whats the best cat food

angelzoo

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Oh goodness you are sooo right.

I've actually been studing animal nutrition for about a year now, quiet indepth as of recently.

I'm working on an ingredient dictionary, which would include full information about any ingredient in kibble/canned you could come across.

My findings over all, is that every food has a flaw lol.
But there are some that clearly excell above others.

I know Science Diet has worked for some cats, I'm not saying it should never be used. As far as switching your cat, if he's doing well on the SD I say keep him on it. You can try to beef up some extra meat products by giving him left over of your real food 'aka raw' hehe.
I have not looked to much into that particular food, but now I am interested and I'm going to go study it. I don't want to say anything further about your cat and this food, because I don't have the knowledge.


In the end, it all comes down to what 'really' WORKS for your cat... not what your cat will eat.
 

krissie

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"Each company wants you to believe their food is superior to the next and there will be a million good and bad stories to every brand. The pet food industry is a big buisness and there's a lot of money to be made and fads will come and go in food. "
(Applause from krissie for BadHabit)

This is something I think people sometimes lose sight of. I had a nasty encounter with a Nutro salesperson in PetSmart the other day, who insisted that the Iams cat food I was there to buy was trash and Nutro was manna from heaven. Excuse me? It's your JOB to shill for this product; why should I believe your food is truly "better"? And what exactly is "better"? Does my cat really *need* cranberry extract powder, etc. in her food? I don't think so. Is bone meal so terrible? Have you any idea what she would eat if left to her own devices? I agree with BadHabit; buy whatever you can afford on a regular basis that keeps the freakin' cat healthy.

"I will not feed Iams, because they support and do animal testing."
AngelzOO, please excuse my ignorance--but are there other ways for a pet food company to test their products?
 

angelzoo

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lololol Krissie

When Iams merged with Proctor and Gamble... I stopped buying from them.
That company does testing on dogs. And other various animals. for makeup, shampoo, dish deterent, for new medications, break their legs to see how 'fast' they can heal it. random stuff, which i think they should use humans for, what better results could you get from that!

Anyway, yeah its like all those lables that say "not tested on animals". Iams merged with animal killers. And they also changed there formula in recent years to a 'lower grade' than what it once was.
 

nern

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krissie - there must be other ways for companies to test their products because not all companies test their products on animals. P&G have done some horrific animal testing, I have even seen graphic pictures. While some animal testing may be neccessary, some companies really overdo it. Here is a link someone posted on another board:
http://www.uncaged.co.uk/iamsexpress.htm

angeloo - P&G has stopped all of its animal testing on all non food and non drug products in 1999 according to PETA Here is a link:
http://www.pginfo.net/index2.html
 

angelzoo

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Any testing on something non food related (just to see if it tastes good) is bad in my book. I wonder if that page is a hoax, I will find out soon.

Iams isn't 'that' bad its better than grocery store brands, but its not a great food either. And like I said their food 'used' to be better, but then they secretly changed their formula (well its not a secret anymore).
 

efrat

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I read all your posts and I hardly know most of the brands becuase they are not available here... I'll list all the brands I can find here, can you tell me which are the best?

Here is the list:
Iams
Pro-plan
Science Diet
Technical
Royal canin
9 lives
friskies
whiskas
original recipe
eagle pack (eagle perfect)
Nutra Nuggets
Tuffys
Martin
Hy ration (not sure about the spelling)
Purina cat chow
Proffessional
I think that's all...
 

badhabit

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I've had the pleasure of meeting quite a few veterinarian nutritionists and their advice is all pretty much the same. Unless your animal has a health problem and needs a specific diet and you've been using a food that's been working well for the animal then don't fuss with it too much.

They did agree there are foods out there that are better quality than others and each of them had their favorites but overall most felt that pet food is regulated by AAFCO so the food can not be as bad as the horror stories you hear.

They also recommend that you get to know the ingredient list on the back of the bag and make an informed decision for yourself.

If you'd really like to know more about pet food and such DO NOT look for it on the internet unless it's a site you know and trust well because anything and everything can be put up on a web page and said true. I've read a lot of bogus information on even professional looking web pages(like dogs can only catch heartworm once) and it's scary because if you don't know any better you'll believe it.
 

angelzoo

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BadHabit: If you have met vets that will admit to different qualities of food than thats great! I have not met any yet.
There is an alarming number of vets out there still that say SD is the best... hands down, or even worse ones that say Meow Mix and Friskys are great. *sigh*

Most of the information I have learned are through my own studies, from vets, from vet techs, from behavorist and nutritionist, holistic vets, and my good friends own experiances. Do you honestly believe that the AAFCO is 100% correct? *hangs her head in shame*

I know there are many hoax's out there, and there is many ppl like me out there that make it our goal to find those hoax's and bring the truth out.
There are many things that officials once thought were fit for human consumption, years down the line they found out they were horrible for you and recommened no one eat that product, or it was no longer produced in that country. Same thing can apply to animals.

I basically have dedicatd my life over the past 2+ years to animal nutrition, behavoiral studies, and medical issues, and I'm sure its something I will be doing for the rest of my life, therefore I have ran into so many misconceptions. One of the reasons I am here, for anyone that doesn't know



Efrat:
I have not heard of some of those brands, but the ones that I know are good for most cats are royal canin, eagle pack. But I can take a look for some of the others, as I want to know if they are high quality or not.
 

badhabit

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I do not believe the ACCFO is always correct, nor did I state that. I do not trust any goverment run organization completely(Maybe that's the Libertarian in me) but I do not believe every claim I hear made by groups(usually holistic) that there's dead cat parts in my cat's food. I have absolutely nothing against holistic medicine either I just get irritated by extremists who claim every thing we do for our pets is wrong and it's going to kill them.

You'll have to excuse me if I come off detrimental on this subject but I deal with the outcries of this is wrong and that is wrong on a daily basis. It became frustrating for me when I first started in the field of animal health because I was constantly questioning who is right and is that really so wrong. At risk of losing my mind and running out of options I told myself I'll stick with what I know is right and untill a claim is proven then I'll reconsider.

What I do see that makes me angry is people constantly switching their pet's food because their friend told them this brand uses horse testicles as it's main ingredient or they use whatever is on sale and then they can't figure out why poor fluffy has diarrhea all the time or why she had become fincky all of a sudden.

I strongly believe that feline and canine nutrition is overlooked bv pet owners AND veterinarians alike. When the vet asks clients what they feed their pet I constantly hear, "I feed him the stuff in the blue bag." Ok, what stuff might that be?

I do believe however, that the standards of the quality of dog and cat food need to be raised. Unfortunatly the laws against animal cruelty are the bare minimum so why should we expect their food standards to be any better? On the plus side, pet food has come a long way and there are a lot more choices out there.

Every day we are one step(baby steps might I add) closer to people accepting animals as an equal part of society. Hopefully then nutrition, behavior and the laws will be a bit more sophisticated.

Much like you Angel, I have dedicated my life to animal health but now I see I am needed where there's even more confusion that needs clearing. I think the world needs more people like us(I mean EVERY one on this board) because we can love and dedicate ourselves to some of nature's finest creatures.
 

angelzoo

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BadHabit: You addressed something important here, that I will go over again as so no one will over look it!
Switching any animals food repeatedly with in short periods of time (even with in months of eachother) can be very bad for their health. So please do not do that, its not what any of us are trying to say here.

Also I'm sorry, I thought you were trying to be one of those hard headed apes that believe things like " If its on TV then it must be true!" (aka following what the aafco says) LOL.
What professional animal feild are you in btw? I'm working towards becoming a zoologist, amoung many other things. My ultimate goal is to work at, or own a refuge for big cat species... namely jaguars.

Like you I trust my instincts, I trust what my cats tell me, I trust what I know until proven otherwize.
Once I am complete with my 'ingredient dictionary', I will start my studies on RAW diets.
 
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7cozycats

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well, i have to say... i have never been more confused. i went to the links that were posted. and all that stuff about cat food is sooo horrible. i do find my cats are doing well with what they are on. and the colorful food upsets their stomaches. sigh. if it's all a bunch of crap in the food why do they charge so much for food that suppost to be better??? hmmmmm. whats the best cat food on the market ???????
 

badhabit

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hehehehe no one has ever said they thought I was an ape before, hard headed mule yes, never an ape though. Actually I thought you were a trendy jump on the band wagon type who read an article on the internet and said "Hey! I'll go with it!!"

I apologise for my ignorance.

BTW the ACCFO comment was not how I felt. I was repeating what I was told and I do not know much about it other than the fact that it's supposed to regulate the quality of pet food. What their quality standard is, I haven't the slightest idea but I can say it's probably not very high.


I am a veterinary technician although I am currantly trying to get out of it and am trying to get into dog training.


My friend is also going to school to become a zoologist. I think he's mostly aiming towards working with reptiles(Would be why I had so many at one time. I used to babysit... er reptilesit) but he's working at a zoo right now, for an internship and he gets to work with the cougars. Lucky guy!!
 

alicat613

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Originally posted by 7cozycats
if it's all a bunch of crap in the food why do they charge so much for food that suppost to be better???
Because they can! Look at how many people buy it, and how much money they make. They don't care about your cat, they care about your pocket book.

Best food? I don't think there is one. I mean, natural is best, there is a book on Holistic Animal foods you can make. For me, I use Nutro Naturals. It is a good price, and convenient. I'd love to feed them California Naturals (I think that's what its called) but its not available out here. My cats have eaten one food, and one food only, Nutro Naturals. I also agree on switching. Its odd, you think they'd like variety, but it does wreak havoc on them.
 

dtolle

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I feed both of mine Friskie's wet food as a treat 3x a week. And they eat the store brand dry food that is here. I know its not a top of the line. But my reasoning isn't because of money, they both love it, and do well on it. And also the vet said its fine for them.

Just my .02cents
 

nern

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Im very curious to know why many of you do not beleive in switching brands. I switch brands every four months (Solid Gold, Innova, Wysong, Felidae dry so far). I switch over a three week period from the old brand to the new brand and I have 4 cats that have never gotten digestive upsets over my switching. Also, they are not the least bit finiky about any of the brands I have used but I did once feed them cat chow for about a year and I had a very hard time trying to switch them to a better food...they were very finicky at that time so it makes me wonder if switching dry brands every few months helps them to be less finicky. I have read several times that its not good to feed the same flavor of canned foods because supposedly that makes them finicky and I do alternate brands and flavors of canned foods also(Solid Gold,Wellness,Petguard,Natural Balance,Nutro,Azmira,Spots Stew,Innova are some of the cans I use or have used). I do know however that many people have a really hard time getting their cats to eat a prescription diet if need be because after the cat had been eating the same food for so long it usually wont want to eat a new one...in this case I know if I ever had to switch to a prescription diet I will not have a problem trying to get my cats to eat it. Im not trying to tell all of you that switching brands every few months is the best way to go because really I dont know that it is but I am curious as to why many of you dont think its a good idea...Im still learning and I have an open mind so opinions are appreciated.
I used to read lots of info about nutrition on the web and it really had me confused so I started buying books on nutrition instead and I also have found many things on the web to be false pertaining to nutrition according to my books, so yes, I agree you definatly cant trust everything you read on the web.
 

dtolle

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I've also never had trouble w/ switching. When I first got Sunshine I was feeding her Kit n' kaboodle. She loved it, but then the store was out once and I bought friskies. She did fine w/ the switch. But when I got Cymone, she didn't seem to like Friskies so we switched several more times till we found what we feed them now. They never had upset tummies or vomiting.

I guess I'm just lucky maybe, mine hardly ever get sick.
 

vikki

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All cats are different in their reaction to things but I suppose there must be some validity to the thought that switching food can upset a cat's digestive system.

In the books that I've read and on most dry food bags, it is recommended that you slowly introduce the new food into a cat's diet (i.e., adding the new food a bit at a time to the old food until you are feeding the cat all of the new food).

Of course, most of what we see are guidelines so what is good for one cat may not be good for another.
 

badhabit

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Nern, to answer your question the intestines have normal bacteria that aid in digesting food. When a food is suddenly changed it can result in changes to the number and kind of bacteria and their ability to digest food.

It is best to slowly introduce a new food by mixing small amounts of it in with the old food and gradually mixing in more until the old food is eliminated. Switching too quickly can cause vomiting, diarrhea and constipation.

Not all cats will have this problem but it can be a troublesome task for others when their food is switched. When I talk about switching food and the problems it causes I'm refering to changing the food overnight although some cats like dtolle's never seem to be bothered by it.

Cats often turn their noses up at prescription diets because they are not very palatable and the companies have even admitted it.

Most cats will, if their food is switched because they refuse it the first time around, become picky because they learn to hold out for what they want. I know a few cats whos diet consists of steak and milk because they won't eat anything else.

If what you are doing is keeping your kitties happy and healthy then you must be doing something right but that is why it is recommended not to switch foods suddenly.
 

angelzoo

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As far as switching foods, my cats never had a bad reaction to this until I put them on Natural Balance, GREAT food, made them gain weight (not that asim needed it). And their coats were wonderul and I could feed them less of it, and they would be full up. But man.. it made their poos sooo stinky, it was like toxic, so I had to change it (that and it took my cats forever to accept that food). Asim was also throwing up a couple times, I'm not sure if it was from that dry food, or if one of those cans of cat food I gave him was some how rotten.
I know some ppl say you should change your cats diet every so often, but I do not know what that time frame is.

The best way to do it is with sample packs, see if your cat even likes it with out waisting all the money on a food they wont eat. You can test 3 or more foods per day that way (in small portions) with out fear of a bad reaction in a typical healthy cat.

There is no such thing as "the best food".

Dry food should be switched over from a period of a week to a month, to be on the safe side.

Dtolle: If you are going to feed a 'store brand' food I recommend walmart Maxximum Nutrition. There is no other 'grocery' store brand that will top that food, and its VERY cheap.

There are like these, Meat patties I want to try they sound very healthy for you kits, and its all the food they need. www.petfooddirect.com. Some of you could look to ordering online if you live far away from decent petstores.

Badhabit: Being an animal trainer is something that also amuses me. I'm currently a petsitter, with that, some owners want you to help with the training of their dogs.

CozyCAts: The stuff on those pages, and some others I have read can be very shocking, its amazing how after reading that, some ppl will still feed those horrible foods. As far as the truth behind them, thats a site that was created by a very respected individual in the animal world.
 
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