Which Choice of Cat Food is Best?

laurlaur999

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Money is an issue. I have two cats that are around 11 years old now. One has asthma and is given prednisone as needed (normally when the weather changes). They are both indoor and only one plays if I play with her (the other one just stares and looks like he is about to pounce for 2 hours - he has always been this way). They are not that active, especially during my school semesters.

One (or both) of them vomits somewhat frequently, sometimes as much as 2-3 times/week. They are a little bit overweight. I have fed them MeowMix almost all their life, with the occasional wet food added. When they vomit sometimes it has food chunks (I assume when they eat too fast), but normally it's an orange puree.

Rarely I find hairballs.

TLDR; somewhat fat 11 year old cats that vomit somewhat frequently. Looking for the cheapest best quality food (if there is a food that's a couple of dollars more than another but higher quality, I'd be okay with that). One has asthma. Vet does not say they have any other problem.



Which cat food is better?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BMBQ1MQ/?tag=thecatsite < - cheapest

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-all-life-stages-cat-food-18-lb-bag < - 2nd cheapest

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WFLZ0C/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-cat-chow-naturals-indoor-adult-dry-cat-food-13-lb



All of these are relatively worth it to me, since they (by my calculations) are from the least to most expensive have a 10 cent difference per day.

Except this one:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-pea-potato-with-real-turkey-recipe-16-lb-bag < - higher quality 4health I think
 

zoes

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How about switching to cheap wet food? It's a little more expensive in the short term, but it'll keep them in better health in the long run, saving you on future vet costs. Also, it should help with weight issues, and they'll vomit less - my cats don't vomit their wet food ever, so they'll waste less of it.

When I was shopping for wet cat food on a budget, I went to the grocery store and just looked at the ingredients on the back of the cheap cans of cat food. Some are better than others. I got big cans for the best value and a silicone lid so I could easily store it in the fridge; sometimes you can buy a case of 24 and it'll be even cheaper.

If that is not possible for you, then you could try using a slow feeder mat with kibble (I use this one: Hyper Pet™ LickiMat Boredom Buster Slow Feeder Dog/Cat Mat in Orange). The kibble gets stuck in between the silicone maze so it takes them longer to eat it, helping with satiety and helping to prevent barfing from eating too fast.

I don't know enough to recommend one of the kibble brands you included in your post, but I'm sure someone else will provide more insight on that!
 

sasha.mccartney2

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I took a quick glance at the options and I think the 4health would be the best due to the lack of wheat, corn and soy. I'm not an expect though. Not really a big fan on dry food, when I buy it I make sure to get grain free with high % of actual meat. With the 4health I'm a bit iffy about the sheer endless list of ingredients with all their supplements and extras, not sure what all of that is supposed to be good for. Taurine is also really low it seems like.
 

Flybynight

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Wet food is much better. Many people recommend Fancy Feast as a lower cost option.
Try to create a play schedule with a fun toy like the Da Bird wand toy. Have a play session before their evening meal for example to perk up their appetite.
Wet food if stored in the fridge is better kept in a glass container to avoid plastic or metallic taste.
Add a little warm water as not all cats like food straight from the fridge.
 

mizzely

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My Jasmine was super pukey when she got to about that age. Only thing that worked was cutting out dry completely. Friskies canned is cheap and worked well for us for many years :)
 

marc999

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Great website. I refer to it as well, from time to time.

I tried Holistic Select food (Catfooddb - 10/10 paws rating, in nutrition and calorie breakdown) and my cat wouldn't touch it - multiple times:
Holistic Select Grain Free Chicken Pate Cat Food Review.

I had bought a case (6 chicken, 6 ocean whitefish/tuna) and although I tried at least 3-4 different occasions to get her to eat it, she would barely touch it. I even tried with my gf's cat and he wouldn't touch it either. The strange thing is, it smells good enough to spread on a cracker and eat.

So I stick to Fancy Feast canned chicken or beef pate.
I'm now trying Performatrin Ultra (Pet-valu) Turkey,Salmon,Duck Pate - which she is taking to and has a decent catfooddb rating (8/10).

I get the impression the OP has disappeared, so I don't mind prattling on ;)
 

Bobsk8

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Great website. I refer to it as well, from time to time.

I tried Holistic Select food (Catfooddb - 10/10 paws rating, in nutrition and calorie breakdown) and my cat wouldn't touch it - multiple times:
Holistic Select Grain Free Chicken Pate Cat Food Review.

I had bought a case (6 chicken, 6 ocean whitefish/tuna) and although I tried at least 3-4 different occasions to get her to eat it, she would barely touch it. I even tried with my gf's cat and he wouldn't touch it either. The strange thing is, it smells good enough to spread on a cracker and eat.

So I stick to Fancy Feast canned chicken or beef pate.
I'm now trying Performatrin Ultra (Pet-valu) Turkey,Salmon,Duck Pate - which she is taking to and has a decent catfooddb rating (8/10).

I get the impression the OP has disappeared, so I don't mind prattling on ;)
For some reason, my cat hates Pate. Tuna chunks, she loves it, Tuna Pate, she leaves in alone. ????
 

ladytimedramon

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My Delilah won't touch pate, period. It may be a texture thing. I put some in my blender to make a soup and she still wouldn't go for it.
 

ladytimedramon

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Yeah. Right now she's refusing to eat anything other than her her cat grass :rolleyes:
 

Krienze

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Just piping in! My cats eat grain free 4health and love it. My dogs eat the 4health strive now, but were previously on their grain free. We LOVE 4health. It's a pretty good price. Gonna be honest with you, while I'll get fancy feast every once in awhile if I have a hard time getting to tractor supply, the 4health is cheaper and I feel like it's better for them (Isabel always seems to feel unwell whenever we give her anything else, I noticed.)
 
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