# Is Fancy Feast really that horrible?



## Marian

My cat Mickey is addicted to Fancy Feast. I have tried, in vain, to get him to eat what I believe to be healthier brands (Merrick's, Wellness, Evo, etc.) and have wasted a shameful amount of money doing so. At the end of the day, all he wants is FF. But it has to be one of the "Grilled" varieties (my late cat Murphy would only eat the "Sliced" ones :rolffleyes: ).

I recently took him to the vet for his annual check up and vaccinations and I made the vet do a CBC on him. He's 21 pounds and I'm concerned about diabetes and other weight-related health problems. I've tried to get him to lose weight by cutting back on his food, but it seems like he's just a big cat (he feels very solid when I pick him up, not flabby like Murphy was). The CBC came back normal and the vet says he is healthy.

So, should I continue this effort to get him off Fancy Feast, or just let him be? I really think he would starve to death before eating any of the foods I've tried to switch him to.


----------



## fjm

My understanding of cats and food is that they either insist on variety, or insist on eating just one food. It depends upon whether they were introduced to a range of foods early in life. If he has been eating FF for years, you may be facing a major battle to change him. I assume you have tried the obvious methods, like mixing a tiny teaspoonful of the new food with the old, and very, very gradually increasing the quantity? I now make sure my cats (and dogs) get a variety of foods from the start - there is nothing worse than finding yourself miles from your home stockpile, with an animal that only eats one food, and no where locally that sells it! Trouble is, my cats are now firmly in the variety camp - I have to cook several different recipes for them, and keep ringing the changes, as last week's favourite becomes this week's only-fit-to-be-buried-with-a-disdainful-look-yukky-stuff!


----------



## partial2poodles

Yes, its ghastly


----------



## Marian

fjm - Yes, I've tried mixing old and new--no luck, he somehow manages to pick the old pieces out and leaves the new. Then he comes and cries until I give him more FF.

If only I had known when he was a kitten what I know now about commercial cat foods. I grew up believing that cats always wanted variety and dogs didn't. And now I find myself with a finicky cat and dog who happily eats a variety of foods. :wacko:


----------



## Karma'sACat

Do you always give him the Fancy Feast when he comes and whines at you? Honestly, there are very very few animals that will starve themselves rather than eat new food. Have you tried putting the food down and if he doesn't eat, taking it up then putting it down at the next meal?
What about pre-made raw? Nature's Variety and Primal are my cats' favorites. Wellness has a variety of cat food textures so do a couple other good brands if texture is his hang up.
Karma is exceptionally picky (note: never name a cat Karma:doh: ) but she goes wild for the premade raw.


----------



## partial2poodles

When I was learning about rendering plants and garbage pet foods, I KNEW I had to help my cat get on board with the healthier diet the dogs were bennefiting from. I did literally starve her and she would have rather died than eat health food including a wide variety of raw and dozens of pricey canned foods. She lost too much weight. I did it for about 3 months. All my shop cats adjusted but she is eating fancy feast with Kirkland kibble. She is around 19 yrs old. I figured I tortured her long enough and she wasn't budging.


----------



## Spencer

My mother has resigned to feeding our three family cats (which... sadly, stayed at home when my brother and I grew up and moved out) IAMS... the kind in the orange bag.

She has bought them Felinidae, Kitty EVO, and other good and even semi-good brands. They refuse to eat it. REFUSE... and these cats love food, mkay? So they eat IAMS. We know better... but we also know our picky cats. I guess at least they're eating... and at least it isn't Ol' Roy. :doh:


----------



## Harley_chik

Cats are stubborn creatures. While I think generally you should feed the best you can, sometimes you have to compromise. If that's what he will eat and it's not making him unhealthy, then IMO give it to him.


----------



## roxy25

Marian said:


> My cat Mickey is addicted to Fancy Feast. I have tried, in vain, to get him to eat what I believe to be healthier brands (Merrick's, Wellness, Evo, etc.) and have wasted a shameful amount of money doing so. At the end of the day, all he wants is FF. But it has to be one of the "Grilled" varieties (my late cat Murphy would only eat the "Sliced" ones :rolffleyes: ).
> 
> I recently took him to the vet for his annual check up and vaccinations and I made the vet do a CBC on him. He's 21 pounds and I'm concerned about diabetes and other weight-related health problems. I've tried to get him to lose weight by cutting back on his food, but it seems like he's just a big cat (he feels very solid when I pick him up, not flabby like Murphy was). The CBC came back normal and the vet says he is healthy.
> 
> So, should I continue this effort to get him off Fancy Feast, or just let him be? I really think he would starve to death before eating any of the foods I've tried to switch him to.


If its wet food then is super bad for him ! All of the bad cat brands usually have fish and fish is not good for cats either. Basically cat food manufactures add fish because it was cheap to add fish heads and other parts we don' eat from a fish.The wild cat , cats descended from do not live near water nor do they eat fish. Most wild cats don't eat fish ! 

With my cats I just give them food and if they don't like it they will eat it sooner of later. I would get a brand of good dry food for weight management and mix it with fancy feast and each time ad less and less fancy feast. Start buying chicken , turkey , beef FF and no fish. 

My teacher said this is what typically happens to cats on fish or bad brand cat foods they get addicted to it and wont eat other foods. Your cat will not starve him self because my cats never did so would not eat for days then they get super hungry and eat the food I offer. My cats don't even like people food or real fish since I only feed them chicken, turkey or beef flavors. The bad brands makes my cats throw up !


----------



## Marian

Good advice, Roxy. That's interesting about how it came to be that cat foods had fish in them. The pet food companies were successful in making people think that cats love to eat fish.

I'm no longer feeding Mickey the tuna FF, but the grilled "chicken". He will also eat the Meow Mix wet, but only the "turkey and giblets". 

I had him on dry food a few years ago, but the vet said that that was probably what made him get so fat. I don't see any reason I couldn't try again, but this time with something of better quality.


----------



## fjm

My two cats are now on home cooked - I tried them with raw, but they really were not that keen, and kept dropping bits down to the dogs, so it was getting difficult to know who had eaten what! One weird thing I have found is that they actually prefer it served frozen - perhaps because it stays fresh longer. I give them my local butcher's pet mince (a mixture of human-grade meat offcuts ground), and buy heart and liver seperately. I casserole it in a low oven until just cooked, measure it into meal size portions, and add the appropriate quantity of egg shell and a pinch of taurine powder, if there is not much heart in the mix. They are great hunters (so far this week it's been rabbit, a partridge, plus assorted mice and voles), so I don't feel I have to be too scrupulous. Pippin has definitely lost weight recently, though - the Garfield spread has gone, and when viewed from above he now has a waist again - and they are both in tip top condition.


----------



## Spencer

fjm said:


> My two cats are now on home cooked - I tried them with raw, but they really were not that keen, and kept dropping bits down to the dogs, so it was getting difficult to know who had eaten what! One weird thing I have found is that they actually prefer it served frozen - perhaps because it stays fresh longer. I give them my local butcher's pet mince (a mixture of human-grade meat offcuts ground), and buy heart and liver seperately. I casserole it in a low oven until just cooked, measure it into meal size portions, and add the appropriate quantity of egg shell and a pinch of taurine powder, if there is not much heart in the mix. They are great hunters (so far this week it's been rabbit, a partridge, plus assorted mice and voles), so I don't feel I have to be too scrupulous. Pippin has definitely lost weight recently, though - the Garfield spread has gone, and when viewed from above he now has a waist again - and they are both in tip top condition.


Can I just have you come to my house and prepare all of my doggies and cat wonderful meals? Lol. You make it seem so easy!


----------



## fjm

I briefly considered going into business, having seen the price of "home made" dog treats, but you need to meet the same criteria as for human food preparation, and I only have one kitchen! But it really isn't difficult - much easier than cooking for people, and infinitely easier than cooking for faddy children!


----------



## Marian

partial2poodles said:


> When I was learning about rendering plants and garbage pet foods, I KNEW I had to help my cat get on board with the healthier diet the dogs were bennefiting from. I did literally starve her and she would have rather died than eat health food including a wide variety of raw and dozens of pricey canned foods. She lost too much weight. I did it for about 3 months. All my shop cats adjusted but she is eating fancy feast with Kirkland kibble. She is around 19 yrs old. I figured I tortured her long enough and she wasn't budging.


Now THAT is stubborn! LOL


----------



## Marian

fjm said:


> I briefly considered going into business, having seen the price of "home made" dog treats, but you need to meet the same criteria as for human food preparation, and I only have one kitchen! But it really isn't difficult - much easier than cooking for people, and infinitely easier than cooking for faddy children!


I think Mickey would love home cooked, but I was concerned about providing the necessary nutrients. I think I'll have to google for some recipes and give it a shot. I didn't know you could just buy taurine supplements.


----------



## SnorPuddel

I think that Mickey needs to go to FFA (Fancy Feast Anonymous) 

Cats are notoriously finicky...
My kitty won't drink Organic Whole Milk, it has to be Half and Half, he only gets a little smidge when I make my first cup of coffee 

Good luck


----------



## Poodle Lover

partial2poodles said:


> When I was learning about rendering plants and garbage pet foods, I KNEW I had to help my cat get on board with the healthier diet the dogs were bennefiting from. I did literally starve her and she would have rather died than eat health food including a wide variety of raw and dozens of pricey canned foods. She lost too much weight. I did it for about 3 months. All my shop cats adjusted but she is eating fancy feast with Kirkland kibble. She is around 19 yrs old. I figured I tortured her long enough and she wasn't budging.


I think our cats must be related!!! My 13 year old calico persian will starve herself, but will only eat what she wants to eat. In her case it's expensive dry cat food in different varieties. She eat evo, evangers, solid gold grain free and orijens. All four varieties have to be rotated every couple of days. She won't eat any canned food, no home cooked human food, no tuna or salmon out of the can and no raw. I figure that at her age, she can have whatever she wants.


----------



## taxtell

Yes, it's a bad food. 
I would compare it to eating McDonald's every day.

However, DO NOT STARVE HIM in an attempt to switch him.
Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (Fatty Liver) in Cats


----------



## Marian

That's good to know, Taxtell. I could never starve Mickey--he would drive me crazy with his meowing before that could ever happen. 

I finally found something he will eat, but I'll have to see if he is still as enthusiastic about it in the morning before I commit to buying more. It's Nutro Max Cat Turkey and Chicken Liver Chunks in Sauce. The ingredients list looks a lot better than FF. 

I haven't had a chance to go shopping to buy meats to cook for him, but I might hold off on that if he will continue to eat the Max Cat.


----------



## Marian

HOLY COW! He gobbled down an entire can of Solid Gold this morning.

Glory hallelujah!


----------



## taxtell

Yay!


----------



## Mumzilla

I no longer have an inside cat, but I have the most spoiled barn cats in the county. 4 are mine and one is the Amish neighbor cat who decided this whole being fed in the barn thing is the bomb! They are addicted to Kit n Kaboodle. It is all they will eat - and I am ok with that. Giving them anything more expensive or "better for them" is futile as they have their own version of the raw diet (being barn cats and all!). When I still had my inside cat (RIP big guy) I got the better foods for him but he got very sick and died last year.  After he got sick he refused to eat anything except....Kit n Kaboodle. And yes - he would have starved to death - cats can be that stubborn. But it isn't really even stubborn so much as physiology - if they can't smell it or sense it - they won't eat it (per my vet). I am assuming the cheaper - not as healthy - foods have additives that trigger the sensor in cats. So IMHO - if they are healthy and happy, then let them eat what they want.


----------



## TamaraS

I have tried more than once to switch my two to raw but they just aren't interested and at 13 and 12 years of age I am not going to force it.

I have realized though after talking to holistic vets and doing a lot of reading that if possible cats should not be eating dry food at all. Mine have been on strictly canned for a few years now and it has made a HUGE difference in body condition and coat quality, they even seem happier. I was in the same position you were in with my one girl. She was 18 lbs and I was so worried about diabetes and her heart. After switching them to a grain free all canned diet and of course measuring the food appropriately for them (they do get slightly different amounts) my girl is a beautiful 12 lbs. She lost 1/3 of her body weight in 1 year and she is so much happier.

Do a little reading here Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basis of Feline Nutrition to understand the rationale behind no dry food.


----------



## Marian

Thanks for the link. I used to feed my cats dry food because it was easier, since they never all seemed to want to eat at the same time. I was also out of town a lot for work, and I could leave them overnight with a bowl of dry food left out for them to munch on. But my Mickey is one of those cats who can't be trusted to free-feed without getting fat and the vet said that the grain in the Iams I was feeding him was very fattening for an indoor cat. So I switched to feeding canned food and have done so for about five years now.

Since I last posted, Mickey has decided that Solid Gold is only for special occasions and not for every day consumption. :doh:

I have been able to switch him to something else--but I'm not sure it's any better than FF, to be honest. I'm now alternating between Purina ProPlan (chicken and rice and beef and chicken and rice) and Royal Canin Ultra Light, both of which he seems to love. 

I haven't had the time or energy to try and cook for him yet (long story).


----------



## TamaraS

I know about the difficulties you are having finding a food that your cat will eat. I have one that is fairly picky and my mom has a cat that won't eat anything other than Fancy Feast as well and he has even been starting to go off of that. My girl only wants to eat chicken based foods (I would love to get some different protein sources in her) and she will eat fish, so that I buy fish foods as a treat once in a while.

Just an FYI, I did try strictly canned at first but it wasn't until I started feeding the grain free canned that my big girl lost her weight. That seemed to be what made the difference.

Here are some links to foods that mine have found very palatable. Mine are on the Wysong full time. They eat mainly the Chicken Au Jus and for a treat they love the Chicken Stew. The one that they go crazy over and my mom's will actually eat as well is the Almo Nature. Most of these websites have store locators, although I have discovered that not all stores that carry the food are necessarily listed. 

Almo Nature - Almo Nature
Holistic, Natural Dog Food, Raw Dog Food, Cat Food, Pet Food, Ferret Food, Cat & Dog Supplements
Welcome to Weruva
Petropics - Tiki Cat, Tiki Dog - For the Pets We Love


----------



## taxtell

TamaraS said:


> I know about the difficulties you are having finding a food that your cat will eat. I have one that is fairly picky and my mom has a cat that won't eat anything other than Fancy Feast as well and he has even been starting to go off of that. My girl only wants to eat chicken based foods (I would love to get some different protein sources in her) and she will eat fish, so that I buy fish foods as a treat once in a while.
> 
> Just an FYI, I did try strictly canned at first but it wasn't until I started feeding the grain free canned that my big girl lost her weight. That seemed to be what made the difference.
> 
> Here are some links to foods that mine have found very palatable. Mine are on the Wysong full time. They eat mainly the Chicken Au Jus and for a treat they love the Chicken Stew. The one that they go crazy over and my mom's will actually eat as well is the Almo Nature. Most of these websites have store locators, although I have discovered that not all stores that carry the food are necessarily listed.
> 
> Almo Nature - Almo Nature
> Holistic, Natural Dog Food, Raw Dog Food, Cat Food, Pet Food, Ferret Food, Cat & Dog Supplements
> Welcome to Weruva
> Petropics - Tiki Cat, Tiki Dog - For the Pets We Love


This is great advice, particularly on the grain free. These are also good foods from what I know.
I tried desperately to get our clinic cat PJ to eat raw, but I cannot.
I feed him most of these foods and some of Merrick's Before Grain (grainfree) line. 

As an aside, every time I see the title of this thread, I think of Andy from the Office singing "Break me off a piece of that Fancy Feast."


----------

