Cat food - what to try next?

[Sotired22]

I’ve got 2 rescue cats, around 2-3 years old. One of them much prefers dry food and I alternate between Purina and Iams, sometimes Scrumbles but she’s not as keen. Loves Purina. The only wet food I’ve got her to eat (tried quite a few) is Applaws chicken. She eats a bit every day, not much, yet somehow she’s become quite chunky. She doesn’t eat loads of dry either, only occasional treats so I’m not sure why she’s put on lots of weight. Definitely supplements with mice though. Anyway, she’s not difficult to feed as such but I am concerned about her weight.

My other cat is skinny but alwaaaaays hungry. Obsessed with being fed. Only likes wet food really, not that bothered about dry. I’ve currently got her on Katkin (2 pouches a day as they suggest) but she’s still pestering for more food all the time! I’ve tried Applaws with her as well as Encore and Scrumbles (plus a few cheaper ones) and she eats them all happily but ends up being sick and has loose poo. Katkin is the only one she hasn’t ever vomited however it’s expensive and she still seems hungry always.

Any suggestions of what else I could try? I’ve looked at Feringa and Harringtons but I’m just not sure what to try. I could keep them as they are but really I could do with spending a bit less than what Katkin costs and it just doesn’t seem to be enough for my little greedy one!

I always fed my previous cats Felix pouches as I didn’t know any better but to be honest I think there’s TOO much info on cat nutrition out there now and it’s a lot of pressure to try feed them this amazing diet and spend a fortune!

My cat is enjoying Sheba Fine Flakes after many years of Felix. She's always been very thin but healthy. She became very ill a couple of months ago however and wasn't eating, so I tried lots of different foods until eventually she seemed to enjoy this one. I have noticed her poos are much less smelly and her general health is good for a senior cat.

No idea OP but my (new) cat is fed on mainly purina biscuits and she's getting very overweight too. She is a biscuit girl (previously Iams) as she refuses to eat wet food.

I was thinking of trying her on Hills which is slightly cheaper than Royal Canin.

EDIT - My previous cat used to vomit after eating and this was because she was so hungry she bolted her food which caused her tobring it back up. We portioned her food into 3 main meals and one bedtime supper so she didn't get over hungry as it was assumed the excess stomach acid made her nauseous, and she immediately stopped vomiting when we did this.

Both Hills and Royal Canin do kibble that is weight control in various ways, e.g. appetite control, and low calorie/high fibre. I'm currently using the RC appetite control, but thinking of changing to a low cal version which my DSis has had good results from with her fatter cat.

2 grain free wet foods mine are enjoying at the mo are the Webbox and Harringtons, and you can get both at some supermarkets which is handy. Hard to tell with Tobias as he has stomach issues, but Girlcat's poo is certainly less smelly than when she was on Felix or Sheba. @AnnieGetYourGun and I have tried various over the last year and any we try and ours don't like we pass on to the other to try 😃; Annie maybe you could make a couple of suggestions as you have the similar dilemma of a thin cat and a - shall we say - more robust cat?

Mine just eat Sheba wet and Purina dry. They're all healthy, lick their bowls clean and nothing ever goes to waste.

It's all well and good buying super high quality food, but if your cat doesn't like it, it's just a waste of your time and your money. We've tried loads of high end brands over the years and they either turn their noses up or it doesn't seem to make them any healthier/happier than the cheaper stuff.

Blink do trial packs, worth a go?

My cat's favourite is Acana dry food. High protein and meat content and grain free. He's sniffly about anything else.

I bought some Harringtons on the back of this thread... Guess the foxes won't be going hungry this week 😬

My cats love untamed I know it’s a little more expensive but I don’t throw any in the bin and their coat is now beautiful and then don’t smell at all. I really would give it a go, it’s £8 for a two week trial which is brilliant as you can see if they like it before buying a ton.

Thank you all! I think I will give Harringtons and maybe Webbox a go… I’m happy to keep my fatter cat on Applaws or Encore chicken as she really doesn’t eat much of it (barely one portion a day, then dry food) so it’s not TOO pricey. But the skinny one that eats tons I just can’t afford to be opening 3 tins / pouches of food a day that are £1 a portion - so that rules Untamed and Blink out too I’m afraid! I know they are good foods and I’m sure she’d eat them but it just adds up too much!

My other cat is skinny but alwaaaaays hungry.
Worms? Or thyroid? Has a vet checked her specifically for this?

Mine don’t like the Harringtons grain-free dry food (or their wet food) but love Purina One dry chicken or turkey (sensitive) - they like 2 flavours and tolerate the other 2 flavours of the Purina One wet food but they only get one pouch each a day and I mix a tbspn of tinned pumpkin puree in with the wet food, which seems to sort out the cat who tends to get stomach upsets. The pumpkin also seems to help hair pass through the digestive tract.

@Peachy2005 mine love Purina dry as well (chicken and turkey). I haven’t tried the Purina wet food, I’ll give it a go I think. I’ve heard about adding pumpkin, I might try it! The only trouble is I’ve tried feeding both of mine Applaws chicken with pumpkin and both flatly refuse to eat it, they eat other chicken ones so I’m assuming it’s the pumpkin they’re unimpressed with!!

These cats are hard work, good job they’re so cute!

@Pixiedust1234 I’ve only had her for a few weeks, she was wormed before she came to me and I’ve wormed her myself recently with Dronspot which is supposed to kill everything! So I don’t think it’s that. No idea about the thyroid I guess but she’s only young… I think to be honest it’s just behavioural as she was a stray (not sure how long for) she is just desperate to ensure she has lots of food!

Any chance that your skinny but always hungry cat is hyperthyroid?

If not can you slow down the eating with a slow feeder to stop her being sick and actually experience feeling full.

Mine has tried blink, used to like it then went off it, Then I put him on seriously good from pets at home and he loved that for all of a week then went off that.

He had Harringtons for six months but only the gravy version, He stopped eating that and has been on purina one ever since and always clears his bowl.

Mine always loves something until I buy it in bulk then goes off it lol.. I just buy the small boxes now!

We love Untamed, they do trial packs. It's smells nice enough to (almost) eat myself.

@yorktown it’s just too expensive sadly, as is Katkin (which one of mine loves!). I did a plan on the Untamed website for my 2 and it came out at £81 per month. That’s with one cat only having 1 tin per day, the other having 2. I’d love to feed them that but it’s costs so much to feed the humans in the house these days it’s just not realistic sadly.

My previous rescue was always hungry at first so we bought some biscuits that help fill them up - saiety?? Royal Canin, Hills and another brand sell them. I won't list the other brand as that one caused her tummy to make popping candy sounds and you saw her tummy move. After about six months we were able to offer normal food as her behaviour had changed, plus she trusted us to feed her, so it was only expensive for a short time. But definitely get her vet checked first as it could be caused by her thyroid, diabetes or even cancer.

Oh, I know it, this is why we are a one cat family. I can't downgrade him now, he likes it so much and it's so easy just getting it delivered, it's quality food at a quality price!

@yorktown yes I think if I just had one I could justify it… unfortunately I was too soft and adopted another 😂