xo

 

[rose2015]

I came across these list of Australian canned foods:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...anned-food-suitable-for-diabetic-cats.134090/

Both are for diabetic cats but they are all perfectly fine for non-diabetic cats as well. The foods are just low carb.

@Rose2015
Nice pictures of cat poop Next time, use the spoiler button to hide graphic pictures. The button is in the message toolbar on the far right between the paper clip button and the > button.

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• LTS3
• Jul 2, 2016

Oh dear! I didn't even know that button existed - so embarrassed . Thank you for letting me know

 

[moorspede]

Hi Rose, thanks for replying. I was hoping to try something other than Bigdog and Dr B's for that reason. My cats like both and I've been using half barf half Royal Canin, hoping to compensate in some way. ;o)

I'd appreciate it very much if you let the thread know what you think of Vet's All Natural, the idea of selling the basics is an interesting one.

 

[moorspede]

For interested Australians, Choice's analysis of wet cat food is out.

https://www.choice.com.au/outdoor/pets/products/review-and-compare/wet-cat-food

In case you can't see the results, the winners are:

Royal Canin Gravy instinctive nutrient preference - 99%
Purina Pro Plan Savor Chicken & Rice Entrée adult in gravy - 99%
Purina Fancy Feast Classic Recipes Decadent Roast Chicken - 98%
Purina Fancy Feast A La Carte Recipes Tuscan Style Turkey and Rice - 98%
Holistic Select Turkey Pate recipe 94%
Hills Science Diet Mature Adult 7+ Tender Tuna Dinner - 94%
Purina Fancy Feast Classic Recipes Ocean Whitefish & Tuna - 93%
Whiskas 1+ years with Beef in Gravy 3x85g - 91%
Wellness Healthy Indulgence Chicken and Chicken Liver Recipe - 91%
Fancy Feast inspirations With beef, courgette and tomato - 90%
Purina Felix As good as it looks with chicken in Jelly - 90%

Remember Choice only analyse a sample of what's on the market.

 

[tobilei]

Thanks for the link! I've been waiting for this (although for now it's irrelevant to me because my 2 are stuck on a full hypoallergenic elimination diet for the next few months but I'll want it when we introduce proper food again!). I was trying to find food the other week and noticed how pretty much 4 brands of food on the shelves at the supermarket that are even nutritionally complete! So many people are blindly just throwing what they think is best into their baskets and the best stuff, all the one's without fillers and by products are the one's that aren't nutritionally complete!

 

[oldgloryrags88]

I'd go with ZiwiPeak. I'm an American in the United States, so I am not sure what all is over there, but I've used ZiwiPeak (canned only I've tried) and liked it. Mauri use to be in AUS, I liked their canned food but I am not sure if they're over there or not anymore.

 

[moorspede]

Check this out though, Tobilei:

http://www.smh.com.au/business/cons...to-meet-choice-standards-20160802-gqj670.html

Choice obviously didn't test for salt and some of the top rated foods have six times the safe amount. 

 

[tobilei]

 
Check this out though, Tobilei:

http://www.smh.com.au/business/cons...to-meet-choice-standards-20160802-gqj670.html

Choice obviously didn't test for salt and some of the top rated foods have six times the safe amount. 

Interesting (in a scary way!). Mine used to eat the pro-plan chicken and rice and it was one of the Choice recommended one's like you've stated!

I knew the VIP was full of salt. Every time I've ever given it to my kitties (past and present) they've been at the water bowl like crazy). 6 times is an insane amount!