What Is The Next New Cat Food You Want To Try?

[LadyLondonderry]

I visited this site to get information on cat food and hairballs, because I have a long-haired cat that has them. I had earlier read something about grain-free foods and hairballs, so I wanted to see if that was contributing to the problem. In the meantime, I read some disparaging posts about Friskies pate. A little personal information is necessary. It's all anecdotal, nothing scientific, but I adopted Miss Grey when my mom died in 2013. Miss Grey was then about 13 years old. She is now either 18 or 19 years old, still jumps on my lap when I'm sitting at the computer, still plays cat soccer with stray socks, and still seems happy. My mom adopted this cat from the humane society when it was about three, according to the vet who first examined her, and her staple diet has always been Friskies poultry pate, though I've varied it on occasion with 9 Lives and Fancy Feast pates. I read about the rice and carageenan additives in Friskies and the harms they might cause, and I want to let you know that one worry I have in this life is that my mom's cat will outlive me, a 64-year-old man with a heart condition. I've never endorsed a product in my life, but I gladly endorse Friskies poultry pate.

Welcome, Doug! If you stick around a while, you'll notice that a lot of folks here feed their cats Friskies or Fancy Feast, with good results. Yeah, they might have some ingredients that aren't ideal, but they are both essentially meat-based, low-carb foods, which is what cats thrive on.

Miss Grey sounds like a delightful cat. Long may she (and you) wave!

 

[lisahe]

I don't think it's specific to vodka. My aunt drank a gin martini every day and lived to 94. But hey, maybe if she'd made them with vodka, she'd have lived to 104! I prefer gin ("good gin," as Ina Garten might say), so I'll take my chances.

My grandmother switched from gin to vodka at some point in her eighties or nineties. (!) I've never liked gin and won't drink vodka unless it's very diluted with something (my time in Russia taught me that the stuff is like truth serum!) but, given your aunt, @m3rma1d's friend's mother, and my grandmother, I may need to rethink that!

I do eat chickpeas but don't feed them to the cats.

 

[maggie101]

I'm sure it was coincidence but as soon as a commercially showed about ff , my cat napping gave a meow, jumped on my lap,purred, and rubbed against my face

 

[ellaandbosie]

I just returned 4 cans of Nutrisource. Something new that has chickpeas in it which is hard for cats to digest. Be sure to read the ingredients. Many foods have ingredients not good for cats! I might have to buy ff or friskies if so many cans have weird stuff in it

Oh, darn. Having to return food is always annoying and there's so many ingredients to watch out for...
I didn't even know chickpeas were a no-go, personally! Do they get obstipation eating them?

 

[lisahe]

Oh, darn. Having to return food is always annoying and there's so many ingredients to watch out for...
I didn't even know chickpeas were a no-go, personally! Do they get obstipation eating them?

Chickpeas are yet more vegetable matter that isn't natural to a cat's carnivorous diet -- I suspect they're used in some canned food as thickeners (and, really fillers) and wonder if they may help boost protein levels, too, though they're more carby than proteiny. Beyond that, well, chickpeas can cause flatulence and loose stools in humans... yet another reason to avoid them for cats!

 

[Richard2121]

I am trying the Miko cat food later today!! I have some that came in a shipment from Chewy but it was a tad cold (in Wisconsin) so the cans need to "thaw" first. I was initially excited to try it but now I realize that it comes in 12 packs for $15 which is still SUPER expensive for a 4 cat household. Maybe I will mix it into the rotation occasionally.

 

[maggie101]

Chickpeas are yet more vegetable matter that isn't natural to a cat's carnivorous diet -- I suspect they're used in some canned food as thickeners (and, really fillers) and wonder if they may help boost protein levels, too, though they're more carby than proteiny. Beyond that, well, chickpeas can cause flatulence and loose stools in humans... yet another reason to avoid them for cats!

CANIDAE®
New formula including chickpeas

 

[Richard2121]

Why must all these "fancy" and "premium" brands start so great and then slowly one by one they start changing formulas, increasing the price and cutting corners. So frustrating! Something needs to be done because many pet owners do not have the time, energy and money to invest in making their own cat food. There needs to be more checks and balances for these huge companies responsible for providing food for our beloved cats!!

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Why must all these "fancy" and "premium" brands start so great and then slowly one by one they start changing formulas, increasing the price and cutting corners. So frustrating! Something needs to be done because many pet owners do not have the time, energy and money to invest in making their own cat food. There needs to be more checks and balances for these huge companies responsible for providing food for our beloved cats!!

I definitely agree that cat food companies should be more regulated and more thought put into biologically appropriate food.

I looked into buying a grinder and feeding our 3 cats raw exclusively. They would eat 1lb of raw food per day between them. If I got meat for $2/lb or under, and then supplemented with Young Again's complete powder, I could feed all three for less than $3/day, which blows my mind because I couldn't even do that on Fancy Feast. Of course, I have yet to do that because it's a huge commitment, but it's been rattling around my head for a while...

 

[Richard2121]

I know! I totally have done the math and thought about it before too. I have 4 babies and they deserve the best diet available. But at what point does it all become too much? I work full time at a hospital, I go to school part-time online, I am 24 years old and have a girlfriend and a family to spend time with.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

I know the feeling. I am also 24, back in school full time, and living away from my husband (and cats!) during the week. Obviously I still need to spend time with my husband too when I go home.
What I think would work is to make their food together, like a strange, cat-centered bonding moment. I think it would be kind of fun to use a grinder (I know that sounds weird) and the entire process for making a month's worth of meals for mine shouldn't take longer than an hour, from grinding, adding supplement powder, and portioning.
That being said, we do what we have to do at the moment, which is basically watch for good cat food sales on Amazon and Chewy...lol

 

[LittleShadow]

I just sent a sample request to Dr. Elsey's to try some of their food options. No clue if I'll get samples out of it, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try! Are there any other brands out there that are likely to send samples if asked?

Molly has just discovered that Sheba's salmon cuts in gravy recipe is DELICIOUS, and I'm hoping to use this to slowly ease her into the idea that other cat food can be delicious too. I don't want her on mainly seafood for her wet food forever, but I'm happy to start there and move to other options once she's warmed up more to wet food.

I do plan to keep her on a mixed diet, with kibble out during the day and a wet meal in the evening, so recommendations for kibble are welcome too.

 

[mizzely]

I just sent a sample request to Dr. Elsey's to try some of their food options. No clue if I'll get samples out of it, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try! Are there any other brands out there that are likely to send samples if asked?

Molly has just discovered that Sheba's salmon cuts in gravy recipe is DELICIOUS, and I'm hoping to use this to slowly ease her into the idea that other cat food can be delicious too. I don't want her on mainly seafood for her wet food forever, but I'm happy to start there and move to other options once she's warmed up more to wet food.

I do plan to keep her on a mixed diet, with kibble out during the day and a wet meal in the evening, so recommendations for kibble are welcome too.

Dr. Elsey's sent me 2 cans and 2 small packages of dry when I asked about their food

Wysong also sends out samples of their dry and freeze dried foods for I think $2.50. they sent me a ton of stuff

 

[KarenKat]

Caru sent me free samples, which was awesome.

Life’s Abundance (Life's Abundance) doesn’t do samples but they do sell individual cans to try.

 

[She's a witch]

Are there any other brands out there that are likely to send samples if asked?.

Rawz has sent me 4 cans

 

[LuvDeezKittez]

The "Next New Cat Food I want to Try" is... the kind that pops out of the can at 7a.m. on weekends and serves itself!

 

[Aieko]

I normally stick to Blue Wilderness for both of my cats, but if they run out too quick, I drop by the drug store and pick up some Fancy Feast, which they like more than the healthy stuff for some reason.

 

[ellaandbosie]

Sigh... At this point I wonder whether Bosie just has a fear of leaving his food bowl empty. I've been to the vet and everything came back just fine, but even with tiny, teensy portions he barely eats a quarter and leaves the rest. Maybe it's something psychological...? Could he have feline dementia? He's only six, but honestly I feel like sometimes he forgets where his food is and that he hasn't eaten in a while. I'm at the end of my rope here.

But he also seems to prefer mousse over chunky food. He actually ate more than two bites of Purina Gourmet Gold (which is basically Europe's version of Fancy Feast, I think??), which is GREAT. They have tiny 85g cups and I serve him half of it at a time. But still he doesn't finish beyond half (which is only 20g!)
Guess I'll have to buy some dental health treats to make sure he can actually chew on something. I don't think only eating mousse-style food is good for his teeth...

SIGH. Any advice?

 

[mizzely]

Mousse or pate style is all my cats have ever eaten. It has less fillers usually than chunky does usually. Never had any dental issues. Of course a toothbrush or raw meat would be a good addition to prevent it.

 

[maggie101]

Sigh... At this point I wonder whether Bosie just has a fear of leaving his food bowl empty. I've been to the vet and everything came back just fine, but even with tiny, teensy portions he barely eats a quarter and leaves the rest. Maybe it's something psychological...? Could he have feline dementia? He's only six, but honestly I feel like sometimes he forgets where his food is and that he hasn't eaten in a while. I'm at the end of my rope here.

But he also seems to prefer mousse over chunky food. He actually ate more than two bites of Purina Gourmet Gold (which is basically Europe's version of Fancy Feast, I think??), which is GREAT. They have tiny 85g cups and I serve him half of it at a time. But still he doesn't finish beyond half (which is only 20g!)
Guess I'll have to buy some dental health treats to make sure he can actually chew on something. I don't think only eating mousse-style food is good for his teeth...

SIGH. Any advice?

My cat Maggie eats half her portion then comes back 5-10 minutes later and eats the other half. Kinda how wild cats eat