Pet Food News

It seems that my cat has been getting soft stools off and on for awhile now, but also gets normal ones too. So I guess i’m going to stick to one brand of premium wet food and stay away from store bought and human food treats. So since there are a ton of brands out there, what ones could you guys recommend that would be best for my kittie’s sensitive digestive system? By premium, I mean Innova, California Natural,etc.
I did take my cat to her vet, and she gave her medicine. But she told me to feed her soft food only.

There could be a reason for your cat’s soft stools besides food. Some of the problems that can result in soft stools are infection with Coccidia or Giardia, both protozoal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

You should really bring the cat to the vet to rule out the many non-food reasons for your cat’s soft stools.

There are really a lot of premium options for you out there. You are probably going to need to experiment to see which foods agree with your cat though your experiment will prove inconclusive if the issue is not the food at all…

Some of the foods I feed my cats are Innova EVO both the regular one, the duck, and the venison; Wellness - all the varieties except the one with lobster but most frequently either the chicken, turkey, or chicken and herring; Natural Balance Ultra and the chicken and liver pate, a few of the Merrick’s varieities and others.

Since your cat may simply have an intolerance to grain any other these grain-free (some of the Natural Balance have a little rice) may be the answer. I suggest that you not only choose a grain-free food but you try only one protein source at a time for at least a week since it could be that too.

You could start with only Wellness chicken for a week or so and if all goes well you’ll know it isn’t chicken, and so on.

Or you could begin with one of the Natural Balance limited ingredient foods. These are foods that contain only one unusual protein source such as duck. The idea is that some cats may have developed a sensitivity to some proteins like chicken or beef from over-exposure to them.

Aside from that, you could try your cat on a raw diet. These can be very beneficial to cats with bowel problems. Google "raw diet cat IBD" to start.

But really you should start with a vet visit. You don’t want to spend months experimenting with different foods and find out the poor kitty has had Coccidia all along.

My cat is about 15 pounds and he needs to loose weight. I’ve changed his food a couple of times (wellness, friskies, science diet-all dry food) but nothing seems to work. Furthermore, he wakes me up every night at 2am sharp because he is hungry. I made one last food change, which is the science diet canned light food. He loves it, bu he still wakes me up at 2 am. He is also very aggressive with me, and only me. He bites and attacks me if I don’t give him food.

Please help.

Those foods really range in quality. Wellness is an excellent-quality food, while Science Diet and Friskies are very poor quality- those brands contain fillers, plant-based proteins (as opposed to animal-based ones) and meat byproducts. Don’t feed those anymore.

We need more info- is this cat free fed? If so, only feed him on schedule and stick to the feeding guideline on the side of the bag. Feed him for the amount that you *want* him to weigh. Feeding a canned diet may help him lose weight, but again, ditch the Science Diet and stick to better quality food like Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Innova, Natural Balance, etc.

Punish him for biting/scratching- you own the cat, you call the shots. Lock him out of your room at night if you have to. By feeding him when he attacks you, you’re encouraging his crappy behavior. This needs to stop.

I have tried them all and my cats hate them all. Are they spoilt or is the cat food nasty?
Whoops; slip of the keyboard, ha ha. Meant the cats have tried all the cat foods, not me!

Cats are very smart. If they know you will hunt through the cupboard for something they like better they are very good at waiting you out.
A lot of cat owners think their cats don’t like a food because they don’t eat much in one go, but they are natural grazers and most cats, if given an option, prefer to eat small meals throughout the day.
A lot of cats we see are overweight so it might be worth going to the vets for a weight check to see if your cats are too chubby.
I have seen some cats on very weird and unhealthy diets because owners kept trying to find a favorite food. I had one that would only eat liver and one that only ate prawns( not the cheap ones-of course).
If I were in your situation I would use the complete cat food that they seem to hate least. Offer 2-3 meals daily, but only leave the food down for 20mins each time. Don’t leave biscuits down all day for snacks. And most important, when they give you that look that says, "What is that disgusting mess in my bowl?" you have to ignore them.

Hi..
I have a question or two about cat food,
What’s the best brand for cat food? I’m looking for one who can give my kitty all the nutrition she needs.
I already give her more than one brand, Whiskas, Purina, Kitekat.. but is there a better brand out there that would keep my cat healthy??
Also, how much should I feed her? she’s about one year old.

And, which is better, dry or canned food, & why?

thnx alot
Grocery store brands and Science Diet are all garbage. Read the labels. They are filled with corn and wheat which provide no nutrition for cats and some cats are allergic to them. Look for brands such as Innova, Felidae, Natural Balance, etc. You won’t find them in grocery stores. Most tend to be in specialty pet shops or feed stores. The about.com website as a great review of the top foods. They recommend wet, but a combination of wet and dry is great, because the cats get the wet food but the dry keeps their teeth clean and healthy.

Once your cats taste the good foods, they won’t want the other stuff. I used to feed my cat Science Diet until I knew better. Once I started mixing in the Felidae with the Science Diet, he started eating around the Science Diet.

People have told me that wet cat food is best for cats, but when ever we tried it on him he got sick what could cause this??? by sick I mean lots of through up also if it matters he’s half purebred himilain and half purebred nowigeian forset cat. Weve been feeding him natures logic and stuff like that vet recemended He has no food alergies as far as we know
Did you switch him onto the new food slowly? You have to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system. Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cat. Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be “healthy” really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. I’m not saying that a cat can’t live off them… just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is “best” for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases. Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate. All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats. So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl. Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions. Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats. It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. It’s an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into people’s heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have flat “chewing” teeth. Their molars are not for grinding food. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. You may see them “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece of food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone to chew on. :o) I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare. It’s something you might want to consider someday. Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat! If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.catinfo.org/ , http://www.catnutrition.org/ , and http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/ . If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it! Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1507&-session=naturesvariety:D04EC9250597c11908GJS417647E. If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of manufactured Pet Foods: -”Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients. -Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t! -Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster & Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market - provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers. With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder. The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next. Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy wet foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap. You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores. I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a healthy food!

I have fed my cat dry cat food all his life, he is an indoor cat and health if a little over weight. He is now 13 years old and starting to have trouble with hairballs and puking in my room. I want to switch him to healthier canned indoor cat food for old cats. He has always been able to eat whenever and how much he wants with the open food bucket but now i closed the dry food. My question is how often do i feed him a day from the canned food?

This is going to be long, but this is stuff you need to know, so read up.

First, I’m amazed nobody has asked how big the cans are!
Average store-bought canned cat food ranges between 3oz per can, up to approximately 5.5oz per can. Obviously that’s a huge difference, so this isn’t a question of "how many cans", but rather of "how much volume".

However! There’s the QUALITY of food to consider as well, which is what really counts. High-quality canned cat food with real meat as the primary ingredient will require less volume because the cat is able to more efficiently process the moisture and nutrients contained therein without having to pass through filler and grains. This means they will start to feel satisfied sooner, and eat less per sitting.

High-quality canned food is invariably more expensive than low-grade foods with lots of filler, but if health and longevity are you primary concerns, you want cat food with REAL meat (not byproduct) as the 2nd or 3rd ingredient listed at the absolute least.
First ingredient if you can get it.

Now the important part: as a rule of thumb, it’s recommended that for every pound your cat weighs, you should allow 20 to 30 calories of wet food intake. Pay attention to each food’s nutrition information, and you’ll notice that high-quality food actually provides more calories per ounce (you may need to check nutritional details online, as not all manufacturers list the caloric content on their cans), so you cat will have to eat even less again to satisfy his body’ needs.

As an example, take a cat who weighs approximately 10 pounds. If you want to MAINTAIN that weight, feed a solid 25-30 calories per pound, for about 250-300 calories per day. If you want them to lose weight, 20 calories per pound will help, so try to keep it around 200 calories/day.
Bear in mind that kittens, however, are advised to eat approximately twice the amount of calories as compared to adult cats, since they need that extra nutrition and energy to grow.

Lastly - and I cannot stress this enough - contrary to popular consensus, a cat does NOT require dry food. AT ALL. Period.
It does nothing for their health, and can, in fact, cause more harm. A feline’s digestive system is very straightforward and very efficient at extracting nutrients and water from the meat of their prey. This is why high-quality wet food with meat as a primary ingredient is so vitally important…in nature, cats only eat a very, very, VERY small amount of grains, typically less than 1-2% of their daily intake, and they can get that from the minimal grain and meal content present in all canned foods (if you’re an exceptionally dedicated cat owner you can even buy small pads of live pet grass for them to chew, usually for less than 5 bucks at your local pet store).
Excessive grain intake forces the cat to eat more empty calories in order to get the same amount of nutrition (leading to obesity, which can open the door to ailments like feline diabetes). it also makes them drink much more water to compensate for the moisture they are not getting from fresh meats, and this excessive fluid intake can place strain on their urinary system and kidneys, leading to potential renal (kidney) failure.
In short, cats simply are not designed, digestively, to be omnivores.
They are carnivores. Meat-eaters. That is literally all they need, and any vet worth their salt will tell you so. You may have to get your boy’s teeth cleaned about once per year to keep plaque buildup at bay, but that is a recommended yearly practice for ANY pet owner, regardless. Everyone should pay attention to a pet’s oral health, and that’s no different whether they eat dry, wet, or a combination of the two.

Anyway, I know this was a long read but hopefully it all helps a little to point you in the right direction. Calculate how much volume of food your cats needs, portion it out over 2 or 3 servings per day (depending on how much he wants to eat in one sitting), and go for it.
Your cat will be happy you did.

(P.S. - The advice posted by "Dj F" about weaning him off dry food slowly is absolutely true. Start with about 50/50, drop to about 25/75 after a week or so, then go 100% full canned after the 2nd week. This will give your cat plenty of time to get used to the new diet, both psychologically and intestinally.)

My mom feeds my cat human food all the time and now my cat stopped eating cat food at all. He only eats our food. How can I make him eat cat food again. We’ve stopped feeding him food off the table now but he still isn’t eating his food!

if he’s hungry enough, he will eat the cat food

I’d make sure your Mom or someone isn’t still feeding him when your not around.

Price, brand, etc., don’t matter. I want to know what the best, most nutritious, vitamin-filled and beneficial cat food there is. My cat is 3, totally an indoor cat, has problems with hairballs, and will eat whatever (I’ve tried a few different dry and wet foods, all to her liking).

RAW!

Sorry, I get a little excited about raw food.

Cat’s in the wild don’t really have hairballs and it is largely due to their diet. Because raw food is what your cat evolved to eat, it is the healthiest for them. Raw food will help reduce her shedding which will lessen hairballs too.

I really like Primal, Stella and Chewy’s, Nature’s Logic, Bravo and Nature’s Variety raw frozen foods. You can start with something like Sojos dehydrated raw food (it easy to transition to because you can mix it with warm water, whereas raw is usually served thawed but cold). I would find a few different flavors and brands that your cat likes and rotate between them for optimal health.

After switching food, brushing your cat regularly will also help. Try a shedding blade or a Furminator.

My cat Spike was mad!  He is used to eating breakfast around 7:00 a.m., but I did not awake until almost 8:00.  I heard his meowing in the garage and from the sound I knew he was still in his bed, but complaining that breakfast had not been served! He gets loud when he is not fed his Meow Mix on time.

The sight that welcomed me was not pretty.  The vagrant band of raccoons that visit my garage on a regular basis had discovered the buckets of pecans I had picked up during the day.  I had collected more than I had time to process, but this did not bother the raccoons.  They proceeded to crack and shell pecans all over the garage. 

Over the last several years my garage appears to have become a half-way house for raccoons.  They use my cat’s food dish to treat themselves to human food without having to scatter the contents of my garbage can all over the yard.  Spike’s cat food is also more nutritional!

Packed with vitamins and minerals, one of the three raccoons that currently visit almost every night is getting so fat that he can hardly get through the pet door designed for cats.  Spike is partial to the tuna flavor of the cat food, but occasionally he will get the chicken flavor.  It does not matter to the raccoons what the flavor of the day is; they simply devour anything placed in the food dish.

I had not given much thought to leaving the buckets of pecans out in the open, practically inviting any hungry animal to grab as many of the nuts as it could eat. Since our home is near a small woods complete with vegetable gardens on the side, my house is a natural target for a raccoon’s nightly snack. 

In the wild, there’s not much that raccoons won’t eat.  They like grasshoppers, grapes, corn, worms, mice, bird eggs, berries, garden vegetables and walnuts.  I have discovered they also love pecans.  They don’t carry the nuts out of the garage; they just crack them with their teeth and spit the shells all over the floor.

Raccoons are slobs!  If they were standing on the table or the work bench eating a nut, that’s where they would leave their scraps of pecan shells. The tops of the washer and drier were also covered with debris from their midnight scavenging of my pecans.  I can see why Spike ignores the raccoons and tries to sleep through the commotion each night!

Spike has a box, complete with several pillows for comfort, where he sleeps while all this is going on.  The box is on a table in the middle of the garage and he occasionally raises his head over the edge to see what the racket below is all about; that’s the extent of his involvement in the chaos below.

Cats sleep more than humans, about 13 to 16 hours a day.  Spike spends almost two-thirds of his life snoring, without letting hungry varmints disturb that blissful state of relaxation.  When morning comes and his cat food dish is empty from the assault on it from masked bandits, my cat wails almost like a dog.  Unfortunately this is in cat language and sounds really weird.

Normally an early riser, Spike gets impatient when he has to wait on breakfast.  A cup full of cat food, Tuna Surprise, calms him down.  By now the raccoons, like vampires, have retreated from the sun and are peacefully snoozing in their dens.  Once again, all is right with the world.

Bob Alexander
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/midnight-bandits-and-my-cat-spike-750185.html

My cat has irritable bowel syndrome and the vet has suggested Hills dry food for sensitive cats as a way forward to combat his diarrhoea. I just wondered if anyone else had any experience with cats with IBS and what they feed them as im worried my vet may be advising that brand as its the only one they sell! Price isn’t important, it just needs to be super bland! Many thanks!

I have done a raw food diet for my cats for nine years now. In my experience with a number of raw feeding Yahoo groups the problems with IBD in cats frequently resolves in a few days on a raw diet.

It is something you should look into. It is well worth the effort if it "cures" your cat. At the very least try some totally grain-free canned cat food as the grain is what causes the problem with cats. Wellness and Instincts cat food are mostly meat (Instincts has some vegetable matter).

The Hill’s precription diets are poor quality and they all use grains in their formulation as does most any dry food.