My cats are currently eating Weruva and Merricks cat food. They only eat wet food and due to crystals in the bladder, my vet advised to no longer feed dry food. In the next few months, I will be going through a move and job change that will change my financial status and buying Weruva and Merricks may no longer be possible financially. 3 of my 4 cats love Friskies, I bought some to try it out and they love it, my one cat does not but maybe with time she will.
The question is… is there really a huge difference in their health/life span between all natural and regular cat food? My vet told me that as long as it’s AAFCO approved then it’s fine. I though still fed them Weruva and Merricks. Do you feed your cats Friskies or 9Lives or a common commercial cat foods? My friends have cats who have lived close to 20 years with no health problems and they ate regular cat food that was picked up at the supermarket. I’m wondering if I’m doing a bad thing switching their all natural cat food to the more affordable commerical cat food?
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I have two cats & two dogs. I bought the real expensive cat food for them at first, but due to financial reasons, switched to Iams (dry) and for the baby kitten she is 12 weeks old, I give her Fancy Feast wet kitten food mixed w/ Whiskas cat milk, and she LOVES it, so does my adult cat.When she is old enough to eat adult cat food, I will feed them both Friskies (wet) and keep them on the Iams dry. They are both healthy and happy, the baby is growing like a weed! When I was a kid we had cats and all they ever got was Friskies brand food and they both lived into their mid teens! So I think it is fine to feed it!! Good Luck, I hope I helped! I would feed the kitten Friskies now, but cannot find it in kitten formula!
Well, it’s found that cats who eat Friskies wet cat food are more likely to have kidney problems. But that is not the case with all cats which is why your friends cat lived close to 20 years.
It’s really just a matter of opinion. In my opinion, natural cat food will make a cat live longer and healthier. But sadly, I feed my cat Friskies because I cannot afford more expensive kind of cat food. So far though, she looks pretty fine. She’s 2 years old and I’ve been feeding her Friskies since she was 3 months.
purina brand cat foods are AAFCO approved, i believe.
their brands include Fancy Feast, and Friskies, both are canned, wet foods. they ought to work out well.
I feed my cat Blue Wilderness, which is all natural. I feed her the dry kind because she mostly hates wet food. She’s young though, I’d just like to do what I can to help prevent her from having some health problems. But you are not bad. You do what you can. I did noticed two things after the food switch: 1) my cat ate a lot less when I switched her to the all natural and 2) her coat got really shiny.
AAFCO approved just means it meets the minimum standards to keep cats alive, that’s all. 20 years ago, the grocery store foods were not a dumping ground for things that should have gone to the landfill – now they are. The grocery store foods have no meat – they are all by-products. That is all the stuff deemed unfit for human consumption – heads, feet, hides, tendons, spinal chords, intestines, spleens, even diseased and spoiled meat. All scraps – no real muscle meat. It’s like comparing hot dogs to a piece of real chicken. Yes, hot dogs will keep you alive – but does that mean they are healthy for you? If price is a real object for you, there are less expensive alternatives to the premium foods. Petsmart’s Authority brand is a good food – no by-products but better than the grocery store foods. Read ingredients, and check prices. You can cut back without totally sacrificing quality.
I feed my cat’s a dehydrated wet food that is all-natural from Honest Kitchen called Prowl. One bag lasts a pretty long time and both my cats love it. They refuse to eat dry kibble now.
‘Prowl contains absolutely no by-products, added salt or sugar, chemical preservatives, artificial colors or flavors and NO beet pulp, rice, wheat, corn, or soy.
Prowl is guaranteed 100% human-food-grade because they it is not produced in a pet food plant. It is made in an FDA approved, human-food-producing facility in Southern California, a plant that makes some of the very same foods you eat.’
Here’s the link: http://www.petwellbeing.com/products/prowl-cat-food
AAFCO feed trials only means they had to keep 6 out of 8 young healthy cats alive for 6 months without losing more than 15 % of their body weight or going too far from normal on a few blood values. It is really based on tests for livestock animals that are going to be eaten, not what is best to keep pets healthy for 20 years.
The difference between Merrick and Friskies is the meat source. the Merrick is human grade meat with muscle meat and organ meat from specifically identified species .
The Friskies is usually mostly byproducts so it can include some organ meat that is nutritious but humans just dont eat much of but can also include parts that have very little nutritional value like beaks , feathers etc. It can also include diseased animals unfit for human consumption. also sometimes it is just unspecified "meat " which could be God only knows what. some people say it includes even euthanized pets!
but I too know some cats who have lived to 20 on Friskies. (but I guess there are also people who point out their grandpa smoked and drank whisky every day of his life and lived to 95)
But maybe what you can do is feeding some of each. At least as your vet says, the canned is definitely better for the bladder kidneys etc.
But make sure if you buy the supermarket foods that you stick to the basic "Pate" kinds, not the chunks, shreds etc and not "in gravy" . All those are signs of too high carbs/ sugars, much higher than the Merrick. Read the labels and try to avoid wheat or corn.. And if possible get ones that in the ingredients it is a specific kind of animal listed not just generic "meat".
Another idea is watch sites like petfooddirect and when you see good sales on the high quality brands you like, try to stock up on them as much as possible
Well, the main differnce between commercial and natural food are the ingredients.
I am glad that you found a vet that actually understands how bad dry food is for cats urinary tract. Now you need to focus on the ingredients.
The reason why supermarket stuff is cheaper is that it’s made with cheap fillers. These include corn, wheat, soy and rice. Not only are these common allergens for cats, they are also full of carbohydrates. Cats can’t process carbohydrates and turn them straight into blood sugar and fat. So by feeding these foods, you are increasing the risk of developing feline diabetes and obesity. Feline diabetes is non-existent in wild cats, we – the owners – cause this condition by feeding species inappropriate food.
So yes, there is a huge difference between supermarket stuff and natural. Some cats like your neighbors may not develop a condition, or it is never discovered. Lots of people don’t pay attention to increased need for water, lethargy and other symptoms of the cat getting sick and just associate it with old age. The fact that they did not discover any condition doesn’t meant the cats weren’t sick. Or maybe they were just lucky. Will you take the same risk?
There are option that are not as expensive and you can still feed your cat a proper nutritious meal. My cat eats Bozita, but I don’t think it’s available in states. Check the prices of Wellness, I heard you can order it online in a bulk and it comes out at a good price. Other brands I know of but I’m not sure about the cost are nature’s Variety, Blue buffalo and EVO.
Here are some articles on cat nutrition which you might find interesting, they will give you an idea what would be best to feed.
Good luck!