Types of cat food?

Question

What kind of cat food do you give your cat and does your cat have any problems like diarrhea? And why do you suggest giving "this type of cat food" to your cat?

Answer 1

I suggest giving a high-quality wet food.

Cats are originally desert animals, meaning that in nature, they get most of their fluid from their food. This is why most cats don't drink enough (their thirst reflex is not as strong as ours, or a dog's), which often leads to kidney troubles later in live. (Renal failure is, I think, the second-most-common terminal disease in cats, after cancer).

Wet food contains a lot of fluid, but dry food, obviously, doesn't many cats that are fed only/mainly dry food basically live in a state f permanent slight dehydration, which is very bad for their health.

As for which canned food to pick: You want one with very few or no grains (cats are carnivores and can't actually digest grains properly, but many cat food producers add lots of them as cheap fillers anyway) and a few by-products as possible. Look for named meats sources, e.g. "chicken" or "chicken meal".

Some good foods (of mayn) are Nutro Choice, Merrick, California Natural, and Eagle Pack.)

Here are some articles if you want to read more:

Why cats need canned/wet food:
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canned_food.htm/

How to read cat food labels:
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/tipsforchoosing.htm
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/reading_labels.htm

Specific brand recommendations/reviews:
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/tp/tpcannedadult.htm

Answer 2

I give my cat a teaspoon of canned food with added water once or twice a day. It is premium food with no by-products or chemical fillers. Haven't found a brand I will stick with yet, but I've tried Wellness, Lick Your Chops, Nutro Natural Choice. The water she drinks from the canned food helps prevent UTI.

I also free feed her kibble. Right now I am giving her some Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Indoor with some Felidae. Trying to switch her to Felidae. After the Felidae is gone I might try the Go! Natural food to see if she likes it better.

She has no diarrhea or vomitting. She'll vomit if she eats something she's not supposed to, like plastic. I feed this food because it is healthy and I want her to stay healthy. Feeding unhealthy food can lead to premature diseases and an early death.

Answer 3

Kit 'n Kaboodle and 9 Lives are NOT good stuff. I would not waste my money on those products. My boy eats Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. I wanted him to be on Innova EVO but I cannot easily access a store that sells it. Chicken Soup is apparently pretty tasty because he always wants to shove his head in the bag. It's a Holistic food and it's reasonably priced. It's $10 for a 6 lb bag. I'm sure it would be cheaper to buy a bigger bag but he doesn't eat a lot and I don't have extra space to keep the bag. Basically, any food that has corn of any kind (whole ground corn, corn meal), by products, and preservatives on not good.

Answer 4

I agree that wet food is generally the best option for most people, although wet and dry aren't the only options (you may want to research freeze dried or raw options online).

Try to find a food that has a lot of natural ingredients. I like to alternate between several canned foods for variety, but I make sure that REAL meat is in at least the first three ingredients. Cat food isn't regulated as strictly as people food, so manufacturers can get away with more, and health problems can develop from feeding bad food to your cat.

Also try to choose something with very little or no grain. Cats do occasionally consume grain in the wild (in the stomach contents of prey), but only in very small amounts and they are not built to digest it (it can lead to stomach problems/discomfort).

Because I live alone and work 8 hour days, I leave dry food out for my 5-month-old kitten and give her wet at night. Unlike grown cats, kittens won't consume more than they nutritionally need, so even if premium food is more expensive, your cat will eat less of it.

Personally, I choose Innovo Evo or Wellness Salmon for dry food. Wet brands I trust are Natural Life, Nature's Variety, and Wysong. My cat has never had diarrhea, and is very fit and active.

A company that makes quality canned food doesn't always make quality dry food. Make sure you read the ingredients and look for real meats and no preservatives.

I always shop for cat food at onlynaturalpet.com; it's a good place to start at least. Unlike corporate sites like PetSmart, they offer ingredient lists and lots of information.

Answer 5

types cat food

Answer 6

I give my cats dry food from a health food store. No problems except for the occasional hairball. The reason I buy it from a health food store is because I know there are no artificial ingredients.

Answer 7

WOW! Very difficult question!
I feed my cats Purina brand with "hairball" formulas as a dry food and they seem to be very finicky on wet food so I generally rotate brands. NEVER buy or feed your pets the "cheap" stuff but in the same respect some of the very expensive science formulated brands are very over stated and over priced too! My cats won't touch Iams or Science diet- just simply won't eat it!
You just have to see what works with your pets and be experimental until you hit upon the one that works best!
Spinach is a very good vegetable but do we all like it? Same with the feline world and their taste!

Answer 8

My cats currently eat canned only - Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea. Poppy also likes Wysong's Archetype - she likes it both dry and rehydrated.

I'm currently researching switching to a whole prey or raw diet, which is really the best thing for them.

Poppy used to have loose stool, but once I cut out the kibble and switched her to canned only, that cleared up beautifully! As did her dandruff, shedding and weight problem.

Here are some links about cat nutrition.

Answer 9

My vet suggests feeding a good quality dry and wet food.
On his recomendation we 'free feed' dry and give wet food twice a day.

He said the wet food is important because most cats don't drink enough water and the moisture in the wet food helps to keep them hydrated.

As for brand...anything that doesn't have a lot of fillers..such as cereal is fine.

Answer 10

Just regular dry food, occasionally canned food as a treat. All cat foods are tested and have to pass standards, so it makes no sense to feed more expensive brands, just store brands are fine. Last year, Consumer Reports did testing, and found that some of the fancy ones sold at vets' are not as good as store brands, even.
I've had cats for over 20 years, never had trouble with cats with bowel trouble, or overweight.