Royal Canin?

Question

I will be getting a kitten very shortly. I have heard how good Royal Canin dry cat food is (kibbles). Having read an answer on another question regarding cats, someone has said that cats should not be fed on dry food alone, they need canned food. Is this true, or just that person's preference/opinion? I know of several cat owners who give their pets IAMS etc, with a treat every now and again of Tuna or chicken livers. I have been told to make sure my cat will have plenty of fresh water, if feeding dry food. I could ring Royal Canin to ask them but feel they could be biased. What is the general opinion of all cat lovers please?

Answer 1

I did check out Royal Canin at one time. It is a good quality food and I felt it had more grains (thankfully no corn I think) than I like in a dry food. The first ingredient was a good meat source, following by grains, making the food 2/3 grain. It is better to have the first two ingredients from a wholesome meat source. That is true in Eagle Pack, Blue, Natural Balance, Felidae, Solid Gold. So you do have a lot of choices there.

Did I suggest before that you go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled, "Why Cats Need Canned Foods".? It's at the end of about sixty articles on cat diet, health, disease and behavior.

You can supply as much fresh, filtered water as you want for your cat. The question is, does he really drink a lot of water? I only have one who really drinks it in any quantity (that may be because their diet is preponderantly meat). The water bowl is clean every day and filled with fresh water.

Answer 2

I am a cat breeder; I breed Maine Coons. My vet and I have had a conversation on just this topic. She has told me to give wet food at regular intervals and have dry food available at all times. Every cat breeder I know does this as well.

The only time I use Royal Canin is when the kittens are transitioning from mom's milk to food and it is their first solid food. At that point I use Royal Canin 'baby cat'. I feel it is an excellent product because of the smaller, softer kibble, making it easier on their teeth. It also has a higher protein content than most other dry kitten foods. Mom likes it too, and she also needs all the nutrition she can get at this point.

Royal Canin is a great food. I know many breeders who swear by it. I know many winning show cats who eat it. Yet, I know just as many who don't. When I have Royal Canin in the house, my cats eat it like candy, so there must be something special in it. However, as a breeder with 8 cats at the moment, I just don't think it is worth the cost for me. I feed Iams, and am very happy with their product. I feed Iams kitten food to the kittens once they are 12-16 weeks old; I feed Iams adult to the rest.

I personally am leery of giving a cat just dry food. I had a neutered male about 12 years ago that got a blocked urinary canal, otherwise known as feline urinary syndrome (FUS). He was very close to dying from that event, and I hope to never have to experience it again.

At that time I was feeding whatever I purchased at the grocery store - friskies or the like. As the vet explained to me, the lower end dry foods tend to have a high magnesium content, which can cause struvite crystals in the urethra, thus causing a blockage and infection. So, even though I now use a higher end dry cat food with controlled magnesium, I am wary of feeding only dry cat food, as dry foods, in general, have higher magnesium content than wet foods.

That, together with my vet's recommendation and the experience of dozens of cat breeders I work with, keeps me feeding both moist food and dry food.

Answer 3

To anwser your question. Research has been done at UPenn supporting the fact that wet food will increase water intake since its between 70-75 percent moisture in those cans. The trade off is dental health. moist food will promote the build up of dental calculi. Also as far as just feeding dry food you could just make sure your cat drinks an appropriate amount of H2O. If a cat has kidney issues later on in life it should definitly be on wet food.

Answer 4

Royal Canin is indeed a good brand. The best way to feed them it is to mix the food as half kibble, half canned food. this way the food is soft and moist, but still get the excellent nutrients that the dry food gives. The diet should be varied and this is one of the best ways to do it.

I recommend Royal Canin and Wellness foods.

Answer 5

Both cats I've owned ate dry food only and one lived to 21, the other is 11 now. Kittens may need wet food while their mouths are still sensitive, your vet can tell you how old they should be when you switch them to dry.

Answer 6

Royal canin is a very good product i had it for my persain as she has a sensitive tummy. She wasnt keen on wet food . BUT ...... she got ill and when i took her to the vets i was told she needed wet food too. Royal canin do do wet food which you can get from the vets. Give them both.

Answer 7

cats don't need tinned food if they have good quality dried from the vets & it works out much cheaper in the long run.

The only food i would recommend is Hills for cats. Apart from all the right nutrients in the correct amounts it has the added advantage of very little waste so you dont have to change the litter as much!!!!!!!! you can buy hills feline from vets or from pets at home etc but noot from supermarkets

Answer 8

good quality for quite reasonable money, I give my cat dry food because she doesn't like other types of food, unfortunately she doesn't like water - I have never seen her drinking water, of course I am worried because of it, but every day she drink a little milk. as far the R.C is concerned it seems to satisfy all health needs of my cat.

Answer 9

I have never heard that they need canned food... canned food really is usually lacking in nutrition.

Kittens do need softer food for a while, while thier teeth develop. So you could feed the royal canin, just make sure you moisten it with some water.

Answer 10

try the kitten on a variety of food it will soon let you know which ones it likes i have just started my 18 month on r canin mainly because he wont go near anything else!(fussy or what)