Have you eaten cat food? Seriously.

[Souschef]

weren't there ads in 1983 about elderly folks eating cat food and the Social Security amendments or did I just dream that up?

As I recall it was dog food, not cat food. One time, when we had cat, there was what looked like a piece of cookie on the cutting board. You know where this is going...It was nasty!

 

[W2R]

If you really want to try it:

https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/human-grade-dog-and-cat-food

These are human food grade pet foods you can eat if you want.


Dick eats dog food - NWZCHIK

Thanks. After giving this some thought, I think I'll pass. Maybe it has something to do with living in New Orleans. The food here is just too good to turn down in favor of cat food, even human grade cat food.

 

[Fermion]

IAMS murdered both of our cats due to melamine which was added to fool sensors into thinking more protein was in the food.

So, no, I wouldn't eat cat food.

 

[mpeirce]

Of course now it's "seniors" instead of old people.

It's still "old people" around here. What's wrong with that?

 

[tmm99]

Thank you all for your posts. Some posts were down right hilarious (It needs salt LOL!)!!!! This discussion is making me lean toward not taking the plunge to taste my cat's wet food, although the food does smell good to me (even the seafood falvored ones.....) I was totally leaning toward trying it until the mentioning of melamine (Fermion, I am very sorry to hear what happened to your kitties. I remember the incident from a few years ago.). I may still try it (lick it and spit it out), but I am losing the courage more and more...Like Amethyst, I bet a lot of kids have tried it one time or another though.

The only thing I've tried so far is when my last cat needed a potassium supplement which my vet prescribed, I tasted it since it wasn't just white, but it had flecks of brown stuff in it. The brown stuff was bonito flakes. It was kind of tasty (tasted just like the bonito granulated flakes you get at a Japanese market...)

 

[Katiek]

My cat has food allergies, so he eats a special single ingredient prescription cat food that costs more than any of my food! I couldn't afford to eat his food!

 

[Texas Proud]

I buy canned tuna fish when it is on sale for 50cents/can. It's cheaper than the canned cat food.

Nope, canned cat food can be as cheap as 33 cents.... I buy for about 45 cents....

I do not like the cheap tuna... buy Albacore.... more expensive but better...

 

[M Paquette]

The high end canned stuff? Paté. Serve with crackers and maybe some Kraft.

 

[Texas Proud]

I'd never eat cat food.

But I've nibbled on dog Milk Bones several times before giving them to our dogs, to tease them and irritate DW. Not surprisingly, they don't have much taste...

Same here.... but only ate dry... believe it was Milk Bone....



Also, dry cat food is VERY cheap... some wet food is VERY expensive... like over $1 for a 3 oz can...


As to wet food, both our cats kinda lick the gravy and eat some of the meat... but let most of t dry out... DW started to feed an outdoor cat and it will eat any left overs that our cats do not... plus, it loves chicken bones...

 

[MRG]

Keep in mind who pays for cat food? The manufactures know what people think looks good to eat and that few people will actually taste the food. Now what do cats naturally eat and how might that taste? Certain small rodents come to mind, large bugs, few sparrows, maybe some small fish. I never see adds for kitty spices or marinades, so it's likely bland food from icky sources.

No thanks! I'm not eating any.

 

[Alan]

I tried a taste of it once, and now know why cats lick their genitals. It's to take away the taste of the cat food.

 

[ABQ2015]

I buy my old cat those little cans of Fancy Feast. Pieces of meat in a gravy. For the grilled turkey, main ingredients are turkey broth, turkey, turkey liver, and meat byproducts. It looks sort of appetizing although I don't want to taste it. Probably bland as I doubt they put salt in it. There is no warning on the can concerning whether it is safe for human consumption so I'm sure it is safe.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

I have never eaten cat food. I could never get past the smell of it.

 

[Calico]

IAMS murdered both of our cats due to melamine which was added to fool sensors into thinking more protein was in the food.

So, no, I wouldn't eat cat food.

I am so sorry to hear this. I remember when those terrible stories came out. My condolences.

 

[aja8888]

I've been to a few tuna canning plants in Puerto Rico doing operations assessments. Lots of nice, freshly packed tuna in those cans for human consumption. The stuff that won't qualify as sale grade food ends up being either beat to death in a ball mill to make fish meal (bones, scales, etc) or classified and processed into cat food (the soft waste). No, you don't want to eat canned cat food.

 

[Fermion]

I am so sorry to hear this. I remember when those terrible stories came out. My condolences.

Thanks,

They paid to put down both cats (total kidney failure) but no other costs. I think they included a $10 coupon for IAMS cat food.

OP, I would never eat cat food (or feed it to a cat)

 

[tmm99]

Thank you for your comment Fermion. What happened to your cats is just so tragic.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Texas Proud]

IAMS murdered both of our cats due to melamine which was added to fool sensors into thinking more protein was in the food.

So, no, I wouldn't eat cat food.

Sorry to hear about this... it is terrible when a pet dies early...


I never had heard this.... and IAMS has been recommended to us by a few people...


Looked at a Wiki and IAMS was not listed... are you sure they were part of the problem?


Edit to add... seems it was also put into the human food chain....

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Very sorry, Fermion.


As i recall, and i have five cats now and have rescued, rehabilitated, and trained as therapy animals several cats, and a couple dogs, over the past 25 yrs, that every major cat food manufacturer was affected by the powdered melamine scandal. The common source was a company in China that packaged the stuff as cheap protein powder. I was extremely fortunate in that since my cats at the time ate only dry food (some dry products had it too but not nearly as many lines as the wet food lines) none were affected. I do know Petco has pledged to stock only foods with North American sourced ingredients ever since this happened. A yr or so after the pet food scandal, there were some deaths of human babies in China as the stuff got put in baby formula there too. After that, an executive from some co there was executed, and have not seen any more melamine stories since.

 

[FrankiesGirl]

I buy canned tuna fish when it is on sale for 50cents/can. It's cheaper than the canned cat food.

Non-catfood tuna is really awful to feed cats as anything more than an occasional treat. Besides the fact that it is lacking in essential nutrients, it can cause serious health issues:

Tuna doesn’t have adequate amounts of vitamin E and this may lead to a condition called steatitis (also known as yellow fat disease). Tuna has a very strong taste and smell so many cats can become addicted to it. Veterinarians refer to them as “tuna junkies.” The problem can be serious because these tuna junkies may refuse to eat anything else. The other problem with a steady diet of tuna is that there’s a risk of mercury poisoning.

But as far as the OP's question, I ate dry catfood when I was 6 years old. I remember thinking my cat was crazy because it tasted really gross.

 

[Marita40]

Cats need taurine and don't get it (or enough) in human canned tuna. It is good for an occasional treat but not on a regular basis. My cats can only eat a tiny amount or they barf it up. I think regular tuna is just too rich for them, or they love it so much they gobble it down.

 

[splitwdw]

However, I am sure the pet food is not made from the prime cuts, it is all the leftovers and organs.

I thought that's what they used to make hot dogs.

Nope, scrapple, yum!

Not a cat owner but have fed friend's kitties when they are away. I'm wondering what wet cat food the OP is feeding their cats because the stuff my friend feeds their cats stinks.

 

[tmm99]

Nope, scrapple, yum!

Not a cat owner but have fed friend's kitties when they are away. I'm wondering what wet cat food the OP is feeding their cats because the stuff my friend feeds their cats stinks.

Just a cheapo Purina (Friskies) or Cat Feast stuff. To me it kind of smells like mixture of fish and liver.... I am from Japan and to me, dried squid stinks (You might even vomit smelling that if you aren't used to it...)

 

[braumeister]

I never see adds for kitty spices or marinades, so it's likely bland food from icky sources.

Cats have very few taste buds compared to humans.

 

[tmm99]

Cats have very few taste buds compared to humans.

I heard they cannot taste sweet. That is utterly tragic.