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The best food for your sphynx

MiaGirl

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my first sphynx felix came to live with us when we adopted him from a sphynx rescue in northern Ohio. He was 3 years old when we adopted him and we never changed his food because he had a sensitive stomach. He died about a year ago at the age of 9 from heart failure. We are going this Wednesday to pick up our new little girl, Mia and i am paranoid about finding a good heart healthy food or somthing that is best for the sphynx breed.

When we lost felix it was a big shock. he was fine and then within 1 week we had lost him. the breeder is currently feeding Mia Purina ProPlan and i just dont think it is the best choice for her, but i am struggling to find what is best. I see that Royal canin sells Sphynx 33 a dry food just for the breed. Has anyone every used this? its for adult cats so i still am in need of something for a kitten. Any advice would be appreciated
 

Franksmom

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So sorry about your baby, we feed raw so I'm no help with store bought food. Good luck with your new baby!!!!!!!! We love new babies and lots of pics here
 

kimmyhm

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I use the royal canin Sphynx breed food, we have no issues with it, you could start with the royal canin kitten food until your kitten gets to a year old, you could also consider the wet food, I feed royal canin sensitivity control as the wet version from the pet shops didn't agree with one of mine but she does great on the Vetinary diet
 

Crinkuls

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:ThumbsUp:
Yes Im finding the RC Sphynx 33 food perfect for my 2 who have sensitive tummies. We have only had this in UK about a year and before that I fed them RC Gastro intestinal which sorted out their runny poops within 5 days. They just share a small sachet of Whiskas Bite n Chew more as a treat as again treats upset their tummies.

There are many posts in here regarding food and I think its trial and error and also what suits your pocket and if you are "able" to try raw or not (im too squeamish and would never try it). My last Sphynx was 12 when she died of a cancerous tumour in her neck and she NEVER had any wet food at all.
Good luck and remember if you are changing food do it very slowly unless they have the runny poo and then just go for it!!!!!
 

Lickleone

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I feed Royal Canin wet and dry and my boy has never had poop issues or anything. His still on kitten food till next month then he will go on to the RC for sphynx dry and his wet food will change to adult (my boy is all growing up :( )
 

lapril

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Feb 22, 2013
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I use a variety of grain free canned, and kibble, but I mostly feed raw. I rotate the protein types (beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, venison, rabbit, pheasant, duck)
I use Natures Variety, Ziwipeak, and Primal brands

I think you should invest some time in researching ingredients that make a food high quality. There are several foods that are very good, several that are mid range, and several that are pure crap. Along with considering what ingredients are used, also be aware of WHERE the ingredients are being raised. For example, I refuse to feed my animals anything that is made in China, no matter how good the ingredients. I banned Natures Variety Rabbit (canned, raw, and kibble) because it is produced in China.

A very helpful website is DogFoodAdvisor.com. They sort foods by a rating system (1-5 stars). If a company produces a 5 star dog food then they often produce a 5 star cat food. Cats and Dogs have very similar diets. If you are going the raw diet route, many raw foods are made for both cats and dogs. The best part about DogFoodAdvisor is that they give a detailed analysis of the ingredients in each food, and tell you in laymen terms what it means! It's the best.

Signs of a good cat food are:
-A high meat/organ content (First 1-3 ingredients)
-identifiable protein (manufacturer must label the type of meat and organs being used)
-No by-products, grains, rice (especially brewers rice)


In my opinion, raw is best, followed by canned, then dry food.
Cats get most of their water from the food they eat, so feeding a dry diet is depriving them of essential water. I supplement my cats diet with dry just for variety. I want my cats to love food just as much as I do:LOL:. Be careful though, the only acceptable dry food to feed is a meat based food that uses a meat meal (chicken meal, turkey meal etc) I use Natures Variety Chicken and Duck Meal, and ZiwiPeak Air Dried Venison and Fish

Canned food is great because it has such a high water content, but I would choose a high quality dry food over a low quality wet food.

Raw food is amazing because it is the food that cats were meant to eat. My kitties poops are less smelly, small, and firm. They really enjoy eating it as well. Not all premade raw food is high quality, so again, check the ingredients and where the food is manufactured.

High quality brands are expensive, but I can't imagine feeding my cats garbage.I can make the conscious decision to put trash into my body (pizza, burgers, candy etc), but my cats can't. It's great to see when folks like you reach out to make sure you're giving your cats the  best food possible. That alone speaks to how great of an owner you must be.
 

lapril

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Here is the ingredient list for Royal Canin Sphynx 33 dry food

Ingredients
Brewers rice, chicken meal, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, powdered cellulose, natural flavors, corn, dried beet pulp, brewers dried yeast, L-lysine, fish oil, vegetable oil, calcium sulfate, dried egg powder, potassium chloride, sodium silico aluminate, fructooligosaccharides, taurine, hydrolyzed yeast, choline chloride, vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], borage oil, DL-methionine, Trace minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], marigold extract, lycopene, L-carnitine, betacarotene, preserved with natural tocopherols, rosemary extract and citric acid.


Brewers rice is a grain by product. I personally wouldn't feed my cats any food whose first ingredient is a grain. The first ingredient should always be an identifiable protein.
 

lapril

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Ingredients for Royal Canin Adult instinctive canned

Ingredients:

Water sufficient for processing, chicken liver, pork liver, pork by-products, salmon, chicken by-products, chicken, gelatin by-product, wheat flour, wheat gluten, corn starch modified, natural flavors, powdered cellulose, calcium sulfate, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, guar gum, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, carrageenan, vitamins (DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), niacin supplement, biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement), trace minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, iron sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate). Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance.

I fed this to my cats for a while. They REALLY liked it and for the most part the ingredients are great. I really didn't want to feed them animal by products though. By products are parts of the animal that aren't fit for human consumption. It can include beaks, heads, feet, fetuses, diseased or dying animals etc. Some people are fine with by products but I feel disgusted feeding it to my animals. It's like giving your babies hot dogs to eat and calling it "meat". I definitely don't want to come off as biased or judgmental though. So please, use your own best judgment.
 

Crinkuls

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:Dizzy:
Seems our RC 33 sphynx has completely different ingredients to yours. Just checked the bag I have. 1st ingredient is dehydrated poultry meat. Very strange.
 

2Knights

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MIne are on a raw diet I tried processed foods and it just wasn't working.

We cannot get RC Sphynx here, but the boys are powering ahead now :)
 

GoldHazel

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my first sphynx felix came to live with us when we adopted him from a sphynx rescue in northern Ohio. He was 3 years old when we adopted him and we never changed his food because he had a sensitive stomach. He died about a year ago at the age of 9 from heart failure. We are going this Wednesday to pick up our new little girl, Mia and i am paranoid about finding a good heart healthy food or somthing that is best for the sphynx breed.

When we lost felix it was a big shock. he was fine and then within 1 week we had lost him. the breeder is currently feeding Mia Purina ProPlan and i just dont think it is the best choice for her, but i am struggling to find what is best. I see that Royal canin sells Sphynx 33 a dry food just for the breed. Has anyone every used this? its for adult cats so i still am in need of something for a kitten. Any advice would be appreciated

I have three sphynx boys (the oldest recently turned one year old). I use Royal Canin. Up to four months old: Baby Cat (canned and dry). Then switched to Kitten food (canned and dry). I could be giving the oldest the adult food, but I have not yet. He is thin and he can use the extra calories still. He is thin because he chooses not to chow down his canned food which give his middle brother Grayson the perfect opportunity to move in and eat 1/2 of his food! The middle guy and the baby don't come up for air while eating their canned food. :)

I know that Canada had the Royal Canin for the sphynx and I was told that the U.S. is getting it in by a PetCo manager, but I have not seen it yet.

Have you seen the Sphyn Royal Canin food in a store yet?

I leave the dry food out for them all the time and I feed them canned food once a day and I sprinkle L Lysine powder for cats on top and add a bit of water and mix. The L Lysine is important and as a matter of fact, Royal Canin includes that as an ingredient in their food.

Let me know about the Sphynx breed specific food by Royal Canin (if you've seen it in the U.S. yet and if so, where). Thanks :)
 
Last edited:

lapril

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:Dizzy:
Seems our RC 33 sphynx has completely different ingredients to yours. Just checked the bag I have. 1st ingredient is dehydrated poultry meat. Very strange.

Strange indeed. They actually don't sell the sphynx food here in the US. I'm surprised that brewers rice is the first ingredient considering how good of a brand royal canin is. I wonder if it was an error on the petsmart website (where I got the info from)
 

shunterx

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I feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness. First ingredient is meat, the food is grain free, no articifial colors, flavors or preservatives. No chicken or poultry by product meals, and no corn, wheat or soy. They make kitten food, adult food, mature, sensitive stomach, etc. I highly recommend it. I worked in several pet stores and it was always our first recommendation above anything else.
 

Crinkuls

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:BigSmile:
Might be worth an email to Royal Canin to ask why ingredients vary from one country to the next. Seems very odd to me.
 

Graddydani

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I am an avid Royal Canin advocate. Although I have to admit that I've seen a few ingredients that puzzle me. I've sent a few emails to Royal Canin but still waiting for a reply. The thing i'll stress is good food (including raw) is usually a bit pricey but we pay because we love our babies right?
 

Emily0404

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My breeder feeds royal canin so that's what binxy will be on when he first comes home- as long as he is healthy and enjoys it he'll probably stay on that. Was thinking about raw feeding but I think I'd be worried about not getting it right and causing more harm than good. Ill see how he goes when he comes home :)
 

PrimateLove

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I've been feeding Emma Leigh Royal Canin Special 33 since we brought her home and she has had little to no digestive issues beyond a little urp here and there....

Good Luck!
 

Taraforweb

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We fed ours the same she was getting at her previous house- the transition to a new house can be stressful on their system at first so introducing new food right away can reek havoc on their digestion.

After a couple weeks we switched Neenee to the best grain free we could afford. She has a long history of loose stools and the grain free, in her case did not change that.

After a bunch of research we transitioned her to primal formula raw food- mostly the freeze dried (nice because you can leave it out refrigerated or reconstitute it). She has had regular stool ever since. It's not cheap at all but petsmart has a 'buy 3 get the 4th free' which cuts the cost. I also love the time it saves while keeping her as healthy as possible.
 
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