Cat food
Hi everyone!
I hope Brad won't be annoyed with me! 
So you guys know Leonberger and I are getting the kitten and the still nameless Akita soon - 3 weeks and 4 weeks to go! 2 questions to those of you who own both cats and dogs:
1. Your preferred food brand for the cat? I've always used Iams for my 3 previous cats without any complaints, but does anyone think that I could do significantly better with Hills, Acana or any other premium food? (Innova isn't available here in Portugal, it seems.) I'm not sure if I would need a smaller dose of Hills dry food per day than Iams - so price/kg don't really apply.
I've been looking around for a while, but I wanted tried-and-tested opinions rather than hype on the Internet.
2. How do you get to avoid the dogs eating the cat's food? I've just bought a food dispenser for the cat that only lets out some of the food at a time, but how will I avoid the dog eating from it when there's no one at home? I'm pretty sure Rui's going to be feeding the Akita with a timed dispenser - so the rest of the time it might think to snack on my cat's food!
That is something I simply could not afford - besides the possible health implications - especially if I go for Hills.
3. Rui hasn't thought of asking about this, but: do you guys give your Akitas any food supplements? He's probably going to be giving it Acana dry food.
Thank you in advance!
Comments
You can do ASTRONOMICALLY better than Iams. Orijen is the only kibble I will feed my cats. When switching them all four have them developed significantly softer coats, less stinky poop, and the fat ones lost a bit of weight. I will never go back.
I am biting my tongue a bit, but know that I could not be paid to feed my animals Hills, Iams , or Acana.
1. I use Hills because my father worked and retired from Colgate. They distribute Science Diet. I use their organic, but Hills stopped making the organic for kitties.
2. Kurt built a platform bed that has plenty of room under it for the cat food. Mika does still try to get to the food, but I've blocked the food with something heavy. As for water, they drink out of the dog bowl or the faucet.
3. No supplements for my pups, but after reading some the food threads on this forum, I think I'll start.
IF I had a cat and lived in your neck of the woods, I would feed it Orijen and rotate with The Honest Kitchen Prowl formula. I personally would never feed a cat ONLY dry food his or her whole life, and feeding canned or dehydrated raw food is NOT bad for an animal's teeth contrary to what you may think or have heard. In fact it's much better for their kidneys and has way less preservatives than dry foods. You just can't beat Orijen's premium ingredients and formula though!
Male cats are prone to blocking like Brandon had mentioned with his kitty if fed crappy food. Both male and female cats are prone to UTIs, renal(kidney)failure, thyroid disease, dermatological issues and all sorts of other problems if fed crappy food. Investing in good quality food is the best preventative medicine you can do for your new kitty. Iams, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, etc. are just plain crap and *usually* put minimum amounts of ingredients in their foods that an animal needs to sustain life for a *feeding trial* to stay alive, not a lifetime. They spend a lot of money on advertising too which makes them *look* great. Plus they have grains=fillers. Check these books out about nutrition for your kitty and even your puppy, I learned a lot after reading them. Also check out www.petfoodproject.com, it's very informative. I also fed my cats on top of a shelf where the dogs couldn't jump up and eat it.
Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative by Donald Strombeck(this is a good book with tons of information regarding an animal's caloric requirements based on weight, what good quality ingredients are made of, what types of meats, vegetables, and grains are the easiest to digest, etc. I don't home prepare my dog's food, but I found this book to very helpful)
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard and Susan Pitcairn(warning this author is a holistic vet and VERY anti-western medicine)
We have kitty's food up on a table to keep the pups away. Some people put it on counters but that is a little icky. I have a small table just for the cats food. We have tried it all with kitty. She has really bad constipation problems and she is on nutro sensitive stomach and a lot of crappy wet food. Only combo working with all we have tried.
Our problem right now is eating that dogs away from the tootsie rolls! I forgot to take the trash out last week and when I went to empty the cat box there were no presents! Grrrrr. The litter box is in the laundry room and now we have the door cracked for kitty, the dogs are scared to push doors open.
Thank you everyone! I'm sorry I haven't answered up to now. There are so many interesting threads on here, I kinda forgot my own!
Linking this thread to the one about grain/non-grain foods, I am still not convinced about giving non-grain like Origen due to the presence of potato. I do not doubt that you guys have very healthy pups and kitties though, I can see all of you treat your pets very well!
I think I'll try to get my kitten used to Acana and see how it goes. What made me decide was the fact that it doesn't have any wheat nor corn, gluten. Either way, it is still a step up from Iams.
Also, about getting to feed the cat without letting the dog eat it - I think I will try putting the food at the far end of the cat's carrier at first to see if the Akita gets the message.
Thanks again!
Keep in mind, a potato is a vegetable and something an animal could theoretically access in the wild. Also that potatoes are typically used for binding properties since these foods are barely cooked.
Neither nor canine nor nor felines would eat oats or rice in the wild
I feed the Canned Evo ("wet food")
Felidae ("dry food")
Occasionally they will get canned Tuna, cooked Salmon, cooked Chicken and/or cooked Turkey.
And for awhile they were getting Nature's Variety. I just might have to buy some more of it for them.