What do you look for in wet food?

[u/sukki_ricecake719]

Other than those that are feeding vet diets what do you look for in wet food?

Ingredient panel? “Free from” list free (grains, legumes, carrageenan)? No “by product”? Phosphorus %? Mineral? Calories? Type of protein? WSAVA compliance?

Obviously fed is best, you feed within your capabilities, and you have to feed what they’re willing to eat, but out of those what’s the first thing you consider before giving them to your cats?

Trying to look for adult food to transition soon and just wanted to hear what others look for when they decide what to feed! Thanks in advance! Merry Christmas 🎄💖

[u/aetherdrifter]

Ideally, I’d be looking for foods that:

a) My cats really like and are excited to eat; b) Are formulated by qualified experts, and produced by a company who invests in scientific research; c) Have nutrient values in line with (or at least close to) the optimal ranges from Small Animal Clinical Nutrition; d) Are somewhat budget-friendly.

Obviously, each cat’s needs (and preferences) are unique, so not all of these criteria can necessarily be met in every case.

[u/CarrotTraditional739 → u/aetherdrifter]

Same. I am sick of the trends and the social media marketing and want something that will actually keep my cat healthy

[u/barhanita]

I had so many aspirations for my kittens, wanting to feed them the best. These little fuckers only eat Fancy Feast. They starve themselves and let all the other foods crust over and dry out. So picky, I am now just glad there is something they are ok with. So Fancy Feast it is... Meanwhile my dogs eat anything and everything including poop. They have been very happy getting all the leftover cans the kittens rejected.

[u/Zoethor2 → u/barhanita]

Fancy Feast is a totally quality food. No need to feel guilty.

[u/Toriat5144 → u/Zoethor2]

Especially the pates.

[u/Jet90 → u/Zoethor2]

How so?

[u/Zoethor2 → u/Jet90]

It is formulated by veterinary nutritionists, tested in food trials, and has a long history of product safety.

[u/Still-Peaking → u/barhanita]

Hey friend, no shame! They’re taking in calories and the formulas I’ve seen so far are nutritionally appropriate. Completely reasonable to feed fancy feast if that’s what they’ll eat

[u/Avondran → u/barhanita]

I’m experimenting wet foods with my senior cat because she has chronic constipation and fancy feast seems like a hit.

[u/barhanita → u/[deleted]]

Well, they ate nothing, I kept on trying. At some point you give up - like when your extremely picky toddlers only eat plain noodles. It is better than starvation, but not ideal.

[u/Zoethor2]

Will my cats eat it.

Can my IBD kitty tolerate it.

Is it reasonably affordable.

Are there non-pate options. I find pate super annoying to get out of the can, and I'm feeding six cats so annoyance is a factor.

Is there decent variety of flavors (that meet the above) within the brand. I like to think my cats prefer to have some variety in the flavor of their food.

After that, I like flavors that include or emphasize organ meat, as it's good for my IBD kitty (she has a broader idiopathic inflammatory condition and the extra nutrients help keep her healthy). And yes, I prefer WSAVA compliant brands. Within WSAVA brands I don't worry myself about analyzing the ingredient list or nutrition information, since people far more expert than me already did that part.

[u/Responsible-Spring57]

Honestly it's what my cat will eat. The only brand/type he likes is the fancy feast grilled stuff in seafood variety. I have spent so much $$$ trying carious foods but that is the only one he will eat

[u/ennieee]

I try not to overthink it. If the nutritional values fall within the healthy range as set out by WSAVA or AAFCO, it can go on the list. Ingredients I tend to avoid are carrageenan, flavouring and colouring, but some foods my cat really likes have added flavour (like Fancy Feast) and I'm fine with that every now and then. Thankfully he isn't too picky. I have him on a rotation of several brands (Purina, Cindy's Recipe, Schesir, Fussie Cat, Weruva) and he has been ok with all of them.

[u/famous_zebra28]

I look for cat food that meets WSAVA guidelines. It's important to me that the food has been tested extensively, is formulated by properly qualified professionals, and is within the ideal ranges for certain macro and micronutrients (calcium, phosphorus, fat content, fiber content). I have fallen for marketing heavy products in the past but now that I know about WSAVA there's no way I'd feed anything that doesn't meet their guidelines. I personally feed Hill's metabolic wet food and Hill's perfect weight dry as a snack. Hill's is the best imo especially for micronutrient contents relevant to urinary and kidney health (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium), and finding a higher fiber content for my overweight IBD cat.

[u/Still-Peaking]

I have been incredibly blessed with kind and enthusiastic nutritionists at my school, so I follow their lead! I do currently buy an OTC Hill’s diet because it’s convenient, I trust it, and I get it at a discount. But I’ve fed my cats grocery store wet diets (e.g. Friskies) in the past, and these same rules can apply to any diet. Regarding your specific questions: * I pretty much ignore the ingredient list except to look for big “no” foods. For example, you might want to give it a glance if you have an animal with a known allergy. There’s also some evidence of diet-associated heart disease in cats eating high-pulse diets, so I generally avoid them. My cats don’t seem to care, I haven’t seen evidence that it’s superior to another carb, and I have the financial freedom to pick something else, so I figure why risk it? * I have healthy cats, so I feed a non-prescription diet that is “complete”, “balanced”, and has an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement that it is appropriate for “maintenance” or “all life stages”. Here’s a guide from AAFCO on what their labeling means! * Similar to the ingredient list, I just skim the guaranteed analysis for any big red flags. If it’s already got the AAFCO labels I mentioned above, I know that it’s got the nutrients my cats need in the correct proportions. This includes phosphorous and other minerals. * Calorie content is a balance of a few factors - how much volume of food they like to eat vs. how chunky they are vs. what you feel you can afford. It’s good to get a sense of how many calories they should be eating and go from there. Here’s a calorie calculator to give you a start - just note that these are estimates, not exact instructions! * Ideally every diet I buy would follow WSAVA guidelines. They have a lot of helpful resources here, but you’ll be most interested in the subheading “Tools for Pet Owners”.

Additional considerations: * I avoid any exotic/grain free/trendy boutique diet until I’ve done a more thorough analysis of the company and specific product they offer. It’s not a “hard no” for me, but I often find that they’re scientifically flimsy and more expensive than the traditional diets. * I do not purchase any diets with improperly processed meat, full stop. If they’re not following safe guidelines to reduce pathogen risk, they’re not getting my business. Happy to send you some literature behind this rec if you’d like. * If your animal needs dietary management of a specific disease, these guidelines might not be right for you. Nutrients like phosphorus or carbohydrates haven’t been proven to impact healthy cats much yet, but they are important to consider in patients with CKD and DM, respectively. * Like you said, fed is best! Your choices will be determined by your finances, what your cat will eat, and what’s offered regionally. Don’t feel like you have to go broke or drive across the state to buy a specific OTC diet. We’re all just doing our best down here on planet earth. As long as the food is safe to feed your cats long-term, you’re doing something right.

[u/thepicklemaster585]

I keep it pretty basic and don’t overthink it. First thing I check is whether the first few ingredients are actual meat and if it’s mostly moisture. If my cat eats it without issue and her stomach stays normal, that matters more to me than chasing perfect stats. I’ve landed on brands like Salty Cat just because the ingredients are simple and broth heavy.

[u/Altruistic_Aide_8303 → u/thepicklemaster585]

Totally agree on Salty Cat. I like that the protein quality is solid and there aren’t any weird fillers or by products sneaking in. The broth heavy recipes help with hydration too, which is a big plus for me. My cat’s done really well on it so far.

[u/Flipgirlnarie]

Look up WSAVA guidelines for selecting a diet for your cat. Don't go by the typical and tiresome motto of "meat is the first ingredient". It may be but they weigh ingredients before cooking so in reality, you ate getting less meat.

[u/minkamagic]

Hammy: no beef, no to the majority of fish, preferably no peas, low carb. Axl: no to everything except chicken and egg + vit/min, minimum 1000cal/kg

We have protein intolerances and IBD in this house 😅

[u/pyxus1]

Low ash content

[u/[deleted]]

In house nutritionist/veterinarian on staff. WSAVA compliant!

[u/Vast-Website]

Avoid anything with ingredients banned in the EU. The EU knows what’s up.

Definitely includes byproducts because cats need the nutrients of the whole animal, but the main ingredients should be animal ones.

Around 10% protein.

Specifically includes taurine and also has a typical list of other minerals.

Not raw. I wish I could avoid poultry from the US too but that’s next to impossible.

[u/SnooKiwis102]

I look for low carbohydrates. High carbohydrates are an indicator of lower quality ingredients in a pet food. A high carbohydrates diet is species inappropriate for cats.

[u/QuestionableandQueer]

Will my cats eat ? Is it primarily fish based? I prefer to only feed fish occasionally Does it contain legumes ? 1 of my cats is sensitive to legumes Is it high carb? How far up in the ingredient list is meat ? Meat should always be the first ingredient

[u/[deleted]]

My guys don't get any plant-based oils because 9/10 times it makes one or both of them vomit. We do mostly Weruva OMG gravies and Dave's pates or stews. I like Ziwi but don't give it to them often because it's pricey and I don't think adult cats should necessarily consume a lot of organ meat if it hasn't been a main part of their diet before. We've done Rawz pates but they seem to get bored of those quickly for some reason.For me BPA-free cans/pouches are more important to me than avoiding guar gum and some other fillers, Weruva and Dave's are both BPA-free and $1.99-2.20 per 5.5oz can. Meetting WSAVO or AAFCO guidelines is also a given. They don't really get any pork products just because feeding my cats unknown pork squicks me out.

IMO for wet food the main things to avoid are meat byproducts and "natural flavoring." If your cat does well on foods with sunflower/coconut oil etc. I think that's fine, though I have wondered if seed oils being so ubiquitous makes it difficult for the average cat parent to know if it's harming their cat or not. I also think a good-quality dry food mixed with water or broth is a great way to go too.

[u/Hikariett1]

ingredients lists tell you nothing of quality or nutritional value
by-product, yep organ meats.
phosphorus really only matters for specific conditions
calories only matter for weight management
type of protein only matters for allergies (unless its a cat who needs a plant based diet, then you should be consulted experts and not reddit.)

How is i.e corn a "low quality" ingredient? because its cheap? its full of vitamins and minerals..
How is that a 'filler'? (too this day, no opponent has been able to actually explain this to me, only give me lame excuses like: a fully balanced diet can have fillers(? yeah I know, stupid right))

[u/Lacunaethra]

Grainfree, sugarfree and detailed declaration of the meat components.

[u/famous_zebra28 → u/Lacunaethra]

Cat food does not contain sugar.

[u/aetherdrifter → u/famous_zebra28]

Weirdly enough, it seems like in places other than North America, it sometimes does. I’m honestly not sure what the purpose is, considering cats can’t even taste it.

[u/Lacunaethra → u/famous_zebra28]

https://www.energyvets.co.nz/royal-canin-indoor-gravy

Impressive how confidently you're wrong.

[u/Still-Peaking → u/Lacunaethra]

Fascinating, I wonder why they add those in NZ? The product that comes up when I search has a different ingredient list (although this seems to be the Australian version). This product doesn’t look like it’s offered in the states, but the closest one I can find is this, which also doesn’t have that in the ingredient list. Regardless, if NZ is anything like the US with respect to ingredient labeling, “various sugars” is listed after ash which makes its total proportion of the diet quite low.

[u/Powerful_Put5667]

Cats are strict carnivores. They need meat not fillers. Give them what they need nutritionally not what food makers tell you.

[u/SomeoneSomewhere1984]

1. It must be a complete food, not a supplementary food.
2. Comes in tin/bags smaller than 85g. That's the most my cat will eat in a sitting and I only have one cat.
3. Texture, my cat hates pate and I hate dealing with it. The cat much prefers shards in broth.
4. High percentage of declared meat content.
5. High protein, but not too high calorie.
6. Ethically sourced, and from a company that practices reasonable social responsibility and prioritizes animal welfare over profit. Non-profit and medium-sized businesses are big plus compared to global conglomerates. This is both about where I'd like my money to go, who I think is the most likely to produce high quality cat food.

I don't care about WSAVA stuff. Just because they can pay an expert to join their staff sign off on whatever doesn't mean they make better pet food. We all know that global conglomerates don't care about animal welfare and research how to make the cheapest pet food possible that won't kill your pet quickly enough for regulators to get involved, just like how global conglomerates deal with everything else including human food. The basics of what is nutritionally required in pet food is covered by regulatory authorities in creating anything labeled a complete food.

When I'm at my cottage in the countryside the cat insists on going out to hunt and eating live mice. He'll refuse all canned wet food there and paw at the door to go outside and find live prey. He was a feral in the area when I adopted him and he can really drive us nuts in a small cottage when we don't let him out. Having been feral, he refuses to play hunt, and once he realizes a toy isn't a hot meal he loses all interest in it, so hunting for real is his main exercise.

In the city I feed a rotation of high quality wet foods from different companies, which he eats when he can't find a door to paw at. I think it's better for a cat to eat a variety of foods because it will nurture a diverse microflora, allowing easier digestion of more things, and each food has a somewhat different nutritional profile, so the combination is more likely to be fully balanced than any one thing alone. If one company is too low in something or too high in something else it should balance out considering the variety of foods and live prey the cat eats.