Why would our cats prefer the junky cat food over the high quality one?

Cats are one the fussiest little animals ever domesticated. There is no telling what any one of them will like – they offer differ greatly in individual tastes. We have one that turns its nose up at fresh fish, prawns etc., and tries to steal the dog’s food.

Because junk food is yummy!! :-)

It probably has a higher fat and salt content than the more expensive food, which makes it tastier!

My cats adore Purina Cat Chow, over all other things offered, except canned tuna (which they almost never get) and one of them loves my chili (which she also never gets) and pizza sauce.

Purina, as one of the largest prt food manufacturers has the bucks to do extensive research and testing to figure out what appeals to the maximum number of kitties.

Are you referring to Purina One type which does have a higher total percentage of meat over their standard chow?

That’s what I have used for my cats as well. I know that it would be ideal if I were feeding exclusively what is termed a “natural prey” diet but it’s just too daunting in terms of availability and proper nutrient balance. I did quite a bit of reading up one it and it is a major hassle.

But I console myself with two pieces of reality.

Purina One does have a meticulously balanced formula which provides everything essential to a cats life.

My previous cat lived a long and happy eighteen years of life with this as her primary food.

The cat prior to her died sooner in life but there was nothing that the best diet in the world could have prevented. She died from a stroke due to HCM. This is linked to heredity via a dominant gene and most cats don’t even make it to eleven years old. There is no cure yet.

If the food I feed shortens a cats life by a few years ( who knows whether Velvet may have lived to twenty rather than eighteen with a better diet?) then that just makes room a little sooner for the next little shelter refugee who may otherwise have been put down for simple lack of space.

There are SO SO many cats who die every day for no reason other than their time is up at the shelter. Certainly far far more than those whose lives may be a little shorter due to not having the absolute best quality food.

I guess that may be rationalizing a bit, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

So far I have not had any catastrophic results from raising my cats on Purina One. It’s a bit more costly than their regular stuff but still affordable for me on a limited budget. Their coats are healthy and glossy and they have plenty of energy to enjoy a full life, so I’m ok with it. Just my little two cents worth.

Probably the same reason my adult cat perfers kitten chow. Tastes better and who doesn’t like to eat stuff that’s not meant for them?

The same reason most humans prefer french fries to broccoli. Junk food tastes better.

I’m convinced that cats eat whatever stinks the most. Sadly this is also true of my dog. He turned his nose up when I bought him fancy dog food, so I took him to the store and bought the food that he seemed most interested in sniffing – Alpo. But he much prefers the cats’ food.

Because it’s full of yummy junk. Our cats get Fancy Feast if they are sick. We call it kitty crack.

@gussnarp _I’m convinced that cats eat whatever stinks the most. _

Dogs will do this, but most cats are the opposite, they dislike things that are not fresh.

@DarkScribe Sure, but not fresh doesn’t mean not stinky in the land of cats. Still it seems they absolutely go nuts for food that smells like week old fish.

We here at Gail’s five-star hotel eat dry Felidae ($$$$), organic cheddar and swiss cheese and an occasional mouse ear. We sneer at Monterey Jack and Meunster.

Three letters, F A T!!!!!

@Buttonstc – I feed them Purina One or Iams, she feeds them some less expensive Purina stuff, like “Indoor Delights” or some crap like that.

@tinyfaery – It is cat crack! But also, it’s actually one of the best wet foods you can give them. This does vary depening on which flavor you get, but I got a free can in my tub of litter and was really surprised to see meat, meat, meat, veggies, and that was pretty much it.

I supplement with Iams wet food, as it’s more affordable than the Fancy Feast. But they do looove them some Fancy Feast.

As for the fat.. I don’t think that’s it, as kitten food usually about 3% more fat than adult cat food.

I have nothing to add save to say that it is deliberate. The poor quality cat foods are made to be as irresistible to cats as possible by chemical or any other means, and then they are pushed hard by advertising because they are very profitable.

Yeah, I think that’s what I’m contending with here, like human junk food, cat junk food is made to taste better. I guess the upside is I’m saving money on cat food because they prefer the other one?

The cat food my cats like best of all is Meow Mix Hairball Control formula. I’m certain that this isn’t the healthiest thing in the world they could be eating, but I don’t think it’s going to kill them, either. On my limited budget, I’m kind of glad they don’t prefer the better (and more expensive) ones!

Be careful, @augustlan, it’s no savings if you then have to treat your cat for the rest of its life because the poor quality food caused a case of Feline Urinary Syndrome.

@pdworkin What is it about the cheaper food that can cause that problem? I’m not being argumentative, I honestly don’t know. Or, what is it lacking that I could possibly add in some other way?

Ash content, often. PM me, I’ll tell you more.

Actually, if you don’t mind sharing, I’m interested in this sort of thing. :)

Well, check the ingredient list, and think about your cat’s natural diet. The farther the ingredients at the top of the list are from the natural diet, the more difficulty the cat will have. My class is starting, but I’ll come back later and say more.

I agree that cheap catfood probably has a lot chemicals added to be irresistible to cats. However I can’t help wonder if the more expensive cat food is made to look more appealing to humans (the buyer), after all we usually eat with our eyes and want the same quality of life for our cats.

Pdworkin is correct about the ash content part. However, I have yet to have ever owned a cat with UT problems. I believe it’s mor frequent for male cats because their urinary tract is shorter or something like that.

Also critical in preventing UT problems is continual adequate hydration. Cats have a low thirst drive so something like a water fountain is a good idea for that.

I think that one of the primary reasons for the hardiness of all my cats is that I’ve never had any kind of purebred. All of mine have been typical random bred generic “alley cats”. The good old Heinz-57 type. There’s something to be said for genetic diversity contributing to the strength of a species.

My sister on the other hand has always gotten the fancy schmancy purebred dogs and cats and has had no end of medical problems both physical and psychological.

No amount of money spent on food can combat the inheritable weaknesses caused by way too much money-grubbing inbreeding.

@markyy – I don’t know about that, though I think we may be talking about two different categories of consumer here. I mentally noted the other day that the cheaper catfood was colorful (i.e. dyed) and possibly shaped, too. The Purina One and Iams are just plain brown.

So, the color is obviously meant to please the owner, because the cat doesn’t care much about color and actually can only see colors in a limited range, anyway. I can see that appealing to a certain type of person, whereas the plain, brown ones might appeal to someone with the idea of “natural”, which is why they’re buying the food anyway.

@MissAnthrope Exactly! Like a brown banana. An animal won’t care about that but we humans do, we buy stuff because of what we think it should look like.

I just now someone is dying to correct me and tell me how he/she loves brown bananas. But if you are at a store and there are two pair, a brown and yellow banana, wouldn’t you pick the yellow one? Aren’t we programmed to go for the yellow banana, because a banana should be yellow in our minds, or maybe simply for the practical reason that a yellow banana will stay good longer than a brown one.

Would you rather eat french fries or celery? Junk fooooddd

Back from school. I prefer to feed my cat tinned food, the principle component of which is water, and then I look to make sure that some actual meat (not a meat product) is the next ingredient on the list. Felidae, Felo and other brands (I have no brand loyalty) are available at around $1.00 for a 5.25 oz can in a case of 24, on line. I feed my 10 lb. cat one can a day, in 2 feedings.

I find it reassuring that he is not eating grain, chemicals and byproducts, that he is eating something closer to his ancestral food, and that he is getting water with his feeding.

There is nothing wrong with dry food (canned for me is just a preference, and when choosing a dry food, the same rules of thumb apply – look for the least amount of grain, the greatest amount of an actual meat (e.g. it should say “chicken” or “lamb” or “fish”, not “chicken by-products” or “meat by-products”)

This is not to say that your cat will develop health problems on cheaper food; I do believe it is a fact that the nutrition is not as high quality, however, and I prefer not to take chances with my family.

My cat does the same.

I think its because the cats prefer the cheaper, stuff because it has more appetizing chemicals in it, which means, a lot less healthy.

@pdworkin Thanks for taking the time to answer. I will look into it further.

I find the canned food too expensive and too watery. The *Felidae dry description makes me want to try it. My vet compliments Milo on his shiny coat and high energy (he got mouse #43 yesterday). I removed some of the hype from below:

All Natural Cat Food Formula with Four High Quality Meat Meals: Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, & Fish —

Nutritionally dense meals originate from meats processed in a human grade facility

Whole Grain Brown Rice and Diversified Carbohydrates Provide More Wholesome Nutrition and Increased Energy Levels.

FELIDAE® Cat and Kitten formula meets the AAFCO Cat Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

Other FELIDAE All Natural Cat Food Dry Formulas

Chicken & Rice
Grain Free
Cat & Kitten
Grain Free
Salmon

All Natural Holistic Benefits\
Natural Ingredients Plus Essential Vitamins & Amino Acid Chelated Minerals
Naturally Preserved Herbal Formulation
Excellent Palatability –
Contains Skin & Coat Conditioners to Maintain a Health Luxurious Coat
Balanced Omega 6 & 3 Fatty Acids
Wholesome Nutritional Brown Rice & Diversified Carbohydrates
Superior Digestibility
Formulated with Cranberries
Guaranteed Viable Micro-Organisms
Guaranteed Enzyme Activity to Help Break Down Cellulose
pH balanced formulation to promote the prevention of both urinary crystals and calcium oxylate stones
Made the CANIDAE® Way with Superior Quality: No Corn, Wheat, Soy, Grain Fractions or Fillers and Naturally Preserved

My cat noms all my baked taters… No joke :P