canned cat food? is it good? HELP!?

Question

i am thinking about changing my cat's diet from dry+wet food to totally canned food. i am currently feeding her kitten canned food, by wiskas. it seems preetty good, my kitten loves it like mad! it also has chunks of fish init, and the rest is just mushy red blended stuff and it also has some sort of chunks of white jellyton. no idea what that is! so, what sort of wet canned food do you recomend? that is not so costly, and also very good for my kitten?

what sort of dry food is good for my kitten? that is cheap and nutritious? i used to buy hill's science diet, but its insanely expensive! i recieve allowence from my mom and its eating my pockets! my mom wont pay for it. thanks.

to CALLOVERME123:
my kitten was two weeks old when i found her, she was blind and dying. her mom abandoned her. i feel like slapping you for passing such a horrid remark like that to me. you are an asshole. i save my kitten's life and my mom cannot tollerate a cat in the house and she is trying to get rid of it. seriously, i feel like slapping you. ***.

to CALLOVERME123:
my kitten was two weeks old when i found her, she was blind and dying. her mom abandoned her. i feel like slapping you for passing such a horrid remark like that to me. you are an asshole. i save my kitten's life and my mom cannot tollerate a cat in the house and she is trying to get rid of it. seriously, i feel like slapping you. ***.

Answer 1

Since u r changing ur cats food you need to kinda mix canned w/ dry so that ur cat doesent get sick from a sudden change of food. My cats perfer chicken and salmon and also pork and gravy.. But it is a cats world and all cats like diff. things!!! I always use dry food because i personally think it is healthier than canned!!! The only time i give my cats wet or canned food is on holidays like xmas!!!! ( sorta like a treat!!!!!!) Dont i repeat dont use whiskas it is very bad 4 ur cats and doesent contain enough true meat

Good luck and a MERRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Dane Lover is entirely right. Canned food is very good for your cat and it must be high quality food. Not Whiskas or Friskies or Fancy Feast.

I am sorry your mother has such a negative feeling about your cat. Feeding cheap cat food is a false economy as the eventual vet bills from a poor diet will end up costing more in the long run.

Natural Balance makes a quality canned food and comes in a number of "flavors". I get it at a local pet discount store for around 75 cents a can. One can a day is sufficient for an adult cat. When you open a can in the morning serve half of it and put the remainder in a glass dish for dinner that night. It does not have to be refrigerated if eaten that day. Do not leave it in the can as it develops an "off" taste if you do.

Solid Gold is an excellent dry food at $1.50 per lb. The Natural Balance is a good dry food too at $1.66 per lb. Both of those are less than any Science Diet (which is also a lousy cat food)

My cats eat meat every day and hardly any dry food. I would suggest you do a day of canned and feed the quality dry food the next day. Just alternate them.

You can go to: www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled, "Why Cats Need Canned Food". It is at the end of about sixty articles on cat diet, diseases, behavior, etc.

That quality diet should not be more than Science Diet would be and much better for your cat. Maybe you could offer to do some extra chore for your mother to cover the $1.00 more you might spend on food a week. You can think of something like emptying the dishwasher for her, cleaning up the table after dinner, rinsing or washing the dishes for her and putting them away. running the washing machine or folding clothes when they come out of the dryer.

Answer 3

Yes, outside of a "raw" diet, canned food is the very best that you can do for your cat.

The best foods are the ones you can only find in a pet food store. They are a little pricier, but they are worth it. Plus your cat likely won't eat as much of a quality food, so you'll break even. I will link you to an article about the best foods.

If your cat is already eating canned, you won't have such a hard time cutting it over. It took me about 2 weeks to find the one food that Poppy would eat. It was worth it though.

The majority of dry foods, particularly those you find in grocery stores, are loaded with carbs, which carnivores do not need (think Atkins diet).

And the theory that dry food is better for their teeth is a complete myth.

Answer 4

First, read labels of cat food, wet and dry. If it starts out with fillers....grains and such....stay away from it. Try to consider the best premium food that you think you can continue to buy. Iams, and eukaneuba come to mind. The cat eats less and the food is better for them. I suggest using both wet and dry. I know free feeding is frowned upon but cats like to nibble day and nite.....as a little treat mine get a teaspoon wet every evening. Good luck

Answer 5

Studies have shown that feeding a totally wet or at least a partially wet food diet to cats is much healthier for them. Cats fed dry food exclusively often exist in a semi-dehydrated state. They are also more prone to stones and UTI. Cats were designed to extract moisture from their foods in order to keep hydrated. This can't be accomplished with dry food only diets.

Look for a good quality canned cat food..one with plenty of meat protein and little water. Stay away from those foods that contain dyes and artificial preservatives.

Contrary to popular belief feeding dry food doesn't do anything for the teeth, nor does wet food cause tooth issues. Cats do not chew their foods in the manner like humans do, they only crack hard particles small enough to swallow. Food doesn't remain in the mouth long enough to cause problems or to "help" clean teeth. Some cats are predisposed to tooth issues no matter what they are being fed. I've seen cats who have been fed a strictly dry diet have the most horrible teeth and I've seen many cats fed strictly wet food have beautiful teeth throughout their entire lives. It's more genetic then anything else although proper nutrition plays a big part in it too.
Most vets are wonderful, I've worked with/for them for over 30 years now, however their knowledge of nutrition isn't very good. This isn't their fault, but rather due to the fact the nutrition classes they receive are general in nature it includes everything from cats to rats, dogs to hogs. Most vets are well aware of the studies concerning wet food as a big part of a cats diet. They fortunately are steering away from the old school beliefs that dry food is best. They now understand that wet food is better to feed then dry and that cats fed a good quality wet food are far less prone to kidney disease, bladder infections/stones and other issues. They also realize that cats derive better nutrition from wet food,stay hydrated better among other benefits. They also realize that wet food has no impact on dental issues.

If you do feed some dry food stay away from the foods such as Science Diet, IAMS/Eukanuba, Purina Cat Chow, Whiskas, Friskies..these contain way too much cheap fillers 7 by products as well as preservatives and artificial colors.

Answer 6

We use both canned and dry food for our cats. We give them the moist food in the morning and leave bowls of dry food out for nibbling for the rest of the day. It seems to work very well for all of us. I think they enjoy the canned food more and we like it for the oils that are good for the skin and coat. The dry food is great for helping the keep their teeth clean. We have found that the cats are not as picky about the canned food. Almost any brand seems OK. When it comes to the dry, they will only eat Deli Cat or Kit N Kaboodle. We tried other major brands and they wouldn't touch it!

Answer 7

Do not give a cat or kitten canned food exclusively. If anything, switch to dry food and give canned maybe once or twice a week. Cats (like dogs) need the dry food to maintain good dental health. It is also better for their digestion. Canned food offers no fiber whatsoever.

Kittens need kitten food...there are extra nutrients in it. I use only Purinia One Healthy Kitten formula.

And honestly, if you can't afford cat food and are looking at price only, you shouldn't have an animal.

Answer 8

My cats were originally on cheap tinned cat food & their behaviour was all over the place. I now only feed them Iams cat food (from your vet or city farmers) & there was an amazing transformation. Eukenuba is also good. You only need a very small amount of it each day. It works out cheaper than tinned food & it's so much better for them!

I think it usually works out to be roughly 50 cents a day (for a medium size cat)...

Good luck!

Answer 9

#1 Whiskas is CRAP.. lots of filler -little nutrition.. he doesnt "love" it she is starving so is forced to eat more simply to get to the meat...
cats are TRUE carnivours...corn is a filler... corn has no part being anywhere near the top of an ingredient list and by-products are beaks feet and feathers....the color dye isnt good for them either... FISH is actually bad for cats as the calcium contributes to urinary tract infection

#2 CANNED FOOD - should be fed in limited amounts - 1 teaspoon per feeding... chicken and rice forumla is the best... you can mix water in the food to make a soup which helps their urinary system by increaseing their water intake - TRUE STOREY.... I was working at a shelter and a cat was relinquished by its owner who said it was only 2 years old.. days later the vet tech looked at the kitty and said the guy lied the cat had horrible teeth and was probably more like 8-10 years old... she phoned the guy up to give him heck for lying - turns out he told the truth BUT in fact had fed the cat ONLY canned food since he got her only 2 years ago as a kitten

sssooooo... cats should get both dry all the time and canned food in limited amounts
any food from grocery store or wal mart is CRAP.. you would acutally save money by buying a more expensive food from pet supply shop becuase the cat wont need to eat nearly as much...(plus it will poop less)

Answer 10

I have had cats all of my life. We have fed them all sorts. Some would only eat canned and some would only eat dry food and the ones we have at the moment eat both. Leave both out and they will choose. My cats prefer Gocat food. Remember that if you put your cat in a cattery they will be given dry food so it is better to give them both.