Adopted a cat - didn’t realise food was so complicated!

Cornid

Hi,

I adopted a male cat, around 2-3 years old, a few weeks ago. Upon taking him to the vets I was told quite bluntly that the cheap food I was feeding him is the equivalent of mcdonalds and recommended (well, forced) to buy the very pricey Royal Canin Young Male Neutered dry food.

I’m not necessarily against spending this much but want to know it’s actually worth the money, and not just highly recommended because the vets get commission!

So my questions are:
1) should I be feeding him anything different/special because he’s neutered?
2) are there any recommended foods (preferably dry) cheaper than Royal Canin? Maybe something a bit more mid-range, but not quite tesco value level!
3) is there any particular level of meat/carb etc I should be looking for in foods? The vet mentioned avoiding carb/starch but I’m not clear on what level is acceptable.

Any help much appreciated. I really did not realise feeding a cat was this complex! (He’s worth it though )

Danielle

Robin9

Your cat will soon tell what he likes.

Never fed mine on the top of the range stuff- Whiskas/Felix go down well.

GwylimT

Royal Canin is very poor quality, some doesn!!!8217;t even contain any meat, cats are carnivores. So they advised you to avoid carbs and sold you a food thats incredibly high in carbs.

Dry isn!!!8217;t good for cats, as they have a low thirst drive. The average dry fed cat would need to drink 250ml of water per day to prevent dehydration. Neutered males are particularly prone to urinary problems when fed on a dry diet.

You need wet (or raw) ideally, look for at least 50% fresh meat and less than 10% carbs and no sugar. As a cheap food butchers orange tins fit that and are available in supermarkets.

Even asda smart price tinned is preferable to the best dry (thrive).

suki1964

Poppycock

Cats are bloody fussy with their food, it's as simple as that

I too have a rescue and didn't have a clue about cats and the only food I could get short notice was Lidls pouches, which he devoured

For a few months

So we went through a couple of changes and he's now kind of settled on Harringtons dry and Tescos cat choice in fish flavours only. He seems to prefer the smaller pieces in the choice

Harringtons is fine for a dry food, not full of cheap fillers

All I do is weigh Arthur regularly

Arthur is neutered but still spends most the night outside doing whatever cats do at night

NeilCr

I've got a rescue cat. He is 8 or 9 and is more than happy with Perle and Sheba (fish). He, also, likes Purina senior biscuits. He developed a taste for those when they were giving free samples away.

I've had many cats and been to three vet practices and the only time I've been recommended anything like Royal Canin was for a cat who had persistent cystitis.

WibblyGirly

Mine was on Whiskas and loved it. We!!!8217;ve moved him onto James Wellbeloved as I was concerned about the meat content and I wanted something grain free.
Obviously it costs us more but we get vouchers and stock up when it!!!8217;s on offer. Plus he eats less now as his food is keeping fuller on smaller amounts.

Owain_Moneysaver

If my cat didn't like the food he got he could go out and catch his own. :-)

Which he did quite often, but in the absence of mice, voles and rabbits, tinned Whiskas with the occasional lamb chop or steamed cod went down nicely.

Lavendyr

Cornid wrote: »

So my questions are:
1) should I be feeding him anything different/special because he!!!8217;s neutered?

No

Cornid wrote: »

2) are there any recommended foods (preferably dry) cheaper than Royal Canin? Maybe something a bit more mid-range, but not quite tesco value level!

My cat loves Applaws grain-free dry food - I buy it online from Zooplus, they currently have a trial pack on offer. It's 80% meat so better than many dry foods, and no wheat/grain which is difficult for cats to digest.

Cornid wrote: »

3) is there any particular level of meat/carb etc I should be looking for in foods? The vet mentioned avoiding carb/starch but I!!!8217;m not clear on what level is acceptable.

Cats are carnivores so the higher meat content the better.

As a new cat owner myself I find https://www.petforums.co.uk/ very helpful

donnac2558

For all those feeding wet or dried food with fish, cats are not meant to eat fish all the time. Cats are land hunters, ever seen one with a fishing rod? It is humans who went oh my cat likes fish I must feed it fish all the time.

Seems fish contain small amounts of arsenic which will not really affect humans but feeding foods with it to cats can cause kidney problems over time.

As for food, James Wellbeloved, Appaws wet good and Harringtons dried is good.

NeilCr

donnac2558 wrote: »

Seems fish contain small amounts of arsenic which will not really affect humans but feeding foods with it to cats can cause kidney problems over time.

.

Have you got some links/citations for this please?

hazyjo

Mine like Felix or Whiskas and don't care much for the pricier stuff (especially Royal Canin which they've turned down before!). They also like Purina biscuits. They get plenty of water. My last cat lived to 19 and my current two are around 9-11. One's fat and lazy, the other is lean, active and fit. Probably more to do with their personalities than what I feed them.