Why do my cats like the 'cheap' cat food better?

[Rallispec]

Stupid cats... i spend lots of money getting the good food with no nastiness in it, and they eat it fine. Anyhow, was given some free food, its one of those main brands, wiskas or something, anyhow - it's crap, mostly corn and byproduct and whatever... but damn, my cats are going flocking nuts over it - you'd think they haven't eaten in weeks.

 

[KeithTalent]

They like junk food, just like a lot of humans.

KT

 

[Lyfer]

I always joke with my wife that we should substitute the expensive vet only food we feed our cats with Walmart's Ol'Roy (and put our pet lizzard on it as well) for $15 a bag.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

If I offered you a plate of steamed broccoli or a plate of bacon, which would you choose?

 

[Sheep]

Stupid cats... i spend lots of money getting the good food with no nastiness in it, and they eat it fine. Anyhow, was given some free food, its one of those main brands, wiskas or something, anyhow - it's crap, mostly corn and byproduct and whatever... but damn, my cats are going flocking nuts over it - you'd think they haven't eaten in weeks.

Mine do the same thing. They eat anything but they go bonkers over the lower quality food. I'm just glad they're not finicky eaters like some cats can be.

 

[lxskllr]

I always joke with my wife that we should substitute the expensive vet only food we feed our cats with Walmart's Ol'Roy (and put our pet lizzard on it as well) for $15 a bag.

I'm against the "vet only" food. It's bullshit marketing, with kickbacks going to vets. You're telling me food for humans can be regulated with known contents, wrapped, and then sold for $1 at the dollar store, but doing the same thing for cat requires vet approval, and costs infinitely more that store food?! Go fuck yourself :^S

 

[Rallispec]

If I offered you a plate of steamed broccoli or a plate of bacon, which would you choose?

yeah - but i guess i see it differently. The expensive food is meat - the cheap food is mostly corn and rice... of those I'd think the cat would want the meat. Unless the cheap food is chock full of flavorings and add ins to make the cats go crazy, and fool the owners into thinking that the cats really do like, therefor it must be good for them.

 

[mcurphy]

Wife and I got 2 kittens at the local animal shelter 14 years ago. They have had nothing but Purina Cat Chow their entire lives, and never a can of wet canned food. They are healthy as can be and don't show any signs of slowing down.

 

[Agent11]

The cheap stuff can cause male cats to develop crystals in their bladder and have trouble urinating.

 

[lxskllr]

The cheap stuff can cause male cats to develop crystals in their bladder and have trouble urinating.

Yup. My boy just cost ~$1,500 to fix. I still say "prescription" food is bullshit though. Purina bladder formula is very close to Hill's, but much cheaper.

 

[blankslate]

Your cats are ghetto

 

[EagleKeeper]

Cake and cookies
Vs
cauliflower and cabbage

Nuf said

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Yup. My boy just cost ~$1,500 to fix. I still say "prescription" food is bullshit though. Purina bladder formula is very close to Hill's, but much cheaper.

Went through that as well. It's the high ash content in the cheaper foods that causes the most issues. Those crystals are brutal.

 

[unokitty]

Stupid cats... i spend lots of money getting the good food with no nastiness in it, and they eat it fine. Anyhow, was given some free food, its one of those main brands, wiskas or something, anyhow - it's crap, mostly corn and byproduct and whatever... but damn, my cats are going flocking nuts over it - you'd think they haven't eaten in weeks.

For most dry pet foods, the last production step is to spray the food with a substance to make it more appealing.

As you would expect, putting frosting on food will make it more appealing but it doesn't make it more nutritional.

You are well advised to be wary of commercial pet food (including that sold by vets). A bit of Googling will show that:

"What most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a convenient way for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption,” and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders, heads, hooves, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.
...
The pet food industry loves to say that it’s more highly regulated than human food, but that’s just not true. Pet food exists in a bit of a regulatory vacuum; laws are on the books, but enforcement is another story."

Best of luck,
Uno
Sentry Dog Handler
US Army 69-71

 

[Sonikku]

Stop trying to understand cats.

 

[evident]

if you think that's weird, the only type of wet food my cats will eat is canned food that is textured as "sliced". chunks or anything else?? forget it! we feed both dry and wet and we give them what we think is good stuff (blue buffalo dry, wellness and blue wet)

 

[PricklyPete]

Have you seen the food most humans are attracted to? It is usually the cheaper and unhealthy food we have learned to manufacture over the last few centuries.

 

[SP33Demon]

Because they are trying to kill themselves from the wood ash. You must be a horrible owner for them to feel that way and exhibit such behavior.

 

[T9D]

Cause you have Ghetto cats

 

[zinfamous]

Stupid cats... i spend lots of money getting the good food with no nastiness in it, and they eat it fine. Anyhow, was given some free food, its one of those main brands, wiskas or something, anyhow - it's crap, mostly corn and byproduct and whatever... but damn, my cats are going flocking nuts over it - you'd think they haven't eaten in weeks.

Isn't that stuff made in China?

I suppose they prefer the taste of ground-up cat and rat and human flesh. ....shouldn't be too surprising, really. They are cats, trying to murder you.

 

[theknight571]

The only "wet food" our cat would eat was 9 Lives Super Supper (5 cans for $2.00)... Occasionally I could slip in a different flavor but typically if it wasn't Super Supper she wouldn't touch it.

For "dry food" she would eat Cat Chow.

If we fed her what the vet wanted us to, she'd have eaten better than us. lol

 

[T9D]

Here is your cat

 

[PowerYoga]

fatties love mcdonalds.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Because marketing is 95% BS and 5% truth.

 

[Lonyo]

For most dry pet foods, the last production step is to spray the food with a substance to make it more appealing.

As you would expect, putting frosting on food will make it more appealing but it doesn't make it more nutritional.

You are well advised to be wary of commercial pet food (including that sold by vets). A bit of Googling will show that:

"What most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a convenient way for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption,” and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders, heads, hooves, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.
...
The pet food industry loves to say that it’s more highly regulated than human food, but that’s just not true. Pet food exists in a bit of a regulatory vacuum; laws are on the books, but enforcement is another story."

Best of luck,
Uno
Sentry Dog Handler
US Army 69-71

Cats will also munch on mice and birds, uncooked.
Pet food isn't held to the same standards as human food because it doesn't need to be.

Unfit for human consumption doesn't mean unfit for all consumption.