Sorry but I have to say something about Science Diet. SD dry food caused diabetes in 2 of my cats (and hundreds more if you go to the feline diabetes forums). I have had several vets outright say SD dry is not a good nutritional food for cats.
Cats are obligate carnivores, they do not eat rice or wheat or veggies. When was the last time you saw a zoo feed the lions or tigers carrots or rice?
I’m not a veterinarian so can’t speak to specific health issues. My vet, however, has stated he has no problem with dry cat foods. Some customers I’ve met in my short time as rep have mentioned feeding dry SD dry for many years without problems; some have mentioned for 25 years or more. More than one swear by the product. I’d appreciate hearing specifically from you exactly what it is in this product they feel is detrimental.
We had a cat until recently, and fed it dry cat food exclusively. We never had a health issue with the animal. We now have a dog and feed him SD exclusively. And with his allergy problems, it’s the best dog food I’ve found (and I’ve tried most of the others).
Yes, cats are true carnivores (as opposed to dogs which are omnivores). But that doesn’t mean that feeding domestic cats a straight fat diet is correct for them. Their food should be high in protein, fatty-acids, taurine, and be balanced in such ingredients as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.