sugarcatmom - I'm speechless. She seriously told me something completely out of whack?! I looked up potassium citrate and sure enough, it's the exact opposite of what we need.
What the?! I didn't see it
any other canned food I was considering, so I didn't really look into it. But sure enough. WOW.
I'm apologizing in advance for this rant. I believe in western medicine - I believe that (most) doctors really do want to heal people and help them live a healthy life. I really do. I'm living proof. And I believe that (most) veterinarians really do love animals, want to help animals, want animals to live long and happy lives. But why, the more I read and the more I research, do I start feeling like (most) vets really are completely clueless about nutrition and just believe the marketing shpiels that these pet food companies are pitching them? I read
an article about DVMs from UC Davis and Cornell talking about how these prescription diets really are great, and how these small "boutique" brands are preying on our lack of knowledge regarding nutrition and we just buy into the "organic" or "natural" hype. That the huge companies like Purina and Hills were the ones doing
real research and putting out good products.
Is there science behind putting DL Methionine and potassium citrate in the same product? Is that the magic fairy dust? Do they balance each other out and solve the issue? Isn't it possible that there's a less complicated way of solving the problem? Like feeding these little obligate carnivores actual meat? Like you described with the medications - taking one to combat the side effects of the other - it's maddening. I even asked the vet (who I won't be seeing again, thankyouverymuch) that very question:
me: "Aren't cats obligate carnivores?"
vet: "Yes."
me: "Then shouldn't we be feeding them actual meat?"
vet: *blinks*
Rx diets may be the right choice for some people, and I'm not bashing them, I think most people really do want what's best for their pets, but I just have a hard time swallowing the logic behind this food. And I'm having a hard time with that, as I've always put a lot of trust in doctors and vets. Okay rant over.
Oh, and by the way - the c/d made Fitzy constipated.
He didn't "go" for a day, and his tummy was bothering him. Once he finally "went" I was so relieved.
In any case, I've pored over the chart on nutritional composition on catinfo.org, and I have a few options, I think. My kitties prefer pate to chunks or gravy stuff, so I'm worried the Merrick may not work for them (I don't think Weruva will, either) - here's what I've got:
Merrick Cowboy Cookout
Merrick Turducken
Merrick Thanksgiving Day Dinner
Merrick BG Turkey
(it seems to be high in fat but it's low in carbs - and I'm not sure what those ratios should be)
Wellness CORE turkey and duck
(this seems to be a bit higher in phosphorous than the others)
Holistic Select duck and chicken
(the potato and oatmeal kind of weird me out, but it has low magnesium; it's higher in carbs than the others)
Any other thoughts? These guys are so picky (I guess most cats are), I need to have a few options going in.
Thank you so much for your help with kitty food yet again!
ETA: Thank you everyone for the sweet compliments on my babies! I need to resize some more photos of them - I certainly have enough to choose from!