Ethical Indoor Cat Food & Litter

Fire_Fox

I have run a search and I know this issue came up a couple of years ago, but I felt the thread was out of date and had degenerated into a row that I didn't want to dredge up. Half of this is thinking 'out loud' but I wanted to give as much info as possible.

I am soon to become the owner of an indoor rescue cat: indoor because I will either adopt a deaf or partially sighted moggy and I live in a flat. I am trying to find products that balance the cat's wellbeing with my ethical principles and need to be moneysaving.

Food - on advice from the Pets board I hope to feed my cat a premium dry food. I have been shocked to learn that supermarket complete foods and some branded contain just 4% meat. :eek: Whilst these products are cheap, they don't feel like value for money! The premium brands contain between 20% and 80% meat and cost four to seven times as much as own brand.

I know a fair bit about nutrition so I am keen to use a food that contain fish oils, prebiotics and a fair proportion of fibre. This should ensure my less active cat has a healthy digestion and immune system, and probably means using a food specifically designed for indoor cats at least some of the time.

There I come a bit unstuck: the companies that sell themselves as ethical don't always seem to offer an indoor cat food. I'm not bothered about organic, but free range meat would be preferable. TBH I'm a bit unclear what the ethics of cat food entails! Can anyone enlighten me?

Secondly has anyone tried the cat litter based on hemp? I know Yesterday's News has been recommended, has anyone tried other brands based on recycled paper? Is flushing (wasting water) better than landfill in a biodegradable sack? I don't have any way of composting here.

muckybutt

As far as cat food goes you have to really look at the chemicals that go into the product, stuff like science diet etc although they say they are balanced they give a lot of side effects, google barf diets and that'll open your eyes as to what *rap they put into food.
We feed our moggies on meat and every other day pro plan available from pets at home and its on offer at the moment till end of sept

Belisarius

I really recommend Applaws Dry ... there are some VERY good deals on it at the moment (at zooplus & petsupermarket). For wet, I recommend the Hilife pouches, which are 60% meat & cost £4.99 in Sainsbury's & Tesco's for 12 100g packs. I feed my cat 80g of Applaws plus 1 pouch of Hilife most days, and spend £5 a week on his food. Some people also like the Purely range from Pets at Home for a cheaper option, though I haven't tried it myself.

I honestly wouldn't worry about special indoor cat foods ... often they are just there to make more money. Just be sure to provide the cat with a little tray of cat grass, and it will be fine. Really!

There are more ethical foods out there, but they are either prohibitively expensive (for me) & often just not good quality in terms of food for a cat itself (ie - ethical doesn't always equal better quality in cat terms) ...

These two, for example are organic / free range dry foods but not such good quality as the first ingredients are corn & wheat, and they also include other grains:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/defu/79072
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/yarrah/43632#composition

And this wet food is organic / free range, but has a low meat content and is made from animal derivatives:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/miamor/miamor_trays/42064#composition

I would suggest going to zooplus and typing "organic cat" in the search box. It will throw up lots of foods for you to explore!

Anyway, good luck with your search!

Fire_Fox

Thanks for the replies. I have found a large number of premium foods on the market including the organic ones you mention, but am confused as to what the ethical issues surrounding cat food over and above free-range are. The only thing I can definitely identify is that Purina is a Nestle brand, so won't be going there!

Indoor cat foods are different - they contain a much higher fibre content, up to 11% whereas standard cat food is 2%. Fibre can prevent furballs (indoor cats groom more), help keep the cat feeling full (more prone to weight issues), help keep the bowels moving (normally done by a lot of exercise) and make for less smelly poos. As I work in healthcare this all makes a lot of sense to me.

Volcano

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Secondly has anyone tried the cat litter based on hemp? I know Yesterday's News has been recommended, has anyone tried other brands based on recycled paper? Is flushing (wasting water) better than landfill in a biodegradable sack? I don't have any way of composting here.

"Yesterday's News" is a Purina brand. There's a few cat litters here made from paper, wood and even waste corn: http://www.recycledproducts.org.uk/view/sub_sector.cfm?ss_id=449

It would seem to make sense to use something that is a waste product and would have no use otherwise.

You could flush cat poo down the toilet at the same time as you would normally flush the toilet, meaning no extra flushing. But I wouldn't personally flush the cat litter itself as there's too much chance of a blockage.

Belisarius

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Indoor cat foods are different - they contain a much higher fibre content, up to 11% whereas standard cat food is 2%. Fibre can prevent furballs (indoor cats groom more), help keep the cat feeling full (more prone to weight issues), help keep the bowels moving (normally done by a lot of exercise) and make for less smelly poos. As I work in healthcare this all makes a lot of sense to me.

Unfortunately, the fibre in these indoor foods comes from things cats don't naturally eat in large quantities, and which risk ultimately doing more harm than good because of that. The best solution for furballs is to leave a tray of cat grass out for them; the best solution for smelly poo is to feed a high-quality diet, not composed of grain fillers, and rich in meat; the best solution to getting a cat moving is to invest a lot of time playing with it yourself & weight gain will also be minimised by feeding a low-grain, high-meat diet. I'm sorry to go on about it, but companies who sell all these different varieties of food are generally ripping you off & not necessarily providing what's best for your cat.

Fire_Fox

Belisarius wrote: »

Unfortunately, the fibre in these indoor foods comes from things cats don't naturally eat in large quantities, and which risk ultimately doing more harm than good because of that. The best solution for furballs is to leave a tray of cat grass out for them; the best solution for smelly poo is to feed a high-quality diet, not composed of grain fillers, and rich in meat; the best solution to getting a cat moving is to invest a lot of time playing with it yourself & weight gain will also be minimised by feeding a low-grain, high-meat diet. I'm sorry to go on about it, but companies who sell all these different varieties of food are generally ripping you off & not necessarily providing what's best for your cat.

You aren't going on at all: it's good to have a different perspective! I'd noticed the major difference in meat content of dry foods - Go Cat Indoor for example contains just 4% meat!! :eek: Several of the vet-designed 'natural' foods contain potato and/ or rice which I was surprised about, I had thought you'd want just meat and veg.

Not sure if I am going to be able to grow cat grass as I have North-facing tinted windows but intend to give it a go, and I will play with the cat wherever possible.

Fire_Fox

Volcano wrote: »

"Yesterday's News" is a Purina brand. There's a few cat litters here made from paper, wood and even waste corn: http://www.recycledproducts.org.uk/view/sub_sector.cfm?ss_id=449

It would seem to make sense to use something that is a waste product and would have no use otherwise.

You could flush cat poo down the toilet at the same time as you would normally flush the toilet, meaning no extra flushing. But I wouldn't personally flush the cat litter itself as there's too much chance of a blockage.

Thanks for that info. We already have evil Nestle in the house as cereal is the only way I can get wholegrain into Mr. Fire Fox, but will not be buying Purina cat litter. I have read that wood is not safe for cats: great to read that the corn is waste tho. :T

The alternative to flushing is landfill I have two rolls of biodegradable pedal bin liners that were a bargain at Tesco so can use those for bagging up - my bin is in my combined kitchen/ living area so need to double bag for smells.

moonrakerz

Fire_Fox wrote: »

but will not be buying Purina cat litter. I have read that wood is not safe for cats: QUOTE]

I'm intrigued - why ? They **** on it , not eat it !

vij

I have indoor cats and feed burns, it seems expensive but its not that bad when you consider what it in it. It is less than 50p per day when we buy a big sack. I feed the chicken and rice its not an "indoor" food but since chanding to it Ive seen a good improvement in our cats conditions.

Feed ratio is apprx 10g food per kilogram of cat x 2 feeds a day

http://www.shop.burnspet.com/acatalog/Cat_Feeding_Guide.html

and delivery is free if you buy direct from them

Fire_Fox

moonrakerz wrote: »

I'm intrigued - why ? They **** on it , not eat it !

Something to do with tiny fragments of wood getting in their eyes, plus some cats are allergic to the oils in the wood. Litter gets on their feet so they will obviously try to clean that off with their tongue ...

There is also the possibility that the crystal litters may not be safe as they contain carcinogens. As my indoor cat is going to be using litter all the time, and I have had excellent results with my own health living a more 'natural' lifestyle, I am not taking any risks.

Please note I am not taking all this as gospel, as I am well aware anyone can say anything on the internet and I haven't had time to research thoroughly.