Treats and Feed brands

Dario the GreyCat

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So, Dario is the first cat I've had as an adult. I've been reading about nutrition and my vet is convinced I should only feed Hill's Science diet, and/or Royal Canin. I'm curious about people's opinions. I got Tiki Afterdark cat and kitten wet and he took to it with great enthusiasm, I've been feeding him kitten Science diet wet from the start and lately, he's been eating it with less enthusiasm. I bought the Tiki before I talked to my vet about specific brands.

What are people's opinions on these wet feeds? I like raw and/or low carb because it makes sense to me but my vet is opposed to it. My friend scared me about UTI and crystals and how painful and dangerous they can be so I want to do everything I can to make sure Dario has the best chance of not going through it.

And, treats, what are good treats and is it something I should worry about introducing to my almost 3 month old kitten? Should I use treats like Greenies?

Dario gets filtered water. Dry food is Science diet kitten and he likes it. I'm free feeding because he's still so young.
Thank you! Any and all thoughts are welcome.
 

Azazel

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I personally believe that kibble should not be fed to cats. It is over-processed, high in carbs, low in moisture (which contributes to UTIs, kidney disease, etc.), low in animal protein and completely inappropriate for cats. So, that narrows it down to wet foods (I consider both 'canned' and 'commercial raw' foods to be 'wet' because they are over 70% moisture). I recommend feeding a variety of different brands and proteins to ensure nutritional completeness and to also prevent boredom and so that you have options if a food becomes discontinued. In choosing a wet food, I would look for high animal protein and low carb. In general, the 'big brands' such as Hills, Royal Canin, and Purina will have lower quality foods. The better brands are usually independent brands that can be found at independent pet shops such as Rawz, Primal, Northwest Naturals, and Feline Natural. Tiki is not bad. But, just because a food is expensive doesn't mean it's good, so make sure to look at the ingredients and nutrient values. Learning how to read pet feed labels is an important skill to develop. The 'as fed' values on the food can be misleading because they do not factor out moisture amount and are also presented as minimums and maximums. I would recommend learning how to calculate protein/fat/carb values as a proportion of calories. A cat's diet should be over 50% animal protein, 30-40% fat, and less than 5% carbs. A great website to learn more about nutrition and how to do these calculations is www.catinfo.org. I highly recommend that all cat parents read this website thoroughly.

If choosing betwen commercial raw foods, the same thing goes for high animal protein and low carb. But you should also look for low amounts of bone. Unfortunately many commerical raw food companies put too much bone in their foods that can lead to constipation. If they don't list the amount on the website contact the manufacturer and ensure that it is less than 10% of the total dry ingredients.

Most veternarians do not know very much about feline nutriton. They erronously recommend dry diets high in carbs and low in animal protein. I do not ask vets for nutrition advice as my experience has been that they often have very little knowledge in this area.

Another option is to do homemade raw. This is what I feed my cats. I gave up on the pet feed industry and have chosen to do my research to make my own raw cat food. My cats have never been healthier - it's the best decision I ever made for them. If you want to learn more about this you can check out the raw and homemade sub-forum.

Lastly, in terms of treats - Greenies are not that great. Honestly, the best treat is just plain raw or cooked meat. You can give your cats plain raw or cooked chicken breast, thighs, hearts, gizzards, liver. No need to buy a special bag of 'pet treats.' Most of them are filled with extra unnecessary ingredients to entice your pet. I find that the most enticing this is fresh meat. :)
 
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Feste

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I have been feeding my cat a mix of homemade cat food (balanced with EZComplete) and Tiki canned or Hounds and Gato (when we travel). Occasionally, I rotate with the Sojos freeze dried.

As for treats, it depends on what is on sale, but I give Feste Pure Bites, canned sardines or a small bit of whatever I am cooking (that cats can eat, of course). She weirdly likes Trader Joe’s dried banana pieces. Go figure. I wouldn’t go overboard on the treats.
 
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Dario the GreyCat

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A Azazel - Thank you! I had been on the fence about kibble after reading about how they contribute to UTIs and obesity, I read a bit about raw but after my vet shut it down I was discouraged. I love my vet but they are very brand-specific for feed. My birds are supposed to be on a specific brand but one won't eat it. I've read through that site, it was one that started me thinking about raw. I'll pop into the raw forum, thank you and thank you for the recommendations! I do share chicken with him when I make it, he loves it.

Feste Feste - Thank you! He really likes Tiki canned so far. I'll check out the others too. Thank you for the recommendations! And huh, they're funny about what they'll decide to enjoy, aren't they?
 

LTS3

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Lots of big brand name treats are pure junk so try not to feed those. As a very occasional treat they are ok but some are so addicting that cats may constantly beg for them.

Healthy treats to feed are 100% freeze dried meat or fish ones such as PureBites. Most chain pet stores sell various brands. Sometimes a brand makes the exact same treat for dogs and cats but the cat ones are like a few little pieces in a tiny bag while the dog ones are huge and the big bag doesn't cost much more than the cat one. Buy the dog ones and just break the treats up into smaller pieces.

Raw Dog Treats & Snacks | Stella & Chewy's (Yes, they're for dogs but the treats are just 100% meat so are fine for cats too)

Plain cooked meat, like poached chicken in nothing but water, is great for treats.

Dental treats are a waste of money, IMO. Greenies and other similar treats don't do anything to remove food particles from teeth. Neither does dry food, not even dental dry foods. Start your kitten on a good home dental regimen with pet safe toothbrush. There are videos on how to brush a cat's teeth such as the Cornell Veterinary School one.

Limit seafood based food to occasional meals. Too much isn't good.

 
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Dario the GreyCat

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LTS3 LTS3 - Thank you so much!! I really appreciate all of the links and the information.
What toothbrushes/toothpaste might you recommend?
 

LTS3

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CET toothpaste is popular, particularly the poultry flavored one.


Your vet may sell CET products. If not, you can buy them online as pet stores do not. Buy the starter kit that has the mini cat toothbrush. The mini toothbrush is not sold on its own. Here's the listing on Chewy but other web sites sell it, including Amazon:


 
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