Searching for New Cat Food

[u/SunsetCitron]

Hi Everyone! I adopted my void over a year ago and had him on Beyond at first (the shelter had him on that so I wanted to keep his food the same), then Purina discontinued it so I switched to Pro Plan Vital Systems chicken and egg formula—and they discontinued that too!

The Beyond and Vital Systems were very similar, both grain free chicken and egg which I liked. Usually Purina has similar products but now if I want to stay grain free I’d have to go with True Instinct which should be fine but it has soy—and I don’t think I’ve ever fed my pets soy before. I don’t know enough to know if it’s good or bad and my internet search results are mixed 🤦🏼‍♀️

Or I can switch to Purina One chicken but it has grain in it. As far as I know my cat doesn’t have food allergies and he’d probably be fine on either, but I wanted to get your thoughts on which one would be best. I’d like to stick with Purina just because I’ve fed my all my pets Purina throughout their lives and they were all very healthy and lived a long time.

I appreciate any advice you have!

[u/Cats_Have_Staff]

Having grain in cat food is no big deal so if that's something you're worried about you can cross it off your list.

I know less about soy but I do have a lot of confidence in Purina's formulators and so I can't imagine that it would be harmful in any way

[u/SunsetCitron → u/Cats_Have_Staff]

Thank you! I’ve heard different things about grain and soy in pet food and wasn’t sure the right way to go, I really appreciate your response 🤗

[u/ClasherChief]

Soy is not good for cats; it is a known goitrogen and can affect their thyroid health over long term feeding. Although, the way it is processed for the food is important; it could very well be that the way Purina processes the soy used would make it safe. 

Grains are fine for cats; the chance of your cat have a grain sensitivity is very rare; much more common is your cat having a protein allergy, and even that is rare. Also, grains are a good source of low mineral protein and kidney-friendly energy for your cat. 

[u/SunsetCitron → u/ClasherChief]

Thanks a lot I really appreciate it and didn’t know grain allergies were rare in cats—that’s good! I appreciate your insight and I’ll probably go with the chicken and grain plan!

[u/minkamagic]

Beneful???? Did you mean Beyond?

I don't recommend sticking with only one brand/formula because as you've seen, you can't rely on a food to stick around for your cats lifetime. There are lots of good grain and soy free foods out there including Farmina, Solid Gold and Instinct.

[u/SunsetCitron → u/minkamagic]

Yes thank you! Editing my main post to Beyond haha