Pet Food - Whats The Best & Alternatives

[MisterMan]

Ok now that my cat has been diagnosed with FELV I want to make sure he is getting the best food.

The more I look at the ingredients of pet foods the more I want to avoid them.

However he loves his kibble.

Someone told me Whiskas has nicotine in it to make it addictive

He seems to be enjoying the Science Diet now that I have switched and also he no longer has runny stools.

For a main meal I give him usually canned tuna as I have 2 cats and it actually works out cheaper then the whiskas cr*p.

Sometimes from work they get juicy left overs too (lobster. salmom skin.)

But are these things harmful?

And what about vitamin supplements? I found some cold liver oil capsules .. he likes the oil so that is easy to feed him.

Any information is appreciated and experiences too.

Thanks

MM

[Goshawk]

Someone told me Whiskas has nicotine in it to make it addictive

yeah.. avoid that stuff at all costs, cos before long your kitty may end up like this one... totally hooked !

wait a minute.. isn't all cat food, regardless of what they put in it, addictive to a cat ??

[alexisthetiny]

Read the ingredient list, the first one or two ingredients on the list should be meat or meat by products. Grains should be further behind in the list. Different cats have different preference for food so if your cat does well on Science Diet, let it be. I'd suggest letting your cat eat only good quality kibble, tuna is not a balanced meal for them, it lacks a lot of nutrients that they need. You can always supplement with organ meats. The nasty bits have stuff like taurine and vitamins cats need. Human food is fine in tiny quantities as long as they aren't poisonous (chocolate and onions), too salty or sugary or make up a large portion of their diets.

Whiskas doesn't have nicotine but it does have a disgustingly high salt content as well as nasty 'blended fat' and more starch fillers than protein which are all nasty for a cat's health.

[MisterMan]

Someone told me Whiskas has nicotine in it to make it addictive

yeah.. avoid that stuff at all costs, cos before long your kitty may end up like this one... totally hooked !

wait a minute.. isn't all cat food, regardless of what they put in it, addictive to a cat ??

Funny post..

So is kibble and Tuna ok? Its got to be better then a can of cat food?

Isnt it dangerous to feed the cat raw meat?

[alexisthetiny]

Funny post..

So is kibble and Tuna ok? Its got to be better then a can of cat food?

Isnt it dangerous to feed the cat raw meat?

Kibble with the very occasional bit of tuna is ok. Canned food isn't exactly great for kitty breath or dental health. The raw meat is debatable, some say cats have a very short, acidic digestive tract and can take raw meat. Considering that your cat is already sick, I'd say stray on the paranoid side and at least lightly cook any meat you feed it.

[bina]

funny, at the vet's i worked for (a frenchi, and american and two russians) they preferred, all of them, science diet. for the past year it was unavailable in israel (the vet medical foods at least) so they used royal canine. my foofoo eats royal canine mini adult and loves it, seems healthy, nice coat, good stool, no foamy vomit (a toy dog problem), he gets his meal twice a day, and gets thai food when i'm not looking (but his beard lets me know, yechh)....

but it seems that most of our cleents preferred (and also their cats since if a cat refuses to eat, then the client wont buy him that food again)science diet medical foods like the uninary tract foods etc. they all had to use the royal canine but when we got the science diet again, most switched back over, saying their cats also preferred the foods...

frankly, i dont know why. we got all the medical brochures from both companies plus a day of panels/sales pitch for their reintroduced foods from science diet. the vets' comments where i worked, all of them (two of them also cat and dog owners themselves purebred dogs and siamese cats) said they thought science diet was 'more serious'.

but both brands they considered way above the other 'regular' brands... so often its the cat who chooses. dogs are easier to convince to eat something else, cats vote with their mouths: eat or not eat.

i think ash , salt, and fats are the deciding factors for debilitated cats who have potential kidney or urinary problems, or liver problems... there is also the a/d foods for ill cats, and as a supplement for cats needing extra calories and vitamins...

if your cat's stool is good, and he's eating and improving, i would leave it as it is with out any major changes right now... after all he did get a lot of antibiotics and other stuff and cats arent good with dietary changes. price and aailability may also make the decisioun for u.

bina

israel

[Nienke]

In Holland there is an organization that tests and compares all sorts of stuff for their quality. In their latest magazines (consumentengids “consumers guide” September 2008) they wrote they’ve tested and compared several kinds of cat foods.

Iams Adult chicken came out as third on the list, fourth was Royal Canin FIT 32 (poultry), fifth was Pro Plan Adult (chicken and rice), and sixth Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1 – 6 (chicken). Whiskas (cow meat) no. 12, Kitekat (cow meat, lamb) no. 18, Kitekat canned (chicken) no 19 and Whiskas canned no. 20.

The other no.’s are brands you can’t get in Thailand.

The test results were based on 10 of the 72 tested nutrients. Food with too little Selenium or Vit. B1 didn’t get a high test result and were not mentioned further in the report.

There were three tested food that contained too little Vit B1. which could give health problem on the long run: these were the Kitekat kibble and canned and canned Whiskas. The latter also contained too little Zink and Kitekat and Whiskas kibble didn’t contain enough Selenium, in Kitekat even too low.

As for kibble vs. canned/wet food, the latter contains lots of water. In this way they cat receives enough water. Kibble, on the other hand, contains little water. Sufficient water intake is important for a good functioning of bladder and kidneys, and to prevent bladder stones. Therefore, cat food manufacturers always advice to have permanent fresh water available when the cats diet consists of kibble. Unfortunately, cats lack the natural instinct to drink more when they suffer from a lack of liquid in their bodies.

Now, cats are 100% carnivores, meaning they don’t need other food ingredients than meat, organs meat and bones in order to contain good health. Therefore, adding carrots, garlic, or any other veggies and fruits do not have any surplus value to the cat.

Nienke

[Cuban]

Unfortunately, cats lack the natural instinct to drink more when they suffer from a lack of liquid in their bodies.

Do other animals have this 'instinct' to drink after eating dried foods? or is it only cats that lack this?

I came to the conclusion that I should soak (three minutes) dried food given to my dogs, enough to make the outside softer but retain a crunch in the biscuit's center. Wise to do this for cats as well?

Eating biscuit dried - is this a habit that is established in young animals that then becomes difficult to break?

[Nienke]

Do other animals have this 'instinct' to drink after eating dried foods? or is it only cats that lack this?

Maybe 'instinct' is not the correct description (second language and such ). I have noticed that cats tend not to drink enough. I have not noticed this in healthy dogs that eat kibble.

I came to the conclusion that I should soak (three minutes) dried food given to my dogs, enough to make the outside softer but retain a crunch in the biscuit's center. Wise to do this for cats as well?

I always put some water in the dryfood, just to make it easier to gobble down. I can clearly see a difference there. That kibble cleans teeth is well such an enormous myth, just another way of the pet food industry to sell their product. Prove that kibble does not clean teeth (with or without water added to the food) lays on the teeth of the dog as plaque which often is already visible as ages as young as 7- 8 month.

Bones do clean teeth, though.

Eating biscuit dried - is this a habit that is established in young animals that then becomes difficult to break?

Not sure waht you mean. But ... at the boarding kennel I always add water, as I said before. Most dogs will gobble it down, whether they are used to it at home or not. On a rare occassion I have a dog that prefers it without water.

[MisterMan]

Interesting about the science diet and Royal canine. HOwever PETA seems to have some gripe with Iams.. and also wast it that pet food that was contaminated a few years back with some chemical from China??

So what is better Kibble (good quality ) and a can of whiskas or a can of Tuna. ?

I did manage to find one with lower sodium then the rest.......

[alexisthetiny]

Interesting about the science diet and Royal canine. HOwever PETA seems to have some gripe with Iams.. and also wast it that pet food that was contaminated a few years back with some chemical from China??

A couple of years back, Iams had a recall. I think it was the melamine problem with China. Also, PETA claims that the company that owns Iams practices some pretty cruel animal testing methods.