Answer
Kendall:
Hey there! I am a veterinarian technician student. Just because meat is the first ingredient does not mean it is the best, the ingredients listed on pet food is listed by weight. Also, by-products/meals are not bad as well since it is actually just grinded up organs that are very nutrious for pets as it is the first thing wild animals usually eat.
In my experience I would recommend Royal Canin, which is what I feed my kitten and he loves it. It is a little more pricey since it is a veterinary brand but if you don't want that, any food can be good really, just make sure you feed your cat the right potions and make sure they get all their nutrients! :) If you do switch foods, make sure you do it slowly by adding little by little of the new food, which this may take a week to totally transition. It is good to do this because cats have very sensitive tummies and you don't want to upset it! :)
CImmay:
I used classic fancy feast for many years with my late cat, and her
teeth ended up a disaster. She also had a brain tumor that could have
been from Mercury in seafood. My second cat is on fancy feast too, but
the gravy lovers kind mostly, she's real picky, and it has to be fresh.
ProPlan is pretty good.
My experience with Royal Canin is the store,
petsmart, raise the price of dry by 40 cents every month! If your cat
barfs it's because of the food, some looks good, like Sheba, but nasty
results with your cat. p.s. don't try human food like canned tuna, or
salmon, way too much salt.
Charles:
Good brands have a real meat as the first ingredient, and no grains.
Good brands include Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, Merrick.We
know that, Dry pet food helps keep plaque from building up in your pet's
mouths and their teeth will stay healthier on a dry food diet.
Jack:
Good brands have a real meat as the first ingredient, and no (or
minimal) grains. No by-products, and no gluten. Good brands include
Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, Merrick, and Weruva. Others
are available of course - read the ingredients before purchase. Some
budget priced foods that are decent quality are Petsmart's Authority
brand, and Max Cat.
Lovelady:
If your cat does not have any current chewing/dental issues then you
are better off feeding it dry food. Wet food is typically very junky and
it gets stuck in their teeth. Dry pet food helps keep plaque from
building up in your pet's mouths and their teeth will last longer/stay
healthier on a dry food diet.
Over my lifetime I've had three cats and
five dogs (and my mother has worked in the veterinary field for 30 years
(a lot of it doing dentals on cats and dogs) and our pets were ALWAYS
fed dry food and their teeth were MUCH better off. If we ever gave them
wet food it was always mixed with dry and it was given as a treat (like
on a holiday), rather than as a daily meal option.
Caroline:
Friskies is what my maincoon cat eats - he gets sick by eating too much
dry food. It's called Friskies Savory Shreds - he hates the textures of
the other ones. Flavor really doesn't matter to him either - when he
was a kitten in the shelter, we were told to gently wean him off of
Friskies since it sort of made him chubbier, and we've been mixing a
small amount of the wet shreds with some dry food to give him a balanced
diet. He is doing fine now. :-) that's my recommendation.
Kathlena:
Rad cat has done my mom's cats very well. It's a raw wet food I believe
and supposed to be really good for them. For a while she was feeding
her cats Purina and they started getting sick and sing in some cases
from crystals in their urinary track.
The vet told her grocery brand
food were most likely the cause. She switched to radcat and even get cat
who has severe food allergies can eat it. I like royal canin for my
dog. I've tried others that were closer to a raw diet like orijin and it
made him really sick. Switched him back to royal and he's thriving
again.
Elaine:
Look at the labels. Anything with corn in it should be avoided, cats
can't digest corn and it's a useless filler. By-products are inferior
protein sources. If the first four ingredients don't include a meat
source, it's bad. It should be at least 10% protein level. If the
first ingredient is a grain, it's bad. If the first two ingredients are
water and a grain, it's bad.
