Automatic Litterbox Central

Hi there,

I'm a long time reader but this is my first post!

My British Shorthair, Frank, has some mild Gingivitis. Our vet has told me to take him off the wet food we were feeding him (wet and dry mix) and put him on a specialised dental feed (Hills Science Plan). However, everything I have ever read suggests to me that this could do more damage than good as cats need a balanced diet that includes meat. Also, Shorthairs can have kidney problems down the line. Frank drinks a lot from his fountain but I'm worried this might cause problems.

Does anyone have any advice/experience?!

Many thanks!

Oli

Look at the package. The dry food surely has some meat products in it.

Cats can live long lives eating nothing but dry food. The balanced diet that we humans eat has little to do with what a carnivorous animal needs in their diet.

Check out http://www.pets.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=75

A lot of people there have strong opinions on cat food.

In my opinion, no, it is not wise.

Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums, largely caused by bacteria. Bacteria feed on sugars. Now, yes, they can break down proteins into sugars, but it is MUCH EASIER for them to assimilate the sugars found in the starches in dry food.

Also, cats' digestive systems, including their salivary glands and teeth construction, are made to deal with meaty foods, not starches. Dry food makes crumbs that stick to their teeth to further decay. Wet foods can be scraped from the teeth with the tongue.

Vets have only one class on nutrition in school, and it is taught by a rep from a pet food company. They do not receive good nutrition info unless they seek it out on their own.

For best results, feed your cat a meat-based wet food with NO GRAINS. A good raw diet is even better.

Scott Larson wrote:Look at the package. The dry food surely has some meat products in it.

Cats can live long lives eating nothing but dry food. The balanced diet that we humans eat has little to do with what a carnivorous animal needs in their diet.

You said it, Scott: cats are carnivores. They need MEAT. In fact, their bodies are designed to eat meat, not grains.

I have a somewhat young cat who is starting to show red gum lines (IE gingivitis) and I have started attempting to brush his teeth to help reduce this. Attempt being the key word here. The point I was going to make is that all of my cats are on a very low carb high quality dry food with some wet thrown in very, very occasionally and he is still having problems. I think it is just like everything else in life... some cats are more prone to have tooth problems then others no matter what you feed them. My 13 year and 11 year old cats have no problems and he is only 3 and is starting to have problems, go figure.

Dawn

Mad, Ol' Cat Lady wrote:all of my cats are on a very low carb high quality dry food

What dry food are you feeding them? I just got a bag of Wellness Core that they seem to like pretty well. It's really hard to find low carb/no grain in a dry food (they eat EVO wet).

Thanks!

Yea I had them on the Wellness Core for a while then realized when they all started getting hugely fat that the carbs were way to high. I put them on Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken. It has grain, but none of them get runny stool even though it does like they did on all the other grain including foods I tried. The reason I didn't do the no grain food by them is it has really high carbs just like the Core does. I can't seem to find a no grain with low carbs like you said, but I have tried: Eukanuba, Solid Gold, Wellness, Blue Spa, Iams, Science Diet and Natural Balance and so far they seem to do the best on the Solid Gold. The Science Diet, Eukanuba, and Iams were before I read about how if it isn't human grade ingredients, they can use a certain amount euthanized animals in their food. There is a new Wild formula from Blue Spa that I might check out and give a try after I call them to find out the carb content since it isn't listed on their site anywhere I can find. Good luck and I'll holler if I find a good one, please do the same

Dawn

Thanks for the info. I'll check out the Solid Gold. What a drag that it contains grains, though. I feed them the wet EVO and Wellness No Grain, but at least one of my cats gets very upset if he doesn't get dry food too. So I'm trying to find the healthiest one that's low carb and won't make them tubby tabbies.

reptile93 wrote:In my opinion, no, it is not wise.

Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums, largely caused by bacteria. Bacteria feed on sugars. Now, yes, they can break down proteins into sugars, but it is MUCH EASIER for them to assimilate the sugars found in the starches in dry food.

Also, cats' digestive systems, including their salivary glands and teeth construction, are made to deal with meaty foods, not starches. Dry food makes crumbs that stick to their teeth to further decay. Wet foods can be scraped from the teeth with the tongue.

Vets have only one class on nutrition in school, and it is taught by a rep from a pet food company. They do not receive good nutrition info unless they seek it out on their own.

For best results, feed your cat a meat-based wet food with NO GRAINS. A good raw diet is even better.

this is absolutely not true. i am not a vet, did not attend vet school, but graduated with degrees in animal science and nutrition. none of my human or animal nutrition classes were ever taught by food company rep. i don't work in the pet industry though, i work at an architectural firm. lol

you have it all backwards. dry food helps to scrape tarter from the teeth, thus cleaning them. it is abrasive, thus why chewies for dogs, dental cat treats, etc are hard. toothpaste is also abrasive. wet food clings to teeth and is difficult to remove. cats can't swish. plain dry food is always a better option unless:
1. you have a senior cat who is unable to crunch the food, and/or
2. you have a cat with kidney issues or who does not like to drink water and needs the extra fluid.
if you have these problems, add a bit of water to the food. you can also heat it up slightly to soften it. if you're doing this for a cat w/ kidney/water drinking issues, leave some completely dry pieces mixed in to clean the teeth.

in all my discussions with people about pet food irl and online, i've never come across anyone before who believes that dry food sticks to teeth and wet food doesn't. that's just odd...

the ingredients in wet food are generally NO DIFFERENT than those in dry food, it's just that wet food has water added. it's not additional nutritious gravy or anything, it's just water (and a little starch to thicken it). because of this, you are paying more per unit of weight for wet food than you are for dry b/c you're paying the same amount for water, which is much cheaper from your own faucet. most wet foods are hardly "meaty". they're just the same stuff in dry food crushed all up and formed into some shape that resembles a chunk of meat.

always read the package. real meat should be the first 2-3 ingredients. avoid corn. avoid foods with a long list of grains (these actually contain more grain than protein). avoid foods that use soy as a source of protein. follow the feeding guidelines.

if you have tarter problems, brush your cat's teeth. buy them some teeth cleaning treats. take them to the vet to have their teeth cleaned.

More and more cats are have serious, severe kidney issues due to the fact that most of the dry food found in grocery stores is NOT a well balanced, lifelong diet for a cat. This isn't my opinion, this is fact. Dry cat food is excellent for cleaning teeth - the crunch breaks up tartar. Wet cat food typically has more starch and *SURPRISE!* sugar (something a cat has no need for!) and is not good for teeth. However, dry cat food produces ash - ash builds up in a cats kidneys and can either produce crystals (leading to urinary blockages - something I'm all too familiar with) either struvite or ocilate, or lead to renal failure. Keep in mind fish based foods (tuna, mackrel, salmon, cod) also have a higher magnesium and manganese levels - so give in moderation to cats with kidney issues.

Neither food is altogether better or worse - it depends on your cat and your cats needs.
I'm a cat food snob. What one food company considers nutrition over another is hugely important to me. Did you know that most pet food companies use "By-Product"? By-product is a fancy term for "everything on a chicken that is not suitable for human consumption" ie: beaks, claws, feathers - YES! FEATHERS. Mmmmm Yummy!....Pet food manufactures are not required to have any actual "meat" in their food. As long as they meet the required protein standard they can derive that protein from any source they see fit.

That doesn't mean all dry foods are bad - my cats get a mix of dry foods and the occasional can of wet for variety. Brands like: Solid Gold, Royal Canin, Wellness, Innova etc. - these foods cost more because there is more actual "food" in them. More actual meat (wild cats don't eat pasta or bread or grain) and less filler.
And wet foods, although more likely to promote tooth decay do add essential hydration and are great for older cats or sick cats (cats won't eat what they can't smell).

There isn't an overall right or wrong. My suggestion would be to address the quality of the food your feeding and have regular dental cleanings. If hydration is your only concern, I would cut the wet food down to once a week and monitor his water consumption. You can always get extra water in him by filling a bowl full of water and draining a can of tuna or chicken stock and mixing it in.

I feed by two adult cats (one is 11; the other is 4) Rocky Mountain Taste of the Wild. Both cats eat the same food . . . although I will admit the senior cat occassionally gets a "little" wet food -- maybe one 5 oz. can of wet catfood over the course of a week. The 4 yr. old cat walks right past the wet food and eagerly eats the dry food.

Since their diet is mainly dry food, I have a huge bubbling water fountain (it is actually a domed water fountain for dogs) and both cats take advantage of the fresh, flowing water.

I found this link to a "review" of the no grain, dry cat food.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Taste-of-the-Wi ... ood-Review.

I have NOT tried to brush teeth so far. Both were rescue cats. My vet tol me the older cat ate wet food (by the look at her teeth) and that we will keep an eye on it. The younger cat has pearly whites. Guess I should look into brushing their teeth -- just not sure who will tolerate it better.

WickedKitten wrote:This isn't my opinion, this is fact.

What's the difference?

What's the difference?

Between a fact and an opinion?

The fact in question is based upon medical research by independent labs and research groups studying the severe increase in the number of feline renal failure cases reported by Veterinarians every year and the content of dry cat food - as dry cat food is the primary food of 98% of all household cats in America.

I didn't state my opinion on the specific foods that caused the incline - only the fact that there is one. The theory right now based upon research being done (and has been done over the past 60 years - ever since Purina started producing and marketing nation wide "chow" specifically designed for domesticated, indoor cats) - is the manufactured dry food's ash, maganese and magnesium levels are not "flushed" out of a cats system properly and can lead to crystals, stones, blockages and/or finally, renal failure. Does it happen to every cat? Nope. I didn't say it did. I said the number of cats effected is on the rise. Fact. Not my opinion. This is why a dry foods ash content is listed on the outside of every bag for cat food - check your cats food - you'll see it.

Purina started the marketing and other companies followed once a market was established. Before dry cat chow, cats were fed scraps. Purina isn't in any way to blame - any more than every dry cat food manufacturer out there. But they lead the way to becoming a household name and marketing a dry formula to a client that previously didn't feed (cats hunted) their cats, keep their cats indoors and didn't have a food specifically designed for only a cat.

My personal opinion: You get what you pay for. If you are feeding your cat any food where meat is not the primary ingredient (the first ingredient listed - NOT BY-PRODUCT) you are not feeding your cat the best food on the market. Generic foods are the worse. I wouldn't feed my cat
[*]Special Kitty
* Alley Cat
* Any brand with the word "Chow" in the title
* Any brand that adds dye to the food pieces (if it ain't made of a veggie it shouldn't be green)
* Any food that smells like crackers or cereal or grain - it should smell like the flavor of the food meat or fish
I personally like foods that are packaged in stay fresh containers either in sealed plastic or aluminum or with "zip-locks". In my opinion those are better foods than most grocery store brands.