Hills Science Diet Indoor

Honorarykeeperofcats

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I recently started feeding science diet because I reasoned that it’s a proven food with a lot of vet nutritionists on their team to back it up. I used to feed exclusively wet (ziwi peak) although at one point I switched to dry due to affordability. Is science diet a good dry?
 

Kflowers

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when considering a pet food, I've found it helps to put in your search engine.
name of pet food reviews and complaints

it's a good starting point.

I'd be interested to see any studies done on the Hill's science diet food, if you'd care to cite them.
 

cataholic07

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Nope. Yes its been tested by their in-house team (so.. yah) but the quality of the ingredients is crap. I only feed it due to health issues for my 2 cats (ckd and food allergies). Can you feed a different wet food that's less expensive? Rawz is a very high-quality brand for a lot less than ziwi peak :) Even if you can only do one meal of wet food a day I'd recommend it. For the dry air dried is better but its expensive. Dr elsey's is good, ziwi peak, rawz dry,

you can check out this list
 

Kieka

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I'm not a big fan of science diet. It is easy to find and easier on the wallet so I can understand the desire to switch. I've always questioned their "science" side since with formula changes may not be the same version currently on the shelves. If you need a perscription diet, Ive heard gpod things about their Urinary formula. Don't get me wrong, there are worse food out there, but it's put it as a solid middle of the road choice.

If money is the reasoning, going with something like Friskies pate as a wet once a day and as low carb as you can afford dry twice a day (or wet twice, dry once) would be better. Friskies isn't peak food but it is affordable, easy to find, wet food that isn't bad for a budget option. You can also try Chewys American Journey or Tractor Supply house brand wet. Cats just didn't evolve to drink a lot of water so having a wet food ensures they don't get dehydrated or develop kidney problems. Plus wet food tends towards high protein and lower carb just as a result of the format.
 

maggie101

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Hills science diet and hills prescription diet are not the same. I would avoid science diet. The dry mostly suggested on here is dr elseys clean protein dry though it is expensive. I only feed wet. My friend only died her cat science diet. Now she is obese and has diabetes. Her vet frowned when she told him the food she was feeding
 

emelyssa

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I'm a little perplexed on Hill's Science Diet, also. One vet recommended Blue Wilderness for kibble, while another strongly and passionately recommended Hill's Science Diet. I was surprised given the amount of by-products in it, but she said thousands of hours have gone into researching the best formula for cat's health and that by-products don't matter. Note: I feed two small cans or one large can wet per day + leave some kibble out. I would love to hear members' thoughts on Hill's. Is it better than Blue Wilderness?
 

Caspers Human

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Hills isn't bad food. It's just "regular" food that has a good marketing team.
You can find food that's just as good if you simply read the ingredients on the label.

People would do a better job of picking food for their cats if they read the back of the package where the ingredients are listed instead of looking at the pretty pictures and fancy words on the front of the package.

Just for reference, by-products aren't necessarily bad.

The term "by-product" simply means scraps, organ meat and entrails that the meat companies can't sell for human consumption. It might actually contain pieces of real meat which are too small to package and sell.

"By-products" might also be made from ground up chicken feathers, bones, beaks or pieces of sinew.

Think about it... If your cat caught a bird or a squirrel and ate it, he would eat the feathers, fur and entrails along with a piece of bone or two. Things like that are perfectly fine for a cat to eat, provided that he is otherwise healthy.

By-products might be a good ingredient if that means your cat is eating meat scraps. Not so good if it's feathers and beaks.

The problem comes when companies "cheap out" and use crappy ingredients just to save a penny or two.
 
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LTS3

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I'm a little perplexed on Hill's Science Diet, also. One vet recommended Blue Wilderness for kibble, while another strongly and passionately recommended Hill's Science Diet.

You do not need to feed what the vet recommends / suggests and the vet can't force you to feed it. Remember, it's YOUR cat and YOU make the decisions. It's fine to disagree with the vet about food. Raw and home cooked diets are a whole other issue with vets. My vet generally discourages clients from feeding raw and home cooked diets but he is fine with me feeding my cats raw.

A good rule of thumb is to feed your cat any high quality food that the cat will eat (most important), you can easily find in stores or online, and you can afford without going broke. TCS has several articles on cat nutrition and choosing food

A Scientific Take On Cat Nutrition By Dr. Rachel Boltz – TheCatSite Articles
The Science Behind Cat Nutrition – TheCatSite Articles
By-products In Cat Food: 5 Facts You Need To Know – TheCatSite Articles
Can I Feed My Cat A Fish-based Or Fish-flavored Diet? – TheCatSite Articles
How To Choose The Best Dry Cat Food? – TheCatSite Articles
What Makes The Best Canned Cat Food? – TheCatSite Articles
Grain-free Cat Food – What Does It Mean? – TheCatSite Articles
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat – Part 2 – TheCatSite Articles
How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat – TheCatSite Articles
What Do I Need To Know About Feeding My Cat? – TheCatSite Articles
 

maggie101

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I recently started feeding science diet because I reasoned that it’s a proven food with a lot of vet nutritionists on their team to back it up. I used to feed exclusively wet (ziwi peak) although at one point I switched to dry due to affordability. Is science diet a good dry?
When it comes to prescription food,I do not look at the ingredients because I know there not good but the food is needed. By products are ok but they have less protein so mix. A cat in the wild that only eats bird is not getting enough nutrition, even though they eat everything except feathers. Science diet is not prescription food
 

LTS3

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When it comes to prescription food,I do not look at the ingredients because I know there not good but the food is needed.

That's debatable and a discussion of that would be best as it's own thread :)

Science diet is not prescription food
Correct. Hills Pet makes 3 brands of cat food: Science Diet, Prescription Diet, and Healthy Advantage. Science Diet is the brand you can find at pet stores and online and even at vet offices. Prescription Diet is prescription only, sold only by vets and authorized places, and there are different formulations that are supposed to help with any number of common health issues from diabetes to kidney disease. Healthy Advantage is sold only by vets. It is not prescription. I can't really tell how this is any different from Science Diet other than the claims of advanced nutrition and clincally proven antioxidants.
 
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