Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all! We have been experiencing an issue on site where threads have been missing the latest postings. The platform host Vanilla are working on this issue. A workaround that has been used by some is to navigate back from 1 to 10+ pages to re-sync the thread and this will then show the latest posts. Thanks, Mike.
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Cat food

  • 17-11-2018 9:33am
    #1
    Dtp1979
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,840 ✭✭✭✭


    I’ve just inherited a cat. Roughly 5-7 months old. I’d like to feed her well and not with the trash you buy in supermarkets. I feed my dog Taste of the Wild. Is there anything of similar quality for a cat? Do I feed dry nuts or wet food? Or both?
    Pet mania would be my only place to go so ideally a food from there


«1

Comments

  • #2
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Dtp1979 wrote: »
    I’ve just inherited a cat. Roughly 5-7 months old. I’d like to feed her well and not with the trash you buy in supermarkets. I feed my dog Taste of the Wild. Is there anything of similar quality for a cat? Do I feed dry nuts or wet food? Or both?
    Pet mania would be my only place to go so ideally a food from there

    Supermarket food is not trash. Mine have always thrived on it. I would never feed dry food to a cat.

    Mine get one meal of raw chicken, one of tinned cat food. Long lived, healthy, and they love the raw chicken. Just taken in 3 rescues and they thrive on raw.


  • #3
    Dtp1979
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,840 ✭✭✭✭Dtp1979


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Supermarket food is not trash. Mine have always thrived on it. I would never feed dry food to a cat.

    Mine get one meal of raw chicken, one of tinned cat food. Long lived, healthy, and they love the raw chicken. Just taken in 3 rescues and they thrive on raw.

    Sorry I was a bit harsh with trash! I was only comparing supermarket dog food to cat food. Why not dry food?


  • #4
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Dtp1979 wrote: »
    Sorry I was a bit harsh with trash! I was only comparing supermarket dog food to cat food. Why not dry food?

    Came back to say sorry for being abrupt.

    I was at Olympia the year dry food came out and the trade stands were beseiged with cat owners who had lost their pets to kidney failure from dry food. Cats are not good at drinking enough, unlike dogs. I lost a couple, then stopped dry food totally.

    Probably others here will think differently; that is fine.

    The mainstay for my cats has always been raw chicken, bones and all. The second feed is small.

    LIDL changed the nature of tinned cat food here. Improved it greatly, and the supermarkets carry a wide range of prepared foods. sachets, tins etc. I am constricted money wise so keep to the basics.

    I have five cats now, all healthy and happy. They live well into their teens

    Enjoy your cat!


  • #5
    Day Lewin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,692 ✭✭✭Day Lewin


    Some cats do well with dry food, some don't take to it: also, quality varies quite a bit - the cheaper ones are full of cereal.
    The better ones, from the vet, are shocking expensive; and some cats still don't like it, or if they do, a few of them won't drink enough plain water to make up the deficit in fluids. [which, rarely, can cause kidney problems]

    Consider that in the wild, a cat's natural diet would be fresh meat and quite "wet".

    I've had many cats, all superbly healthy and sleek of fur: and they have been mostly fed on a good brand of commercial tinned food (cats would buy it...) with a side order once in a while of a handful of dry food, or beaten egg, and small scraps of fish, meat and chicken trimmings from the kitchen. [both cooked and raw]
    The little bit of oils/fats in the latter make them particularly good for that smooth shining fur.


  • #6
    Foweva Awone
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,740 ✭✭✭Foweva Awone


    I give mine a brand called Meowing Heads, it's dry food. It's expensive but a big bag lasts a very long time. It's full of the good stuff and not filled with grains and cereals like the cheaper brands. Current best practice for indoor cats is to give dry food rather than wet, as it's better for their teeth.


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    Nody
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,334 CMod ✭✭✭✭Nody


    Dtp1979 wrote: »
    I’ve just inherited a cat. Roughly 5-7 months old. I’d like to feed her well and not with the trash you buy in supermarkets. I feed my dog Taste of the Wild. Is there anything of similar quality for a cat? Do I feed dry nuts or wet food? Or both?
    Pet mania would be my only place to go so ideally a food from there
    Taste of the wild do several various kibble as well and they are all grain & rice free (which is important as cats are carnivores compared to dogs who are omnivores and some companies will claim grain free and stuff it full with rice) but raw / wet would be closer to what they would eat in the wild and if you want to try the raw food / read up on it I'd highly recommend Feline nutrition but that's something which is going for the best of the best approach and you may need time to prepare. Hence if you wish to stay on kibble ToTW works fine as a high quality kibble to get you rolling with your new fur-ball of awesomeness.

    For wet food there are multiple options and like with dry food I'd not recommend anything you'd normally find in a supermarket (i.e. Whiskars, Felix etc.) but get something better. The key thing with wet food however is to read the fine print. I'd guesstimate about 50% of them are not complete (i.e. they don't contain all the minerals, vitamins etc. a cat need) and you can spot this by see if the mention the need to serve kibble or not (or they may be called complimentary etc., read description and feeding recommendation to spot it). Don't mean you should not serve them but they can't then be on that wet food alone.

    Now I'm a fan of Zooplus and hence my recommendations are based on Zooplus Irish site and you can find these in a well sorted pet food store as well usually.
    • Catz finefood
    • Feringa (my love Feringa duo over normal Feringa go figure)
    • Grau
    • Animonda Carny (not to be confused with any of the other Animonda versions!)
    • Bozita (our cats refuse the tetra version but love the can version)
    • Cosma (these tend to be not complete but works as a great treat in as shredded chicken etc.)
    • MAC's
    • My Star
    • Porta 21 (see Cosma)
    • Almo Nature (see Cosma)
    • Herrmann's Organic (single meat see Cosma, menu is complete)
    • Schesir (can be complete but best reserved as treat to hide pills in)
    • Terra Faelis (our cats hated it the spoiled bastards but may be wort buying if on sale to try)

    Others not on Zooplus.ie that you may find are:
    • Concept for Life
    • Felifine
    • GranataPet
    • O'Canis for Cats

    I'd also recommend rotating around a bit to avoid them going tired of always eating the same canned food as well as avoiding the very low risk there's something missing in brand A for what ever reason.

    To make cats drink more I'd highly recommend a water fountain as it keeps the water clean and simulates what they prefer to drink as it's moving water (as someone who had cats who'd "clean" the water bowl every time by spilling half of it because it was stale and they needed to remove "a layer of leaf" on top of it) in the Cat Mate Pet Fountain. Easy to maintain, easy to clean and get up and running and it has made a world of difference in how my cats drink (and they changed that behavior after 10 years of bowls only).


  • #8
    aonb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭aonb


    The other issue with feeding cats - in my wide feline experience :D (I have two cats - rescues in the last 2 years, never had a cat before) - is that they are INCREDIBLY fussy about food. Everyone Ive talked to agrees that their cats can be illogically fussy - eating something 1 day, and not eating it the next - turning their noses up at countless varieties of food - wet & dry . Love my cats, but they are seriously challenging :)


  • #9
    Nody
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,334 CMod ✭✭✭✭Nody


    aonb wrote: »
    The other issue with feeding cats - in my wide feline experience :D (I have two cats - rescues in the last 2 years, never had a cat before) - is that they are INCREDIBLY fussy about food. Everyone Ive talked to agrees that their cats can be illogically fussy - eating something 1 day, and not eating it the next - turning their noses up at countless varieties of food - wet & dry . Love my cats, but they are seriously challenging :)
    I find this being very weather dependent as well; in the summer one of my cats refused multiple foods which she'll devour now and ask for a second serving because it's cold outside. However this is also why I recommend rotating around; I've found that if I rotate around six to eight cans with a bit of raw in there they will usually be accepted (and I keep back one brand of pouches as my last resort food if all else fails which they never get normally) :)


  • #10
    aonb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭aonb


    Nody wrote: »
    I find this being very weather dependent as well; in the summer one of my cats refused multiple foods which she'll devour now and ask for a second serving because it's cold outside. However this is also why I recommend rotating around; I've found that if I rotate around six to eight cans with a bit of raw in there they will usually be accepted (and I keep back one brand of pouches as my last resort food if all else fails which they never get normally) :)

    Nody I do exactly this too!

    Our cats have us very well trained 😊


  • #11
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    aonb wrote: »
    The other issue with feeding cats - in my wide feline experience :D (I have two cats - rescues in the last 2 years, never had a cat before) - is that they are INCREDIBLY fussy about food. Everyone Ive talked to agrees that their cats can be illogically fussy - eating something 1 day, and not eating it the next - turning their noses up at countless varieties of food - wet & dry . Love my cats, but they are seriously challenging :)

    Never had that issue with any of mine until very recently. As I feed mainly raw chicken and that is never ever refused... and they know I cannot afford to waste food...or to buy costrly brand....if they try fussy they do not eat.... never had a cat starve yet ;)

    However.... I am aiming as soon as I can get over to change brand for a week or so, It is the texture....


  • Advertisement
  • #12
    aonb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭aonb


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Never had that issue with any of mine until very recently. As I feed mainly raw chicken and that is never ever refused... and they know I cannot afford to waste food...or to buy costrly brand....if they try fussy they do not eat.... never had a cat starve yet ;)

    However.... I am aiming as soon as I can get over to change brand for a week or so, It is the texture....

    I tried my cats on raw chicken, thinking it's a perfect natural choice for a cat... The look on their faces when I presented the bowl. Basically it was a NO!


  • #13
    Alun
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,487 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    aonb wrote: »
    The other issue with feeding cats - in my wide feline experience :D (I have two cats - rescues in the last 2 years, never had a cat before) - is that they are INCREDIBLY fussy about food. Everyone Ive talked to agrees that their cats can be illogically fussy - eating something 1 day, and not eating it the next - turning their noses up at countless varieties of food - wet & dry . Love my cats, but they are seriously challenging :)
    aonb wrote: »
    I tried my cats on raw chicken, thinking it's a perfect natural choice for a cat... The look on their faces when I presented the bowl. Basically it was a NO!
    Same with our cat, with the added complication that she's on 2 kinds of medication and two supplements, all of which have to be given in her food, more for our own safety than anything :D



    Food that's gulped down one week with the bowl literally licked clean, is treated with total disdain the next, and stuff she wouldn't look twice at in the past, is suddenly the flavour of the year!


    There's also a direct relationship between how expensive, and "good for her" the food is, i.e. the more natural, organic and wholesome it is the bigger chance she won't touch it. And any attempt to tempt her with simple cooked chicken or fish is met with the same stoic pose of her sitting next to her food bowl staring into middle space waiting for something else.


    Like you say, very challenging, but even more so with the complication of adding medicines to her food.


  • #14
    Nody
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,334 CMod ✭✭✭✭Nody


    aonb wrote: »
    I tried my cats on raw chicken, thinking it's a perfect natural choice for a cat... The look on their faces when I presented the bowl. Basically it was a NO!
    Alun wrote: »
    And any attempt to tempt her with simple cooked chicken or fish is met with the same stoic pose of her sitting next to her food bowl staring into middle space waiting for something else.
    Highly recommend this article; it goes through the why and how to move towards raw feeding and why it can be so difficult.


  • #15
    Joshua J
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,305 ✭✭✭Joshua J


    I've had my 2 since they were 3-4 months old and the only food that both will happily eat is Applaws Chicken with extra Duck dry food. I've tried Bozita(tetra+tins), Animonda Carny, Wild Freedom, Taste of the Wild, Ferengi duo, LiDL own brand, Tesco own brand, Felix, Whiskas wet food and many more I cant think of and either both of them turn their noses up or one of them does. And cats dont just turn it down they look at you like "what the hell is this you're trying to feed me?. Where the good stuff at?."

    They are both doing fine tbh and it saves me a fortune on Zooplus so if they want boring dry all day ery day so be it.


  • #16
    Alun
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,487 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Joshua J wrote: »
    And cats dont just turn it down they look at you like "what the hell is this you're trying to feed me?. Where the good stuff at?."
    Quoted for the truth ... that withering look is enough to make your heart sink when you finally think you've found something they like and bought a stock of it.

    Luckily I know someone who works at a shelter who is more than glad to take our cat's "castoffs" :D


  • #17
    aonb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭aonb


    So basically these cats of ours are just fussy, finniky, psycho, power-mad, control freaks?!?!

    Im a new-ish cat owner - been taken on by ex-ferals - some thoughts:

    It breaks my heart when they do that middle distance look waiting for the right food to appear in the bowl. Like what the heck - I cant read their minds :cool:

    What tasted good one day is poison the day after I spend €34 stocking it

    I give super-fussy cat FOUR bowls of different food at night when she goes to bed - little portions in each. She might lick the 4 bowls clean, or not touch any of em!

    My newest cat, arrived as a skeletal injured broken wreck. Shes now obese. Used to eat literally anything but is suddenly turning her nose up at a lot of things

    Meanwhile the simplicity of feeding dogs, hens and horse help to keep me from tearing out my hair :):):)
    (love those nutty cats though!)


  • #18
    em_cat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,291 ✭✭✭em_cat


    aonb wrote: »
    Meanwhile the simplicity of feeding dogs, hens and horse help to keep me from tearing out my hair :):):)
    (love those nutty cats though!)

    This made me laugh, not in a bad way tho, I’m the opposite our cats where all easy pleasers and trying to navigate the dog food between barf, raw or whatever is the current buzzword my head explodes! :)


  • #19
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    [QUO TE=aonb;108661732]I tried my cats on raw chicken, thinking it's a perfect natural choice for a cat... The look on their faces when I presented the bowl. Basically it was a NO![/QUOTE]

    funny! I lived near a chicken factory for years and as I was rescuing they let me buy chicken necks at E3 for 10 k. There was never a problem. Dogs and cats devoured them. Now the oldest cat likes white meat and cooked, but will devour raw chicken and the three new rescues I have just taken in pounce on it. Never seen it before they arrived. Now my problem is cutting it up as two small cats leap up and try to steal it..

    I did but different tins and a few small pots y'day as a bit of variety but the main dish is raw chicken.

    Maybe it is the large sign on the door.. NO FUSSY CATS HERE!

    But I am one to leave it down and let them get hungry!


  • #20
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    aonb wrote: »
    !?!

    Im a new-ish cat owner - been taken on by ex-ferals - some thoughts:

    It breaks my heart when they do that middle distance look waiting for the right food to appear in the bowl. Like what the heck - I cant read their minds :cool:

    What tasted good one day is poison the day after I spend €34 stocking it

    I give super-fussy cat FOUR bowls of different food at night when she goes to bed - little portions in each. She might lick the 4 bowls clean, or not touch any of em!

    My newest cat, arrived as a skeletal injured broken wreck. Shes now obese. Used to eat literally anything but is suddenly turning her nose up at a lot of things

    Meanwhile the simplicity of feeding dogs, hens and horse help to keep me from tearing out my hair :):):)
    (love those nutty cats though!)

    They have you tagged as a great, loving lovable softie!

    Mine know money is scarce here.... they are such good friends..

    One caveat; the two small cats are clearly inbred. One was almost skeletal and would not touch the cat food they had there. The lady had nine strays in and it it is easy not to notice one is not eating. She loves raw chicken and I bought different for her and she is filling out nicely.


  • #21
    RockDesk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 293 ✭✭RockDesk


    Dtp1979 wrote: »
    I’ve just inherited a cat. Roughly 5-7 months old. I’d like to feed her well and not with the trash you buy in supermarkets. I feed my dog Taste of the Wild. Is there anything of similar quality for a cat? Do I feed dry nuts or wet food? Or both?
    Pet mania would be my only place to go so ideally a food from there

    I feed my cat both.

    She loves Royal Canin Exigent Fussy Cats - Savour Sensation. The 'Fussy' part couldn't be more accurate :D

    Someone else mentioned Zooplus - I use them all the time. They do a large variety of grain-free dry food, and you can get 400g bags to test them. They're usually around €4 - €6 for that size, but it will give you an idea of what the cat likes without spending and wasting loads.

    I'm about to try out one called Wild Freedom - the name is similar so it maybe similar to Taste of the Wild?!! (I'm joking, BTW!)


  • Advertisement
  • #22
    irish_goat
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 5,807 Mod ✭✭✭✭irish_goat


    We have a quite fussy male cat and feed him Royal Canin Feline Urinary SO. He loves the stuff and I believe it's slightly salty to encourage him to drink more water (which he does do). He's 5 years old and no health or weight issues with him yet.


  • #23
    SillyMangoX
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,003 ✭✭✭SillyMangoX


    I have mine on the hills version of this, c/d, as one of them had bad cystitis this year and it’s easier to feed all 3 the same food. I’m trying to change over to ProPlan opti-renal now as it is cheaper, and they prefer it, just praying it doesn’t cause a cystitis flare up!!


  • #24
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    My new three rescues... I was too unwell the other morning to cut up the "back" of a large raw chicken as I usually would, and the youngsters were fussing.

    Tray; chicken carcase...

    A few hours later all that was left was a few scraps; they love it as do my 2 older ones .

    A small evening feed usually of supervalu or lidl.


  • #25
    Pythagorean
    Registered Users Posts: 244 ✭✭Pythagorean


    Graces7 wrote: »
    My new three rescues... I was too unwell the other morning to cut up the "back" of a large raw chicken as I usually would, and the youngsters were fussing.

    Tray; chicken carcase...

    A few hours later all that was left was a few scraps; they love it as do my 2 older ones .

    A small evening feed usually of supervalu or lidl.

    I had a defrosting chicken breast left on the kitchen worktop, in a heavy glass bowl, while my back was turned, the neighbours cat crept in, and I found him guzzling the raw chicken, he had knocked the heavy bowl and the chicken on to the floor.!! I had a hell of a job to get the chicken off him. I cut the half eaten bit off, and cooked and ate the rest. No ill effects for either of us !!


  • #26
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Pythagorean wrote: »
    I had a defrosting chicken breast left on the kitchen worktop, in a heavy glass bowl, while my back was turned, the neighbours cat crept in, and I found him guzzling the raw chicken, he had knocked the heavy bowl and the chicken on to the floor.!! I had a hell of a job to get the chicken off him. I cut the half eaten bit off, and cooked and ate the rest. No ill effects for either of us !!

    lol! Is the glass bowl OK!

    I carelessly left a pan of cheese sauce out last night... a big hole at one side now !
    Should know better, both of us!


  • #27
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    One of my new trio of rescues is fussy. never ever in all my cat-decades had a fussy cat before. She was also almost skeletally thin so this was serious. Raw chicken? YEAH! Tuna YEAH!

    Then after several weeks she has consented to join the others in their evening repast of supervalu finest and has filled out nicely.. She is tiny and small boned... deli-cat!


  • #28
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NcP-KZr7g4


  • #29
    Pythagorean
    Registered Users Posts: 244 ✭✭Pythagorean


    Graces7 wrote: »
    lol! Is the glass bowl OK!

    I carelessly left a pan of cheese sauce out last night... a big hole at one side now !
    Should know better, both of us!

    The glass bowl was Pyrex and virtually indestructible, unlike the chicken !! :pac:


  • #30
    acequion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,913 ✭✭✭acequion


    Why is there so much controversy about supermarket brands? While I get that some people don't seem to rate it much and prefer prescription brands like Zooplus etc, there is no doubt that supermarket brands like Whiskas and Felix have the market and there's also no doubt that cats,like humans,are living longer and not just the ones on the Zooplus diets.

    I have heard the supermarket brands called the junk food of the feline world but is that not OTT? Is that not another example of the general pernickitiness about everything that typifies the modern world?

    I've owned several cats, all fed on supermarket food and all have lived into their teens. My present cat is 7 and as fit as a fiddle. I feed her mainly Felix and Whiskas dry food. I love my cat to bits and want to give her the best but I'm always extremely busy so shopping for her while shopping for myself at the supermarket is convenient.

    But I would change in a heart beat if I thought I was endangering her health. But if I am then so are the majority of the cat owning population! Yet the cats are still thriving!


  • Advertisement
  • #31
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    acequion wrote: »
    Why is there so much controversy about supermarket brands? While I get that some people don't seem to rate it much and prefer prescription brands like Zooplus etc, there is no doubt that supermarket brands like Whiskas and Felix have the market and there's also no doubt that cats,like humans,are living longer and not just the ones on the Zooplus diets.

    I have heard the supermarket brands called the junk food of the feline world but is that not OTT? Is that not another example of the general pernickitiness about everything that typifies the modern world?

    I've owned several cats, all fed on supermarket food and all have lived into their teens. My present cat is 7 and as fit as a fiddle. I feed her mainly Felix and Whiskas dry food. I love my cat to bits and want to give her the best but I'm always extremely busy so shopping for her while shopping for myself at the supermarket is convenient.

    But I would change in a heart beat if I thought I was endangering her health. But if I am then so are the majority of the cat owning population! Yet the cats are still thriving!

    Thanks for this. Mine get raw chicken and supermarket own brand,, I think there were concerns way back before LIDL arrived. The German makers have more rules and a better product than others and raised the standards. I have no issues with the cheaper brands, for the cats and for myself

    I remember a poster years back being shocked that her vet had recommended LIDL ..

    Myself i do not feed dried food, but many do and that is their choice and great.

    And cost is an issue.


  • #32
    Pythagorean
    Registered Users Posts: 244 ✭✭Pythagorean


    I feed my cat Felix Senior and Purina dried food. She is fussy enough, but I don't see the point on spending megabucks on these fancy foods. Feral cats live off mice, rats, and birds, and God knows what else, they seem to do ok. Commercial cat foods are prepared with scientific knowledge of a felines dietary needs. Remember cats need Taurine, so if you fed a cat nothing but raw meat, it could die, as it would not get this Taurine.


  • #33
    Foweva Awone
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,740 ✭✭✭Foweva Awone


    I think the issue is grain content, cheaper brands use grain as filler, which is nutritionally empty. Whereas the more expensive brands contain mostly meat. Cats are good at regulating their food intake, so will probably eat less of the expensive food as their needs are being met with lower quantities.

    Cats fed on the likes of Whiskas will still eat enough to meet their nutritional needs, however you're not really saving much money as you're buying more of it, and you're making their digestive systems work harder to digest the unnecessary fillers.

    Dry food only is fine for cats as long as they're drinking plenty of water, and it's much less messy and smelly!


  • #34
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Pythagorean wrote: »
    I feed my cat Felix Senior and Purina dried food. She is fussy enough, but I don't see the point on spending megabucks on these fancy foods. Feral cats live off mice, rats, and birds, and God knows what else, they seem to do ok. Commercial cat foods are prepared with scientific knowledge of a felines dietary needs. Remember cats need Taurine, so if you fed a cat nothing but raw meat, it could die, as it would not get this Taurine.

    Please do not worry on this and see

    https://pets.thenest.com/taurine-sources-cats-6642.html

    meat is fine.


  • #35
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Now I am fascinated!

    Looking at the ingredients of the brand I use most ie supervalu

    https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/pet-food-accessories-cat-supervalu-select-chunks-chicken-in-jelly-400-grams-/p-1003871002

    And then at FELIX

    https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/pet-food-accessories-cat-felix-agail-delicious-mixed-in-jelly-1-2-kilogram-/p-1020770004

    I use supervalu most as they are good and deliver and the price.


  • #36
    Foweva Awone
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,740 ✭✭✭Foweva Awone


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Now I am fascinated!

    Looking at the ingredients of the brand I use most ie supervalu

    https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/pet-food-accessories-cat-supervalu-select-chunks-chicken-in-jelly-400-grams-/p-1003871002

    And then at FELIX

    https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/pet-food-accessories-cat-felix-agail-delicious-mixed-in-jelly-1-2-kilogram-/p-1020770004

    I use supervalu most as they are good and deliver and the price.

    Exactly - under 10% chicken in both of those cheap brands, whereas looking at the info on the higher priced brand I use (Meowing Heads), it's 47% chicken and 12% fish and 11% egg - ie far far less filler. So you can see how you're not really saving as much money as you'd think with those cheaper brands.


  • Advertisement
  • #37
    tedpan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,627 ✭✭✭tedpan


    I use zooplus for my cats, top quality products for far cheaper than the shops. They eat a mixture of royal canin Maine coon dry food and they love this wet food..

    https://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/miamor/miamor_pouches/127157


  • #38
    tedpan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,627 ✭✭✭tedpan


    Forgot to say, I have 3 ragdolls and a Maine coon/British Shorthair cross. Large cats :)


  • #39
    Nody
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,334 CMod ✭✭✭✭Nody


    acequion wrote: »
    Why is there so much controversy about supermarket brands? While I get that some people don't seem to rate it much and prefer prescription brands like Zooplus etc, there is no doubt that supermarket brands like Whiskas and Felix have the market and there's also no doubt that cats,like humans,are living longer and not just the ones on the Zooplus diets.
    Because Supermarket foods such as Felix, Whiskas etc. only need to contain 4% meat to be allowed to be called chicken etc. For cats who are carnivores, not omnivores, the replacement with cheap veggie protein instead means the food is not interesting for them to eat. Hence to get cats to eat they then have to artificially change the smell of the food and that's why you often see cats licking up the sauce only and hence not getting the proper nutrition's while eating essentially junk food which is no were near what they are suppose to eat. In several cats you can also notice the difference once you change properly in the smell of their poo for example; supermarket foods have a tendency to be a source of some of the worst poo smells you'll get. Oh and feel free to check up this article in regards to carbs; Whiskas etc. tend to be full of them (it's cheap) but cats don't really need carbs; example calculations are here.
    I've owned several cats, all fed on supermarket food and all have lived into their teens. My present cat is 7 and as fit as a fiddle. I feed her mainly Felix and Whiskas dry food. I love my cat to bits and want to give her the best but I'm always extremely busy so shopping for her while shopping for myself at the supermarket is convenient.
    You can put in an order on Zooplus once a month and get everything shipped home. If you want to push it you could easily go for a quarter+ between reorders to be fair; it's not time consuming but the quality of the food will be several steps up.
    Pythagorean wrote: »
    I feed my cat Felix Senior and Purina dried food. She is fussy enough, but I don't see the point on spending megabucks on these fancy foods. Feral cats live off mice, rats, and birds, and God knows what else, they seem to do ok. Commercial cat foods are prepared with scientific knowledge of a felines dietary needs. Remember cats need Taurine, so if you fed a cat nothing but raw meat, it could die, as it would not get this Taurine.
    Yet commercial cat foods have spread for example salmonella at multiple occasions and have also been known to poison animals both due to poor routines. Trusting them because "they got scientific knowledge" does nothing when the main driver of the company is to maximize profits by providing the ****tiest product possible to eek over the minimum requirements (set by the pet food companies themselves!) to save money. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to trust said companies to look at the documentary Pet fooled, available on netflix and alternative sources. Before someone says "talk with your vet" the fact that for example Royal Canin is actually doing part of the training sessions on nutrition is in itself horrible; think if the cigarette companies got to teach how to detect the sources of lung cancer from smoking to doctors and what steps to take and the outrage that would bring.

    Now if someone is going through a tight patch feeding Lidl etc. may be the only option but in most cases you can find better quality food online for close or cheaper prices and this post by ShaShaBear on what happened when they changed from Lidl to ToTW dry food for their dog will always remain in my mind.


  • #40
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Nody wrote: »
    Because Supermarket foods such as Felix, Whiskas etc. only need to contain 4% meat to be allowed to be called chicken etc. For cats who are carnivores, not omnivores, the replacement with cheap veggie protein instead means the food is not interesting for them to eat. Hence to get cats to eat they then have to artificially change the smell of the food and that's why you often see cats licking up the sauce only and hence not getting the proper nutrition's while eating essentially junk food which is no were near what they are suppose to eat. In several cats you can also notice the difference once you change properly in the smell of their poo for example; supermarket foods have a tendency to be a source of some of the worst poo smells you'll get. Oh and feel free to check up this article in regards to carbs; Whiskas etc. tend to be full of them (it's cheap) but cats don't really need carbs; example calculations are here.

    You can put in an order on Zooplus once a month and get everything shipped home. If you want to push it you could easily go for a quarter+ between reorders to be fair; it's not time consuming but the quality of the food will be several steps up.

    Yet commercial cat foods have spread for example salmonella at multiple occasions and have also been known to poison animals both due to poor routines. Trusting them because "they got scientific knowledge" does nothing when the main driver of the company is to maximize profits by providing the ****tiest product possible to eek over the minimum requirements (set by the pet food companies themselves!) to save money. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to trust said companies to look at the documentary Pet fooled, available on netflix and alternative sources. Before someone says "talk with your vet" the fact that for example Royal Canin is actually doing part of the training sessions on nutrition is in itself horrible; think if the cigarette companies got to teach how to detect the sources of lung cancer from smoking to doctors and what steps to take and the outrage that would bring.

    While I respect your views I disagree basically with your tenets and evaluations. This was so maybe many years ago but not these days .

    In all my decades of breeding, showing, rescuing I have never experienced what I have bolded. Never any health issues. Or any odd smells etc...

    So I stay with what I and my cats know and trust. Happily and with their health in heart.

    Cost matters too. Of course it matters. LIDL and ALDI are great prices and good food. As i said, when te German firms came in, many things changed as their standards are very high and they have excellent vets and nutritionists
    And it is not like the appalling situation in the US.

    Never been disappointed or concerned. And immediate outlay is a factor also.


  • #41
    Nody
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,334 CMod ✭✭✭✭Nody


    Graces7 wrote: »
    While I respect your views I disagree basically with your tenets and evaluations. This was so maybe many years ago but not these days .
    Yup, clearly not happening any more...


  • Advertisement
  • #42
    Pythagorean
    Registered Users Posts: 244 ✭✭Pythagorean


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Please do not worry on this and see

    https://pets.thenest.com/taurine-sources-cats-6642.html

    meat is fine.

    Had a look at that site, interesting, thanks :)


  • #43
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Nody wrote: »
    Yup, clearly not happening any more...

    DOG food?


  • #44
    Foweva Awone
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,740 ✭✭✭Foweva Awone


    Grace just wondering about the raw chicken fillets. Is that not a huge hygiene risk - your cats are indoor cats, right? So they've their faces and their paws in the raw chicken, then spreading the germs all over your floor, counters, furniture, bed etc? Just something to be wary of.


  • #45
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Foweva Awone wrote: »
    Grace just wondering about the raw chicken fillets. Is that not a huge hygiene risk - your cats are indoor cats, right? So they've their faces and their paws in the raw chicken, then spreading the germs all over your floor, counters, furniture, bed etc? Just something to be wary of.

    Please never worry. I am safe.

    I do not eat chicken! Occasionally soup made with bones, well boiled. ( was not me re the fillets but I would have done the same !)

    What germs? The chicken they eat is what I would buy for me.

    NB my cats have free run inside and out. Never a worry.


  • #46
    tedpan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,627 ✭✭✭tedpan


    Graces7 wrote:
    What germs? The chicken they eat is what I would buy for me.


    :D I don't think that was their point..

    Anyway, I'm sure it's fine. Animals eat raw in the wild.


  • #47
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    tedpan wrote: »
    :D I don't think that was their point..

    Anyway, I'm sure it's fine. Animals eat raw in the wild.

    :D

    raw is excellent always. For the cats ;) Mine get raw chicken every day... well next week turkey!


  • #48
    acequion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,913 ✭✭✭acequion


    Nody wrote: »
    Because Supermarket foods such as Felix, Whiskas etc. only need to contain 4% meat to be allowed to be called chicken etc. For cats who are carnivores, not omnivores, the replacement with cheap veggie protein instead means the food is not interesting for them to eat. Hence to get cats to eat they then have to artificially change the smell of the food and that's why you often see cats licking up the sauce only and hence not getting the proper nutrition's while eating essentially junk food which is no were near what they are suppose to eat. In several cats you can also notice the difference once you change properly in the smell of their poo for example; supermarket foods have a tendency to be a source of some of the worst poo smells you'll get. Oh and feel free to check up this article in regards to carbs; Whiskas etc. tend to be full of them (it's cheap) but cats don't really need carbs; example calculations are here.

    You can put in an order on Zooplus once a month and get everything shipped home. If you want to push it you could easily go for a quarter+ between reorders to be fair; it's not time consuming but the quality of the food will be several steps up.

    Yet commercial cat foods have spread for example salmonella at multiple occasions and have also been known to poison animals both due to poor routines. Trusting them because "they got scientific knowledge" does nothing when the main driver of the company is to maximize profits by providing the ****tiest product possible to eek over the minimum requirements (set by the pet food companies themselves!) to save money. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to trust said companies to look at the documentary Pet fooled, available on netflix and alternative sources. Before someone says "talk with your vet" the fact that for example Royal Canin is actually doing part of the training sessions on nutrition is in itself horrible; think if the cigarette companies got to teach how to detect the sources of lung cancer from smoking to doctors and what steps to take and the outrage that would bring.

    Now if someone is going through a tight patch feeding Lidl etc. may be the only option but in most cases you can find better quality food online for close or cheaper prices and this post by ShaShaBear on what happened when they changed from Lidl to ToTW dry food for their dog will always remain in my mind.

    Thanks for that very informative post. I wasn't aware of all the fillers in supermarket brands or the low meat percentage and now I'm feeling conflicted. As another poster pointed out, cost is an issue and while you might save money on large orders when buying in bulk, I mainly shop in Supervalue and Dunnes and I like to avail of the money back vouchers ie €10 euro off a €50 spend etc. As I mostly live alone, the cat food makes up a nice part of my weekly grocery shop, enabling me to spend enough to get the reductions. Every little helps guys!

    Also I looked at Zooplus.ie and was surprised the see a lot of the much maligned supermarket brands there, so how would I know what to order? And can you order a variety of flavours like you get when you buy a a box of 12 Felix pouches?

    I am very open to new ideas about cat feeding so am certainly considering the better quality food. But I have a last question. While you did mention the vets you don't make it clear why vets are not advising against supermarket food. I travel some distance to have my cat treated by the widely reputed best vet in this overall region and he's never said anything against my cat's diet of wet and dry supermarket food. So why are they not on board with this?


  • #49
    tedpan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,627 ✭✭✭tedpan


    acequion wrote:
    Also I looked at Zooplus.ie and was surprised the see a lot of the much maligned supermarket brands there, so how would I know what to order? And can you order a variety of flavours like you get when you buy a a box of 12 Felix pouches?


    Zooplus displays the ingredients and the percentage of each. If the brand doesn't disclose, I'd avoid..


  • #50
    acequion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,913 ✭✭✭acequion


    tedpan wrote: »
    Zooplus displays the ingredients and the percentage of each. If the brand doesn't disclose, I'd avoid..

    Can you only buy this stuff online? What about pet or veterinary stores? Or what about Petmania? I'd love to be able to pick up a few sachets of one of those quality brands and try them out.


  • #51
    tedpan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,627 ✭✭✭tedpan


    acequion wrote:
    Can you only buy this stuff online? What about pet or veterinary stores? Or what about Petmania? I'd love to be able to pick up a few sachets of one of those quality brands and try them out.


    It's online only. You could ask the store to order it in for you although when I've spoken to pet shops they've said zooplus' sell price is lower than their buy price, so it will probably be more expensive.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement