For Cat Owners: the best in food

I've been improving my own diet, but I've got to turn some attention to the kitty-tudes. I've finally found a good book, by a kitty vet and former cat food company pres, on how to feed them.

Hodgkins says: (1) cats should live to be 20 years old if they have the right food -- you should not consider a 10 year old cat *old* as most vets do; (2) cats eat the same diet from when they're weaned til they die, they just might eat a bit less--most of the *age appropriate* foods and *special diets* are based on poor science; (3) a raw food diet is best, but short of that only soft foods have high enough protein levels to match what cats eat in the wild.

To calculate the protein etc. in softy food you have to calculate it in "dry matter" terms. A small mammal such as cats eat in the wild is made of 55% protein (DM), 35% fat, and less than 2% carbs. She says, in buying soft food, to aim for 40% and up (DM) in protein, 25-35% (DM) in fat, and 10% or less (DM) in carbs.

To make the calculation yourself:
100 minus the protein % listed on the can, minus the fat, minus the water, minus the fibre, and minus the ash. What's left is, roughly, the carbohydrates. To understand the carbs more accurately, you then turn it into a % of the dry matter--she recommends dividing it by 25 (and then X 100).

The food I bought a the grocery store wasn't too bad, but I can't be sure of the quality of the ingredients since the industry is basically unregulated. My cats don't like the "mature formula" from the vet, which is too high in carbs. Today I went to Pitou Minou & Compagnons (Global Ryan's Pet Foods) and chose a few brands, to see what my kitties will like.

Here are the comparisons I made:

Medi-cal (Mature formula - from vet): as listed on can
protein 7
fat 7
fibre 1
moisture 78
ash 1.3
Bottom Line: 28% Protein, 22% Carb

President's Choice Finicky Cat
protein 10
fat 5
fibre 1.5
moisture 78
ash 2.7
Bottom Line: 40% Protein, 11% Carb

President's Choice Nutrition 1st
protein 10
fat 6.5
fibre .8
moisture 78
ash 1.9
Bottom Line: 40% Protein, 11% Carb

Wellness (no grain) : as listed on can
protein 10
fat 5
fibre 1
moisture 78
ash 1.95
Bottom Line: 40% Protein, 16% Carb

Go! (no grain): as listed
protein 12
fat 8
fibre .5
moisture 78
ash not listed
Bottom Line: 48% Protein, 6% Carb

Evo (high protein)
protein 12
fat 8
fibre .5
moisture 78
ash 3
Bottom Line: 48% Protein, Carb = doesn't register

So hopefully the kitties will like one of the last two. The gal at the store recommended Wellness because it has no grain, but I didn't have the heart to point out to her that carb-filler is still carb-filler, even if it's apples and cranberries rather than corn.

We'll see how the cats do. Sherry has colitis and anytime we've tried any food other than his lamb-and-rice based niblets he's gotten diarrhea, blood in his stool, and then goes off his food. But so far, with the increased softies, he's been fine. It's probably the carbs creating part of the problem anyway.

Nombly's belly and coat have already gotten better. (We was down to eating junk food treaties, having gone off crunchies.)






Haley... well she's still young, so there's no change. She runs around and beats everyone up and sings her own praises as usual.