Best foods

[Daisy-Doo]

Originally Posted by dandysmom

Cats in the wild do get some grains/vegetable matter. partially digested, I assume. when they eat the intestines. Some cats pluck the bird before eating, but do get some feathers too.....just a passing thought after reading the above

True, but nowhere near the amounts that they're consuming on a daily basis in most dry foods.
From what I've heard the consumption of gut contents often depends on the size of the prey....As in, a mouse being a small prey meal, would likely be consumed 'whole'....Where as a rabbit would be a huge meal, and unless the cat was seriously hungry, the gut is often left behind....

Can't speak from personal experience, as my two cats' won't eat whole prey...However, the ferrets (another obligate carnivore) do eat 'whole' mice. I haven't tried them with anything larger yet, so don't know whether they'd discard the guts, but certainly this is what other raw/whole prey feeders have observed them doing.

[Tracyjane]

As a newcomer to the site, I have just read this thread and I think there are some interesting points of view. Looking after cats, dogs, in fact any animal is a bit like having kids - everyone has their own opinion about how to rear them and of course the so-called 'experts' have their own guidance, usually backed up by research. Years ago, people fed their pets on scraps, and that was OK then, in the same way that people brought up in the war years had a high fat diet which was considered healthy then (not to mention the 'benefits' of smoking!). Times change, and with that comes research and new products. Thirty years ago, dry foods like Go-Cat were considered innovative, although we now know that many cats fed solely on such products were prone to kidney problems. So the pet food manufacturers learn from this and develop better foods, after all it's in their interests for us to keep our pets healthy so that we buy more of their products!!! When I was a child, cats were fed mainly on tinned cat food (I can still remember the awful smell), but all the cats we have had in our family have lived long lives (apart from those who were run over). My cats have always been fed on Hill's Science Diet, with occasional soft food pouches (Whiskas, Tesco, or Gourmet if I'm feeling generous!) or even cooked chicken or fish for a treat. They have still eaten mice, voles, birds etc. (apart from the pancreas/gall bladder which is always left very neatly behind). Similarly, our dog was fed on Science Diet from a puppy, with leftovers and gravy to add a bit of flavour, but he was also rather partial to the remains of dead mice, as well as cat poo and horse muck etc etc.! The reasons I chose Hill's, were because of ease of feeding by my children, less mess to clear up (after the dog), and because I felt it was a good quality nutritional product for my pets. We only have one cat now, he is 12 years old and in excellent health. Our new labrador puppy is having Hill's Science Plan for large breed puppies (they should have lower calcium to prevent too rapid bone growth), and he is thriving on it. I don't intend to slave over a hot stove preparing home cooked dinners for the dog when I could be out walking him!

[nursecroft]

Originally Posted by Tracyjane

As a newcomer to the site, I have just read this thread and I think there are some interesting points of view. Looking after cats, dogs, in fact any animal is a bit like having kids - everyone has their own opinion about how to rear them and of course the so-called 'experts' have their own guidance, usually backed up by research. Years ago, people fed their pets on scraps, and that was OK then, in the same way that people brought up in the war years had a high fat diet which was considered healthy then (not to mention the 'benefits' of smoking!). Times change, and with that comes research and new products. Thirty years ago, dry foods like Go-Cat were considered innovative, although we now know that many cats fed solely on such products were prone to kidney problems. So the pet food manufacturers learn from this and develop better foods, after all it's in their interests for us to keep our pets healthy so that we buy more of their products!!! When I was a child, cats were fed mainly on tinned cat food (I can still remember the awful smell), but all the cats we have had in our family have lived long lives (apart from those who were run over). My cats have always been fed on Hill's Science Diet, with occasional soft food pouches (Whiskas, Tesco, or Gourmet if I'm feeling generous!) or even cooked chicken or fish for a treat. They have still eaten mice, voles, birds etc. (apart from the pancreas/gall bladder which is always left very neatly behind). Similarly, our dog was fed on Science Diet from a puppy, with leftovers and gravy to add a bit of flavour, but he was also rather partial to the remains of dead mice, as well as cat poo and horse muck etc etc.! The reasons I chose Hill's, were because of ease of feeding by my children, less mess to clear up (after the dog), and because I felt it was a good quality nutritional product for my pets. We only have one cat now, he is 12 years old and in excellent health. Our new labrador puppy is having Hill's Science Plan for large breed puppies (they should have lower calcium to prevent too rapid bone growth), and he is thriving on it. I don't intend to slave over a hot stove preparing home cooked dinners for the dog when I could be out walking him!

Good post alot of valid points. However I personally consider feeding poor quality foods such as whiskas as bad as feeding your children Mac Donalds the whole time. Thats just my opinion based on what i have learnt. Most dry cat foods contain a huge amount of grain/cereal/maize/corn thats not good for your cat. Yes they may live til their 20 odd but they also may end up with a diet related disease. I wouldnt risk my childrens health with feeding bad diet and so i choose to feed my cats the best diet according to my knowledge that i can.... i to dont have time to slave over a hot stove for my animals so i do the best i can with the commericial food that i know has good ingredients. Its abit of a mine field cat food and alot of people have very different opinions, i think its all about reading info and then making your own mind up

[dandysmom]

Both excellent posts! Valid points indeed.

[northern lass]

Oh mine goodness, feeding cats is certainly a confusing topic.

As a novice cat owner (nearly a year !!) you can get very confused with all the claims and counter claims being bandied about. Surely there are some standards for Pet Food production ! - but then the companies are only there to maximise profits (but that's another debate for another day )

I just look at what my two moggie like to eat and give them variety, often the tinned wet food (Felix, Whiskers et al) get bearly touched, where as the scraps from the Sunday dinner a woofed down - they love some of the dried food which is always available and every now any then have tinned tuna (in water only) and the odd cat treat.

Both are fit an well and I believe variety is the key and you are what you eat, so if the base is sound a few treats won't do any harm.

[Tracyjane]

I wholeheartedly agree that it's good to give a variety of foods, so long as the basic dietary needs are met, and as with humans and other pets, everything in moderation. I wouldn't give a cat exactly the same flavour/type of food all of the time, as I have mentioned before I use Hill's Science Diet as the main staple, with one soft food pouch a day, or some fish or chicken leftovers perhaps. I wouldn't dream of giving my cat the same Whiskas pouches every meal, no more than I would let my kids have chips every day (but once in a while won't harm them). However, I think it's important to remember that we are talking about animals here, and I'm not sure they are too worried about having the same food every day, so long as it tastes good! Our responsibility as owners is to make sure they are well looked after, in every sense. I know people who are really fussy about what their animals eat, but their living conditions are less than ideal...... say no more!

[Lorna]

Mine have come to me on whiskas, they are eating it, but I will probably change it when they have settled, gradually of course x