[theBCnut]

My cats don’t do beef either.

[crazy4cats]

Bobby Dog-
We don’t have BJ’s here. It’s Sam’s Club that I’d have to wear a disguise to. Lol!

[arwyru24]

My cat that has what seems to be an iron stomach, seems to have environmental allergies/sensitivities. He was overgrooming bald patches on his legs and under his arm pits so among other things I switched from a clay litter to Tidy Cats pure naturals and I mix in Blue Buffalo clumping since its been on sale. I don’t really have a go to at this time.

[arwyru24]

Bobby Dog, I don’t have anything against feeding my cats beef, I just don’t like cleaning up the cat puke. lol. It is definitely a very good food with limited ingredients and I would rotate it too if it worked for my guys. Have you ever looked into Hounds and Gatos rabbit formula?

[Bobby dog]

Hey Sharon:
I didn’t think you had anything against it, I just thought you were letting us know your experience with the food. I don’t blame you for not liking to clean up cat puke! lol

So far only Archie likes it, I have one more cat to try, but she is pretty finicky. I do want to try some other flavors as well, I like the limited ingredients. I always have Archie to eat what the other cats won’t. lol

I haven’t seen the H & G rabbit formula, but I will check it out. One of the pet stores by me carries that brand, hopefully they have that flavor.

[arwyru24]

So I went down to PetSmart today for the first time in a very long time, over a year I would say just to see what they have going on down there and to pick up a bag of that Authority cat food. I saw that the Simply Nourish Source is onsale for $8.99 for the 3lb bag and I can use a $5 off coupon so I will probably go back and pick up a bag of that for 3.99 because when I looked at the nutritional information they were all low in calories which is an important factor to me. I am thinking the Fish and Chicken (I know, I know fish) variety because the cats didn’t like the Wellness Core indoor which is all Turkey and Chicken, and also I got a sample packet of the Nature’s Variety Rabbit Formula and they don’t seem to care for that one much either. What do you guys think?

Anyway the 4lb Authority Cat food was indeed onsale for $5.99, and there was also a PetSmart coupon hanging on the shelf for 2 free 3.5oz tubs of Authority cat food with the purchase of any size authority dry food. So I got the 4lb bag of dry, I got the Turkey Sensitive Systems variety because it looked like the best ingredients to me, and I got 2 tubs of Authority wet food and my total including tax was $1.04. Can’t beat that.

[Bobby dog]

Sharon:
I have Authority on my catfood list to try. I don’t have a Petsmart in my regular travels, but if I ever get there… I looked at Authority canned a while ago and I have a few pate’s on my list. I haven’t looked at the recipes in a while and at the time I made my list I had delusions that I would never feed my cats fish again. I still do fish, my cat’s demand it!!!! 😉

I am a little distracted. I usually look at TV while I catch up on e-mail, but Napoleon Dynamite is on and it’s one of my fav’s. lol 🙂 Vote for Pedro

[Bobby dog]

Told you I was distracted, I forgot to add that a little while ago I looked at Simply Nourish when Akari asked for opinions on it and EVO. I liked the Simply Nourish recipe. 🙂

[arwyru24]

The Authority dry food is going in my donations box, but I haven’t decided about the wet food yet.

[Bobby dog]

Fabulous donation!!!! 😉

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
For your disguise I am picturing a trenchcoat, big floppy hat cocked to the side, and Jackie O sunglasses. lol

FYI, there are a few different coupons on coupon.com for cat litter, don’t know if you ever tried any of them.

[crazy4cats]

Oh, I was just gonna do the glasses, nose and mustache thing. Your idea sounds so much better. Actually I did go to Sam’s once with my mom’s membership and ran in to a coworker! We laughed and swore to secrecy we wouldn’t tell on each other. Lol!
I’ve not really tried any other litter for years. This is a very big step for me. Lol! I did buy some Dr. Elseys and it is less dusty. It’s expensive with 4 cats and 5 or 6 litter boxes. I think I’ll try the Petco brand to see how that works.

[Bobby dog]

Too funny.

They have a coupon for World’s Best, Simple Solution?, and Arm & Hammer. I agree, litter can be expensive let alone buying for multiple cats. My cats seem to only want to use the big litter box. lol I have to make another one of those sometime soon. It took 20 bs to fill the big box up. I might try WB out if I can find a small bag for the regular litter box.

[Akari_32]

If you guys have a Publix around, Cats Pride Fresh and Light is on sale for $5.99 this week. If you donated I think $3 (Might be $5– it’s the red one) to Children’s Miracle Network at the register, you should have gotten a sheet of coupons, one of them being a $2 any Cats Pride Fresh and Light litter. Some containers also have $2 off any Fresh and Light, which makes one thing of it $1.99 plus tax! I’ll be getting lots of this, since people leave behind their coupon sheets and I take them all after work, especially if I’m cleaning registers LOL

I printed out the Simple Solutions coupons, but I haven’t seen it yet! Anyone know much much it costs??

[Bobby dog]

Don’t know, you go coupon lady!!! 😉

[crazy4cats]

Hi Bobby dog-
I think that I recall you saying that you use Merrick dry food. If yes, are you concerned at all over the latest issues with the dog kibble? I just started transitioning my cats from their Wellness Core duck to the weight mgmt Merrick. It smells and looks ok. The cats are eating with no issues so far. I guess I’ll just keep an eye out for any problems. Any thoughts?

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
I do use the Merrick GF chic in my cat rotation. I don’t have any at this time and I have not had any issues with the cat kibble. I have been keeping up with the threads over the past several months about Merrick and Whole Earth Farms. I was interested in WEF for Bobby because my local pet store started carrying it.

Since I am looking for a replacement for Innova (since P&G sold them), I probably will find a replacement for Merrick as well. It never ends.

Right now I am finishing up Wellness Core Duck and I have a bag of Innova and EVO. Pet Supplies Plus has EVO and Cali Nat’l for 50% off this month, so I will pick up a bag of each of those next time out. That will give me time to decide what to try next, maybe Pure Vita.

As Shawna posted today about the 4D animals and the dog food Merrick makes for Wal-Mart, I read the comment she referred to months and months ago it. She couldn’t remember the name of the Wal-Mart food in her original comment so of course I went on a search for the name. I found they had discontinued making it.

The article in the Truthaboutpetfood is from 2008 so the latest info about Merrick is from the FDA which Losul posted. I haven’t looked further on the FDA site to see what the follow-up is from those inspections and recalls that were handled badly. They usually post follow-up info as well.

So that’s probably what I’ll do, find some more cat food those brats will eat. lol 😉

[Akari_32]

Since I’m too poor for the editors choice section (lol) what’s going on with Merrick?

Also, Alec is having issues with his blockage again. He’s not in a state where he needs a vet, but I have most of the day off tomorrow, so I’m prepared to take him if need be. He threw up earlier today, just a little (unless the dog got to it before I found it), and was pretty lethargic afterwards, but could still support his weight, and recovered quickly. Again, he decided to do this after 5. What does this cat have against getting sick during normal vet hours?? Anyways, two nights ago, I notice there where no poops in the litter box, but I did clean it earlier than usual, and some times he does only poop once a day, at night. Then I forgot to clean it last night, but it does look like there is poop now. At least two “doses”. Haven’t dived in yet lol

As of right now, he’s fine, but paying a lot of attention to his tummy and butt, licking until he’s soaked himself. So long as he’s acting ok, and pooping, and not throwing up all the time, I really can’t afford to take him back to the vet. Obviously, it comes down to him needing it, I’ll make it happen, but I gave him a spoonful of coconut oil (and by that I mean I shoved it down his throat because his tummy was still upset and it was too hard, so he didn’t want to put the effort into even just lightly biting it to get it off the spoon lol), and he’s been begging for food since he started feeling better. I’ll give him a can of Sheba with some more coconut oil for dinner, and the other two he can have tomorrow for small meals. My guess is that since he’s licking his butt-type area, whatever’s in there is getting close to passing!

[Bobby dog]

The threads we’re writing about are in the regular forum, Merrick and Whole Earth Farm threads, take a peak.

I hope it’s only a matter of him passing a hairball and you don’t have to visit the Vet. Glad you’ll be home with him tommorrow. 🙂

Be careful not to overfeed coco oil, it can cause digestive upsets/issues. Giving supplements may or may not be good for him if his tummy is upset.

How about the suspected bladder infection issue, did you ever get that urine sample? Licking those areas could be a sign of infection.

Did your Vet suggest adding extra fiber to help pass whatever showed up on the X-Ray?

Also, brush him daily. That will make a huge difference with hairballs.

[Akari_32]

Do you remember what the threads are called?

We have baby spoons that I use to give him coconut oil with. Not sure if that’s too much or what. He likes it though lol I don’t think likes honey. I have him some in his food last night, and he picked at it, then tried to bury it *rolls eyes* I haven’t checked to see if he ate it yet.

He’s licking more like his upper thigh/hip than his actual butt. Though it’s level with (at risk of sounding like a preteen boy) his butt hole (I’m gross, I know :p ). He never did that with his previous UIT. I’ve decided, after a few words with the vet, that he just doesn’t make very much pee (because he doesn’t drink). My guess is right now, the area hurts from the blockage, and he’s trying to relieve the pain. It just started yesterday, so I’ll watch it.

Have you tried brushing this cat?? He needs a double dose of benedryl before you can do anything with him LOL I do try though.

[Bobby dog]

I thought I read some comments about Merrick GF kibbles as well, but it appears my mind is playing tricks on me. All the recent comments that C4c and I were writing about was from the WEF GF thread; possible quality control issues with this kibble line. Also seems they have had quality control issues in the past.

/dog-food-reviews/whole-earth-farms-grain-free/
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm217086.htm

Maybe try a grooming glove for Alec. I know what you mean; sometimes those ornery kitties won’t sit still for a brushing or they start attacking you or the brush. I use a glove for my female kitty. She is fine being petted, for some reason does not like to be brushed too much. I actually use an old pair of riding gloves that have the rubber pebble grip coating on the palms. Wal-Mart carries Pet Head Massaging Bath Mitt for $5.44. They also had some grooming gloves on sale for $1.97 last month, don’t know if they still do or if that was just at my Wal-Mart.

Maybe Alec does not like the taste of supplements mixed in his food. Sometimes cats will eat supplements, like coco oil or honey, better without mixing them in their food. Archie, who eats almost anything, will not eat his food if I mix in anything. Supplements have to be hidden in little globs throughout his food, or fed on separately. Coco oil dosage for cats is ¼ teaspoon 2x daily to ½ teaspoon 1x daily per 10 lbs.

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/02/coconut-oil-is-good-for-your-dogs.html

[theBCnut]

There are some comments about the grain free somewhere, but they may not be actually on that thread.

[Bobby dog]

Ah ha, maybe I don’t need those memory enhancing vitamins? 😉

[Akari_32]

Ooh, a grooming mitt is a great idea! He seems to think that any and all brushes are toys that must be mauled and eaten LOL

[arwyru24]

So I decided to go ahead and try out feeding one of the Authority Chef’s Entrees stew style wet foods last night. As soon as I opened it up and saw what the chunks in a creamy looking sauce looked like I thought to myself “this is probably going to make Aaron barf I shouldn’t feed this” but then the urge to not waste the cat food overwhelmed me and I decided to give it a try. Bad idea. Barf-o-rama last night. It seems like, once he eats something that makes him barf, then he throws up everything he eats for up to 24 hours sometimes. So I pulled up all the rest of the wet food, and just put down dry food which he did puke up but is much easier to clean up then wet food. This morning I fed a couple of teaspoons of Natures Variety Chicken and that seemed to stay down.

[crazy4cats]

Is that something new? I didn’t know they had stew style. I’ve only fed the Authority Pate. My senior kitty prob would have barfed it up too. But I would have given it a go too! And then be mad at myself. Lol!

[Akari_32]

It’s some sort of pasta thing. I’ve not used it, though.

[arwyru24]

It might be new, I’ve never fed any of the authority line or really even looked at it before I got this buy one bag get two tubs free deal so I am not sure. It had been a long time since I had been in PetSmart. The one that barfs a lot is my senior boy too! I looked at the ingredients and I see it has dried skim milk so maybe thats the culprit? Who knows.
C4C, you’re right I was ticked off at myself for not just throwing it away. I was pretty certain that was going to happen lol. Here is the link to the product…but at PetSmart they had tons of different varieties in these 3.5oz tubs. I got a Chicken Pot Pie one which is what I fed last night and I got a Salmon Chowder or something like that which went into the donation box real fast after puke fest. Wet cat food like that is gross enough out of the can and its even worse after its gone down and then come up again. lol.

http://www.petsmart.com/cat/food/authority-chef-s-entrees-stew-cat-food-zid36-18341/cat-36-catid-200004?var_id=36-18341&_t=pfm%3Dcategory%26pfmvalue%3Dfaceted

[Bobby dog]

Alright Sharon, Bobby must of thought I was being left out of the barfing festivities. He barfed twice just before I was going to feed him dinner. We just finished playing with his frisbee, he drank a huge amount of water, came into the house and barfed in the kitchen, and while he was walking down the hallway. Needless to say I waited an hour to feed him his dinner and he only got canned food in several small portions. Didn’t want to risk him throwing up his whole dinner if he was not feeling well. He did keep it down. Maybe we overdid it today, IDK. I always take the weather in consideration with his activities. Of course knowing him he found something disgusting to eat while I was working in the garden. Oh how I hate to clean up barf!! lol

[aquariangt]

So, my cat has always been terrible about eating any wet food. I kinda just bought high protein dry food and called it good. After reading catinfo a while ago I started hunting some wet food she would eat, with no success. I think after three month or so, I may have found one, the wellness pouches. That said, they’re a bit messy… Does anyone know of a canned food with a similar consistency?

[Bobby dog]

Hi aquariangt:
I have never used Wellness pouches, but specifically I have not used any pouches because I have five cats and try to buy larger cans.

Unless someone else has fed it and can help you, would you describe the consisitency. If you can post that info, I’ll check out the foods I have fed and see if they are close to having the ingredients and consistency you are looking for.

[crazy4cats]

So our feed store had an “event” yesterday. There were hay rides, raffles, hot dogs and so on. But most importantly…..vendors and reps from several companies! I got a lot of samples. I got two of the new Wellness divine duo packs, but haven’t tried yet. The Nutro rep gave me a 3 pound bag of dry and 4 cans of wet. I also got a few cans of Dave’s for both cats and dogs. I’ll let you know how they work out. There were probably at least 10 companies represented. What I do for fun these days? My, how things have changed. Lol!

Aquariangt-
I’ve never tried the pouches either, but understand how they could be a pain. Can you try to find one of their canned prods with like ingredients but add water to it and stir it up? It sounds like it is a little soupy? Glad you are trying to add more moisture to the diet.

[aquariangt]

I’ll take a picture today, but it’s kind of stew like but with big chunks, not shredded

[crazy4cats]

Sharon-
I think 3 out of 4 of my cats would really like and do well with those Authority stew style tubs. But, I always feed them all the same thing. The young ones, at this point have to eat the same thing as the old lady. Poor kitties!

[crazy4cats]

Aquariangt-
Did you take a look at the Authority link that Sharon posted. That food looks stew like. It might not be as high quality as Wellness, though, you’d have to look at the ingredients. Also Earthborn has some tubs that are popular, but I haven’t tried those either. Somehow, I ended up with too many pets to feed the more expensive food! I have to buy the more budget stuff in the big cans at this point.

[Bobby dog]

C4c:
You had me at hotdogs!!! Just an FYI, the last co-packer info I had on Dave’s was that they used Evanger’s. Lately, I have seen posters on different forums complain that Dave’s no longer will disclose co-packer info to customers who request a name. I have never requested any info from them so I do not know how forthcoming they are with info.

[arwyru24]

Aquariangt: Hey, I am amazed that your cats like those Wellness pouches of all things, my cats only lick the gravy and leave the chunks behind. I would look into the Wellness cans that come in sliced or cubed varieties, although you won’t find the same flavor selection, the consistency is similar and my cats like those better. Since they don’t usually like to eat bigger chunks of food I have never gotten the cubed, but I have used the sliced and they eat those. Also, another good one to check out is Nature’s Variety Pride, the flaked varieties, my cats really like those. Oh and one more to check out is Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain. My cats love those.

Bobby Dog….Ahhh! Well it was very nice of Bobby to think of you and not want you to feel left out. Hopefully he is feeling better. My parents have a 4 month old Standard Schnauzer Puppy that I go see every day so I consider him mine too, and he is ALWAYS trying to eat things that are not at all edible and shouldn’t be eaten. Dogs.

[Akari_32]

aquariangt, try the Wellness Minced, Cubed, and Shredded (?) cans. They’re purple. They come in a thick sauce stuff with big pieces of meat, or finely chopped pieces.

[Bobby dog]

Hey aquariangt:
Looks like you got some suggestions! If you need any more help, stop back by. I keep a spreadsheet of food I feed my cats so I don’t waste money buying something they don’t like; they are brats. So if you have a question about a cat food, someone on this thread might have fed it before. 🙂

Sharon:
Bobby didn’t skip a beat that night. I suppose whatever it was he ate, just didn’t need to be eaten! I wonder if he learned his lesson… 😉

[aquariangt]

I can’t seem to get a picture to load on here, but if you google wellness healthy indulgence, the 2nd picture looks about like the one I took

I stopped and picked up an authority stew yesterday, no go. I’ll try the wellness cubed-the google image search looks about the same consistency. I’ve never been able to get her to go for any sort of pate (too bad, wellness duos look cool) and I’ve tried a few shredded stews as well, so that cubed one may work out.

Has anyone tried freshpet?

[Bobby dog]

I have tried Freshpet for Bobby and he loved it. That sounds like something to give a try for your kitty.

I have not fed anything with large chunks like that. My cats always licked the sauce off of any chunky styles and wasted the rest.

Does the food smell like something that we would eat? I have fed a few brands that have smaller chunks & sauce like this. Only one of my cats ended up liking them and I thought maybe it had to do with the ingredients. It actually smelled like something you would cook for yourself. They seem to like pate’s or Tiki, Weruva, Soulistic, or Against the Grain chicken shred flavors and some of the fish recipes of Tiki and Weruva.

One other suggestion I have for you is to check out Weruva’s website. They have pictures of their food. I think C4c feeds some Cats in the Kitchen. I have fed a few varieties of Weruva. They include more veggies and looks like a little less gravy, but maybe there are some options for you. Here’s a link:

http://www.weruva.com/cat-cuisine.php

[Bobby dog]

I just found pictures and a youtube video of the Wellness recipes. This might help you decide which Wellness recipe to try next.

Video:
http://www.floppycats.com/wellness-cubed-sliced-and-minced-grain-free-canned-cat-food-review-by-floppycats-com.html

Pictures from Petco.co:
http://www.petco.com/product/115495/Wellness-Sliced-Cuts-Adult-Canned-Cat-Food.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Cat_4-_-Wellness%20Sliced%20Cuts%20Adult%20Canned%20Cat%20Food-115495

http://www.petco.com/product/115493/Wellness-Cubed-Cuts-Adult-Canned-Cat-Food.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Cat_2-_-Wellness%20Cubed%20Cuts%20Adult%20Canned%20Cat%20Food-115493

http://www.petco.com/product/115494/Wellness-Minced-Cuts-Adult-Canned-Cat-Food.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Cat_3-_-Wellness%20Minced%20Cuts%20Adult%20Canned%20Cat%20Food-115494

[crazy4cats]

Oh my! You are one organized lady. I am definitely going to have to set up a spread sheet also. I have little post its and notes here and there with foods they don’t like. Of course, when I get to the store I don’t remember which is which! I always remember that Friskies, Poultry Platter always is a hit and never any vomit! Figures. LOL!

[Bobby dog]

If you ever saw me in the pet store, you would know it is Bobby dog; it’s quite the spectacle. I am either looking at a spreadsheet I downloaded on my phone (which is too small to really read from) or I have my spreadsheet in my hand. Normally I don’t have the latest spreadsheet on my phone. By the time I remember that I am running out the door and it is just quicker to print it. lol So I have a dog in one hand that I have to control that wants to greet everyone, papers or phone in my other hand, and my glasses on. I just got tired of buying food just to waste that I made myself get organized.

And thanks to you, I only have to remember one Friskies recipe, Poultry Platter. Lol It’s always a hit when they start turning their noses up to the good stuff. 😉

[arwyru24]

This is what the Natures Variety Pride Flaked looks like

http://catsherdyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/NaturesVariety_Counter02_sm.jpg

[arwyru24]

I think its also a pretty close match, its just that the gravyish stuff is thicker than in the Wellness pouches, but you could consider adding water to it. My cats really like the rabbit, chicken and salmon

[arwyru24]

I REALLY don’t want to spend so much money on flippin cat food, BUT…. I have been so very happy with this purchase that I think I am going to order a couple more. I have loved getting 3 different protein choices in one pack, and I feel that since 1/3 is duck it adds value to the purchase. Plus my cats like them all, and most importantly, seem to do very well with this food. Seems to be really digestible and I like that theres no carrageean (sp?). So much for budgeting.

[arwyru24]

ooops…this
http://www.chewy.com/cat/natures-variety-instinct-grain-free/dp/44686

[Bobby dog]

That is nice that they do a variety pack.

[crazy4cats]

Sharon- Gosh darn you. That looks really good! Nature’s Variety is the one premium food my cats will eat. Well, at least they did once a few weeks ago when I got a buy two get one free deal. I might have to get a few more cans before I order a case though. They are starting to not eat their Nutro Max and sometimes not even their Authority. Always their Fancy Feast and Friskies. Maybe Nature’s Variety would balance that out!

On another note, have we heard from Akari in a while? I’m curious how her pets are doing.

[Author]

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