Kitten food

[Sammy&Adam]

At the moment my 4 month and 9 week kittens eat a mixture of whiskas dry food and whiskas wet food.  I'm considering switching to the Hills Science Plan dry food they sell at the vets (but would still give them some wet food as well) Has anyone noticed their pets are healthier on the Hills diet or is it all a big con to make the vets money?

[GracieC]

Hi Sammy... we've fed our cat the Hills food from the day we got her. When she was a kitten we also gave her Felix kitten food but now she's a year old, we just give her the dry food. We've had quite a few comments on how soft/shiny her fur is and how healthy she is generally so no i don't really think it's just a gimmick - i think it is really good for them. Hope that helps.

ps. BTW - i'm not a vet in case you're wondering! :) xx

[mystress]

I am sorry to be a wet blanket,but most authorities(Vet Colleges etc) state that feeding Cats only on dried food is not advisable,no matter how scientific!

This is because no matter how much water you put down for the cats,to drink with the dried food,they just will not drink as much as they get in wet food.This can result in serious kidney damge,which by the time it is obvious, it is irreversible.

I have several cats,and had more who have all lived to good ages without all these (incredibly expensive) faddy science diets!

PS. I have a friend who works at a Vets, and they get approx 33% commission on Hills Diets!

[GracieC]

Crikey! thanks for that. i never knew that. Problem is my cat now won't eat wet food. We gave her some the other month and she turned her nose up. In fact all she will eat is dry food. Is it not somehow negligent for vets to plug such a diet regardless of how much they get in commission?

[Litchick]

I give my 13 week old kitten 3 oz of wet food daily plus the dry food is always out and available to her.  Her coat is also very shiny and luxurious so I wonder if that is just the sign of a healthy cat, no matter what the ratio of wet/dry food is.

[mystress]

Gracie C,

Much like you would with a child(and we all know just how Cats ARE like children!LOL) if you want to come off giving only dry food,then try giving a little wet food with the dry,and gradually increasing until you have say 50%/50%dry and wet?Don't forget a Cat will eat anything if it really hungry.

As Litchick comments,you cannot tell if your cats coat would not have been the same, on a diet of all Wet Food. The only way you could judge that would have been to have had two cats,one on dry and one on wet!

I suppose you could call it negligent on the part of Vets,to plug these diets.If the comission they get keeps the fees down(some hope!) all well and good;and the Vets are not exactly plugging something really harmful.Think of your own GP,don't you imagine they get some "sweeteners" for prescribing particular drugs?

We just have to be wary,and if in doubt ask "The Mad Cat Persons" (there are many!) on AB.LOL

[cherrybomb]

Autarky is a very good dry food. I have mentioned it before as one of my cats would only eat dry and he has problems with his urinary tract. Autarky has got cranberry extract and aloe vera all natural ingredients and my cat didn't have any problems while he was eating it. It was originally developed for working dogs but proved so popular the Working Dog Food co. have introduced a cat food as well, but when my local supermarket run out I have trouble finding it elsewhere. At the moment though since I started giving my other cats Felix as good as it looks, he wont eat anything else and for the first time in his life is eating wet food.

It's costing me a fortune though as I have four cats!

  

[rinkytink]

 

I think we are selling vets a bit short here. I doubt if any vet would recommened a diet that is actually bad for your cat. Even if they do plug Hills dry food they would probably say that you should mix it with wet food so that your cat get enough liquid - as per mystresses comments. After all the majority of tinned cat and dog food is mostly water anyway.

[Jeanie]

I've had cats for years and always fed them a mixture of wet and dry food - and they've all been incredibly healthy and lived to ripe old ages (apart from one that got run over by a car - ) The oldest made it to 22 years - bless him. 

Have asked my vet about the Hills diet, and he advised me that as long as the cats had a mixed diet of wet and dry food, always have access to fresh water that they should be healthy. He said he usually only recommends the Hills diet when a cat has specific dietary problems, or needs a bit of extra vigilance in the food department.  Said that obviously some brands of food are better than others, and it's just important to check the ingredients and not go for the cheapest - but also said the most expensive isn't necessarily the best either. 

On another note, a holistic vet that I took my dog to said that he's not keen on dried food diets for dogs and cats, basically because of the process the food has to go through to become dried, so he would always recommend a fresh/wet food diet with maybe a small amount of dried food for the health of the teeth.

[Kimmiebear]

The difference between a veterinary quality diet, and a commercial pet food is that there really are no regulations on commercial food. The veterinary diets are more costly because of the research and the quality of the ingredient that go into the food.
As for cats needing water: cats naturally are desert creatures so they have low water needs. My cat has been on just dry food for 9 years now (Medi-cal which is a vet diet) and he is 19 this year. If you are worried about water consumption they try adding a couple drops of tuna water into his water bowl or use a wide dish as some cats don't like having there whiskers touch the side.
The veterinary diets are not a big con. With healthy pets it is okay to feed commercial food, but if you want the best for your cat, buy the best food.
As for mark-ups: you're kidding yourself if you think that the grocery and pet stores aren't marking up there food as well. Sure your vet would love you to buy there food because then they get your money, but that is buisness. It is the same for the pet store.
BTW: I do work for a vet, but that just means that I know my diets well. Odds are low that you are one of our clients (we don't sell Hills often, we prefer Medi-cal) and I am not trying to bamboozal you into funding your vet. Try the vet foods for 4 weeks and if you don't notice improvement, switch back. It isn't an all-in bet.

[lilpixie]

Thanx 4 dat mystress, neva new dat b4, even my vet neva told me, although i can see now that he woz makin lots of money out of it! I feed my cat on dried food every day, part from 1 day a week when i give her wet food. This is because of a build up of plaque on her teeth. The Hills we give her is specially for teeth and has stopped the plaque build up.