Meow Mix

[steph1331]

Hello,

So how bad is meow mix compared to other cheap/affordable dry foods? I got a cat recently who has been eating meow mix and im just trying to figure out how quickly I should try transitioning him onto something else. I haven't been able to figure out what his favorite wet cat food is yet.

 

[Neo_23]

Not going to lie... it’s pretty bad. You’re basically feeding an obligate carnivore corn.

 

[jen]

It is pretty awful. I even feel guilty giving it to the strays outside but I figure they get enough wild caught rodents to make up for it.... transition slowly but it is all for the better.

 

[cheesycats]

Ingredients
WHOLE GROUND CORN, SOYBEAN MEAL, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, BEEF TALLOW (PRESERVED WITH MIXED TOCOPHEROLS), ANIMAL DIGEST, TURKEY BY-PRODUCT MEAL, SALMON MEAL, OCEAN FISH MEAL, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CALCIUM CARBONATE, L-LYSINE MONOHYDROCHLORIDE, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, SALT, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (COLOR), VITAMINS (VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, MENADIONE SODIUM BISULFITE COMPLEX (SOURCE OF VITAMIN K ACTIVITY), VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN), MINERALS (FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC OXIDE, MANGANOUS OXIDE, COPPER SULFATE, CALCIUM IODATE, SODIUM SELENITE), TAURINE, DL-METHIONINE, YELLOW 6, YELLOW 5, LACTIC ACID, RED 40, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, BLUE 2, ROSEMARY EXTRACT.

Cats are obligate carnivore. They have 0 use for 90% of the ingredients in this food. Not to mention the rainbow of colors added into this food for no reason other for it to look pretty for you. If you want smelly frequent poops, dull, rough, over shedding coat, and health problems somewhere down the road then continue to feed. Otherwise I would start trying some other types of canned foods. If you’re looking to stay on a budget fancy feast classics are a good option, friskies pates aren’t totally horrible either.
There’s a plethora of issues with this food. Most of which I’m sure others will comments on. Also Smuckers the makers of this food recalled a long list of dog foods at the beginning of this year because of pentobarbital (the drug they use to euthanize pet animals) contamination in the by product part of the food. I’d be willing to say Smuckers likely pulls the by products in this food from the same source. I would avoid this food at all costs. A diet of just wet fancy feast and some friskies pates would be 100 times healthier. If you need any other suggestions or have other questions just let us know. Lots of people on here with helpful info and suggestions.

 

[steph1331]

That.. Is a lot of corn at the begining of that list...

Honestly meow mix is not my choice and I feel pretty bad now that he is eating it.. I was just sticking with what his previous owner said he was eating so while he adjusted to living with me he wouldn't be dealing with new food stuff as well.. I have tried giving him some wet food, but he only ate a little bit of it. Though prolly doesn't help he is atm being free fed food. I would rather he ate wet food. I guess i need help figuring out what to do.

 

[Neo_23]

Until you can get him on wet food I would slowly transition him to a different dry food. Really, anything would be a step up from meow mix, it’s pretty much the worst of the worst.

You can mix a bit of kibble into wet food to entice him too, just don’t leave it out for too long so it doesn’t build bacteria. There’s a probiotic called fortiflora that works really well as an appetite stimulant. If you can get some and sprinkle it on the wet food it might help. Just try different brands and textures of wet foods till you find one that works.

You might also find this information helpful: http://catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf

 

[cheesycats]

Let him get settled in first. Then start him on a scheduled diet. Maybe stay with meow mix for a moment while he gets comfortable with you and feed him half a days of food of that in the morning. That’s all he should get for dry food then go and pick up some individual cans of food at your local petstore. Depending on what you’re willing to spend there are lots of different options for all budgets. But if you want to go the fancy feast route try to stay with the pates. If you can afford others that are grain free, try multiple textures and proteins to see what he prefers. Give that to him for his dinner at night and just try to weed out his preferences and favorites. Then slowly start phasing out his morning kibble (or if you can afford a better kibble that would be good as well, I like dr elseys, tiki cat, and nature’s variety raw boost) and feed him that in the morning. Just make sure you’re feeding him enough. He may have issues with scheduled feedings but it will be healthier in the long run if you can make it work.

 

[jen]

I would leave wet food out for him and see if he does eat when he is hungry. Instead of leaving the dry out all day. Obviously make sure he is eating, don't let him go more then a the day, but don't give in after only a couple hours either! Try different kinds, really soupy smelly ones would be a good start.

 

[steph1331]

I do have a few different brands of wet cat food I've collected that i want him to try, i can leave one of them out tonight and see if he eats any between now and when i wake up in the morning.

I could feed him like half a cup of meow mix in the morning and then at night leave him a can of wet food to eat? Is it going to be okay if some days he doesn't get all of his calorie needs if he ends up only eating the half a cup of meow mix?

And when it comes to kibble.. I am willing to spend a little bit more then cheap brands, so like maybe tikicat but I want to try getting him on a affordable wet food diet first. I like the idea of how fancy feast is only a bit over 1 dollar a day to feed him so that is what i am aiming for cost wise when it comes to thr if it matters.

 

[Neo_23]

I don’t think a good way to go about it is withholding food. Have a read of the article I linked you to. It explains the dangers of not feeding enough.

 

[steph1331]

Well seems like I might not have to much to worry about he just gobbled up the Sheba I put down for him lol i'll see if he likes fancy feast tomorrow if so, I'll feed him a combination of those two. I guess he just isn't a big fan of frisky's canned food.

 

[duckpond]

Its great that you are getting him off the corn It can be hard to change their foods sometimes. I would also try to mix in the better dry food with the whiskas, if he wont eat it straight off the bat. wet is always good. Many cats do love some fancy feast and sheba. Just make sure he is eating. a hungry cat is never good

I like these links below to read about different foods.

http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat