Senior Cat Food? First Time Switching, Advice Needed!!

[LTS3]

I think it's because gums can potentially cause gastrointestinal issues in Humans. Whether that also applies to animals is the subject of much debate.

Carrageenan and guar gum
Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid: Guar Gum

 

[jen]

Thank you LTS3

 

[ciciskybaby]

Thank you all for the replies! A little stressed and a little hopelessness, I have been doing my research and have taken every reply into consideration and thought. I have expanded my search for food, looking at both medium-high end and senior-adult, while keeping my budget in mind. Only catch, if I go with the most expensive ones, wet food can only be given once and awhile because I won't be able to afford it. Where as the cheaper ones, I can afford to buy more wet food.
I would love to hear some opinions on what brands I'm looking at now!
1. NOW FRESH Grain Free Senior Cat Food Recipe (16LB $75.99 CAD) $$$
2. Wellness Core Original Formula(11LB $59.99 CAD)$$$
3. Blue Freedom Grain Free Indoor Chicken Recipe Far Mature Cats (11LB $56.99 CAD)$$
4. Blue Buffalo Healthy Living Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe ( 15LB $54.99 CAD)$$
5. Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Mature Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe (7LB $32.99 CAD)x2 = 14LB =$65.98 $$$

 

[kittyluv387]

More wet food would be better. At least that way they would be getting more moisture. I highly recommend doing medium to low end canned if you have some budgetary restraints. If you're going to feed a mixture of wet and dry i would add a little bit of extra water to the canned. Also, pates for canned food usually have more calories so it will be a better value vs gravy based foods.

 

[jen]

I would opt for a lower quality canned food over dry any day. It doesn't need to be top of the line. Many of those are a scam anyway. Grain Free is a scam, sure its grain free but what difference does it make if its still loaded with carbs in other forms like peas and potatoes?

Here are the first handful of ingredients in all these foods:

1. De-boned turkey, potato flour, peas, pea fibre, whole dried egg, potatoes, tomato, flaxseed, apples
2. Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat
3. Deboned chicken, chicken meal, peas, tapioca starch, turkey meal, chicken fat, pea fiber, pea protein
4. Chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, barley, chicken fat, peas, Menhaden fish meal, oatmeal, potatoes, tomato pomace.
5. Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, peas, turkey meal, oatmeal, chicken fat

If you need to feed them a dry and the choice is these 5, I am thinking I like 2 the best as the first 4 ingredients are meat related and I only see one carb listed (peas)

IMO 1 is a definite no, 4 carbs and 2 vegetables in the top ingredients = no thanks. I really don't like any of the others.

 

[jen]

For canned food examples... if you want something on the cheaper end but good quality. The whole Fancy Feast Naturals line has 0 carbs, 67%-77% protein, and 23%-32% fat. Phosphorus is a tad higher than others so as long as bloodwork shows healthy kidneys thats a good one.

When was bloodwork done last?

 

[kittyluv387]

I would opt for a lower quality canned food over dry any day. It doesn't need to be top of the line. Many of those are a scam anyway. Grain Free is a scam, sure its grain free but what difference does it make if its still loaded with carbs in other forms like peas and potatoes?

Here are the first handful of ingredients in all these foods:

1. De-boned turkey, potato flour, peas, pea fibre, whole dried egg, potatoes, tomato, flaxseed, apples
2. Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat
3. Deboned chicken, chicken meal, peas, tapioca starch, turkey meal, chicken fat, pea fiber, pea protein
4. Chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, barley, chicken fat, peas, Menhaden fish meal, oatmeal, potatoes, tomato pomace.
5. Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, peas, turkey meal, oatmeal, chicken fat

If you need to feed them a dry and the choice is these 5, I am thinking I like 2 the best as the first 4 ingredients are meat related and I only see one carb listed (peas)

IMO 1 is a definite no, 4 carbs and 2 vegetables in the top ingredients = no thanks. I really don't like any of the others.

I have to agree. Wellness core original is the clear winner. I always refer to this dry food if someone is really wanting to have dry. The first one is atrocious.

 

[jen]

I should have went a little further on the Wellness Core #2 as the next ingredient is dried potato and tomato. I think that one is still my first choice out of that bunch. But Meh I just can't get excited about dry food for cats.

 

[Furballsmom]

When dry food is the option that makes it possible for an owner to be able to feed wet food by helping to stretch a budget, or by providing overnight food or when the owner is working long hours, then kibble is an additional food that works.

My 13 year old Big Guy gets lots of canned foods, dry and wet treats, filtered water and kibble.

My suggestion here is to go with the dry food that allows you to be able to also feed canned.

Also, Walmart, tractor supply and grocery stores have canned/pouch cat foods that are decent food and not expensive.

Also, something I'm doing to avoid too much of any one unwanted ingredient is to utilize different brands of everything, --treats, canned and pouch foods, kibble. This means always reading labels for ingredient lists, and sometimes going to the manufacturer website since when they make changes they don't have to revise the labels right away, because manufacturers are changing food formulas ALL the time.

So far, after the elevated liver numbers from 3-4 years ago, he's doing great.

Best of luck to you and your fur babies

 

[maggiedemi]

I agree, whatever enables you to feed the most wet food.

 

[ciciskybaby]

So Wellness CORE it is. Debating between the Original CORE blend and Indoor CORE blend? Again its for the senior girls, they are indoor and still have moderate energy levels, is it bad for them to be switching to such high protein? Pet store lady warned me about the high protein. I am hopefully going to be picking up a small bag Saturday to start the transition, but just want final opinions.
In regards to blood tests, they haven't been in for a long time which I realize now is not a good thing(my fault being I didn't think it was important unless it was medically needed) but again money is tight especially since the youngest had a feeding tube in (still is currently) after a sudden medical emergency and it was super expensive. I am hoping that once my bank account starts to recover, the eldest girls will be in for blood tests especially now that their food is switching.
Looking forward to responses.
I am so grateful I joined the website and again I will continue to thank you all for helping me and keeping the thread going!

 

[kittyluv387]

Original has a better set of ingredients. You can switch them slowly. You're not alone. Out of our 3 cats only 1 has had their blood tests because he's the problem kitty.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
My goodness--just catching up here and seeing that the wellness core grain free original is 45% protein.

I'm not sure which Indoor you're referring to but the AirDried Core 70% chicken and turkey Indoor formula is 32% protein.

The Airdried 70% chicken and turkey Original has 34% protein. I personally would try this, and it's on sale
Wellness CORE Air Dried Natural Grain-Free Original Recipe Dry Cat Food, 2-lb bag

You can gently transition to a 34% protein food since it's not that much different from your current food. Then over time, you can very gently transition to the 45% protein if that's what you want to do.