What do you feed your cat?

[AmberGretchen]

Cehra - you should really check out that other pet food thread that I posted the link to above. The differences between Iams, Science Diet, Purina, etc... and foods formulated with human-grade ingredients like Innova, California Natural, Wellness, etc...is really pretty drastic. That original post had links to websites reviewing both dog and cat foods.

And re: the pooping less. Science Diet has just as many fillers as things like Iams and Purina. These foods all contain lots of grain fillers, including corn-based that are bad for both dogs and cats. I''m not trying to tell anyone what they should or shouldn''t feed their animals, but would really really encourage people to at least take a look at the links in that other thread so you can make an informed decision.

 

[Cind11]

One thing I thought that was interesting was the ingredients in the Royal Canin SO that I was feeding my cat who had the bladder stones (until he stopped eating it). The first ingredient was water, followed by meat by-products, and then chicken by-products. Even Fancy Feast (the candy bar of cat food) looked better. I remarked on this to the Vet (who is a board certified internist) that I was concerned that the food wasn't very good. Her reply was that cat foods all have pretty much the same ingredients. Hmm, I wasn't sure WHAT to make of that. Last time I was looking at dry food labels I checked out Science Diet and Iams. (which I used to feed my cats) The ingredients didn't wow me at all. At least the Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul lists chicken and salmon as its first two ingredients.

It is funny hearing about how picky everyone's cats are. I'm glad to know I haven't been singled out as far as my little picky eaters go.

 

[FireGoddess]

Chloe eats Hills XD, which is being replaced by Hills CD/multicare for her urinary tract issues. Both dry and canned.

Holly eats Wellness, both dry and canned.

My dad was feeding their cats Iams and other brands of the same caliber. I sent him some Wellness cans and I am happy to report that they have switched!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 6/3/2007 10:48:29 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
Lynn - you're welcome. Just in case you can't find Innova locally, try this link to order it online.

AG,

THANK YOU for that link! WOW, whatta great website for a pet owner... where's THAT been all of my (OK, BUSTER'S!) life?! I'm going to place an order very soon.

BTW, what's the difference between Innova and Innova EVO? Which one should he be on? One year old, totally indoor, and (so far) healthy? THANKS (again!)

Lynn

 

[AmberGretchen]

Lynn - I''m so glad its all helpful!! I''ve really valued learning about all this stuff for my kitties, and like I said, even the vet noted the dramatic improvement in their health. In terms of regular Innova vs. EVO, the major difference is that EVO has no grains at all, while regular Innova includes some. Both are more concentrated than the grocery store cat foods so your cats won''t need as much of it. EVO is richer, so you''ll need to feed even less of it, but it is pricey. We feed a combination of the two types of Innova dry food, plus some Merrick wet food in two flavors (Ocean Catch and New England Boil) that are grain free as well. During the pet food recall scare I fed only EVO and the wet food because all of the issues were with grains.

Cind - I hate to say this, but most vets get their limited nutrition information in a form that is sponsored by Science Diet. Its totally not their fault, but their classes in vet school are often sponsored by SD, and SD gives kickbacks to vets that sell their food, as well as lots of free food to vets. I''m not criticizing either the vets or SD for this, but it is something to consider when thinking about the information you get from your vet about cat nutrition. I would advise checking out some of the links in that other thread (linked on the previous page of this thread) and doing your own research as you feel necessary to make your own informed decision.

 

[Lynn B]

Order placed, thanks AG! xoxoxo

I got Buster a bag of Innova regular plus a bag of the EVO. I will let you know how he likes it. He's pretty easy to please (thank goodness!) I also got him some hairball medicine (salmon flavored!) and some new toysies. Thank you again! I am really jazzed by this!

Lynn

 

[VegasAngel]

I went out & bought the 6lb. bad of Innova EVO. My cat ate a small amount-seems to like it, she''s a scawny little thing. $22 for a small bag of food is crrrrazy but hopefully I will see positive changes.

 

[AmberGretchen]

That''s great Lynn - you''ll have to let me know how it goes! I''ll keep my fingers crossed that he likes it

VA - that seems awfully pricey for EVO. You might be able to get it cheaper online if you look around. If not, you could try combining the EVO and the regular Innova, or getting some Merrick or another good brand of wet food to use part of the time. But also, kitty should need a lot less of the EVO to maintain their weight.

 

[laine]

Date: 6/4/2007 9:18:39 PM
Author: VegasAngel
I went out & bought the 6lb. bad of Innova EVO. My cat ate a small amount-seems to like it, she''s a scawny little thing. $22 for a small bag of food is crrrrazy but hopefully I will see positive changes.

I paid $16 for the small bag, and was able to get the bigger bag for a slightly better price per pound (but I wanted to test with the smaller bag first). I looked online a little bit, but when I added shipping, it wasn''t any cheaper--you may be able to find a better deal than I did.

 

[VegasAngel]

prices were definitely better online but once I added the shipping it was the same or slightly more than what I paid. I will see how my cat does on it, if she likes it and I feel/see the benefits I''ll keep buying it or maybe see if I can find a different brand thats a little less.