# Help Me Find a Food?



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

I'm looking for a different food to feed the cats, but I'm having a hard time with it.

It must be dry, and sweet potato and ANY form of fish/seafood free, and I would prefer under $30 for a 15 lb bag. Any suggestions would be great, thanks.

They're on PureVita right now


----------



## violina (Jan 28, 2013)

I wasn't sure if you were looking for wet or dry, so I did a quick search for dry foods. It looks as though Halo, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, and Innova are all a bit higher than what you're looking for (even though they would fit the bill.

The closest to your range was Core which was 12 lbs. for $37.79 on Petco.

Perhaps you can try a sample of The Honest Kitchen's Prowl or Grace? It looks like you can order a 1 oz Mini Sample straight through their website.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

The price point you're asking for puts you in the mid-quality food range. Natural Balance LID Chicken would probably be close, I consider it low end high quality because the first ingredient is peas...but once the water is extracted from them the 2nd ingredient chicken meal will provide the most protein, so a little better than a mid-quality food. But still a lot of the protein coming from veggie sources and a really high carb content. But if you're that restricted on ingredients and price, it's probably the best you can get.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Alright, thanks guys.

My sister put her cat(the one with the allergies) on Innova, grain-free chicken, which has herring oil in it and he did NOT react, so we're reevaluating his allergies. She fed him a noodle and he tore his face open, so we're thinking that the Merrick she was feeding him when we were testing allergies the first time (fish but no sweet potato) had wheat in it.

We had him on Wellness CORE as the food we knew he didn't react to and thought we narrowed down his allergies to sweet potato and fish, but apparently not.

I put my cats on Earthborn Holistic, fish and she put Telmo on the not fish based one. We're looking for an affordable food that won't make Telmo react for when we move in together this summer.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I don't believe that Merrick has ever contained wheat.


----------



## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

i can't speak for every flavor, but grammy's pot pie has potatoes and potato starch. the southern one has rice, so it isn't grain-free but i don't see any wheat.

if you go to doggiefood.com, you can look at any brand (they have a* lot*) and the ingredients are listed for every single one. plus the price is right there too. i wouldn't buy in bulk if you don't know what your cat likes because they don't accept returns of partial cases.

but at least you could see what's in the food.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

We're just gonna not feed him noodles anymore and try foods that have fish oils down the line (at least fourth ingredient from the top) and avoid foods that have fish as the main source of protein. 

Doodlebug, I wasn't sure if it had or not, and I was making a rushed post before work, but I see now that it didn't.

Before my sister got him, he was originally on Sprout as a barn cat. He physically looked sickly, probably a combination of the sheer number of cats and the poor food, but he had no skin allergies to the Sprout. If I remember correctly, he did have some respiratory issues that cleared up on their own.

He will literally eat everything BUT Wellness CORE. He eats just enough to survive and he begs really hardcore, and will find some way to get in the garbage. So we're trying to balance between a relatively decent, affordable food, that he'll eat willing so he doesn't jump on top of the fridge and eat entire loaves of bread with some plastic or whatever else he finds because he acts like he's going to die of starvation on CORE.

The Earthborn Holistic Grain-Free series is about ten dollars cheaper than both Innova and California Natural, at $28 for a 14 pound bag, instead of $38. And the guy and the feed warehouse had coupons that he used for us c:
It seems good, but we'll keep bouncing around until we find one we like a lot.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

I looked at the doggiefood.com thing and the food I have them on now cost $35 on there! That's only $7 more, but dang!


----------



## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Have you looked at Before Grain Chicken dry cat food? Or is that the Merrick you were feeding before? The only one I know of that is completely fish free minus the salmon oil it has in it for skin and coat. Its like 23 dollars or so for a 11 pound bag... Here's the ingredient list: 
Chicken Deboned, Chicken Meal, Potato Dehydrated, Turkey Meal, Chicken Fat(preserved with mixed tocopherols – a source of Vitamin E), Sweet Potato Dehydrated, Yeast Culture, Natural Flavor, Blueberry Dried, Organic Alfalfa, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Salmon Oil, Choline Chloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Chicory Root, Marigold Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Niacin, Lecithin, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Amino Acid Complex, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

_dahowlers,_ you might want to read this excellent article on cat nutrition. 

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Zilla, yes, Before Grain Chicken was how we found out he was allergic to stuff(sweet potato in this case). Then we found WellnessCORE, which we found we could use as a middle-man for Telmo's healing after his reactions. Since he didn't like it, we wanted to find something else. The first time we switched from that it was to a fish-based food, where he reacted again. We've been bouncing around pretty successfully though, just looking for the right fit Telmo and financially-wise.

catloverami, we cannot afford to feed wet, and we free feed.


----------



## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

U may rethink free feeding. It's not exactly a good thing.... Overweight issues etc.... And well I'm not sure there's another food that's fish free :| I searched for a while trying to find one for my cats.... Before grain was the only one 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> I looked at the doggiefood.com thing and the food I have them on now cost $35 on there! That's only $7 more, but dang!


i get around that by ordering over $150 -200 at a time. you get a 20% discount and free shipping that way, but i have three cats.

also, they're east coast and i'm in denver, so food prices might be higher here because they're way cheaper than any pet store where i can buy the same thing. last time i compared, they were cheaper than wag, petflow direct and another one, even if you had pre-orders. the pre-ordering brought it down to the same price as doggiefood, before the bulk discount.

but they are probably more expensive than some places in the midwest and rural areas.

mostly you can use it for the ingredients, you will be able to see what's in a food before you even consider it.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Zilla, I completely agree that free-feeding can cause overweight issues, but my cats don't have overweight issues. I'm not sure if we'll continue free-feeding once my sister and I move in together, cause her cat turns into a butterball turkey haha

cinderflower, I can't afford to buy that much cat food at once :/ I'm a poor college student that only works part time, plus my dog. And Freya has medical issues that I'm struggling to afford. I'll have to see if I can buy in bulk once I get my stuff straightened out, I love every discount I can get :3


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

i used to buy food in bulk together with a friend, so we would split the order. maybe any of your friends would like to order with you, then you do not have to pay that much at once.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

also, if i am not mistaken, if you order from chewy.com and set up regular orders, you will get 15% off first order. and ypu do not have to order for $200, but for $49 to get free shipping 

on doggiefood.com I got discounts for ordering for $100 and free shipping. I ended up paying $80, and got tons of food


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Hold the phone! I think doggiefood.com is showing me the wrong ingredients?
For Evo Turkey and Chicken is shows me:
Venison, Venison Broth, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Minerals, Guar Gum, Vitamins, Choline Chloride, Herring Oil, Salt, Sodium Ascorbate, Taurine, Sunflower Oil, Sodium Phosphate, Beta Carotene

And apparently CORE has fish in it, I don't know what we were thinking. I think it may have been when I didn't full understand the meaning of meal, but we're going to reevaluate his allergies.


----------



## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

_Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Broth, Chicken Broth, Chicken Meal, Herring, Carrots, Whole Eggs, Salmon Meal, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan, Tomato Flakes, Cottage Cheese, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Apples, Guar Gum, Vitamins/Minerals, Inulin, Herring Oil, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Sunflower Oil, Taurine, Sodium Phosphate, Beta Carotene_

they're both down at the bottom and both cans are purple. at first i thought inulin was supposed to be insulin lol.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

The are several flavors of CORE and at least one doesn't have fish. I assumed that's the one you were feeding when you said you needed fish free.


----------



## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> cinderflower, I can't afford to buy that much cat food at once :/ I'm a poor college student that only works part time, plus my dog. And Freya has medical issues that I'm struggling to afford. I'll have to see if I can buy in bulk once I get my stuff straightened out, I love every discount I can get :3


 yeah i know. it was tough for me at first until i worked out a system. but you have to have that much money up front and a lot of people don't. maybe you could do what anie said and get a pet food pool together lol. no, it could work. it would take some planning and you'd have to have it shipped to one address but it's doable.



anie said:


> also, if i am not mistaken, if you order from chewy.com and set up regular orders, you will get 15% off first order. and ypu do not have to order for $200, but for $49 to get free shipping
> 
> on doggiefood.com I got discounts for ordering for $100 and free shipping. I ended up paying $80, and got tons of food


almost all of them have free shipping over $49 (i think) but the reason i didn't go to chewy.com is because you only get the 15% off on the first order and you have to pre-order, and whatever food i was ordering (weruva, i think) was only the doggiefood price after the 15% discount, and i wouldn't get it on the next. and that wasn't even considering the 20% i'd get at doggie, so it didn't really seem like a good deal to me. 

these places are tricky 8-O


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Then it must've been the one that didn't have fish. I remember being very careful about it...

My mom is refusing to buy cat food now because the cats eat the dog food, which is Fromm Gold. I'm on my own for cat food unless I can get my sister in on it, and possibly her boyfriend's step mom. And my mom refuses to buy anything more expensive than Meow Mix.

So does doggie do the 20% each time you order, or is it the scheduled order thing and still every time? I'm wondering if I could get a discount from the feed store from buying in bulk? I'll have to call them up and ask them sometime, since their prices are already quite a bit cheaper.

On a different, what are the absolute best DRY foods that are grain-free and don't have sweet potato or fish(as a main protein source)?


----------



## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

dahowlers said:


> My mom is refusing to buy cat food now because the cats eat the dog food, which is Fromm Gold. I'm on my own for cat food unless I can get my sister in on it, and possibly her boyfriend's step mom. And my mom refuses to buy anything more expensive than Meow Mix.
> 
> On a different, what are the absolute best DRY foods that are grain-free and don't have sweet potato or fish(as a main protein source)?


This is serious! Cats aren't dogs, they need lysine in their diet, or can go blind and face serious nutritional deficiency. Dog food does not contain lysine and cats cannot make this amino acid on their own. Get the cats away from the dog food and educate your mother!

Also, Fromm isn't cheap, why would she be willing to buy it for a dog and only Meow Mix for the kitties?

As far as single protein foods, I have not looked too extensively into it. I know Natural Balance makes LID foods.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

Carmel said:


> This is serious! Cats aren't dogs, they need lysine in their diet, or can go blind and face serious nutritional deficiency. Dog food does not contain lysine and cats cannot make this amino acid on their own. Get the cats away from the dog food and educate your mother!


I think you mean taurine, not lysine.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> So does doggie do the 20% each time you order, or is it the scheduled order thing and still every time? I'm wondering if I could get a discount from the feed store from buying in bulk? I'll have to call them up and ask them sometime, since their prices are already quite a bit cheaper.


nope, they just give you discount with every order if you order above certain amount of money. you do not have to set up any re-ordering.
as far as i am concerned they always have coupon codes for discounts when you order above $100, $150 or $200. different codes for different discounts depending on how much you spent. last time i got 20% off and free shipping for ordering for $100. when you register with them they will send you coupons almost every day via email. only thing you need to remember is that their shipping is slowish. it took 5 or 6 days for my order to come. so you need to order early enough.


----------



## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Oh, yeah. That sounds more like it. I'm in bed sick, so I'm not really thinking straight. Haha.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

Carmel said:


> Oh, yeah. That sounds more like it. I'm in bed sick, so I'm not really thinking straight. Haha.


oh no, get better!!


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

For a while, everybody was on Taste of the Wild, three cats and the first dog, but it didn't agree with anybody. Very smelly and loose stool, so once they finished she switched the dog to Fromm, which is cheaper than TOTW, and started buying cheaper food for the cats. Then I started buying the cat food and we got another dog, then Freya got extremely sick and I'm struggling to afford the cat food. 

I think the main reason she's willing to pay for the dog food is that she paid for the dogs, but I really have no clue. She has these weird mood swings when it has anything to do with the cats, but I'll definitely tell her about the tuarine :/ I can't remember what lysine does, but my vet suggested me giving it to Freya for her medical issues as an extra boost.

It doesn't really have to be single protein, Telmo should be fine on duck, turkey, beef, and venison. He was on California Natural, limited ingredients which he liked but was a little pricey over here.

Thanks for teh quick replies guys, you've all been really helpful


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

supplementing with lysine is very beneficial for cats with herpes virus that causes cat colds, eyes infections, runny noses, etc.
it boosts immune system and helps fight those herpes colds. I dont know the mechanism though.
many people give it to their cats, including me.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks anie! Coupons too?! doggiefood is really starting to sound like a dream  haha
I'm positive my sister will go halfsies with me once we settle on a food. I noticed that doggiefood.com has foods for about $5 more than the feed store does, but with that 20% off for a certain amount, that's like a whole free bag!


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

When a cat is being managed for feline herpes, is it still contagious? We're not sure what Freya has, but she was on azithromycin, and my vet wants to do a trial run to see if her symptoms return, and if they do we'll continue to medicate.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> Thanks anie! Coupons too?! doggiefood is really starting to sound like a dream  haha
> I'm positive my sister will go halfsies with me once we settle on a food. I noticed that doggiefood.com has foods for about $5 more than the feed store does, but with that 20% off for a certain amount, that's like a whole free bag!


it depends on foods - some foods are little more expensive there, some are cheaper. like in every online pet store. there is no "the cheapest" store. if you compare few biggest ones, you will see that prices vary in all of them in both directions, up and down  when i buy food for my cats online, I usually go for wag.com or doggiefood. com. if I am going to order lots of food, i usually order from doggiefood, because with their discounts it is cheaper. but you have to order for at least $100. so that's the drawback.



dahowlers said:


> When a cat is being managed for feline herpes, is it still contagious? We're not sure what Freya has, but she was on azithromycin, and my vet wants to do a trial run to see if her symptoms return, and if they do we'll continue to medicate.


it depends. it always good to separate or at least to try because cats colds are highly contagious. but, if other not sick cats have strong immune system, they do not necessarily contract the cold. i have two cats. My Blackberry has chronic URI problems, almost always little snotty, some days it's almost perfect, some days he is congested. (he did not respond to antibiotics, he was a runt of his litter, always the weakest, he is a rescue cat. my vet thinks, and I agree, that is it most likely viral. so he gets lysine daily and we are managing). on the other hand, my Josie, who is his sister, never got a cold. knock on the wood. and they sleep, eat, play together. so not every cat cat contracts cat colds, even if they are highly contagious in general.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

It seems like doggiefood.com has food that's more expensive than everything at the feed store, but I think that levels out with the discount. I'll try to calculate it when I have spare time. When does it show you the 20% discount, and can that be used with the 15% new customer discount?

Where do you get your lysine? I haven't gotten a chance to wander to different pharmacies to look at it, I'm pretty restricted on how much I can drive money-wise.

Thankfully, Freya responded to the medicine or she probably would have died. The vet told me she probably wouldn't survive but she made it. After she was off of death's door the vet put her on Azithromycin and you wouldn't even know she was sick. 

Kick Start, the oldest cat, had sniffles for a bit before I was able to get Freya treated but before her rapid decline in condition. His went away, and the other cat, Psycho hasn't had any issues. Telmo hasn't picked anything up from her either, but I'm worried that they will.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> It seems like doggiefood.com has food that's more expensive than everything at the feed store, but I think that levels out with the discount. I'll try to calculate it when I have spare time. When does it show you the 20% discount, and can that be used with the 15% new customer discount?
> 
> Where do you get your lysine? I haven't gotten a chance to wander to different pharmacies to look at it, I'm pretty restricted on how much I can drive money-wise.


I do not think it is any automatic discount, they just release coupon codes every few days for discounts site-wide when order online. I got email today from them and coupons are:

CUPID15 - free shipping and 15% off entire order when order for at least $75
CUPID20 - free shipping and 20% off entire order when order for at least $200
CUPID25 - free shipping and 25% off entire order wneh order for $300 or more

you enter coupon code during checkout.

i dont think they add tax, so you will save on that too.
the best way is to register/open account on their website and you will receive emails with codes almost every day.


as for lysine, i buy on amazon. first time i got viralys made by vetoquinol, because my Blackberry is picky and viralys smells like fish, so I hoped he will eat it.
This is viralys:
Amazon.com: Vetoquinol Viralys (L-Lysine) Powder (100 grams): Pet Supplies


I am almost running out of it, so I needed to order again. this time i ordered way cheaper NowFoods lysine powder, also on amazon. it more less the same price but you get a pound of lysine instead of 100g 
this is what I ordered:
Amazon.com: NOW Foods Lysine Powder, 1 Pound: Health & Personal Care


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Do you just put it in his food? Everyday? How long did it last you?

I'm gonna call my vet tomorrow on Freya's no-meds trial and talk to him about adding lysine to her diet to see if we can eliminate antibiotics, which is $30 for about three months. That doesn't sound like a lot but I don't make a whole lot.


----------



## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

dahowlers said:


> When a cat is being managed for feline herpes, is it still contagious? We're not sure what Freya has, but she was on azithromycin, and my vet wants to do a trial run to see if her symptoms return, and if they do we'll continue to medicate.



I'm a little confused by this. Herpes is a virus and isn't treated with azithromycin. Herpes, in humans, is treated with acyclovir or similar, but certainly not azithromycin. You say that Freeya is being managed for feline herpes, but then you also said you're not sure what she has. Does she have Feline herpes plus something else?


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

I didn't say she specifically was being managed for feline herpes, just asking if it was still contagious. Sorry if that was confusing, I was posting between classes. But yes, she was on azithromycin for three months, all of her symptoms disappeared. Now we're waiting to see if they return so we can do more tests and keep medicating.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

MyBabiesDaddy said:


> I'm a little confused by this. Herpes is a virus and isn't treated with azithromycin. Herpes, in humans, is treated with acyclovir or similar, but certainly not azithromycin. You say that Freeya is being managed for feline herpes, but then you also said you're not sure what she has. Does she have Feline herpes plus something else?


sometimes viral infection leads to secondary bacterial infection and then antibiotics can be administered as a treatment.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> Do you just put it in his food? Everyday? How long did it last you?


yes, you essentially give it to cat with herpes everyday forever, even if symptoms of flu are not present.
rule of thumb is to give 500mg per day when cat shows symptoms and after 5-7 days you switch to 250mg per day and continue with it. if cat gets flu symptoms again weeks/months later, you again go up to 500mg per day and after 5-7 days go back to 250mg per day, and so on.
some people keep their cats on higher doses of lysine, like 1000mg per day, you can ask your vet about it 

and yes, i just sprinkle it on my cat's wet food.

that NowFoods lysine i linked above is 1 pound and 1 pound equals 453grams. let's assume you feed 250mg per day, so from one pound jar you have about 1800 doses, so it will be enough for 5 years


----------



## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

there's some other stuff too called viralys. it's a gel, i think it's beef flavored and my cats ate it and they hate everything. well, medicine-wise. it's not very expensive either, so whatever's cheapest probably. 

(the name sounds like a mixture of viagra and cialis but it swear it's for feline herpes.)


----------



## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Viralysis is a brand name for lysine. It comes in powder or gel. Penny gets it in her daily wet food.


----------



## violina (Jan 28, 2013)

cinderflower said:


> there's some other stuff too called viralys. it's a gel, i think it's beef flavored and my cats ate it and they hate everything. well, medicine-wise. it's not very expensive either, so whatever's cheapest probably.
> 
> (the name sounds like a mixture of viagra and cialis but it swear it's for feline herpes.)


Shiva initially hated it since it was administered with all his normal medication but now that he's off the other intrusive meds, he loves it (I've been giving him and his brother a bit since they are still sneezing).


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Wow! Five years! That's awesome! If Freya needs to continues to need medication and/or it turns out that she has feline herpes, I'll have to get it. Which she'll love because she gets her medicine mixed in wet food because I don't like getting the cold shoulder from forced medication.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

NebraskaCat said:


> Viralysis is a brand name for lysine. It comes in powder or gel. Penny gets it in her daily wet food.


 I think you mean viralys, which is a name brand for lysine for cats, and as cinderflower said above it comes in two forms - powder and gel.


----------



## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

> I think you mean viralys, which is a name brand for lysine for cats, and as cinderflower said above it comes in two forms - powder and gel.


Sorry for the misspell. Cinderflower pointed out the beef flavored gel her cats like. I mentioned there is a powder form also available. My girl Penny doesn't like the gel.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Not to sound stupid, but how do you measure out 250 mg? My conversion tells me that that's equal to 1/25 of a teaspoon and I don't have that small of a teaspoon lol

My cats are thriving on Earthborn, but Telmo lost the luster to his coat and he's not as soft, so after the bag my sister is going to switch him to something else. Probably back to Pure Vita, Innova, or California Natural. I'll be looking into foods in that price range and comparing ingredients to see if I spot a better one for about the same.


----------



## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

> Not to sound stupid, but how do you measure out 250 mg?


The viralys powder comes with a tiny premeasured scoop in it.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

yeah, I second Nebraska, Viralys comes with tiny spoon to measure.
But no worries, if you order just that 1 pound of lysine that I linked for you before, they say on the package that normal 1/4 tsp is about 552mg. so if you want to go for 250mg, just give your cat 1/8 tbs and you are good


----------



## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

I just started giving my 1 year old cat viralys because she has a cold. I got it from the vet when I took her in for a follow up exam after her surgery & she needed another booster shot. I told him that her eyes have been runny since we adopted her & I noticed she was sneezing. I also have to put eye drops in her eyes 3 times per day.

As far as the Viralys goes, it comes with a small spoon like scoop & she gets 1 rounded scoop twice per day in her wet food. 

I started giving my cats EVO wet & they love it. My 1 year old is also eating Taste of the Wild dry food but I am going to be switching to the EVO because of the low carbs. My 14 year old cat is diabetic & is eating a prescription diet but after many weeks of researching food, I have realized that his prescription food is higher in carbs than the EVO & has fish oil in which I think is causing his skin allergies. The EVO doesn't have fish oil in it. 

Just my 2 cents if it is something you are looking for.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Alright, thanks guys! I had to leave a message with my vet yesterday because he was with a patient and he hasn't called me back yet. I haven't decided if I want to just go ahead and get the lysine as a booster anyway or not.

I was hoping I could buy Fromm and doggiefood.com too, but it's $54, where at the feed store it's only $2 after tax :/ I guess I'll just use it for cat food.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> I was hoping I could buy Fromm and doggiefood.com too, but it's $54, where at the feed store it's only $2 after tax :/ I guess I'll just use it for cat food.


sorry, but i dont understand. which fromm food is $54 at doggiefood.com but $2 in local store? it's basically impossible.

second thing - fromm food is quite expensive and you can get great quality cat food for less. why would you then prefer to feed expensive fromm food instead of something cheaper? (I remember you said that you cannot afford some expensive foods)

last but not least, actually the most important - if you keep feeding your cat dog food, most likely sooner or later you will face problems with your cat's vision (irreversible), hair loss, dental problems and feline cardiomyopathy. Taurine is an essential dietary requirement for feline health, and cats cannot synthesize it, so you HAVE TO supply them with taurine via their diet. dogs dont need taurine, so dog food doesn't contain it. 
just be aware that if you keep feeding your cat dog food, you are going to make him blind and possibly having heart problems.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

WHOOPS, typo! Sorry! It's $54 from doggiefood and $42 at the feed store, I missed the four key :/ The Fromm is for the dogs, but once I move out I'll be trying to switch my dog that I'm taking with me to something grain-free.

_I_ am not going to feed my cats dog food, that's what my mom wants to do. The cats are on Earthborn right now, but it isn't working out with my sister's cat, Telmo, so we'll be switching to a different cat food again afterward.

And I just talked to my vet about Freya. She's been doing good so far off her antibiotics, but he believes that she has Feline herpes and that it's suppressing her immune system, which makes it easier to pick up bacterial infections and she couldn't fight it off. If her symptoms return, then he wants to put her back on antibiotics. I'm going to try supplementing her diet with L-Lysine to boost her immune system, like you suggested anie. Hopefully that'll give her the boost she needs so she won't have to be on antibiotics her whole life.

And since the lysine will be every day instead of every three, I want to get a better wet food. I was using a tablespoon of 9Lives mixed with her antibiotics as a "treat" every three days. But since this will be a bigger part of her diet I want to switch, so she'll be on a partial dry and wet diet.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> WHOOPS, typo! Sorry! It's $54 from doggiefood and $42 at the feed store, I missed the four key :/ The Fromm is for the dogs, but once I move out I'll be trying to switch my dog that I'm taking with me to something grain-free.
> 
> _I_ am not going to feed my cats dog food, that's what my mom wants to do. The cats are on Earthborn right now, but it isn't working out with my sister's cat, Telmo, so we'll be switching to a different cat food again afterward.
> 
> ...


great! great!  and I am sorry if i sounded mean in previous post, I really did not mean to  i keep my fingers crossed for Freya. keep in mind that if she has herpes sometimes she will get viral colds that dont have to be treated with antibiotics, they basically dont work for viral infections. if thats the case, just keep feeding lysine, viral colds usually subside in few days.


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

and its great you are going to switch to partial wet diet for your kits. the more wet in their diet, the better. i personally believe that lower quality wet is better that higher quality dry


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

I'm not going to be able to afford a super awesome wet food, but I still want to avoid grains, sweet potato, and fish, since I'll feel mean if I don't share with Telmo when my sister and I move in together.

I hope she doesn't get any more bacterial colds, I'll probably wait about a week if she gets a cold to see if it subsides, unless she goes downhill super fast again. Thanks for all the help anie :] I'll probably have more questions to post later on though haha


----------



## anie (Dec 4, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> I'm not going to be able to afford a super awesome wet food, but I still want to avoid grains, sweet potato, and fish, since I'll feel mean if I don't share with Telmo when my sister and I move in together.
> 
> I hope she doesn't get any more bacterial colds, I'll probably wait about a week if she gets a cold to see if it subsides, unless she goes downhill super fast again. Thanks for all the help anie :] I'll probably have more questions to post later on though haha


it's ok - i cannot afford super awesome wet food either. as some said, the best food is what your cat will eat. just get what you can afford and what your cats will eat. the most important thing is that you know what is the best for them and you do the best you can 
currently my cats eat EVO or other good quality wet mixed with junky fancy feast, because they are addicted to junk food (I got them 3 months ago at the age of 2 and before adoption they ate only junk kitty food and it is very hard to transition them to high quality food. in the beginning they would only eat friskies and fancy feast, so i did some progress  yay! )

if freya gets a cold you can watch fer for a day or two and see how she does. if she has snots and sneezes, etc but otherwise doing good, it's probably viral and lysine will eventually help. but if you notice fever, snots smelling foul, lack of appetite, lethargy, then it's most likely bacterial and trip to the vet is very needed.

also, keep in mind that lysine will not work immediately. you will probably see effects after few weeks of supplementing daily, so dont get discouraged. just keep feeding, it will not hurt if you keep it at the right dose.

and feel free to post questions, that's what forum is for


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Thankfully, Freya eats anything and everything lol
The only thing Telmo won't eat is WellnessCORE original.

I like the idea of mixing quality and lesser quality to save money, I can buy 24 cans of 9Lives for about $10, and I haven't found any site that allows me to buy cat food, wet or dry, for less than at the feed store, unless I can buy in bulk. My sister like the idea, and her boyfriend's step-mom, so I might already have two people on board!


----------



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

dahowlers said:


> I'm looking for a different food to feed the cats, but I'm having a hard time with it.
> 
> It must be dry, and sweet potato and ANY form of fish/seafood free, and I would prefer under $30 for a 15 lb bag. Any suggestions would be great, thanks.
> 
> They're on PureVita right now


What about Simply Nourish at petsmart? I just put my cats on this. $29.99 for 14lbs. 

Turkey and Oatmeal Formula
Simply Nourish Indoor Cat Food - Cat - Sale - PetSmart


----------



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

This one has just "potatoes" not sweet potatoes. However its $32.99 for 11lbs

BLUE Freedom™ Grain Free Indoor Cat Food - Cat - Sale - PetSmart


----------



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

squeekers said:


> What about Simply Nourish at petsmart? I just put my cats on this. $29.99 for 14lbs.
> 
> Turkey and Oatmeal Formula
> Simply Nourish Indoor Cat Food - Cat - Sale - PetSmart


Wow, Im not impressed ATM. The website ingredients list does not list Sweet Potato yet on the back of my bag it does. I have this SAME bag. Am I the only one that sees the website ingredients list does NOT have sweet potato listed?

I also notice on the website ingredients list it has Potassium Chloride as the second last ingredient yet on my bag its the 9th ingredient.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks squeekers, I know some sites don't show me the right ingredients either, so I check the bag of a new food in stores most of the time.

As a general rule, I don't usually buy food from Petco or Petsmart because they're farther away from me, but also the prices are elevated from what I find other places, but occasionally I find a deal there. I can look at food for hours at a pet supply store, so I usually go by myself cause no one else I know finds it as interesting haha


----------



## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

dahowlers said:


> I can look at food for hours at a pet supply store, so I usually go by myself cause no one else I know finds it as interesting haha


Haha your not the only one.... I hate bringing my husband with me to the pet store. He ALWAYS try's to rush me.... He says I over analyze way to much.... He thinks I do this crazy stuff for the cats... He's got another thing coming if we ever have kids :lol: 



Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Simply Nourish doesn't look like much of a bargain to me. When you calculate price per pound using the regular price for the 7 lb bag, it's comparable to Taste of the Wild...$12.14 vs $12.99 for TOW. 

TOW is grain free, 10% higher protein, 8% higher fat...so (depending on fiber) about 18% less carbs. TOW declares their ingredients as human grade, they are ethoxyquin free, contain probiotics and are 100% US sourced. 

On the other hand, SN is a Petsmart proprietary brand. I can't find any info on ingredient quality or sourcing. Store brand foods mean that the store goes to a contract manufacturer who works up a formula for them. Basically...no one at Petsmart is a food expert...they likely rely on their manufacturer for everything from formula to quality control. 

What you get for that 85 cents a bag is well worth buying TOW.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Zilla said:


> Haha your not the only one.... I hate bringing my husband with me to the pet store. He ALWAYS try's to rush me.... He says I over analyze way to much.... He thinks I do this crazy stuff for the cats... He's got another thing coming if we ever have kids :lol:


:lol: My boyfriend doesn't _try_ to rush my, but he'll get bored and say, "It's not that I don't find this interesting, but you're taking a really long time..." And that will slowly escalate to him telling me that he's reallyreally bored and wants to leave haha

TOTW has sweet potato in it so Telmo can't eat it, and it doesn't sit well with any of our animals. We thought it was an adjustment issue, but they were on it for several months before we all got sick of how bad their stool smells, cats and dog.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yeah...I wasn't clear, know you can't use it...I was really aiming that analysis at Squeekers.


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

Ooh, okay lol

I really like TOTW, quality-wise, and it isn't terribly expensive. Or it wasn't when we fed it. I wish we could still feed it, but the cats cleared the room every time somebody used the litter box


----------



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

doodlebug said:


> Simply Nourish doesn't look like much of a bargain to me. When you calculate price per pound using the regular price for the 7 lb bag, it's comparable to Taste of the Wild...$12.14 vs $12.99 for TOW.
> 
> TOW is grain free, 10% higher protein, 8% higher fat...so (depending on fiber) about 18% less carbs. TOW declares their ingredients as human grade, they are ethoxyquin free, contain probiotics and are 100% US sourced.
> 
> ...


Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond. The company that JUST had a recall for salmonella a company that almost killed my friends dog. The vet bill was paid in full by the manufacturer. Also, Diamond was involved in a recall involving melamine a number of years back. When analyzed taste of the wild doesnt contain much of the protein from meat. Its packed with potatoes, peas, carrots... which are also not something a cat would eat naturally in the wild if thats the route you wish to take when analyzing ones food. "sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, pea protein, potato protein" is the third ingredient on. This also make up the majority of whats in this pets food. Also, my cats had massive big bulky poops on this food. 

I have learned a few things about pet food, one, feed what works best for your pets not what the media and an online forum tells you. I dont go by whats in the food mainly, I look at how my pet is doing on the food. Im not saying full out feed Cat Chow or whatever.


----------



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Also a 14lb bag of Simply Nourish is normally $39.99 here I can get it for $29.99. Taste of the wild I can only get for $42.99 for 15lbs. Seems to be a pretty big difference in price there to me


----------



## artiesmom (Jul 4, 2012)

As far as food goes,
Artie loves Blue Wilderness Indoor Dry. I limit it..for when I go out for work, or over night--just about a tablespoon or so at a time...if he sees it is present, he will not go crazy and gorge himself on it. I do not take it away completely because he was always free fed, his entire life before I adopted him at age 8. and he was on supermarket band or purina one at the shelter...I wanted him to eat good food....He is not overweight, 12 lbs and a very long, tall, sleek Ginger male...

I have found 3 brands of wet which he will eat. He does not like turkey, or care much for salmon, same for beef flavor.
Believe me I have tried so many brands, including the most expensive.
What I buy now are:
Blue Buffalo, 
Simply Nourish (yes, a Petsmart Brand) 
Natures Recipe

the last two are grain free. They do look like real chicken--solid shreds...
With this rotation, it seems to work. There does not appear to be room for fillers in it..Kind of reminds me of Weruva, and Soulistic , which he refuses...
Artie will eat the salmon, ocean fish and the chicken with beef from Natures Recipe; and he will eat the chicken with duck from Simply Nourish; along with the plain chicken from both.
I do not give him fish very often--once or twice a week.
And for about a dollar a can, it works for me.....

After about a year, I think I have his food down--at least for now!
:cat3


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

squeekers said:


> Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond. The company that JUST had a recall for salmonella a company that almost killed my friends dog. The vet bill was paid in full by the manufacturer. Also, Diamond was involved in a recall involving melamine a number of years back. When analyzed taste of the wild doesnt contain much of the protein from meat. Its packed with potatoes, peas, carrots... which are also not something a cat would eat naturally in the wild if thats the route you wish to take when analyzing ones food. "sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, pea protein, potato protein" is the third ingredient on. This also make up the majority of whats in this pets food. Also, my cats had massive big bulky poops on this food.
> 
> I have learned a few things about pet food, one, feed what works best for your pets not what the media and an online forum tells you. I dont go by whats in the food mainly, I look at how my pet is doing on the food. Im not saying full out feed Cat Chow or whatever.


So you know that SN isn't made by Diamond? Petsmart has to contract with somebody because they don't own their own plant...Diamond does contract manufacturing...

You are the best judge of what your cats do well on, if TOW isn't an option that's fine. I'm not going to debate the rest with you...


----------



## dahowlers (Nov 19, 2012)

artiesmom, I know what you mean about the gorging. After being on the Earthborn for a few days, I got home and fed the cats and Freya gulped the whole serving down and then ate half of somebody else's and ended up throwing up. I don't know how she even GOT that much food in her stomach :/ Her feedings are going to be in smaller servings now lol

Is Simply Nourish the little 3.3oz cans that come with their own lids? And it looks like a stew with shredded meats and veggie chunks? If it is, Freya LOVES it. It was one of the foods I managed to get her to eat while she was near death. She had a hard time eating because she couldn't find the pate or chunk food with her nose, but she could see that that was food and would eat a little bit at a time, between the force-feeding of water and water-perdialite mixture.


----------



## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

squeekers said:


> I have learned a few things about pet food, one, feed what works best for your pets not what the media and an online forum tells you. I dont go by whats in the food mainly, I look at how my pet is doing on the food. Im not saying full out feed Cat Chow or whatever.


1 NONE of the good foods are advertised. And if they are then I apparently miss it.... 2 if you don't want "an online forum" just trying to help you then why are you in this debate?? 

3 Recalls happen... And they happen to almost every company it's just a matter of when... And you can't do anything about it unless your gonna feed homemade raw. You just have to keep your eye out for when they do happen... 

And last there's nothing wrong with Taste of the Wild.... For its price it's an awesome food and I would feed it again way before I fed something with grains and by products but that is just me.... My cats did great on the Rocky Mountain formula.... I'm not a big fan of their Canyon River one though.... To much fish for me... 




Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

I dont really care who makes my pet food. I do believe simply nourish was not on the recall list. Also, rice, corn, wheat, potatoes, peas any of those are not natural in a cat or dogs diet. You cant go around claiming rice and corn are bad and the rest are fine when they really arent. Cats dont hunt potatoes in the wild. If they start, let me know.


----------



## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

squeekers said:


> I dont really care who makes my pet food. I do believe simply nourish was not on the recall list. Also, rice, corn, wheat, potatoes, peas any of those are not natural in a cat or dogs diet. You cant go around claiming rice and corn are bad and the rest are fine when they really arent. Cats dont hunt potatoes in the wild. If they start, let me know.


I'm confused.... Who here said those things were natural??..... I think I'm bowing out of this one.... 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## artiesmom (Jul 4, 2012)

Yes, Simply Nourish is he one with the plastic lids. I chop it up a litter finer, also gets more juice out of it, and add a touch more water to it.
Nature's Recipe is the one which is usually placed next to it. It is the rectangular plastic containers. Same style but smaller threads.

When Artie gorges, usually on the dry food, he vomits....I finally figured that out. 
I tried keeping it away from him completely, but his bowels get looser without it---long story...
When I re-introduced it to him, I found that he was really eating it fast...
So I just give him a bit at a time now.

Artie is so cute when he eats the dry.. He puts his paw in the flat plate, and bats on or two pieces out, which land on the plastic mat.
You can hear it 'think'...It is so funny.. He eats the ones he bats out.
When I have a visitor here, they always ask what the noise is! and then we watch and laugh....

When I discovered his gorging, he was eating it like regular food and could not get enough of it! like kitty krack!

:wolfie


----------



## squeekers (Jun 17, 2009)

Zilla said:


> I'm confused.... Who here said those things were natural??..... I think I'm bowing out of this one....
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


No, you said grains are bad and to feed a grain free food. I assume you believe grains are bad because they are not what a cat would eat naturally in the wild and because they are used as a "filler". When really potatoes, peas and all those other ones listed on grain free bags serve the same purpose.


----------

