jbs@hropus.UUCP (JBS) (03/11/86)
I and my wife recently purchased a siamese kitten. After talking to the breeder, we were advised that MOST supermarket cat foods especially the dry cat foods have an unacceptable amount of ash in them. We were told that a diet of foods with a high ash content could lead to serious kidney problems for the cat. The breeder stated that an acceptable level of ash is Less than 3 Percent. She also mentioned that, if they don't list it in the cat food's breakdown of contents, it most likey has a very high ash content. In other words they aren't going to flaunt something bad. Our questions are: 1) First of all, Does the breeder have a valid point? IS >3% too much ash? 2) How does the ash content effect the kidneys? 3) Has anyone found cat foods in the moist, dried or canned form that has less than 3% ash in it? If so please pass on the name. My mailing address is: ihnp4!houxm!hropus!jbs If this is a valid point,(I hope to find out) , I'll post a summary in net.pets. Thanks in advance, John Skiendziel
schwrtze@acf8.UUCP (E. Schwartz group) (03/14/86)
Too high an ash content can be a problem. This is especially true for male cats as the ash accumulates in the kidneys and can produce kidney stones which can then clog their urethra. I had a male that developed this problem, with the Vet blaiming cheap cat food. Now, i have a female who i only feed Purina Cat Chow (a dry food) & have not had any problem. Though i am not sure about the seriousness of the problem for females, with a male, i would probably use a 50/50 (temporal) mix of dry & wet foods. Do not get sucker'd into expensive, fancy food that the breeder might sell. There are plenty of commercial alternatives to be had simply by checking the labels. Sorry, i do not remember the actual % cutoffs. Keith Loris keith@alaya.arpa
jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin) (03/15/86)
In article <343@hropus.UUCP> jbs@hropus.UUCP (JBS) writes: > >After talking to the breeder, we were advised that MOST supermarket cat >foods especially the dry cat foods have an unacceptable amount of ash >in them. We were told that a diet of foods with a high ash content could >lead to serious kidney problems for the cat. The breeder stated that an >acceptable level of ash is Less than 3 Percent. >3) Has anyone found cat foods in the moist, dried or canned form that has >less than 3% ash in it? If so please pass on the name. > Well not quite, but Dad's Gourmet Blend guarantees an ash content not greater than 5.0% Dad's is manufactured by Dad's Dog Foods, Inc. of Meadville, Pa. (No, Gourmet Blend is NOT dog food but dry CAT food.) j.r.
larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (03/16/86)
In article <343@hropus.UUCP>, jbs@hropus.UUCP (JBS) writes: > I and my wife recently purchased a siamese kitten. > After talking to the breeder, we were advised that MOST supermarket cat > foods especially the dry cat foods have an unacceptable amount of ash > in them. We were told that a diet of foods with a high ash content could > lead to serious kidney problems for the cat. The breeder stated that an > acceptable level of ash is Less than 3 Percent. She also mentioned that, if > they don't list it in the cat food's breakdown of contents, it most likey > has a very high ash content. > > 1) First of all, Does the breeder have a valid point? IS >3% too much ash? Greater than 3% ash content is too much ash content for a CAT. This is a VERY important critereon for selecting cat food. > 2) How does the ash content effect the kidneys? Cats, especially those which are neutered, have a proclivity for developing urolithiasis (bladder stones). While there is similarity between urolithiasis in cats and in man, cats often form a unique type of urolith called a "spruvite". While the mechanisms of spruvite urolith formation in cats are complex and not fully understood, it is believed by most veterinary authorities that high ash content in cat food is a primary factor. Indoor cats are generally not great drinkers of water, resulting in concentrated urinary output which further favors urolith formation. While both sexes of cats develop uroliths, the situation is FAR more serious in the MALE CAT. The female cat has a short, relatively straight urethra which allows uroliths to easily pass. However, the male has a rather long, convoluted urethra which tends to collect small spruvite particles, and which will often plug up solid. This is a life-threatening situation requiring emergency veterinary treatment! > 3) Has anyone found cat foods in the moist, dried or canned form that has > less than 3% ash in it? If so please pass on the name. We presently have eight cats, and have had good luck with "Iams" dry cat food, which has < 3% ash content, and have not experienced any further episodes of urolithiasis in our neutered male cats in the three years following the exclusive use of Iams. Please bear in mind that the absence of urolithiasis may be coincidental or the result of other factors (e.g., we are careful to always keep their water dish filled so that the cats will drink as much water as possible), and I AM NOT CLAIMING "Iams" CAT FOOD BY ITSELF WILL PREVENT UROLITHIASIS. ==> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <== ==> UUCP {decvax|dual|rocksanne|rocksvax|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <== ==> VOICE 716/741-9185 {rice|shell}!baylor!/ <== ==> FAX 716/741-9635 {G1, G2, G3 modes} duke!ethos!/ <== ==> seismo!/ <== ==> "Have you hugged your cat today?" ihnp4!/ <==
andy@cbmvax.UUCP (03/20/86)
In article <9450@ritcv.UUCP> jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin) writes: >In article <343@hropus.UUCP> jbs@hropus.UUCP (JBS) writes: >> >>After talking to the breeder, we were advised that MOST supermarket cat >>foods especially the dry cat foods have an unacceptable amount of ash >>in them. We were told that a diet of foods with a high ash content could >>lead to serious kidney problems for the cat. The breeder stated that an >>acceptable level of ash is Less than 3 Percent. > >>3) Has anyone found cat foods in the moist, dried or canned form that has >>less than 3% ash in it? If so please pass on the name. >> According to the numbers on the can, Friskies Buffet cat food is generally around 3 % ash ... it varies between different flavors. andy Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with whoever it is that makes Friskies... (I'm not sure about my cat, though)