XP: Recommend your pet food brand please!

IAmSherlocked

I posted this on the MM board, but was hoping some of you on here might have some suggestions as well.

For those of you with pets (especially cats) what brand of food do you feed them and how much do you spend?

For a while I've been giving my 5 cats Taste of the Wild, but the only stores that carry it are out of the way so while the actual food is a few dollars cheaper than the other brands I've looked at (Blue Wilderness, Wellness, etc.) I'm not sure it's worth it to have to go to have to travel out of my way. I recently tried Simply Nourish brand since it was on sale and mixed it in with their regular food until the cats got used to it, but I wasn't a fan of the stinky side effects, haha.

One of our cats is really sick (heart disease, diabetes, and as of this weekend he is in renal failure as well) so I've been spending a lot of money on medication/specialty food/ER visits for him and I'm looking to try and cut down expenses in other areas.I don't want to compromise too much on food quality but if there are any brands you guys like I'd love some suggestions.

If it matters our cats are 10 yrs (he's the sick one), 4 years, and the 3 "kittens" are all 1.5 years old.

mrswilkes2011

I use the brand Nine Lives. I use this brand with all my cats and like you, I have multiple cats of different ages. It comes in wet or dry, so if you have to give them meds, you can use the wet food without worrying about them not liking the taste after you switch brands. Nine lives uses an advanced nutrient system for all of their foods, and each type is made specifically to help them in maintaining certain areas of health. For example, you have a cat that is dealing with renal failure ( so sorry to hear about that) I would recommend the nine lives "plus care" brand. It helps your cat maintain a healthy urinary tract, promote a healthy immune system, and support healthy digestion. They also have an indoor formula for hairball control, healthy weight and metabolism, along with a "long life" formula that supports digestive health for better nutrient absorption, and a "daily essentials" brand for healthy skin and coat, promote muscle growth and healthy heart and eyes.The brand can be found at your local walmart, so its really easy to find, and costs about $10.00 for a 13 pound bag, they have different sizes if you need smaller bags. I normally go through a 13 pound bag every two weeks for all of my cats, so I spend an average of thirty dollars a month on wet and dry food for 5 cats. I feed them twice a day (morning and evening.) Another great reason why i love this brand is that Nine lives has a cat named morris as their mascot, who was saved from euthanasia in a shelter in 1968. They do alot of charity for homeless, and shelter cats so it's nice to use a brand that gives back. They have a website if you want to check it out. Hope this helped!

aggiebug

Ok urinary health is very VERY different that renal health.  Urinary health will probably help prevent crystals and cystitis but is still way to high in protein and phosphorus for the kidneys. So don't get confused when a label says that and think it will benefit your cat's kidneys   

Honestly you are dealing with a balance of some very serious diseases that can be difficult to manage together.  AND the way they are managed can be counter productive for one another.  Not knowing how bad each disease is, makes it difficult to know what diet to suggest.  

Since renal disease tends to be most impacted by food I am going to focus on that.  In general, OTC diets are too high in protein and phosphorus to make a good renal diet, but I understand trying to cut costs where you can.

Look into balanceit https://secure.balanceit.com/marketplace2.2/details.php?i=46&cc=

this food is formulated by veterinary nutritionist specifically for cats with kidney disease.  The one down side is it is not canned food which I would love to see, but I think it is one of the best OTC options available.  

Taste of the Wild, and 9lives all have too much Phos and protein but some are scary high for a cat with kidney disease.  

as far as your healthy cats.  Seriously Fancy feast (patte not in gravy) is an excellent food.  That and Wellness are the 2 brands I recommend first and foremost.  But there is no food ideal for your sick kitty and your healthy ones.

IAmSherlocked

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I will check that balanceit one you recommended.

Right now my sick cat is currently eating "Nutro" their soft loaf variety. The main reason I have been giving him this is because for the past month or so he refuses to eat anything so I have to hand feed him and the texture of their pate seems to be easier to get in his mouth (it sort of just dissolves where as the other brands I've tried are too "chunky", for lack of a better word, and he just spits it out). I've tried all the tricks I can think of to try and convince him to eat--from warming the food up, to trying different brands/textures/flavors, giving him homemade cooked chicken, canned tuna, even peanut butter, but nothing seems to work.

To be honest, the vet's prognosis wasn't good. Last month we had to take kitty to the emergency clinic because he was in respiratory distress. Turns out he was in cardiac arrest, and they discovered he had diabetes (his numbers were off the charts), a grade 4 heart murmur and an enlarged heart (neither of which his normal vets ever picked up on). They put him on oxygen for 24 hours and they weren't sure if he was going to perk back up, but when I went to visit he was just about ready to climb out of the oxygen tank so they let me bring him home the next day. That little trip cost $2,000 + $300 for his insulin and medication (lasix, Analapril, baby aspirin and Lantus Insulin).

He seemed to be doing ok, but then about 2 weeks later he lost interest in food and wanted nothing to do with anybody--very weird because even though he is terrified of strangers he's always been glued to my side and follows me around the house. I took him back to his normal vet for a glucose curve test (this was 2 days after I had begun having to force feed him) and they said all their tests came back normal and that he looked like he was getting better.

This past Saturday we took kitty (and another of our cats) in for a normal check-up (this is now 2 weeks after our last trip to the vet). They then said that sick kitty's blood sugar levels were way too low, and told me that he was in renal failure. I couldn't believe that could happen so quickly! The vet recommended taking him off the meds and insulin for a week or so to see if that helps his appetite (I had called to ask them about that before and they said not to do it!) but so far no improvement. 

We have a follow up appointment this Saturday to check his levels and see how he's doing. The vet recommended boarding him in a 24 hour clinic and that he's probably be in-and-out of there for the rest of his life, but from my experiences with him, that just tends to stress him out more so I don't know how good that would be for him--even the vet said it may not really improve his quality of life.

What kills me is that I am going out of town next month for business for a little over a week and I can't get out of it. Part of me wants to put him in a 24 hour care facility regardless of the cost, but then I have a gut feeling that if I do that it will stress him out too much and he will pass away before I can get back.

The vet wants to possibly address putting him down, but I'm torn on that one.  To be honest, I know his quality of life is deteriorating so it's not fair to him, and he most likely will not really ever get much better. I know he isn't feeling well--he ignores the other cats even when they try to groom him (he walks away from our stray kitten that he has mothered since he met her) and I haven't heard him purr at all in weeks (he used to purr all the time and he was loud!). Just the idea of losing my first baby (who I rescued from an abusive home and spent years rehabilitating) is horrifying to me.

Sorry that was really long. Between everything else going on in my life right now I'm running on very little sleep, so this sort of turned into a caffeine induced ramble.

aggiebug

Oh wow I am really sorry.  Your poor kitty (and you) seems to have had a rough go if it recently. 

given your description I would say feed him what ever he will eat.  I don't care if it is just tuna and boiled chicken.  What you are describing seems like end stage disease and can make the seriously lose their appetite.  Eating anything is much more important that what they are eating at that point

As far as the heart disease, your description is so typical for how heart disease in cats is found unfortunately.  A cat can have a murmur on physical exam and it never been an issue or can never have a murmur and die at home from heart disease. The only way to evaluate the heart is with ultrasound. You are quite lucky you were able to catch it soon enough that he could get help and stabilize enough to get home.  

The diabetes, if they found it will the heart disease could be transient and brought on by disease and stabilize on its own after his health improves. So in that respect be careful with the insulin.  Low glucose is MUCH more dangerous than high glucose.  So if he is acting weak, dizzy, disoriented give him some karo, honey, molasses (rub it on his gums) and get him seen soon. (sounds like you are seeing that already at the recheck)  Again I wouldn't worry about the diabetes as far as his diet goes.  Yes diet really matters, but if we are consistent with any diet we can manage diabetes.  

 

If the renal failure showed up in 2 weeks I would imagine it has more to due with the meds he was on.  The drugs can cause dehydration which can effect the kidneys and they can also have "reactions" that injure the kidneys.  This too  may be transient if we can get the insult to the kidneys eliminated they may (or may not) rebound.  

I would focus on keeping his stress as minimal as possible and get him to eat what you can.  I wouldn't even look into the food I suggested, since his primary problem sounds like it is his heart and not his kidneys.   Look into kitten foods, they are much more energy dense so he doesn't need to eat as much to maintain the calories he needs.  you can also slurry it with a little chicken broth to make it easier to eat.  Baby food is another possibility to encourage him to eat.

I am so sorry you are going through this.  It sounds like he is lucky to have found you.IT is always incredibly hard to let go of one you saved but ended up saving you.  Keep me updated  and obviously feel free to ask any questions I will do my best to answer them.

Jliongrrrl

So sorry to hear about your kitty's health problems My parents are pretty rural and my mother is disabled so they actually schedule their food delivery. They order through petsmart which gives them a scheduled delivery discount. I think Amazon offers the same thing if you set up a scheduled delivery.

IAmSherlocked

Thanks for the support everyone!

I have tried feeding the sick cat baby food, but I haven't tried a kitten food for him, so I'll give that a try and see if he's interested. So far I've only been able to get him to eat about 1/3 of a small can of food yesterday (supplemented with some high calorie paste) but nothing today.   DH initially wanted to try and board him, but I think he's coming around to the idea that it would just be prolonging the inevitable with our little guy. 

@Jliongrrrl I actually never thought about ordering food online and having it delivered. I'll have to look into that! DH was mentioning getting an Amazon Prime account so maybe I'll see if there are some discounts to be had that way. Thanks for the suggestion!

stokesm21

I feed my cats a raw diet.  I spend about $120/mth.  I'm looking to change that by making my own - cheaper.  (Currently I feed a pre-mixed raw that I buy from a local supplier)  

Edited:  Because people like to make assumptions based on what little information I provided in my first post. I am simply responding to the OP and am not looking for opinions on the choice that I have made.    

aggiebug

@stokesm21‌ choosing raw diet to prevent urinary blockages is a very poor choice. You are much more likely to have imbalances of the minerals and micronutrients that directly lead to crystal formation.

I hope you have had your cat's urine checked to ensure the pH is appropriate and there are no signs of crystals in his urine. No matter the dirt he is on THAT is the most important than you can do.

And as far as the diets they suggested those diets save lives. Literally. Just because there is a large amount of misinformation out their about diet ingredients and reading the labels doesn't mean they are bad foods. (and fwiw the prescription diets are not typically my first recommendation in a blocked cat)

stokesm21

aggiebug said:

@stokesm21‌ choosing raw diet to prevent urinary blockages is a very poor choice. You are much more likely to have imbalances of the minerals and micronutrients that directly lead to crystal formation. I hope you have had your cat's urine checked to ensure the pH is appropriate and there are no signs of crystals in his urine. No matter the dirt he is on THAT is the most important than you can do. And as far as the diets they suggested those diets save lives. Literally. Just because there is a large amount of misinformation out their about diet ingredients and reading the labels doesn't mean they are bad foods. (and fwiw the prescription diets are not typically my first recommendation in a blocked cat)

I was simply responding to the OP and am not at all surprised that someone said something to me about it.  It comes with the territory.  I don't need to explain all the reasons why I choose to feed my cats raw (which are certainly way more than the one reason I mentioned above) however, IMO raw saves lives too.  And that is all I have to say about that.                  

RedheadBaker

@stokesm21 just ignore aggie. She's on a crusade against raw for some reason. She works in a vet's office (though she's not a vet) and thinks she knows everything. 

aggiebug

Actually I am a veterinarian RHB and I am passionate about nutrition to the point I have seriously considered a residency in nutrition.  Due to time and location I won't but that doesn't mean I haven't gone above and beyond to truly educate myself about pet nutrition including raw.    But I don't actually get why that is relevant since you clearly aren't a veterinarian.  

Most of my stone forming patients are not on a prescription diet except for a short period to dissolve their stones because I don't think that is necessary or in the best interest of most cats.  But some are because no matter how we change their diet and their lifestyle they are still high risk for stone formation.  Raw diets have never been the solution for these cats period.  And like I said a poorly balanced home formulated diet of any kind will dramatically increase their risk for crystal formation especially raw diets.  

And as another aside about raw.  We had a patient in the clinic this week that has septicemia and we are highly suspicious this is due in part to his raw diet.  So there is that.  

stokesm21

RedheadBaker said:

@stokesm21 just ignore aggie. She's on a crusade against raw for some reason. She works in a vet's office (though she's not a vet) and thinks she knows everything. 

Thanks!    

I wrote probably about 5 replies in response to her post after yours and then just decided it's not worth it to argue with someone who is making assumptions about my situation. It has always been very hard for me to not go on the defensive but debating raw is like beating a dead horse.  Been there, done that ... moving on!   (No, I have never actually beat a horse ... dead or otherwise haha!)

Regardless, she is forgetting the most important thing of all ... Cats are Carnivores!  Which is something no one can deny so I will always have that on my side.                 

aggiebug

@stokesm21‌. I never said cats aren't carnivores because they clearly are. Carnivore =/= raw meat it just equals animal protein. Nor does it mean that they aren't eating an appropriately balanced diet on a canned cat food.

My problem with your post is that you are not a veterinarian who is giving out terrible advice that could literally kill the OPs cat. Especially with how severely ill the OPs pet is.

stokesm21

aggiebug said: @stokesm21‌. I never said cats aren't carnivores because they clearly are. Carnivore =/= raw meat it just equals animal protein. Nor does it mean that they aren't eating an appropriately balanced diet on a canned cat food. My problem with your post is that you are not a veterinarian who is giving out terrible advice that could literally kill the OPs cat. Especially with how severely ill the OPs pet is.
I was not giving out advice.  She asked what everyone feeds their cat and I responded.  Get off your high horse and stop acting like people are stupid and can't think for themselves.    

aggiebug

I was giving advice for that specific pet and when I see some advice given that is dangerous for the pet that was looking for advice I will comment on it.

I am not trying to change your opinion but advise the OP why I completely disagree with something you happened to state. So the OP can have information to make an informed decision.

You can give an opinion and I can disagree. It happens.

formerlyGDaisy09

aggiebug said:

@stokesm21‌. I never said cats aren't carnivores because they clearly are. Carnivore =/= raw meat it just equals animal protein. Nor does it mean that they aren't eating an appropriately balanced diet on a canned cat food. My problem with your post is that you are not a veterinarian who is giving out terrible advice that could literally kill the OPs cat. Especially with how severely ill the OPs pet is.

In support of this, our little carnivores eat wellness wet-food...grain free mostly animal protein food and their weight and general health is excellent! our vet calls it the "CATkins diet"  

we have one kitty that is dealling with trichotillomania, we've been looking for a cause for nearly a year, but have come-up with nothing. her skin looks good the fur she has looks good, her weight is good, her appitite normal, prozac didn't help, at this point I just think it's a compulsive habit, she looks like a mess, but is a healthy kitty. we tried a prescription diet for a while, she does better on the wellness. 

vancitymichy

I use Royal Canin dry food from the vet since my cat has a sensitive digestive system, and a 2lb bag is about $30. And I give her a 1/3 of a can of wet food a day (mostly just cause she's used to it and looks forward to it). For that I have to change it up every few months because she gets bored (such a diva she is). Right now I am using Wellness brand.