Best kitten food?
Discussion
cyberface said:
Looking at the ingredients on the cheaper / mass-market cat foods, there's not a lot of real meat in there so I'm sure I can do better. Also, it makes sense that the higher concentration of real meat / protein in the food, the less the cat needs - things like Whiskas which are 4% meat
I visited a cat food factory, and saw what goes into catfood. Everything, goat, mutton, lamb, pig, cow, deer, chicken, turkey, but none of it recognisable as 'meat'. The whole mess is stirred, boiled, coloured, flavoured and pressed into tins. The only difference between "Catslop with Chicken" and "Catslop with Beef" is the labels loaded into the machine at the end of the production line. 4% chicken, or 4% beef means there can be 20 other meats in the tin and the label will still be accurate.
welcome to the great catfood scam
paulhaveawhisky said:
becksW said:
Couple of potential mis leading comments being made. Feeding biscuits does not ensure reduction of tooth decay by cleaning. If the biscuits contain a dental protection formula they may, but not all do. Biscuits shatter as they are bitten into, to help clean teeth they need the teeth to be pushed into the biscuit before it breaks only certain biscuits (usually prescription dental diets) are designed to do this.
However if you are feeding a wet food this will stick to the teeth and be even worse for them as this attracts the bacteria to cling to the tooth and cause a faster plaque build up whereas dry food doesn't stick on teeth so hopefully will take longer.
Animals eat for energy and survival not for flavour etc, they really shouldn't get bored of the same foods and keeping to the same diet is generally better for their digestion. We make then fussy by offering alternatives (though I realise there are some cats and dogs that would rather starve than eat whats offered!). They couldn't afford to be fussy in the wild.
My cats have eaten dry food all their lives, they have had the make changed 3 times in total yet they still rush to their bowls every morning and evening and eat with the same gusto. In fact if they did refuse to eat I would know there is a serious problem!
Becky- I agree that normal cats, can not taste the difference between flavours, but ours are aristocrats. However if you are feeding a wet food this will stick to the teeth and be even worse for them as this attracts the bacteria to cling to the tooth and cause a faster plaque build up whereas dry food doesn't stick on teeth so hopefully will take longer.
Animals eat for energy and survival not for flavour etc, they really shouldn't get bored of the same foods and keeping to the same diet is generally better for their digestion. We make then fussy by offering alternatives (though I realise there are some cats and dogs that would rather starve than eat whats offered!). They couldn't afford to be fussy in the wild.
My cats have eaten dry food all their lives, they have had the make changed 3 times in total yet they still rush to their bowls every morning and evening and eat with the same gusto. In fact if they did refuse to eat I would know there is a serious problem!
. Nice breed the Tonkinese, don't see many, thats probably a good thing.Ours is a fussy little git. Started off on felix kitten pouches which she went off of. After trying a few brands she only eats Hills science plan and the odd bit of tuna as she doesn't like chicken or salmon. Her absolute favourite thing is bacon but she gets that very infrequently because of the salt content. We also have to measure out her food and not let her graze as she's hugely greedy to the point she'd eat until she barfs.
GTIR said:
As usual this thread has got me confused, do this, no do that, no do that but mostly this etc. 
It does seem that Applaws is the way to go.
Anyone recommend a supplier?
(I'll try it first)
Good information everyone with lots of different views, It does seem that Applaws is the way to go.
Anyone recommend a supplier?
(I'll try it first)
I have been a little confused too- apart from the 'no tuna regularly' recommendation, which is good advice, it's all very varied advice at what is best
At the end of the day it's just a cat, I have had loads of them in the past, and none have died or been ill as a result of what I have fed them and they have all eaten different things!
So I wouldn't let it play on your mind
What we did after reading a similarly confusing thread was go to Pets@Home ourselves, read the labels- choose the one that looks best, we chose Applaws dried as it was labelled 80% meat, no cereal- some of the others were just as expensive and Royal Canin for example did not even have a specified content of meat- so that is why we changed.
(Royal canin must have meat content as the biggest ingredient is dehydrated poultry meat. Science plan snr was 50% meat)
Overall, the king of all foods has to be a raw meat with supplements surely?
Finally, Applaws dried is on special at Pets@Home at the moment
Just before I pop out to Pets@Home - is Applaws dry any good?
I'm definitely picking up some Applaws wet and some Nature's Menu as they sound like proper meat (will read the labels).
Ozzie and Edie are happy with the James Wellbeloved biscuits though at the moment, and the biscuits are 'additional' snack food rather than their primary diet so as long as they're not toxic or Big-Mac style loaded with 'flavour enhancers' so they eat too much (they don't with the JW biccies, they just graze here and there), I'm not too worried about the biscuits.
If Applaws dry is just as nutritious as the wet then I'll end up double-feeding the kittens and Ozzie will end up a 15 kg cat, which whilst appealing from a 'hey I've got a pet lynx prowling around my house', is less practical when my house is human-sized, not particularly 'generous accommodation' (three bed Victorian end terrace, damn expensive town so I'm unlikely ever to be able to afford a bigger house) and having a 2 and half stone *cat* leaping around could knock most things over
Ozzie could, after all, grow as big as this rather magnificent chap:
I'm definitely picking up some Applaws wet and some Nature's Menu as they sound like proper meat (will read the labels).
Ozzie and Edie are happy with the James Wellbeloved biscuits though at the moment, and the biscuits are 'additional' snack food rather than their primary diet so as long as they're not toxic or Big-Mac style loaded with 'flavour enhancers' so they eat too much (they don't with the JW biccies, they just graze here and there), I'm not too worried about the biscuits.
If Applaws dry is just as nutritious as the wet then I'll end up double-feeding the kittens and Ozzie will end up a 15 kg cat, which whilst appealing from a 'hey I've got a pet lynx prowling around my house', is less practical when my house is human-sized, not particularly 'generous accommodation' (three bed Victorian end terrace, damn expensive town so I'm unlikely ever to be able to afford a bigger house) and having a 2 and half stone *cat* leaping around could knock most things over
Ozzie could, after all, grow as big as this rather magnificent chap:
missdiane said:
You do realise you are opening another can of worms regarding indoor/outdoor cats 
I'd love Nismo to go outside but he's a Burmese and they are known for not having road sense and wondering off.
I've read enough threads on ph where the cats have been run over and know a few people who's cats been squished, two on my road - one 6 months old and another 11 years old!
He does come out with me when I'm there but I keep an eye on him.
karona said:
welcome to the great catfood scam
It is not just applicable to cat food and if you make the effort to understand ingredients labelling and their meanings, then you will find out this applies to just about every consumable product on shelf. You probably won't ever eat a ready meal, tinned or processed product ever again!Most purchases are made emotionally - and this includes pet food brand decisions which are primarily lifestyle / aspirational choices made by their owners - not about the pure ingredients based on an understanding of what an animal requires. There are always exceptions but in general it's about perceived values.
I have been into many, many factories over the years and when I started I was surprised at the level of standards, compliance & regulation in the pet food industry - certainly the company I worked for. There were also very regular external checks made to ensure ingredient proportions. Also the making of claims on pack - which is why understading the terminology is important "May help prevent" *May being the operative word.
My new puppy eats Royal Canin. He's not eaten anything else yet but he definitely prefers it to any of that cheapo sh*t (the fact that he will eat fox poo from the lawn is irrelevant and selectively forgotten).
Ours are allowed out and still use a litter tray. One of them will come indoors specifically to take a dump. We use the paper based pellets from Pets@home, everything else is just nasty. They can also be composted, if they have only been peed on.
I believe the "ash" figure on catfood relates to dry weight left after burning it, it doesn't mean they put ash in the food.
Saltwater fish and freshwater fish maintain similar levels of salt in their flesh. Seafish are not automatically saltier.
I believe the "ash" figure on catfood relates to dry weight left after burning it, it doesn't mean they put ash in the food.
Saltwater fish and freshwater fish maintain similar levels of salt in their flesh. Seafish are not automatically saltier.
cyberface said:
Just before I pop out to Pets@Home - is Applaws dry any good?
I'm definitely picking up some Applaws wet and some Nature's Menu as they sound like proper meat (will read the labels).
When Di and I picked up Lily, the breeder told us that the applaws wet food was that good she occasionally had it in a sandwich I'm definitely picking up some Applaws wet and some Nature's Menu as they sound like proper meat (will read the labels).
Does everyone buy their cat / kitten food from the supermarket / pets at home or where ever?
Are there any signifcant discounts to be had from ordering online anywhere?
For example I usally buy 3 12 packs of either Whiskers or Felix kitten food pouches (wet) - at one of the supermarkets or pets at home they will be on offer at 3 boxes for £7
So can this be beaten online? Can any of the "premium" ones come close in price?
Cheers
Dan
Are there any signifcant discounts to be had from ordering online anywhere?
For example I usally buy 3 12 packs of either Whiskers or Felix kitten food pouches (wet) - at one of the supermarkets or pets at home they will be on offer at 3 boxes for £7
So can this be beaten online? Can any of the "premium" ones come close in price?
Cheers
Dan
otolith said:
I believe the "ash" figure on catfood relates to dry weight left after burning it, it doesn't mean they put ash in the food.
.
It's the mineral content and it's measurable using the burning process - it's a legal requirement to list it along with everything else. It should be on the 'Typical analysis' section rather than the ingredients..
(spent nearly 4 years checking/approving pet food packaging design & copy)
Edited by parakitaMol. on Saturday 6th March 12:31
missdiane said:
... The cat with the moustache in the background, cute.Edited by missdiane on Saturday 6th March 09:33
I've bought a selection of Applaws and Nature's Menu wet food and, yes, the Applaws 80% chicken dry food (no cereals) was on offer, so it was rude not to give that a shot. My cats are either going to get big quick or become *very* fussy eaters
Two big bags of Catsan (which does what it says on the tin), job done. Will *gradually* change over from the Felix and see how it goes. My gut instinct is that Edie will *instantly* go for the Applaws and never touch the Felix again (as someone said, some of the chicken recipes *do* look like sandwich filling!!!) but Ozzie may not be that bothered (if he just eats what he gets served then that's OK, of course).
Is there any *specific* kitten requirement that isn't fulfilled by 'adult' cat food? Whilst most of the food I've bought is 'kitten' on the label, there was one mixed box of Applaws that looked bloody tasty looking at it with human eyes, so I bought that one too - but it's not specifically 'kitten' food. From the food constituent breakdown, kitten food just seems to have more fat in it than adult cat food. The top brands all have around 12-13% protein, whereas Felix and Whiskas kitten pouches have 8% protein, so I'm guessing that 'good' adult food may be better than 'cheap' kitten food - but not sure about the fat (which seems to be the only difference).
The Applaws 80% chicken biscuits ought to redress the balance, which are a whopping 21% fat!
Anyway at least they'll get some variety.
cyberface said:
Is there any *specific* kitten requirement that isn't fulfilled by 'adult' cat food?
IIRC kitten food is less rich than cat food, and I know that the ProPlan contains different nutrients n stuff.You'll soon notice from the smell of the litter tray if the food you have given them is too rich! We renamed Pepi to Pepe le peu until we got his food right...
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