Science Diet?

Question

My cats have been eating Science Diet Light for years. I recently bought a new bag and after feeding them they (I have 4) have been throwing up almost everyday. I noticed the bag says GREAT NEW TASTE. I wonder how many cats actually contacted the company and said the stuff taste like Cr@p, make it taste better! I bought a bag of the Sensitive Stomach (it costs alot more and the bag contains less) and am slowly adjusting them to it. So far so good. I was wondering if anybody else was having the same problem. Do you think it's a ploy to get us to buy the expensive stuff?

Answer 1

I know this sounds quite obvious, but is there any chance that you bought the Light with Hairball Control? I know that the hairball control formula is known to make cats vomit quite a bit. Another recommendation would be to double check the expiration date on the bag. Other than that, it is possible that they may have either made alterations to the food that just didn't agree with your cats, or even that your cats may have gotten into something that they shouldn't have.

I feed my cats Science Diet "Nature's Best" and they go absolutely crazy for it. I think that it must taste much better to them than the normal Science Diet foods because as soon as I grab their bowls to fill them they run back and forth meowing and jumping up and down, and they never used to do this.

Answer 2

LOL. You may have gotten hold of a bad batch. You wouldn't think it, but dry cat food is quite prone to bacteria and rotting. I've read articles about it, but I can't link you to them because I don't feed any dry at all so didn't keep them.

It's certainly possible that they didn't even change their ingredients, or only made a very slight adjustment. You could always check the bags or check online to see what changed.

It's unlikely that they're throwing up due to the taste but rather to the adjustment in ingredients. Cats will sometimes puke when changes are made in their diet, even if you're feeding them something BETTER.

FWIW, I recommend changing to a better quality dry food. I hate to tell you, but SD isn't very good at all. If you're going to feed them kibble, you want to get one that has the least amount of grains, and some amount of actual meat instead of meal or byproduct.

Take a look at the ingredients on your bag - it likely says things like "chicken meal" "chicken byproducts", corn, wheat, soy.... I forget what meal and byproducts are exactly, but one or the other of them consist of things like beaks and feet. Granted that's PART of a chicken, but it ain't meat!

For brands, I recommend types that you can only get at pet stores. Wellness is good, Innova Evo is very good (unless your cat has urinary problems), etc.

Answer 3

I would think it is less the taste and more that they are getting something different. Did you feed them the first type only before? Try slowing mixing it into the old food if you want to switch them over. 3part old to 1 part new for a week or so. Then half and half. Then 3parts new to 1 part new. Then try the full new and see if it does not help. Hope that makes sense.

Answer 4

It could be simply that it does have taste enhancers and your cats liked the change so much and began to eat it quicker which will almost always make a cat vomit.
I know when I have changed cats diet purposely or in your case unintentionally they do tend to eat quicker just because it is new. You know if you ate plain saltine cracker you whole life and then all of a sudden you were offered CheeseNips you might eat them quicker and say thats one good Cracker.....

Answer 5

I used to think Science Diet was good food, but I had to stop feeding it to my cats several years ago after they started adding soybean mill run to it. One of my cats is sensitive to soy and vomits profusely when she eats anything containing soy ingredients. I contacted them about it but got brushed off, so I switched to feeding mostly canned food of a high-quality brand (Wellness), and it turned out to be the best thing I could do for all of my cats - they slimmed down, stopped vomiting up food & hairballs, and are soft, plush & shiny - no more dandruff and constant crying for more food. Most dry foods like Science Diet are much too high in plant ingredients and carbohydrates and too low in protein for cats (cats are obligate carnivores & need plenty of protein to be healthy), and so the cats fed dry food tend to overeat to get the amount of protein they need. see http://www.catinfo.org for more information.

Answer 6

gosh i hope not..my cats are on science diet adult indoor and i did notice the bag says great new taste..they seem to like it or didnt notice a difference..well they are greedy so you really cant go by my cats judgement..i did notice it looked differnent though..but again my cats love it still..it would be ashame to make the food taste like crap so we pet lovers would have to buy more expensive for less..pet care is already expensive..

Answer 7

science diet has changed the UR FORUMLA, but i didn't know that they changed the sensitive stomach too. my cats LOVE the new formula, MAYBE WHILE WE ARE WORK THEY ARE USING THE PHONE TO REPORT THEIR LIKINGS TO SCIENCE DIET. Just keep a check on your phone bill for long distance charges that you can't account for.HAHAHa