cat food problem.........please help?

Question

Im switching my dogs food to a better quality food, I have been doing some research, but now I would like some opinions on a good quality cat food please!!!

My cats are about 7 yrs old.

thanks so much!! :-)

Answer 1

When we adopted our kitten from an animal rescue, they gave us a large bag of Eagle Pack. Our older cat always had problems with his fur clumping and he also started eating this food. His fur improved dramatically!! No more clumps and the cats have so much energy it's unbelievable!! The kitten is now a year old and the older cat is 10 and we only use the Eagle Pack for both of them. We also have our 11 year old Lab/Retriever on Eagle Pack. His fur is amazing!! He also has the energy of a puppy!! This brand of food is more expensive, but we feel it is worth it for the health of the pets we love so much. You can't buy it in most of the chain stores, but if you go to Eagle Pack's website, you can do a dealer search. Luckily, there's a small speciality pet store a block from our house that stocks it.

Answer 2

Well, it is said that Science Diet, Iams, Wellness, etc. brands are ALL very good. BUT, it really doesn't matter how much money you spend on the food if your cats won't eat it, and many won't. Personally, I have stuck with Friskie's Dental Diet (which my "Snowman" loves) and Friskie's "Special Diet" canned food--he's spoiled, he gets both. He's also about 11 years old, in excellent health, and still plays like a kitten.

Now, if your cats are getting a little "pudgy" around the middle, you could try one of many brands of the SENIOR (for cats over 7 years old--mine won't eat it--most will) because this has all the nutrition in it, but less calories. The best thing to do is--if you have a good pet supply store in your area, pay them a visit, and check out the whole array of different foods they have. They can also assist you in choosing one that is right for your cats if you talk to them about which brands of the better grade foods is the best seller(s). If/when switching brands of cat food, do it gradually by mixing a little of the new food with the current one, and increase the amount of the new food daily until they are totally switched over. And, finally---read the labels on the bags/cans. If the first ingredient is corn meal--avoid it--it's "junk food" for cats. You need the first ingredient to be the meat source (chicken, turkey, fish, beef), and try to get something that doesn't have all those chemical persavertives in it--cats don't need this in their systems. Good luck with food change--if you decide to do it.

Answer 3

I was using Nutro Maxcat roasted Chicken until the recall.

Now I use Solid Gold Katzen Flocken.

I researched everything really well, plus I worked in a petsotre so my cats have tried everything.

One thing I found out: it doesn't matter how high quality a cat food is if they won't touch it- and mine have only liked these two.

Now I mix a 6# bag of Nutro Maxcat Roasted Chicken with a large (20#?) bag of the Solid Gold.

For canned food, I get fancy-feast and try to avoid the wheat-gluten, because I have 2 cats that react to it with runny poody and I'm not up for that.

Canned catfood is more of a treat anyway- I split two 3 oz. cans between 6 cats, twice a day.
Gives them a little something to look forward to, plus it's 'togetherness time'.

Answer 4

You will find definite prejudices in asking that question. A food that meets the requirements of the AAFCO (in the US) will provide all the necessary ingredients for your cat to thrive. I feel that you do often get what you pay for, and a higher quality food uses better animal parts than the generic low cost special.

If you are switching, you need to do it gradually, changing portions over a period of at least a week or perhaps ten days (i.e. 10% change/day) to avoid tummy upsets.

Try and select one brand, and see if that is acceptable to your cat. Changing a lot can result in a finicky cat.

My cats only think there is one type of dry food, and they are happy and satisfied.

(You will note I am not making a specific brand recommendation. I tend to like name brands and what works for one cat may not be liked by another cat.)

Answer 5

Look for cat food with a high protein content. Cats need a higher amount of protein than dogs do, so look at the protein content of the cat food you buy. Canned cat food is better than dry cat food, which has a lot of carbohydrates.

Answer 6

We use Royal Canin Siamese 38, Wysong Vitality and Purina DM for the dry food (that last is a prescription food though), and NutroMax (large cans), Wellness and Evo as canned options.

Good catfood needs to be at least 11% protein in canned food, and 33-35% in dry food.

here's a comparison chart below--

Answer 7

Honestly I have always used Purina cat chow and my oldest cat is 10 years old. Purina also has a food for cats over seven years. Another good food to try is Hill's Science Diet. Alot of vets recommend it. Try a pet supply store and see what they have for older cats. Companies have gotten better at catering to older animals and their welfare.

Answer 8

Definitely Hill's (Science Diet) or Royal Canin.