Switch To Canned Food Only?

[10009891]

The Tractor Supply 4Health can cat food is excellent in price and it has only a few of the ingredients I wish it did not have in it. My main problem is, as soon as I switch to can or kibble from using Primal raw freeze dry, my cats get stomach upset and/or have a pancake batter poop consistency, with a VERY strong foul odor. They also use the litter box more often. I am not sure if it's because I am not transitioning slow enough or because their systems just got use to the raw Primal food brand. Any suggestions on this? The kibble form is the worse, they go 3 times a day with thick wet poop and also pancake mix form.

 

[terriesdoll]

One of my kitties was a dry food junkie. I wanted him on wet food and he had no part of it. I ended up getting the freeze dried Stella and Chewy and he loves it. I had to start by not rehydrating it the first meal and then a few drops of water until getting him to eating it fully hydrating it. It is a little pricy but so worth it. I have to buy online at chewy.com and an 18 oz bag last my 2 kitties a week, so 4 bags a month is what I use. It only cost about $10 more a month per cat than feeding all can. They now only poop once a day and it has no smell. Their coats and eyes are brighter, they have way more energy and no more eye boogers lol.

 

[terriesdoll]

The Tractor Supply 4Health can cat food is excellent in price and it has only a few of the ingredients I wish it did not have in it. My main problem is, as soon as I switch to can or kibble from using Primal raw freeze dry, my cats get stomach upset and/or have a pancake batter poop consistency, with a VERY strong foul odor. They also use the litter box more often. I am not sure if it's because I am not transitioning slow enough or because their systems just got use to the raw Primal food brand. Any suggestions on this? The kibble form is the worse, they go 3 times a day with thick wet poop and also pancake mix form.

That is because primal is one of the best foods you can feed and so easy for a cat to digest. You almost don't need to transition slowly to this food because it is what cats were designed to eat. When you add the other foods with fillers and carbs that they aren't accustom too, it upsets their system. Kinda like giving a kid tons of junk food and sugar. It makes them cranky, fat and rots their teeth.

 

[Neo_23]

The Tractor Supply 4Health can cat food is excellent in price and it has only a few of the ingredients I wish it did not have in it. My main problem is, as soon as I switch to can or kibble from using Primal raw freeze dry, my cats get stomach upset and/or have a pancake batter poop consistency, with a VERY strong foul odor. They also use the litter box more often. I am not sure if it's because I am not transitioning slow enough or because their systems just got use to the raw Primal food brand. Any suggestions on this? The kibble form is the worse, they go 3 times a day with thick wet poop and also pancake mix form.

You might try adding some daily probiotics. Kibble and raw digest differently and require different gut bacteria so if you don’t transition slowly it could cause some tummy upset. Or maybe there is something in the kibble that your cat is sensitive to. Kibble is usually high in fiber and many cats don’t handle that well.

Also a word of caution for those that feed Stella and Chewy- it is very high in bone and phosphorous. It wouldn’t be good for a CKD cat and cats with digestion issues.

 

[terriesdoll]

You might try adding some daily probiotics. Kibble and raw digest differently and require different gut bacteria so if you don’t transition slowly it could cause some tummy upset. Or maybe there is something in the kibble that your cat is sensitive to. Kibble is usually high in fiber and many cats don’t handle that well.

Also a word of caution for those that feed Stella and Chewy- it is very high in bone and phosphorous. It wouldn’t be good for a CKD cat and cats with digestion issues.

I use Stella and Chewy and my kitty had very bad digestion issues until we started using it. Also was told that is was only 10% bone which doesn't seem like to much to me. We have never had kidney issues so hopefully we stay that way.
Also what freeze dried would you recommend over the S&C? I was thinking on trying the primal but it has fish oil and veggies.

 

[terriesdoll]

According to Chewy.com the phosphorus level is 0.65%.
Is that too high? I don't know much about it.

 

[Neo_23]

I use Stella and Chewy and my kitty had very bad digestion issues until we started using it. Also was told that is was only 10% bone which doesn't seem like to much to me. We have never had kidney issues so hopefully we stay that way.
Also what freeze dried would you recommend over the S&C? I was thinking on trying the primal but it has fish oil and veggies.

That’s really interesting because I was given different information from stella and chewy. Well actually they refused to tell me how much bone was in it but they did give me a high value for the phosphorous.

If it’s working for ur kitty though that’s great. Right now I’m feeding Northwest Naturals. It doesn’t have any veggie fillers and it’s also more affordable than Primal and S&C.

 

[terriesdoll]

That’s really interesting because I was given different information from stella and chewy. Well actually they refused to tell me how much bone was in it but they did give me a high value for the phosphorous.

If it’s working for ur kitty though that’s great. Right now I’m feeding Northwest Naturals. It doesn’t have any veggie fillers and it’s also more affordable than Primal and S&C.

I will look that one up for a rotation. I was told less than 10% bone and 0.65% phosphorus. That is for the chick, chick, chicken. One of mine gets messy poops over anything with fish and that is the only one I could find with no fish. They love the taste of it but I do like to rotate. I don't put 100% trust in just one food to provide everything.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Mine eat Fancy Feast pate formulas along with prescription kibble. Like yours, mine won't eat much in one sitting, so I split the can (they are small cans). It is the perfect size for them to share.

My strays have always got Friskies pate and seem to thrive.

I can't give any advice about raw, not something I have ever done.

 

[10009891]

One of my kitties was a dry food junkie. I wanted him on wet food and he had no part of it. I ended up getting the freeze dried Stella and Chewy and he loves it. I had to start by not rehydrating it the first meal and then a few drops of water until getting him to eating it fully hydrating it. It is a little pricy but so worth it. I have to buy online at chewy.com and an 18 oz bag last my 2 kitties a week, so 4 bags a month is what I use. It only cost about $10 more a month per cat than feeding all can. They now only poop once a day and it has no smell. Their coats and eyes are brighter, they have way more energy and no more eye boogers lol.

Is Stella & Chewy more cost effective than Primal Freeze Dry Food?

 

[10009891]

That’s really interesting because I was given different information from stella and chewy. Well actually they refused to tell me how much bone was in it but they did give me a high value for the phosphorous.

If it’s working for ur kitty though that’s great. Right now I’m feeding Northwest Naturals. It doesn’t have any veggie fillers and it’s also more affordable than Primal and S&C.

I checked the pricing online for the Northwest Naturals raw cat food. There is no retail store that sells it in NC. I see it's more expensive than Primal on Amazon.

 

[Neo_23]

I checked the pricing online for the Northwest Naturals raw cat food. There is no retail store that sells it in NC. I see it's more expensive than Primal on Amazon.

That's too bad. Yeah, I notice that Amazon is quite pricey for pet foods. It's often cheaper in pet stores.

I would actually just call independent pet stores close to you and ask them if they sell it. A lot of times websites aren't updated with current retail locations.

 

[terriesdoll]

Is Stella & Chewy more cost effective than Primal Freeze Dry Food?

Stella and Chewy and Primal are about the same cost wise and are about the same health wise.

 

[10009891]

They also sell The Honest Kitchen for Cats. It's powdered raw food but it has potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, and cranberries. Not sure if this would make it an ideal food. Cats are carnivores. The food is also expensive.

 

[Lenox]

Two suggestions, having gone through this myself:

1. Sheba brand sells 1.3 per side (2.6 oz packs) ounce size wet food. By comparison, Fancy Feast is 3 ounces and other "big" cans are 5.5 ounces.
2. I don't leave wet food out. Both so it doesn't go to waste but also to keep it fresh. At first, I was leaving it out until she got done eating, then covering the bowl in plastic wrap and putting it in the fridge. It was working well. Now I use a Pyrex clear container (cute to see cat's face while eating anyway) and seal it with the Pyrex included cover (and refrigerate). Maximum freshness. Then set it out again at night or morning.