"Robert" wrote in message
...
Phil,
I recently got a cat and I've been scanning the cat
newsgroups on Google for info on what canned foods to feed
for long-term good health. I found one of your posts (quoted
below) very informative, but I would like to know which
specific foods (brands and 'flavors') actually meet these
requirements since you stated that many do. I've examined
the dry matter analyses for many canned cat foods, but I am
yet to find even one that actually fits the bill (unless I'm
not understanding them correctly). I know this is a
complicated topic and there are many people here with strong
opinions, but your input would mean a lot to me. Thank you
very much for your time and help!!
Robert,
Here's a list of foods I found acceptable:
Fancy Feast:
Marinated Beef Feast,
Marinated Chicken Feast,
Marinated Salom Feast,
Grilled Chicken Feast,
Grilled Turkey Feast,
Grilled Tuna Feast,
Minced Beef Feast,
Sliced Beef Feast,
Sliced Beef & Giblets Feast,
Sliced Chicken Hearts & Liver Feast,
Seafood Filets Tuna & Ocean Whitefish,.
Avoid the entire Flaked, Filet & Pate line.
Science Diet:
Gourmet Turkey Entree,
Liver & Chicken Entree,
Gourmet Beef Entree,
Turkey & Giblets Entree,
Savory Cuts Chicken Dinner in Savory Gravy,
Savory Cuts Ocean Fish Dinner in Sauce,
Savory Cuts Beef Dinner in Gravy,
Savory Chicken Entree,
Savory Salmon Entree.
Friskies:
Fine Cuts With Real Chicken,
Fine Cuts With Real Fish- Ocean Whitefish, and Tuna,
Fine Cuts With Tuna in Sauce.
Petguard:
Turkey & Rice,
Rabbit & Rice,
Chicken & Wheat Germ Dinner,
Venison & Rice.
Wysong:
Chicken Gourmet,
Liver Gourmet,
Seafood Gourmet
Wellness:
Chicken.
HTH,
Phil
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1. Try to find a food in which the first 3 or 4 ingredients
are meat products. Foods that have meat products as only
the first and second ingredients could still contain more
plant products than meat. Ingredients are listed in
"descending order of predominance by weight". However,
the combined total weight of all the plant products could
outweigh the meat- even though meat is the first
ingredient.
2. Try to find a food with a phosphorus content no higher
than .2% 'as fed' or .9% 'dry matter basis'. If you
accustom your cat to moderate-to-low phosphorus diets at a
young age, it will be much easier to maintain the cat on
low phosphorus diets later in life- which will be crucial
if your cat develops CRF.
3. Try to find a food with an 'ash' analysis of 5%. 2-3%
(on the label) is ideal. The higher the 'ash' the less
digestible the food.
4. Try to find a food with fiber content 2%. High fiber
reduces digestibility of proteins and fats and affects
absorption for some vitamins and minerals. A high fiber
content also increases fecal volume and reduces urine
volume which could lead to urinary tract disorders. So, a
food with a fiber content of about 1% max (on the label)
would be ideal.
Many foods meet these requirements, but the trick isn't
only finding a food that meets all these requirements but
one that your cat will like, too! You can make the
selection a little easier by putting down a smorgasbord of
4 or 5 foods that meet your requirements and let your cat
choose the one she likes. Repeat the process the next day
but without the food she chose the day before. If she
chooses another food, repeat the process the next day and
leave out that food. I know this sounds crazy but this is
how to establish a group of foods that you know your cat
will eat without going through numerous trials. This way
you'll have a group of foods she likes and can rotate her
diet. Personally, I believe in rotating foods from an
early age, this will avoid fixed food preferences later in
life and will make switching to a prescription diet much
easier if the need arises.
Phil
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