# Confused about wet food...



## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

I have been trying to find a good brand of wet food for Juliette (14 weeks old). From what I've read, none of the brands they sell at PetSmart are good (too much fillers, grains, some even have veggies, made of meat by-products, etc.). So I went to the vet and got Medi Cal (Royal Canin) Development. It has a bunch of vitamins added to it (which I suppose is good?), but the first ingredient after water is pork by-products, then pork, chicken, pork liver, mackerel, etc... Is this food ok? Is mackerel a problem? I've read that fish should be avoided, no? Where do I get good quality food for a kitten, if the vet's food is no good?

Also, in the guidelines, it say to feed the kitten that's 2-6 months old about 1 1/2 of canned food a day. That seems like a lot, no?

Thanks in advance!!


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## ptomas (Aug 22, 2011)

There are many brands of good wet foods out there. Many have preferences as to which brand they like better for different reasons. Others can chime in on what brands they like and why. I feed my cats blue buffalo due to ingredients, there are many other brands(halo, wellness) with similar ingredients, but picky cat would not eat them. 

I have two cats, one that will eat anything and one that is picky. I recently got the blue buffalo sliced turkey dinner and both liked it. Tonight I gave them blue buffalo sliced chicken dinner and the picky cat would not eat it. 

In the end it might depend on what kitty will eat.


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

Looked up Welness ingredients, their canned food seems to have all kinds of vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini), as well as berries. How is this good? I am completely confused...


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

I'm going to put a plug on for EVO. It's top notch, grain free, and at about $2.00 for a 13 oz can, that's only about $1.00 per day.


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

Sorry, but I still don't quite understand how having more than 4 vegetable/berry ingredients is good, if cat's diet should contain virtually no carbohydrates?


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

Thanks for clarifying


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

My cat like several of the Merrick varieties, Grammy's Pot Pie, Turducken and Thanksgiving Dinner.
I don't know if they sell Merrick at Petsmart but they do at Petco.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Those are my girls' favorites. They'll eat the Cowboy Cookout, but it's not in the top three. It's mushy. They'll also eat the Wellness Core, but again, it's pate, not their fave.


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

If I had to eat cat food Grammy's Pot Pie would be the one.


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

valer4ik said:


> It has a bunch of vitamins added to it (which I suppose is good?)


In my opinion, it's not good to have added vitamins and minerals. Since they are added and not directly from the protein source (or other natural ingredients), that means they are man made. Man made ingredients have been the cause for many past pet food recalls. 

Also, I wouldn't purchase Royal Canin. They are owned by Mars.....check their track record for recalls under the various pet food brands they own.


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## catinthemirror (Jun 28, 2011)

Meezer_lover said:


> In my opinion, it's not good to have added vitamins and minerals. Since they are added and not directly from the protein source (or other natural ingredients), that means they are man made. Man made ingredients have been the cause for many past pet food recalls.


Yes but doesn't the process of cooking and canning the food destroy a lot of the natural nutrients cats need anyway? I'm thinking of taurine especially, which is usually added back into homemade cooked food and even sometimes to ground raw food because it is so easily destroyed/reduced. There are plenty of other nutrients they need though.

In fact I can't think of any canned food WITHOUT supplements that can be fed regularly - the cans of Almo Nature my cats got occasionally had no supplements added but they were only recommended for occasional feeding, and when Before Grain was making the 100% meat foods those were also only recommended for occasional feedings. What do you feed your cat? 

Canned food with added supplements definitely seems to be more readily available than any other kind. When my cats were eating canned they got a huge rotation of different brands and flavors to dilute any possible problems associated with any one kind of food. In my mind the dangers of not having enough vitamins and minerals in their food outweighed the worry over a possible recall. And again, I felt comfortable buying from good brands and feeding as large a variety as possible to combat any potential issue. Just my two cents. 

Anyway I agree with you completely about Royal Canin. The only time a can of that came into my house they were giving them away free at the pet store, and neither of my cats would touch it. I ended up throwing it in the backyard for the crows


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

catinthemirror said:


> Yes but doesn't the process of cooking and canning the food destroy a lot of the natural nutrients cats need anyway? I'm thinking of taurine especially, which is usually added back into homemade cooked food and even sometimes to ground raw food because it is so easily destroyed/reduced. There are plenty of other nutrients they need though.
> 
> In fact I can't think of any canned food WITHOUT supplements that can be fed regularly - the cans of Almo Nature my cats got occasionally had no supplements added but they were only recommended for occasional feeding, and when Before Grain was making the 100% meat foods those were also only recommended for occasional feedings. What do you feed your cat?
> 
> Canned food with added supplements definitely seems to be more readily available than any other kind. When my cats were eating canned they got a huge rotation of different brands and flavors to dilute any possible problems associated with any one kind of food. In my mind the dangers of not having enough vitamins and minerals in their food outweighed the worry over a possible recall. And again, I felt comfortable buying from good brands and feeding as large a variety as possible to combat any potential issue. Just my two cents.


I feed Nature's Logic canned food to my cat. I made that decision after many hours of research after losing my last cat to what we believe was caused by the Nutro cat food we were feeding him. I read many articles, and also talked to a few people in the field (so-to-speak). I talked to Susan Thixton and Scott Freeman specifically. Scott is the founder of Nature's Logic. He has answered all the questions I've emailed him...and almost always responds within a couple of hours.

Nature's Logic does not add any man made ingredients to their food, because it is truly all natural. Their food contains and exceeds the AAFCO's minimum nutrient requirements. Here is Nature's Logic response regarding their food, AAFCO requirements, and the “intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only” statement that is on their labels.:

_All 42 required nutrients in the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles for dogs and cats are naturally present in all Nature’s Logic products. For most nutrients there are 2 times, 3 times, or 4 times or more the required minimum amount of these nutrients in our finished products from the whole food ingredients. But because Nature’s Logic has a fraction less of one or two nutrients than the AAFCO Nutrient Profile, the intermittent statement had to be used until the Nature’s Logic Diets are substantiated by an AAFCO Feeding Trial. Having less of a nutrient does not mean a pet is not getting enough of that nutrient. In fact, it is scientifically known that synthetic forms are not as bio-available as natural forms of nutrients found in whole foods. So a smaller amount of a real nutrient from food may actually provide more of that nutrient than a larger amount of the same nutrient in synthetic form. A successful feeding trial for our dry food has been completed. The same testing will be done for the canned products and the labels will be changed to incorporate the adequacy statement as those tests are completed in the near future._


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

No one around here stocks Nature's Logic either, so I have a local pet food/boutique order it for me. She charges me the same or less than the online prices and I don't have to pay for shipping. So it works out quite well for me!


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## wondercat (Oct 11, 2011)

Nature's logic was my first pick when I changed from dry to wet... however the kitties didnt like it at all. Specially Cleo, she would not even lick it. Such a picky eater it drives me crazy. She eats Natures variety homestyle only. I switch wellness and blue buffalo for the kittens cause they like all those.


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

I transitioned Yoshi to Nature's Logic when he was about 14-15 weeks old (or somewhere around there). So luckily he loves it. Although, he would probably eat ANYTHING.


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

Thanks a lot for all your replies!


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## KatBudz (Jun 18, 2009)

not sure if anyone suggested this brand yet, but my cats go crazy for Nature's Variety, especially their rabbit pate, or turkey & liver stew, and lamb stew. When I open any of those cans during my rotation they go crazy for them. My cats dont eat chunk formulas of anything else but the Nature's Variety.


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## BoBear (Sep 8, 2011)

There are many decent cat foods out there but unfortunately they are usually not found in grocery stores. Aveno, Blue Buffalo, Orijen, Go!, Halo, Fromm, Natural Balance, etc. But they are found in pet stores or pet specialty shops. 

At one time, Hubpages had a rating system for various foods and the foods were rated by a variety of veterinarians. The ratings not only gave you a number but also said why they were rated that high or that low. Wish the rating was still available online. But I did keep the ratings for my own use and must admit, some I was surprised to see and some I had anticipated:


Alpo Ocean Whitefish Dinner for Cats 9/10
Alpo Beef Banquet for Cats 9/10
Alpo with Chicken & Rice for Cats 9/10
Authority® Indoor Formula Cat Food 8/10 .
AvoDerm Natural Kitten & Adult Chicken Formula Canned Cat Food 9/10 (Buyer Beware! Debates about the avocado contained in the food)
Blue Spa Select Adult Cat Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Food 6/10
Blue Spa Select Indoor Cat Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Food 6/10
Blue Spa Select Kitten Chicken & Brown Rice Dry 7/10
Blue Buffalo Longevity for Kittens Dry Cat Food 8/10
Blue Buffalo Longevity for Adult Cats Dry Cat Food 8/10
Fancy Feast Chopped Grill 9/10
Fancy Feast Gourmet Beef & Chicken 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Beef & Liver 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Chicken 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Cod, Sole & Shrimp 9/10
Fancy Feast Gourmet Ocean Whitefish & Tuna 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Savory Salmon 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Seafood 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Tender Beef 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Tender Liver & Chicken 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Turkey & Giblets 9/10 
Fancy Feast Gourmet Variety Pack 9/10
Formula Canned Cat Food 9/10 
Halo Spot's Stew for Cats Wholesome Chicken Recipe Canned Cat Food 10/10 
Halo Spot's Stew for Cats Wholesome Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food 10/10 
Halo Spot's Stew for Cats Wholesome Turkey Recipe Canned Cat Food 10/10
Meow Mix Fillet Meow with Beef in Gravy Pouches 10/10
Meow Mix Cluck-a-Doodle-Doo Chicken & Liver in Gravy Pouches 6/10 
Meow Mix Deep Sea Delight Mackerel in Sauce Pouches 6/10
Wellness Beef & Salmon Formula Canned Cat Food 10/10 
Wellness Chicken & Herring Formula Canned Cat Food 9/10 
Wellness Chicken & Lobster Canned Cat Food 9/10 
Wellness Chicken Formula Canned Cat Food 9/10 
Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal & Rice Recipe Dry 8/10 
Wellness Complete Health Salmon, Salmon Meal & Deboned Turkey Recipe Dry Cat Food 8/10
Wellness Kitten Health Dry Cat Food 8/10
Wellness Salmon & Trout Formula Cat Food 9/10
Wellness Turkey & Salmon Formula Canned Cat Food 9/10 
Wellness Turkey Formula Canned Cat Food 9/10
Whiskas Choice Cuts Chicken 6/10
9Lives Liver & Bacon 9/10 
9Lives Ocean Whitefish 9/10
9Lives Sliced Veal in Gravy 9/10
9Lives Tuna Select Flaked Tuna and Egg Bits in Sauce 9/10 
9Lives Tuna Select Flaked Tuna in Sauce 8/10

I would have never guessed any of the 9Lives or Fancy Feast foods would have made the listing. So I buy the occasional Fancy Feast as a treat for my guys. Otherwise, it is either Orijen or Blue Buffalo...


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## BoBear (Sep 8, 2011)

BTW, just wanted to add that this rating is a couple of years old. At the time of the rating, Halo was considered an excellent pet food but today, there seems to be some debate on that. Apparently the canned food is being processed at a separate location from the dry food and though the dry food still receives good ratings and is promoted by the pet specialty stores I visit, the canned food isn't as highly recommended. So even if we research and find a pet food we are confident about, we should continue to keep tabs on its rating because they can change. A number of years ago, Royal Canine received a glowing review but today, it doesn't shine nearly as brightly as it once did.

Great to see the discussions! Wonderful to see others that are as interested in the quality of the pet food they are feeding they furry companions!


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I wouldn't trust anything that rated fancy feast and nine lives a 9/10 and meow mix 10/10............


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## health.nutz (Nov 7, 2011)

I am currently feeding Nutro Natural Choice. I had originally thought that it was a good brand, but I haven't really seen anyone mention it on this thread. Any thoughts?


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

_9 Lives Ocean Whitefish ingredients, questionable/bad ingredients are bolded.

*Meat by-products*, ocean whitefish, water sufficient for processing, *poultry byproducts*, fish broth, *titanium dioxide*, calcium carbonate, *salt*, potassium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, dried whey, guar gum, natural flavor, choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, *menadione sodium bisulfite complex*, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), carrageenan, minerals (magnesium oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), taurine,* sodium nitrite (to promote color retention*)._

Seriously? 9/10? This rating site should not be trusted.




health.nutz said:


> I am currently feeding Nutro Natural Choice. I had originally thought that it was a good brand, but I haven't really seen anyone mention it on this thread. Any thoughts?


Nutro has an abysmal recall record and tons of anecdotal stories out on the web about mysterious illnesses that owner's have attributed to the food. They've made some changes in recent years and have gotten better...but the anecdotal stories continue. Do I believe all of them? No...but there's a enough out there that it begs the question. With so many other good foods to choose from, I see no reason to risk it.


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## westfayetteville (Sep 22, 2011)

Update July, 2011: It is no secret (among those who know me well) that the commercial pet food industry frustrates the heck out of me. With regard to the comment above advising to look for a muscle meat as the first ingredient, please be aware that most of the grain-free/no by-product/muscle meat choices such as Wellness, Nature's Variety, EVO 95%, etc. are very high in fat and relatively low in protein in order to keep the profit margin high.
Given this fact, I can't help but wonder if Friskies, 9-Lives, etc. (all by-products, no muscle meat) may actually be better diets because many of these by-product foods are higher in protein and lower in fat than the more expensive diets that are free of by-products.
I copy that from Lisa A. Pierson, DVM Commercial Canned Foods by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: reading cat food labels, canned versus dry cat food


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

@ Troy - I don't know that I agree, I'd rather feed a higher fat food and less of it than something with mysterious ingredients such as "Meat By Product" & "Poultry By Product"....they can't even manage to list what the meat/poultry *IS*. That leaves it pretty wide open what they can add to the food.

Btw: I love that name.


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## neko13_3 (Jul 4, 2011)

I don't feed canned food primarily, but my cats do get it for a treat, and when I can afford it, some daily. And sometimes, I just forget to get more. My cats eat Wilderness (dry) which, yes, does have a fairly high fat percentage, but I've been told cats tend to have relatively high fat diets in the wild. And it is 40% protein (moderate amount, so I've been told). And anyway, the sources definitely have to be better than the Cat Chow I was feeding them, even if the Cat Chow had less fat. 

I personally feed Friskies and Whiskas for canned, but as I said, it's not their sole source of food. When I have kittens who are purely on canned food (weaning and what not), I usually buy higher quality: Nutro, Wilderness, and some other brands. I try my best to get foods (canned) that have either water or meat as the first ingredient. It's not always, but I try. Whiskas has these pouches now that have meat for the first ingredient...my cats seem a little baffled by the chunks of meat. A little too long on kibble, I guess? They're getting it, but my oldest still much prefers the pate for canned food. 

PetSmart sells several different cat foods that are at least moderate quality: Wilderness, Blue Buffalo, and some others I can't think of. PetCo sells Halo, AvoDerm, and others.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

MowMow said:


> I wouldn't trust anything that rated fancy feast and nine lives a 9/10 and meow mix 10/10............


I bet if my cats can vote, they will give meow mix 10/10. They just LOVE it 
Unfortunately I don't agree with them, so they only get a small amount of meow mix mixed in wellness (after months, they still refuse to eat wellness on its own).

BTW, I think meow mix has a lot better ingredient list for the canned food than dry food, not top notch for sure though.


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

I have a subscription to Petsumer Report, which has reviews on almost every brand. What I also like about it is that it gives information about the company, cooking process if the company has provided it, and other good info as well. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for information and comparisons.


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

I just subscribed to petsumer report, but I can't log into the system. It didn't give me the login/password, only the order number. How do I do it? Thanks!


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

I don't remember what the registration process was like....I signed up back in January.
I did find my emails from when I registered and did not see any login/pw information. However, there was a link in the email for if you didn't receive access. Not sure if that will work for you or not. If not, there is also the support email address for the Petsumer Report website.


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## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

I cant afford to feed Mia wet so I decided to try her out on Nutro Natural Choice Healthy kitten when I got her. I went through a couple small bags of it, then decided to try Taste of The Wild as it is grain free. I started Mia on it at about 3 1/2 months old. She ate it well but over time she lost some of her spunk. Two weeks ago I was at Petcoand I got a bag od Eagle Pack Kitten Food for only $7 (half price) as it had an exp. date of 3 months more. She liked it and in a few days her spunk began to come back. She is back to acting like a kitten again (shes 6 months old). So even though it has grains I will be keeping her on it. :smile:


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## catinthemirror (Jun 28, 2011)

Penny135 said:


> I cant afford to feed Mia wet so I decided to try her out on Nutro Natural Choice Healthy kitten when I got her. I went through a couple small bags of it, then decided to try Taste of The Wild as it is grain free. I started Mia on it at about 3 1/2 months old. She ate it well but over time she lost some of her spunk. Two weeks ago I was at Petcoand I got a bag od Eagle Pack Kitten Food for only $7 (half price) as it had an exp. date of 3 months more. She liked it and in a few days her spunk began to come back. She is back to acting like a kitten again (shes 6 months old). So even though it has grains I will be keeping her on it. :smile:


Just curious, you say your kitten was acting differently on grain-free kibble - is it possible she was constipated? I only ask because when I first switched my cats to grain-free kibble the younger one took to it without a problem, but the older one eventually became REALLY constipated on it. Understandably that made her very cranky and just generally not act like herself, so I started mixing her grain-free kibble about half and half with another kibble with grain (oatmeal I think) and the added fiber finally helped get her pooping normally again. 

She never had that problem again when she was on grain-free canned food, so I guess the moisture was what she needed.


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## partial2persians (Oct 30, 2011)

I was in Wal-Mart the other night looking for dog clothes and I saw a glass front fridge selling a fresh type food. My dogs loved the log type thing but the cats picked at their new stuff. My cats dont like HEALTH FOOD. I try all the time...this is lightly cooked little crumbles and it stays in the fridge. It was not REAL HEALTH food but semi healthy stuff marketed to look like its the best stuff of earth. I hate marketing ploys and fancy packaging when its cheap crap inside.


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## 6cats2dogs2kids (Nov 23, 2011)

MowMow said:


> I wouldn't trust anything that rated fancy feast and nine lives a 9/10 and meow mix 10/10............


EXACTLY! 

My cats are on Felidae grain free. They like it but i do give them Taste of the Wild dry on thecside because with 6 cats i can either buy a lower quality canned food... Like nutrience or triumph' or i can give them grain free canned with some grain free dry. I have lost sleep and agonized over this. I even tried frankenprey raw. What it comes down to is, I do the best I can within my budget and my life style.

My old cats (rainbow bridge) were fed Iams dry only.... They were fie but I've learned more about cats and food since then.


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## 6cats2dogs2kids (Nov 23, 2011)

westfayetteville said:


> Update July, 2011: It is no secret (among those who know me well) that the commercial pet food industry frustrates the heck out of me. With regard to the comment above advising to look for a muscle meat as the first ingredient, please be aware that most of the grain-free/no by-product/muscle meat choices such as Wellness, Nature's Variety, EVO 95%, etc. are very high in fat and relatively low in protein in order to keep the profit margin high.
> Given this fact, I can't help but wonder if Friskies, 9-Lives, etc. (all by-products, no muscle meat) may actually be better diets because many of these by-product foods are higher in protein and lower in fat than the more expensive diets that are free of by-products.
> I copy that from Lisa A. Pierson, DVM Commercial Canned Foods by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: reading cat food labels, canned versus dry cat food




Keep in mind that this vet feeds a raw diet. It is not an option for many people and commercial is the only choice. I am pretty sure that this vet isnt going to recommend friskies as a first choice commercial diet when she can't convert someone to feeding .


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## 6cats2dogs2kids (Nov 23, 2011)

Penny135 said:


> I cant afford to feed Mia wet so I decided to try her out on Nutro Natural Choice Healthy kitten when I got her. I went through a couple small bags of it, then decided to try Taste of The Wild as it is grain free. I started Mia on it at about 3 1/2 months old. She ate it well but over time she lost some of her spunk. Two weeks ago I was at Petcoand I got a bag od Eagle Pack Kitten Food for only $7 (half price) as it had an exp. date of 3 months more. She liked it and in a few days her spunk began to come back. She is back to acting like a kitten again (shes 6 months old). So even though it has grains I will be keeping her on it. :smile:


My cats eat Taste of The Wild and do well on it. There may have been something in it that didn't agree with her.


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## 6cats2dogs2kids (Nov 23, 2011)

catinthemirror said:


> She never had that problem again when she was on grain-free canned food, so I guess the moisture was what she needed.



I mentioned that i feed TOTW dry but i also feed grain free canned. That's probably why they do well on it. I do think that we can only do the best we can but i do think thats cats need wet food too. I have known a lot of friends who only fed dry whose cats either died early from renal failure or became really sick from UTIs. Obviously there are a lot of cats who only eat dry andlive long lives. I think it depends how much an individual cat will drink water on its own. With 6 cats i cannot monitor who drinks water and who doesn't.


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## BoBear (Sep 8, 2011)

MowMow said:


> I wouldn't trust anything that rated fancy feast and nine lives a 9/10 and meow mix 10/10............


I felt the same way but the particular types of that brand name were rated high because of the nutritional content and lack of questionable products such as by-products, soya and other undesireables. The fancy feast and nine lives are occasiona 'junk food' treats for my guys, about once a week and a small tin divided amongst three makes for a very small sampling...


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## Destinie (Nov 23, 2011)

ptomas said:


> There are many brands of good wet foods out there. Many have preferences as to which brand they like better for different reasons. Others can chime in on what brands they like and why. I feed my cats blue buffalo due to ingredients, there are many other brands(halo, wellness) with similar ingredients, but picky cat would not eat them.
> 
> I have two cats, one that will eat anything and one that is picky. I recently got the blue buffalo sliced turkey dinner and both liked it. Tonight I gave them blue buffalo sliced chicken dinner and the picky cat would not eat it.
> 
> In the end it might depend on what kitty will eat.


A very passionate vendor at PetCo recommended Blue Buffalo to me because I was looking to feed my kitten food without fillers. He absolutely loves it (and will hold out sometimes for his wet food, I feed him a combo). I like it too, because it's like real food. The chicken looks and smells like real chicken. Tex will eat the Sliced Food happily, no matter the flavor. 

I would also recommend the Blue Buffalo.


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## BoBear (Sep 8, 2011)

doodlebug said:


> _9 Lives Ocean Whitefish ingredients, questionable/bad ingredients are bolded._
> 
> _*Meat by-products*, ocean whitefish, water sufficient for processing, *poultry byproducts*, fish broth, *titanium dioxide*, calcium carbonate, *salt*, potassium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, dried whey, guar gum, natural flavor, choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, *menadione sodium bisulfite complex*, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), carrageenan, minerals (magnesium oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), taurine,* sodium nitrite (to promote color retention*)._
> 
> ...


 
It seems like depending on what you read, you will get different reports on pet foods. Take a look at this chart Canned Cat Food Nutritional Information and some of the lower end cat foods rate high on lower cal / fats, high protein in their foods! I feed premium brands but still am shaking my head wondering if the extra costs are worth it? Before I started researching, I fed my old cat Iams dry food and various grocery store canned foods (which I now see as Feline Fast Food equivalent). That cat lasted just shy of 20 years and if it wasn't for the melamine tainted food, am sure he would have lasted longer. Not bad for a junk food diet.... 

BTW, great discussions...


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

BoBear said:


> I felt the same way but the particular types of that brand name were rated high because of the nutritional content and lack of questionable products such as by-products, soya and other undesireables.


I just looked at 1 of the Fancy Feast varieties listed (the chopped grill), and it contains meat by-products (listed second on the ingredient list), soy flour, wheat gluten and a few other sketchy ingredients. 

So I'm still not sure why they gave it 9/10.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

BoBear said:


> I felt the same way but the particular types of that brand name were rated high because of the nutritional content and lack of questionable products such as by-products, soya and other undesireables. The fancy feast and nine lives are occasiona 'junk food' treats for my guys, about once a week and a small tin divided amongst three makes for a very small sampling...


But they do contain questionable ingredients...refer back to the post I made a couple down from when you posted the list where I bolded all the bad ingredients in one of the foods on the list. Not to mention that most of these brands source from China.


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## JillianS (Oct 17, 2011)

When I got my new kitten (she was fed whiskas wet and dry at the shelter), I went to Petsmart to try and find some real kitten food to get her. I came home with Wellness and Blue kitten foods (wet) and a couple whiskas to transition her with. 

She loved the Blue so I'll have to go back and stock up on that (haven't tried the wellness yet).

My other cat has been on Iams wet (sigh, but she came from an Iams sponsored shelter), and I've been trying to transition her to Merrick (beforegrain and regular). It's just been going ok. But as soon as I opened the Blue tin for the kitten, my Cat came running! 

SO, I think we may become a Blue household (I was really stuck on getting them both on Merrick for some reason, but what can you do  

I'm sure your Petsmart has good brands, you may just have to hunt around or ask someone. When I was there, I saw several (wellness, blue, halo)

I found a small pet store that I didn't even know existed when I went to Merrick's website and searched for a "store near me". You can also try doing that


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## health.nutz (Nov 7, 2011)

Thanks for all this great information. After a trip to the PetSmart, I picked up some Wellness, Wellness CORE, Innova and Blue Wilderness. The newest addition to our household has been sneezing ever since we started giving him liver for his flea-induced anemia. Hopefully a change in brand will help and we can continue to give him the liver.


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