DRY CAT FOODS - NEED HELP SELECTING

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

When I brought Bogey home from the no kill shelter, all they fed the weaned kitties was a dry cat food, Cannidae is the brand; I've never seen it in a store.

Due to kidney and drinking water warnings I've seen, I started him out on both wet and dry food. Two little dishes next to each other, and he starts with wet food, then finishes with his crunchies.

I fed Bogey's pretty much the same things with some variations, just because. (Not big on giving him any human food.)

Due to supply shortages the past couple years, I have had a heck of time getting the "usual" foods, and have been trying to expand his range of favorites with wet food.

Now, I am working on selecting a new dry food (or two) and am baffled by the grain contents .... I never bought wet food with grain in it, only vegetables as an additive.

Is there a maximum percentage of grain that is good to follow? I read labels on bags of crunchies for a half hour in the store today ...... and left with nothing! I was so confused by reading the sequences of ingredients ... finally realizing I don't know what to look for!

Trial and error ..... Most small bags of crunchies are almost $10 and it can be an expensive trial and error process .... not as easy as trying a can of a new flavor and he likes it or he doesn't. The smallest bags are 3.5 or 7 pounds ... and even they aren't cheap anymore!

Any feedback or ideas would be greatly appreciated! TIA!

scruffsmom · ‎03-09-2010

I've fed my cars Diamond Natural Indoor food for years/ I got it from Amazon. If yiui have a Menards near you they sell it. Now that i onlly have 1 cat he's decided

he doesn't like it anymore.

I took him to the vet and at 16 he had no bladder or kidney stones,

He'd recently lost his appetite and I switched to Purina Naturals and Purina Kitten food.

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Tinkrbl44 - You probably have read here that my DH is a veterinarian. We have 4 rescue kitties. He has brought home every kind of cat food there is.

I can tell you our kitties get Purina Cat Chow and Fancy Feast Salmon and Egg for dry food. DH will say unless there's a reason kitties should get special dry food, Purina is fine. We don't leave it down all of the time.

KittySoftPaws · ‎07-21-2020

I've had as many as 8 cats at one time so I've pretty much seen and done it all. I have two that are in their 20's so I'm doing something right. I have a wonderful vet too that I can count on and that's crucial. As far as the grain thing, I always buy grain free in the dry food and just try different things to find what they like but stay away from Iaams. I was told once from a reputable source they use road kill and rendered pats. Yuck! but in the wet, I haven't found a one that they like in grain free, so I usually get Friskies and fancy feast and they LOVE the FF savory centers the most. I get my litter, food, and other items from Chewy on the web they are great and you get great prices, lots of choices and all orders over $50 are free shipping. Lastly, my vet who never pushes anything that is not needed, once suggested getting yearly senior panels to stay ahead of any issues common to happen with your fur babies and it was the best advice I've ever received. It's why I have 2 at the age of 22! Keep their teeth cleaned if you can too as long as they are not too old to be put under. If they are too old and their teeth get too bad my vet puts mine on an antibiotic occasionally and it does wonders, just make sure to supplement with Fortiflora at the same time. Also for elderly cats make sure they are pooping as they can get constipated easily. My vet says to use 1/8 teaspoon of miralax in their food. Good luck!

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

Well, I must also say I am astounded by the number of brands of cat food! It must be a very profitable business! Wow!

Catty2 · ‎09-06-2014

I feed my 11 year old cat Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula. She loves it. Awhile ago they came out with a senior formula. She does not like it so I continue to buy the Indoor Formula. I get a 3.5 lb. bag for about $6.

catter70 · ‎10-11-2017

I feed my guys Purina Beyond chicken with oatmeal. My vet says grain free isn't good to feed them.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

My cat likes Blue Buffalo. My Vet has told me numerous times NOT to feed grain free. There's a heart problem it causes in dogs and is suspected to cause problems in cats, too. There's no reason that dogs and cats shouldn't eat grain.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

Magicrat · ‎05-19-2015

Unless your cat(s) have some medical reason to not ingest grain, a grain-free food is not good for them. In most cases grain is a necessary and healthy part of an animals diet. I feed my cats and dogs various formulations of Hill's Science Diet, dry and canned. (No, I don't work for Hill's).