# Food Advice for an Overwhelmed South African



## Bad_Kitty (Jan 31, 2018)

Hi all!

I have recently taken ownership of a lovely (yet very grumpy & unsocialized) spikey child.

She is currently eating *Friskies* cat food, but I am not happy with it's quality.

I have done my best to look through the existing forums for food advice, but cannot seem to find a definite answer.

I have mainly been looking at *Acana*, because I know it is a good quality food.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Since we don't know what brands are available to you the best thing you can do is check the ingredients list and the protein and fat levels in the foods that are readily available to you. Look for a food that has a named meat or meat meal as the first ingredient(s) ie: chicken or chicken meal, not just poultry. Try to find one with as few fillers as possible, some fillers are corn, maize, etc. You also want a protein no higher than 34% and a between 9-12%.


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## jaida12. (Feb 1, 2018)

I use blue Buffalo cat food, and just spoke to the lady at the pet store about the protein and fat content and she pointed me in the right direction. I just got it today and am planning on mixing that with his old food until he gets used to it. Keep me posted on what you decide!


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## Bad_Kitty (Jan 31, 2018)

Hi All 

I went with the Acana Wild Prairie cat food (https://acana.com/our-foods/regionals-cats/wild-prairie/?lang=sa-en), I know it's nutritional values aren't 100%, with the protein & fat being a bit high, but I thought I could perhaps mix it in with a low fat cat food?

These are my options for a low fat food: https://www.epetstore.co.za/cat-dry-food?bfilter=f77:459;f80:478;

Any suggestions? Do you think it would be necessary to mix two foods?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, it'd be fine to mix it with a lower protein/fat food.  It's recommended to mix at least two foods most of the time anyway, so you have a little more flexibility if one food becomes unavailable - hedgehogs don't usually do well with sudden food changes & they shouldn't go more than 24 hours or so without food.

All of the low fat options are relatively similar in ingredient quality, honestly, but personally I'd go for one of the Eukanuba ones. The weight control one with the lower protein would probably be better of the two, to balance out Acana's protein content.


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## Bad_Kitty (Jan 31, 2018)

I'm having a bit of a struggle finding a 'hedgehog sized' bag of Eukanuba, would it be alright to mix the Cat Wild Prairie with the Dog Light & Fit? Acana has great bag sizes, that won't go stale & fit the budget.

Quick one, the majority of Acana's foods have some fish listed in the ingredients, but the main protein is chicken, is this alright?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm not sure what food you mean, can you link it? Or post the protein/fat percentages? If the protein/fat percentages are lower, similar to the Eukanaba, it should be okay. You may have to crush the kibbles a bit, depending on the size - dog ones tend to be a bit larger unless they're made smaller for tiny breeds.

And yup, that's fine!  Fish doesn't usually cause a major issue unless it's the main ingredient and it depends on both the fish type & hedgehog too.


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## Bad_Kitty (Jan 31, 2018)

Firstly, thanks for the help! 

Here's the link: https://acana.com/our-foods/dog-foods/heritage/light-fit/

Otherwise I am looking at these three:

https://www.epetstore.co.za/eukanub...lt-dry-dog-food-chicken?search=weight control
https://www.epetstore.co.za/dog-dog-dry-food/royal-canin-mini-light-adult-dry-dog-food
https://www.epetstore.co.za/dog-dog-dry-food/eukanuba-overweight-sterilised-adult-dry-dog-food

Perhaps I could even do a mix of 3 foods, for more protein variety? I know Acana does the Singles, which have dedicated protein sources.

I have had a read through the nutrition guides, but couldn't really find anything about calculating the total protein & fat content if you are feeding a mix of foods.

Out of interest this is the food the vet recommends: http://www.iams.com/cat-food/pro-active-health-kitten, but I'm not too sure.


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## Bad_Kitty (Jan 31, 2018)

Okay, follow-up.

She loves the Acana Wild Prairie & will eat on average 90% of the pellets given to her in an evening. 

If I mix in the Royal Canin Feline Obesity Management (as recommend by the vet), she barely eats, which leads me to believe that she really isn't keen on it.

Can I just fed her the Acana Wild Prairie, or should I mix in the Light & Fit. Or is it even necessary to mix in an obesity management food when she is at a healthy weight (340g)? I am getting very conflicted reports from the vets.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I would still try to mix in the Light & Fit or another lower fat option. She may be at a healthy weight now, but hedgehogs can gain weight pretty quickly & it's much harder to get it off them.


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## Bad_Kitty (Jan 31, 2018)

I have bought her the light & fit, is it alright that it is for dogs?


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## Bad_Kitty (Jan 31, 2018)

I am so excited!

I found this & someone who can supply it:

https://www.orijen.ca/foods/cat-food/dry-cat-food/fit-trim/

Acana doesn't make a weight management food for cats, Orijen to the rescue!


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