# "Cat Food question"



## cutie (Aug 27, 2005)

"I've always bought my cat food at the supermarket. However my friend 
who has a dog says she never does that because the food isn't good 
enough quality. Is that the same for cats? Should I buy food at only pet 
stores?"


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## DylansMummy (May 23, 2004)

Many supermarkets and pet stores stock the same brands. However saying that the advantage of pet stoeres is that they sometimes stock a wider variety, therefore offering more choice.

The best way to choose any pet food is to first decide which sort of food you'd prefer - the wet vs dry debate.

Wet is argued to be better for cats due to its high water and meat content. However some people feed a high quality dry food too as it aids dental health. These are just some advantages, it's best to browse the health and nutrition forum for food debates and articles.

Next is choosing a high quality food. Avoid any food with meat by-products or corn as the main ingrediants. Cats are carinvores and do not need useless carbohydrates, it is a huge contributor to obesity in cats.

Hope that helps a little, I am not the expert, this is just what I have picked up from using the forum!

Moved to health and nutrition forum


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## ihave4kitties (Aug 27, 2005)

I'm no expert either, but my husband has worked at a petstore for many years. Our experience with both dogs and cats is that high quality food is better, for several reasons. We definitely think that the food is better for the animal...better ingredients, plenty of stuff for healthy bodies and shiny coats. A cat eating high quality food, dogs too, definitely have shinier coats and better skin. That has been our experience. Also, the animals wastes really are better....smaller, more compact, much less smell. I swear by this.
None of our animals gets the loose stool problem or being stunk out of house and home. Poop is poop but it definitely isn't as stinky. :lol: Sorry for those descriptions but we think there is a huge difference in that area. Although the food itself is usually more expensive, the animal utilizes it better and you don't have to feed them as much. As far as brand, find what works and what your cat thrives on. I think it's ok to experiment as long as each change is done slowly, mixing the old with the new. We change brands all the time ( the high quality stuff) but just be sure to mix the new stuff in for a few days as too fast a change can upset the cats stomach...although mine never seem to be bothered. I personally think it's good to change as it keeps the cats from becoming too finicky. Just my personal thoughts. As stated earilier, make sure the main ingredients are meat based. Canned vs dry? I'm still working on that.  The canned food makes sense to me but my cats aren't canned cat food fans. I'm trying though. A lot of times petstores have samples. If you don't see any out, ask them as they my have some on hand. Take a sample or two and see if your cats like it.


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## roseeden (May 18, 2005)

I generally buy my foods at Pet Stores. However, lately I found that my local H-E-B carries a store brand called Hill Country Fare. It is an excellent brand.


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## micp879 (Mar 22, 2005)

Shengmei, could I bother you to post the ingredients in the Hill Country Fare that you are feeding? I always like finding healthier, smaller chain, foods that many people are unaware of.


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## Cat Daddy (Aug 3, 2005)

American Fare mixed grill from K-mart does have listed beef, fish, chicken, water, liver; then the wheat middlings and other stuff. I bought it because of the listing meat first, though I'm sure the wheat middlings' are where the evils begin. 5.5 oz can for $.25. All the other flavors are like this begining with the meats.


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## moggiegirl (May 15, 2005)

Yes, pet stores do have better quality cat foods and much more variety. Dry food really doesn't do that much for the teeth so it's better to not make a decision based on that. You can can brush your cats teeth and if they don't let you do that, your vet can professionally clean your cat's teeth for you when necessary. You can also buy CET chews. My cats love them. 

Dry versus canned: Either canned food only or a combination of dry and canned food. I feed both. It's more economical and dry food gives you the advantage of being able to leave food out for them without the food spoiling, especially at times when you may have to leave kitty alone for long periods of time. IMHO never feed only dry food unless your cat absolutely refuses to eat wet food. No cat who enjoys canned food should ever be deprived of it. It's good for them because it more closely resembles the nutrient analysis of a mouse, high protein, high moisture and low in carbohydrates. Unfortunately to make a kibble pet food companies have to mix in about 40% carbohydrates, too much for an obligate carnivore designed to survive without any carbohydrates. Keep those carbs to a minimum if possible.

The best cat foods are high in real meat, named meats and the cereal grains should not be at or near the very top of the list. Also it's nice to know what's in your cat's food. Meat by-products is a very vague term. You have no idea what's in that can or bag of food. Chicken by-products at least specify that it's from a chicken but does not tell you specifically what part of the chicken is being used. Cat food companies that rely exclusively on by-products as a source of animal based protein are cheap as are companies that use plant based proteins such as soy or corn gluten. One company that will charge you way too much for cat food is Hill's, the makers of Science Diet. Although your vet will probably reccommend it we advise against it because it's not a high quality cat food. My top reccommendation is Natural Balance because you can find it at any Petco store. Wellness, California Natural, Innova are great foods but unfortunately you won't find them at big chain pet food stores, only smaller privately owned individual stores. For canned food I think the Nutro varieties are pretty good as well as Natural Balance. But I don't like the Nutro dry foods because there is corn gluten and a lot of fillers in those foods. But it's better than grocery store brands. 

www.naturalbalanceinc.com


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