Cheap but good cat food?

paddypaws101

Lozzybeast...it is always very interesting to get input from someone working professionally with animal nutrition, so thank you.
A lot of us cat owners are somewhat suspicious of standard veterinary advice regarding nutrition because we are told that training is provided by the big pet food manufacturers themselves, Royal Canin or Hills....is that not true? I know that when I go to a seminar run by Biocare for example, I will be told which of their products to use in various clinical scenarios, but I should not expect to be taught about complete alternatives or different brands.
One of the most interesting articles that I have used to educate myself about what I believe to be correct feline nutrition was written by Deborah Zoran
http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/the-carnivore-connection-to-nutrition-in-cats
I also find Dr Lisa Pierson very informative
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood#Introduction
and having a diabetic cat I am an avid fan of Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM
http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/
None of these vets, specialising in feline nutrition advocates a dry diet, or is overly keen on most commercial wet foods, and I for one follow their advice.

rita-rabbit

snowleopard61 wrote: »

Does anyone else use this? I have always done so (the dry version, normally without supplementing it with wet food) as it's what my vet recommends. Two of my three cats are now on the C/D version for urinary problems in the past (although, touch wood, these haven't recurred for a long time); the other has recently started 'VetEssentials', which she loves, because she didn't seem to particularly like the standard Hill's adult food and didn't eat enough. I normally buy all the food from my vet because I don't drive (a big moneysaver in itself) and they have a free delivery service, but would be keen to find a discounted source if anyone knows a trustworthy online one that delivers. I have a feeling VetEssentials may not be available elsewhere though?

Incidentally I don't think I could possibly 'free-feed' as two of my cats eat everything that's put in front of them (in one case to the point of being sick once every ten days or so because he eats so fast - a lifelong problem which the vet is aware of and doesn't seem to cause health issues) and if they weren't separated by closed doors at mealtimes they would eat the third one's food as well ... I think it would lead to obesity for two and malnutrition for the third!

far cheaper than buying food from the vets & if you spend over £19 delivery is free.

rising_from_the_ashes

purplepardalis wrote: »

A combination that works well in my house from cat/quality/cost perspective is Classic for the wet food and Arden Grange for the Dry. The Arden Grange costs only £8 for 7.5kg and Classic is approx £3 for 6 tins

Purple - where do you get your Arden Grange?

I've never tried it but thought it may be worth a shot - had a quick look and the 7.5kg bags I've seen are around £26!

Thanks

mmm Just found one for £21 but still way more than £8!

MrsE_2

gettingready wrote: »

Feeding dry only is simply bad, sorry. Leads to a lot of health problems in cats.

I disagree, I think cheap dry only is bad, but there are some top quality dry foods.

Its wet without buying the water, it doesn't smell, it doesn't attract flies, its good for teeth, etc.

I feed Royal Canin, buy in bulk its very reasonable (Zooplus, pets at home offers). I used to feed persian, the vet suggested I change to Dental, so I've got that now.

MrsE_2

925dancer wrote: »

They prefer the dry because they're addicted to the carbs................

Bit like myself:rotfl:

MrsE_2

925dancer wrote: »

Have you done any species specific nutrition training lozzy?

I have read many research papers, articles by feline nutritionists, listened to lots of people vastly more educated on the subject than me and continue to read any updated information that comes to light.

My thoughts are based on the above and the fact that cats are obligate carnivores and as such have very specific dietary needs. It's our need to feed cheaply and conveniently that has led to people, thinking Go-Cat is a great diet for a cat when it's far from it. Yes millions of cats have done just fine on it but it's so far removed from their natural diet and isn't good for optimum health.

It's also all well and good saying if they have water available there's no issue but many cats barely drink and rely on their wet food for this. These are the cats that end up with health problems stemming back to their diet.

So I come back to feeding the best you can afford, do your research, even consult a feline nutritionist if you can and are very interested and stick to as close to natural as is possible.

You can't compare Go-Cat to Royal Canin. Go-Cat is like an Iceland ready meal, Royal Canin is quality food.
If a cat has a water fountain, they will drink plenty, animals prefer to drink running water (nature tells them too).

925dancer

I referred to Go-cat as a cheap food. Agreed Royal Canin is better but it is still a filler and carb laden dry food far removed from a cats natural diet.

I just put out less wet food at a time during summer months (although there is an open debate as to whether Scotland actually gets a summer!).

The tooth cleaning claim is a false one, most cats don't even crunch their dry food and the very act of crunching leaves crumbs in the mouth to fester and decay, I've never yet see a cat run it's tongue between teeth a lip the way we do to clear debris. Raw chicken bones are a natural tooth cleaner for cats.

I do feed dry but in an ideal world I would feed completely raw. I will not be swayed or convinced that an entirely dry diet is good in any way, I'm sorry. My research into the subject and reading of research documents puts me firmly in the anti camp.

925dancer

Sorry, wanted to add, I know of a lot of cats petrified of the water fountains.

I know plenty of cats who have never been witnessed drinking ever, not even from a dirty puddle.

My cats seem to actually be rare in that they are constantly drinking.

This I have gleaned from a cat forum with lots of despairing cat owners who try all sorts to get their cats to drink! Cats don't have a thirst trigger like we do, they don't know they're dehydrated which triggers a need to drink.

paddypaws101

http://feline-nutrition.org/health/diet-kidney-disease-and-the-urinary-tract
A fantastic article, from a great web site, giving lots of information about the possible issues with feeding dry food.

purplepardalis

Apologies - typo! Arden Grange 2.5 kg for £8 !!! Lol - I'd like to get 7.5 for £8. Sorry everyone. Still it's good value for a quality food. I get mine from Waitrose or Ocado when I do a big shop.