If I must feed hard food/kibble...Which one?

[trisha422]

I've recently switched my cat from 50/50 hard food/freeze dried raw to primarily freeze dried raw food.

She still craves hard kibble so I feed her a little as a treat.
Also, when I'm on extended vacation, she has an automatic feeder.

So my question....What is the best of the best of the best commercial hard food out there?
Price or ordering online is no issue.

 

[Primula]

Others will disagree, but my cats love Fancy Feast kibble, which comes in 3 flavors. We have a basement full of "special" dry kibble, but nobody will eat it.

 

[trisha422]

I may be one who disagrees as well. Lol!
I know fancy feast is decent and I'm sure it's great for your furbabies..But I don't think its the best of the best when it comes to ingredients.

Others will disagree, but my cats love Fancy Feast kibble, which comes in 3 flavors. We have a basement full of "special" dry kibble, but nobody will eat it.

 

[Dinosnores]

I feed 50/50 dry and wet and I've tried a lot of the supposedly "higher end" kibbles. I can't recommend Young Again enough, the ingredients are top-notch and the company really cares about what they're putting in the food so I love supporting them. You won't find a lower-carb kibble out there.

 

[trisha422]

I feed 50/50 dry and wet and I've tried a lot of the supposedly "higher end" kibbles. I can't recommend Young Again enough, the ingredients are top-notch and the company really cares about what they're putting in the food so I love supporting them. You won't find a lower-carb kibble out there.

Thank you for the recommendation! My baby girl was eating orijen, but even 1/4 cup a day made her so fat!!!
I'll look.into young again!!

 

[sargon]

Young Again is high quality food from a good company, though some cats don't like it (including mine.)   The other issue is that it includes pork as an ingredient, which some people have ethical or religious objections to. if it works for you and your cat, it's an excellent choice, though.

Petcurean Gather is very high end with organic ingredients (but it's hard to find), Canidae pure elements is pretty good and well tolerated by most cats, and MUCH easier to find (chewy.com sells it, among other places).

Since the best food is one your cat will eat, I'll also suggest that you consider Solid Gold Indigo Moon.  It is a premium food ( though not a top quality one) that is as "kitty crack" as many cheapo foods. it isn't as good as YA or Petcurean, but if you are having low success getting your cats to eat the ultra premium kibbles, it is worth a try, especially since you are using it in limited amounts, and as treats ( it is the ONLY premium food I think could qualify as that, and I've tried a LOT of them)

 

[Columbine]

You should find lots more ideas in this thread:-[thread="307130"][/thread]

 

[neely]

Another consideration for dry would be Fromm, it is 5th generation family owned and operated. https://frommfamily.com

 

[destinyz12]

I feed my cat Canidae pure elements, and I agree with Sargon- it is a good quality food that is easily accessible at chain stores such as Petco, and the price isn't too bad.  My cat also gobbles it up like it's crack, lol.  The only drawback would be if you're concerned about your cat becoming overweight- it's pretty high in calories at 482 per cup.  But if you're only feeding as a small snack it should be fine.  I feed it because my cat is an active young cat who doesn't get enough calories from the wet food she eats (she refuses to eat more than a few ounces a day of it) 

 

[thegreystalker]

We've tried several brands of kibble.  Her favorites are...

Purina Beyond SuperFood Blend Herring

Purina Beyond Chicken and Oatmeal

Canidae Pure Elements Chicken

Evolve Chicken & Vegetable

Each of these recipes are corn-free, wheat-free and soy-free.

 

[tuffsmom]

I agree with Neely. I feed Fromms as a treat only since my cat is on a wet diet.. Tuff loves it and great ingredients.

 

[neely]

I agree with Neely. I feed Fromms as a treat only since my cat is on a wet diet.. Tuff loves it and great ingredients.

   

 

[rupertoooo]

I too would throw a recommendation out for Fromm, in particular 4-Star Game Bird.  I would also take a look at Orijen Regional Red or Go Petcurean. 

 

[caseydoll]

I started feeding my cats Young Again a couple months ago and both of my cats really love it. 

 

[destinyz12]

Just out of curiosity, what is special about Fromm's gamebird?   There are a ton of fruit and veggie fillers that cat's don't need, and some have trouble digesting, some of those ingredients worse than others, and cheese is in the ingredients as well.  It doesn't say if its goats or cows cheese but I'm sure you are aware that cows cheese causes digestive issues.  

 

[trisha422]

Young Again is high quality food from a good company, though some cats don't like it (including mine.)   The other issue is that it includes pork as an ingredient, which some people have ethical or religious objections to. if it works for you and your cat, it's an excellent choice, though.

Petcurean Gather is very high end with organic ingredients (but it's hard to find), Canidae pure elements is pretty good and well tolerated by most cats, and MUCH easier to find (chewy.com sells it, among other places).

Since the best food is one your cat will eat, I'll also suggest that you consider Solid Gold Indigo Moon.  It is a premium food ( though not a top quality one) that is as "kitty crack" as many cheapo foods. it isn't as good as YA or Petcurean, but if you are having low success getting your cats to eat the ultra premium kibbles, it is worth a try, especially since you are using it in limited amounts, and as treats ( it is the ONLY premium food I think could qualify as that, and I've tried a LOT of them)

Yea, I'm one of those people personally turned off by pork for multiple reasons. YA does look like a great brand, but I'll will have to pass.
Thanks for all the suggestions! Petcurean sounds like one I'd like to try, cause who doesn't like organic?!However, isn't peas not ideal for cats? Or was it pea flour? I recall it being discussed in several post and people seemed to be concerned when it was added to stella and chewy freeze dried raw food.
My little girl isn't too picky when it comes to hard kibbles. I think she just likes the crunch.
I haven't been too successful in her mostly raw transition.
I've been going back to 50/50 the past few days cause I wakeup too late for work. just scooping the hard food is so convenient as I'm running out the door. =/

 

[trisha422]

You should find lots more ideas in this thread:-[thread="307130"][/thread]

Oh I'm so overwhelmed! Lol! Well she's eating orijen and that was mentioned a lot in the thread. Wondering if I should just stick with it... My only concern is that it made her so fat.

 

[trisha422]

I feed my cat Canidae pure elements, and I agree with Sargon- it is a good quality food that is easily accessible at chain stores such as Petco, and the price isn't too bad.  My cat also gobbles it up like it's crack, lol.  The only drawback would be if you're concerned about your cat becoming overweight- it's pretty high in calories at 482 per cup.  But if you're only feeding as a small snack it should be fine.  I feed it because my cat is an active young cat who doesn't get enough calories from the wet food she eats (she refuses to eat more than a few ounces a day of it) 

thegreystalker mentioned canidae pure also.
Hmmm..Must be something good about it!
However, I haven't been very good about feeding hard food just as a snack lately. I'll look into those top notch brands first and know canidae is always one I can fall back on that is easily accessible.

 

[trisha422]

Another consideration for dry would be Fromm, it is 5th generation family owned and operated. https://frommfamily.com

Looks like Fromm is a top contender here!! I too am concerned with all the veggie and fruit fillers. I'll have to research.

 

[trisha422]

Just out of curiosity, what is special about Fromm's gamebird?   There are a ton of fruit and veggie fillers that cat's don't need, and some have trouble digesting, some of those ingredients worse than others, and cheese is in the ingredients as well.  It doesn't say if its goats or cows cheese but I'm sure you are aware that cows cheese causes digestive issues.  

I'd like to know too. Fromm is super popular in this thread.