Is there a premium cat food as good as Hill’s d/m?
My cat needs to lose weight. The vet recommended Hill’s d/m but I’m concerned that it might not be the best food for her. I’ve heard and read some not-so-good things about Hill’s products. I have read a lot of positive things about Blue Buffalo and also Wellness. Is either of these as good as the prescription Hill’s, or better? Also, which would be appropriate for weight loss? She has no health problems other than being overweight (i.e., no diabetes, chronic illness, skin issues, nothing) as per her annual checkup this month. She just isn’t losing weight. She had very poor nutrition in addition to physical abuse before I rescued her. She was fed a diet of dog food, and then only what she could get away from the dog in the household, and I’m wondering if this messed up her metabolism at all.
Cost for the food isn’t an issue. If I couldn’t afford to feed her right, I wouldn’t have her.
It is my experience that Eukanuba’s Veterinary Diet line is higher quality food than Hill’s. But it is also my experience that truly premium foods such as Blue Buffalo and Wellness are even higher quality. Cats are obligate carnivores. They need to eat animal flesh to nourish their bodies. They do not process grains and other plant matter properly. Looking at the ingredients lists on both the canned and dry forms of the m/d weight control diet I see a number of plant-based ingredients that are truly not helpful either for any cat to eat, or for any cat with a weight problem or diabetes. Please for the love of your cat, go with Blue Buffalo or Wellness. I also encourage you to switch from dry to canned, if you are feeding dry right now. It has no benefits for the teeth as it used to be thought. And it is higher in carbs than the dry. By its very nature, even the best quality kibble has to have a certain amount of starch in it to get that crunchy consistency. This can be important for a cat’s weight loss because with carbs comes the need for insulin for the body to process the carbs. Insulin, in addition to regulating the body’s use of sugars (i.e. what all carbs break down into), also interferes with fat cells. In the presence of insulin, fat cells store fat. It is only in the absence of insulin that fat cells can release fatty acids to be burned as energy. The only weight loss advantage in a high quality kibble over high quality wet food, is that you could put her meals in one of those treat-dispensing toys, and make her work for it. http://www.amazon.com/Multivet-Slimcat-Cat-Feeder-Green/dp/B001D1BNFG I have this kind, and put just a tiny amount of kibble in them each day for my cats (their main diet is canned food). But if switching to a canned diet is not going to work, then this might become very useful.
Because the higher quality foods have markedly fewer fillers, cats can be more satisfied eating much smaller portions. I know when I was using a Eukanuba prescription canned food, I would feed one cat half a 5.5 oz can twice daily. With brands such as Wellness, they are ok with 1/4 of a 5.5 oz can twice daily. They also get 1/8 c. kibble in their treat balls, or for variety, I will sometimes give them a few bites of plain cooked beef. Before I switched them to canned food, they were getting 1/4 c. of Felidae kibble twice daily - down from 1/2 c. Purina One twice daily. Because your cat has a history of poor nutrition, and because it is dangerous to reduce an obese cat’s portions too quickly due to the dangers of hepatic lipidosis, I would advise first making the change from Hill’s to the Blue Buffalo and/or Wellness gradually, mixing a little bit of the new with the old, leaving the portions sizes the same. Every week, increase the proportion of new just a bit. This will help get her body used to the higher quality food without suffering digestive upset. Also, sometimes cats will act like kids who demand McDonalds at every meal instead of decent home-cooked food. It’s kind of addicting, and it takes a while for tastes to adjust. So be patient and be persistent. Once the gradual change in foods has been completed, she may well show signs of being satisfied with eating significantly less on her own. But then again, with her history of poor nutrition, she may need to continue eating those larger portions of more nourishing foods for a time so that her body can catch up. But after a while, you can gradually start reducing the portions that you feed her. Do this very gradually - it is worth consulting your veterinarian about this, as hepatic lipidosis can be deadly http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1327&aid=217
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so i have to buy a big bag now. 
