Are you a veterinarian? Cat food advice

[poohbear227]

I was wondering if any vets on here could tell me which brand of dry cat food they would recommend.

We currently use Nature's Balance. I thought it was a great choice, because it's very high protein and all natural, but our cat has lost some weight and our vet said we should rethink their cat food. She was not familiar with the brand we use and wasn't all that helpful in recommending us an alternative.

Any advice?

 

[Agri]

I'm not a vet but...

Is your cat underweight now? My cats are both on Orijen, which is a high-protein kibble. My cats both lost a few pounds when we switched to it, but they're both now back to a healthy weight.

 

[Tina]

Im not a vet, but feed my cats Wellness canned and dry. My vet also feeds her cats Wellness. Its an excellent pet food and has no by-products. I also only feed my cats the grain-free variety.

 

[poohbear227]

I'm not a vet but...

Is your cat underweight now? My cats are both on Orijen, which is a high-protein kibble. My cats both lost a few pounds when we switched to it, but they're both now back to a healthy weight.

I'm not sure if my girls are underweight (I have 2). My vet mentioned that one of our cats lost a pound, but did not come right out and say she was underweight. We are thinking of switching vets-we just moved out here and chose this one, but she is not all that informative.

My 9 year old cat (short haired) is 9.1 pounds (She was 10 pounds last year). My 3 yr old short haired calico is 8.5 pounds. Neither seem terribly over or underweight to me, but I'm not an expert.....

 

[poohbear227]

Im not a vet, but feed my cats Wellness canned and dry. My vet also feeds her cats Wellness. Its an excellent pet food and has no by-products. I also only feed my cats the grain-free variety.

Thank you! I'm pretty sure our Nature's Balance is grain free as well. We did have them on Good Life brand last year, but we noticed the ingredients had alot of grains in it so we switched.

 

[DorothyPoppins]

I second Wellness- No corn or by-products and my Siamese seems to digest it easily.

 

[PatsGirl]

I have no idea but my 24# kitten (one year old) has decided that he wants even more food than normal. This comes just four weeks after his one year vet visit when I was told he was not overweight but that I should start controlling his unlimited dry intake.

I'm very interested in what others use for cat food and what is normal weight for a cat? My vet insists that we use wet/canned food but I'm now giving him two cans (tuna-fish sized) and he eats at least one cup of dry every day. And no, he doesn't have worms

 

[tonilea]

I am not a veternarian, but I worked in a veterinary clinic for ten years. We usually recommended Science Diet, but he also told clients that most of the premium brands were good.

 

[southern_redhead]

I realize this may be a bit off the original topic but...those who feed the grain free Wellness...how does that affect your cat's litterbox? We were feeding something (can't remember what) and it was, of course, fairly high in grain and their litterbox STUNK to high heaven. As in, "Do you have a horse living in your house, ma'am?" After furious googling I switched them to wet food which helped quite a bit BUT then my girl cat had a "poo issue" which involved her stools being somewhat loose and the hair in them was hanging on her bottom. Which, of course, necessitated her dragging her nasty but all over my bathroom After that I started giving them dry food every other day for one feeding and that has seemed to help. Still, our litterbox is a bit of a sore spot with me.

And, to answer the OP's question - many animals have an adjustment period when switching foods. It doesn't sound like they got emmaciated so I think I might have stuck it out a bit longer to see if they gained the weight back or it continued to drop.

 

[pppiglet]

I'm very interested in what others use for cat food and what is normal weight for a cat? My vet insists that we use wet/canned food but I'm now giving him two cans (tuna-fish sized) and he eats at least one cup of dry every day.

You have one of the smart vets. Canned/wet food is so much better than dry for cats. They say the cheapest canned food is better than the most expensive dry food. Cats are way more likely to get urinary tract infections and diabetes on dry food, and kidney problems are worsened by it. I've done lots of research on it (no, I'm not a vet) but I have 10 cats and need to be able to keep them healthy. They should eat 3-5oz. of canned in the morning and evening. (kittens can have a mid day meal also) No dry in between. My cats all weigh between 7-11 lbs. None are considered overweight by my vet.

 

[I*heart*MickeyMouse]

Our dog gets Wellness, my brother's cats get Wellness, and my bff's cat and dog get Wellness. My vet LOVES Wellness and recc's it above all else!!

ETA - just saw the post about wet food... I wonder if it's regional, the opinion vets have on wet food. My vet and my brothers/bff's vet (they go to the same guy) both say that wet food is to pets as McDonald's is to humans - junk/snack food. Even the expensive wet food. My brother's cats were very pukey forEVER (like every day at least one pukes at least once), and then when he moved and changed vets he was told to try and get them on dry only and they rarely puke anymore!

 

[hopemax]

I realize this may be a bit off the original topic but...those who feed the grain free Wellness...how does that affect your cat's litterbox? We were feeding something (can't remember what) and it was, of course, fairly high in grain and their litterbox STUNK to high heaven.

We feed our cat the Wellness CORE. When we first got him, we feed him Friskies, because that was what he was eating at the shelter and we didn't want to change food and environment at the same time. And his poo was very stinky. After the change of food, still stinky. But, it may be because he also gets a can of Fancy Feast. It's the only wet food that he will eat, and I figure it's more important to get the moisture so we continue to give him the FF.

Our vet also mentioned an all wet diet, but until he will start eating the higher quality wet, I don't want to switch him. They call the kibble "kitty crack" and compare it to eating potato chips, even after I said we feed him the grain-free kibble.

 

[Agri]

ETA - just saw the post about wet food... I wonder if it's regional, the opinion vets have on wet food. My vet and my brothers/bff's vet (they go to the same guy) both say that wet food is to pets as McDonald's is to humans - junk/snack food. Even the expensive wet food. My brother's cats were very pukey forEVER (like every day at least one pukes at least once), and then when he moved and changed vets he was told to try and get them on dry only and they rarely puke anymore!

I think some vets are against wet food because of the line of thought that all the soft food will rot their teeth. Its all down to quality - and a high price doesn't necessarily mean high quality.

Wet food is actually preferable if a cat can eat it because its not going to contain the non-meat binders that a kibble contains. The more protein a cat can eat, the better. They are carnivores, unlike dogs, and most need a high protein diet. A better diet means smaller, less stinky poos because they are getting more nutrients from what they are eating.

Science diet is AWFUL. Corn does to pets the same thing it does to humans, there is no reason to feed a cat or a dog anything with corn in it. It is just filler. Especially not if corn is the first ingredient. From what I have read (and confirmed by what my vet sells), most vets are not schooled in pet food. They are basically solicited to sell/recommend certain foods. My vet has always sold Science Diet, but recently changed from Iams to Pro-Plan. None of those are food that I would feed my pets if I had a choice. My dog is on Orijen, as well.

And to the OP - your cats sound like they're at a healthy weight. My vet recommends that domestic short hairs be around 10lbs., and my little one is right around that weight. My other cat is a very muscular cat by comparison and a bit heavier, but that is due to her muscles, not fat.

 

[MichelleVW]

I am not a veternarian, but I worked in a veterinary clinic for ten years. We usually recommended Science Diet, but he also told clients that most of the premium brands were good.

I would never feed Science Diet, I can't believe vets actually recommend that stuff any more. There are so many cheaper and better alternatives out there. I feed my cats either Chicken Soup for Cats or Diamond Naturals, it's the only food they will eat.

Two of my cats are really small, about 9 pounds and I don't feel they are underweight. I would worry less about being underweight than being overweight. Unless they suddenly dropped weight, then I would be concerned.

 

[jmpurdy]

Science Diet is not awful. Canned food is good for cats who are prone to urinary issues, and of course there are the special foods for those cats who repeatedly block, etc. Canned food does not cause issues with teeth. This is simply not true. Your vet can help you determine a good weight to maintain. They will look at muscle tone, if the backbone is protruding, etc. Most cats do very well with meals (twice a day, a set amount being put down and that's it till next meal time). Not a vet, but work in a feline only hospital. Any cat that drops weight suddenly should be looked at thoroughly and lab work done to determine why. Even a 1 pound weight loss without a reason should be evaluated.

 

[MichelleVW]

Science Diet is not awful. .

Here are the ingredients in Science Diet.... Chicken by product meal is the first ingredient?? . Brewers Rice and Corn Gluten meal are the next??? No way would I feed that to my cats. Whole grain corn?? So many pets are allergic to corn. I won't buy any cat/dog food with corn in it.

Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Powdered Cellulose, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, Iodized Salt, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

 

[Tina]

Here are the ingredients in Science Diet.... Chicken by product meal is the first ingredient?? . Brewers Rice and Corn Gluten meal are the next??? No way would I feed that to my cats. Whole grain corn?? So many pets are allergic to corn. I won't buy any cat/dog food with corn in it.

Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Powdered Cellulose, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, Iodized Salt, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

I agree with the PP's opinion of Science Diet. It has gone downhill since being acquired by Colgate-Palmolive. Let's compare the ingredients to a can of Wellness chicken:

Chicken, Chicken Liver, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Carrots, Natural Chicken Flavor, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Zucchini, Cranberries, Blueberries, Guar Gum, Dicalcium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Ground Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, Iron Proteinate (a source of Chelated Iron), Beta-Carotene, Zinc Proteinate (a source of Chelated Zinc), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Proteinate (a source of Chelated Cobalt), Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate (a source of Chelated Copper), Folic Acid, Manganese Proteinate (a source of Chelated Manganese), Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Biotin.

 

[taximomfor4]

We had a cat with "bloody-butt"...randomly left blood clots on stool or on floor near litterbox (so right AFTER leaving stool). Once we figured out which of the 4 cats it was, and saw the vet, and researched on our own, the conclusion was that she most likely had a food sensitivity (IBS reaction to diet). Due to our schedules, we really needed to ideally keep the cats on dry food. So we attempted a limited ingredient food by Natural Balance (pretty sure). Yellow bag. More pricey than I wanted, but 6 months after switching, Bloody Butt is cured. Also, another of the cats (who we never noticed a problem with) has the SOFTEST fur now. She is short-haired, but her fur now feels luxurious. Then the oldest cat, who is always desperate to get outside to eat "salad" (Grass) and then vomit x2, still wants out to eat salad and vomit. Vet always says that is common cat behavior. Don't know why -- I sure wouldn't want to vomit every single day.

Anyway, the yellow-bagged Natural Balance is $24 for 10 lbs. IF we give the cats wet food, it is as a treat so they don't get finicky...and is the yellow-canned Natural Balance as well. No more Bloody Butt.

 

[disney1990]

Another vote here for Wellness dry. Our vets really likes this brand.

 

[C.Ann]

One of my cats, my mom's cat, my aunts cat, and my cousins cats all lived beyond 20 years of age - with no "special" cat foods - and no trips to the vet for illnesses - ever.. Just the normal routine shots.. When they passed on, it was from old age - plain and simple.. The oldest cat was 23 years old..

Some ate dry cat food exclusively - others wet food exclusively - some a mix of both.. Guess we just had sturdy cats.. No pure breds - all from the animal shelter as kittens..