Is IAMS the best food there is ? I had a older cat that had issues with liver and internal problems over the counter purnia or generic cat food....so I stuck with Iams for 17 years. I now have two younger cats as well and they don't seem to be very excited to eat their dinner anymore because it is IAMS. The older cat had passed away and thinking of giving them a different brand.
If I gave them Purina, they love it, but not sure if they will get fatter off that or it has mor sugar in it.
Any thoughts on this ?
My vet told me you can always find a good cat food, as long as the first 3 ingredients in it are not corn. Corn is just a filler and not healthy for your cat. So I always check the label before I buy. Less corn makes them use the cat box less, and eat less.
The more expensive foods tend to use better-quality more expensive ingredients. Iams used to be considered a premium-brand pet food but they changed their formulation and now isn't much different than Purina and other grocery-store brands. Generally I look at the ingredient label to get a sense of how good of a food it is. I like seeing ingredients that actually sound like food (besides vitamin/mineral sources) and meat ingredients that state "Chicken" or "Beef" as opposed to "Meat Meal" or "Meat and bone meal" or "chicken by-products". Cats being carnivores generally do better on foods that contain more meat and protein as their primary ingredients, rather than grains (like wheat or rice) or corn - but these make the food more expensive, and you can only get so much protein into a dry kibble type food. In some of the pet specialty stores, like Petco, you can find better quality brands that are not sold in grocery stores, such as Wellness and Blue Buffalo, as well as others that emphasize being grain-free. Also canned food is a better source of protein than dry. I feed my cats a mix of both wet and dry of the grain-free formulas (like Merrick's Before Grain Chicken) - the wet tend to be all meat, while the dry is meat plus a non-grain carb source such as sweet potato.
Check ingredient labels and feed the best quality food that fits your budget.
I have a 15 year old cat that has been on IAMS since the beginning. I did change him a few years back to the IAMS Premium Protection Senior and still did well on it. But the past two weeks we have been dealing with a bladder infection and Purina one makes an over the counter urinary formula. After much research I decided to switch him. I am in the process of slowly doing it now.
I will tell you that different foods work differently on different cats. I worked as a vet tech for several years and realized that fact. For me it's about digestibility and you will be able to see that with stool size and firmness to the ratio of food given. if it's a good food. And just because a cat food is sold at a grocery store and doesn't cost you and arm or a leg doesn't mean it's not a good food. I found many cat lovers that hold a very high pompous attitude that if you don't use the upper foods that you love your cat less than someone who does. Bologna.
If you monitor the intake of food getting fat should not be a problem. If you are feeding ad lib then it could be. Sugar is in most all foods by some form to prevent the food from going rancid and holds some shelf life. Don't think it's much different per IAMS to Purina.
Best Regards,
C.
I had a vet who (several years ago) had the opinion that Purina made a well-balanced, good-quality pet food, though the ingredient sources were possibly less-carefully selected than some of the higher-priced labels. Since I have severe cat allergy, my cats were always creatures of the great outdoors, so they got plenty of exercise. They did stay healthy into old age on Purina. One of my cats lived to be 19.
Our dog eats Fromm-but they make cat food products:
Look at the ingredients. What are "meat by products"? Feet, hooves, and it gets worse! So, no, IAMS is garbage, IMO.
I like Felidae. When all that pet food was being recalled a few years back, I didn't need to worry because my pets food came from the USA...every part of it. Look for 'human grade' ingredients.
Oh Purina. I know I am picky on my pets food. But Purina is kind of the equivalent of giving your cat McDonalds everyday.
I like to get my pet food from this place. It's not cheap, but you can pick up and they also have delivery. They have a great selection too.
http://www.gooberpetdirect.com/
But check out their selection of cat food. Look at the ingredients. It is quality food that is actually good for you pet; high quality ingredients with no fillers and by products!
Here is the ingredients of Felidae:
http://www.canidae.com/cats/chicken_and_rice/dry.html
Nothing artificial and all that bottom stuff is all vitamins! Wow...
I did used to feed my pets Science Diet and that is even 'garbage' compared to these holistic, natural pet foods.
I feed Blue Buffalo.
I would feed the cat the food they will eat. Just don't leave it out all the time. If you feed them a certain amount everyday, they should not get fat. They will get fat if you leave food out all day as they will overeat. Anyhow, I would switch foods if they don't like what you are using now. If you want to make sure of what is in it, just read the bag and look at the ingredients. If you need a healthy amount top feed your kitties, I would call the vet office and ask how much they should get each day. Just have to know the approximate weight they are and all.
D. P.
