PLEASE HELP: Food Problem

Morgaine will no longer eat the FF flavors she used to enjoy. I have several cases of various flavors but Tender Beef was the favorite. It has definitely changed. I can smell the difference and the texture has changed a bit too. I had a case that was older and she will eat cans from that one. I have taken a can from each case I have to test this and she walks away and won't go near it. The same is true for other flavors, especially chicken. I have read the concerns here on and off so I know others are dealing with this issue too.

Since she is diet controlled and doing so well, I am at my wits end. I am also disabled and do not drive and I live alone so shopping for cat food locally and running back and forth to stores is really impossible for me. I do have a friend who will pick up food at Petsmasrt or Petco but I need to get a good supply which is why I have cases here. I even tried a case of Cowboy Cookout, hoping she would like it. NO WAY! The stuff was like a soupy mixure and she walked away. I can not keep ordering food online unless she is going to eat it.

So, can anyone make any recommendations on foods that your cats have substituted for FF? Morgaine is not usually too picky but she can be. At this point I don't care about the cost as long as it is not extremely expensive. I just need suggestions so she will eat. I'm afraid she will just stop eating and there are cases of cat food here so it freaks me out that she won't eat any of it. What the heck did Purina do the classic foods and why? Morgaine is very stubborn and I tend to worry a lot about her.

Question: Is the Petsmart brand anything others have tried as a replacement for FF and if so, did the cat like it? Any and all advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

I would suggest that you ask your friend to pick up some individual cans instead of getting a case of something you have no idea your cat will eat!

When I first started on the low carb journey, I went to Petsmart and got 1 or 2 cans of almost every kind that they carried and that were on the under 10% list, then just tried which ones Shadoe would eat. She did NOT like most of them, and does seem to like Friskies alot.

Then, once you find a kind or two that are liked, you can ask your friend to get cases of the liked brands and flavors.

Several others have said their cats do |NOT like the ff in the new labels, and the company can say all they like about no changes, cats can't read and so if it is tastes and smells like crap, they won't eat it. I don't even bother buying ff anymore because both mine have walked away from ff.

 

I agree with Gayle, buy individual cans.


Check the food chart link for low carb options, usually anything under 10%
Janet & Binky's Food Charts

But yes, individual cans of almost everything, she should find one that she will like.
Sometimes it does take a bit of experimenting. Good luck!

 

BTW, you can send back any flavors your cats won't eat. PetSmart will exchange them if you just say your cat stopped eating that flavor. I would also suggest any Friskies 8-10%.

 

I do plan to buy individual cans of various foods on the low carb list. That is not my problem. The reason I have cases of FF is because I stocked up due to not being able to get out and do my own shopping. My friend will not be able to run to and from the store for me so I am hoping for some suggestions that I can try. Has anyone had success after stopping FF and what foods have been successful?

I know cats are all different but I am just wondering if anything is as appealing to kitties as FF. Morgaine has not eaten any other food but FF and the diet food that caused the diabetes with its high carb content. I have tried Friskies and she walked away from that just like she did with the Cowboy Cookout.

I have ordered a few cans of food online but the shipping is expensive so I am sending my friend to Petsmart on Saturday with a list. I really can't go myself and she really doesn't know what to look for. I have gone over the two lists, old and 2008 list of Binky's and have made lots of notes. I agree it is smarter to get individual cans of things. I am just asking for suggestions on what others have switched to.

FYI: I just spoke to Purina and told them what has been going on. I also referenced this board and all of the members who were having problems with FF. She admitted to the formula for Tender Beef changing but said they only removed the poultry by products. I told her something seemed to be causing higher blood sugars in diabetic cats and FF TB was the likely culprit. Since i have so many cases she is going to have a claims person contact me.

 

Good for you getting through to them!

I know it is tough if you have difficulties getting out and shopping...we buy cases of 12 or more of a time and sometimes our cats get tired of one flavour or another. We stopped buying FF awhile ago after prices went up, and instead we buy grocery store versions and they seem to be just fine, with almost identical labels.

If you can get some helping buying small numbers of a variety of flavours and brands, then you should be able to find a few foods that you can stock up on.

Good luck!

Jen

 

I switched from FF to Wellness(grain free flavours) and Evo (95%) and did well on those.
My cats are not fussy about food thou, every cat is different.

 

Thank you! This is really what I need, some brands that have worked for your cats after FF. My cat was not fussy and maybe she still isn't. I was attributing her refusal to eat FF to being finicky but now I'm thinking she is really truned off like so many others to the changes.

I have spent HOURS going over the two lists and would like to narrow it down some. Of all the Friskies flavors, I found 4 that would be appropriate for Morgaine. The rest are very high in fat or carbs. But I will try those for sure. Please keep giving me suggestions of specific brands. I also know there are foods not on the list as I have seen them mentioned. Any help in narrowing this down would be appreciated. Then I can give my friend a complete list and if the store is out of stock or doesn't carry it she will still have many to choose from.

Thanks in advance and as I said, I am most sppreciative.

 

Hi,

I just spent the last two weeks experimenting with food changes. I started out trying the lower carb content like 1 to 2 %.

I tried Friskies, FF, Sophisticat, Special Kitty, EVO & Wellness. I will say that they ate all of them, but I was throwing away half of the uneaten food every day.

Their favorites in order were:
Wellness Chicken or Turkey both 4%, they lick the bowls clean every day, I havn't thrown away one bite.
Friskies
FF
EVO
Sophisticat
Special Kitty

Every day I would try two different brands and make notes on how much I threw away every day to judge if they liked it or not. It took a couple of days before they made their choice and I started noticing that they were eating all of the Wellness.

Yesterday the Wellness was gone by lunchtime. I was a little put off by the cost but than realized the cheap stuff isn't so cheap if you are throwing it away. I hope this helps.

Good luck, I hope you find Morgaine's favorite food soon.

 

mocha used to eat FF, but was also one of the cats that walked away from it once their formulas changed. We were feeding her turkey and giblets, and then we switched over to Special Kitty (wal mart brand) turkey and giblets and she made the transition without a single glitch. Also, their cans are bigger (5.5oz) and cost much less, $1.34 for four. I can't say it is the best food out there on the market, but we tried the evo canned food and neither of our cats would eat it, neither chicken or turkey flavors.

 

We also went from FF to Wellness and EVO 95%. Mainly Wellness Chicken and Turkey flavors -- my cats don't care for the salmon or beef Wellness. And while the EVO was a hit at the start, they decided it was too healthy or something and don't eat much.

 

I have another question. For those who have tried several different foods, how do you go about test tasting them? With all the FF flavors I have, there was one day where I put 4 different flavors in front of her because she kept refusing everything. I need this girl to eat or I get stressed and she is a big girl with a slight weight problem so I don't want her to stop eating for too long.

 

My diabetic kitty eats Merrick, but also gets snacks from the civvie's Friskies so they're forced to dine on low carb, too.

Some of the Friskies in our cupboard include Special Diet Chicken and Beef, Special Diet Chicken and Liver (both 4 carbs, I think), Special Diet Turkey and Giblets (5, and has meat as primary ingredient), as well as some that are 7-8 carb (Poultry Platter (meat primary ing.), Mixed Grill, and one of the Liver Pate (don't recall which one, but it has a blue label)). Petsmart often has these on sale, and I've found that the local grocery stores sometimes run good specials on them, too.

Petsmart should also allow you to return any unused food.

 

What I did was buy the smallest individual can (3 oz or 5 oz) for each variety/flavor or a particular brand. Once a day, I would open a can and put a small spoonful into a bowl for my cat. He'd sniff the bowl and decide to sample the food or not. If he likes the first few licks , he'll end up eating the rest of the sample r ight away and beg for more. Otherwise, he'd walk away to think about it some more :lol: He'd probably come back to the bowl a few times and sniff the food and then give me his final decision on whether he liked the food or not. Once in awhile he'd sniff a new food and crinkle his face up in digust and walk away :lol: Whatever food my cat didn't like got crossed off the list of possible foods to feed.

The "yucky" food still in the opened and unopened cans were given to a friend whose less finicky cats gobbled it all up. Feeding ferals/strays would also be an alternative to throwing the cans away. A shelter or rescue may take unopened cans.

I think I started off with 10 different brands with several different varieties/flavors for each. Eventually I narrowed the list down to a few brands and varieties/flavors my cat would eat and that's what I ended up feeding: Nature's Variety Instinct (just the beef one), Innova EVO (all except for the 95% venision), Weruva Mack and Jack (seafood based so only fed once in awhile), ProPlan (two seafood ones fed once in awhile), GO! Natural, and SOrganic. I rotated the food daily so he wouldn't get bored.

 

Hi, I am new to the board so have less experience in this than the other posters. What I CAN tell you is that in the 3 weeks since Spacey was diagnosed, I have tried friskies special diet, purina dm and hills w/d, which is what the vet had put him on, but found out it was high in carbs by posters on this forum. So Spacey pretty much devours the friskies special diet. I use ocean whitefish, salmon, beef & liver & beef & chicken flavors. My other cats are now being fed that as well, as I have a few overweight. They all love it. Hope this helps.

 

This is all so helpful. Thank you all and anyone else who can offer suggestions. I am taking notes and making lists.

True confessions: I started on this last night at 9:30 pm and have not gone to sleep yet. I kind of got a little obssessed with finding the right foods and getting all the research done so my friend can go to the store and just pick it up.

 

As a momma to 10 civies (1 with severe food allergies) the only food they can all agree on is Friskies, now while none in the house are currently diabetics (got started on finding the perfect wet food with Muse), I'm not as careful as I was back then about carbs. But paws down friskies is the top choice here now we are limited to just poultry flavors as Onyx is allergic to fish & beef. We too started out with Fancy Feast when Muse was dxed with Diabetes but since the label change not a single one of mine will go anywhere near it anymore, and the last attempt I made with it, Amon Ra, actually flipped the plate over and tried to bury it. (This is Amon Ra's way of saying "YUCK"). I don't know what they changed but apparently even my garbage disposal (Amon Ra) has deemed it unfit for cat's consumption.

Hope you find something that works for you.

Mel & Muse (GA)

 

I used to go through with Tigger what you are going through now. I had so much food on hand that he wouldn't eat, always trying to find that 'perfect' food as well as trying to keep the carb level down and ensure it had decent ingredients. I ended up giving so much food away to a shelter in Chicago - stuff he wouldn't eat.

Then I tried raw food. It is shipped to your door frozen. It took a while of mixing it in with the canned until eventually he was eating all raw. He has been so much healthier because of it plus you know exactly what is in it.

They can send you a 2.5 pound sample to try. Yes, the shipping is expensive but in the end I save money from not having to throw so much food away.

The link for Feline's Pride is in my signature. Good luck!

P.S. Some here make their own raw using various methods. I can give you some links if you are interested.

 

I vote for friskies special diet too...

Spunky was a FF fiend..until he got renal failure too...then the special diet was one of the only things that fit the bill for low carb and low phosphorous. Stay away from the special diet sliced chicken in gravy it's 14 carb...other than that they are good! Now I've missed the whole FF debate off to research that...oh no!!!!
Jen

 

Pamela, I have looked at the raw food option but it is way too costly for me and I live on the hot, hot, hot desert. I also live in a small apartment and have barely enough room in my freezer for my own needs. In addition to that, I am just not a raw foods kind of person. I gag when I have to handle raw chicken. So, hopefully I can find Morgaine a combo of healthy, premium foods and some less expensive foods to supplement those. I appreciate the info.

PetsMart is willing to help me get this together and I am going to call them with my list of foods and they will do the legwork so all we have to do is pick up my order. Nice of them, really and they will take the FF back if I can get it to them. 10 cases is a lot to get back to them.

So, for the next day or so I am going to make a list, using all the suggestions on this thread and checking everything against Janet and Binky's chart. I will also add choices from the list that seem interesting.

Anyone here feed Avoderm select cuts or any of the Pro Plan flavors?

According to the manager I spoke to, PetsMart will begin to carry the full line of Wellness foods for cats and dogs at the end of this month.

 

There is also freeze-dried RAW food which may be an option. They're similar in texture to freeze-dried meat treats (Halo Liv-A-Littles, Real Food Toppers, etc). No refrigeration is needed. Some brands are grain-free.

I fed ProPlan Sardines and Tuna in aspic and Ocean Whitefish once in awhile. Seafood based foods should not bed fed every day because they are too high in phosphorus and some types of fish may contain mercury and some cats may get addicted to eating seafood.

A few people here feed the Avoderm Select Cuts. My cat wouldn't go near the food. I couldn't blame him. The sauce had a very strange strong odor and was gloppy pink colored.

 

I don't know if Morgaine will eat food that is not similar in texture to FF classics. Her Hill's weight loss food was a similar consistency as well. She has generally not been interested in any foods with gravy or sliced pieces. She does like avocados but I think I read somewhere, maybe here, that avocados are not good for cats so the Avoderm may be a bad choice.

What is the Friskies special diet like as far as texture?

 

Friskies special diet has a semi-soft to soft texture IMO. Its not crumbly, but moist. I agree with Jennifers post. I have a cat with FLUTD, one with CRF, and now a diabetic kitty. My older cats, ages 18 and 16, love the special diet. And I was glad my diabetic kitty took to it as well. It has low carbs and low phosphorous. All I can say is my cats love it.

 

Just wondering if you live in the phoenix area since you said you live in the desert. If you do there's a place that does mail order called gooberpetdirect.com. Since their warehouse is here they do free local delivery all over the valley. All you have to do is order over $20 of stuff and it's delivered to your door free of charge. They also have litter, toys, treats and all kinds of stuff. They carry wellness and some other premium brands as well as the normal brands like friskies. It's a pretty good deal for those of us who live in the area. I use it some in the summers, especially, when it's just too hot to go out unless you absolutely have to. If you were able to use them or if you could find something like it where you live you wouldn't have to stockpile as much stuff since you could have it delivered when you wanted.

Hope you find something she likes. I know how hard it is to have babies that won't eat and it's the most stressful thing ever.

 

That sounds like a great service but I live in Tucson. I will still check them out. Meanwhile, PetsMart is going to get my order ready for my friend to pick it up and they will take everything back that she won't eat, including the FF.

Fortunately, I had enough FF from the older label so she has not gone hungry. I am hopeful I will find some foods she will love.

Once again, THANKS TO ALL for your help and suggestions. I will update here after I try some of the suggestions.

 

My cats love Avoderm Chicken Chunks. They won't touch any of the other Avoderm flavors. If you can shop at PetCo instead of PetSmart, my cats also love Soulistic. It's PetCo's private label grain-free wet food, and it's made by Weruva. Other favorites here are Tiki Cat chicken and tuna, but you'd have to get those from an independent pet supply retailer or online.

 

We had the same problems towards the end of Yittle's life, I stockpiled the old label FF and had enough but whenever I'd try and sneak in a new label one, he knew. He did however like the 3.5oz tubs of Whiskas in just about every flavor.

 

Re:UPDATE! PLEASE HELP: Food Problem

Just wanted to give you all an update on what Morgaine has decided she will eat, for now. First let me just say how much I adore my cat. I know we all do or we wouldn't be here. People in my family think I have lost it at times but I am devoted to this feline and intend to do all that I can to keep her healthy and off insulin injections. This is not an easy process since many of the foods have changed and added carbs to their formulas. I have spent the last two days sorting through various brands and flavors of cat food which PetsMart graciously gathered together for me. The gals called me from the cat food aisles after closing Friday night and we went over ingredients together. WHEW!

Anyway. Here is what Morgaine will eat as of now:

She loves Pro Plan Chicken and Liver entree.

Ingredients:
Water sufficient for processing, chicken, liver, meat by-products, poultry giblets, artificial and natural flavors, tricalcium phosphate, guar gum, potassium chloride, taurine, salt, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, calcium phosphate, thiamine mononitrate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium pantothenate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid, potassium iodide, biotin.

Crude Protein (Min) 11.0 %
Crude Fat (Min) 5.5 %
Crude Fiber (Max) 1.5 %
Moisture (Max) 78.0 %
Ash (Max) 3.0 %
Taurine (Min) 0.05 %

CALORIE CONTENT (CALCULATED): As Fed Dry Matter
Metabolizable Energy/oz 34 kcal/oz 145 kcal/oz
Metabolizable Energy/kg 1202 kcal/kg 5115 kcal/kg
Metabolizable Energy/3 oz. can 102 kcal/can 436 kcal/can


She also loves Pro Plan kitten Chicken and Liver entree:


Ingredients:
Chicken, liver, fish, meat by-products, water sufficient for processing, artificial and natural flavors, tricalcium phosphate, brewers rice, guar gum, potassium chloride, added color, salt, taurine, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, calcium phosphate, thiamine mononitrate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium pantothenate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid, potassium iodide, biotin.

Crude Protein (Min) 13.0 %
Crude Fat (Min) 6.0 %
Crude Fiber (Max) 1.5 %
Moisture (Max) 76.5 %
Ash (Max) 3.5 %
Taurine (Min) 0.05 %
CALORIE CONTENT (CALCULATED): As Fed Dry Matter
Metabolizable Energy/oz 33 kcal/oz 131 kcal/oz
Metabolizable Energy/kg 1157 kcal/kg 4626 kcal/kg
Metabolizable Energy/can 99 kcal/can 394 kcal/can

I don't know about that brewers rice but the protein content is higher. If anyone can translate this for me into simple protein/fat/carb percentages I would appreciate it. I think the values may have changed since the old food chart was done and i am a tad bit obssessed at this point in the process.
She also liked the new Whiskas tubs, 3.5 oz Filet Mignon and the Chicken flavored one but these contain dried yams so I would love to know the actual breakdown of protein/fat/carbs. I am hesitant to feed this at this point.

She totally rejected the Friskies flavors suggested here as well as the Sophisticat, Evo and Wellness. I will hope for the best and get her a decent supply of Pro Plan for now. Most of their flavors have more carbs now as wheat gluten is a major ingredient.

If anyone gets the values of any other foods, please post them I am still interested in the Nature Organics Chicken and Chicken Liver too. We will try that next.

 

I checked Janet and Binky's charts: http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm She has the Chicken and Liver ProPlan on the old charts as 2% carbs.(Kitten and adult) So it looks like you are great with that one. She also as the ProPlan Beef and Liver at 5% and the Turkey and Giblets at 6%.

I don't find the Nature Organics on her lists. Maybe someone else will know about it.

 

I know I tried the ByNature, but Tess wasn't crazy about them. They were low but I don't remember exactly what, 4% maybe? Here is a link to an online calculator to use the info from the can for at least an approximate carb% http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

There is one on Janet and Binky's FAQ page too, but you download it and it runs on a SS program.

 

I had used the whiskas tubs you mentioned. I don't know what the % carbs was, but it never made my diabetic go higher when I fed that to her. Usually if the first few ingredients aren't something with carbs it's OK, I think. I always tried to keep it under 10%, though and you may be trying for a lower carb % than that. Glad you found something that appeals to her.

 

I read somewhere, maybe here, that the Whiskas tubs are the old Sheba brand that were bought out by Mars/Whiskas. If so, then the carbs are 4-6% for the beef.

Morgaine has been very unwilling to eat much of anything but she did scoff down most of the whiska's I gave her.

I am going to get her some low carb dry food at this point too. I just need the cat to eat and I will try to transition to the wet if I can get her on Evo or Wellness core dry. This is so very frustrating. She was eating the Pro Plan then stopped completely.

I think I have 2 threads going so sorry to repeat myself. I am at my wits end and a friend is going to take me to Petco for the Wellness Core dry tomorrow.

I had one last can of FF TB and because she refused everything yesterday I gave her a half can. She ate it like there was no tomorrow. How sad that Purina messed with with FF. All my kitty wants is her old FF back and I can't get it for her.

She will eat so she is not sick. I gave her some freeze dried chicken just to get some more protein into her and she gobbled it up. she also ate some human chicken so I know she is not ill. She just has imprinted terribly on the old FF and these new brands and flavors do not register in her brain..