Hello! I went to my local pet food retailer the other day and they told me that Iams had changed their formula (not Eukanuba, just regular Iams). They said that Proctor and Gamble had bought out Iams and because of this, they would be selling it like regular grocery store cat food. Because of this, they lowered the quality, but not the cost. The people at the pet food store said that they had heard this might happen and kept some old bags to compare. They claim that when the new shipment came in, they had added fillers. My brother wrote to Iams and received an e-mail back saying that this wasn't true. Has anyone else heard about this?

I also am wondering what others feed their Maine Coons. Mine was on Eukanuba when he came to me. It was too exsensive for three cats and the pieces are too small (one of my cats didn't chew the pieces and would get sick). I tried Science Diet and it gave my Maine Coon diarhea. The lady at the pet food store said that it has a lot of corn and fillers. I then put him on regular Iams and he did well. After hearing about Iams, I switched him to Nutro at the pet food store lady's suggestion. They love the taste, but have had some difficulty with diarhea. Any suggestions would be helpful.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

Answers

I have been feeding Natural Choice by Nutro to both my MC's. Haven't had any problems. This was originally suggested by my breeder when we thought my first girl had allergies. She loves it and my other girl eats it fine, although she prefers canned food.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I feed mine Nutro Max Cat Adult dry regular. (I think my breeder mixes the regular Max Cat with the Natural formula) I also give him about 2 tablespoons a day of Nutro's turkey & giblets canned as a treat. When you change food, I belive you need to mix it with the food they were previously eating over a period of at least a week. Add 25% new with 75% old and gradually increase the new food until you are at 100%. If you change it suddenly, they can get diarhea. Nutro has an 800 number on the bag and they were helpful when I called once. I tried Iams when I first got him and he wouldn't touch it. Linda

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

The discussion about Iams changing their formula has been covered very well on the mainecoon news group on onelist.com. A few of the members have contacted Iams directly and the company has stated that they have not/ are not changing the formulas. They are just opening the market up more. Here is the exact quote via an email message.

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"Thank you for your recent inquiry. The Iams Company is proud of having over 50 years of nutritional excellence, dedicated to enhancing the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods.

We manufacture pet foods based on innovative, long-term scientific research, using the highest quality ingredients-not what costs the least. P & G is very committed to maintaining the quality of our products.

We recently announced plans to expand availability of Iams* Dog and Cat Foods in the U.S. and Canada. In March/April 2000, the Iams brand will be available in retail stores where other Procter & Gamble products are sold. Eukanuba* Dog & Cat Foods will remain available only in pet specialty stores. This move represents an expansion of retail availability of the Iams brand, NOT a change in the formulation or quality of Iams products. The exceptional quality of our premium Eukanuba and Iams products that you have come to expect over the years will remain unchanged.

We have not reformulated any of our products to sell them in grocery stores. As our company works to achieve the Iams Mission, which is to enhance the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods, it's important that we make Iams products available to consumers who want a more convenient shopping experience.

We appreciate the trust you have placed in our Iams and Eukanuba brands in the past, and we pledge our continued support with top quality, innovative, and nutritious products that enhance the well- being of dogs and cats for the future.

We hope we can continue to be of service to you. If you need additional assistance, please e-mail back or call our toll-free number, below. Our Customer Service Representatives will be more than happy to assist you.

Please feel free to call our toll-free number, 1-800-525-4267 or visit our web site at : http://www.iams.com . Our Customer Service Center is open 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday and 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET on Saturday. Our Customer Service Representatives will be more than happy to assist you.

Louise Moore Iams Customer Service 1-800-525-4267 louise.moore@iams.com Please visit our web site http://www.iams.com

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-- Anonymous, March 23, 2000

I don't know anything about Iams, as have never used it. However I am feeding my 4-month old male MC Royal Canin Special. It is a little expensive, but I don't know as it is any more expensive than Science Diet and he does really well on it -- no diarrhea problems and it has a nice fat ratio so it helps keep is coat nice. Nutro sure gets a good recommendation from people too, though, so it is probably a good choice.

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2000

This is probably going to get me shot, figuratively speaking, but my vet recommended plain old 9 lives cat food, only the chicken or lamb kind, and cooked chicken and chicken livers as an occasional treat.

As far as we can tell, We have a 15 year old and a 7 month old, and both are thriving.

What about the dry cat food question? I have been told over and over again to NEVER feed a cat dry cat food, yet many cats seem to thrive on THAT!

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2000

Yes Iam's has changed their formulation. They have added Sorghum and Barley to their food. Sorghum and Barley are hard to digest and are high in Tannins. Iam's also uses chicken by-products, which is according to A.A.F.C.O. (American Association of Feed Control Officials)heads,feet & guts. Nutro does not use by-products or whole ground corn because they are hard to digest.

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2000

I have my MC's on Royal Canin. It's expensive, but well worth it. my breeded recommended it and they love the taste. You can also order it over the net for a resonable price too! Good luck and Royal Canin also has a website where you can preview their products.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2001

We feed our MC and all our other cats. Pro Plan AND Nutro. They love them both. As a treat they get Veal flavored Gerber baby food once or twice a week.

Kym

-- Anonymous, February 02, 2001

Hi,

I would never feed my cat Iams or Science Diet, not to mention ANY of the cat foods on grocer's shelves. They are garbage - containing "meat by-products" which include things such as hooves, beaks, spoiled meat and even road kill. Please read the following article for further clarification:

http://www.holisticat.com/drjfood.html

I am not trying to criticize anyone, but as consumers and pet owners we should DEMAND the best foods for our pets and not tolerate the garbage most pet food manufacturers are peddling off as "nutrition".

I tried Iams once, and it made BOTH my cats vomit immediately. I feed my cats Wysongs, premium canned foods and RAW food and they love it and are thriving, beautiful animals.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2001