Is my cat food healthy?

[trufflesnout]

My cat is on the larger end of healthy on the cat charts and I'm worried about her tipping into unhealthy. She eats a lot of prey and is also a bit of a guts, but I don't think she's being fed elsewhere.

My vet (I bought her from them as a kitten) advised me not to feed her wet food as it is bad for their teeth and also ''full of rubbish''.

She was just on Royal Canine dry on his advice, but I moved her onto Royal Canine calorie control and she likes it and has slimmed down a little (have been making sure she plays like a nut more often too).
www.royalcanin.us/products/products/cat-products/feline-health-nutrition/indoor-light-40

Was just wondering if she'd be better off on a high quality wet food like Applaws (is that even high quality?) as I'm worried after reading some stuff about dry food being too carby, or are those articles on about GoCat type dry? Also wondering if a life on dry food will knacker her kidneys.

She also has plain boiled chicken breast or fish very occasionally which tiny amounts of keep her full for ages and very happy, but can't afford to do it too often.

TIA

[trufflesnout]

Just to clarify on being a guts - I measure out all cats food but have caught her pinching from other bowls.

[dogfish22]

Change your Vet.
Cats aren't meant to eat human produced dry food, which is even more full of rubbish than most wet foods.
Note that all dry foods are full of fillers, such as grains and rice, and that cats can not digest plant foods. They are obligate carnivores, and get most of their water intake from their food, hence a cat on dry food will be in a constant state of dehydration.

I found Animonda Carny (available at zoo plus) working quite well or MAC's (thehappykittycompany.co.uk) or if you have some money to spend, Omnomnom.

Have a look at the nutrition information:

1. Whiskas
   

Meat and Animal Derivatives,Fish and Fish Derivatives (including 4% Salmon) ,Minerals ,Vegetable Protein Extracts

So, we have some offal to make it smell nice to the cat and a whole 4% of meat. And a lot of filler.

1. Applaws note that this food is complimentary, not complete as it seems to miss minerals
   

Tuna with Bream: tuna (70%), bream (5%), fish stock (24%), brown rice (1%).
Tuna with Whole Sardines: tuna (60%), sardines (5%), algae (10%), fish stock (24%), rice (1%).
Tuna with Pacific Shrimp: tuna (54%), Pacific shrimp (20%), fish stock (24%), rice (2%).
Chicken with Wild Rice: chicken (75%), chicken stock (24%), wild rice (1%).
Chicken with Squash: chicken (50%), squash (25%), chicken stock (24%), rice (1%).
Chicken with Asparagus: chicken (70%), asparagus (5%), chicken stock (24%), rice (1%).
Chicken with Ostrich: chicken (70%), ostrich (5%), chicken stock (24%), rice (1%).

So some fillers present, but its meant to be fed in combination with dry food (bad for the cat but a good business plan for Applaws)


Animonda Carny complete food

Meat Saucer:
Beef (34%, lung, meat, kidney, heart, udder), broth (31%), chicken (27%, liver, stomach, neck, meat), wild game (7%).
Beef & Chicken:
Beef (38%, meat, lung, heart, kidney, udder), broth (31%), chicken (30%, liver, meat, stomach, neck), calcium carbonate.
Beef & Heart:
Beef (53%, meat, lung, liver, kidney, udder), broth (31%), heart (15%), calcium carbonate.

No fillers, though the meat is of mixed quality, but its a very good basic food.

Lets have a look at some of the premium stuff:

MAC's Duck, Rabbit & Beef complete food

Ingredients: Meat (min. 45% game, min 15% duck, min. 15% rabbit, min. 15% beef) and animal derivatives (liver, lung), broth, minerals, taurine.


Om Nom Nom Chicken and Veal complete food Unfortunately very expensive as its an import, but when you open the can you can actually recognise whats in it.

70% Meat and Organs as follows:
20.0% Veal meat and hearts
15% Chicken hearts, whole
15% Chicken necks
15% Chicken meat and stomach
5% Liver
26 % Chicken broth
3 % Carrots
1 % Minerals & Vitamins

Note that you're much better off feeding your cat smaller portions of nutritious food than lots of rubbish.

[dogfish22]

Btw. if you're worried about your cats teeth, give them a fresh bone once a week.... cats don't actually chew dry food, its much too small for that.

[trufflesnout]

Thank you dogfish. I find the vet quite unapproachable when it comes to food. He brings her weight up when I take her in for vaccinations but I feed her this stuff on his advice! Cheers so much for your list.

[taxi4ballet]

Overweight indoor cats don't actually need all that much protein and animal fats, which is probably why the Royal Canin has lots of other ingredients as well - to 'bulk' it out.

That way, the cat feels full enough and doesn't end up having too many calories.

[SpandexBallet]

dry only is fine as long as it's cereal free. Our looney cat gets dry only-James Wellbeloved they do cereal free food and it's quite good value for money

[trufflesnout]

Thanks taxi & Spandex, I will check the packet for cereal content and JWB. I might get some electric scales for the poor darling and keep track of her! Oh, the humility.

[trufflesnout]

Or humiliation. Sorry, barmy autocorrect. Hence the Royal Canine not Royal Canin in my posts which is now pissing me off

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I prefer totally grain free for my cats, but you can get dry grain free from Arden Grange.

[Beautifullymixed]

Agree with dogfish
You really know your stuff

She is talking sense guys, no need for me to repeat any of it. Dry food is not needed in a diet, but can be used as a little treat (only grain free) here and there.

It makes me angry to see royal canine /science plan sold at extortionate prices in vets knowing that the unsuspecting client will purchase it -only to be on a treadmill of weight problems, kidney/cystitis issues and maybe allergies. All needing expensive vet treatment. Go figure.

And all easily avoided by a little research or knowledge.

A cat fed on good wet food or raw will not be overweight.

Even better is raw. Read up about it. I feed with nutriment or natures menu. All the work done for me. Meat,offal and bone all ground together-all I do is scoop out the tub and feed. High protein with no fillers of any kind. I supplement with chicken wings for clean teeth and breath.

My cats slimmed before my eyes. Pure muscle and sleek shapes. Their fur is silky and oh what a sheen. Their breath doesn't knock me out and the best bit-the litter box is fragrant.

A win win situation.

Meanwhile, my university educated db and dsil whose cat is fed science plan with the vets recommendation no reserch at all and poo pooed me when I tried to tell them as they knew best
Is now overweight. You can see his gut hanging down . My ignorant brother thinks the cat is fine. I shall say nothing.

Regarding treats,I also feed grain free and try to give 100% meat eg thrive or cosma. Giving a few at a time makes the packet last.

Agreeing with dogfish again about premium foods such as macs, ropocat, granatapet, and om nom nom all available from the happy kitty company.

All superb foods at not-too-expensive prices.

Other good foods available at zooplus are catz fine food, grau, feringa, lilys kitchen, and animonda carny.

HTH

[Beautifullymixed]

If you change to premium wet food or raw. Or a mixture. Or supplement your wet food with chicken wings/turkey necks you will not need scales. You will see the evidence before your eyes.

Just like us,if you cut out the junk food, fillers and unnecessary carbs your cat can only improve health wise and appearance wise.

So worth it.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Mine have Butcher's Classic, which I don't think contains any grain. I give them the Purina chicken and rice dry food to supplement (Big Tabby Boy can't have wheat as it makes him shit for Britain). Not particularly happy with the Purina, but not sure what else to try. They were markedly unimpressed with Applaws.

[Beautifullymixed]

If you insist on dry food it's much better to use a grain free quality food.
As you know purina is full of crap ?

Much better brands are arden grange, orijen, taste of the wild,

[Beautifullymixed]

Oops posted too soon!

Acana and purizon.

All grain free.
Enough of a choice there I think. My two love applaws, but fuss over everything else. They only have a handful here and there though.

Wet food and raw make up the bulk of their food and they absolutely thrive on it.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I've ordered some Encore, so I hope they like it.

[trufflesnout]

I don't insist on dry food at all, it's just what I was advised to feed, that's why I posted. I'm not going to feed raw, I don't have the storage space for turkey necks or bits of heart in my small fridge/freezer

[trufflesnout]

I've had cats before btw and this is the first pet I've had with a weight problem. I'm not sure if I'm misreading the tone of your posts, beautifullymixed, but comments like all easily avoided by a little research or knowledge and signing off with a 'HTH' are making me feel a little patronised.

[Beautifullymixed]

trufflesnout

No intention to patronise whatsoever. Apologies if you felt that way.
Regarding raw, of course you don't have to feed your cat that, you feed whatever you prefer. I was just sharing my experiances.

There are other posters on this thread who might be interested in others findings, and after all you asked about weight loss (if that wasn't you-apologise), so I gave my experience of this.

I was actually trying to be helpful and share information I'd found, not patronise at all. After all, pet ownership is like parenthood , in that we are learning every day. I certainly am.

Anyway, I'll bow out now and leave you to your thread in peace.

[trufflesnout]

No need to bow out beautiful, interpreting the tone of words can be hard across a screen and you didn't mean to patronise so I should be the one apologising to you!

Yes I have asked about weight loss, and you're right that others may find your info useful, so thanks very much for inputting

If I had the space I'd consider raw - the idea of fragrant poops and lovely cat breath are tempting as it is

[myrtleWilson]

We use Canagan dry and wet food..

[Beautifullymixed]

Good to hear we are fine truffle

I actually have five children and a tiny freezer, but manage to cram it all in somehow fit it all in. I just buy less freezer food.

The smell of the poop in the flat was getting me down, and the fact that every single time I went to smother those kitties in kisses they yawned. Widely. In my face. They were probably trying to tell me something weren't they

So therefore frozen raw it is, the kids will survive somehow , as long as my flat stays fragrant and kitties breath

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I just had a nobble breath yawn in my face.

The Encore has arrived, so will see how they like it.

[Beautifullymixed]

I'm sure you already know that Encore is a complementary food. It needs to be fed alongside with dry /other wet foods.

When my two were being fussy we tried it. One loved it and the other sniffed with disgust. It looks and smells lovely, but is supremely expensive for a food that lacks essential nutrients. Just a treat food really. And tiny tins too.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

This is the dry food, BeautifullyMixed (your tortie is gorgeous, by the way). And yes, it is to go alongside the wet (complete) food that they enjoy.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Just looked at the packet and it says it is a complete cat food.