 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / General Topics / August 2006Tartar fighting. Do I have to spend a forture on food?
Hello, all: I was just hoping to get an opinion about cat food and a cat's dental health. On the advice of my vet I fed my last cat Hill's t/d cat food because it was good for her and excellent for her teeth (and many of us know how terrible tooth problems can be with cats). So I have two new cats (Kitty passed away a year and a half ago) and I'm continuing with Hill's t/d. But the cost! These two are eating machines and can go through a ten pound bag ($44) in no time. I definitely want the best for them and am concerned about their having very healthy teeth. But is there a less expensive brand than Hill's??? To make matters worse, when I picked up a new bag yesterday at the vet's, they told me you can *only* buy Hill's t/d at a vet's office. That's not very convenient. Any and all advice about good healthy, tartar fighting cat food would be most appreciated. David in Toronto "WPB" <yes_no@maybe.com> wrote in message > I definitely want the best for them and am concerned about their having > very healthy teeth. But is there a less expensive brand than Hill's??? To > make matters worse, when I picked up a new bag yesterday at the vet's, they I tend to think that there's not much difference between kibbles when it comes to tarter on a cat's teeth. I feel that it's the scraping of the kibble of the hard kibble on the teeth that might have a beneficial affect like removing tarter. If you're really concerned about your cat's teeth, then you can buy cat tooth brushes. One type is the little sleeve that slides on your finger and then you use that to do your cat's teeth ~ disposable of course, so they add up in cost, but they're very convenient. I feed my cat IAMS Original kibble (orange bag). An eight pound bag at Canadian Tire costs about $16.00. As small a benefit as it is, the Canadian Tire money reduces that another 1%. The only place I've seen the 16 pound bags of IAMS kibble is at the PetSmart, 835 Eglinton Avenue East at Laird and it costs more per pound since PetSmart isn't known for its cheap prices. As well, IAMS has several other kibbles for different stages of a cat's grown. But, PetSmart also has a free customer discount card, so it might be cheaper buying the large bag of IAMS from them. Have to check that out. > David in Toronto Another David in Toronto. >> I definitely want the best for them and am concerned about their having >> very healthy teeth. But is there a less expensive brand than Hill's??? [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >grown. But, PetSmart also has a free customer discount card, so it might be >cheaper buying the large bag of IAMS from them. Have to check that out. I buy the Hills Tartar control dry at Pet Smart here. I change off with Friskies tartar control dry to give them a change.] My furbabies http://members.aol.com/larrystark/ Many thanks to everyone who replied--especially David in Toronto and Mike in Illinois. You both make great points. David gives me an alternative suggestion while Mike says "Hills is expensive, but it's great for cats." Both points are well taken. My last cat had a happy life on Hills t/d. On the other hand, this IAMS brand sounds fine and is just over one third the cost of the Hill's. I definitely wouldn't nickel and dime when it comes to my cats. I'll give this some thought. Again, as I mentioned I only know one vet that sells the Hill's and that's a real hike. Strangely enough, David, I know that Petsmart and Canadian Tire on Laird at Eglinton well. I live just on the south side of the Leaside Bridge--only about a five minute drive. Ooooooo, I hate that Canadian Tire, though. Run down, impossible to find staff--it's depressing. Again, thanks to everyone for your time and trouble! David I have a suggestion, I just started my cats on Innova dry food, it is bigger than most dry foods I have seen - halfway to the size of T/D - which is what makes it good, the large size that needs crunching. It is also rated as one of the best - top 2 or 3. My cats love it I used to feed them eukanuba. No offence to anyone, but from what I have been reading, Iams is bad stuff compared to some others for the same money - or close. Read the ingredients. Google best dry cat food and you'll see some great info. Innova was a very fair price for the biggest bag - I forget exactly. Chris  SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com http://cats.about.com/cs/nutrition/tp/premdrycatfood.htm >I have a suggestion, I just started my cats on Innova dry food, it is >bigger than most dry foods I have seen - halfway to the size of T/D - which [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Chris SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com "The Cat Whisperer" <cat@whisperer.com> wrote in message > No offence to anyone, but from what I have been reading, Iams is bad stuff > compared to some others for the same money - or close. Read the ingredients. > Google best dry cat food and you'll see some great info. What do you do when your cat absolutely refuses to eat most anything else? I wish the food manufacturer's had little sample bags of their products, something I could buy for a few dollars apiece. I'm loathe to spend $10 or so per bag trying out brands and then have to throw it out when my kitty won't eat it. I've already been through five or six moist food types and at least a half dozen types of cat treats. My cat thumbed her nose at all of them. I'll Google that dry cat food. Maybe I can mix two brands of kibble and gradually wean her onto something else. Isis had a problem with struvite crystals forming in her bladder. These are caused by an over abundance of magnesium. She also has a very sensitive stomach. Anything unusual, like a small piece of chicken from a sandwich, comes right back up. My vet had me put her on Hill's Prescription C/D which is lower in magnesium. She loves that food, dry and canned. It comes in two flavors so I alternate. The struvite crystals went away and the only times she gacks up food is if I let her eat too much. I like the Hill's company. I know their products are pricey. The vet marks up the food. I only have one cat, not three, so I can deal with the $1.00+ price per can and the cost of the bagged food. I took Isis in for a dental exam a few months ago and will do so again in the next year. Her teeth came up clean - no cavities. I don't guess there's really any way to beat the costs of having a warm-blooded mammal in my house. I budget it into the mix. I'm sure I spend close to a thousand a year in food, bathing, and medical exam costs. Mike in Illinois > Hello, all: I was just hoping to get an opinion about cat food and a cat's > dental health. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > David in Toronto I find it more than a little ironic that the dry, carbohydrate-based food that is intended to ""clean"" cats' teeth, is actually one of the main products responsible for causing tartar build-up in cats. Most of them apparently don't even do any cleaning. It's kind of like, but obviously not the same as using triclosan-based products in humans, which destroy good & bad bacteria (not to mention build resistance of bad bacteria). A cursory iSearch should give you a better picture... > Hello, all: I was just hoping to get an opinion about cat food and a cat's > dental health. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > David in Toronto |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.