Question:
Hello!
I am ashamed to say I did not know as much about cat nutrition as I thought.Watching martha actually brought to my intention the ingredients that are good for cats and ones that are not.My 4 year old cat who is healthy but was overweight at his vet visit last year.The doctor didnt perscribe any special food just told me to feed him 1/2 a cup a day instead of the whole cup we were feeding him and I think he has lost that weight (he has another appointment in a couple weeks)So anyway looking at his food bag today (purina indoor formula) their is almost nothing good for him in it!After reading alot of healthyer cat foods.I would really like to switch him to Innova EVO dry cat food and plan on asking the vet about it but for now I would love to hear any and all experiences with it.One person said their cat "dryed up" I'm not sure what that means but its the only bad thing I heard.
Answer:
You should switch your cat to Innova EVO wet food, if at all possible. Wet foods are generally much healthier for cats, who tend to get their moisture from their food and are somewhat reluctant to drink water. I love EVO wet because it's all meat, with no grain proteins or other substances not found in a cat's natural diet. So far it hasn't been impacted by any of these recalls.
Cats are carnivores. They nibble on greens occasionally, plus maybe the stomach contents of their prey, but for the most part they eat nothing but meat.
Answer:
EVO wet is a good food. I fed it to my cats in rotation with other wet foods for a while. At first they ate it but after a few weeks they decided that they didn't like it and only picked at it.
It is very rich because there are no grains. I've heard that some cats with sensitive stomachs have problems with it. I can't say that my cats did or didn't have stomach issues with it because they were eating other foods at the time.
Answer:
The vet has told me he has slight tarter build up and would rather see him on an all dry food diet.
Answer:
As far as wet v. dry on the tarter buildup.. I'm not entirely sure that it makes a difference.. I saw a comparison somewhere that said basically ... it's like humans getting tarter if they cereal instead of applesauce.. I haven't tested that theory, though.
Two of mine are on Innova Evo. One of my cats on it is very overweight. They eat less of it, thus far, and she's lost a bit of weight. I've heard the theory is that they crave protein and they eat until their protein needs are met. Therefore, if you have a higher protein content, they eat less, thereby eating less calories overall.
I've heard that a few of the other "raw diet" dry foods have less ash content. I haven't tried my crew on any of the others. They really like the Evo dry. They sort of stuck their noses up at the wet.
Answer:
thank you catsarebetter that was extremely helpful .Oh ya btw my vets reasoning was that hard food helps scrape off the tarter theirfore helping him keep his teeth longer.I dont know how true it is but what I can say gotta follow the vet
Answer:
Hehe, well, there's a whole other debate about that itself.. in whether vets really understand cat nutrition or not. Personally, my eldest domestic (eldest cat, only domestic)... gets her teeth cleaned about once every two years.
Answer:
My kitties ate EVO before, and one got really pudgy on it, even though I fed proper amounts.
EVO is also very high in ash and low in moisture, even compared to other dry foods.
There are several other grain-free foods available that might be a better choice.
Answer:
Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter
Hehe, well, there's a whole other debate about that itself.. in whether vets really understand cat nutrition or not. Personally, my eldest domestic (eldest cat, only domestic)... gets her teeth cleaned about once every two years.
Where can I get my cats teeth cleaned?Do vets do it or do you take them to groomer?
Answer:
Originally Posted by kittylover77
My kitties ate EVO before, and one got really pudgy on it, even though I fed proper amounts.
EVO is also very high in ash and low in moisture, even compared to other dry foods.
There are several other grain-free foods available that might be a better choice.
Do you happen to know the names of these brands that may be a better choice? ; )
Answer:
Yep, that's what I've heard about Evo too, but mine are doing pretty well so far on it.. we'll see ina few months, I guess. I'm considering trying another brand, but I have to find out what's nearby. Evo is also expensive. I don't know how it compares to the others in price.
I don't know how important the moisture level is, but that's partially because I don't think that affects my crew.. they have a kitty water fountain and they drink water like it's going out of style ever since it came to live in their kitchen. I definitely could see it being an issue before I bought the fountain.
There is another thread.. erm, started in the alst few days, I think.. that was about grain free drys.. with a listing of the four or five available.
Answer:
The vet does it, but they have to use anesthesia (sp?).. it's basically considered an operation because they have to put them under to clean the teeth. Banfield (the virtues of which are debated on this site), has a preventative care program that includes it. I think mine costs like $30 a month in the DC area (cheaper in some other areas), but it includes teeth cleaning, organ screening and a bunch of other stuff too.