Great article on cat foods, diabetes, metabolism, & weight

[SheltieLover]

Still hunting for ways to help my obese senior & ran across this:

https://loveofacat.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/

[Deuxcents]

1. I've never heard of these cat foods..

My kitty is a big girl.. over weight.. but she’s a big cat. In fact, she’s probably the biggest one I have had but.. she’s fat, too. I feed her Blue Buffalo dry n at night she gets a small scoop of the wet canned tuna. She knows how to tell time n when I’m late, she’ll let me know. I hope I’m doing right by her w/ her food. 🐾

[SheltieLover]

3. My obese senior is eating FF pate (100 cal/can) & Blue indoor kibble

Guessing it's the carbs in the Blue that has whacked out her metabolism. Cats simply aren't built for it.

I'm looking to switch her to the Weruvia, but it's more pricey than FF.

[wnylib]

8. Hill's Science Diet makes both wet and dry food

for cats who need to lose weight. You measure out the amount recommended for adult cats. I don't know if they also have one for cats who are both senior and needing a diet. You can get a better Hill's diet formula from a vet as a prescription than the Hill's formula that is sold over the counter in places like Pet Smart, but the over the counter diet food is better than no diet food.

For the dry food, you might try making her work for it, either with a food puzzle or by hiding some of the food. Ember does not get treats daily, but when she does get them, I put a few pieces into her dish and quickly hide 5 pieces in 5 different places while she's eating the ones in her dish, e.g. one on the mid level of her cat tree, one on a shorter cat tree that's next to the tall one, one each on top of her two tunnels, one inside a tunnel. I vary the places a little just to keep her guessing, like sometimes on a lower or higher level of the cat tree, one on my desk chair which is near the cat tree, etc. So, she has to move around and climb a little (or leap) to find all of them. She is used to the amount of pieces, so if I hide only 4 instead of 5, she keeps looking for a fifth one.

Sometimes she tries to cheat. She starts to eat the ones in her dish but then sneaks up behind me to see where I am putting the other ones. When she does that, I point to her dish and say, "Here." Then I sit down with a book or my phone like I'm busy with something else until she goes back to her dish and then quickly hide the pieces while she's eating from the dish.

I just bought her a food puzzle but haven't used it yet. You put some pieces of dry kibble into little spaces on a sliding "tray" in the puzzle and then close the tray so the food is not visible. The cat has to figure out where it has to pull to get the tray to open. There are several trays so when it gets one open it has to then open the rest to get all of the hidden food. It makes the cat slow down its eating and focus on an activity to get its food. It might be a little more challenging for an older cat, but could sharpen its scent tracking and problem solving skills a little. I got one at Wal-Mart for around $18.

[SheltieLover]

9. Thx fo much for sharing!

Thx so much for sharing how you feed with puzzles & hiding food.

I've read that cats are happier when fed that way because the search more closely aligns with "the hunt" out in the wild.

I'm not sure this would work with my girl because she never eats the few pieces that occasionally fall to the floor when I feed her. Cats, right?

I've considered trying this recently developed cat feeding system comprised of "mice" that hold kibble & serve to catalyze "the hunt." Looks as if it has come down in price considerably & Amazon does have a decent return policy, so maybe I'll order one & give it a try. (I'd first seen this right after it was commercially available & it was near $70.)

https://www.amazon.com/Doc-Phoebes-Interactive-Cat-Enrichment/dp/B01N90VHZW

Please let me know about your puzzle feeder and if she likes it.

I've also begun looking around for a cat tree to encourage climbing & jumping. Darn things are really expensive. 😏

As for Hills... ty so much for sharing. My prev vet tried to get me to feed her that. In holistic circles, this brand is referred to as "death diet" because of the ingredients of their foods & known carcinogens they add to their foods.

Here is an article that will shed some light on pet food mfr's nasty practices (this article is not pretty & can be a serious trigger for some folks):

https://www.all-creatures.org/articles/cac-thetrue.html

Also Ann Martin's book:

Food Pets Die For: Shocking facts about pet food.

(HUGE TRIGGER WARNINGS!)

Ann Martin spent 20 years researching & writing about the dirty business of the pet food industry...

There are known carcinogens manufacturers are allowed to put in foods if done during a certain point in the process. I apologize, it's been 22 years since I read Ann Martin's article, no doubt an excerpt from her book, & spoke to her on the phone about a very sick pupper I had at the time.

I'd just read the article & lo & behold, a vet rxd Hill's prescription food with 1 horrid ingredient, a known carcinogen for my dog that they (incorrectly!) Dxd with cancer. (It was ehrlichiosis. Commonly dxd as lymphoma.)

I said to the vet, "Doc, I appreciate your help, but this food has (whatever the chemical name was), a known carcinogen. Should I really feed this to a dog so ill with cancer?"

Doc looked embarrassed & babbled some bs.

Later, doing a deep dive on pet food toxins, I learned that Hill's "hooks" vets into carrying & later selling their products while vets are in school. Hill's sells vet students (or did at the time) huge bags of foods dirt cheap for their own personal pets. There is, no doubt, also a substantial profit margin for both Hill's & vets, vs. A really high quality food that costs more to make.

I've been searching for the article but haven't found it yet. Again, it's been 22 years. I'm sure it's out there, but I'm likely not recalling the correct title.

Well, that floppy fish & Japanese silvervine are supposed to arrive tomorrow. Lol

I'd love to hear about your puzzle box & any other ideas you might have!

[wnylib]

10. I didn't know that about Hill's.

A previous cat of mine had bowel problems and the vet sold me Hill's for him. When Ember was younger, a vet recommender Hill's to me to keep her from gaining too much. Ember's weight was normal, but the vet suggested it as a preventative after she was off of kitten food. I didn't do it.

Thanks for the info on food and nutrition.

[SheltieLover]

12. Yw!

Glad you didn't do it!

Apparently the carrageenan is a big cause of digestive issues, & this article states it might be causal or a contributor to cancer:

https://truthaboutpetfood.com/carrageenan-just-dont-do-it/

On the up side, look what Chewy has for only $18! I'm going to try them for dry kibble.

https://www.chewy.com/doc-phoebes-cat-co-indoor-hunting-cat/dp/179101

Dunno if my girl is willing to work for her food, or whether there will be a lot of cabinet door banging, scathing looks, & clawing walls.

She might use them, maybe even enjoy "the hunt," since the only time she is active is when she wants food.



I'll report back how she does with them.

[wnylib]

11. Is there a brand that you would recommend to avoid

the by product ingredients and other problems in commercial cat foods? Ember will eat dry kibble or canned moist food.

Regarding cat trees, yes, they are quite expensive. Ember was such a climber and leaper from the start as a tiny kitten that I knew she would need something to satisfy her need for high places. When she was a year old, Big Lots had a couple tall cat trees on sale for $70. So I bought one. (That was before I retired, when I could afford it better.) It is solid and well balanced. I saw a couple cat trees recently at Big Lots that are not as tall marked $130. If the smaller ones cost that much at Big Lots, I am sure that they cost much more other places and the tall ones would be even more.

The shorter one that I have is from a previous cat. I tore off the shredded carpet covering on the tree's posts down to the bare wood, then sanded the wood smooth. Sometimes Ember naps on it. Other times she uses it as a stepping stone to the taller tree.

A few years ago I bought her two tunnels at Wal-Mart for around $5 each. A couple days ago at Wal-Mart I noticed that they no longer carry that kind and the ones they had were around $40!!

When not perched on the tall tree, Ember likes to go up to the space between the ceiling and upper cupboards to supervise my cooking and sometimes to freak out strangers, like the fire inspector for my apartment building when be shows up each year. (She doesn't like him.)

[SheltieLover]

13. I think I'm going to try the Weruvia.

I know it is a high quality food. Pricier than FF for sure, but much less than most on the list.

Here is site with reccommended brands. I called Chewy to ask about carrageenan free foods & she didn't find much. She also told me some labels call it by another name, and some nuts have this ingredient. Now I'm reading ground flax is not a good thing.

https://www.chewy.com/weruva-paw-lickin-chicken-in-gravy/dp/40649

The fat content is very low at 1.4%.

This is the Paw Lickin chicken. I've bought her this before locally from pet food store & she loved it.

https://www.chewy.com/weruva-paw-lickin-chicken-in-gravy/dp/40649

The lady at holistic-ish pet store did not hesitate when I told her I had a senior, obese kitty. She said they are not meant to eat all the carbs & other stuff they put in foods.

This particular one is a shredded chicken recipe.

Now I'm reading this is made to USDA standards in Thailand. 😓

[wnylib]

14. I looked up some cat food recommendations

and Weruva was one of the recommended ones because of its lower carb content, higher protein, and it's grain free. But cats do need some fat so I hope the Weruva fat level isn't too low. For both cats and humans, it is the carbs that cause weight gain more than fats.

Ember has strong hunting instincts and her favorite play is related to hunting, like hide and seek behind furniture and around corners of doorways. But she is also averse to hurting living things (me, at least) and to blood. She accidentally drew a lot of blood from my ankle one time when she ambushed my legs and was visibly horrified by the blood. Ever since, she has toned down her roughness when "hunting" me. She hid under my bed when she saw a tiger take down its prey on a National Geographic film.

Hunting is a game to her. When it gets real, she turns all pacifist. Except for the occasional fly that gets inside through a screen. She shows them no mercy.

[SheltieLover]

15. Ember sounds like a real sweetie!

She might enjoy the "mice" with kibble hidden around the house then, if you are looking to increase activity level.

I've been perusing cat trees since I last posted.

I know my girl would love a hammock. Why do they place them so low?

Only the very expensive ones seem to have hammocks or condo up high. 😏

[wnylib]

16. Yes, Ember really is a sweetie.....most of the time.

But, she has her moments of cattitude that try my patience. Most of the time, though, she is amusing, entertaining, affectionate (on her terms), and sometimes surprising in her cleverness.

[Rhiannon12866]

17. That's what Felix's original vet prescribed for him - when he told me that Felix needed to lose a lb

And instead he gained one at his next visit. And he liked it. Hill's Weight Reduction, rd.

[onecaliberal]

2. My tuxedo girl is large. I was checking out some of the food on the site. Thanks for the resource.

[SheltieLover]

4. Yw!

Seems the cat food industry is much like human food mfrs, loading everything with carbs. Cats aren't built for carbs from what I'm reading.

I'm looking at switching go the Weruvia, as I know it's really good food, somewhere around 1.4 g fat/can. Pricier than FF, but much less expensive than most on the list.

.

[onecaliberal]

5. I was looking at that one as well. Is it the second place one.?

[SheltieLover]

6. Going to look.

Weruvia.

[SheltieLover]

7. 1st list, 5th entry

Weruvia Cats in the Kitchen.

[Donkees]

18. Weruva formulas do contain xanthan gum, locust bean gum, in addition to guar gum, tapioca ...

While Evanger's contains only natural guar gum. Here is a sampling of their 'organics' formula range:




Ingredients
Organic Chicken, Organic Chicken Broth, Organic Chicken Liver, Organic Guar Gum, Taurine, Vitamins {Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B2), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D2 Supplement}, Minerals {Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Potassium Iodide}.

Caloric Content
152 kcal/100g 237 kcal/can

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 10.0% min
Crude Fat 5.0% min
Crude Fiber 1.5% min
Moisture 78.0% max
Ash 3.0% max

[Donkees]

19. EVX Restricted: Weight Management

EVX Restricted Diet for weight management in felines, with ingredient technologies for microbiome health for all life stages.

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Salmon, Sweet Potato, Tomato Paste, Dried Brewers Yeast, Taurine, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacinamide, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Acetate, Folic Acid, Riboflavin, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate), NVGEN® (Yeast Extract, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Brewers Dried Yeast, and Yucca Schidgera Extract).


Crude Protein, not less than . . . . . . . . . . 7%

Crude Fiber, not more than . . . . . . . . . . 2%

Moisture, not more than . . . . . . . . . . 78%

Crude Fat, not less than . . . . . . . . . . 6%

[SheltieLover]

21. Ty!

Checking into it!

Was pretty settled on Weruva, then noticed it's mfd in Thailand.

[SheltieLover]

20. Ty!

I also noticed Weruvia is mfd in Thailand.

Checking into this one!

Now on the hunt for a cat tree to increase activity, with hammock at top. Nada, zip, regardless of price (which is a big factor for me). Might have to find someone who makes them privately.

[Donkees]

22. I use canned Evanger's in rotation with Ziwi for my dog, and he's doing well. Their cannery is based

in the Chicago area, as well as their suppliers.

Since 1935, Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company, Inc. has been the finest natural pet food company in the United States. Our founder, Fred Evanger, bred, exhibited, and championed his Great Danes in international kennel clubs. He was a fervent believer that his dogs’ health and the health of their offspring were dependent on wholesome, nutritious food, and strongly advocated that this was the key to his success in the show ring. Mr. Evanger built a canning factory at his kennels so that he could make a quality pet food, free of harmful additives or preservatives;, that was superior enough for his champions. Over 76 years later, we know that Fred Evanger was a man ahead of his time.

https://evangersdogfood.com/about-us/our-history/

[SheltieLover]

23. Awesome! Tyvm!

Nothing against Thailand, but I very much prefer foods mfd in States.

I'm from Chicago, so this is a likely winner for me!

[SheltieLover]

24. Bing, bing, bing! We have a winner, thx to you!

Free range chicken & all ingredients sourced in USA when possible. They expressely state they do not buy ingredients from China!

And it's grain & carrageen free!

Is it pate or shredded or... ?

I'll be ordering in a couple of days.

Ty so much for sharing!

[Donkees]

25. I found these 'organics formula' photos on Amazon and Evanger's site ...

There are other formulas and meat price ranges, this one is chicken lickin:





You might find food photos on chewy too in the customer review section. I don't have a cat, can't give you better advice

[SheltieLover]

26. Ty so very much!

Looks like something she should like &, if not, Chewy will take it back for a refund.

Ty so much again!!!
That carageenan sounds awful & kind of like gluten, it seems to be in most pet foods.

[Donkees]

27. This brand helped solve my dog's digestive problems, and he loves it, so we're happy with it.

I hope it works well for your situation.

[SheltieLover]

28. Thx!

Floppy fish has arrived with the Japanese silvervine powder! Fish is charging & I need to get a spray bottle for the silverdine & water mix.

Hopefully all will be in place tomorrow!

I have to find some way to reduce this cat's weight. 😰

Ty again!