What is it with the Friskies, etc?

[pebbles1977]

hi all!
I've been reading a bunch of threads lately, but haven't really been able to figure out what's so bad about a lot of the foods mentioned. Like Friskies, etc, and also the fish ones. I know the deal with Iams (the testing), and unfortunately so far my cat has loved that food the best.
All her life (she's 15) she's had Alpo or Friskies. I don't know if they make Alpo anymore, but that's what my parents gave her before I/we left home.
Just curious if you could explain or point me to a post about it. Thanks!

[Jeanie]

Pebbles, it's a long story! However, as with food for us, you'll notice that meat is not the first ingredient listed. Instead, you'll find by products, (which could be beaks, etc.) corn, and other ingredients that are the cheapest and least nutritious. There are many, many threads about this. I don't have time to search right now, but I know someone will give you some links! If you do a bit of reading and then some research on the net, you will be able to make good choices.

[coaster]

just consider what a cat's normal diet is. then look at the list of ingredients on the cat food. remember that ingredients are listed in order from most to least.

Tim

[queen of the nile]

Did you see dr.jean's article on selecting a cat food? It really helps explain why certain foods are better than others.
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=004

[Gudewife]

For me, it's the ingredients I have a hard time with. My cat doesn't do well on foods with a lot of corn, so that blows just about every grocery-store brand (as well as more expensive stuff like Hill's Science Diet). I look for less grains, less by-products, less fish and more whole foods (chicken or chicken meal instead of poultry by-product meal, whole ground barley or brown rice instead of corn gluten meal). Dr. Jean's article is a good starting place for learning how to choose cat food...also, a web search on "pet food labeling" should find you a treasure trove of how to decipher the inadequate and confusing labeling of pet food.

If you're uncomfortable with Iams (many people are), you might give Wellness dry food a try...it's similar in shape and size, has more whole-food ingredients, and it tastes better (don't ask me how I know ). If a store near you carries it, you can probably get a sample bag to try.

[Superkitties]

Ditto what Gudewife said. The difference is basically in the ingredients list. The cheap stuff like Friskies, 9 Lives, Fancy Feast, Kal Kan, Alpo, etc have inferior ingredients, byproducts are listed first, and lots of fillers like corn. Think of it like you eating McDonald's or chips - it's "food", but it's not healthy for you to eat all the time.

As mentioned already, once you learn how to read an ingredients list, you'll understand the difference in foods. It's the same as reading the ingredients in the foods you buy for yourself.