Usually you won't be able to find a dry food that would meet the parameters that I choose a cat food by - that it should be free of animal or poultry digest, free of by-products, preservatives such as BHA/BHT, should not have corn gluten meal as it's only protein source OR as it's first listed ingredient, should not be chock full of soy, wheat, barley and rice (I've seen foods that feature at least 3-4 grains), NO corn - which means no corn meal, whole or cracked corn, no corn grits - corn gluten meal is something I can live with if, as I said, it's not the only protein source.

 

I'm not an expert on Persians, but I did discover by accident that "diet" determines coat texture, which determines the matting and shedding.  When I put our persians on a high protein diet, the coat became VERY silky, fine-textured and just too slippery to form mats.  On other regimens, the coat felt like cotton-candy, it was sticky and it knotted up amazingly fast. The difference is so stark it is hard to believe it is the same cat.  Cats also shed less when the fur is silky.  The critical dietary component seems to be Omega-3 fatty acids, and there's a threshold amount before the "silk syndrome" kicks in.  Here are some foods that our Persians have taste tested and approved. 

 

- Nutro, two varieties - Natural Choice (contains many things for a multi-cat households) or Max Cat for a single cat household.  Both varieties are easy to find in your local pet store, or feed store. 

- Natura Pets Innova EVO - This dry food features real meat or poultry (or meat/chicken meal), and a minimum of carbohydrates. They have a Comparison Wizard that is worth checking out too.

 

- Life's Abundance .  Check the statistics for yourself. 

 

- Felidae Cat Food  It is in my opinion, the very best for their whole health, digestive tract, urinary tract, coat, etc.  This food helps with hairballs in a very big way.  It's a one formula for kittens and adults alike, so its very convenient.  They have dry and canned formulas, but don't ever use the small pop top cans since their use is linked to a type of thyriod tumors that are only caused by the sealant used to make pop-tops open.  Use the large can, and invest in an electric can opener instead.  These tumors are not treatable. 

 

"Hi Cheri,   Just an update on my babies coats-  I can't believe it- it's almost a waste of time brushing them.  It's been two months since I started using Felidae, and their coats are wonderful and I think they appreciate not having to go through the brushing chore it used to be.  Felidae is great and the local feed stores carry it.  The one bad thing is I have tried, but I cannot break them of the habit of eating A/D Prescription Diet wet food.  It is just a treat in addition to their dry food. They had to eat it because the persian who died when he was only six was on Prescription AD and they wanted what he ate.  Now they refuse anything new and just want their AD treat and it has corn.  I have tried everything that looks healthy but they want their AD.  I don't remember in reading descriptions of persians that they were stubborn and want what they want. I have added Linatone oil and brewers yeast to it to make it more healthful, do you think that is okay? I finally had to order Bio Groom stain remover because no one carries it down here.  It is a bit amusing because it's basically kitty makeup.  I use it on my persian named Princess Diana. A few years ago she had her nares (nostrils) reduced so that she could breathe easier and it really worked.  The vet did laser surgery to decrease her nose skin folds and increase the amount of air she could breathe in. Princes Di is incredibly peke faced. So, not only did Princess Di have plastic surgery  to "fix" her nose, she also wears makeup.   Plus, her new eye care regime has really made her tear staining less- thank you for the advise.... She doesn't mind the "makeup" at all."

 

1) Wysong Archetype + Wysong Gourmet canned (1 meal each daily) + high dose of Fish oil supplement.  

2) Wysong Archetype exclusively (no extra fish oil needed)

3) Feline Futures. This is a homemade diet of raw meat with additives for bones, etc.    

 

- Everyone here gets boiled chicken livers, hearts and gizzards, plus canned salmon on occasion.  We try to avoid giving the cats too much fish.  The real skinnies/sickies get Missing Link in their food to boost them up.  

- Cat grass and lot of it.  This helps with the hairballs too.  It must be stored in the fridge and clipped off to feed to the cats.  It lasts longer this way. 

Wide tooth comb	Greyhound comb	Teeth rotate thru tangles	Flea Comb	Nail Brush
Seam Ripper	Mat Comb	Mat Breaker	Mat Splitter	Mat Splitter
Grooming Glove	Sponge pet hair remover