Food Consistency?

[Amy & Revson]

I've been reading old(er) posts tonight and now I have a question.

Revson hasn't been eating well so I've been trying low carb choices from Binky's list (8 and under).
I'm all over the place for brands & types.

Someone said stick to the same thing(s) and someone else said variety was good in case of bad food issues.

What's your opinion?
Amy

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

I don't know if there's a "right" way, but I can tell you what I've done.

As soon as I found out that the Hill's I got from the vet was bad and found Binky's list and got my refund from the vet I went to the store with list in hand.

Prior to diabetes, I bought mostly 9-lives canned, and store brand dry. I was hoping to stick with 9-lives because I knew my cats loved them. But I had a hard time finding low carb varieties that weren't tuna or another type of seafood and I knew those weren't good to feed every day.

I ended up going to Petsmart (again with list in hand).
I decided to give Bob (sugarcat) nothing but Fancy Feast Classics, and I bought two of every flavor of the classics.
I decided that at that price, I could give my civvie, Mullet, Friskees Pates instead since it would be a little cheaper and the cans were bigger. My other thought was that if I determined that Bob needed more than 2 cans of FF a day, I could feed him a little of the pates out of Mullet's stash to tide him over without causing any big "carb" problems for Bob. I also bought two cans of Friskees pates of every flavor they had.
So that pretty much shot my grocery budget that payday! :lol:

Oh, one week I tried a couple cans of Blue Wilderness? when they came out with new "venison" and "duck" flavors. Neither cat would eat them. Good, because they were pretty pricey.

My goal was to try every flavor and see what each kitty liked the best or wouldn't eat at all.
I got extremely lucky with that. It turned out that both cats ate every flavor. I haven't had one "failure" as far as that goes.
So now it's easy. I go to the store that has either brand on sale that week, stock up on whatever flavors they have, buy enough to get them both through 2-3 weeks, and just give them a different flavor every meal.

So far, no problems with appetite with either cat. And none of the food of either brand has caused Bob to come out of remission. I also try to limit each kitty to no more than 4 meals a week of seafood.

I really hope it's that easy for you too, Amy. I have seen lots of people say that when they switched to a specific brand or flavor, the kitty got either diarrhea or constipated. I haven't had either cat suffer from either condition. Very lucky there too it seems.

Carl

 

[squeem3]

Some cats like to have variety in their diet. Others are happy with the same one or two flavors. You can mix up the diet a bit by adding a few low carb treats on top every once in awhile.

Have you seen the newer food list? It has some of the higher end foods that aren't on Binky's lists.

 

[KarenRamboConan]

That's an "ECID" question! ("Every Cat Is Different") Some cats need the same food all the time or their tummies will be upset. Others get bored with the same food. So, basically, ask your cat. :lol:

 

[Karen & Angus(GA)]

I vote for variety. My reasoning is:

1) Feral cats eat a variety of food. They may have preferences, but if they are hungry they will eat whatever they can catch.

2) Virtually every manufacturer has at some point changed their formula, had production or distribution problems, or have had recalls. If your cat eats only one food and that food becomes unavailable for some reason, you may have to change food abruptly. That can lead to a cat that is sick or refuses to eat.

3) There is no perfect food. I hope by feeding a variety that I am compensating for whatever excess or deficiency exists in any food. I have no proof this works.

On the other hand, if your cat has food allergies or sensitivities, you should stick with whatever works. Also, using the same food at the same time every day MAY help you achieve regulation faster.