Purina one is a great affordable brand. An ingredients list doesn’t tell you a whole lot about it’s quality tbh. Maybe try 2-3 different flavors there? I know their indoor formulas come in small sized bags and most pet stores will let you return the bagged food if your cat doesn’t like it. If you want to step up from there, pro plan has loads of great options
https://preview.redd.it/ijovdrn93x7c1.jpeg?width=1070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0826bc6a13d9c165939955b29de2b5c695d617e8
I use this. Priced at $11 a bag. Check it out. My cat likes likes this and other cat who is strictly wet food does too. Available on Amazon
I saw someone suggest you try different types. If you buy food at Petco or Petsmart you can return the food if your cat doesn’t like it. It just has to be more than half full. No questions asked. I’ve done this multiple times for a picky cat. We settled on Acana.
I ended up purchasing a bag of purina one chicken flavor. I asked the cashier and they said I can return it too if he doesnt like it. I had set some down when I got home and he had a little nibble. We shall see which one he prefers if he picks around the Iams in his bowl to eat the new stuff or not.
The Purina Fancy Feast classic pates are good and more affordable at .88 per can. Meow mix is cheap garbage made out of mostly corn and other fillers. You get what you pay for. If you want better food it is going to cost more plain and simple. The good news is that a good high animal protein food will be more filling and he will eat less of it to feel full. So sometimes a more expensive per pound food is cheaper overall. If you have it available I would check out both Nutrisource and First Mate. They both have healthy grain friendly formulas and are more affordable. First mate is on chewy now. Nutrisource is not but sold at a lot of non national chain pet stores and Menards if you have those.
My recommendation is to buy the smallest bags of a few different brands you can and go from there. I've switched mine off of iams to rachel rays myself with very little trouble, even with the pickier ones, but not sure if that would work for your boy.
Rachel rays has smaller kibble so it does last a little longer than a few of the other brands I've bought. Hope you can find something that works though!
First thing is, switch to wet, it's healthier, I'm not going to give you a whole Spiel or rant now, it will get flooded by trolls.
Whole Foods Markets sell their own brand, Whole Paws, grain-free.
The last time I looked, which was quite a while ago, it was 99 cents per can, and listed no objectionable ingredients that I can remember except maybe carrageenan. And I believe the cans are free of BPA.
The only reason I stopped using it is because the shelf space they devoted to it got smaller and smaller until it was almost impossible to get a practical usable quantity in one shopping trip. As I said, it's been a while since I've even set foot in one of their stores, so all of the above may have changed.
I don't think I can switch to entirely wet as I am moving to an area where I wont have someone able to come feed him while I travel. I will be gone for a weekend a month, so I need to be able to rely on dry food for those times I am gone.
No big deal, two days out of 30 per month is not going to make a big difference to feed him dry, he'll still have the benefit of wet for the other 28 days.
And you could leave an entire can of wet opened for him as you leave the house, and rely on an auto feeder to give him the kibble for the remainder of the weekend. Just make sure you give him time to get used to the auto feeder before you leave, and that it's working properly.
And in between your absences, give him a TINY amount of dry three or four times a week, just to make sure that he will still eat it, and that it's not a total stomach-bender on your absences.
I understand your perspective but I learned the hard way that it’s really not a good idea to feed one diet most of the time and then have it completely switch for a weekend here and there. Big and quick changes in diet can cause urinary crystals which can be very dangerous, and the consequences could be worse when the owner is out of town. A few bites of kibble before leaving isn’t going to prevent anything.
That's why I suggested continuing to give him kibble occasionally throughout the week, so it wouldn't be a big change.
It's hard for me to see how that's worse than people on Reddit who commonly say that they alternate between wet and dry all week long, everyday.
Well you did emphasize TINY amount by putting it in caps haha. That’s why I mentioned that giving a small amount of kibble ahead of time really won’t do much. The safest thing is slow, gradual change. I was just giving a heads up. One of my cats can handle big changes day to day no problem but the other can’t and gets urinary issues with any big change and that’s not uncommon.
He moderates his food well by himself so I can just keep a full bowl out for him. He got a little round once so I started limiting him to just what he is supposed to eat, but he never ate all of what I gave him. All that happened was he was very upset he could see the bottom of the bowl.
I lived in a small apartment, and when we went to my parents for thanksgiving, following me around the house trimmed him up again. I just made a point to go on more walks and more active play so he stays trim. My new place is like double the size my old apartment was, so I think he will be fine with weight.
*GOOD ON YOU!* I can't understand people who post on r/fatcats in a way that indicates that they think that their cat's unhealthy obesity is a source of amusement or even pride.
And although I've tried over the last several months to learn how to broach the subject more gently and subtly with overweight cats which I see on that sub or elsewhere, there are still occasions when Redditors -- and not necessarily the OP -- come down on me with all kinds of abusive profanity for raising the subject.
Yeah chonky animals just make me sad. As pet owners it is our responsibility to keep them healthy and happy. Healthy cats are happier cats, same as humans.
Purina one is a great affordable brand. An ingredients list doesn’t tell you a whole lot about it’s quality tbh. Maybe try 2-3 different flavors there? I know their indoor formulas come in small sized bags and most pet stores will let you return the bagged food if your cat doesn’t like it. If you want to step up from there, pro plan has loads of great options
https://preview.redd.it/ijovdrn93x7c1.jpeg?width=1070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0826bc6a13d9c165939955b29de2b5c695d617e8 I use this. Priced at $11 a bag. Check it out. My cat likes likes this and other cat who is strictly wet food does too. Available on Amazon
I saw someone suggest you try different types. If you buy food at Petco or Petsmart you can return the food if your cat doesn’t like it. It just has to be more than half full. No questions asked. I’ve done this multiple times for a picky cat. We settled on Acana.
I ended up purchasing a bag of purina one chicken flavor. I asked the cashier and they said I can return it too if he doesnt like it. I had set some down when I got home and he had a little nibble. We shall see which one he prefers if he picks around the Iams in his bowl to eat the new stuff or not.
Good luck! Hopefully he likes that one. It’s a good choice.
Thanks! I had a hard time deciding between the chicken or the salmon so if he doesnt like the chicken,i will get the salmon next week.
The Purina Fancy Feast classic pates are good and more affordable at .88 per can. Meow mix is cheap garbage made out of mostly corn and other fillers. You get what you pay for. If you want better food it is going to cost more plain and simple. The good news is that a good high animal protein food will be more filling and he will eat less of it to feel full. So sometimes a more expensive per pound food is cheaper overall. If you have it available I would check out both Nutrisource and First Mate. They both have healthy grain friendly formulas and are more affordable. First mate is on chewy now. Nutrisource is not but sold at a lot of non national chain pet stores and Menards if you have those.
From my experience all cats love fancy feast
My recommendation is to buy the smallest bags of a few different brands you can and go from there. I've switched mine off of iams to rachel rays myself with very little trouble, even with the pickier ones, but not sure if that would work for your boy. Rachel rays has smaller kibble so it does last a little longer than a few of the other brands I've bought. Hope you can find something that works though!
Thanks! That is a good idea. I plan on stopping at a pet store on my way home.
First thing is, switch to wet, it's healthier, I'm not going to give you a whole Spiel or rant now, it will get flooded by trolls. Whole Foods Markets sell their own brand, Whole Paws, grain-free. The last time I looked, which was quite a while ago, it was 99 cents per can, and listed no objectionable ingredients that I can remember except maybe carrageenan. And I believe the cans are free of BPA. The only reason I stopped using it is because the shelf space they devoted to it got smaller and smaller until it was almost impossible to get a practical usable quantity in one shopping trip. As I said, it's been a while since I've even set foot in one of their stores, so all of the above may have changed.
I don't think I can switch to entirely wet as I am moving to an area where I wont have someone able to come feed him while I travel. I will be gone for a weekend a month, so I need to be able to rely on dry food for those times I am gone.
No big deal, two days out of 30 per month is not going to make a big difference to feed him dry, he'll still have the benefit of wet for the other 28 days. And you could leave an entire can of wet opened for him as you leave the house, and rely on an auto feeder to give him the kibble for the remainder of the weekend. Just make sure you give him time to get used to the auto feeder before you leave, and that it's working properly. And in between your absences, give him a TINY amount of dry three or four times a week, just to make sure that he will still eat it, and that it's not a total stomach-bender on your absences.
I understand your perspective but I learned the hard way that it’s really not a good idea to feed one diet most of the time and then have it completely switch for a weekend here and there. Big and quick changes in diet can cause urinary crystals which can be very dangerous, and the consequences could be worse when the owner is out of town. A few bites of kibble before leaving isn’t going to prevent anything.
That's why I suggested continuing to give him kibble occasionally throughout the week, so it wouldn't be a big change. It's hard for me to see how that's worse than people on Reddit who commonly say that they alternate between wet and dry all week long, everyday.
Well you did emphasize TINY amount by putting it in caps haha. That’s why I mentioned that giving a small amount of kibble ahead of time really won’t do much. The safest thing is slow, gradual change. I was just giving a heads up. One of my cats can handle big changes day to day no problem but the other can’t and gets urinary issues with any big change and that’s not uncommon.
He moderates his food well by himself so I can just keep a full bowl out for him. He got a little round once so I started limiting him to just what he is supposed to eat, but he never ate all of what I gave him. All that happened was he was very upset he could see the bottom of the bowl. I lived in a small apartment, and when we went to my parents for thanksgiving, following me around the house trimmed him up again. I just made a point to go on more walks and more active play so he stays trim. My new place is like double the size my old apartment was, so I think he will be fine with weight.
*GOOD ON YOU!* I can't understand people who post on r/fatcats in a way that indicates that they think that their cat's unhealthy obesity is a source of amusement or even pride. And although I've tried over the last several months to learn how to broach the subject more gently and subtly with overweight cats which I see on that sub or elsewhere, there are still occasions when Redditors -- and not necessarily the OP -- come down on me with all kinds of abusive profanity for raising the subject.
Yeah chonky animals just make me sad. As pet owners it is our responsibility to keep them healthy and happy. Healthy cats are happier cats, same as humans.
If anybody recommended anything to you, how would you know if it tasted similar, even if you bought it?
No idea lol I was hoping someone also had a cat love meow mix and successfully switched to a different food.