NWR: Any pet food snobs?

J&K10910 · September 2009

We're currently feeding Science Diet Natural (to our cat) because that's what the shelter was feeding her and the vet said it was a good choice. She's super picky about her food. We're just wondering if some of the "better" foods are worth the extra price tag. (Note: we are completely willing to spend more on her food, but only if it's really that much better than the Sci. Diet Natural.) I've heard good things about Nutro and Royal Canin. Anyone feed these? Is it worth it to switch?

J&K10910 · September 2009

So much to think about. I don't even think this hard about what I feed us. We eat generic grocery store brands...haha

mocha beans · September 2009

I don't either, but the human digestive system is much more resilient and forgiving I believe. We can function on much more variety, or lack of variety, than a cat can. Even dogs are able to eat way more things and their systems are just fine. They can handle veggies and grain much easier.

SoSweet06 · September 2009

Please, please do your research before feeding Nutro. There are many complaints made about pets becoming ill or dying after being fed this food short or long term. I was feeding my dogs Nutro until I read about the number of deaths. I would love to switch to Taste of the Wild, but since I'm currently unemployed, Chicken Soup is the best I can do...my dogs do really well on it even though they both have sensitive stomachs. I know they make a cat version, but my foster cat can only eat canned food at the moment so I haven't tried it.

katiewhompus · September 2009

Elf, I worked at PetSmart for 3 years and became very good friends with our reps. Blue Buffalo always impressed the crap out of me, followed by Nutro. Unfortunately the cat refuses to eat Blue Buffalo lol. The Sciece Diet guy was my friend because he gave me free stuff, but he didn't know as much about the food. That and I'm still bitter at Science Diet for changing their bag look without warning to the customers.The whompus has been on Nutro for over 9 years without a problem *knock on wood*. With the exception of the recall in 2007, I have never heard of a customer having a dog or cat who died after eating Nutro. They are pretty good about pulling their food at the merest hint of an issue. Like I said though, very unreliable for food availability.

J&K10910 · September 2009

I'm pretty pissed at Science Diet for no longer making the wet food in the pouches. Even though they put something super similar in cans, my cat won't eat the crap in the cans, but she loved the stuff in the pouches. Ugh.

Brie2010 · September 2009

We honestly tried to feed our cats the more natural foods--we tried a few different brands (California Natural and Blue Buffalo) but it didn't work out. We have a cat with colitis, and those foods are too rich for her system and they made her poop all over the place. She needs one of the foods that's made with more grains for the fiber (or at least that's what our vet said), so we use Royal Canin. I feel a little guilty because it's not the best, most natural solution, but she really can't tolerate the better kinds.

clseale13 · September 2009

Brodie gets California Natural. It costs me close to $50 every 4-5 weeks (he's 110lbs) but he's sensitive w/his stomach and his skin so having a food that's pretty minimal on the fillers and natural is worth it. It's made by natura. He used to see a vet that was more into holistic medicine and he suggested it.

mocha beans · September 2009

Brie, have you tried a raw diet for kitty? Our white cat would throw up daily and had runny poops all the time until we got her on the raw diet. Now everything is perfect. catforums.com (I think) has good info on all foods and a section on raw foods.

brittjoy84 · September 2009

We feed our dogs high quality food. I would never feed Science Diet, the first ingredient is corn, the second is by-product. One of my dogs has allergy and skin issues so we are still trying to find the perfect food. Right now we are using Merrick.

J&K10910 · September 2009

FYI, the first ingredient in Science Diet Natural cat food is not corn (it's chicken) and there's no by-product in it. Not saying there aren't better foods out there, obviously there are, which is why I made the thread. Just saying.

aggiebug · September 2009

Cats DO need some grain in their diet. Not quite like dogs do, but the do too eat plant material. If you ever watch the wat a wild cat eats its prey the first thing the eat is the intestines which is filled with... a lot of digested plant materials. Cats do not inherently have the enzymes to break down grass, but neither do cattle. Grains in dog and cat foods (well not grocery store brands) are already broken down, and what is not is meant to be a fiber source to help maintain intestinal motility. The better the diet you feed them, the less food they should need to eat/ day which is why it is actually cheaper to feed quality foods. Its more per bag but it will last longer. That being said there are a lot of organic foods that are outrageously priced, and not scientifically sound, but they know there is a market. I personally like Science Diet formulas, they have been great for my animals. It is not the only diet out there. I do not like nutro or (as many above have also voiced). I have mixed feelings about ROyal Canin, but I also have a hard time with the fact that they also make Alpo, if they acutally cared about animals they would not put that crap on the market.

engaged2Q · September 2009

I'm a pet food snob...but I'm not sure the brand matters as much as the ingredients. Make sure a quality protein is the first ingredient and take it from there. I had to try multiple food with my picky eater three-year-old dog. When I found one that she liked that was high quality, I went with it.

brittjoy84 · September 2009

The SD Dog Food is corn and by-products, I don't know about the cat stuff since I don't have any.

katiewhompus · September 2009

I think the Natural line is a higher quality than the normal Science Diet foods, for cats and dogs.The SD hairball my cat is eating now lists Chicken by-product meal as the first ingredient. Not so great. However one of the reps did tell me that SD uses "better by-products" than others. For example bits of ground of bone or things that aren't "meat" but not things like the beaks, toes, etc that can cause issues.

aggiebug · September 2009

sausage is a byproduct. byproduct just means that is it not the center cut of the meat, yes there is meat from the neck of a chicken, it is still meat with the same protein content, it just doesn't sell to humans because it is not worth cooking for us. Yes byproduct can have some feather in there, but it has to be less than 1% or something like that. Meal just means its cooked before added. so when a bag says 50% whole chicken breasts, that also includes all the water that it loses during the cooking process so you really have a lot less than that since over 60% of breast meat is water. However if you have 30% chicken meal, that means you have 30% chicken in your dog food.

J&K10910 · September 2009

Yeah, Katie, the regular stuff does have by-product in it. I read on one of the BARF diet sites that it's ok for them to eat the bones, anyway? So if the guy was telling the truth and it is bone, I guess it could be worse...haha

mocha beans · September 2009

Bone is very good for cats. Cleans teeth, strengthens the jaws, provides calcium. Took mine a bit to get used to it, but now they love em. I bought the packages of party wings. The wing sections are easy, the leg sections are bit tougher, but definately doable

mocha beans · September 2009

I should say, RAW bone is good for cats. Cooked bone tends to splinter easier and can cause cuts in the digestive system. Not sure why that is, but it's what I've read from many places, of course I can't remember what sites they were though.

shawna77inil · September 2009

My vet recommended Royal Canin for my cats when one of them was having tummy trouble. That and 1/4th of a pepcid everyday. It seemed to help, but she told me that part of the digestive issue was that she was eating too fast and needed something that would slow her down. The size of the kibble was the biggest help with her because she had no choice but to chew longer or she couldn't get it down. I didn't notice any real difference in any of their coats or health while they were eating it, and now the pepcid with some laxatone keeps her free from tummy trouble. I've tried a variety of different foods with my cats over the years and they all seem to prefer just plain ol' cat chow. I'm guessing it's because it is pretty much tailored for multi cat households? I really don't know honestly. I may have to try to homemade foods suggested here though. I'll bet they would love those!

thesuninherhead · September 2009

I used to feed Royal Canin, it was quite good, although we are going to make the switch to prepared raw (as in, the high quality stuff from the pet stores, not supermarket offcuts) soon.The extra cost ends up saving you money on the expensive foods, though, because there is much more nutritional value in the expensive food which isn't full of cereals and other products that have little value for cats. Also, you'll save on vet expenses (particularly in terms of things like UTIs which can be triggered by poorly balanced supermarket foods).

ruffian99 · September 2009

Doesn't look like there is much to add here but HOORAY! So glad to see there are others who realize that the pet food industry is just that--an INDUSTRY. The smartest way to feed your animal is just like you feed yourself--natural, unprocessed foods, raw if possible. My dog eats raw beef and veggies every day. She is healthier than she ever was on a processed, baked kibble diet--not natural for humans or doggies! And yet I still have to explain to my friends why I don't feed her "normal" dog food, or listen to them say that their dogs don't get "people" food. Argh.

NWR: Any pet food snobs?

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