Cat food

[Kohan]

As for places to buy pet food in Carlsbad:

http://www.pncpets.com/

Highly rated according to Yelp. Possibly worth a drive if it's not near you.

[Kitsuu]

I also highly recommend Blue Buffalo, Avoderm, Authority, and Wellness.

I feed my kitty Authority and she loves it~ It's high in all the good things kitty needs to stay healthy. ^^

My dog is also fed Authority. =P

[Matricide]

some good advice in this thread. stay away from cheap crap brands or walmart junk. anything with by product is bad. or wheat/corn gluton/whatever the crap is they put in the food -- cats need protein, carbs are not good for their diet. kinda upset i had a really good page with a lot of good info.

you do want to stick to the 'premium' foods, the cheapest id recommend is petsmart authority brand but if you can spend a few extra bucks to feed your cat some healthy food look at Wellness or brands with similar ingrediants. Petco and petsupermarket carry it.

i really hate how vets always recommend science diet, seriously their stuff is pretty much crap and nearly inline with walmart level stuff, they must get a huge kickback, cause its just awful stuff.

if youre interested in litter management, we use a scoopfree (with forever litter tray from amazon, scoopfree from amazon too) automated litter box with freshstep crystals from target. bit of an investment though. only have to cleanup every week-2 weeks and replace the litter twice a month (for one cat average). our cat didnt wanna touch the crystal when we got it so we put a regular litter box with cheap clay next to it, eventually it got kinda dirty and she started using the crystal.

good luck kittehs rule.

[randomized]

my cat's breath smells like cat food

[blev]

almost forgot to mention this earlier, though it's already been mentioned a few times. pay close attention to the ingredients. they are listed from highest to lowest amount of said ingredient. if the food lists corn meal, corn gluten meal, wheat, or wheat gluten as the first ingredient, it's going to be mostly filler and you'll be feeding your cat twice as much. that usually leads to fat kitty.

rice, on the other hand, is fine as a filler. they use much less of it because rice is far more sticky and holds the ingredients together better. you'll never see rice as the first ingredient because of this.

also, try to pick the best food for your cats age and living situation. if the cat is less active, try the indoor formulas or something for weight management to prevent weight problems. active cats will do better on foods with higher protein content like the Blue Buffalo Wilderness formulas and similar foods in other brands. long-haired kitties will usually need a food that helps reduce furballs, though you can always buy nutri-cal or w/e it's called.

[Pikarya]

my cat's breath smells like cat food

Really, amazing observation.

[Callisto]

Since my cat became fully grown I've used the Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula(green bag), my cat's kind of a short/long mix and she's never had a hairball that I can recall the entire time I've used it. She talks a shitload, I don't know if this is related.

For wet food I stick to Fancy Feast, she used to only get two cans a week, but now we had to move in with my mom who spoils the shit out of the cats and gives her like two a day.

[Palin]

Anyone have experience buying quality food online for a decent price? We recently got a new kitten and I've been doing research into good food for her; this thread has been extremely helpful. However living in NYC finding places that sell more specific obscure brands can be a challenge at times. Anyone know a good place?

[Pikarya]

www.petfooddirect.com is usually good on prices. There are a few other places online. I only go there since I get a ton of free promos from a friend which works for them.

[SephYuyX]

Food is food is food. We usually buy whatever is the least expensive on-brand dry food there is. I had a cat when I was 5 that lived til I was 23, I had two cats (at grandparents now) that I got when I was 10 and theyre still kicking, and recently got 2 cats two years ago and theyre doing fine.

My cats have always been outdoor cats too, so theyre always generaly healthier than indoor cats anway, so maybe that played a role too. In door cats are like fat video gamers, outdoor cats are like runners. I dont think cat food is an issue when theyre able to probably live a normal cat life, eat actual raw animal, exercise by exploring the woods, running around, etc. If all a cat is doing is stuck in a small apt. all day, it's going to be worse off no matter what food you give it, so you have to make sure you make up for what the cat isnt able to do since it's indoors.

Also animals are a bit like humans too, granted we can eat anything in a time of need, some of us cant process meat, or greens, or dairy, etc. Same with a cat, so you can buy 'the best' food there is, and it may not go over well. But really, any on-brand dry food is fine, no need to pay for special meals, or the like.

[blev]

Food is food is food. We usually buy whatever is the least expensive on-brand dry food there is. I had a cat when I was 5 that lived til I was 23, I had two cats (at grandparents now) that I got when I was 10 and theyre still kicking, and recently got 2 cats two years ago and theyre doing fine.

My cats have always been outdoor cats too, so theyre always generaly healthier than indoor cats anway, so maybe that played a role too. In door cats are like fat video gamers, outdoor cats are like runners. I dont think cat food is an issue when theyre able to probably live a normal cat life, eat actual raw animal, exercise by exploring the woods, running around, etc. If all a cat is doing is stuck in a small apt. all day, it's going to be worse off no matter what food you give it, so you have to make sure you make up for what the cat isnt able to do since it's indoors.

Also animals are a bit like humans too, granted we can eat anything in a time of need, some of us cant process meat, or greens, or dairy, etc. Same with a cat, so you can buy 'the best' food there is, and it may not go over well. But really, any on-brand dry food is fine, no need to pay for special meals, or the like.

outdoor cats generally eat mice/birds also, so you can't really say they were/are healthy because of the cheap dry food you bought them lol. outdoor cats do tend to live longer and have stronger immune systems because they get more exercise. same thing happens with humans.

however, it has been proven that cats that eat "grocery brand"(friskies/purina cat chow/kitten kaboodle) are more likely to develop medical problems than those that are fed higher quality foods. just because your cats did fine most definitely does not mean that all cats will be ok on cheap foods.

buy whatever food you want. i'm just saying which ones are going to be nutritionally better for your kitty in the long run. the better nutritional quality, the less food the cat will eat/poop out as well. for example, a cat that is fed purina cat chow will have to eat more food than a cat eating a food that does not use a corn-based filler. the reason for this is because the cat will eat until they are full. if they don't get enough nutrients out of the food, they will be hungry sooner, and will have pooped more in the process.

edit: even if you buy a good food, there's a chance your cat will be a picky eater and not like it. if that's the case, just shop around and try different foods til you find something kitty likes.

idk about you, but i don't like cleaning up animal shit.

[altwight]

seriously? go to walmart and buy some fucking cat food. it doesn't matter. jesus christ.

[Pikarya]

I feed my cats Old Yeller.

http://i49.tinypic.com/inz52t.jpg

They've lived 19 years with no vet visits.

ftfy

[Ksandra]

@ the indoor/outdoor thing, for sure I don't keep indoor cats. I hate that. They got so twitchy and weird, they drive me nuts.

But oddly enough I've had the exact opposite to what seph said. lol. Two of my cats LOVED the outdoors and were often out, and they were fat as fuck. My third kitty, was/is (she lives with my parents now) also an indoor/outdoor, but she doesn't like to stay outside too long, and usually not unless someone is outside with her. And she's skinny.

I really do think there's some personality traits involved in them, that goes beyond just whether you let them out or not.


Anyway, ya I don't need help with kitty litter, but ty everyone for all the advice. When I get a chance I will go to look and see what brands my grocery store/petco in my area carry and base it from that (with what you say).

[Toxictaru]

I wish my cat would go outdoors. She was traumatized when she was a kitten because the first couple of times we HAD to take her outside ended in a vet visit. She also hates being in the car. Instead, she curiously takes a step outside but freezes if anyone comes near her. My other 3 cats were always outdoor cats, made litter boxes a breeze (in fact, we got rid of my first cats litter box when he was about a year old, and didn't step back in to one until he was about 13).

[Lyrai]

http://catfoodreviews.com/

Blue Buffalo and Avoderm are some very good foods that you can find at your local PetsMart. There are a lot of other good foods, but some of them you have to find at a specialty store. Royal Canin has a decent product as well, however, the price is a bit high considering the quality isn't quite as good as Blue Buffalo or the other decent brands. Authority is the store brand at PetsMart and is the same formula as the Nutro Natural Choice formula, which is also a decent food, though not the best.

I highly recommend PetsMart for a few reasons. They train their employees to know which foods are better and to help you figure out what would be best for your pet.

A lot of cat owners like to give their cats wet food. Every now and then this is fine, but i would try to stray away from a primarily wet food diet. It makes the stool runny and doesn't provide nearly as much of the nutritional needs your dry foods will.

Feel free to PM me or just reply here if you have any specific questions.

Restating this. I'm a Blue Buff supporter, and an employee of PetSmart. Blue Buffalo should be able to send you a coupon to try out the food if you do a little pet food survey on their website.

If it's too much, the middle ground I would say would be Authority, or Pro Plan. I'd stay away from Max Cat or Science diet personally. They're not bad, but not great for the price. For Kittens, look for any cat foods that have DHA. Just like with baby formula containing DHA, it supports brain development. And for all cats (and dogs for that matter) you want the first ingredient to be meat, not corn.

Oh, and for anybody that buys Iams wet food, there's a recall on the cans because of low levels of thiamine if you've bought any recently.

[Shalyn]

Really, amazing observation.

Simpsons...

Anyway, don't know if it's been said yet or not but you should look at the ash content in the cat food you choose. Ash is a filler product that hurts their kidneys and can eventually cause kidney failure (as it did in my first kitty). I use Science Diet for digestive problems because my current cat poos a lot and it's very stinky unless I use that stuff. It's pretty expensive but I find that a lot of the more expensive brands, since they use less filler, fill up the cat longer and faster, so they don't need to eat as much or as often as they do with the cheap stuff.

Good luck!

[Yuri-G]

I give my cat Purina "Urinary Tract Health" dry food for this very reason. cats are notorious for developing kidney stones, which are often lethal.

there are definitely better options, but they're all pretty expensive, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the purina stuff since it's made specifically to prevent these problems... knock on wood

[Yuri-G]

Really, amazing observation.

whoosh

but you had a point about male cats. they're much more likely to get stones, which is why I buy the urinary tract health food for my cat. I should probably get science diet, but honestly unless the cat has specific health problems that's being a bit overcautious. though it obviously doesn't hurt if you can afford it.

[Bethany]

Eight Cats ages 2-15 years (Very, very, long story). Last couple of years, Blue Buffalo as others have said hands down.

As far as litter goes, stay the hell away from cheap litter, as well as the brand World's Best Cat litter. It's made from corn and has a horrible weird odor. None of our cats would use it in any of our boxes. Six of our cats would not even touch it. Two actually stepped inside, messed around and then used the tile floor right beside it instead. All of them just howled and carried on like they were being tortured.

Ever Clean works the best I have found for our cats. You can buy it at Petsmart.