What type of cat food should i buy?

Gemma

What is the best cat food to give a cat as there are so many brands its like going in to a sweet shop so many to choose from lol and how do you know its good for you cat?



Chantelle

The very best food for cats is raw meat, properly balanced to meet their nutritional needs. But if youre not ready for that just yet, then commercial canned food is the way to go. Dont feed any dry food - its unhealthy. There are several brands of good foods listed in the What to feed link. This link includes links to the food websites where you can learn more and find where theyre sold in your area. You can print this out and take it with you, along with a magnifying glass so you can read the tiny print. CHOOSING THE BEST CAT FOOD If you do nothing else, read this: http://www. api4animals. org/facts. php? p=3… This is an eye-opening article. It covers EVERYTHING youd ever want to know about the cat food industry from a-z. And I mean everything! Im attempting to summarize some of it below, but you really need to read the whole thing! The least you should know:The use of "All" and "100%" are reserved for foods that contain only one ingredient. Dinners, recipes, platters, entrees and formulas - cat foods using these names may have less of the named ingredient than youd expect it to."With" means that theres at least 3% of that item by weight in the product."Flavor" means that theres just enough of an ingredient to provide a discernable flavor. Ingredients are listed first by WEIGHT. While we do recommend getting foods that have meat listed first, this doesnt mean that something has more meat than anything else. Take a cup of chicken and a cup of wheat. These are equal amounts but the chicken will weigh more, so it would appear first. But youve got just as much wheat as chicken! When reading labels, keep in mind that you must convert the given numbers to dry matter basis. What this ultimately means is that a wet food claiming 10% protein actually has MORE protein than a dry food claiming 30% protein. Did you know that rendered animal fat is sprayed on dry cat food to make it taste better? Did you know that rendering means whole animals are boiled to reduce them down to fat? And did you know that these rendered animals may have been laying around for days before being carted off to the rendering plant? In addition, I gathered the below info from a book I recently checked out from the library: Whole Health for Happy Cats: A Guide to Keeping Your Cat Naturally Healthy, Happy, and Well-Fed (Quarry Book) :: Sandy Arora. So this information can be verified, at least as to the fact that someone actually said this. Below is a list of ingredients to avoid. But before looking at this list, please keep in mind that while it would be best to feed foods that dont contain any of these questionable ingredients, you must also consider the quantity in which theyre used, and the pros and cons of feeding an otherwise good food with one questionable ingredient when your only choices are that or something completely crappy. Avoid:The preservatives BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin. BHA and BHT are carcinogens. Ethoxyquin is a rubber preservative and pesticide. Foods that contain Rosemary (may be used as a preservative) shouldnt be served more than 2-3 times per week. Carrageenan. This is a food thickener that can cause ulcerative colitis and other stomach problems. However, this ingredient is used in the new EVO canned products (95% meat) (among other products), and the advice Ive received is that you have to weigh the overall benefits of the great food against a small amount of this ingredient which might cause digestive upsets. If youre faced with the choice of carageenan or an inferior quality food, go with the carrageenan. The same is true for GARLIC which is (still) present in Wellness. Mannitol, Xylitol and Sorbitol: Can cause severe digestive upset and possibly kidney problems. Potassium Sorbate: Can irritate skin and eyes. Propylene Glycol: Can cause heinz body anemia, a type of damage to red blood cells. Sodium Benzoate: Can adversely affect the central nervous system and cause allergic reactions as well as stomach irritations. Propyl Gallate Artificial colors. Cats dont care what color their food is! There is no feline Iron Chef who will turn up her nose due to bad presentation! Byproducts and meal. Byproducts arent bad per se, but it would be NICE to know which ones. They can be anything from liver (good) to beaks and feet. If theyre not named, dont feed them. Any form of corn, wheat or soy. Corn is the worst of these and may ultimately lead to diabetes. Avoid special labels such as "indoor" "senior" or "light". These foods may contain acidifying agents, excessive fiber, and inadequate fats that will result in skin and coat problems. Dont buy your food at the grocery store - go to an independently owned pet store or a chain store if they carry good brands. Butylated hydroxyamisole. Butylated hydroxytoluene. Get:Products containing MEAT, and its best if its listed first. Products that are AAFCO certified to be complete. This doesnt mean the food is good, it just means its balanced. Foods that dont have this or that arent balanced arent bad necessarily, but then they should perhaps only be used for supplemental feeding. As you can see, its more about avoiding things than looking for things. Yes, look for meat as the first ingredient, and it should be balanced for daily feeding (unless you plan to supplement). But its mostly about what you should NOT see on the label!



Enriqueta

Whiskers.



Meghann

My cats eat felix...only...loltried others but they wont touch it. dried food is good for them too...i buy tescos own premium, my cats love it.



Aurelio

When you ask these kinds of questions you really should say what country you live in...China? Chile? Canada? food is different everywhereas a rule NONE of the foods in grocery or Wal Mart are any good..this link will help you determine if a food is good or not...as a rule NEVER trust somebody who is trying to sell you a particular food - even your vet. http://www. gomestic. com/Pets/What-is-in-…



Mozella

Most of them are fine. I use tinned, dried food. Fish meat, milk. My cat loves chicken and cheese as a treat. I think that the more variety you give them the easy they are to feed. Having said that, if a cat doesnot like a food you cannot make it eat it.



Elsa

Felidae cat food. www. felidae. com you can see where to buy it from their website. Also Wellness and Innova are great cat foods also. Dont buy anything from the grocery store, wal-mart, target, pet store etc.



Gregg

Sheba or Whiskers



Irving

Dry food, our vet said that its better for cats teeth. Weve always bought Go-Cat. Cats seem to love their fishy flavours. Plus, Go-Cat have different food for different ages of cat so you can better tune the cats diet to its age.



Alyce

Felix as good as it looks my cats have they love it! cheap supermarket food is not good for cats and just corn or whatever it is in a gravy.



Christia

Natures Variety



Alysha

Depends what your kitty likes. We tried them all and she stuck her nose up at the Fancy Feast, Sheba and some other expensive ones. Her favourites were Friskies, Whiskas and some of the store brands. Her favourite dry is Kitten Chow and Friskies and the store one with little fishies and two other things in it.



Robert

I feed my pampered moggy Whiskas pouches and Go-cat biscuits (to keep her teeth clean).



Anika

Purina, wet and dry should be given daily, they need both.



Armand

The shortest and simples answer for you is to direct you to http://www. littlebigcat. com to Dr. Jean Hovfes articled titled "Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Foos". That will give you an education in reading labels and selecting the best possible food for your cat. Of course a home-prepared raw meat diet with the proper supplements is the #1 choice in feeding your cat. ANY commercially prepared food will always be a step down in quality from that standard.



Hyacinth

Weve just got a kitten and the vet gave us a load of info - the main thing is the amount of protein - at least 12-13% . also she said that using mostly wet food is better - (we feed our dog on dry) but we have a bowl of dry available for those midnight snacks-(prevents the eyebatting at 3 am.) cats are prone to urinary disorders and dry food only can contribute to this.



Cinderella

My vet recommends dry cat food. This keeps the cats teeth clean. Plus wet food is made up mainly of water. I feed my cat Purina complete it is a little expensive but my cat loves it Hope this helps!!



Genia

EVO



Pei

I cant add much to RuneAmoks excellent answer except to add my agreement that raw is best, but as that option requires a lot of research and planning to get right, a good quality commercial canned food is the next best option. Dry food is not good for cats - its cheap and convenient for the guardian, but offers no health benefits for the cat. It doesnt clean the teeth either, as some people claim. I recommend feeding all or mostly wet food. If you feed some dry, make sure you buy a really good quality food. http://www. littlebigcat. com/index. php? ac…http://www. catinfo. org/http://maxshouse. com/feline_nutrition. ht…



Cassandra

Iams and Hills are both good. If you need to get something from the local shop, Whiskas is probably as good as any.



Daniela

I feed my cats EVO. http://www. evopet. com/I also recommend these cat foods. Natures Variety Instinct, Prarie, and Raw - http://www. naturesvariety. com/content. la…Avoderm - http://www. breeders-choice. com/cat_produ…Wellness - http://www. wellnesspetfood. com/Avoid foods that contain the words corn, corn gluten, wheat gluten, soy, artificial flavors, dyes, and by-products.



Mafalda

IAMS is the absolute best thing you can feed your cats. But if your cats are picky like mine are... and they wont eat it. Friskeys is good. Too. Mine particualy like the purple bag with the carnation milk balls in it. And just remember.... if you have male cats try not to feed them alot of seafood. It can cause urinary tract problems in them. I have 2 females and 1 male and they get seafood once a week.



Clorinda

I find that IAMS is the best, a little smelly but i find it gives your cats coat a lovely shine and smoothnessplus it actually have more % of actual meet than whiskers and felix



Classie

Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cats. Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be "healthy" really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. Im not saying that a cat cant live off them... just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is "best" for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases. Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. Its completely species inappropriate. In the wild, cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they dont need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. So they do not drink water. Regular ol house cats have descended from those same wild cats. So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it need from dry food and are almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it. But it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl. Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions. Overall, wet is a better all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats. It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. Its an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into peoples heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have chewing teeth. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. They do not have molars. They may “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece if food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone. :o)I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it its a snap to prepare. Its something you might want to consider someday. They are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat! If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www. catinfo. org/ , http://www. catnutrition. org/ , and http://www. felinefuture. com/nutrition/ .If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www. felinespride. com/products/cat… . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it! If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of Pet Foods: -"Grocery store" foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, "grocery store" foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of "grocery store" food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and "filler" ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than "grocery store" foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t! - Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market - provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers. With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder. The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. :(So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next. Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap. You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet: http://www. onlynaturalpet. comIf you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores. I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new healthy food!********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system. Side note… Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your cat in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. http://www. iamscruelty. com to see the terror they create.



Eric

Hi hon! :o) Well that is a really good question - let your cats tell you what food they like - sometimes its trial and error:you may get some food for them, and they dont like it, so keep on until you find one they do like! Cats can be very fussy eaters but most of them like some freshly cooked chicken or fish - its a tricky one, but keep trying different ones until they find the one they like and stick to that one! x Good luck! >



Alphonse