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Health, Disease & Diet Find out the best tips and practices on managing your cat's diet, health care, and issues with diseases from our community of animal lovers

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  #1  
Old 07-23-2008, 06:07 PM
ashleywong ashleywong is offline
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Smile What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Hi all

i'll try to keep this short (i've been known to go on and on on a subject i identify with...)

cats are obligatory carnivore - according to articles i read, this means a cat cannot synthesize certain essential amino acids it requires for its bodily functions from the grain protein/vegetable protein and carbohydrate the way man and dog can. therefore a cat will gain the most from eating meat protein instead of grain protein/cabohydrate.

what this means is - the type of ingredient you feed your cat is important, and even more important that you feed correctly from kitten stage as this will set the foundation for a good health for your feline friend.

so when you next reach for that bag of cat food on the shelf, don't look into your checkbook or handbag or wallet (although this will to some extent determines whether you have adequate money to pay up at the cashier counter), but look instead at the ingredient list.

things to avoid : grain-sourced protein such as corn, wheat, and other type of grains, gluten (one ingredient that commonly causes allergy reaction in animals as well as human beings), non-food-grade meat ingredients such as animal-by-product (which they don't list out ind etails) but generally by-product is feathers, beak, tail, offals (internal organs that we don't eat), blood, and entrails, etc, cheap stuff that can be "recycled" as pet food.

this is for store-bought commercially available food.

another no-no is do not feed human food to cats/kittens - especially if they're commercially prepared or processed as they contain lots of addictives and other chemicals that is no good to the feline health in the long run, especially the white salt content that's high.

if you choose not to use kibbles but instead feed food like fish, chicken breast, etc, please ensure that you give your feline companion a variety of meat supplemented with vitamins and essential minerals.

in their natural state, a feline's natural diet is varied, from raw meat to certain plants and herbs to aid in digestive function/elimnation function. the varied nature of the feline's intake in the natural world ensure the feline get his/her required nutritional intake for good bodily and brain function.

just feeding your cat/kitten a single type of food ,i.e. just fish, will not do.

incidentally, it is a myth that cat love fish and need only fish. my vet showed me a kitten, just about 5-6 months old, the kitten has fragile bones and a broken leg - because his owner fed him solely on fish and neglect to provide him with other essential vitamins and minerals. fish may be cheaper but the vet bill is higher!

feeding your feline companion good quality food made with appropriate ingredients will go a long way to ensure the good health of your feline companion and also will definitely ensure and guarantee a lower veterinary bill in the long run and be pocket/bank-account-friendly in the long run.

that, my friend, is my "two-cents" on cat food and proper nutrition.

comments requested and welcomed.
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  #2  
Old 07-23-2008, 06:17 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Awesome writeup, keep up the good work Ashley!!!
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Old 07-24-2008, 04:35 AM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Wow Ashley, great article there! I am sure the cat owners out there will appreciate it mucho gracie!
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Old 07-24-2008, 12:58 PM
ashleywong ashleywong is offline
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

thanks for the bouquets...where are the brickbats? :-P

actually, my cats taught me this, at their own expense. i went through the whole cycle from supermarket generics (tesco, jusco, carrefour, giant, you named it, i've bought it), premium brands like purina, friskies, smarthearts, and others in like category, super premium brands like royal canin, sciencehill and other like brands in this categories, blackwood, back to basics, additions, orijen, natural balance and others super super premium in this category...you named it, my poor kittens had been tested on it.

the result - the article i wrote - taught to me by my own kittens.

i/'d also like to share my knowledge and experience with all cat owners otu there, especially newbies and greenhorns like me. this way, they'll have a better and smootehr start with their kittens. ;

i believe no person is born deliberate mean and evil. sometimes we act the way we do out of unintentional ignorance and lack of awareness (cos malaysia is not exactly known as a country of good animal rights track record and legislation unlike other western countries).

so if one person is given the correct knowledge and information and provided with correct and proper guidance, i'm sure this person will want to act in the best interest of the animal companion.

actually this article is the shortened version of the one i posted up at www.vet.com.my. my sis commented that my original article was like a grandma story so i just edited out lots of stuff, give all the punches here and make it 'short but sweet'.

hope this really helps new potential adopters out there to make a better and informed choice.

one last word (my famous line) - try not to be penny-wise but pound-foolish!

sorry for being so military about it but i belief it's my occupation that trained me like this... hahaha..

i'd like to listen to other people's experience too so i too can learn from them and make it better for my cats.

regards
ashley
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Old 07-24-2008, 05:32 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Nothing beats personal experience.

Why don't you upload your pic as your avatar, give a face to this Kitty-Lover!
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  #6  
Old 07-25-2008, 01:58 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

hello all
i've been feeding my cats and dogs ACANA and so far everything's great and everyone's healthy. it's wheat and gluten free, low in starch. another great thing about it is that it doesn't contain weird animal by-products.. only real meat that meets the standard for human consumption. i've only seen it in a couple of pet stores though..
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Old 07-25-2008, 05:02 PM
ashleywong ashleywong is offline
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

hi

acana is manufactured by championpetfoods - a company out in canada - the same people who manufactured orijen the brand i feed my cats.

yes, you're right, it's got all the right ingredients in the appropriate amount and you can really see that it works wonder with your pet's health. it showed up in their general health, the lovely state of their skin and fur, their alertness and energy level and even in their "poop" yes, i used cat's poop as an indicator of their health and whether they're eating the correct food and whether they're feeling okay or not.

acana has a lower meat content than orijen and it has rice as the source of cabohydrate besides oatmeal.

as for myself, i prefer orijen as although it has a higher meat content, the protein ratio is just nice and it doesn't contain rice as one of my cat doesn't react properly to rice and any grain content.

you're right again on another score - it's availability or lack of it. there's only a single distributor importing in acana and orijen and so far i've tracked down several places that really stocks up on orijen

1) pet epicure in tmn melawait
2) pets people in plaza damas, sri hartamas
3) home pet in sri petaling
4) tails unlimited in kajang or is it sg buloh
5) sea park pet supplies in pj ss2 - their stock should be in now
6) a pet shop in tmn danau desa okr - they're willing to order for you although they specialises only in dog food


pet wonderland in mdvalley also stocks up on acana however their supply of acana has an expiry date of aug 2008 when i last looked in march 2008. hopefully they have new stocks in by now.

i suspect one of the reason that supply is not easily available at all retailers is that there is lack of awareness about acana and orijen and the distributor doesn't really do any promotion, not even at pet exhibition. hence it is difficult for pet owners who wishes to feed their pet this brand.

by the way, if any of you is using acana/orijen, especially the largest bag of food and you notice that the food exudes an oily smell over time, that's due to the hot and humid weather over here in malaysia. just repack your pet food into airtight containers and store in the freezer of your refrigerator. what i do is those unused portion, i stored in cool and dark cupboard, and put the box that's currently in use in the fridge. it works to keep the food "cool" all the time.

lynielime have you noticed that your cats and dogs tend to eat less of each serving of acana? i was told by the folks at championpetfoods that this is because of the high quality protein in the kibbles, the pet will be able to satisfy its protein requirement in a smaller portion.

so, spending on good quality food may seemed "more expensive" an investment each time you buy a bag of food but in reality, you spend less cos you don't have to buy so often.

but this doesn't mean you have to ration the food to the poor pet in order to make it last - that's only last resort if the food is running out and you haven't managed to restock.

Last edited by ashleywong; 07-25-2008 at 05:25 PM.
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Old 07-25-2008, 05:30 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

hi ashley!
yes i've noticed that they need smaller portions with acana. and you're right its coz of the high quality protein. its more efficient and wastes less.

feeding them lower grade food that creates its bulk by being high in grain is really just a total waste because they are unable to metabolize it properly.

i'm glad we agree on this!
lynette
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Old 07-27-2008, 02:44 PM
ashleywong ashleywong is offline
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Hi lynielime

me too! great minds think alike!
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Old 08-08-2008, 11:22 AM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Quote:
Originally Posted by lynielime View Post
hi ashley!
yes i've noticed that they need smaller portions with acana. and you're right its coz of the high quality protein. its more efficient and wastes less.

feeding them lower grade food that creates its bulk by being high in grain is really just a total waste because they are unable to metabolize it properly.

i'm glad we agree on this!
lynette
Hi Ashley,
Great write-up!
BTW, Bina here ....
:)
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  #11  
Old 08-16-2008, 04:51 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

tumpang board...

juz nak tanye pendapat. is it ok if we continuous feed our cat with glucose?

sbb.. my Lulu got fever and send her to vet. so vet advice to give glucose water for her energy. so, i beli 1 tin glucose and now my Lulu getting better. boleh tak i continue to add glokusa in their water sbb byk lagi..baru guna sket. any effect tak..?
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Old 08-16-2008, 07:37 PM
ashleywong ashleywong is offline
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

oops, lyn_cat, i think that's a question that's more suitable for your vet to answer. i'm afraid what we know is based on our own experience with feeding about pets, observation, discussion and reading articles. however so far i've never had to feed my cats glucose.

sorry i can't help you.

best of luck though
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Old 08-18-2008, 05:07 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Hi all,

My cat is currently on blackwood. I ,just like ashley have gone thru all sorts of cat food and so far I find blackwood is the best.I've seen an improvement in his fur as well as weight and appetite.

I tried Acana before,but my cat wont have any of it.Chicken breast didn't work too..so now he is mostly on kibbles with wet food treats once or twice a week.

Oh ya, I also feed him brewers' yeast and felovite (more like force feed for the latter..)

p/s,
Ashley..great write-up..very well written..
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Old 08-22-2008, 02:16 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

All my cat feed on RC Persian Kitten 32. A kilo pack would only last for 2 days for my 8 cats. Since the price had increased, changing to cheaper brand is the last option I would take. As I am staying in an apartment and liiterbox management is top priority else odour will take control! In addition to RC. I feed them with blended whole chicken meal - soft neck bone, skin, liver, heart, breast. With RM10 of chicken neck plus 2 pieces of backbone, that would blend into a week supply of homemade wet food which is similar to that Friskies kitten can food. My cat poo is very minimal and doesnt smell much. Since I am using DIY paperbase cat litter, with hard poo, they really compliment each other.

Cant find Blackwood in Kuching at the moment but had request the Petshop here to get in the stock
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Old 08-27-2008, 11:01 AM
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Talking Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Hey guy, seem like you guy are feeding your cat expensive cat food. For me, I have 5 stray cats and have been feeding them misha cat at RM9.30 for 1.7kg. It is quite good value. All my 5 cats have very nice coat and very active. quite happy with Misha cat food.
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Old 08-27-2008, 03:44 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

hi happycat

it's good that you have found a brand that suits your cats' tastes and your budget as well.

there may be some misconception on this particular thread.

hope all of us can see beyond the RM and $$$ sign. the important point is to ensure proper, balanced, correct and adequate food nutrition for our furkids.

whether stray or store-bought or expensive pedigree cats, what is important is that we feed them the correct food that is suited and demand by their physiology.

it would seem as if we're all 'advocating' expensive food but look again - we're all relying on commercially prepared food (instead of catching rats and mice and what nots "fresh" for our furkids). we all know that most business are in business for profits. therefore it behove us to ensure that although we opt for the convenience of commercially prepared and store-bought brand we are not forgetting and forgoing a good health as foundation to good quality life via adequate and correct food for our furkids.

we don't mean to advocate certain or any brands here - it's just that there only limited selection of brands cat available in malaysia and the monopoly is by those that process and manufacture in bulk and able to derive economy in scale from their mass production and these are those who invest heavily in packaging and advertisements and promotions. this in turn help them to provide the products at "cheaper" and more attractive "costs" to retailer who in turn pass them on to us consummers - very good arrangement - but think again...are they responsible as a company to ensure that the ingredient they put into the product are what they themselves would unreservedly feed their own pets or even eat themselves?

if you lo
as for locally manufactured brands, with due respect to their effort and entrepreneurship, my bone of contention is that there is lack of legislation, whether authority or self, and lack of enforcement may results in pet food that may not be on par with internationally accepted standards.

also it may surprise you that all our furkids were indeed "STRAY" cats/kittens (or better known as "DSH"/"DLH"/"DMD") whom we accepted into home and hearts as beloved family companions

hope this help clarifies.

the aim of petfinder.my and the articles produced here by the forumers (who are true-blue animal lovers) are meant to educate and raise awareness about the love and respect for animals, and their rights to a life with quality healthcare, food and emotion fulfilment whether they are our pets or not, and also about being responsible pet ownership, and also to encourage people to think and disagree civilly.
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Old 08-27-2008, 10:45 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

I'm also on a hunt for a good budget food because I cant afford high premium food for all my 17 cats, later I'm gonna end up as a stray. Hehe..anyways, got a problem with my vetmaster I bought 2 days ago. Just 2 hours ago wasting my time filtering all my 10kg vetmaster from pantry bugs. And how in the world they got in there? Usually it will take them a week to develop..but I got them just in 2 days? Man, I'll send a complain to my vet shop tomorrow. Anyways, still gonna hunt for more better cat food for my cats. If someone deserved to be love, it's them. They did not chose to live in the streets begging to be long for, as dirty as they were, as skinny as they look. They are just another living creature worthy of companionship :)
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Old 08-28-2008, 10:45 AM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

hi syunichi

wow! i salute you ! 17 cat! wow! and here i think my 4 furkids are giving me absolute headaches when they become possesive of me and my attention. wow!

what is vetmaster? is that some kind of petfood or pet supplement? can you tell me more about it?

i'm not unmindful of the cost of some "premium" brand. I have already went a longtime without buying anything for myself as i can only choose their food and vet care or clothes and stuff for myself. as i've not found a better or equivalent alternative at lower price, i'm still sticking the food i'm feeding them.
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Old 08-28-2008, 10:56 AM
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Thumbs up Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Quote:
Originally Posted by syunichi View Post
I'm also on a hunt for a good budget food because I cant afford high premium food for all my 17 cats, later I'm gonna end up as a stray. Hehe..anyways, got a problem with my vetmaster I bought 2 days ago. Just 2 hours ago wasting my time filtering all my 10kg vetmaster from pantry bugs. And how in the world they got in there? Usually it will take them a week to develop..but I got them just in 2 days? Man, I'll send a complain to my vet shop tomorrow. Anyways, still gonna hunt for more better cat food for my cats. If someone deserved to be love, it's them. They did not chose to live in the streets begging to be long for, as dirty as they were, as skinny as they look. They are just another living creature worthy of companionship :)
Hi Syunichi, you and i have the same problem, the budget for our cat food. Give misha cat food a try. it give good value and it is RM9.30 for 1.7kg from speedmart 99.
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Old 08-28-2008, 04:33 PM
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Default Re: What sort of cat food to feed your cat/kitten?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ashleywong View Post
hi syunichi

wow! i salute you ! 17 cat! wow! and here i think my 4 furkids are giving me absolute headaches when they become possesive of me and my attention. wow!

what is vetmaster? is that some kind of petfood or pet supplement? can you tell me more about it?

i'm not unmindful of the cost of some "premium" brand. I have already went a longtime without buying anything for myself as i can only choose their food and vet care or clothes and stuff for myself. as i've not found a better or equivalent alternative at lower price, i'm still sticking the food i'm feeding them.
Hi ashley, well I was on Iams and with wonders 1kg 2 days oredi gone and it wasnt cheap hehe. So I resolved to Vetmaster. It was recommended from my vet that it is way better than frieskis and whiskas that we knowned as snacks for cat. It is labelled to have lower % of ash for more healthier urinate issue and substance called "yucca" to leave your cat stool less smelly. Thx happycat, I'll look for it coz I've saw it somewhere when I was looking for a new cat diet.

And vetmaster cost me RM75 for 10kg..good enough for me hehe. Thank god :)
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Last edited by syunichi; 08-28-2008 at 04:39 PM.
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