I don’t know if it’s healthier but when my cats stopped eating Fancy Feast Medleys they seemed to like Purina Pro Plan. When I told my vet I fed them Fancy Feast she never said not to. I’ll have to look into this.

 

Very beautiful cat. I love Butterscotch coloring.

Fancy Feast is just fine.

 

Welcome Bebbymom, I can't comment on the fancy feast, but when it comes to dry, I feed mine and the colony only purina cat chow for nearly 10 years, they are all very healthy looking cats, I say that because I get many compliments on how they look, I only switched to 9-lives dry for wallet reasons in the last 4 years otherwise I'd probably still be using cat chow, my next step up was going to be purina one......
My wallet is always a concern when you are feeding over 30 cats daily...............

 

Fancy Feast Medleys Primavera is the only canned food my cats will eat. While it's not the healthiest food out there, I will say that even the cheapest canned cat food is better for your cat than any dry food. If you can get your cats off dry food and onto a canned only diet, that is 90% of the battle right there.

Dry food simply does not give your cat the nutrients or moisture they need. As ancestors of desert dwellers, cats have a very low thirst drive. Canned food is about 75-80% water which is about the same as a mouse or bird. Dry food is only about 12% water. By the time your cat goes to the water bowl, they are already severely dehydrated. They will never make up the difference at the water bowl and will remain in a chronic state of dehydration which can cause long term issues like kidney disease and crystals that can block the urinary tract.

Also, Fancy Feast has many different versions and I would not make a blanket rule as to healthy or not healthy. Their pâtés are probably the healthiest as they are the lowest carb. Gravy versions on the other hand need to have thickeners which increase the carb content. And don't fall for the "grain free" claim as many grain free options substitue other fillers such as pea or potato flour which are no better than grains.

So don't focus too much on brand but rather ingredients list. The best canned foods have the first five ingredients from an animal source. The trouble is meat is expensive and cuts into the pet food companies' profits, so they add other junk. Cats are unable to metabolize plant proteins as they are obligate carnivores. This is why the protein content under guaranteed analysis is misleading because this can be quality animal ptotein or it can be plant protein which is useless for cats. Note that healthier cat foods actually have a higher fat content.

And here is the tricky thing about labelling. For example, if your cat food says "Chicken Dinner" that means it must contain at least 25% chicken. However, if all it says it "Cat Food with Chicken", that means it only must contain 3% chicken. Note that you with almost always see the "with" word used on dry foods. Even if the first ingredient is chicken, it may still have very little chicken in it.

Also note that Fancy Feast is made by......Nestlé Purina, so going to something like Purina Pro Plan or Purina One will most likely be a lateral move and not necessarily a healthy one.

 

Thanks for all the information-- Like some have mentioned, when asked about what I feed my cat(s), they don't correct the dry. I totally agree with you. I had a dog that I fed nothing but dry for years, went to the vet all the time, and no one mentioned the negatives of dry and kidney disease. That is what she died from. Dry can be easier, and some are just junk food that cats love.

I am going to read some of your other posts. Thanks again.