? for those who feed dry food

[Arianwen]

I usually stay out of debates on food because I don't fit in with anyone! My cats get a bit of dry (mainly as a "treat") and a mix of raw, home prepared and wet. I've read various articles but they thrive on the mixture as previous generations of cats have before them.

Mine love raw food and have no digestion problems with it but it's still not totally "natural" - to be that, they would be hunting their own prey (which I believe is said to release chemicals that have an impact on digestion but I read that a long time ago and it may be an out of favour view now). Certainly, when they eat truly naturally the meat is utterly fresh and still at body temperature.

[Zilla]

Originally Posted by Arianwen

I usually stay out of debates on food because I don't fit in with anyone! My cats get a bit of dry (mainly as a "treat") and a mix of raw, home prepared and wet. I've read various articles but they thrive on the mixture as previous generations of cats have before them.

Mine love raw food and have no digestion problems with it but it's still not totally "natural" - to be that, they would be hunting their own prey (which I believe is said to release chemicals that have an impact on digestion but I read that a long time ago and it may be an out of favour view now). Certainly, when they eat truly naturally the meat is utterly fresh and still at body temperature.

You fit in fine!! mine only get a tiny bit of dry when I can't be home cuz I'm at work. Otherwise in the morning they get Evo canned and honest kitchen prowl at night.... Nothing wrong with what your feeding! Your making an effort... That's what counts


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[Zilla]

Everyone can only do what they can afford and make an effort to do.... right


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[marie73]

I've cleaned up this thread a bit, PLEASE stay on topic.

Which is dry food, for those of you who can't figure that out.

[Lady's Secret]

Originally Posted by carrieann0413

I have looked at the food selection at 2 of our local pet stores (petco and petsmart) and all of the dry food whether it is the cat chow or a grain free brand the protein % is about the same 36-38%. I only found 1 food at petco that was 50%. We have a few more pet stores I can check but should the dry food be higher in protein than 38%?
Or is it the quality of the protein? Chicken vs chicken by-products?
And none of them give a % for carbohydrates.

I'll try to answer your question. Most people don't know this but some grains do contain proteins. Cat and dog food that is not grain free may have cheap plant protein added to increase the overall protein content. The problem is that cats (and dogs) can't utilize plant protein very well. Their made of different amino acids than meat proteins.

Example: brewers yeast contains about 48% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of cat food that contains it as an ingredient.

Compared to meat, glutens are inferior grain based proteins lower in some of the essential amino acids cats need for life. This inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of a cat food.


I learned this from dogfoodadvisor.com. I have never been able to find a web site that breaks down what every ingredient is and its nutritional content for cat food. But I took what I learned about dog food and extrapolated it for evaluating cat food. I highly recommend the site.

Hope this help... Oh and I didn't know any of this until I became the property of a lost kitten this summer. So I've been there... Recently

[gharrissc]

Orijen is a good brand of dry.

[katbaalew]

Originally Posted by carrieann0413

Any suggestions/tips on switching to a new food? How slow should the transition be? I have hear you should just add a small amount of the new food to the old and slowly increase the amount of new food. I just wonder how much and exactly how slowly.

Thanks for all the info everyone

It does depend on the cat, although kittens (particularly if they act like they are constantly starving) are far more adaptable. If you want to try some wet, I would give them about a tablespoon to start, just to see if they will eat it (and of course, almost all their normal dry). If they gobble it up, you can probably easily replace standard meals with wet, and leave a bit of kibble for if they want a little snack.

I don't know your exact situation, but if the cats were strays, they may be acting starved because they are still nervous about when the next meal will come, so be careful not to cave into that. Also, in regards to dry, Purina is not good, although at their age it isn't as treacherous to let them eat some (quick energy for them to use, and kittens burn it off fast!). If there is one around, check a local farm and feed store. You can get big bags of higher quality stuff for cheap.

[Marcia]

My old, healthy cats love Purina One (any flavor), but especially the Naturals. It's in a green bag. They keep it down much better than some other brands. IMO your babies are still growing. Increase the amount until they eat their fill then walk away satisfied. Put it up after that if you want. Some will eat more than others, some like to graze all day. I don't like one size fits all when it comes to humans OR cats. I feed mine some wet food in the AM then leave the dry food out all day. Everything stops at 7PM and the food gets all put away by then. Work out a system that works for all of you, otherwise you will become a slave to frequent feedings.

[scottd]

Are you referring to Purina One Beyond Chicken & Oat Meal? I don't know of any green bags other than Purina Cat Chow Naturals.

[jusjim]

Originally Posted by scottd

Purina Cat Chow is literally one of the worst foods, ever. The ingredients are below.

You're forgetting Science diet. Even the stray I feed objected to that, although he ate it. He was hungry. I finally gave it to the neighbour for their chickens.

Dry food is very bad for cats. .

Nonsense! I've posted before, and I'm not going to be doing it again, an article where 32 cats, most of them with a chronic disease the name of which I can't recall were fed a standard commercial diet for 70 weeks during a scientific experiment. The experiment had nothing to do with food.

That the cats were happy and loved was far more important. They were caged most of the time with one hour's excercise tiemper day. The health of all the cats either improved or did not deteriorate.

As with all living things,including plants and people, the results with the individual life form varies for different foods.

I dislike this condemning of dry foods because it lays a guilt trip on the guardian/caregiver who may not be able to afford better, but who is able otherwise to give a cat a home.

There are people who feed 'good' food and overfeed their cat to the point of obesity. THIS IS BAD.

Also, many of the 'GOOD' wet foods contain similar animal stuff that is not fit for human consumption, but the naming is aimed at the human diet desires.

I see, for instance, green peas in foods. Pea protein is of course 'vegetable' (condemned by some for cats), and peas contain carbs -- yes!

Most cat food is manufactured in China these days and is apparently nuked (irradiated) to kill any pathogens.

For the record, Missy get a varied diet. Her dry food is a store brand, Nutrition First, double the Purina price, that doesn't contain grains. Purina Friskies wet; mostly Salmon Dinner because this is what she prefers. She also gets treats once a day, plus doctored tuna for her constipation (she had it when I brought her home from the shelter). She also gets snacks of chicken if I'm having it, and snacks of ham flakes, or turkey flakes. (So I spoil her. She's old like me, so why not?