Diet for cats

I agree with the previous writers who've said a) don't feed the inferior grains like corn and wheat, and b) there's probably a lot of bad chemicals in the foods.

Check out the book "Why is Cancer Killing Our Pets?" and it will really open your eyes.

Most people don't know this, but the corn and wheat of a "pet food grade" for pet foods comes from four places: Europe, Australia, Brazil, and China. It does NOT come from the U.S., our corn is either to feed our own cattle and horses or to export as food for people in other countries.

Anyway, none of these countries have our fertilizer and fungicide and pesticide controls. You think our "melamine" recall was bad, you should see what these countries go through with their own pet food problems from these grain sources.

Forget the argument that dogs and cats don't eat corn and wheat in nature and don't need the carbs. Just remember the source of those grains and avoid them. It's really all about the toxins on those grains.

Brown rice, on the other hand, is actually grown in the U.S. and is the source to bind the kibble together for many of the holistic pet foods. So brown rice is okay.

You want to choose canned cat foods that DO NOT contain the glutens (and I didn't talk about beef but you don't want to let your kitties eat beef cat foods, they are most often sourced from the 4Ds).

BTW, Fancy Feast is not a holistic brand. It's tasty but check the ingredients and you'll be quite surprised.

Feline nutrition keeps changing and a lot of vets do not keep abreast of the latest developments. There is a new book out by Elizabeth M. Hodgkins titled, Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life. Dr. Hodgkins says that dry cat food is too high in carbohydrates and this leads to a lot of diseases such as irritable bowel, diabetes, and kidney disease. She recommends putting your cats on a an all-canned food diet or a raw food diet.

I tried keeping my cats on an all-canned food diet but they just got way to hungry for me to handle. I came home one day to find half a loaf of bread eaten and garbage everywhere. So I started to give them a little dry food each day along with the canned. I picked EVO by Innova because it is the only diet low in carbs on the market. My cats are doing great and hopefully I will have less vet bills in the future.

ABSOLUTELY!! Because of soil degredation, & the over use of pesticides, herbacides, & various chemicals, almost everthing produced has a build up of chemicals. The best you can do is give your cat a higher end food. Simply check the label. The first 4-5 ingredients is primarily the bulk of what it's made of. Corn, wheat & animal by products are not what any animal should be eating. Wellness, Ca. Natural, etc... are a couple of good foods. There are many others. Don't go by the jargon that says healthy or balanced diet. There are no laws governing what they can put on pet food in that respect. You have to read the label. Best of Luck.

I give my cats a mix of wet and dry food. I do know that any vet I have gone to has recommended at least once a day wet food because it helps with kidney function and what not. I don't know if quality of food effects life span, but my kitties like the Whiskas pouches too (for wet food)

Interesting. It is likely a combination of factors, not just the food we eat, but who knows? My cats love the Whiskas pouches of food, and they eat Purina One dry foods. So far so good, but they are young.

I hear you. But our parents/grandparents also lived long and prospered on what we now call "unhealthy" food- fatty beef, lots of buttered potatoes and gravy, followed by apple pie. Could this be about all the other chemicals in our environments? Cleaning products, household textiles, air pollution? I wonder about all this, too.

And I haven't found a "health food" canned food that my cats would eat regularly. So I'm feeding Fancy Feast- no joke. At least it hasn't been listed on the recalls!

Seems like it's the same with humans, my parents ate some things on the farm that people today would consider extremely unhealthy and yet they lived very long lives. I think there are so many additives in foods now days that you just cant get around it.

Seems like the food is not the problem you have had....maybe just the unlucky part is passed on in the genetics of the cats you ended up with!