alfreda89: 3 foot concrete Medieval style gargoyle with author's hand resting on its head. (Burmese Basket)
alfreda89 ([personal profile] alfreda89) wrote2013-10-06 02:17 pm
Entry tags:

The Cat Has Defeated Me

Well,

I come to you today to ask for suggestions. My local pet store stopped carrying California Natural Chicken & Rice for Cats after the last salmonella scare. It was something like the fourth since Proctor & Gamble took over the food line. I understood that this was probably not a good idea for my kitty's kibble. But I was uneasy, because Merlyn is 18 years old. He's a spry 18 (88 in human years) but change is not always good.

He is hypothyroid and in the very earliest stages of kidney distress. So I can't feed him grain-free. He liked a mix of CN Ch & rice dry and Science Diet K/D dry. So I went in search of a new mixer food.

My pet store has offered suggestions and even lets me return the $%%^## bags, but we have gone through SIX, yes SIX dried foods since I found out about the recall in August. The seventh is sitting, ignored, in a bowl next to the Science Diet crunchies. Thank the universe for the Science Diet crunchies, because he won't eat ANY of the premium dry chicken ^ rice I've tried him on, having lost a half pound (and he only weighted 8 pounds to begin with.)

I've tried Nulo, Wellness, Felidae, Nutri-Source and three others. Nada. I'm feeding him SD crunchies, and meat twice a day, but more than a heaping teaspoon is not good for him. At this point, I would let him just eat the SD crunchies alone except that it's only because he's hungry--he could stand to gain back that half pound. We have little enthusiasm here.

Anyone have a suggestion? I hesitate to go back to California Natural, for his sake and mine. One of these was even lamb & rice, but apparently too weird.

[identity profile] dancinghorse.livejournal.com 2013-10-06 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I have my 17yo cat on Loyall Cat and Kitten. It's sold in feed stores, is made by Nutrena. First ingredient is chicken. It's the only kibble he'll eat, and he saw a big jump in his energy levels when I started him on it.

I avoid the superfancy pet foods because they all have so many recalls. Loyall has never been recalled that I know of.

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2013-10-06 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I've done well with family-owned premiums for about a decade, but a lot of them are finally selling out to the big guys, and quality has plunged. I will investigate the Loyall, thank you. I'll bet at least one feed store here carries it.

[identity profile] dancinghorse.livejournal.com 2013-10-06 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
The one where I get it has free sample bags. Best way to try it.

[identity profile] dancinghorse.livejournal.com 2013-10-06 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
It does have corn and wheat, but it's otherwise very close to what you've been feeding. And it doesn't keep getting recalled.