Proper weight for cats? - Page 2 - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

nelie · 02-09-2007, 06:08 PM

I had read previously that Chicken Meal was better than Chicken as an ingredient in pet food. I can't find the original information but I did find these through a quick search:

FYI, Both are advocating a specific type of pet food.

http://www.naturapet.com/
Chicken meal is the dry rendered (cooked down) product from a combination of clean flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts of whole carcasses of chicken -- exclusive of feathers, heads, feet, or entrails.

Chicken meal is considered to be the single best source of protein in commercial pet foods. Natura uses high quality, low ash chicken meal extensively. This ingredient is very digestible, very palatable, and very expensive.

http://www.woofsports.com/feedingpet.htm
Labeling laws require pet food manufacturers to list ingredients in descending order of weight prior to cooking or processing. The principle component of chicken meat is water. By weight, a chicken is 70 - 75% water. So the truth is, when you see "chicken" on the top of an ingredient list, it means the water weight in the raw (wet) chicken is what qualified it to be listed first. After the cooking process, where up to 75% of the chicken evaporates, the actual chicken content is reduced to being the fourth or fifth ingredient in your pet’s food.

So, for every five pounds of raw (wet) chicken used in some brands of pet food, as little as one pound may end up in the finished product. This occurs because 75% of a raw (wet) chicken is water, which evaporates during cooking process.

But not with the chicken MEAL in Flint River Ranch health food for pets. Our chicken meal is fresh, human quality chicken meat with the water and fat removed.

It takes 5 lbs. of fresh chicken meat to make 1 lb. of chicken meal!

So when chicken meal is listed as the first ingredient, it really is in the bag where it counts as a superior protein source for your pet.

Your pet needs meat protein to thrive. Meat is good. MEAL IS BETTER! Flint River Ranch puts chicken meal first so that you can offer your pet the maximum level of nutrition in every bowl.

L144S · 02-09-2007, 07:12 PM

I won't persuade you either way, ok maybe I will, but if you don't believe me, the vet above said it too, grocery store is crap, pet store is better (mostly it is readily available to everyone which is why the vets recomend you go that route) but I will add that holistic is better. the quality of the food they use, less proccessing and mass marketing of product keep it simple. it is readily available, you just have to look for it n your area. Eagle pack, Canidae, chicken soup for the pet loves soul, and my choice Fromm are all good choices in different price points.

I will add that I think it is the equivelent of prepackaged food for people, lean cusine for example as a complete meal vs making your own baked chicken and fresh veggies and brown rice. You eat well,( and I know you do because you have lost over 100 lbs), so you can feel good, I think our pets deserve the same.

I just ask, if you are swiching foods, do a little research on what is available in your area.

By the way, I saw this artical, Flint River is listed over and over on the left had side of the page www.frrholisticpet.com/natural_holistic_pet_food_articles.html

nelie · 02-09-2007, 07:55 PM

Well I could bake chicken for my kitty ever night but I don't think so

Yes the vet above recommended things like Iams, Nutro, etc. The one I use "Precise" isn't hollistic but it is a pet store brand. I liked the ingredients a lot more after reading up and comparing it to Iams and Nutro. I've also seen many Hollistic brands use chicken meal as their first ingredient. I am impressed with chicken meal and brown rice being the first two ingredients in my kitty's food, although I'm easily impressed

This is also information that they say about their food:

Precise is a natural pet food. We have more than 15 years of experience in formulating natural foods for companion animals. Some of the bigger brands recently added natural products to their lines. But they aren't committed to natural food and, side by side, they still make foods preserved with artificial chemicals. At Precise, every food we make is preserved with natural vitamins.

No artificial chemical preservatives in any Precise food!

In our plant, we have quality control procedures second to none. We inspect each ingredient that we buy and each batch of food that we make many times each day with equipment rivaling that used in the most modern research laboratories.

Our standards are so high that should an ingredient or batch not meet our specifications, it is rejected. Period.

Our formulas are designed to give your pet an ideal standard of nutritional excellence. As a result, some of the ingredients in Precise formulas are more expensive than those used by our competitors. But because Precise formulas cost no more to feed than the competition, you get a better value for your pet.

L144S · 02-09-2007, 08:02 PM

If you are happy with your food choice, not a problem for me, Read the artcle I posted above, just as an FYI, It is well written and easy to read and if nothing else VERY informative.

Good luck to you and your kitty, I really admire your weight loss and determination to get there

photoRuth · 02-25-2007, 12:34 AM

Just to second what the vet said- Never put your cat on a diet w/o a vet!!! My hubby did this last year when I went on vacation- he cut my obese cats food by 1/3 and she ended up with hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) and almost died. We had to admit her to the ICU where she was given a feeding tube and blood transfusions... she lived and thankfully so did my hubby.