Some sachets like Feline Fayre and Applaws say they are "complementary".

What are they actually missing that a cat needs?

I feed a part sachet/part dried/part raw diet (I know a lot of you are advocates of an all wet diet or raw, but this would not suit us).

My last cat would only eat Whiskars and Felixs sachets and go cat dried - despite my best efforts to give him better food, and he died prematurely of cancer aged only 10... I blame the cat food entirely.

I like the Feline Fayre and Applaws because of their quality meat aspect and the fact that they "look" better. As for dried I am feeding James Wellbeloved and Applaws. As for raw, they are getting a variety of meat trimmings, chicken wings, heart etc.

I don't want my cats to miss out on anything, so wondered if anyone could explain the "complementary" mystery to me

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Debs

Lives with a wonderful husband, 2 adorable rescue kitties Harry and Sabrina, and a flock of pampered pet chickens.

Well complementary is used to mean any food that due to it's composition when fed in isolation doesn't provide a cat with it's daily needs. So complementary foods could be missing any number of things and each one will be different.

In respect of the foods that are simply shredded meat such as Applaws, these will generally fall short of providing the correct micronutrients and to a lesser degree the correct macronutrient profile.

For example, without an added calcium source the calcium levels will be far too low in almost all of these foods. In addition depending upon the type of meat, the cuts, how they have been processed and cooked etc other essential vitamins and minerals will also likely be deficient. Even with the use of various offal which contribute these nutrients most complete foods need further nutritional additions such as calcium, vitamin A, vitamin E, taurine, zinc etc

With regards to macronutrients the fat content of these foods is usually also far too low.

As a general rule of thumb it is usually considered that the complementary element of a cats diet should not exceed 20%.

I was just going to give you an example with Applaws to illustrate Ali82's great post but well well well, they have removed their additional analyses from their site. What a shame and I don't think the macronutrient analyses (i.e. protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture) is quite correct unless they have changed some recipes.

According to the info they used to have online, their chicken breast stuff used to contain 33 times more phosphorus than calcium. Not really surprising considering that they don't include a mineral source in their food. The right ratio, for your reference, should be around 1.2 parts of calcium to 1 part phosphorus or thereabouts (not set in stone but this is often considered to be a good ratio for cats).

Also, crucially, not enough taurine.

I fail to see what is "natural" about this food. True, it is "natural" in the sense that it is unadulterated (apart from cooking it they don't add anything). However, the other connotation is that it is a "natural" diet for cats. And it couldn't be further from the truth. Just think about it; a natural diet would consist of the whole prey animal - meat, fat, bones, fur or feathers, organs, eyes etc all included - not some cooked muscle meat with rice. Nothing "quality meat" about it. Also perhaps take into account that even their chicken gets imported all the way from Thailand.

You might think it "looks" better but in my opinion, food looking nice has nothing to do with a cat's diet. Because manufacturers worry about the look of their cooked beef they add colourants, for example, to make grey meat look brown and tasty again. That is just for the human feeder; cats don't really care about the look of their food. They need to care that the food they consume contains the right nutrients in the right proportions. They need protein, fat, calcium, various trace elements, vitamins and importantly taurine, which they cannot synthesise (which makes them an obligate carnivore; meaning that they need to take in certain nutrients from their food).

Do your cats a favour. Wean them off the complementary food and put them on to some good quality, complete wet foods.

What brands would you recommend?

I have read so much on here on the stickies and other threads that I have confused myself... And even looking at brands such as Bozita, I can't see how they are any better than the likes of Whiskars and Felix.

I obviously want the best for my cats, and from reading elsewhere Feline Fayre and Applaws were seen as "quality" feeds due to the high meat content.... But here they are seen as being an occasional treat only.

I am so fearful of cat food and it being carcinogenic after what happened to Thomas, I want to do what I can for Harry and Sabrina.

Help!!

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Debs

Lives with a wonderful husband, 2 adorable rescue kitties Harry and Sabrina, and a flock of pampered pet chickens.

Yes, unfortunately, many people recommend the likes of Applaws and Almo Nature as a good quality food and feed it themselves on a daily basis. I can only speculate that hey are sucked in by the misleading labelling (though in all fairness, Applaws actually say that their food is complementary and needs to be fed in addition to dry food; Almo Nature doesn't), the look because it looks tasty, right?, and the price; because it costs an arm and a leg it has to be good food and you only want the best food for your cat.

Personally, I wouldn't put blame on Whiskas and co as being the cause of your cat's cancer. With cancers you just never know. "Better" food might have helped, or it might not have made a difference.

And yes, cat food IS a minefield. And like you, I don't think that Bozita in jelly/gravy is any better than Whiskas and co. A couple of years ago a girl on here asked the same and we all came to Bozita's defence because it said that it contains up to 93% meat and therefore had to be better than Whiskas and co. But then in conversation with a food manufacturer the penny dropped. Yes, the food contains up to 93% meat but that only refers to the meat content of the chunks; not the overall packet. They now are a lot more transparent and actually make that clear but the whole industry is rotten at the core with their PR. But going by information that a rep on here gave us from Whiskas, there isn't much in between the two. Though Bozita doesn't contain any sugars (but then again not all Whiskas and co food do either).

Having said that the Bozita pate tetrapaks aren't bad (the tins contain too much offal for my liking) but you pay handsomely for it. On zooplus there are some better foods. Of all of the offering, imo Grau is still the best (though with recent recipe changes who knows and their feeding rec has doubled though that is always best taken with a pinch of salt) in terms of the ingredients (though it contains some grains). Other possibilites on zooplus are Animonda Carny and Smilla.

However, if you feel adventurous, there are some other German online shops that sell some of the best foods. Delivery is also quick and the delivery price is decent.

If you don't want to order online then have a look at Lily's Kitchen; an organic food made in the UK.

However, all of the good foods are pate foods and not all cats take to that texture kindly, particularly when they have had the shredded food that your cats had.

So, when it comes to good food there really are two considerations: One is the ingredients and the other whether your cat will actually eat it!

Hope that helps

Thank you, that was exactly the response I needed

I have been spending hours on the zoo plus website, just didn't know what was best.

Now I have 3 brands that I can order to try.

I'll obviously introduce these new foods slowly, however, my pair are very good eaters, so once their tums have had chance to slowly adapt from one food to another I don't think they will be a problem.

I really appreciate you taking the time to help me through this mindfield!!

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Debs

Lives with a wonderful husband, 2 adorable rescue kitties Harry and Sabrina, and a flock of pampered pet chickens.