Best cat food.

hippy-chicy

Hello

I was looking for some advice regarding the best food for my new cat.

He is currently fed on 2 x Whiskers pouches daily and james well beloved dry food.

He is an indoor cat as he also has FIV. So obviously i want to feed him the best possible food to keep his immune system in tip top condition.

I want to change to a feed suitable for indoor cats (he is neutered male and wont be as active as a cat with access to the great outdoors) I am worried about him putting on weight. i do play with him as much as possible but i think that during the day when left to his own accord he likes to relax and sleep

I could also do with a food that help prevents nasty niffs in the litter tray area as at the moment it is an issue...:rotfl:

I dont really want to feed a dry only diet as i have heard that can lead to kidney/ renal problems in later life. Ideally i would like a dry/wet diet.

Can anyone recommend a suitable brand and or combination of brands that i could try.

Thanks in advance

Shoshannah

I would go with a high protein diet - cats are designed to eat meat, not cereals (which make up the bulk of many commercial foods).

For dry food I would go with Orijen, and for wet I would go for something like Nature's Menu.

Alternatively you could look into feeding raw meat. One way would be to supplement a complete food with some raw meat, another way would be to go full RMB (raw meaty bones) but make sure you research this thoroughly first.

spike7451

hippy-chicy wrote: »

Hello

I was looking for some advice regarding the best food for my new cat.

He is currently fed on 2 x Whiskers pouches daily and james well beloved dry food.

He is an indoor cat as he also has FIV so obviously i want to feed him the best possible food to keep his immune system in tip top condition.

I want to change to a feed suitable for indoor cats as he is neutered male and as he wont be as active as a cat with access to the great outdoors. I am worried about him putting on weight, although i do play with him as much as possible i think that during the day when left to his own accordhe likes to relax and sleep

I could also do with a food that help prevents nasty niffs in the litter tray area as at the moment it is an issue...:rotfl:

I dont really want to feed a dry only diet as i have heard that can lead to kidney/ renal problems in later life. Ideally i would like a dry/wet diet.

Can anyone recommend a suitable brand and or combination of brand that i could try.

Thanks in advance

Fire Fox....where arreee youuuu....:rotfl:

I've tried numerous dry kibble for Daisy & the one she prefers is Purina One Adult,she wolfs it down! Orbit (rip) was very very partial to the P@H 'Purely' range too although Daisy's not too keen on it.

However it is very good quality nosh for our furballs!
http://www.petsathome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?freeText=purely&x=0&y=0&storeId=10551&catalogId=10601&langId=-1


HTH,
Spike

Apricot

My two have Orijen which is expensive but stops all of those stinky poos as it is grain free. As for wet I feed Feline Fayre (4 for £1 at Asda) and Bozita (from Zooplus). Have you considered raw feeding? My two love it & it's not as scary and labour intensive as I first thought it would be. I tend to feed wet in the morning, leave a small amount of dry down in the day and raw in the evening.

Fire_Fox

hippy-chicy wrote: »

He is currently fed on 2 x Whiskers pouches daily and james well beloved dry food.

He is an indoor cat as he also has FIV. So obviously i want to feed him the best possible food to keep his immune system in tip top condition.

I want to change to a feed suitable for indoor cats (he is neutered male and wont be as active as a cat with access to the great outdoors) I am worried about him putting on weight. i do play with him as much as possible but i think that during the day when left to his own accord he likes to relax and sleep

I could also do with a food that help prevents nasty niffs in the litter tray area as at the moment it is an issue...:rotfl:

I dont really want to feed a dry only diet as i have heard that can lead to kidney/ renal problems in later life. Ideally i would like a dry/wet diet.

Can anyone recommend a suitable brand and or combination of brands that i could try.

Thanks in advance

Not sure if there is any FIV-specific nutrition advice here:
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/board,10.0.html
While you are there check out the amazing toys in the Purrs shop, I have spent a small fortune but my indoor mogster loves them all!

My rescue cat came to me on Felix and James Wellbeloved and I was warned he was a three times a day stinker! I originally intended to feed an indoor food so e-mailed loads of companies and got free samples - then switched to high meat/ grain-free foods and we are down to once a day, barely smells even when scooping. :T Too much tuna and/ or too much rice are the killers for Noah, several indoor foods made him stink worse!

As far as commercial foods go, there are four really high meat/ grain free kibbles - Orijen, Applaws, Fish4Cats and Pets at Home Purely More Meat. Reasonably priced complete/ high meat wet foods include Pets at Home Purely, Tesco Luxury and Bozita - only online but contains a compound which claims to boost the immune system. :money: I would possibly avoid Feline Fayre in your case as most varieties are only complementary and it does contain some sugars.
http://www.bozita.com/en/Robur/Functions/Macrogard/

IIRC FIV cats are more likely to have dental problems? Raw chicken wings, necks or rib cages are often recommended. There are many raw feeders with FIV cats who report health improvements, and others in the vet world who are concerned that a weakened immune system might not cope with food poisoning. Cats digestive systems are designed to eat raw meat, their stomachs are very acidic and food passes through very quickly, but this is a decision you will have to make yourself.

A supplement which may help with immune function and absorption of nutrients from food is LactoB - beneficial bacteria such as you find in those little yoghurt drinks. As your cat has a diagnosed health condition, I would recommend any supplements or unusual diets are run by your vet or, better still, a pet nutritionist. Orijen contains some probiotic bacteria in the formula:
http://www.orijenpetfoods.co.uk/acatalog/info_6499205400.html
http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1657

HTH without constituting medical advice which I am only qualified for in humans!! :rotfl:

~Chameleon~

It would be worth you looking at the vast range of Royal Canin diets as these have been expertly researched and offer both wet and dry varieties.

http://www.royalcanin.co.uk/my_pet/product_finder/product_finder_cat.aspx

Whilst it's certainly true that dry diets have contributed to FLUTD (cystitis) I've found the majority of cases have been linked to poorer quality diets such as IAMS, Go-Cat etc although that's not excluding those cats which really do not suit dry diets at all, for whatever reason.

In some cases it can be as simple as the owner placing a water bowl next to the food bowl which a cat then refuses to drink from, thus becoming dehydrated and going on to develop struvite crystals in the bladder which can cause FLUTD. Cat's like everything to be kept apart... food, water, litter... preferably all in separate rooms if possible!

There is even a low pH diet for people who want to continue feeding a dry diet to cats that have previously suffered with or are prone to FLUTD.

LipstickPink

My two are thriving on Bozita from zooplus.com and Hills dry, they are 1 1/2 yrs/neutered and are not overweight.

Bozita are one of the most economical high meat content food I have found. They have one carton a day, half morning/evening so it works out about £1 a day, less if you bulk buy.

hippy-chicy

Thank you for all the replies. Its given me quite a bit to think about. I think that I would prefer to stick to a food that is easily sourced at the moment so i might intially try the purley or Applaws range of foods.

I have another 3 weeks worth of the whiskers/ JWB so will continue with that for now then make a decision before i am due to stock up again.

Would people suggest introdcuing a new food over about a week does that seem ok, or would you advise a bit longer

Thanks

paddypaws101

If your cat really is at higher risks of dental problems due to FIV status then I would really recommend frequent ongoing use of probiotics. High strength capsules can be opened and sprinkled directly onto food ( as long as the cat will eat it!! )
Cats do not produse salivary amylase, which is used to break down carbohydrates, so limiting carbohydrate dry food would also be advised. The natural abrasion from meaty bones or chewy fibrous lumps of meat would be far better at ongoing removal of dental plaque.

lowis

My boys get Applaws dry, supplemented with treats such as chicken, fish and beef. They occasionally get Cat McDonalds (whiskers, felix wet food) as a rare treat

Fire_Fox

hippy-chicy wrote: »

Thank you for all the replies. Its given me quite a bit to think about. I think that I would prefer to stick to a food that is easily sourced at the moment so i might intially try the purley or Applaws range of foods.

I have another 3 weeks worth of the whiskers/ JWB so will continue with that for now then make a decision before i am due to stock up again.

Would people suggest introdcuing a new food over about a week does that seem ok, or would you advise a bit longer

Thanks

I would only change either the wet or the dry not both together. Be aware that Applaws adult wet is only a complementary food, the dry is obviously complete. Bozita is available from five or six online retailers not just Zooplus.