Corn in Cat Food...

[ChattyCathy]

Sorry about originally posting this in the wrong place

OK guys/ladies... I've been following the thread "Corn in Dog Food" and there is much being said about it. Would the same premise be true regarding cat food? I recently found out that the first ingredient in the canned food I feed my cats is corn. YIKES! So, I'm finishing off the cans I have and transitioning my cats to one of either Wellness or Blue Spa Select to determine which ones they like best. I was told (by a vet) not to put my cats on anything w/seafood as it isn't good for cats who tend towards UTI's. (I did find out here that the cat food should have low ash & magnesium - that was totally helpful.) Now that I know vets know nothing about nutrition, I'm concerned about my cat's diets. Therefore, they are just on the turkey ones (they seem to like that best).

There is one problem I seem to have w/these new canned foods is that there isn't enough liquid in them. I guess what I'm saying is they are more like a soft solid and not pieces. My rescue cat likes the pieces and my other two cats seem to eat the the soft or the pieces. I want to try to keep them on the same food. Any suggestions where I can find good canned cat food in pieces?????

P.S. After finding the above out I also bought a bag of Wellness kibble (I think it's the complete health one). The ash level in that is 6.5% - don't exactly know what that means but the magnesium level is 0.0098% and has cranberries. Haven't tried it yet as I want to finish up most of the other kibble first. Oh, my old kibble and canned foods were Pro Plan, Urinary Tract Infection. I didn't know to care about the ingredients until I came to this website. (Sorry this is so long - had a lot to say)

THANK YOU!

[rannmiller]

You'll want to avoid corn in cat food too. It causes all the problems it does in cat food and more. Most cats die young because of kidney failure. Why? Because most commercial cat foods put too many glutens (vegetable based proteins) in the food. Since cats are obligate carnivores and NEED to have meat as the main component of their diet, their kidneys are used to processing animal proteins. When their kidneys are mainly given vegetable proteins to process, they have to work twice as hard and therefore die twice as quickly.

With your current cat food, start mixing the two foods together (in their bowls) starting with 75% of the amount you fed of the old and do the last 25% as the new cat food. Gradually wean them off of the old and onto the new over the course of the next two or so weeks.

I've never heard anything about seafood causing UTIs in cats. I'd say just keep checking the ash and magnesium contents and you should be fine.

Blue Spa Selects just made a new can of cat food, it's a "flaked" formula which means it has a little more texture to it than their regular pates do. They also have it in chicken and turkey so if you want to avoid seafood, it gives them a tiny bit more variety.

Wellness makes a pouch of cat food which has the chunks/pieces and gravy in it if that's also what you're looking for.

Whew, that was long.

Good luck!

[LoveNewfies]

Yes, do avoid corn in cat food, too.

Between the two canned foods you are looking at, I would lean towards the Wellness cans.

As for low ash and magnesium, as well as seafood - some of that is myth and some is outdated information.

Honestly, cats should be fed a canned diet free of carbohydrates. If you have to feed a dry food, a high quality, high protein, grain free, low carb kibble is the only way to go. Here's why, and I'll try to keep this as short and simple as possible. And please, keep in mind this information does come from actual studies that were done.

First off, MOST cats do not drink enough to compensate for the lack of moisture in a dry food. It is very un-natural and stressful to a cat's system, therefore, cats should eat a wet diet.

Second, grains are high in phytates - phytates bind to minerals, and can actually leach minerals from the cat's system, then the minerals have to be flushed through the cat in the urine. When there is already a lack of adequate water in the cat's diet, it makes it very difficult for the minerals to flush through the system, making them available to accumulate in the urinary tract to create crystals and eventually stones. This also creates an environment conducive for urinary tract infections. As well, it can reduce the mineral levels in a cat's system leaving them depleted of these minerals.

Yes, that was the very short version. Nonetheless, you have to keep in mind that cats are obligate carnivores - they need meat, real meat, it it's most natural form, to be in top health. Cat foods high in carbohydrates can be dangerous for cats, even more so in kibble form.

[rannmiller]

I know you're already doing this a little bit, but maybe you should look into raw as an alternative for your kitties. That way they're getting real meat, moisture, and you know exactly what's going into it.

[ChattyCathy]

I know you're already doing this a little bit, but maybe you should look into raw as an alternative for your kitties. That way they're getting real meat, moisture, and you know exactly what's going into it.

I really hadn't thought about this for the cats. Good idea! Thx.

[Abby's mom]

I was curious, and called around to about half a dozen vet clinics in our area. I wanted to see what they suggested for dry cat food. Course I already new. (SD) Anyway I called and acted like I had just adopted 2 cats from the HS. After they told me SD, I asked is there anything else you would reccomend, course Iams came next, then Purina. After I called them I called my regular vet, and told them I am feeding lots of cats all ages, what do you suggest for a food? SD. Ok, well what kind of ingredients should I look for? Isn't lots of grains bad? Well, it depends on the animal as an individual, as to how they tolerate grains.
I about died when she said that. Too bad they don't spend more time on animal nutrition in vet school.

[jdatwood]

I really hadn't thought about this for the cats. Good idea! Thx.

Our 4lb kitten has been on raw since she came to us emaciated weighing only 1lb.

We go to the asian market and buy bags of frozen sardines for her. We also cut off chunks of meat & organs when we're feeding the dogs. This way she gets a good variety in her diet.

If you decide to go for it, good luck! Cats can be so picky that they're VERY hard to get to switch.

You can try canned tuna or sardines and then go from there if you run into problems with raw

[rannmiller]

I was curious, and called around to about half a dozen vet clinics in our area. I wanted to see what they suggested for dry cat food. Course I already new. (SD) Anyway I called and acted like I had just adopted 2 cats from the HS. After they told me SD, I asked is there anything else you would reccomend, course Iams came next, then Purina. After I called them I called my regular vet, and told them I am feeding lots of cats all ages, what do you suggest for a food? SD. Ok, well what kind of ingredients should I look for? Isn't lots of grains bad? Well, it depends on the animal as an individual, as to how they tolerate grains.
I about died when she said that. Too bad they don't spend more time on animal nutrition in vet school.

Haha that's hilarious! i want to do that now! did you actually get to talk to veterinarians on the phone or just the receptionist/tech who answered?

[DaneMama]

I almost died when I heard a vet say that their cats eat bread if left out on the counter and therefore, cats are omnivores and NEED a omnivorous diet...LOL

Seriously? I wanted to say...just cuz a cat WILL eat grains doesn't mean they NEED them. Its kinda like with us...we don't need cake and ice cream to thrive, but it tastes good

I really wish that there was more emphasis on nutrition in the animal world as well...

[rannmiller]

Psh, my evil, obnoxious kittens tore into an unopened bag of tortilla chips today, does that mean they NEED tortilla chips too?

PS - this act just lost the kittens their access to half of the house during the day, those monsters get into EVERYTHING! I swear I am never adopting a cat that isn't at least 5 years old again!