Which Of These Foods

nick8

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Hello!

I am trying to decide between these 2 dry foods

OR

He's been on this one for last couple years

This has helped with his dental issues and also his breath doesn't smell bad anymore.
I want to keep him on this one and mix one of the above foods with it.

When he was growing up he was on Canidae

Cat details:
Himalayan 11 y/o male
May have asthma although I stopped giving him the meds when he was feeling better so not sure if it was just an upper resp infection or asthma

I also want to mention I did try couple different types of fountains so he drinks more water but he doesn't like them and it seems he drinks water from the bowl.

Thanks
 
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nick8

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Hello!

I am trying to decide between these 2 dry foods

ROYAL CANIN FELINE HEALTH NUTRITION INDOOR 7+
OR
Hill's Science Diet Youthful Vitality 7+

He's been on this one for last couple years
Hill's Science Diet Adult Oral Care

This has helped with his dental issues and also his breath doesn't smell bad anymore. I want to keep him on this one and mix one of the above foods with it.

When he was growing up he was on
CANIDAE Life Stages Dry Cat Food for Kittens, Adults & Seniors

Cat details:
Himalayan 11 y/o male
May have asthma although I stopped giving him the meds when he was feeling better so not sure if it was just an upper resp infection or asthma

I also want to mention I did try couple different types of fountains so he drinks more water but he doesn't like them and it seems he drinks water from the bowl.

Thanks
 

KarenKat

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Personally I don’t like corn gluten meal or brewers rice or brown rice so high on the ingredients list ... much of the protein comes from a non-meat source.

Maybe check catfooddb.com for the protein/fat/carb content and pick high protein and low carb? Hill’s and Royal Canin tend to have a lot of fillers.
 

cheesycats

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All of these foods aren’t appropriate for cats.
I would suggest applaws, natures variety raw boost, or tiki cat for kibble. And consider adding in wet food for proper hydration. Most kibble fed cats are in a state of constant dehydration regardless of how much you think they’re drinking from a bowl. They need wet food to remain hydrated properly.

I would also avoid a senior formula. There’s no real difference except it’s lower calorie and higher in carbs. Which means you’ll likely be feeding more and carbs can cause a plethora of things from diabetes to obesity in cats.
 
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nick8

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My vet said to me that hills and RC are the best brands. Is he wrong or has some ulterior motive?
He does eat some fancy feast chicken wet food.

Thanks
 

KarenKat

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Often, vets are not very educated on feline nutrition. RC and Hills are sold at the vet's offices, and often the vets don't know any better. Another user mentioned they are attending vet school, and there is only one class on nutrition and it's an optional elective. The RC and Hills reps speak at conferences and go to vets offices with their "scientific formulas" and so that is sometimes the only exposure vets have to nutritional information. I would say it's not an ulterior motive, just lack of education on this particular topic.

From my own research, cats are obligate carnivores - this means their main meals should come almost exclusively from meat protein. Proteins that come from plants cannot be digested easily by cats, and they cannot utilize the nutrients as they can with meat.

The reason many here do not like RC or Hills is because there are a lot of filler ingredients, and often much of the food has plant-based proteins as the main protein source and not meat-based proteins. This increases the carb content, which can cause health problems and weight gain.

My own feeding philosophy is ideally I want wet food with the least number of fillers possible. These foods are often more expensive because they have less fillers, but to me it's worth it to prevent vet costs in the future. I feed Instinct LID Rabbit Kibble to two of our cats that haven't wanted much wet food (one cat is on rabbit protein for now for IBD, but choosing chicken or another protein will be cheaper). I also like Dr Elsey's cleanprotein Kibble because it is very low carb. Many people also feed Tiki Cat kibble, and I hear good things.

My third kitty eats all the food in one go, and so can't be trusted with free-fed kibble. She loves wet food, and likes variety.

Dry foods tend to have a lot of fillers, and contrary to some vets and pet food company marketing, it does not clean teeth unless specially formulated for dental health (and even then, I've only heard a few anecdotal success stories). Most people feed a mix of wet and dry for convenience and if the kitty won't eat all/any wet food, but wet food is very important for hydration (even if you see your cat drink a lot of water, they typically don't drink enough to offset the dryness of kibble).

Many people on TCS feed Fancy Feast, and the Pate Classics are considered fairly good quality and doesn't break the bank. I would continue feeding the wet food, and try and find a dry food with better ingredients than Hills or RC (more meat, less corn/wheat/soy) that is of a similar price point.

Two amazing resources to read about feline nutrition are Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats. and this book:
 
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