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Best Cat Food?

asweetnothing

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Last week I picked up my new sphynx kitten. After doing some research online prior to picking him up I read that he should be on a diet that is predominantly free of grain, fillers, etc. At the pet store I read a ton of ingredients in a lot of different brands and Blue Buffalo's Kitten Formula seemed to have the best.

This morning I began reading some threads on Blue Buffalo that contained a lot of horror stories about cats getting very ill due to the high protein content. I haven't noticed any problems with my little guy, but then again I've only had him on the food for a little over a week. I'd really like to take him off the food to prevent any health issues from arising.

Can anyone suggest any cat foods? Im reading Royal Canin is good and think I will pick up a bag today.
 
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zoinks

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I have seen a lot of people on here say that Blue Buffalo causes their pet to have bad gas/runny poop/bloody poop so keep an eye out for anything like that.

Royal Canin Special 33 seems popular but is not grain free if I recall correctly.

I have read of people doing well with Taste of the Wild (grain free)

If you are looking for the best food and cost/effort is not an issue, it's also worth taking a look into the raw diet so you have looked into all the options :)
 

asweetnothing

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My mom feed hers her american shorthair Taste of the Wild and is very happy with it. I was considering using that for my little guy but I wasn't sure it was appropriate for the sphynx breed! Good to know that people are doing well with it. I am a bit torn between that and Royal Canin Special 33 now.

I'd love to get him on the raw diet. But I am a bit worried that when I go on vacation whoever watches him will not prepare his food correctly (or want to put the effort in).

Thanks so much for your suggestions, it helps a ton! :D
 

Helsinki

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Royal Canin is packed with grains and cheap filler. It used to be a very high quality food until it was bought out by Mars (which also produces Whiskas, as well as a billion other things) and they began substituting quality ingredients with cheap filler, but kept the quality price tag. Fun fact: Royal Canin is working on producing pet foods that use chicken feathers and worm meal as their primary source of protein.

Many people find that their cats tolerate RC Special 33 very well, but it's also filled with corn, which cats can't really digest and which can lead to IBD in cats, so the thing that makes your kitty's digestive tract feel better can also make it quite a lot worse over time.
 
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Yoda mom

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We fed Yoda Lifes Abundance dry.. She liked it better than blue and she never had skin issues..

Toby was on blue when we brought him home with some of his food to mix in lifes abundance to switch over. He picked out all the life's abundance and left blue in the the bowl.. Upside -my man says it does not smell like fish..:)

I auto ship lifes abundance..there is a comparison chart on their site and you can double check the ingredients. Toby loves it
 

Dallassummer

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If you want grain free, gluten free, preservative free. Contains all vitamins, and even probiotics. I fed Wellness Core, which is an awesome food by the way. Amazing quality. Also has the steep price of $43 a 12lbs bag (US). I did my own research and found that Merrick's Purrfect Bistro, sold by Petco mainly is all of the above as well, but has an awesome price of $28 a 12lbs bag. They're pretty identical in make-up and my kitten bambino and adult sphynx do well. I am looking into raw as well but it is a big commitment. I feed Merrick wet and dry currently. I love it.
 

asweetnothing

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Thank you all for the suggestions! I've never heard of Merrick's Purrfect Bistro or Lifes Abundance, I am definitely going to look into the two and possibly try out both to see which Elijah likes better.

I noticed in the store that Royal Canin had a lot of grain, which originally deterred me from buying it. I was surprised to read on here that a lot of people liked the brand and that made me second guess its quality. Thank you Helsinki for the heads up! I am going to be avoiding it from now on.
 

Xandria

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I too have heard from a breeder that Royal Canin is not as it once was. I'm researching foods for Sphynx right now, and I feel like my brain is going to explode. Well, not really, but there are a lot of considerations.

This forum is very helpful and I apologize in advance once I start bombarding with my own questions ;-)
 

Yoda mom

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FYI I first bought Lifes Abundance at the vet office- it has never been recalled .. It is not sold in big box stores .. A few speciality dog stores carry it.. I now auto ship it and the customer service is great over the phone to change order etc.. I auto ship 160 lbs of dog food and add a 16 lb cat food ($37) and the shipping is only $8.65. Cheaper than gas I do not have to lug 160 lbs of food! You can change and update online or over the phone..

Toby loooooves it.. Little piggy...
 

PrimateLove

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We feed the wet Royal Canin and the dry Royal Canin sensitive stomach. We supplement with a tbsp of pumpkin each day and we have had very few tummy issues. We do have the stinky poops, but they are firm and healthy.
 

KelseaLoren

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If you want grain free, gluten free, preservative free. Contains all vitamins, and even probiotics. I fed Wellness Core, which is an awesome food by the way. Amazing quality. Also has the steep price of $43 a 12lbs bag (US). I did my own research and found that Merrick's Purrfect Bistro, sold by Petco mainly is all of the above as well, but has an awesome price of $28 a 12lbs bag. They're pretty identical in make-up and my kitten bambino and adult sphynx do well. I am looking into raw as well but it is a big commitment. I feed Merrick wet and dry currently. I love it.

So the Merrick food is good? Because that is at the top of the list for the foods I was looking at. Sorry to squeeze my question in... Merrick just looked like one of the more affordable grain free food, but I wasn't sure how well it worked with Sphynx tummies.
 

Dallassummer

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It works very well with my kitties. They all love it and it is so much cheaper. I personally googled each ingredient and found nothing bad. I buy the 12 lbs bag of healthy weight since Simba is a tubby. lol
 

Xandria

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Yea 15 lbs of love.. He's huge compared to my bambino who is 6.5 lbs! He loves to be carried too, my arms get tired. lol
I had an 16 lb Norwegian and he was not fat... it was mostly muscle (HUGE cat), and he loved being held like a baby. So I understand arm strain. I'd love to cuddle Simba though... hee hee.

Im so overwhelmed with all the food choices..
I was too at first, and while research is ongoing, I found this site really helpful... just prepare for a LOT of reading ;-) You'll get there!
 

Drey

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We fed Yoda Lifes Abundance dry.. She liked it better than blue and she never had skin issues..

Toby was on blue when we brought him home with some of his food to mix in lifes abundance to switch over. He picked out all the life's abundance and left blue in the the bowl.. Upside -my man says it does not smell like fish..:)

I auto ship lifes abundance..there is a comparison chart on their site and you can double check the ingredients. Toby loves it


Any issues with poop on life's abundance? Do you feed wet as well?
 

Yoda mom

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@Drey i feed lifes abundance for years no issues .. but got upset when I learned it is a multilevel marketing company ... if my vet would have signed me up I would have had discounted food for the last 7 years I was buying a lot of it for my kitty and dogs.
so I switched foods.. just me personally didn't sit right with me.

I feed Nutrisource cat and kitten food... even my 9 year olds love it still and no poo or skin issues.. no recalls... I feed and go without issues .
I get it online at k9cuisine.com (yes they sell kitty stuff :) ) or the grooming boutique here carries it.

my adult adoptee had a UTI when I got him.... treated by vet ...
so I started feeding him the nutrisource and the hills urinary hairball dry in a separate bowl and proplan urinary focus can.
never had another uti.
many kittens from breeders are fed Royal canin wet food.
usually always recommend continuing to feed what they had at breeder as well as the litter and type of box they are used to when you bring home.. then sloooowly transition if need be.

lots of good food choices out there. I believe in feeding what works.. your breeder is often a great source for what has worked for his/her lines.

I like nutrisource ...no recalls, they have detailed info about their nutrition on their website too.
I have 4 adoptees and no vet bills ... the oldest are 9

glad you are researching :)
so excited cant wait for gotcha pics!!
 

Drey

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@Drey i feed lifes abundance for years no issues .. but got upset when I learned it is a multilevel marketing company ... if my vet would have signed me up I would have had discounted food for the last 7 years I was buying a lot of it for my kitty and dogs.
so I switched foods.. just me personally didn't sit right with me.

I feed Nutrisource cat and kitten food... even my 9 year olds love it still and no poo or skin issues.. no recalls... I feed and go without issues .
I get it online at k9cuisine.com (yes they sell kitty stuff :) ) or the grooming boutique here carries it.

my adult adoptee had a UTI when I got him.... treated by vet ...
so I started feeding him the nutrisource and the hills urinary hairball dry in a separate bowl and proplan urinary focus can.
never had another uti.
many kittens from breeders are fed Royal canin wet food.
usually always recommend continuing to feed what they had at breeder as well as the litter and type of box they are used to when you bring home.. then sloooowly transition if need be.

lots of good food choices out there. I believe in feeding what works.. your breeder is often a great source for what has worked for his/her lines.

I like nutrisource ...no recalls, they have detailed info about their nutrition on their website too.
I have 4 adoptees and no vet bills ... the oldest are 9

glad you are researching :)
so excited cant wait for gotcha pics!!

What kind of nutrisource do you use?
 
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