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View Full Version : Food Can you recommend a good quality cat & dog food?



Cookey
14-07-2011, 12:30
Hi

For the last couple of years I have been giving my cat the biscuits from Mercadona but has resulted (according to the vet, as they apparantly have poor quality contents) in causing problems and he is unable to go to the toilet and is now hospitalised at the vets.

They have said that his diet needs to change (which of course I am willing to do and if Iīd known that the Mercadona food was such low quality I would have changed his diet years ago and paid more for food in the long run instead of paying approx €200 for vets bills and I also believe the dog biscuits aswell which we will also be changing)

I know the vets will recommend some food but I donīt think my cat will take the change in diet very well and would like some other options.

Many thanks, just off now to go visit the wee man (no pun intended) and hopefully he will be home tomorrow and back to his normal self.

Many thanks

Andy0210
14-07-2011, 12:37
Canīt help with the cat food as i am a dog person but i was also feeding my four dogs Compy, Mercadonas own brand dog food.

One of the dogs started losing fur in patches all over her body, the vet also told me that Mercadonas food was crap, i changed to Brekkies Excel which is about 28€ for 20kgīs and within two weeks she had her lovely coat back and all four dogs thrive on it.

I am sure Brekkies must do a cat food and if it is as good as their dog food i would highly recommend it. :)

primrose
14-07-2011, 12:59
Canīt help with the cat food as i am a dog person but i was also feeding my four dogs Compy, Mercadonas own brand dog food.

One of the dogs started losing fur in patches all over her body, the vet also told me that Mercadonas food was crap, i changed to Brekkies Excel which is about 28€ for 20kgīs and within two weeks she had her lovely coat back and all four dogs thrive on it.

I am sure Brekkies must do a cat food and if it is as good as their dog food i would highly recommend it. :)

Brekkies do really good cat food, my cat is 16 years old and very healthy,and they a good variety of flavors.

Suej
14-07-2011, 13:28
Hi

For the last couple of years I have been giving my cat the biscuits from Mercadona but has resulted (according to the vet, as they apparantly have poor quality contents) in causing problems and he is unable to go to the toilet and is now hospitalised at the vets.

They have said that his diet needs to change (which of course I am willing to do and if Iīd known that the Mercadona food was such low quality I would have changed his diet years ago and paid more for food in the long run instead of paying approx €200 for vets bills and I also believe the dog biscuits aswell which we will also be changing)

I know the vets will recommend some food but I donīt think my cat will take the change in diet very well and would like some other options.

Many thanks, just off now to go visit the wee man (no pun intended) and hopefully he will be home tomorrow and back to his normal self.

Many thanks

Ultima is a good quality cat food and is not made by Hacendado (Mercadona) but is sold in the Mercadona and pet shops and they do one that is formulated for the urinary tract. If itīs weeing that your cat has a problem with then itīs quite a common problem with male cats, you may need to give him more wet food as he probably doesnīt drink enough water. Heīll be fine! I wish him better soon!;)

Have a look here...http://www.leadingbrandsofspain.com/miscellaneous/affinity/

tazbfd
14-07-2011, 13:43
HI

I feed my cats Advance pet food from the pet shops, there are various flavours and also do one for anti hairballs and senior cats. My cats have never had a problem with it, It costs between 20 and 28 euros for a sack that lasts over a month ( for 2 cats )

timmylish
14-07-2011, 14:07
OK First things first.
Cat owners take careful note of this. Our cat (Balinese) couldn,t do a pee and it happened on a Saturday afternoon of all times. Went to 5 different "Emergency" Vets and none could help him. Taco Veterinary Hospital was the only alternative to letting the cat die (for those who do not know if Urine is not disharged in some way the sack holding it overflows and poisons the animal. Death is fairly quick but causes extreme agony/pain. After removing the cats penis and urinary tracks a tube was inserted into the animal to enable him pee and get rid of the urine. First thing the Vets at the hospital told us. No food from any supermarket was of sufficient quality to help the animal live a long and active life with such problems. (Basically stones were moved from the sack into the penis tube and became stuck and blocked the discharge of urine). Long and short of it as follows:-
Cat = Hills Prescription Diet food. Comes in Dry and wet with a fantastic variety of contents, chicken, turkey, fish, salmon (I know Its a fish!) and others. If your vet is worth his salt he will have taken urine, blood and any stones which formed in the cat. After getting the results he will advise on the PH balance required so therefor the actual composition of the food to be taken for the rest of the cat,s life.
Dog = Orijen. Similar to the above in many ways but developed purely for dogs. Its the most highly recommended dog food.
The diets our pets have resulted in fantastic development of the animal. Strength, muscular development, coat, teeth etc. Although both are expensive they are well worth it in the long run. No or little in the way of carbohydrates just meat of whatever animal/fish, fruit and vegetables. All my family,s pets in the UK changed over to these diets and are delighted with the results.

Balcony
14-07-2011, 14:31
The problem with dry food pellets is that the animals MUST drink. You're not always sure IF, or HOW MUCH fluid your animal takes on board. With cats, one trick passed to us (that work for us) is to place your cat's water someplace different to the food, say in the bathroom, or a bedroom. The cat then develops its 'jungle sense' and searches out the water. You should find the cat takes on more water. But don't forget to change the water fairly often. Cats hate 'old' water!

Suej
14-07-2011, 14:41
Always Bottled water, never from the tap! I doubt you give him tap water anyway but itīs surprising the amount of people that do!:)

tazbfd
14-07-2011, 14:45
My cats have always been fed dried food and have fresh water available, they drink a LOT! so make sure it is always there for them!

sleepy
14-07-2011, 15:36
Hi

For the last couple of years I have been giving my cat the biscuits from Mercadona but has resulted (according to the vet, as they apparantly have poor quality contents) in causing problems and he is unable to go to the toilet and is now hospitalised at the vets.

They have said that his diet needs to change (which of course I am willing to do and if Iīd known that the Mercadona food was such low quality I would have changed his diet years ago and paid more for food in the long run instead of paying approx €200 for vets bills and I also believe the dog biscuits aswell which we will also be changing)

I know the vets will recommend some food but I donīt think my cat will take the change in diet very well and would like some other options.

Many thanks, just off now to go visit the wee man (no pun intended) and hopefully he will be home tomorrow and back to his normal self.

Many thanks

Yes,I can confirm this.We fed all our cats on various dry biscuits(not only from Mercadona) after Friskies brand became expensive.Some months later I noticed one cat had trouble urinating.I kept a close vigil and then noticed blood droplets,at which point I took her immediately to the local vet.After doing a scan,the vet discovered stones in the bladder.She was given an injection and it was decided to try her on a special brand of urinary dry biscuits.
Luckily after a couple of weeks the stones began to break up thanks to the special diet.Had they not worked then it would have been necessary for an operation to remove them.Of course this particular cat must be on this diet for the rest of her days and the food is expensive but at least she's pain free and most of all happy.:)

Sorry!
I should have added,what food is suitable for one cat isn't to another.

Catty
14-07-2011, 16:50
I have fed all my cats on Mercadona food for the last 7 years and never had any problems. I think its a combination of food and animal, some animals will have problems some not.

Cookey
14-07-2011, 17:24
Thanks very much everyone for the wonderful and informative advice, have taken note of the different brands available and will be trying them out as soon as he is home which will hopefully be tomorrow.

Would like to say how fab they are down at the vets in El Camison. Both animals have been going there for the last couple of years for nuetering, vacccines, passport and chipping etc. Very nice, friendly and informative even my friend who came with me the other day to take him have decided to use them when they move over here later in the year.

Suej
14-07-2011, 17:53
Thanks very much everyone for the wonderful and informative advice, have taken note of the different brands available and will be trying them out as soon as he is home which will hopefully be tomorrow.

Would like to say how fab they are down at the vets in El Camison. Both animals have been going there for the last couple of years for nuetering, vacccines, passport and chipping etc. Very nice, friendly and informative even my friend who came with me the other day to take him have decided to use them when they move over here later in the year.

If you are happy with your Vet, stick with him/her always best as they get to know the animal and vice versa! So pleased your boy is on the mend!

bardofely
14-07-2011, 21:12
My cat got constipated once in hot weather when she was eating a lot of Friskies dry food and it made me worried about feeding it again. But I find she is OK if she has plenty of wet food too and I spoil her with frozen fish for humans I buy and thaw. She once went over a day without weeing too but I got her some couch grass and she was fine after eating that.

SuzyQ
15-07-2011, 01:13
I would welcome a comment from Kirsty, as Im sure I remember a situation where she lost a cat due to wrong biscuits?? Obviously on old forum so cant check back. I guess in the wild cats wouldnt eat biscuits, maybe theyre just not good for them..... Thing is mine wont eat anything but, she doesnt even like salmon, chicken, or prawns - only biscuits. Shes on Friskies at the mo. Eugene always says the dogs dont like the mercadona food - a lot of people buy it and bring it to the refuge - which is welcome dont get me wrong. But he reckons its salty and they dont like it, if there is an alternative.

timmylish
15-07-2011, 01:55
I would welcome a comment from Kirsty, as Im sure I remember a situation where she lost a cat due to wrong biscuits?? Obviously on old forum so cant check back. I guess in the wild cats wouldnt eat biscuits, maybe theyre just not good for them..... Thing is mine wont eat anything but, she doesnt even like salmon, chicken, or prawns - only biscuits. Shes on Friskies at the mo. Eugene always says the dogs dont like the mercadona food - a lot of people buy it and bring it to the refuge - which is welcome dont get me wrong. But he reckons its salty and they dont like it, if there is an alternative.

SuzyQ. Its probably not salt but too much carbohydrates which expand the food to give the impression the animal is eating plenty.


Thanks very much everyone for the wonderful and informative advice, have taken note of the different brands available and will be trying them out as soon as he is home which will hopefully be tomorrow.

Would like to say how fab they are down at the vets in El Camison. Both animals have been going there for the last couple of years for nuetering, vacccines, passport and chipping etc. Very nice, friendly and informative even my friend who came with me the other day to take him have decided to use them when they move over here later in the year.

I have dealt with this Vet for years and I can tell you that young Rafa is a brilliant lad. He knows his stuff about feeds for cats and dogs. He advised Orijen for our dog.

canarybird
15-07-2011, 07:38
I was so surprised when I saw Canadian cat and dog food here in Tenerife on the shelves of pet shops. Orijen is part of the Champion pet food (http://orijen.ca/about_us) company made in Alberta, Canada, some of whose products includes fish caught on Vancouver Island (where I was born - in a fishing town).

I'm going to buy some for my cats, even though it's expensive, once I finish the large sacks of Mercadona dry food. My daughter who lives in Alberta says the pet food is quite well known and is a very high quality. I saw it in the pet shop in La Cupola in La Paz.

Canarybird

Jackie
15-07-2011, 07:54
Our dogs eat the dry food from Mercadona, it's is not their own brand but 'Compy Croquetas' and only costs 12 euros something for a 20kg bag. In fact our Podenco had Parvo virus when she was a baby and has obviously got a very delicate stomach to put it politely. After trying the more expensive brands because we thought they would be better for her, we found that the one we use now is the only one that agrees with her and doesn't give her the 'runs':dog:

anegib
15-07-2011, 09:20
Oh dear I too feed my labrador with Comfy thank you for your post I will change to another better brand.

Cookey
15-07-2011, 09:46
As I am having to change his diet I have about half a bag (4kg) of Compy cat biscuits (fish flavoured) going free if any of the cat refuges would like.

timmylish
15-07-2011, 23:12
I was so surprised when I saw Canadian cat and dog food here in Tenerife on the shelves of pet shops. Orijen is part of the Champion pet food (http://orijen.ca/about_us) company made in Alberta, Canada, some of whose products includes fish caught on Vancouver Island (where I was born - in a fishing town).

I'm going to buy some for my cats, even though it's expensive, once I finish the large sacks of Mercadona dry food. My daughter who lives in Alberta says the pet food is quite well known and is a very high quality. I saw it in the pet shop in La Cupola in La Paz.

Canarybird

I am led to believe that we were one of the first owners introduced to Orijen. I looked it up on the net and was delighted with the favorable reports.

kitty
16-07-2011, 09:52
Try the Canadian brand "Acana" which is even better than Orijen (same manufacturer)
I use the Grain Free Pacifica for my cats: 65% fish 35% fruits and vegetables.
As for canned cat food, some pet shops in Tenerife sell one of the best Italian brands: Almo Nature, cruelty free and natural.
The best it would be to cook your own cat food using fresh ingredients (meat, fish, vegetables and olive oil) and stay way from the cheap brands.
The more you spend on pets food the less you pay for vet bills.

Cookey
19-07-2011, 09:37
Well picked up my little man last night, he is loads better, the vet has given us Royal Canin food which he seems ok with but he is just not happy being inside now....but we have got him a harness so we can take him for walks round our complex as itīs not worth letting him out on his own and going and eating something else he shouldnīt and end up back to the vets again and we're €250 lighter!

I still have this left over bag of Compy biscuits if anyone would like them, pm me and I can arrange to meet you in the San Eugenio area.

caroletenerife
19-07-2011, 10:02
Well picked up my little man last night, he is loads better, the vet has given us Royal Canin food which he seems ok with but he is just not happy being inside now....but we have got him a harness so we can take him for walks round our complex as itīs not worth letting him out on his own and going and eating something else he shouldnīt and end up back to the vets again and we're €250 lighter!

I still have this left over bag of Compy biscuits if anyone would like them, pm me and I can arrange to meet you in the San Eugenio area.

I work at the Live Arico shop in San Eugenio, next to Santa Maria, you could drop the food there and I could arrange for the Ladies from Cats welfare to collect it, Im not sure if they only have kittens, if they do and the food is no good for them. There is also the 'cat lady' who feeds all the stray cats every night for miles around, I could give it to her, she is always desperate for donations..xxx

Cat Woman
19-07-2011, 10:48
I work at the Live Arico shop in San Eugenio, next to Santa Maria, you could drop the food there and I could arrange for the Ladies from Cats welfare to collect it, Im not sure if they only have kittens, if they do and the food is no good for them. There is also the 'cat lady' who feeds all the stray cats every night for miles around, I could give it to her, she is always desperate for donations..xxx
Hi, Thank you for your lovely suggeation. But please would you give the food to the lady who feeds all the stray cats every night for miles around. She doesnt receive any help and buys all the food herself. Maybe if anyone else has any cat food to spare they could drop it off at the shop and you could pass that on to the same lady. Thanks, Sharon.:)

caroletenerife
19-07-2011, 12:07
Hi, Thank you for your lovely suggeation. But please would you give the food to the lady who feeds all the stray cats every night for miles around. She doesnt receive any help and buys all the food herself. Maybe if anyone else has any cat food to spare they could drop it off at the shop and you could pass that on to the same lady. Thanks, Sharon.:)

Thanks Sharon, wasnt sure if you only had babies, if i get any donations i shall pass on to the lady x Hope your having success with your appeal for foster homes for the poorly kitties, x

Cookey
19-07-2011, 15:20
No problem ladies I will drop them into the Live Arico shop....

caroletenerife
19-07-2011, 18:42
No problem ladies I will drop them into the Live Arico shop....

Thank you cookey, and gracias from the Spanish lady , she doesnt speak english and I dont speak spanish, so its all good fun x

caroletenerife
20-07-2011, 17:16
Hi Cookey. Many thanks for the cat food you left at the shop today, sorry I missed you I was at the vets, I shall go and find the spanish lady tonight and pass it on, thanks again