Dog Community

taling cousin out of Science Diet-Help

Posted : 5/6/2007 7:37:43 PM

OK, my one cousin is in her 70's, and adopted a new kitten. She has had cats her whole life, her 14 yr. old died a couple months ago. Her daughter works in a vets office, and they found this kitten for her. Only little problem, is the food they want to feed her. She came home with a bag of Science Diet with the kitten, I guess this is the only food the vet office sells and recommends. My cousin's daughter is also pushing this food. The mother is asking me what she should be feeding her cat, and I think will go by my recommendations, but now her daughter is telling her Science Diet has a Holistic cat food she should buy, the bes there is, I am having a hard time believing that. They will also give her a discount on the food, still no reason to buy it.

I recommended the Eagle Pack Holistic. I also need some good arguments as to why she should not be feeding this Science Diet. I gave her some, but know many of you have much better arguments against the food I can pass on to her. I didn't even know Science Diet had a Holistic brand, what is that all about?

Also, other good cat food recommendations would be appreciated. I only feed my cats the Eagle foods, but also suggested Felidae.

jenns

Posted : 5/6/2007 7:55:44 PM

Maybe she is referring to the Science Diet "Natures' Best" line? Althout the ingredients look hardly holistic:

Ingredients:
Brewers rice, corn gluten meal, animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), turkey meal, dried egg product, chicken, ground wheat, peas, carrots, dried beet pulp, chicken liver flavor, l-lysine, dl-methionine, oat fiber, taurine, iron oxide, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid, minerals [potassium chloride, calcium sulfate, salt, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], rosemary extract, beta carotene, vitamins [choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement].

I personally don't even think that after reading these ingredients that further explanation is needed. Just remember that cats are obligate carnivores and need meat not only for optimum health, but to survive.

I've had great success with Solid Gold Katz'n flocken and California Natural for my cats.

chewbecca

Posted : 5/6/2007 8:01:18 PM

ew, I'm sorry, food snot in me about to come out (and SOOO try not to let this happen), but there is NOT a meat in that until the FOURTH ingredient.
That's just gross.

Jewlieee

Posted : 5/6/2007 8:11:26 PM

I don't like Science Diet personally but many animals do well on it so who really knows. This is all my vet tech friend feeds he cats..that mixed with wet food. *shrug* We can talk until we're blue in the face about good, quality ingrediants but when animals live to 14+ years, it's hard to argue that the person didn't feed them well.

My cat gets Innova Evo and loves it. He wouldn't touch Felidea (spelling). I wouldn't feed him Science Diet

Liesje

Posted : 5/6/2007 8:24:17 PM

She should pick a food that works well for the cat, not because it's what the vet carries or it's what someone else says to use. I use PetSmart's "Authority" brand food for my cats, go ahead and flame me. I've tried most of the more premium brands that are available around here and one cat got diarrhea, one threw it all up, and one got a terrible stomach ache and now associates abdominal pain with these foods and won't touch them. Authority keeps them healthy, keeps their poops solid and not near as smelly (omg, the smell from Blue Buffalo was so bad I expected neighbors to complain), keeps their stomachs happy, and makes them feel "full" so they're not constantly crying for food. The point is, I've done my research, I've tried a dozen brands, and I use what I use because because it works for them.

chewbecca

Posted : 5/6/2007 8:28:49 PM

ORIGINAL: Liesje

She should pick a food that works well for the cat, not because it's what the vet carries or it's what someone else says to use. I use PetSmart's "Authority" brand food for my cats, go ahead and flame me. I've tried most of the more premium brands that are available around here and one cat got diarrhea, one threw it all up, and one got a terrible stomach ache and now associates abdominal pain with these foods and won't touch them. Authority keeps them healthy, keeps their poops solid and not near as smelly (omg, the smell from Blue Buffalo was so bad I expected neighbors to complain), keeps their stomachs happy, and makes them feel "full" so they're not constantly crying for food. The point is, I've done my research, I've tried a dozen brands, and I use what I use because because it works for them.

I would do the same. I don't own cats, but my mom does and I know that they can be extremely finicky and hard to feed. I also know that cats cannot go as long without food, which would leave me less room to work with.

Normally I am not judgmental about other people's food choices, and I'm really not here, just looking at those ingredients, though, made me go "ew". hahaha.

glenmar

Posted : 5/6/2007 8:29:35 PM

For years my cats ate Special Kitty. They love that crap. I have finally convinced them to eat Blue and all our doing well on it....one of my cats is 17 years old.

Liesje

Posted : 5/6/2007 8:39:12 PM

Normally I am not judgmental about other people's food choices, and I'm really not here, just looking at those ingredients, though, made me go "ew". hahaha.

Yeah, my cats actually do OK on Science Diet (though their poop is far smellier than the Authority), but I don't like it and it's more expensive than some brands that are better. Authority's first two ingredients are chicken meal and brewer's rice, as opposed to SD's chicken by-product meal and corn. Still not the best, but definitely not the worst!

Another component is that my cats are a LOT more active than other house cats. We play for hours and they are constantly chasing, playing with their toys, and wrestling each other. They burn what they eat and I only ration-feed, no free feeding here.

pugs2

Posted : 5/6/2007 8:49:13 PM

Thanks for all the input. I think when she reads the ingredients of SD, she will be sort of turned off. My Mom's cats were always fed Purina, and all her cats lived to be between 16-21 yrs old. She now feeds them Costco cat food, and they are doing well. I suppose there are many foods cats will do well on, and I am a bit of a food snob when it comes to my dogs, but SD really has so little meat proteins that cats need.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 5/7/2007 9:17:39 AM

I don't like Science Diet personally but many animals do well on it so who really knows. This is all my vet tech friend feeds he cats..that mixed with wet food. *shrug* We can talk until we're blue in the face about good, quality ingrediants but when animals live to 14+ years, it's hard to argue that the person didn't feed them well.

My best friend's mom had a big GSD mix that lived to be 16, on Ol' Roy. His last year, his quality of life was pretty poor (he had hip dysplasia, and that's why they ended up putting him to sleep, it was too much pain). He ate a lot of chicken and rice, with pepcid, to prevent him from throwing up his pain meds.

I think that genetics probably play a bigger role in longevity than food. I mean, my grandmother has beaten cancer THREE TIMES on a diet of refined sugar, refined grains, and high fat meat. It happens, sometimes, that a person or animal is just going to live a long time, regardless of what they eat.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 5/7/2007 10:27:20 AM

Holistic Cat food. You mean Science Diet Nature's Best with all of it's artificial colors and all. In working in a pet store, I don't know how many times people came in complaining that after switching from the original SD to the "Nature's Best" their cats starting vomiting. Geee, maybe because lots of cats are sensitive to artificial colors in their food.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 5/7/2007 10:29:03 AM

ORIGINAL: pugs2

Thanks for all the input. I think when she reads the ingredients of SD, she will be sort of turned off. My Mom's cats were always fed Purina, and all her cats lived to be between 16-21 yrs old. She now feeds them Costco cat food, and they are doing well. I suppose there are many foods cats will do well on, and I am a bit of a food snob when it comes to my dogs, but SD really has so little meat proteins that cats need.

If your aunt wan't to feed Purina, feed Pro Plan. It is a step up with better ingredients than SD Nature's Best. My cats are feed Solid Gold, so are my mom's cats. They do great on it.

pugs2

Posted : 5/7/2007 6:28:14 PM

My cousin bought a bag of Solid Gold at our local Pet Supplies Plus. She was going to buy the Eagle Pack, but they told her they are no longer selling it, I was surprised by that. Good thing my small dog store is still selling Eagle. Any one else have a Petsupplies Plus store that is no longer selling the Eagle Pack? They told her they can order it, but won't be keeping it in stock.

Liesje

Posted : 5/7/2007 7:36:02 PM

I haven't checked for Eagle Pack at Pet Supplies Plus but I can check if I go there soon.

brookcove

Posted : 5/7/2007 7:59:37 PM

I've never even seen it at our PSP.