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Friskies, Prime Filets, Turkey Dinner in Gravy

February 1, 2020 by Ed Leave a Comment

The back of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies, Prime Filets, Turkey Dinner in Gravy

This is an affordable wet food. It has adequate nutrition. It is poultry flavored. It costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: water, turkey, liver, wheat gluten and meat-by-products.

Nutrition

This food has adequate nutrition. Water, turkey and liver are listed as the first three ingredients, which is good. However, “wheat gluten” is listed as one of the first five ingredients, the fourth ingredient, which is not ideal.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this wet food are low cost and high water content.

Disadvantages

The primary disadvantage of this wet food is that it requires a person to open the can and feed your cat. This food is not suitable if you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend. If you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend, consider leaving some extra dry food out, as well as plenty of water.

A word on “wheat gluten”

One of the first five ingredients in this food is wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is a protein found in wheat. It is not a meat. Wheat gluten is sometimes used as a filler in cat food, or to “bind” (keep) everything together. Although wheat gluten in cat food is acceptable, it is not ideal for cats, who are carnivorous.

Friskies, Pate, Liver & Chicken Dinner

January 17, 2020 by Ed Leave a Comment

The back of one can of delicious cat food, friskies, Pate, Liver and Chicken Dinner

This is an affordable wet food. It is highly-nutritious. It is poultry flavored. It costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: water, poultry by-products, meat by-products, liver, fish.

Nutrition

This is a highly-nutritious wet food. Its first five ingredients are meat or meat based-products, or water.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this food is low cost, high nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

The primary disadvantage of this wet food is that it requires a person to open the can and feed your cat. This food is not suitable if you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend. If you must leave your cat alone over the weekend, consider leaving some extra dry food out, as well as plenty of water.

Friskies, Prime Filets, Ocean Whitefish & Tuna, in Sauce

January 1, 2020 by Ed Leave a Comment

The front of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies prime filets with Ocean Whitefish and Tuna in Sauce

The back of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies prime filets with Ocean Whitefish and Tuna in Sauce

This is an affordable wet food. It has adequate nutrition. It is seafood-flavored. It costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: water, liver, wheat gluten, meat-by-products, ocean whitefish.

Nutrition

This food has adequate nutrition. Water and liver are listed as the first two ingredients, which is good. However, “wheat gluten” is listed as one of the first five ingredients, which is not ideal.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this food are low cost, adequate nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

A word on “wheat gluten”

Friskies, Tasty Treasures, Ocean Fish in Sauce, with Bacon

January 1, 2020 by Ed Leave a Comment

The front of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies tasty treasures, accented with bacon, with Ocean Fish in Sauce, mixed grill

The back of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies tasty treasures, accented with bacon, with Ocean Fish in Sauce, mixed grill

This is an affordable wet food. It has adequate nutrition. It is seafood-flavored. It usually costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: water, chicken, liver, meat-by products and wheat gluten.

Nutrition

This has adequate nutrition. Water, chicken, liver and meat-by-products are listed as the first four ingredients, which is good. However, “wheat gluten” is listed as one of the first five ingredients, which is not ideal.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this wet food are low cost, adequate nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

A word on “wheat gluten”

Friskies, Pate, Mixed Grill

January 1, 2020 by Ed Leave a Comment

The back of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies pate, mixed grill

This is an affordable wet food. It is highly-nutritious. It usually costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: meat by-products, water, poultry by-products, liver and chicken.

Nutrition

This is a highly-nutritious wet food. Its first five ingredients are meat or meat based-products, or water.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this food are low cost, high nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

Encouraging Your Cat To Drink More Water

October 29, 2019 by Ed Leave a Comment

Water is very important for cats. Cats need water just like humans. Cats need water for digestion, growing fur and claws, movement and thinking. Cats can survive a week or two without food. However, cats can only survive a few days without water.

Cats can be fussy about water. This is probably due to evolution. As cats evolved, they had to learn to avoid bad water sources that might make them sick or even kill them.

Ensuring your cat gets enough water

There are several ways you can help ensure your cat gets enough water. They include: keeping the water bowl clean, proper bowl height, proper bowl placement, the composition of the water bowl (metal vs. plastic vs. ceramic) and having bowls in more than one location. Gravity-fed water bowls and electronic (flowing) options may also be useful for your cat.

Keep the water bowl clean

Cats have a very good sense of smell. Before cats drink water, they will sniff it. If your cat smells anything bad, it will not drink the water. You should keep your cat’s water bowl clean by cleaning it regularly. You can use a mild dish detergent and a soft scrubber to clean the bowl. Rinse the bowl thoroughly. If your cat smells dish detergent, he or she will not drink the water.

Provide fresh water regularly

Cats like fresh water. Old water becomes stale. Old water also grows bacteria. You should change your cat’s water at least every other day. However, this is not necessary if you have a gravity fed bowl or electronic (flowing) option. These options often have filters that clean the water.

Bowl height

Bowl height is important. If a bowl is too low, it will be hard for your cat to drink water. If a bowl is too high, it will also be hard for your cat to drink. The proper height is at about 3 to 5 inches. This height allows your cat to crouch over the bowl and drink. Cats do not eat or drink standing up, they crouch.

Bowl height is especially important for older cats, who sometimes develop arthritis, and need higher bowls to reach their water.

Bowl placement

Your cat’s water bowl should be placed away from its food. Cats do not like to drink water near their food, because the smell of food interferes with their water. Also, cats have evolved to eat food and drink water separately. Food may also get into the water and affect the water’s taste.

A water bowl should be placed in the same area as the food, but at least a few feet from the food. This will ensure that your cat knows where the water is, but will keep food and water separate.

Bowl composition: metal vs. plastic vs. ceramic

Generally, stainless steel water bowls are best for your cat. These bowls are easy to keep clean. Also, stainless steel helps prevent the growth of bacteria on the bowl. Ceramic bowls are also an option. Ceramic bowls may keep your cat’s water more cool. However, if you purchase a ceramic bowl make sure ensure that it does not contain lead paint. Look for a ceramic bowl that specifically identifies itself as “lead free.” If in doubt, stainless steel is best.

Although cheapest, plastic bowls are not recommended. A cat’s sense of smell can smell the chemicals in plastic. These plastic chemicals may also leak into the water. Plastic is made of chemicals that are not healthy for a cat.

Water bowls in more than one location

You should consider keeping bowls in more than one location. Consider placing an additional water bowl in any room your cat spends a lot of time in, such as in the living room or bedroom. This may help encourage your cat to drink water.

Gravity-fed water bowls

Gravity water bowls, or “gravity-fed” water bowls are becoming popular. Gravity water bowls contain a large reservoir of water that trickles down into a bowl as the water is consumed or evaporates. Gravity water bowls are good options for those individuals that might need to leave their cats alone for a day or more.

You should look for a gravity water bowl that uses a stainless steel bowl. Also, some gravity bowls include a carbon filter meant to keep the water clean and fresh. Some cats may not like the taste of the water after it uses this filter. If your cat does not drink out of your gravity bowl, consider removing the filter.

Fountain water bowls (electronic)

Fountain water bowls are becoming more popular. They are electronic water bowls are require a power outlet. They simulate running water by using a pump to circulate the water.

There are advantages and disadvantages to fountain water bowls. The main advantage is that fountain water bowls may encourage your cat to drink more water. In the wild, cats are attracted to running water and evolved to drink water from streams. Your cat may be attracted to the flowing water that a fountain water bowl provides. Another advantage is that fountain water bowls typically have a greater capacity than a single bowl can provide. If you have a finicky cat that does not appear to drink enough water, you should consider a fountain water bowl.

There are some disadvantages to fountain water bowls. One disadvantage is that they require electricity. Another common concern is safety. If you purchase a fountain water bowl, ensure that the pump is UL-listed.

Fountain water bowls (tips)

If you purchase a fountain water bowl, ensure that the pump is UL-listed. Also, try to select a bowl with a removable stainless steel bowl. A removable stainless steel bowl will allow you to clean the bowl regularly. Try to avoid fountain water bowls with too many plastic components. Plastic components are harder to clean. Cats may also dislike the smell of plastic chemicals that may leach into the water.

Make sure your water bowl is quiet. Your cat may not like drinking out of a water bowl with a loud pump.

Consider switching to wet (canned) food

Lastly, if you haven’t already, consider switching to wet (canned) food. Wet food has a lot of water in it. It’s an easy way to increase your cat’s water intake.

See our article, “The best wet food for your cat” for helpful wet food tips.

Ensuring your cats gets enough water (summary)

keep the water bowl clean
fresh water
bowl height (3 to 5 inches)
water bowl separate from food bowl
bowls in more than one place
metal vs plastic
gravity fed
running water
consider wet (canned) food

The Best Wet Food For Your Cat

October 29, 2019 by Ed Leave a Comment

Advantages of wet food

Wet food is an excellent food choice for your cat. Because of its high water content, you can rest assured that your cat is getting enough water. Also, wet food is usually free of the grain and corn found in many dry cat foods. As a result, wet food is a more natural food option for your cat.

Individual preferences

All cats are different. Some cats prefer certain flavors over other flavors. Some cats prefer certain textures over other textures. It would be impossible to predict which flavor and texture your cat will prefer. However, we can provide some tips to help you select the best wet food for your cat.

Meat or meat by-product as the first ingredient

You should pick a wet food where the first or second ingredient is meat or “meat by product.” “Meat by product” means that the entire animal is being used in making the food, including skin, organs, fat etc. “Meat by product” is actually good for your cat, because it ensures your cat is getting the vitamins, nutrients, and nourishment of the entire animal, and not just one cut of meat.

Water as one of the primary ingredients

Water as a top ingredients in wet cat food is fine. Water is necessary in processing the food. More importantly, this water content will help ensure that your cat takes in enough water. However, you still want to ensure that your cat has fresh water to drink separately.

Different flavors

Wet food is sold in many different flavors, including fish, beef, chicken, turkey, tuna and shrimp. You should experiment with different flavors for your cat. However, at the same time, you should not allow your cat to become too dependent on just one flavor. Feeding your cat a variety of flavors will help ensure that your cat has the benefit of the different vitamins and minerals available in the different flavors.

Different textures

Perhaps more important than flavors are textures. Cats tend to like many flavors of wet food. However, they often have definite preferences for textures. Wet food is sold in a variety of textures. Common textures including

“pate” – a thick meaty paste
“shreds” – long narrow strips of meat in gravy
“flaked” – thin flakes of meat in gravy
“chunky” – large chunks of meat in gravy
“bits” – small bits of meat in gravy

A good sign that your cat likes a particular texture is that he or she eats all of their food. Some cats will lick the gravy out of their food, but leave the meat. This is not ideal, because while the gravy is tasty for your cat, the meat is crucial for their health and well being. If your cat eats only the gravy, try switching to a different texture, such as the pate, which dollar-for-dollar probably has the highest meat content of the above flavors.

Tips for picking the best wet food (Summary)

“Meat by product” as first or second ingredient
Water as a top ingredient is fine
Experiment with different textures
If your cat just eats the gravy, try other textures
Consider “pate” texture

The Best Dry Food For Your Cat

October 29, 2019 by Ed Leave a Comment

Individual preferences

All cats are different. Some prefer certain flavors over others. The only way to know what flavor your cat prefers is to try different flavors. However, aside from flavors, you should also ensure the best ingredients for your cat. Here are some tips for picking the best dry food for your cat.

Meat or chicken “by-product” as first ingredient

Regardless of flavor, you should ensure your dry food has “chicken by-product” or “meat by-product” as the first ingredient. Cat food manufacturers are sometimes tempted to include corn or wheat as the first ingredient of their cat food. Corn and wheat are cheaper than meat. However, your cat needs as close as possible to a natural diet as possible. A “natural” diet for a cat is meat. Try to ensure that the first ingredient of your dry food is meat in the form of chicken by-product or meat by-product.

Try different flavors

Many cats enjoy seafood flavors, including shrimp, whitefish and tuna. However, a balanced diet of meat flavors is best for your cats. Try to include a variety of meat flavors, including chicken, turkey, and beef, into your cat’s diet. Otherwise, he or she may become picky and only want to eat one flavor. Eating only one flavor of food is not best for your cat, because it may deprive him or her of the vitamins and minerals found in other flavors.

Graduate up to “grain free”

If possible, try to graduate up to “grain free” dry food. “Grain free” food is food without corn or wheat. Grain free food costs more than cat food containing corn or wheat. However, grain free food will help ensure your cat is getting the nutrition that he or she needs.

The importance of water

Fresh, clean water is crucially important for your cat. A cat can live a week or longer without food, but only a few days without water.

See our article, “Getting your cat to drink more water” for helpful tips.

Tips for picking the best dry food (Summary)

“chicken by product” or “meat by product” as first or second ingredient
Test with a smaller bag of food before buying a large bag
Switch it up with different flavors
Consider grain free

Dry Food vs Wet Food

September 12, 2019 by Ed Leave a Comment

“Dry food” and “wet food” are common foods available for your cat.

“Dry food” refers to small, dry, and crunchy food sold in large bags. Dry food is sold in several flavors, including turkey, salmon, chicken, and beef. Most dry food is made by mixing chicken meal and corn or wheat. Dry food is marketed under names that include “Purina,” “Friskies,” “Hills” and “Iams.”

“Wet food” refers to canned food. It is called “wet food” because it is made with water and often sold in a wet gravy. It is sold in small cans containing between three and six ounces of food. Wet food is sold in different flavors and textures. Common flavors include chicken, turkey, fish and tuna. Typical textures of wet canned food include “pate,” “shreds,” “filets,” and “flaked.” Regardless of texture or flavor, wet food is typically made of meat by-products, including chicken, fish, or turkey. Wet food is marketed under names that include “Cesar,” “9-Lives” and “Friskies.”

Advantages of Dry Cat Food

Dry food is popular for several reasons. Dry cat food is cheap. It is also very convenient. As much or as little can be poured out and fed to your cat. Many people will fill up a bowl and leave it out for their cat to eat throughout the day. That way, your cat can eat when it wants to. Dry food also has a long shelf life. If properly stored, a large bag of dry food can last months. Most cats like dry food and will eat it as their daily meal.

Advantages of Dry Cat Food (Summary)

Cheap
Long shelf life
Convenient to feed
Cats like it
Pour as little or as much as you want
Good for weekend getaways

Disadvantages of Dry Cat Food

Although cheap and convenient, there are some disadvantages to dry food. When people feed their cats dry food, they tend to pour out a large amount, rather than keep strict meal times. As a result, your cat may eat continuously throughout the day. This may lead to obesity in cats. Dry cat food also commonly contains corn or wheat. Corn and wheat are not natural food sources for cats, who are meat eaters. As a result, dry food may not be the most natural or healthiest food option for cats. Dry food also increases the water needs of your cat. Dry food contains very little moisture content. If your cat eats dry food, it must drink enough water separately to digest the food and stay healthy.

Disadvantages of Dry Cat Food (Summary)

May lead to obesity
May not be the most natural or healthiest option
Requires lots of separate water

Advantages of Wet Cat Food

Wet food is a very common cat food. There are several advantages to wet food. As its name indicates, wet, or canned food, has significantly more water content than dry food. This water content helps ensure the health of your cat. Many of your cat’s basic functions, including digestion, movement, and thinking requires water. Wet food helps ensure that your cat is taking in enough water. Wet food is also a more natural food for your cat. It usually does not contain corn or wheat like dry food. Lastly, wet food may offer more variety for your cat. A large bag of dry cat food, with a single flavor, may become boring for your cat. With wet food, you can choose different daily flavors for your cat.

Advantages of Wet Cat Food (Summary)

Lots of water content
More natural
More daily flavor options

Disadvantages of Wet Cat Food

Most of the disadvantages of wet food are from cost and convenience. Wet food is more expense than dry food. Wet food is also not as convenient to feed as dry food. Once opened, wet food will go bad and dry out. As a result, wet food requires specific feeding times. Also, it may be harder to take a weekend getaway. A caretaker will need to visit at feeding times to open cans and feed your cat.

Disadvantages of Wet Cat Food (Summary)

more expensive
requires specific meal times
once opened, short shelf life

Recommendations

In my personal experience, I always have dry and canned food on hand. I will normally feed my cats wet food. It is more natural and has a higher water content.

However, I always keep a bag of dry cat food on hand. The dry cat food is convenient when I need to be away for the day, or even a weekend. I can pour out plenty of dry food for the day or the weekend.

Water is very important. Cats can survive without food for a week more. However, cats can only survive without water for a few days. Make sure your cat has plenty of fresh water at all times. I will normally leave a few bowls of fresh water out if I am away for the weekend.

See our article, “Getting your cat to drink more water” for more helpful tips.