Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   In an effort to balance out the competing food needs of the 3 special needs cats and with the blessing of the vet, I'm experimenting with mixing some organic cat food in with the other foods in hopes of eventually getting everyone eating a blend that, if not ideally beneficial to each one, at least isn't detrimental and is one that lets me be able to keep everyone fed and medicated on schedule for Alice's insulin shot needs and for me to go back to work when I find a job without creating feeding and insulin shot schedule problems for the cats when I'm gone all day.

   At the moment I have a small bag of Newman's Own organic dry cat food. I like that it has no hormones, antibiotics, herbacides, pesticides, wheat, or corn, and has only natural preservatives without any chemical preservatives. It is made with only human grade consumption ingredients. I'm able to get it at the grocery store.

   Today at Petsmart I saw another organic brand called Blue Wilderness that also is free of all the same things, is made from lots of real meat (although doesn't say it is from human grade.) Because it also has no soy as well as no wheat or corn, it is gluten free.

   Do any of you have any long term experience with either of these brands or any other organic brands? If so, has feeding organic food to your cats seemed to keep them healthier than non-organics?

   I've even been letting Mandi, the cat with IBS, eat some of the organic and diabetic dry food mix. Normally the ONLY food she can keep down is the Hill's Prescription Z/D with the hydrolized protein. But so far she has kept down the diabetic/organic mix, wonder of wonders.

   So, any feedback about your experiences with any brands of organic cat food will be appreciated. I'm just thinking maybe some of the health problems my kitties have developed has a lot to do with all the chemicals in cat foods, even in the Hill's Prescription foods.

   Thanks.

   Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

2. 

   I feed the farm cats some Blue Wilderness also. i don't like how many fruits/veggies go into that food though. the petsmart that is closest to me has By Nature Organics wet and dry cat food. http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/

   i purrsonaly like this food better because it has less fruits/veggies which are not needed by cats and add more carbs instead. you should really give your cats some wet food also.

   cats with diabetes that get raw diets can have a complete turnaround on that sort of diet. EVO is probably the closest food that you can get (again get wet) to preparing your own raw meals for your cat.

   Science Diet is more chicken feed than cat food (sorry...). cats NEED meat!

   the farm cats get maybe 2.5 to three pounds organic food each night. i'd say that their health improved with that instead of getting all kirkland dry food. since i started giving them about 54 ounces of wet food though, i've noticed that they are way healthier and have much softer coats.

   is ZD ment for cats with allergies? some cats are allergic to the wheat/corn in dry food, so switching to organic food that has no wheat/corn/soy would defently make a differance.

   Posted 3 years ago by furryfriends50 #

3. 

   The Z/D is for cats with allergies and who don't tolerate regular proteins well. It has hydrolized proteins. Mandi just reguratates nay wet foods and any other dry foods. But, so far, she has kept down the mix I'm putting down of the Purina DM (diabetic maintenance) dry food and Newman's Own organic dry food. I'm going to let her try some of the canned wet DM diabetic food and see how she handles that.

   Tigger, the one with Chronic Renal Failure, eats almost exclusively wet food as does Alice who is now diabetic. One needs low protein, the other high protein. sigh The vet says to be realistic and find a happy medium.

   I'm looking to get away from all the grain fillers, chemical additives, and such that I'm inclined to believe may be what Mandi can't tolerate, what may be contributing to Tigger's kidney problems (along with his very advanced age of 20+ years), and perhaps even Alice's development of diabetes. I just can't believe that having 3 out of 4 cats all having developed health problems eating such foods as Iams, Science Diet, Hill's Presciption, Fancy Feast can be mere coincidence!

   Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into EVO and see what the vet says. I, too, wondered about all the veggies in Blue Wilderness. I like that Newman's Own doesn't have so much of that. It's all a gradual change so that no one's tummies get upset.

   Thank you.

   Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

4. 

   Can I just step in here for a moment. It is obvious that both of you have done your homework and know what you are talking about so this is for others who may not take the time to read labels. Do not be fooled by every can of cat food that claims to be natural or organic or pure. You must read the labels because the claims on the labels and the suggestion by the name is not always the full story. I can't remember now which brand a couple of years ago that people were feeding their cats which was touted to be one of the best and healthiest for cats. It certainly was the most expensive but if you read the label, it had pretty much the same ingredients as all the other ones so be aware of what you are purchasing and make sure you are getting what the labelling suggests.

   Posted 3 years ago by petpntr #

5. 

   "I just can't believe that having 3 out of 4 cats all having developed health problems eating such foods as Iams, Science Diet, Hill's Presciption, Fancy Feast can be mere coincidence!"-Marnet

   its not just a coincidence really. if you consider what type of things goes into science diet/iams:

   http://www.dailykitten.com/chat/topic/13974

   pretty bad isn't it? there is barely any animal protien. cats aren't ment to eat that type of food because they are carnivores: http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/fruit+vegetables.php

   dry food leads to an unhealthy cat. the worst wet food is really going to be better than the best dry food because it is much closer to what a cat would normally eat. it is high in protien and fat and low in carbs. protien and fat are the two things that tell a cats brain that the cat is full, carbs make a cat fat.

   i also have a cat with CRF (chronic renal failure). i am giving him a high protien wet food, and he is doing great on it. you need to add something to help bind the phosphorus in the high protien wet food, which you can get from the vet. really, more people are beginning to think that it is a low protien diet that is killing our CRF cats, not CRF. so if you could get a phosphorus binder from your vet, i think that both your diabetic cat and cat with CRF could eat the same wet food.

   Posted 3 years ago by furryfriends50 #

6. 

   I remember now what cat food I was thinking about. We had a discussion about urinary tract infections and Feral was feeding it to her cats and paying more for it than regular. This is what the labels say for the "special" urinary tract food. Despite being labelled as a food that will help prevent a cat from having urinary tract problems it still has the same major problem ingredient, ash, in an unacceptable amount. So buyer beware. This is part of a post from that discussion:

   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
   This is really strange. I checked out the label for the Purina Urinary Tract formula and it says it contains 6.2% ash. That is considerable. I then looked at my bag of Purina Cat Chow and it does not have ash listed at all. What it does have listed are other minerals (which can make up ash) like phosphorous and selenium and the combination of those ingredients was less than the 6.2% ash in Purina Urinary Tract formula. So if my observation is correct you may be paying for something you think you are getting when in fact it isn't any different than the other formulas.

   I noticed on the Purina website it does not even refer to ash in their explanation. All it says is that it is guaranteed to give a cat a balanced diet.
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

   Posted 3 years ago by petpntr #

7. 

   What is a phosphorus binder??? I'm still new to all this research into cat food and busy trying to sort through all the conflicting info I'm finding. I have read the cat food article from the TDK link and agree that the closer to a true carnivore diet, the better.

   I'm working toward twice a day feeding of wet food with a small amount of acceptable dry food for in between snacks so Alice can keep her glucose more even and so that Tigger, the old kitty who doesn't absorb food well anymore and therefore needs to eat small amounts more often, can snack when they need. Right now Tigger gets as many small servings of canned food every little while as he wants. But I can't be here full time for that anymore, like I have been for years. I have to find a job and go back to work, meaning I'll be gone for at least 10 hours a day (commute time and all).

   Thanks again for the help folks. After a lifetime of cats and their care I am still always learning and trying to improve my care of my babies!

   What is a phosphorus binder and why is it important????

   Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

8. 

   http://members.verizon.net/~vze2r6qt/supplies/binders.htm

   if you use a phosphorus binder it will make you be able to feed your cat a high protien diet. i don't know exactly how it helps, but a cat with renal failure will build up the chemicals creatinine, blood urea nitrate (BUN) and Phosporus, because the kidneys are unable to filter them out properly. Its critical to limit the intake or production of these chemicals as much as possible. This means limiting the intake of protein and phosphorus.

   Posted 3 years ago by furryfriends50 #

9. 

   Thank you FF50. I'll do lots more reading and gradually figure out the best combination of foods that I can get the cats to eat and that I can manage to afford. Appreciate the info very much.

   Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

10. 

    bump

    Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

11. 

    about CRF: http://www.ask.com/bar?q=organic+cat+food+low+in+phosphates+and+high+in+protein%3F&page=1&qsrc=19&zoom=%3CKW%3EPhosphate%3C%2FKW%3E+Levels+in+Water%7CEffects+of+%3CKW%3EPhosphates%3C%2FKW%3E+in+Water%7C%3CKW%3ELow+Phosphate%3C%2FKW%3E+Diet&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.littlebigcat.com%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Dlibrary%26act%3Dshow%26item%3D003

    Posted 3 years ago by furryfriends50 #

12. 

    Ahhh, thank you!

    Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

13. 

    I've used Newman's Own for many months now, and both Redford & Mitzi love it. It also has made their coats soft and glossy, and even at 15 & 17 yrs old, they both still play like kittens. I love the stuff!

    Posted 3 years ago by rainingwolf #

14. 

    Thank you FF50 for all the wonderful links to info. Just what I need.

    Raningwolf, thank you for the feedback. I was hoping someone else had tried the Newman's Own and could tell me how it works for their cats.

    Lordy, lordy, what with 3 special needs cats I keep having so many questions about how best to care for them, everyone here at TDK has been wonderful about helping me find the research resources to read and learn more, and also with givng feedback about their own experiences dealing with these issues in their own cats. I can't thank all of you enough for the help and putting up with my numerous posts asking still yet another question about another cat!

    Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

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