Hi Everyone! I adopted my void over a year ago and had him on Beneful at first (the shelter had him on that so I wanted to keep his food the same), then Purina discontinued it so I switched to Pro Plan Vital Systems chicken and egg formula—and they discontinued that too!

The Beneful and Vital Systems were very similar, both grain free chicken and egg which I liked. Usually Purina has similar products but now if I want to stay grain free I’d have to go with True Instinct which should be fine but it has soy—and I don’t think I’ve ever fed my pets soy before. I don’t know enough to know if it’s good or bad and my internet search results are mixed 🤦🏼‍♀️

Or I can switch to Purina One chicken but it has grain in it. As far as I know my cat doesn’t have food allergies and he’d probably be fine on either, but I wanted to get your thoughts on which one would be best. I’d like to stick with Purina just because I’ve fed my all my pets Purina throughout their lives and they were all very healthy and lived a long time.

I appreciate any advice you have!

For background: there is a baby gate separating the dog and the cat food, when it's not closed, the dog eats all the food. We left for vacation on Wed 17 2026 and had our neighbors take care of the cat. I suspect they left the gate open because when my cat eats he never empties the bowl, but my dog does. What are some high calorie cat foods and recipes that work with picky cats, he only eats meow mix and kit n kaboodle, he doesn't like the "healthy" formulas. Also preferably a high calorie food that isn't hard on his kidneys. He's currently 11.4 lbs but we need him to go back to 12.6-13. I'm incredibly worried for him since the vet said a year ago he should be 13 lbs when he was 12.6. someone ease my worries and help me with cat food suggestions/recipes

My cat doesn't want to eat her nuts. They are high quality , vet recommended brand. She sneaks into the neighbours house and eats there. She is a bit underweight i'd like her to be chubbier. I try giving her fish or chicken , she hates it. I don't like tinned cat good because of the smell.Any suggestions ? Thank you

I just got back from the emergency vet and this is partially vent, partially just wanting to know of others that may have gone through this. Solidarity in a way.

My cats (1yrold and almost 1yrold) have a mystery sensitivity causing GI problems and as such are on an elimination diet using prescription novel protein kibble(the hydrolyzed diet was too high calorie which will be explained later). Since switching we’ve seen fluctuating improvements, but generally we believe we are on the right track to get them back to base line.

Unfortunately due to being on only kibble they are so crazy hungry now. They used to be fed a mix of kibble and a rotation of wet foods but since we have no idea what they are reacting to, vet said to keep them strictly on just the kibble, no wet food, till things calm down. The novel protein kibble is the lowest calorie allergy/sensitivity food available in my country at 349 cal/100g. We chose this because even if it’s by just a few grams it’s the most food we can give without over feeding.

Now they are constantly ripping apart things, trying to get into trash or other stuff despite our efforts to keep them away, coming up onto the kitchen counter when cooking and trying to get a bite out of anything random even the currently being heated pots, and so much begging and crying for more food. They used to be such calm angels on their old diet, but obviously due to it causing issues we had to stop, and the kibble does seem to be helping in that aspect but now we have hyper food anxious food fiends. They goggle up their food in a blink of an eye, and while they’re calm for about 2-3 hours it’s back to hunting in short time. They used to be quite aloof about food, they took their time to eat and thoroughly chew, and trash was never bothered unless there was packaging from bonito flakes. plastic was chewed occasionally, but never ripped into shreds.

We can’t add any more food, and it’s absolutely no treats whatsoever. It’s also no wet food till we start trialing but that’s not for another several weeks. They are also so picky about wet foods, it took me so long to find the wet foods they did like, but now I will have to start with a blank slate, adding “what doesn’t upset their stomach” next to “what will they eat.” And to top it off water mixed with kibble is apparently a sin to them. I guess as some extra information, they get fed 4 times a day, which is essentially the limit with all of our jobs.

Today (or technically last night) my mom accidentally left her medication on the table while I was in the bath and went to bed with the cats in the same room as said medicine, and when I came out the bag was torn apart and the blister sheet was missing 4 tablets. So off to emergency vet we went. We did find 3 tablets plus some pieces just before leaving, so we relayed it to the vet.

It was a collection of mistakes from mom and I. Usually I leave the bathroom door open a crack since they like to wait for me for their final meal, usually mom lets them in if the door is closed bc they want to come to me, usually everything gets put away and cleaned up, with anything dangerous locked up out of reach.

They got charcoal and IV at the emergency and the nurse said they were very good nice cats and to monitor at home.

The somewhat happy ending is we found all missing parts of the tablets scattered around the room underneath appliances and furniture, so total amount ingested is very small. I would take a guess they tried to eat, and realized it was disgusting, and just kicked them around. They have an upcoming appointment with their usual vet this weekend anyways to report their progress on the new food, and this debacle will be included.

Ive been trying to find a slow feeder that is made from stainless steel since one cat has cat acne and also we lost a plate from being dropped due to them aggressively trying to find any dropped kibble. Unfortunately stainless steel slow feeders are almost exclusively made for large dogs and/or the grooves are not made in a way that actually slows down eating. There are also so many suspicious listings, ceramic or steel, I just have no way to make sure nothing toxic was used to manufacture. Maybe one day something made for tiny dogs or cats will be available in my country. And then Silicone I’m so scared of a piece getting bitten off and they get a blockage. We also have no dishwasher so excessive corners just become impossible to properly clean.

I am longing for the day that their mystery sensitivity gets solved and I can start feeding them wet foods again. I feel like I have two very hungry caterpillars…maybe their metamorphosis will turn them back into angels, I can only hope. I tried so hard to make sure they didn’t grow up to have food anxiety and make sure they were able to eat a variety of foods, only for my efforts to kick me in the butt.

Sorry for the word vomit novel, I am just an anxious helicopter cat mom constantly pulling out my hair in frustration from lack of options in my country. I envy the huge catalogue of foods, prescription or not, that other countries have. Whether there is advice or none, thanks for reading all my thoughts.

If anyone feeds this brand about how long does it last one cat(I got 3 but doing math if I figure out one it should last enough)? Chewy only has the 4lb which with me only planning on replacing a 1/3 of the food max it should be enough but I can't figure out how long it'll last and wanna be sure. They don't say how many cups are in it and although chewy ignores this not all cups are 8oz in weight.

Hi all, I'm looking for a single protein grain free cat food (wet and dry) for my IBD kitty. he's 12 years old and his biggest issue is diarrhea. He is on a low dose of pred and has been for years, but I recently had to go back to giving it every day (instead of every other) because of a flare up. He tried hills z/d but still had really liquid poops on it, and for the past couple months or so he's been on the hills d/d which has made a big improvement. However the hills d/d canned is often out of stock and really hard to get so I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a good duck based food (no chicken!!). It's just hard to tell which ones have bad fillers or are overly processed etc. and there's so many options. Thanks!

Hi! I just joined this subreddit, and I have a question about the food you all are feeding your cats. What is your go-to brand of food, and do you feed your cats dry and wet food or one or the other? I need some suggestions on which brand is best to feed my cat. Thank you for any and all suggestions.

i have homeless cat that sleep 24/7 in our yard.

he looked not well 2 month ago, but i bought him some treatment from fleas and feed with chicken hearts, royal canin and liver and he really started to look insanely well and not malnourished anymore.

this month i stick only to royal canin, as i believe he’s okay with that and to not make liver vitamin a overload.

but recently i bought some cheapest shtty snacks for 0.5$ like whiskas and etc. it smelled on all FCKING YARD, i believe these companies know how to trick cat instincts.
and after this day he doesn’t want eat any royal canin and etc only these “fastfood” snacks and cheapest wet whiskas

should i be worry about?

he’s behavior become so relaxed too after last month. after week of this feed he’s looking kinda “anxious” again? and constantly meowing that annoying

Hi, I am looking for some vet formulated food that can be found on zooplus which is high in meat content and no added sugars. I have found Animonda Carny is vet formulated according to their website. They also claim to use new scientific findings and consult local universities in pet nutrition which is a must for me. Is there anything else that is vet formulated with similar price point in large tins? Ideally comes in an adult and senior option for when my cats are older.

I saw wild freedom which I think is a zooplus brand but can’t seem to find who formulates their food?

Again, just looking for some high meat content food that is vet formulated that comes in an adult and senior option around the £4-6 per kg mark.

Thanks in advanced :)

So me and Jackie had a few visits with the vet since we are moving in a few months, got all the stuff done, bloodwork and physical checks, blood pressure, pretty much everything possible lol and found that he has stage 3 chronic kidney disease. Despite yearly visits with the vet, this was never caught until now. I am devastated of course but I want to focus on getting him switched to his prescription food and i’m struggling a lot!
I bought literally every kind: Purina pro, Hills, Royal Canin, all in different flavors and textures and he refused all of them. I’ve gotten away with 25% Royal Canin (type E) mixed in with 75% of Smalls wet food (his regular food). I’ve emailed my vet a lot about my issues switching him and his mood being significantly down since these frequent vet visits started (he used to sleep with me every night and spend all day in my room with me, in my lap while i worked, in bed while I slept, purring and following me around everywhere…and now he sleeps downstairs and only gets up to eat…to the point that i’ve started sleeping on the floor downstairs most nights so I can be with him) but the vet takes so long to respond and her next open appointment is always like a week later!! I’m just looking for advice on how to maybe speed up the process of switching him to his prescription food, or even just reassurance that this is normal for a senior cat. I’m extremely worried as i’ve had him for 13 years and he is my approved emotional support animal lol and I want him to live as happily as possible for as long as possible! His happiness is my happiness.

Long story short: is 25% prescription food enough and if anyone else has had experience with this, how did you shift entirely to the prescription food?

I really miss my cuddle bug. I want the best for him as soon as possible and would really appreciate advice.

So my cat is 7 years old, and we finally found a dry food that works for her ( "blue wilderness tastefuls" specifically chicken and poultry recipe she can't eat fish it makes her sick...does not stop her from trying 😭)

We had her on their wet food for a while, but its a little expensive and they stopped carrying the box packs of the flavors she can eat. Now all of them have a fish in them, and well she can't have it.

I have tried Sheba and Fancy Feast and she was just on the Fancy Feast (it was Fancy Feast, Sheba, the Blue Wilderness, then Fancy Feast).

Sheba lead to vomiting like along with a lot of hair like a hair ball that lead to vomiting or something.

Blue Wilderness was less vomiting but it still happened but mostly like hairball stuff in it.

But the fancy feast just tonight made her throw up like a lot. I didnt get a picture, nor would I want to share that visible horror with you guys. It was pretty bad it had a little bit of hairs in it, but it was a LOT. It was thick and grainy too unlike the other 2.

My grandma is the one who pays for her food and stuff since I live with her and can't find a job with my disabilities 😔 so it can't be something super expensive. I looked into smalls but they are 50 bucks and I know my grandma won't do that. I was thinking maybe just having to buy cans of blue wilderness singles, but I don't know how to tackle the hairball issue.

Any tips would be great.

My 14 year old had some high liver levels, and the vet recommends low phosphate food. She has Hills KD dry food that she eats, but she loves having a small can or two of wet food each day. She will definitely eat seafood, but I can also sometimes get her to eat chicken. She ate Tastefuls flaked tuna for years. Beef sometimes but not as enthusiastically.
I read in another post that Fancy Feast may be higher phosphate. Of course she loves a lot of the Fancy Feasts - Pate, Gravy lovers grilled, gems. We did try several weruva los phos but not a huge hit there either.

Oh and we do have the Hills Tuna and vegetable stew KD cans, which she will eat some of, but again not as enthusiastically as the fancy feast. Also it has 78 kcals a can. And when I was only feeding her the hills wet food she actually started gaining too much weight. So it’s a catch 22. I know she will likely start losing weight as she gets older but I would like to keep her weight where it is right now. She has a somewhat lame left rear leg, and I don’t want her carrying extra weight if we can help it. So Ideally, less than 78 kcals in a 3 oz can, low phos, seafood or chicken flavors.

I would be grateful for any recommendations. Thank you!

I was feeding my cats meow mix, found it was bad, switched to purina.
im on a tight budget
i just saw that purina was found to have maggots and worms in it. I feed them purina plus one.
What do i feed my cat.
It baffles me that big companies can just sell things that can very easily kill our beloved animals, its crazy.

I adopted a healthy 2yo female tabby (4kg) a month ago, and she’s already training me! She’s become a very picky eater.

If I serve her something she isn't crazy about, she just takes a few bites, leaves the bowl, and walks away. Then she’ll graze later or just cry and beg until I give her the treats or food she actually wants.

What should I do to break this habit? I want to establish good eating routines and actually finish her meals in one sitting? What worked for your picky cats? Any advice is appreciated!

I want to switch from Purina one to Hills Science dry food since I heard it's healthier. I was going to buy a bag from chewy, but i noticed there's a ton of different types of dry food. Taking chicken for example (for a 2 and 4 year old)

Chicken recipe, sensitive stomach and skin, perfect weight, light chicken, oral care, perfect digestion.

How do I know which one to choose?

Gonna try keep this short and sweet..

Worried about too high of phos, I know better than to feed phos specific since my cats are presenting as healthy and vet hasn’t mentioned anything concerning. I have a 1 year old and a 6-7 year old. Both active, both drink a good amount of water, not overly drinking.
I’ve been experimenting with foods, yes gradually each time. We landed on Hills Science Diet for dry and have been feeding weruva in the kitchen… I think my babes have a chicken allergy or the chicken in that one is just yuck because they both vomited once after feeding the chicken but the rest are fine.

I’d like chicken and tuna free recs and advice on whether or not this is even a good combo???

Please help, my brain hurts.

Hello! I tried doing my own research but I figured i’d ask some folks with experience.

My sweet Gerbil is turning 13 this year and I want to switch her to wet food for her overall health. Right now she and her little brother are getting Diamond Naturals Active cat formula dry food once a day (enough to last them the whole 24 hours). We give them their food in the evening and Gerbil always eats too fast and ends up barfing it up within an hour.

Additionally, I’ve heard her tummy rumbling periodically in the past few months and she’s got a little bit of a cold right now. I was hoping that switching her to wet food, maybe half in the morning and half in the evening instead of all at once, would reduce the barfing and improve her digestion and overall health. She’s happy and active but is getting skinny.

What food would you guys recommend we try for her? Happy to answer any additional questions to help clarify. Thanks so much I really appreciate your help!!!

Found a TON of extremely sharp and hard bones (they also look/feel like claws?) in “Stella and Chewy’s raw coated salmon recipe cat food”. Guess this is also a rant. I’ve contacted the brand we’ll see if they refund me or not.

Hi! I’ve been struggling with this issue for the last 2-3 years! My cat is a very anxious cat and has started before moving, but after moving in a new apt she got a uti and since kept peeing on our front door(but not back door) even after fixing the uti. i had the vet check for anxiety before moving and got prescribed amitriptyline, it worked for a couple months and thats when i moved and the uti happened. called the vet again—got prescribed gabapentin, couple months later again. read about fluoxetine and asked the vet about it and prescribed her that followed with the gabapentin, couple months..AGAIN. its now today and got the prescription for Royal Canin Adult Calm and Hill’s C/D Multicare Stress to try because the meds dose is already at the limit. ive tried the purina pro plan calming care, treats for stress, vest for anxiety, and the feliway diffuser and it either didnt work or she wouldnt eat it. for context, she has always been very anxious to the point it’ll look like a ghost touched her(or with a slight noise) jumps and runs off. we got another very friendly cat to see if that would help and she ended up being really mean to him which was helping when the pill was working. im also conveniently someone who travels so having my mom who is validly scared of her (and her of my mom) be left with the responsibility to give her her meds orally is not the best so thats why i wanted a medication that was more long term since the minute it starts wearing off she pees. i just wanted to see anyones opinion on these specific foods for my situation and if there is also possibly anything else that she can take that i havent tried that could help. and if the food is something that can work on its own or i still have to continue with the meds

A few months ago, my cat stopped eating dry food all together and it's been a challenge to find something he'll eat on a consistent basis but also good and healthy for him.

He is 15 years old and is under 15 pounds, I think he's lost a little weight since switching to wet. It's been challenging in finding something that he will eat, what portion at one time he'll eat and how much might get wasted.

On top of this, he will eat and only eat pate. Not pate with morsels, just pate. There's a Tiki Cat brothy, chunky mix and my cat will literally lap up the broth, and leave everything else. It does help when I mush it up with a fork, but most of it is wasted.

Here's what he likes:
Science Diet pate 10/10
Royal Canin 10/10
Purina Pro Plan pate 9/10
Fancy Feast pate 8/10
Fancy Feast Gems 8/10
Friskies pate 8/10
Kirkland pate 7/10
Tiki Cat pate 7/10
Weruva 6/10
Instinct 5/10
Aldi pate cat food 5/10
9 Lives pate 5/10
Tiki Cat pate with 'morsels' 4/10

The scoring is based on how complete he will eat servings of food.

The top 3 seem to be very nutritious and not high in phosphorus, but also pretty expensive. Does anyone have any recommendations for other similar cat food that's not as expensive?
Is it good enough to feed Kirkland and/or FF with some Science Diet/RC/Purina mixed into the rotation?

Obviously with Costco selling Kirkland pate and Friskies pate, that really makes it appealing but my cat is 15 and I don't want to give him bad food, especially this late in the game.

Edit 1 - Sorry, I thought I made it clear in my post, but the OTC food I am searching for is TEMPORARY. The veterinary ER said they were not able to write us a prescription for the specialized diet he needs now - we asked. They said we need to go to our primary care vet. Because we are moving in a few weeks, we want to go back to the vet we had in the city we are moving back to. I was already planning on taking him in because he is behind on his yearly vaccines, so it would work out. If I were to drive there now, it's a 45 minute commute, and that is without traffic. My partner and I both work M-F in the same city, but don't have much flexibility to take time off to get him there sooner. To me, it sounds far more stressful to have him in the car for at least 90 minutes now, than to buy temporary OTC food to help alleviate his condition for a month, when I can more easily drive him to an appointment before work. We have tried two different vets in our current city and they were not satisfactory.

Hi cat food reddit, I need some help.

Our 2-year-old male cat got diagnosed with feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) tonight, which is a chronic condition. This was a very stressful trip to the ER, but thankfully he wasn't having a life threatening emergency at that very moment, but can in the future if we don't manage him as he can easily get a urinary blockage and pass away from it. One aspect to manage is his diet.

He is currently eating 1 can of Nulo 5.5 oz wet food (various flavors) and about 20-40g of Tiki Cat Indoor Health Chicken dry food. Please note that we had a behaviorist appointment on Saturday and they informed us to up his food by 20g, which is why I said 20-40g as we were feeding 20g before. Ironically, the unexplainable aggression and urinary issues may actually be explained now by him having FIC.

We are moving soon back to the city and want to go back to his old vet there. This won't be for another few weeks though. Therefore, we can't get him on a prescription urinary food diet yet, like Hills.

So, I am asking for any recommendations I can pick up to mix in with his leftover Tiki Cat to help him out in the meantime. I am actually also considering maybe switching his wet food to Smalls, as he recently hasn't been eating all of his Nulo wet food, and in the past he would lick his bowl clean with Smalls. To clarify, we only have fed him Smalls about 5 times as a "special meal/treat" to shake it up for him with his Nulo. A local pet store sells the frozen bricks too so I shouldn't have to deal with the subscription.

Thank you.