hills science plan

[stephiedoodle]

hi i was wondering ou vet gave us a small 400g bag of hills kitten science diet at our new pet check (the kitten loves it & so does Lilly). only other kibble I've ever got her to consistently eat before this was go cat crunchy n tender. they acually wolf down the wet then mow at me later for the kibbles. i've tried to stop lilly pinching it but alas shes hooked. I was wondering if anyone new of a similar (more affordable kibble as its getting to point they are ignoring the wet over kibble). btw i am in uk have a pets@home and several big chain supermarkets near by

 

[Columbine]

While I'm not a fan of feeding kibble, it's your choice. A couple of options that look reasonable are Arden Grange (pets at home stock it) and Harringtons (tesco stock it). Of the two I'd say the arden grange is slightly better since it is grain free. They're both pricier than go cat but cheaper than hills science diet.

IMO wet or raw food is the best option for cats, but the two kibbles above are pretty good, as kibbles go, for the price.

 

[stephiedoodle]

Hi I completely understand they both get wet currently as well as some kibble but the vet we go with seems to recommend just kibble for some reason and tends to push royal canin or hills. And when I questioned about protein content suggested adding cooked chicken but to make sure they dont just eat the cooked chicken :/ also since we've been putting the hills down to use it they have been prefering this over the rotation in flavours of wet. which are a white ocean fish, salmon, trout and sardine, beef, turkey, chicken and rabbit and I think theres a lamb one in our rotation to. Most are chunks in jelly and some have a gravy I think. On my budget I can't really afford to rotate brands all to often as the main brands sold around here are wiskers, felix and sheeba/gormet. And a few places stock wet such as applaws ect. And homecooked or raw is just to time consuming for me with having two kiddos under five.

ETA: Also am I okay letting them share food Lilly is 2 and cheetah is only 12/13 weeks old. They're constantly swapping bowls.

 

[Columbine]

A lot of vets do push kibble, and they also push hills science diet and royal canin (two brands they generally sell...and often at higher prices than they are elsewhere).

With sharing food, if that's what your two want to do, try to find foods marked as suitable for all life stages. If you can't do that, just be aware that kitten food is richer and more calorie dense than adult food, so may make your adult cat gain weight/get diarrhoea. It's not a huge deal, but it is something to bear in mind. On a similar note, remember that the very high end (ie high named meat) foods are often more calorie dense too, so you feed less. Look at cost per day, not per pack, when comparing foods.


The reason your two are loving the kibble so much is that (in order to make it palatable) its is sprayed with a ton of 'animal digest'-highly processed liver which is mechanically made into a slurry. It's very strong smelling which is what makes it such an effective appetiser.

I fully understand the time issue about homemade diets of any sort. I don't actually feed raw myself but am considering it. It is possible to get frozen pre prepared raw diets that you defrost as needed. The best known / most accessible in this country in nature's menu.

I understand the cost issue too. You might find that the wet food becomes more appealing if you go for a grain free high meat brand (I'm using the nature's menu cooked pouches but they can't compete on price with supermarket brands). All I can say is keep trying. Don't feel obliged to use the diet the vets push - your cats=your choice.

If budget is an issue, have you looked at http://zooplus.co.uk? They generally work out cheaper than anywhere else I've looked and have a good range of foods at all price points.

You might find these articles helpful too:
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/by-products-in-cat-food-five-facts-you-need-to-know
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-dry-cat-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food

There are a load more in the cat health articles section on this site, but I think those three are the most relevant.

 

[stephiedoodle]

Thanks for the info that explains why all of a sudden lilly has gone kibble mad she's always been a bit of a wet fanatic and now that the kitten kibble has gone she does seem to be going back to the wet and the lil guy seems to like it to.

ETA: why does it always seems that there are never many all life stage brands. Lilly and Cheetah currently share he adult food as Lilly is far to porky as it is to be eatting the high dense kitten stuff.

EATA: Has anyone used this dry food before? Yes I know no many on here advocate dry but reviews seems good http://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/Products/CN0605/meowing-heads-purr-nickety