Kitty only likes cheap food

When we took in our cat, we were not sure of we would be keeping her, so we bought a bag of the cheapest cat food we could find: "Alley Cat". Our cat will no eat nothing else. We have tried various dry foods and also wet options. She only will eat her Alley Cat. Is most cat food comparable in nutrition or is she going to be lacking?

 

Well it could be worse. You could've bought her the most expensive and had her refusing to eat anything else, hehe.

And honestly, most cat foods are going to be pretty comparable. The majority is just filler anyway. If you're concerned, you could talk to your vet and/or maybe pick up one of those nutritional powders to sprinkle over her food occasionally to make sure she's getting everything she needs. After all, since you're saving money on the food, it won't hurt to spend a few bucks on a supplement for the occasional boost.

 

Not all kibble is created equally.

Did you know that 70% of felines over 20 months of age have some degree of dental disease? Because the mouth and gums have good blood supply, the pathogenic bacteria can "hop" a ride into the blood stream, eventually causing bacterial infection of the heart valves, the kidneys, and even the joints.

Research shows that dry diets lead to less plaque and tartar accumulation than soft and moist diets. The kibbles in dry diets have a light abrasive effect, which mimics brushing. Sodium tripolyphosphate, or STPP is a mineral salt, made up of sodium and phosphorus, two nutrients the animal body needs for proper functioning. When included on the outside of a kibble, the calcium chelation is achieved in the entire mouth, not just the chewing surfaces, which greatly reduces tartar formation.

We do not feed our kitty cheap cat food. I am always very concerned with the health elements. We have settled on "Royal Canin" as a favorite brand. "At Royal Canin you won’t find fish-shaped pieces in our cat food or peanut butter stuffed in our kibble." Nutrition can help the cat’s body recover faster, stay healthy longer and even help defend against diseases. ROYAL CANIN has a complete line of veterinary diets designed to help minimize clinical signs, promote recovery and help manage disease.

I would bet that your kitty would LOVE to eat Royal Canine and really, once you are used to purchasing it, you won't notice the difference in your pocket book.

For the record, I spend about $5 a week on cat food for our kitty. He goes through about one small bag of their food each week. It's just in me to spoil him.

 

Hey, how come I get the feeling that we have got a Royal Canine promoter on this forum?

Back on topic.

I supplement my cats' food with fresh food. Things like fish. Fresh from the wet market. They love it.

 

I am. I've been through many different brands; to name a few: Growing up, my parents dog was fed Beneful because it was the only food she did not have a reaction to. When I met my significant other he fed his dogs Dog Chow. He bought me a black lab pup for our six month anniversary, she was fed Beneful. Unfortunately we were unable to keep her, but I am proud to say she has been the World Champion Docking Dog for years. We then purchased two poodles, one miniature and one toy. Being bred show dogs, I spared no expense in their grooming or food. It was at that time I located the Royal Canin brand as it specializes in food by breed. With such expensive pups, I saw no sense in 'possibly' feeding them something that would be 'fine' for them when I knew there was something made to tailor to their poodle needs. When the cat wandered onto our land, he ate whatever we put out for him, but again my loving, spoiling, soft side got the better of me...if I feed it to my dogs, why not the cat? We have some friends that have an eleven year old husky with arthritis, hip issues, and soft gums...it was suggested that he switch to a Royal Canin specialty brand to make his meals easier to eat. I have never heard a bad word regarding Royal Canin.

Fresh would be my next choice for this cat, since he spends most of his days outdoors hunting.

 

Thanks, I'm certainly not complaining, but I just wonder because every brand of kitty food claims to be superior to the other. What REALLY is the best?

 

Personally, Science Diet is one of my favorites and for a more commercial, cheaper brand, I like most of Purina's options...specially those that are for hairball control, older cats, etc. My oldest cat has stomach issues and these are the only foods that don't cause her to throw up more, whereas the cheap ones do. That's just personal preference and experience with a single cat on that one, though.

 

I get your point, JenVarsity. I do feed my cats Royal Canine, too. But only my Persians. In Thailand, it's only 5usd per kg. In Malaysia, it's 10usd per kg.

 

I have always fed my cats on whichever brand of food is the best value in the supermarket and never had any problems. They have all grown big and healthy and lived long lives, with glossy coats etc. As long as your cat is eating and is in good health I wouldn't concern yourself and as somebody else said, be glad it isn't just the expensive food being eaten lol

 

I don't believe ANY cat's food from the supermarket is even close to a good value.

pquote]As long as your cat is eating and is in good health I wouldn't concern yourself and as somebody else said, be glad it isn't just the expensive food being eaten lol[/quote]
You know, the problem with bad/good food is that you realise it was bad food when it's too late. So when your cat has already health problems. Okay, not always. But very often. It's like when your cat is small and you give it wrong food it will suffer from it when it's grown up. (Not enough.. you know.. those little things inside that little creatures need to grow ).
But on the other hand I can understand the problem. My cans eat only dry food. When I give them meat, like a sausage, piece of chicken or anything like this - they won't touch it.

 

This might help you decide about your cat food. I was doing some research on foods because of my little asthmatic Mouth. I am trying to find a brand that has different main ingredients to test his symptoms on. This link reviews the nutritional value of several popular brands. Here is another one that was done this year. I didn't see Alley cat on any nutritional review unfortunately but I would say it would be in the same rank as the other national brands like 9Lives (which my cats eat), MeowMix (Alley cat and MeowMix are made in the same plant), and Friskies.

I have been looking around at the other food options available to me and am trying to weigh the nutritional value against the cost of the food. But of course the end decision is based on what the cats will eat.

 

I was really surprised that Science Diet ranked so poorly on the reviews I read. Both of the reviews I provided above gave the brand one star for nutritional value which is the same as the 9Lives I feed my cats. Kind of makes you wonder what all the hype is about.

Royal Cain that JenVarsity was talking about rated three stars by both sites. I think I am going to look into Chicken Soup for a Cat Lover's Soul food. It has five stars and according to one site it isn't as expensive as other brands including Royal Cain and Science Diet. (Not that I am putting down your cats food.) The reviews are a little mixed on it though because some cats seem to have allergic reactions. My cat is already allergic to something in his food to cause his asthma symptoms so maybe by changing to this one he will have less problems. Now I just have to find the food!

 

I also buy my cat what is cheap at the market or what I have a coupon for. Most of them are not picky and I have a lot of cats. I wish I could buy the fancy expensive stuff, but I can't. The cats would be eating better than me if that were the case. I do give them fish oil supplements that I get for free from my mom so they do have great coats.

 

I think they used to be good so they built up a good name for themselves and are able to continue using the high price. Now, years later, as they've changed ingredients and added more fillers, etc, then the hype is still there, but the nutrition isn't.

 

Ah, so another one succumbs to the Monster of Filthy Lucre Lake. This is where I think I am on the right path in cooking my own food for my kitties. At least I know what I am putting into the food.

 

The dreaded finicky eater.

When my cat got diabetes because of cheep food like "alley cat" we had to change his diet. I bought the expensive food with no fillers, no wheat, no corn, no rice. He hated it. We slowly shifted him over by mixing it with his 9 lives and he got used to it. Now he is fine eating just the healthier foods. They are like kids, sometimes you have to outsmart them into eating whats good for them.

Beth

 

I think Science Diet is the best but don't force your kitty to eat it or else it will get some stomach upsets.

 

Lol, lucky you! At least you didn't get her used to a more expensive option (my in laws cat love eating salmon and beef - no, I'm not joking!).

If you are worried aboutvher nutrition, then you should really talk with your vet about the possibility of giving your cat vitamins.