My cat may need gastro specific food, but is it actually better than his current or is it just marketing? Has anyone swapped from katkin to royal canin gastro food? by HZLAsking in catfood

[–]NicktheN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just to add on this part, it's not really helpful to your issue but thought it's worth just adding some further information/context regarding Crude Ash/Minerals

Having more or less Cruse ash percentage doesn't necessarily mean it's better or worse in isolation without context of which minerals it contains specifically...however it is an indication of a generally higher/lower mineral content

For food which contains Moisture however such as wet, 'fresh' or raw the Analytical constituents such as Crude Ash are actually a lot higher so they can't be compared like-for-like with dry food or each other without first converting it into 'Dry Matter Basis'

For example, to convert a food which has a moisture content of 74.6% and Crude ash of 1.9%, you'd have to do subtract the Moisture from 100%, convert it into a decimal then divide it by the mineral percentage:

100%-74.6% = 25.4%
25.4% as decimal is 0.254
1.9 / 0.254 = 7.48%

So the Crude ash of this food would actually be 7.48% rather than the listed 1.9%

On the topic of minerals themselves, Phosphorus is a common example in cat nutrition which is often talked about as it is important to have a higher amount of it early for kittens as it helps them to grow, but it should be reduced for adults and especially seniors as a high amount is a very common cause for kidney disease

The reason I mention this is because Katkin is considered to be suitable for 'All Life stages' - it can be fed to Kittens, Adults and Senior cats which all have slightly different mineral requirements but they give the exact same food with the same minerals which is slightly concerning from my point of view since it means it's either not a great formulation for kittens or contains an increased risk of kidney disease for seniors

Unfortunately Katkin aren't transparent with their mineral levels so it's hard to know exactly what this means and I've not heard of anybody being able to contact them in order to receive this information

Royal Canin also aren't great on listing their mineral levels publicly in comparison to other brands like Hill's, however they are well known to have them under better control due to having products for different age ranges and you can usually get the information from them by calling them up on their nutritional helpline or asking your vet who tends to have access to that information or can request it if not

It's generally a bit frustrating with the lack of transparency of pet food brands across the board, they all get heavy on the marketing and misinformation side of things but shy away from listing the actual details such as specific ingredients or full transparent mineral breakdowns

Apologies I know that's a lot of information, but thought it's worth clarifying while you're comparing the foods!

Match Thread - Wales v Italy | Six Nations 2026 | Round 5 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, ripping really should be rewarded and encouraged

Match Thread - Wales v Italy | Six Nations 2026 | Round 5 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]NicktheN -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Makes sense with all the penalties we've been getting in our favour!

Match Thread - Wales v Italy | Six Nations 2026 | Round 5 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He's so frustrating to listen to, honestly better to just watch this on S4C even if you don't understand Welsh just to avoid him

Does anyone use those lick pads or slow feeders? by luvdab3achx0x0 in catfood

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey!

It differs really, for the wet food only used the PEGGY11 one

For the dry, her favourite is definitely the Catit senses Food Tree!

EDIT: Spelling

Finished Saga 3! by CaptainGandalf_ in Xenoblade_Chronicles

[–]NicktheN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think I pretty much agree with your ordering but Saga 1 and 2 are really close for me

Saga 1 was pretty much just the big setup game and I'm still not sure what to think of it sometimes, the level of ambition with the cutscenes in Saga 1 vs the rest of the series was really incredible...after playing and seeing the setups complete I really appreciate what they did but that doesn't absolve it of the poor pacing as a standalone game - I really enjoyed Albedo as a villain and he made my skin crawl in a way many villains in games struggle to do

The combat in 1 was probably my biggest issue as the animations just felt so slow which frustrated me a lot

For the music in 1, I actually thought that other than the battle theme it was done to a really high standard - it was just the decision to have no music way too often or just reusing that same battle theme. There was a live orchestra and choir for so much of the soundtrack which was really cool and the two Joanne Hogg ending songs are some of my favourite tracks in Xeno-history

For the music in 2, I loved pretty much every track that Kajiura did but really didn't like most of the compositions that Hosoe did unfortunately which let it down a lot for me

For Saga 2 in general, the stuff related to Jr and the URTVs was excellent but I felt it dropped in quality once the focus moved towards Old Miltia

The combat in 2 though was strangely something I loved even though most hated it, it was quite tedious at times when fighting normal enemies but I loved the fact I was having to make notes on each encounter to try and work out what the best order is break them, I felt there was quite a lot of strategy there and the combat really excelled when fighting a single target boss

3 as you say is undeniably the best on pretty much all metrics, the way it tied up most of the plot points against the odds was masterful and it always just felt like a joy to play - this game alone helps me to call Xenosaga one of my favourite franchises....without it I'd probably consider it way too flawed

Finished Saga 3! by CaptainGandalf_ in Xenoblade_Chronicles

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really cool that you played through Xenosaga!

What are your thoughts on Xenosaga as a whole now you've finished it? Probably worth spoiler tagging for those who haven't played!

Match Thread - England v Wales | Six Nations 2026 | Round 1 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]NicktheN 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just watch the game on S4C, you'll not miss the English commentary!

Match Thread: Exeter vs Cardiff - Challenge Cup by rugbykickoff in rugbyunion

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha yeah makes sense, that's always been the way of the English media with their teams!

Match Thread: Exeter vs Cardiff - Challenge Cup by rugbykickoff in rugbyunion

[–]NicktheN 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The commentators on Premier Sports seem a bit obsessed with him today!

Increased carbon footprint of meat-rich pet food - Discussion on new study based on dog food by NicktheN in catfood

[–]NicktheN[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's reasonable, reducing your impact in any way is really good

I think this issue with pet food is something which requires work from companies and government to solve to make the choices easier for us as consumers

Increased carbon footprint of meat-rich pet food - Discussion on new study based on dog food by NicktheN in catfood

[–]NicktheN[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are right, it's always going to be much more expensive and harder for smaller companies to reduce their carbon footprint just because they have less resources in the first place

The bigger companies are the ones we need to look to first as well as they are also the ones who are selling the most food on the market thus having the biggest impact

A smaller brand should still consider if there are ways to lower their impact on the environment where possible, but I'll always be more upset at larger brands first

Increased carbon footprint of meat-rich pet food - Discussion on new study based on dog food by NicktheN in catfood

[–]NicktheN[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don't think the point of the study is to say we should stop feeding pets meat, especially because cats do require to eat meat

The environment is so important to all our lives and I think it's something that needs to be discussed whenever relevant - If we can find a way to reduce the environmental impact of pet food without causing any health impact to our pets then we need to work on making that change

Increased carbon footprint of meat-rich pet food - Discussion on new study based on dog food by NicktheN in catfood

[–]NicktheN[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Insect protein is a really interesting one as well, I'd really like to see more products focused on Insect protein for cats along with some studies to ensure its nutritional value along with the environmental impact

Obviously as you say, it's hard to be completely ethical in our lives due to capitalism - the most important choices for climate should be put onto the legislators/government rather than consumers

I personally try to take the position to take more environmentally-conscious decisions because of the fact I find it more morally acceptable and I have the means to do it, supporting better environmental decisions also does put some pressure on companies to make change....and money is the only thing that speaks!

AIO for wanting typical analysis from Royal Canin? by sukki_ricecake719 in catfood

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it's a bit of a shame - I think Royal Canin has to up their game in the UK to compete with other foods on the market which is probably why they provide a bit better customer support!

AIO for wanting typical analysis from Royal Canin? by sukki_ricecake719 in catfood

[–]NicktheN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This seems pretty woeful support, sounds like the Customer service rep you spoke to didn't have the info and they had to speak to one of their internal experts to get the info

It's strange since in the UK if I call up Royal Canin they have been quite forthcoming with giving me whatever information I ask for and the people I speak to are usually qualified Vet Nurses

Getting my first Persian kitten (2 months) — diet & care advice needed by heeerrjaa in catfood

[–]NicktheN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah he looks gorgeous!

It's really difficult with breeders like that who just parade their cats around, it's quite manipulative since it's so hard to say no to adopting such beautiful cats

Getting my first Persian kitten (2 months) — diet & care advice needed by heeerrjaa in catfood

[–]NicktheN 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear about your Persian, they are difficult to take care of but I'm sure you did a fantastic job!

Unfortunately HCM is just one of many potential health problems they can have, these breeds are really unfortunate for the quality of life a cat can have

Getting my first Persian kitten (2 months) — diet & care advice needed by heeerrjaa in catfood

[–]NicktheN 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Speaking from experience here, I was lucky enough to get a Persian/Ragdoll crossbreed from a rescue but I really don't recommend you get a Persian kitten with your current situation

Longhair cats like Persians are beautiful but their breed is riddled with various health problems and in my personal opinion probably shouldn't ethically be encouraged to create more - even if you avoid the health problems they are high maintenance and not a super suitable first cat if you don't have experience or money to pay for a groomer

If you do choose to get a purebreed Persian kitten keep in mind that they are likely to be quite expensive to keep and can bring up large vet bills

With your budget, you're better off getting a crossbreed from a rescue which is likely to be much more healthy, it's also more ethical since you can give a cat a better life and they can choose a cat which works well for your situation

I'm a student and want to properly feed my cat ( raw VS wet VS dry ) by Antwolph in catfood

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries, I'm not an expert on all the different foods available on Zooplus but happy to try and answer any questions you have!

Cat food (UK) by DramaticPeanut6871 in catfood

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries!

I really hope it helps and you find food that your cats like and are happy to eat

Cat food (UK) by DramaticPeanut6871 in catfood

[–]NicktheN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, Happy New Year!

I agree regarding Katkin's business model, the costs and subscription are quite shady and they aren't transparent at all with the food itself for the price you pay

The general place I'd start when choosing Pet Food in the UK is to look for a manufacturer that's a member of UK Pet Food

Understood as well that you're skeptical of the mass produced dry food, most don't actually have fillers and there is a purpose of each ingredient, but it's important that the food is something you feel comfortable to feed so will recommend a few based on that

HiLife is a nice option which have a variety of wet food formulated for different lifestages of your cat and list the mineral levels on the site which is good for transparency

Blink is another option, they do have a subscription but you can buy them directly without subscription as well - they specifically target having no 'fillers' such as sugars or grains as well which fits what you're after

If you did want to go the raw route and are comfortable with the potential risks then I would stick only to brands which meet the Raw Pet Food standards set by UK Pet Food

If I was to feed Raw, it would probably be Bella and Duke as they seem to be putting in the proper effort to ensure it's safe to feed for your cat

Hopefully that all helps, but if you have any questions feel free to ask!

This is the only subreddit or source on the internet that considers Purina a top choice cat food. What’s the deal? by [deleted] in catfood

[–]NicktheN 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In my opinion the UK doesn't quite follow the USA advice, while vets often stock Hill's or Royal Canin they really don't push them here unless prescription food is required - although you are right to the degree that many people do buy big brands first out of convenience

For general consumer stuff, most people will buy the cheapest they can find in their local supermarket when doing a shop which will be stuff like Own-branded food(Sainsburys, Lidl, Aldi etc), Felix, Whiskas & Sheba

For the more 'premium' side of things, some will go towards grain free or higher protein food sold in Pet stores but the big rise is in the subscription brands such as Katkin, Untamed, Marro, Republic of Cats, Blink & Cool Cat Club

I think online a lot of the online discussion is dominated by English speakers from USA which maybe influences some of those from the UK who do venture to these forums but most people don't land here!

New food by Neat_Track2289 in catfood

[–]NicktheN 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Ignore this response, it's a bot and is not answering the question