Feed the Cat, Tuppence a Bag

If only feeding our furry and feathered friends were as easy (and cheap!) as buying a bag of bread crumbs from the iconic St. Paul’s bird lady. Now we know that feeding people food to the birds is not really good for them, and we also know more about the negative consequences of packing cat and dog foods with corn fillers and wheat gluten.

Chris and I are pretty efficient grocery shoppers, but when we hit the Pet Supplies aisle, things hit a standstill. We freeze in front of the cat food, puzzling over brands, ingredients, and prices.

We know that feeding your pets a good quality food prevents health problems, prolongs their lives, and, as an added bonus, keeps your vet bill low (hooray for “well” visits!). But what is a “good” food?

Like any concerned cat-mom, I hit the Interweb to find out. As with human nutrition, there’s a lot of conflicting information. Some sources say rice and veggies are good for a cat’s diet, others disagree. Cheaper brands are full of icky by-products, but even pricey organic brands have histories of recalls. (Begging the question: How organic is organic, anyway?)

Homemade pet foods are gaining in popularity, but since I do not eat beef or chicken myself, I can’t see purchasing these ingredients and cooking (or not cooking, as raw food diets demand) dinner for my cat. Honestly, sometimes I hardly get it together enough to make sure the boy and I get healthy dinners. And I wouldn’t trust myself to give the cat his proper balance of crude proteins, vitamins, etc. I am not a vet.

Under consideration:

Iams is an affordable, “premium” brand. However, only a few “flavors” are available, and many contain meat by-products. They make special formulas for various health conditions, but our kitty is not in need of these.

Purina Pro Plan Selects is not organic, but seems to get rave reviews for its high-quality ingredients. Sadly, I can’t find this stuff anywhere in order to try it out. I hesitate to order a case, in case Roger hates it. I'd also prefer not to rely upon having cat food shipped.

Wellness "natural" food is available at one of the specialty pet stores in our neighborhood. The price makes me a bit wary, in addition to complaints against one of their manufacturers.

We are still on the hunt for the perfect food. And that’s just wet food—grain-packed dry foods are an entirely separate headache. For now, he gets both wet and dry, in measured helpings 2x/day. Our beloved vets at the Sunnyside Veterinary Group assure us that Roger is a healthy boy…we’ll do our best to keep him that way.

Roger's belleh, for your enjoyment.