performatrin ultra food

snowyowl1

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Hello. I have some questions regarding the Pet Value brand cat food "Performatrin Ultra". I've been slowly transitioning from Royal Canin wet and dry to Performatrin Ultra wet and dry, green pea and duck in dry, and chicken stew in wet. I'm switching because my financial situation has changed and Royal Canin is too expensive. The same size bag in dry Performatrin Ultra is $20.00 cheaper than RC. 

The Performatrin foods I've been giving my 2 cats have no grains. Until recently I thought a grain free diet was very good for cats, but now I'm sceptical because I just heard that a bit of grains in the diet can prevent urinary blockages, especially in male cats (who are more likely to get blockages). There are so many different conflicting opinions about cat food! All the recent talk on the internet about how a grain free diet is the best for cats may just be a passing fad. It's so confusing!

My questions are if there are any Performatrin Ultra formulas that include some or a little grain and what kind of grain is the healthiest? Ultra Performatrin cat food is somewhat cheaper than the other good cat food brands like Innova or Natural Balance so I am really hoping I can stay with this food.
 

missmimz

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Hello. I have some questions regarding the Pet Value brand cat food "Performatrin Ultra". I've been slowly transitioning from Royal Canin wet and dry to Performatrin Ultra wet and dry, green pea and duck in dry, and chicken stew in wet. I'm switching because my financial situation has changed and Royal Canin is too expensive. The same size bag in dry Performatrin Ultra is $20.00 cheaper than RC. 

The Performatrin foods I've been giving my 2 cats have no grains. Until recently I thought a grain free diet was very good for cats, but now I'm sceptical because I just heard that a bit of grains in the diet can prevent urinary blockages, especially in male cats (who are more likely to get blockages). There are so many different conflicting opinions about cat food! All the recent talk on the internet about how a grain free diet is the best for cats may just be a passing fad. It's so confusing!

My questions are if there are any Performatrin Ultra formulas that include some or a little grain and what kind of grain is the healthiest? Ultra Performatrin cat food is somewhat cheaper than the other good cat food brands like Innova or Natural Balance so I am really hoping I can stay with this food.
Can you link whenever you found this information about grains preventing urinary issues? I've never heard that, and I'm very active in several cat nutrition communities. Personally, I think grains are absolutely useless and shouldn't be in any cat food. Cats are obligate carnivores, grains are useless to them. The best way to prevent blockage in male cats is to feed wet food only, or even better, raw food. There is definitely a marketing gimmick to "grain free" foods, but the best way to find good cat food is to read the label and feed as much meat as possible with as little fillers, aka grains, wheat, veggies, etc.
 

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There is definitely a marketing gimmick to "grain free" foods, but the best way to find good cat food is to read the label and feed as much meat as possible with as little fillers, aka grains, wheat, veggies, etc.
  Grain-free is good, but only when the grains aren't simply replaced by other carby fillers (e.g., peas or potatoes).
 
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snowyowl1

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I read about meat only diets for cats causing urinary blockages from reading about people's experiences with their cats on this website. I do not remember the title, but it would probably be found in the cat nutrition category. I think the idea is that constant meat by itself is acidic and could potentially change ph levels leading to urinary crystals forming. 
 
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snowyowl1

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I am having such a hard time deciding what is best to feed my cats.!!!
 
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snowyowl1

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I will read this. Thank you.
 

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Can you link whenever you found this information about grains preventing urinary issues? I've never heard that, and I'm very active in several cat nutrition communities. Personally, I think grains are absolutely useless and shouldn't be in any cat food. Cats are obligate carnivores, grains are useless to them. The best way to prevent blockage in male cats is to feed wet food only, or even better, raw food. There is definitely a marketing gimmick to "grain free" foods, but the best way to find good cat food is to read the label and feed as much meat as possible with as little fillers, aka grains, wheat, veggies, etc.
Would 2nd this. There's a lot of bad information out there unfortunately.

In addition to a change of food, have you considered adding a pet fountain if you don't already have one? It can help encourage your kitties to drink more water.
 
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snowyowl1

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My cats do already drink a lot of water and eat some wet food everyday, so no worries there. Neither cat has had urinary crystals that I know of. I am interested in preventative measures to keep this from happening in the future without having to feed them a special urinary tract diet food.
 
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dorimon

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My cats do already drink a lot of water and eat some wet food everyday, so no worries there. Neither cat has had urinary crystals that I know of. I am interested in preventative measures to keep this from happening in the future without having to feed them a special urinary tract diet food.
If this is the thread that you are referencing, I didn't find any suggestion that grains help to prevent urinary blockages.  Did you read Dr. Pierson's site?
 
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snowyowl1

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​Am new here and don't know how to link a quote yet. I found the info. about urinary tract health and food on this site under the title "unbalanced cat foods cause urinary issues" by Sarah Anne. That's the best I can do right now, sorry.
 
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snowyowl1

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I'll read this article tonight. I am new here and don't know how to link someone else's quote on this site, sorry.
 

dorimon

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I'll read this article tonight. I am new here and don't know how to link someone else's quote on this site, sorry.
Yes, I found the thread... but after reading the whole thing, I don't see anywhere where anyone said that grains help to prevent urinary issues.  The thread discussed the formulations of particular grain-free foods, not about grains.
 
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snowyowl1

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In the quote she says that she finds that many grain free high protein foods are​ not balanced for urinary tract health and she says adding more protein won't fix the ph problem. This led me to think that just protein alone for my cats would not be good for their urinary health, but this may be my misconception. She says that a lot of these foods don't have enough methionine (an amino acid that lowers food's acidity)  and is making the point that low methionine is found in many of the high protein, grain free foods. This is why I thought some grains in my cat's diet may be helpful.
 

dorimon

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In the quote she says that she finds that many grain free high protein foods are​ not balanced for urinary tract health and she says adding more protein won't fix the ph problem. This led me to think that just protein alone for my cats would not be good for their urinary health, but this may be my misconception. She says that a lot of these foods don't have enough methionine (an amino acid that lowers food's acidity)  and is making the point that low methionine is found in many of the high protein, grain free foods. This is why I thought some grains in my cat's diet may be helpful.
Yup, a misconception.  A high-protein, low-carb, high-moisture diet is ideal for cats. 
  Since cats are obligate carnivores, they have no nutritional need for grains, fruits, or vegetables.
 
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snowyowl1

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