Best wet foods - All opinions valued!

So...what I have been feeding so far is either the EVO 95% or Friskies canned. Oddly enough as others have suggested it seems that the cats prefer the Friskies. Even though I know it isn't as good.
Another thing I have noticed is that none of my cats prefer the EVO and I really think it is the texture. They tend to like the flaked foods or the little bits of chicken/beef etc as opposed to the pate' texture.

What are the best wet foods that aren't blended pate' style. I do have access to a store with many of the best brands but hate to buy one of every can just to try. That gets pricey if the cats won't eat it.

Someone on here said that the worst wet food is better for the cat than the best dry food. Is that correct?

One other question. There are times that we have left the cats over a 3 day weekend with food and litter boxes and been able to not worry. Down the road if wet food does the trick and no one takes insulin, would it be ok to leave dry food for a few days and then resume wet when I get home without causing chaos?

 

I feed Fancy Feast. l know the ingredients aren't quite as select as Wellness, but I did read somewhere lately that byproducts as an ingredient (not the main ingredient) isn't bad for cats. Mice certainly contain byproducts... The standard answer is the best food is what your cats will eat and what you can afford.

Sorry, you can't switch back from wet to dry without risking diabetes again. Once a food controlled diabetic, always a food controlled diabetic. We use a timed feeder (We love our PetSafe 5) when we are going to gone overnight or longer. We freeze the food, put it in the feeder and it feeds twice a day for a day or two. The other way we like to use it is to put frozen food in it at night and it feeds Niko at 6am. We just roll over and get to sleep another hour.

 

The best food is the one your cat will eat! And it's true that the worst wet food is better than any dry food made.

The texture you're describing fits Merrick. Try Cowboy Cookout, Thanksgiving Day Dinner, Turducken and Grammy's Pot Pie. It comes in both small and large cans so you can test a few flavors to see what sells.

 

We didn't find this to be the case, Sue. When Quirk had been diet controlled for about six months we started reintroducing dry food in small amounts. His remission lasted nearly four years.

 

I was a confessed cat food snob. I thought that the more expesive food was always the better food. Well that was until I switched to wet because of Weber's diabetes.

Now I feed them Fancy Feast and Sophisticat. Never thought I would but it claims to have all the nutrition they all need. They love both.

 

I think that a timed feeder is a good idea for overnight trips but maybe consider a pet sitter, friend, or neighborhood kid for longer times? A kid (whose parents you could talk to) would be fine if you aren't giving insulin. I've never been a big fan of leaving cats unattended for more than 48 hrs. And, 48 hrs would be my MAX for a cat on dry food (history of free-feeding) AND with no under-lying health issues. Once you have a health issue (no matter how well managed), I think that it would be best to have a daily spot-check. But that's JMHO.

FWIW~ We just got back from a big trip. I had a friend feeding my cats (and the gerbil!) everyday. It was duriing that trip that Soccer became overtly, clinically diabetic. Had she not been coming in everyday and filling food and water (especially water!), things could have been much, much worse...

 

You are going to get a lot of opinions here. Janet & Binky's food chart is helpful for choosing a cat food low in carbohydrates. The link is here: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html. Some people like to keep the percentage of calories from carbs under 10%, some go a little higher. If you want to try a food not on the list, look at the ingredients. I think there is almost universal agreement to avoid grains and starches (corn, wheat, oats, barley, food starch, cornstarch, potatoes, peas, butternut squash, etc.). Some also avoid soy & gluten (potential allergens) and fruits & vegetables (not necessary and can drive up the carb %). There is a link to a cat food ingredient table in my signature.

As Gia suggested, Merrick is looser. My cats like the Wellness pouches for treat.

 

where can you buy Merrick?

 

Here is a link to their store locator: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/locator/

You can also order it online from petfooddirect, onlynaturalpet, amazon, and I am sure there are many others.

 

Thanks Karen I actually already feed my dogs Merricks dry dog food. So I know it is available at the pet store here. With all this coming up with my cats and dry food I am now wondering if I should be feeding the dogs dry food?????

 

[quote="Harley's Mom. With all this coming up with my cats and dry food I am now wondering if I should be feeding the dogs dry food?????[/quote]

Dogs are omnivores and they do manufacture the enzymes to break down the plant protein in dry food, cats don't have those enzymes available. So yes, Merrick dry for dogs is just fine but I spoil my animals so I hope they're getting some real meat too!

 

Before feeding my cats strictly canned food, I fed them kibble all day and canned at night. They always got Fancy Feast and liked the minced varieties. I get the gluten free varieties of Fancy Feast now and I add water to it. I find that by doing that, you can actually make the pate more like the minced. Adding water to the canned food is good for the cats so it's a win-win situation for me.

As for your dogs, like you, once I started to learn more about the proper nutrition for the cats, I wondered about good nutrition for the dogs. I discovered that the Science Diet kibble I had been feeding them all these years is nothing but junk. I transitioned them over to Blue Buffalo dry with some wet food added. I also feed them raw chicken quarters a couple of times a week. Ideally I'd like to get them switched over to completely raw food, but I need to do more research on it before I make the switch.

 

Forgot to mention that the Wellness pouches are listed under Healthy Indulgence on Janet & Binky's table.

A few other low carb "gravy" type foods are Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys shredded chicken or shredded turkey fare, Friskies pouches, and Avoderm Select Cuts. Mine won't eat the Merrick (Angus hates fruit and veg in his food), but love the others.

 

The key is to feed something the cats will eat. Most f mine will not eat the Merrik, Wellness and other "great" brands of canned. Mine now like Friskies with some 9Lives. Seldon have to feed the FF which is good since it is about twice the cost of Fristkies and 9Lives. I find it easier to control BGs if the carb level is consistant.

 

Hi Harley's Mom,

Have you tried mixing the two foods together? Gives the texture they like and a little bit of muscle meat which is a better quality protein source.

When one (or more) of my crew of 8 starts picking a particular food out of the dish, I mix it up for a while. I do a communal feed, and it seems to work. Even the newest one (not quite 2 weeks) has found a spot to eat. Amazing to watch them integrate a new cat!

Good luck,

Claudia

 

A new one that a lot of people don't seem to know about yet is Soulistic which is exclusive to PETCO.

Their literature claims:

* Soulistic features whole cuts of meat, free range white chicken breast or wild caught, dolphin & turtle safe fish
* Natural, grain free diets are made in a USDA approved human food facility
* Real food cuisine with limited, identifiable ingredients
* Contains no soy, glutens, fillers, added artificial flavors or preservatives

My Harlequin is not diabetic, but she does have serious grain sensitivity and she just loves these. They are a little heavy on the fish flavors, so i don't feed it exclusively. She also gets grain/gluten free Fancy Feast & Friskies. Both she and our dog also get some of whatever protein we are having.