Is Iams as good as pet shop brands?

[Lynn]

What is the best dry kibbled and where do we get it? I've had some samples from friends (various pet shop brands) and Button seems to eat them OK (if they have a little tiny tuna garnish). He likes Iams and Iams is a lot more economical because of double coupons, being available at the grocery store, etc. But we want to be feeding him the best and saving a few dollars isn't really the issue. He doesn't like Iams canned and we've never tried another kind of canned. Lynn

[Traci]

Even though it is now sold in grocery stores, I still consider Iams as one of the best brands available.

Just a caution, the more varieties you feed Button, the more likely he will develop a food aversion, and should an illness occur, this won't help the situation. Try to stick with one brand only, and try to use the same brand when considering variety (chicken vs fish, etc). As long as you are feeding the majority of the diet with a fairly decent product, (i.e., premium dry), and if he won't eat the Iams canned, he would probably do ok on Friskies canned.

How old is Button?

[Mona]

Lynn~

My cats would not eat the Iams kitten either. I wondered how old Button was as well?

My kitten Chloe eats Nutro kitten canned which is very good, and Science Diet Nuggest Dry kitten formula.

My older cat, 5yrs eats Wellness canned and Royal Canin Special33 Dry.

I am against all foods other than Iams sold in the grocery stores, from experience it contains byproducts and other chemicals.

Here is a link on Wellness and Royal Canin which I find to be two of the best I have found. Petsmart has started to carry the Royal Canin now.

http://www.feline-nutrition.com/
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/cats/index.html

Mona, Honeybun and Chloe

[Lynn]

Thanks Traci for your computer expertise about accessing the board! Button was two in March (or Feb?). We've had him for a little over a year and a half. He was allowed outdoors by previous owners and we followed suit -- BUT, he has no street smarts at all! So now, reluctantly he is an indoor cat (and I'm going to post to see if people have ideas or help with THAT). He's gaining weight since being indoors -- sigh! So we'll be checking out high nutrition, low calorie food for the cat as well as both of us!

Thanks for the info about different kinds of food. I'm going to settle on one -- probably the Iams if they have a low calorie kind he likes. I thought since he can't go outside maybe I could at least add some variety to his life with food! Lynn

[kate & kobi]

Do you mean *he* is reluctant to be an indoor cat or that *you* are reluctant to keep him indoors? You're doing a good thing by keeping him inside! If he tells you otherwise, just tell him that you're the parent and that it's for his own good.

As for the food, are you free-feeding him (letting him eat as much as he wants all day)? If so, I'd recommend following the manufacturer's guidelines on how much to feed each day, and feed half of that in the morning and half in the evening. If you're already doing that and he's gaining weight, then try reducing the amount you're feeding him slightly, or making sure he gets more exercise by playing with him, etc. I wouldn't switch to a low-calorie food unless on the advice of a vet - reducing weight is something that needs to be done slowly and carefully in cats.