Newman's Own Cat Food?

[yo_eddy]

Anyone have any experience with this food? My kittens have rebelled against what I have been feeding them. I'm looking for a decent, healthy wet food for them.

[Traci]

'Organic' does not always mean better, or safer.

Reading Newman's site, I'd give it a +10 for marketing gimmicks, but is it a better food? Doubtful.

What do you mean by your kittens rebelling against what you've been feeding them? What are you feeding, and how do you percieve it is affecting them?

[AmyH]

In looking at Newman's ingredient list (on their website), it doesn't seem to be very good food - it has a lot of grains in it which cats don't need in their diet. Wellness, Eagle Pack, and Felidae are some top-notch foods. Eagle Pack has oats in it, and Felidae has rice, but for both of these foods the grains are far down on the ingredient list whereas Newman's has grains as five out of the first 6 ingredients, plus it has rice in there again further down the list! As obligate carnivores, cats need meat, not grains. Innova is supposed to be good, too, but for some reason it has whole milk in it so I'm kind of skeptical about that.

When looking for food, you want the top ingredients to be meat; you want to avoid fillers (rice, etc) - especially as primary ingredients. And, of course you want to avoid chemical preservatives and additives (colorants, etc).

Here is a link to a tool that compares ingredients in various cat foods; simply select various brand names fro the drop down lists and click "Compare." It's very helpful to be able to see all of the ingredients side-by-side!

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d= ... animal=Cat

Indgredient list for Newman's (Since it's not a choice in the Food Comparison tool:

http://www.newmansownorganics.com/pet/p ... dients.php

Hope this info helps you choose a great food for you cat(s)!

~Amy

[yo_eddy]

Thanks for the links and the info, I will check it out. Unfortunately Wellness and Eaglepak are two of the foods they won't eat. I have not tried the other you listed, but will give it a shot.

When I said rebelling, I basically meant they won't eat the food now. They did as younger kittens. Sometimes they eat a bit, but then leave, so my other cat then eats it. He is a bit on the heavy side, so I try to limit his intake. The kittens really like the dry food I feed them (VanPattens something or other) but I don't want to feed them just dry food. I may resort to separating them during feeding to make sure everyone gets to eat, but I would prefer not to.

[Traci]

When looking for food, you want the top ingredients to be meat; you want to avoid fillers (rice, etc) - especially as primary ingredients. And, of course you want to avoid chemical preservatives and additives (colorants, etc).

Actually, rice is a good source of carbohydrates, is easily digestible, is a primary ingredient for cats with food allergies. It is also a good source to help treat diarrhea.

Preservatives in cat foods are GRAS (generally regarded as safe at recommended levels determined by the FDA), and help promote longer shelf-life of the product. Some natural preservatives shorten the shelf life and therefore the product can go rancid in a short amount of time.

[AmyH]

I definitely agree that rice is great for sensitive stomach issues, but I don't believe it should be the primary ingredient in cat foods geared towards healthy cats. Since they are carnivores and not omnivores, healthy cats don't need the high amount of plant-derived proteins and carbohydrates that high-grained cat foods provide - they need meat-based proteins.

With regards to chemical preservatives, I was specifically referring to BHA and BHT which is found in many foods for both pets and humans. While the FDA may consider these "safe," they are potential carcinogens, and one of them (I can't remember which) has already been banned in Europe because of this. There are many things that the FDA deems as safe that can still can cause cancers and other health issues. For me personally, I prefer to avoid these things as much as possible for both the humans and cats in our house - it is not worth the risk.

If wet food is properly sealed in its can at the store, shelf-life and spoilage shouldn't be an issue. Of course it should be sealed and refrigerated after being opened at home. For dry foods that don't use chemical preservatiives, it is important to pay attention to "Use by" dates marked on the bags, buy it in the smallest quantity possible and keep it in well-sealed containers to avoid spoilage at home. This is just my personal opinion, but I'd rather take this route than have my cats consume chemical preservatives.

~Amy

[Traci]

but I don't believe it should be the primary ingredient in cat foods geared towards healthy cats.

It is a primary ingredient, not the primary ingredient.

Since they are carnivores and not omnivores, healthy cats don't need the high amount of plant-derived proteins and carbohydrates that high-grained cat foods provide - they need meat-based proteins.

Not arguing that, I agree meat proteins are ideal. On the other hand, some meat proteins are allergen causes to some cats.

With regards to chemical preservatives, I was specifically referring to BHA and BHT which is found in many foods for both pets and humans. While the FDA may consider these "safe," they are potential carcinogens, and one of them (I can't remember which) has already been banned in Europe because of this.

Key word is "potential". The FDA established safe guidelines for their use as long as they do not exceed the recommended amounts.

Europe has banned many things. The USA has banned an equal amount of things Europe is behind on. In an ideal world, veterinary medicine (including animal nutrition) would be comparable in all countries, but it is not.

There are many things that the FDA deems as safe that can still can cause cancers and other health issues. For me personally, I prefer to avoid these things as much as possible for both the humans and cats in our house - it is not worth the risk.

Well, back to the age-old argument.....natural is not always better. And I would suspect that many of the products you use and consume do in fact contain things you are unaware of, or choose to use/consume anyway (for whatever the reason)

If wet food is properly sealed in its can at the store, shelf-life and spoilage shouldn't be an issue.

Right, any more of an issue than dry food. But canned food also carries risks of improper manufacturing, storage, heat temperatures, etc and probably contains higher fat content.

[AmyH]

but I don't believe it should be the primary ingredient in cat foods geared towards healthy cats.

It is a primary ingredient, not the primary ingredient.

OK, I'll rephrase this one...I don't believe rice/grains should be a primary (ie, one of the top three) ingredient of cat food that is geared towards healthy cats.

Since they are carnivores and not omnivores, healthy cats don't need the high amount of plant-derived proteins and carbohydrates that high-grained cat foods provide - they need meat-based proteins.

Not arguing that, I agree meat proteins are ideal. On the other hand, some meat proteins are allergen causes to some cats.

Absolutely, not denying that some meat proteins can be allergens in some cats. So can grains. Again, I was speaking about a diet geared towards healthy cats.

With regards to chemical preservatives, I was specifically referring to BHA and BHT which is found in many foods for both pets and humans. While the FDA may consider these "safe," they are potential carcinogens, and one of them (I can't remember which) has already been banned in Europe because of this.

Key word is "potential". The FDA established safe guidelines for their use as long as they do not exceed the recommended amounts.

Europe has banned many things. The USA has banned an equal amount of things Europe is behind on. In an ideal world, veterinary medicine (including animal nutrition) would be comparable in all countries, but it is not.

You are right...the key word is "potential." If you know something is a potential carcinogen, do you intentionally ingest it or expose yourself to it? I know I don't. You never know how a specific chemical is going to react in any given person or animal - what may be safe for you could possibly kill me. For example, why can some people smoke for 70 years of their life and never have a problem, while others smoke for 10 years and develop lung cancer or emphysema? Despite the fact that not all smokers develop cancer, cigarettes still carry a warning that they are potential carcinogens. There are enough potentially cancer-causing agents around us that we can't control, why add to that by consuming things that we can control? Besides, in my opinion, if something needs chemicals in it in order to prolong how long it can sit on a shelf then it is not something I want to eat, as I am sure there are tons of other chemicals in it as well....plus it's just plain scary that a Twinkie can survive a nuclear holocaust.

There are many things that the FDA deems as safe that can still can cause cancers and other health issues. For me personally, I prefer to avoid these things as much as possible for both the humans and cats in our house - it is not worth the risk.

Well, back to the age-old argument.....natural is not always better. And I would suspect that many of the products you use and consume do in fact contain things you are unaware of, or choose to use/consume anyway (for whatever the reason)

Well I'm definitely going to have to beg to differ here. I'm a vegan and therefore very much a label reader of everything. While I'm sure a few things might slip by me, I am very aware of everything that we eat and use - much more aware than the average person. And again, I avoid potentially "dangerous" (for lack of a better word) ingredients (be they in food or anything else) as much as possible. Of course in this day and age it is impossible to be completely perfect in this area and still be able to participate in society, but I certainly do my best. I'm sure my jeans have been treated with some nasty chemical before I bought them, but until the day I can quit my job, grow my own cotton, and make my own fabric, I'm kinda stuck there....

But out of curiousity, why do you say natural is not always better? Personally, I can't think of any instances where it's not, but perhaps that is because of the way we prepare our food and and what we eat, and the level of awareness we have about it.

If wet food is properly sealed in its can at the store, shelf-life and spoilage shouldn't be an issue.

Right, any more of an issue than dry food. But canned food also carries risks of improper manufacturing, storage, heat temperatures, etc and probably contains higher fat content.

Well this is one that we could definitely go in circles about. The only thing I can say is that we have to have faith established companies are following all the appropriate canning processes and procedures. I certainly wouldn't buy cat food from Joe Shmoe who is canning food in Mason jars in his kitchen even if it was supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I am confident that high quality foods like Wellness and Eagle Pack are packaged by the same standards as the "big name" companies.

As for fat content, this is like anything else - labels need to be read and analyzed to be sure they are not too high in fat. Everything should be in proper balance in the food...fat, carbs, protein, etc. Education and knowleged is the key. Saying the fat content of wet food is probably higher is a broad generalization.

Ultimately everyone has to make the decision that they feel is best for them and their cat(s). I've done my personal research and have come to the conclusion of what I feel is best for our cats (Eagle Pack wet, BTW) and have the full support from my vet (who is a "traditional" vet) on this, but what I think is best is most likely not going to be what you or someone else thinks is best.

Just to share, this link is to one of my favorite feline nutrition articles. If you have a chance to read it, I'd be curious of your opinions.
http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Finally, I just want to say that I am not trying to be argumentative. I enjoy a good, challenging discussion with someone who has different views than I do - I think it's a healthy way to learn. I apologize for diverging away from cat food at times, but I felt it was necessary to show where I'm coming from.

~Amy

[Traci]

My own favorite links.......Articles.

[AmyH]

Well since it's easy enough for each of us to find articles that support our differing views, we'll just have to agree to disagree on this.