9Lives Plus Care FLUTD with Ocean Whitefish - Forget About It!
Written: Oct 16 '02 (Updated Oct 16 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive,reduces urinary ph, low magnesium and ash levels
Cons: by-products, soy hulls, low taurine
The Bottom Line: A food using inferior protein sources including soy hulls. May assist in acidifying your cats urine. Inexpensive and readily found, consider as a short-term option for cats with FLUTD.
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| patriciak's Full Review: 9Lives Plus Care FLUTD with Ocean Whitefish Cat Fo... |
I like to treat my cats, giving them variety from their usual dry food regimen. I also want them to have long and healthy lives, and work toward that goal by providing them with a superior diet, plenty of fresh water, and appropriate veterinary care. Does 9Lives® Plus Care® FLUTD with Ocean Whitefish fit my requirements - will it fill yours? Read on to find the results of my experience with this food.
What is 9Lives® Plus Care® & FLUTD?
Unfortunately, I can not answer the first part of that question. There is no explanation as to what 9Lives® (made by Heinz Pet Products) Plus Care® is. The only hint is on the cans label, where it states "Helps maintain urinary tract health by reducing urinary ph". There is no explanation on their website as to how this is accomplished by this food formula, nor what the average cats urinary ph will be if fed only 9Lives® Plus Care® food. This would be one suggestion I would make if I had the company's ear, to add a section which discusses urinary ph, it's importance for urinary health, and what their food accomplishes with it's formulation.
Flutd is the abbreviation for Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, and I can not give as good a definition as the Cornell Feline Health Center and a link to them is provided at the end of this review. Their suggestions for care of cats with this diagnosis and a history of struvite crystals includes acidifying the urine (to 6.4 or lower), and reducing magnesium intake, among other recommendations. There is another kind of crystal that can be formed which are oxalate, and which require a totally different dietary approach. I want to make an important point - as wonderful as the Internet is, your veterinarian is your best guide as to exactly what is wrong with your kitty if you suspect a urinary tract problem, both in properly diagnosing what is wrong and in going over treatment options with you.
The Results of Taste Tests and What I Saw When I Opened the Can
The can is a heavy steel type metal, with a rather sturdy pop top that has a warning imprinted on the top lid cautioning care when opening and to be wary of sharp edges. There is a use-by date stamped on the bottom lid of the can, so you can check to see that the food is not outdated, and if it is relatively fresh.
Once opened, the aroma that wafts up is not the most pleasant, a combination of grains and mystery meat with gravy (from my college days) is the best description I can come up with. The food is a circular patty of ground ingredients with a clear, slightly thickened gravy that comes out with the patty. My cats ate this food but were not enthusiastic about it, it was there, it was a treat, they ate it, but took their time and it was not worth a fight over who would eat first, in their opinion.
Okay - So What Is In There? a partial list for those who want to know
Meat By-Products,water sufficient for processing,poultry by-products,ocean whitefish,beef, brewers rice,dried whey,soy hulls, the balance are added vitamins and minerals, I did not see any sugars, colorings, or preservatives such as BHA/BHT, ethoxyquin. My problem with the ingredients is that I do not believe by-products (which may be bones, lungs, blood, ligaments and other discarded portions of animals processed for human consumption) are the best option. I prefer that my little carnivores get real meat or poultry flesh or fish for their protein sources. I would not object to bone and blood if we were talking about the consumption of something they caught themselves (not going to happen, they are indoor-only cats). Then at least, I know there isn't a freshness issue, nor any concern over how they were processed. I also prefer the use, if of any grains, that it be not the hull of the grain, as in this food, where they use soy hulls.
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein...(min.)9.0%
Crude Fat...(min.)4%
Crude Fiber...(max.)1%
Moisture...(max.)78%
Ash...(max.)3.6%
Magnesium...(max.)0.024%
Taurine...(min)0.05%
Final Thoughts
This is an inexpensive food, sold as a 4 pack in super markets and pet supermarts alike. It does address the need, for some cats to acidify the urine, and may be of help in achieving that result. However, the quality of ingredients is questionable in the predominant use of by-products (both meat and poultry), and soy hulls. Despite my opinion of the quality of this food, you should know that "animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that (this food)provides complete and balanced nutrition for the maintenance adult cats." As per the label which is the source of the above quote, this food is not for kittens, nursing or pregnant cats. I choose not to feed this food but if you are on a budget, and not bothered by the per centage of by-products in this food, you may want to give this a try, and see if your cats like it.
Thanks for reading! For more information on FLUTD, go to
http://web.vet.cornell.edu/public/fhc/urinary.html.
Recommended:
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patriciak
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