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good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:56 am
by Qul
I've been reading some of the old postings about the best cat food. I feed mine AGAIL and Doubly Delicious Felix but according to lots of people Felix isn't as nutritional as other brands. Bozita seems to rate highly but I don't want to go to the expense of buying in bulk from Zooplus in case my cats turn up their noses at it. Is there anywhere which sells small quantities or indeed anything better?

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 7:57 am
by Ruth B
Unfortunately cat food is a mine field to try and navigate with inconsistencies in labeling and terminology. It is almost impossible to work out just which ones are better than the rest.

A lot of cats live long, happy, healthy lives eating food like Felix AGAIL, it is a complete cat food and does contain everything a cat needs to be healthy. I will add that mine are fed it most of the time with the occasional pouch or tin of Gourmet or Asda's Tiger when they start to get fussy. If yours is happy eating it I wouldn't worry too much, most of the health problems i have heard of associated with food are either from cats eating an entirely dry cat food diet and not drinking enough to compensate or from ones fed only on complementary cat foods or home made raw foods, which can lack some of the vital vitamins and minerals.

Others will no doubt be on to help with other brands of cat food that you might want to look at and try or even with raw food options which, as long as they are formulated correctly for a cat, can be one of the most natural options.

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:45 am
by ThorpeDave
A minefield indeed!

If your cats are happy and healthy on AGAIL then that is fine. As long as the cat food is complete it should be fine. The occasion meal of "complementary" cat food is also fine as long as the main diet is "complete"

Certain cats however, require something different. After our youngster, Hendrix, was repeatably checked by vets because he was so hyper active, we were advised to change his diet to as natural as possible. We did, and in a few days he calmed down considerable.

some cat food have artificial additives, and like humans, this can have an affect on effect.

The only thing I would advise against is feeding 100% dry food unless your cats drink freely and regularly. Dry cat food is convenient and has low odor and has become popular as a result.

My 2 always have dry available for snacking but the main diet is wet.

As far as possible I stick to 100% natural grain free "complete" cat food.

Regards

Dave

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:35 am
by Mollycat
There is no single right answer. Try (as I am doing now) juggling one cat with three conflicting needs: high protein to rebuild muscle after thyroid treatment; low protein to protect her failing kidneys; and low calories to combat her ever-increasing blubber.

Even for cats with special dietary needs, the best food for them is food they will eat. The difference between a high and low protein food is generally between 40% dry matter and 35% dry matter, so really not all that much. By changing foods occasionally to keep your cat interested and flexible, those differences should be mostly ironed out anyway.

Some people are big fans of raw because it's supposed to be closer to a cat's natural diet. Well, a cat's natural diet gives its kidneys a high risk of starting to fail aroun 10-12 years old, because of the high protein. Canned wet food may be linked to hyperthyroidism, especially the fish flavours, and tooth decay. Dry is probably linked to urinary disorders, diabetes and obesity. Grain-free sometimes has other non-meat fillers that may not be any better. That's just types of food, not even starting to look at brands. Vets are usually brand loyal so don't give you impartial advice even if they had the knowledge. Home made raw or cooked needs great care and research because a cat's dietary needs are quite specific.

My personal preference for a young healthy cat is Butchers canned grain-free. It's a little high on fat but generally decent affordable nutrition. Neither of my cats is on it now, one is the nightmare described above and the other is a nightmare of recurring liquid poop that apparently has nothing to do with his kidney failure, for which he is on Hills. Both get raw and cooked meat titbits.

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:46 am
by ThorpeDave
Mollycat wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:35 am Grain-free sometimes has other non-meat fillers that may not be any better. That's just types of food, not even starting to look at brands.
That is a very important point.

The "source" of protein is what is important. This should be from meat but is often from soya or other vegetable extracts.

As with human food, the "headline" is not always 100% accurate and reading the small print is what counts. Low phosphorus is something to keep in mind as cats get older for kidney health

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:48 am
by Marla
"Some people are big fans of raw because it's supposed to be closer to a cat's natural diet. Well, a cat's natural diet gives its kidneys a high risk of starting to fail around 10-12 years old, because of the high protein."

Isn't it high phosphorus you need to avoid, not high protein? I think a raw diet can be designed to balance the phosphorus (meat) with calcium (bone)?

We fed our two cats raw for many years because Flo had IBS and at the time there were no grain-free foods. The raw diet cured her IBS. They both thrived and lived to 19.

Now that grain-free wet cat foods are widely available, we feed those to our current cats.

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:26 pm
by Mollycat
Marla wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:48 am Isn't it high phosphorus you need to avoid, not high protein? I think a raw diet can be designed to balance the phosphorus (meat) with calcium (bone)?
Both, I believe. Protein puts a strain on kidneys, but on the other hand it's now thought older cats need more protein not less, so it's another balance thing. The science keeps throwing up new things.

I'm not saying raw is wrong, only that every diet has its pros and cons. With all the flaws of dry, my first renal failure cat was on it exclusively as that's all there was at the time for renal issues, and she went on to have a healthy 8 years after diagnosis. I'm old enough to remember when cats were fed mostly fish and milk, and we know that's not a good diet, yet many lived to a good age in excellent health.

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:00 pm
by Kay
back in the 80s and 90s I fed a Siamese cat on a cooked meat diet for 14 years - nothing else at all - and she died quite suddenly of a pneumothorax, cause unknown but couldn't have been her diet

it does make you wonder how much research and news stories about diet are funded by the pet food manufacturers, who are very powerful in this field

Re: good cat food

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:45 pm
by fjm
I believe that the theory that high protein leads to kidney failure is now exploded - protein may need to be restricted in the later stages, but even then cats need comparatively high quantities to stay healthy. Restricting protein in the early stages is controversial, and the consensus seems to be moving away from it. My cats have been on cooked/raw for around 9 years - Tilly has just been diagnosed with very early CKD at the age of 16, and who is to say she might not have developed it years ago on a different diet? But it is important to do your research if you feed a home made diet, and to be sure to balance phosphorus/calcium and cover all the various vitamins and minerals - a good commercial food is much better than a poor home made diet, and much easier!

I suppose the ultimate natural diet wold be live small rodents and birds, with a side of insects and grubs, but very few of us are up for that...

Re: good cat food

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2019 5:11 am
by SuttonRider
Like most, I buy cat food from the supermarket with the weekly shop. I've been feeding mine with Felix double delicious, he's fine with that except he won't touch the beef ones. In an attempt to save passing these on, this week I've given him Whiskas poultry range. He will not eat any of them. I'll try the Felix fish ones next week. So just like us we will eat some things but not others. You need to experiment, a box of 12 pouches (if you're going the pouch route) is only around £3. If he likes them you've cracked it, if not move on. The unopened pouches that are not liked or that won't be eaten can be taken to you local food bank where they will be welcomed.

Re: good cat food

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2019 11:30 am
by Mollycat
fjm wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:45 pm I believe that the theory that high protein leads to kidney failure is now exploded - protein may need to be restricted in the later stages, but even then cats need comparatively high quantities to stay healthy. Restricting protein in the early stages is controversial, and the consensus seems to be moving away from it. My cats have been on cooked/raw for around 9 years - Tilly has just been diagnosed with very early CKD at the age of 16, and who is to say she might not have developed it years ago on a different diet? But it is important to do your research if you feed a home made diet, and to be sure to balance phosphorus/calcium and cover all the various vitamins and minerals - a good commercial food is much better than a poor home made diet, and much easier!

I suppose the ultimate natural diet wold be live small rodents and birds, with a side of insects and grubs, but very few of us are up for that...
Protein does put strain on kidneys, not only in cats.

BUT an elderly cat's dietary needs are now thought to be closer to those of a kitten than an adult cat, including increased protein.

I've been researching these issues recently, not because of my renal failure cat but because of my hyperthyroid cat who, post-treatment, has low-level renal failure too now. It's her conflicting needs I'm trying to resolve.

Re: good cat food: buy online

Posted: Mon May 06, 2019 5:35 am
by Catotum
It is possible to buy, online, small packets of dried food (fine so long as your cat drinks well) nowadays. Have a look around at the offerings of the big mail order sellers because the days of all GIANT packs is largely over. Trying small packs gives the opportunity to give the cat a trial run. Mind you, make it a fair trial. I've found that novel food is often guzzled enthusiastically the first time. The 2nd ... :(

That said, note that rejected dried food, if soaked until soft (or any sort of wet food) makes highly acceptable bird food, out in the garden.

Re: good cat food

Posted: Mon May 06, 2019 10:11 am
by ThorpeDave
Marla wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:48 am
Isn't it high phosphorus you need to avoid, not high protein? I think a raw diet can be designed to balance the phosphorus (meat) with calcium (bone)?
Cats need low phosphorus and low potassium to reduce the risk of kidney disease.

A cat with CKD will require a much lower protein diet as it is the protein that causes toxins when it is broken down.

In Humans, a high protein diet is the norm with dialysis dealing with the toxins