The Constant Food Battle - (Taste of the Wild) ???

[lore]

So, Among the different Foods I've tried with my kitties, When I had Horatio only, I used Purina One Urinary Tract Health, I was told before I got him he had 'loose stools' but had fecal checks and had no issues, so I was given him with that stated as a 'quirk'

Upon advise on here I swiched him to Nutro Max and after about a week on that his stools AMAZINGLY became firmer and certianly less toxic.

Then we got Max etc, stayed on the same food etc.

THEN Nutro Max decided to CHANGE their formula to make it 'better'

My cats would NOT touch it. Yuki would even go to her bowl and scrape the floor by it like she was burying it.

SINCE then I have been on the constant FOOD BATTLE.

Reluctantly I shelled out a few more dollars and gave Nutro Natural Choice a try. They ate it. They LIKED it. Horatio's stool remained hard, I was happy on our first 8lb bag, then I began to realize, I HAD been noticing some icky stools which progressively because complete diarreah, then one day I noticed a 'jelly like poo' on the hallway floor.

I came to realize that it was not infact Horatio, but is Yuki now having the digestive issues on Nutro Natural Choice. While taking her in to have a fecal examination and overall health check, the fecal came back fine (other than the consistancy I'd assume?) and she came out with a clear bill of health & I was given a prescription card for a Perscription sensitive stomach diet, that inturn I read the label was HEAVY on the Corn.

I'm not nutrionist... but Horatio has issues with Purina One (it has corn), He has no issues with Nutro, they have NO Corn. With this in mind I did not purchase it, as using this to try to 'help' Yuki I would be causing a problem in Horatio.

(*sigh* Thankfully only dietary requirements Max needs is a nice low mag to help him not to get another severe UTI as he had when he was brought into my home.)

So I did my Googling on the issue... A majority of the advise was pushing for the RAW diet, and or Grain Free. I did a search on Grain Free and what is readily available around me and cost effective, I settled on 'Taste of the Wild' At 23.99 for a 15lb bag, I found it comparable if not cheaper to what I had been purchasing before. (Nutro I was paying 18.99 per 8lb bag)

BEFORE actually buying a bag I wanted to stop in here to ask if anyone uses this, or Grain Free foods, if they had experienced similar issues as I am seeing and if this really did help in the long run.

Sorry for the Long windedness of this post, I just wanted to get all the info down

Also what perplexes me, is what ingredient could be different from the Old Nutro Max, to the switch to Nutro Natural Choice that is upsetting Yuki's tummy? I can't really figure that one out... But I am hoping that going grain free should just be an overall good switch for all my kitties.

I'm open to any and all comments and suggestions you all may have.

Thank you for reading my long post

 

[sharky]

WHEAT ... it the main difference between Max which has it and NC which does not...

Max was chn and lamb meal based now chicken and chicken meal and meat... NC is chicken meal in some and chicken with fish

I use NC and TASTE 90% taste

 

[zorana_dragonky]

Just out of curiosity, is Taste of the Wild an all stages food, or do they have a kitten formula?

I was going to feed my kittens Wellness dry (transfer them in a week or two from the Royal Canin Babycat), but I am not sure. It is $18 for a 5lb bag at my pet store, and quite a bit more if I want to feed Wellness Core.

I can order Taste of the Wild for $23.29 for a 15 lb bag from Petfood Direct, and even with $12.99 shipping, it is still a better deal than $18 for a 5lb bag.

I am also considering TimberWolf Organics Serengeti, which is $36 for a 16.5 lb bag, free shipping.

Felidae, which I know is not grain free, is around $9 for a 5 lb bag from my local Pet Supplies Plus.

Anyway, sorry for the threadjack, but... Recommendations? Pet Supplies Plus carries Wellness, EVO, Innova, Eagle Pack, Felidae, and Merrick's wet, so I am fine there.

Thanks.

 

[lore]

I had my husband pick up on his way home a bag of 'Taste of the Wild' from a local 'Harvest' Store.

I also saw it available in my area at specialty dog shops & at many Pet Supplies Plus locations, I just am not near a Pet Supplies Plus. If the chains here carry them, I'm betting they carry it there. Either give them a call or check out their website http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/ and click 'where to buy'

OH & the website says the food is for *All Stages of Life*

I'll update on the progress with my kitties and Yuki's issue in the next few weeks as I transition it in more and more.

So far getting the bag here all the cats were sniffing at the bag and were ready to claw it open

, upon opening the bag on the counter and pouring it into our 'sealable stay fresh food bucket' I had 3 cats at my feet, swarming like vultures and chattering at me.

I took out a few pieces and put them on the floor, they were pushing and shoving eachother to get the most out of the morsels I put on the floor

Now for the slow transition, which hopefully brings us good things & clears up Yuki's issues.

 

[zorana_dragonky]

I was there the day before yesterday, and I did not see Taste of the Wild there. But if the chain carries it, I bet they would order it for me. I wonder how much it would be!

Thanks Lore, good luck with your kitties!

 

[laureen227]

btw, many of the premium companies are glad to send a 'sample size' of their kibbles - i know, because this is how i tried all of the grain frees.
unfortunately, none of my kitties liked them

 

[mbrcpr]

I've never used the cat version of Taste of the Wild because my cats are doing superb on Felidae, but I have used the dog formula for ny Shih Tzu. He does pretty well on Canidae, but I believe he's allergic to either sunflower oil or beet pulp, as his eyes still tear (he's horribly allergic to corn, as well). I tried TOTW, which doesn't have sunflower oil or beet pulp, and his eyes quit tearing. Then I wasn't able to get it for a while, but now I can again so I'm going to put him back on it.

So, if thier cat version is as good for cats as thier dog version is for dogs, it sounds like a good thing to try. Of course I've seen before where a brand has good food for one and thier food for the other is crap, but I'm going to venture a guess that this food isn't like that.

 

[zorana_dragonky]

Laureen, Did you write letters or e-mails or call the companies? I would love to do that! Try a small bag and slowly switch and see if they liked the kibbles instead of spending $20-40 on a bag to see if they MIGHT like it.

 

[judi]

I have one on kitten food and one on cat food. They try to eat each other's food.

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by zorana_dragonky

Laureen, Did you write letters or e-mails or call the companies? I would love to do that! Try a small bag and slowly switch and see if they liked the kibbles instead of spending $20-40 on a bag to see if they MIGHT like it.

i sent emails. be sure to include your name & address in the email.

 

[zorana_dragonky]

I will, thank you so much! I will just write all of the premium companies and see what I can get! I have a few weeks before I want to start switching them, so that should be enough time to get some replies.

 

[sharky]

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...light=freebies

 

[sablemerle]

Also don't mean to threadjack, but

Zorona,

Pet Supplies Plus (at least my local store) will order a food for you even if they don't normally carry it. They don't carry Eagle Pack, or 1 of the 2 flavors of Wellness we use; and don't carry any of them in a large can, but when I called, they were happy to order it for us, and they charged less than Pet Food Direct even without PFD shipping charge.

By all means, call the companies and see if you can get samples. Also ask for coupons. If the cats like the food, ask PSP how much they'll charge to order it for you.

 

[lore]

My kitties are now transitioned fully on 'Taste of the Wild' Yuki's 'Soft Stool' Issues are now a thing of the past. & even the frequent poop is a thing of the past. I have noticed MUCH less poop when I scoop.

While its still poop & poop has well an odor... its not as oderfierous as with their old food.

That makes for a happy home.

& as read in another thread I am VERY happy to hear that Taste will be coming out with a canned formula.

Anyway, I just wanted to complete my thread.