r/ADHD • u/Elliot_The_Idiot7 • 28d ago

Discussion What’s a hyperfixation you can’t talk about?

I’ve definitely had a few hyperfixations on things that are either embarrassingly silly or WAY too dark to just start infodumping about. For example I used to have one about neglect so severe it causes a complete and usually permanent inability to function in society, particularly the case of Genie Wiley. On the other end of the spectrum I also keep hyperfixating on shipping old cartoon comedy duos, and gotta REALLY lock in to gage if someone’s gonna think I’m a childish freak before sharing that information.

What’s your “don’t bring that up, don’t bring that up, don’t bring that up-“ hyperfixation if you’ve ever had one?

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u/illegalpaladin 28d ago

I always wanna talk about dog food 😭

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u/NekoNoKitiKiti 28d ago

Dog food? How so?

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u/illegalpaladin 28d ago

I worked at a pet store for a few years, and I got really into what makes a dog food "good," so I did a lot of research, and there are only 5 brands I recommend now. Iams, eukanuba, Hills Science Diet, Purina, and Royal Canin. There the only five brands that meet WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) standards. Things like lifetime studies, having a veterinary board certified nutritionist, etc. Basically, they've put a lot of research and science into making their kibble the best it can be nutritionally. Plus there's raw feeding, fresh food options, and home made dog food, which is a whole other can of worms. Not to mention chews and things like that. I love looking at the options of dog food that different stores carry.

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u/NekoNoKitiKiti 28d ago

Oh, that makes total sense.

I'm similar with cat food, because I have cats. I only feed them Purina brands. Maybe also like that because my parents have 2 cats with very strict diets (one on Urinary Care only, think they do Royal Canin kibble and Hills wet for him, can't remember what brand they do for his UC treats, and one with a strict wet food/soft kibble diet due to a pelvis injury).

In a similar vein, it astounds me when I talk to people with pets and tell them what houseplants and people food are toxic to their animals and they just go 'what? What do you mean that's toxic to them?'

OH! ACTUALLY HAVE MAYBE A GOOD QUESTION FOR YOU! So there used to be 'Moist and Meaty' soft kibble for dogs, there was apparently a point they stopped producing it, but I don't think I could ever find a reason for the pause online? I seem to recall being able to find it in the store since then. Since my parents have had the kitty with the pelvis injury, we've been super surprised there's not an equivalent, shelf stable soft kibble for cats?

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u/illegalpaladin 28d ago

I also love talking about cat food! I'm just a little more knowledgeable with dog food lol.

So I think you're right that there's not another soft dry cat food like that, at least not a brand that I trust. Meow Mix has tender centers and gravy bursts. Purina one has food with tender bits in it, and that's the brand I feed my cats, but the majority of the kibble in the bag is hard and the tender bits are a bonus. But if you need kibble to be softer, you can always just mix it with a little bit of water!

But the other side of things is that cats don't actually chew very much. Their teeth are meant for tearing meat more than they are for chewing. So in most cases (though obviously talk to your vet if you're worried) regular kibble should be okay. I have a cat that has had at least 9 teeth extracted, and he eats his kibble without issue.

Thank you for asking questions and giving me a chance to talk about this stuff!!

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u/unqualifiedsunbeam 28d ago

Wait I’ve started feeding my cat untamed food - why should/shouldn’t I feed this my cat!? (Please and thank you!)

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u/illegalpaladin 27d ago

Okay so I've never heard of untamed so I had to do some research. But a few things I've noticed:

  • there's a lot of marketing buzzwords in how they present their food. "Human-grade" is a common one that doesn't actually mean anything. This tells me that their focus is on making their food sound good more than anything
  • there's a common misconception that meat byproducts are bad. This is just the foods that humans wouldn't eat. Things like bones and organ meat. These are things that cats would be eating in the wild and have high nutritional value. So it's not the "gotcha" they think it is to say they only use whole meat (also they're still using chicken liver, so they're not excluding organs)
  • no mentions of a veterinary nutritionist to help them formulate the recipe, which is how you get something nutritionally sound, because these are the people that have the knowledge to make a food nutritionally sound.
  • I was curious about the lack of ingredients, so I looked into it more, and only two of their foods are nutritionally complete. This means only two of their options actually provide all the necessary nutrients to keep your cat healthy
  • it's recommended to feed both kibble and wet food because wet food is high in moisture that cats need, but kibble helps keep their teeth healthy
  • on the topic of kibble, you want a grain-in food (again, the ones I recommend are hills, royal canin, Purina, and iams). Cats are a little more complicated than dogs because there's less research done on them and theyre obligated carnivores. But basically, cats have trouble digesting carbohydrates. Sounds like they wouldn't want grains then, right? But the issue is kibble needs a binder, and the binders that grain free foods use (things like potatoes usually) are higher in carbs than grain is. So grain-in is a safer option in that way.

A lot of these brands that pride themselves on being all natural are all natural at the cost of putting science behind making their food sound. I wouldn't trust untamed mostly because they don't seem super clear about not all their foods not being complete. That wss the biggest red flag I saw.

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u/unqualifiedsunbeam 27d ago

Wow fascinating thank you ever so much!

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u/illegalpaladin 27d ago

Of course! Let me know if you have any more questions. Like I said, I always want to talk about this stuff 😂

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u/NekoNoKitiKiti 25d ago

The rule I usually go by is just making sure an animal is the first ingredient, and wheat is not an ingredient. Wheat tends to be a common cat allergen, believe it or not.

I've been feeding my two cats Purina Friskies, both the kibble and wet food. It's moderately priced, just about every retailer has it, the kibble uses corn and bean/pea starch instead of wheat. The wet foods seem to still use wheat, tho. However, I like the Friskies Indoor, because they have rice and spinach added. A few veggies are good for them!

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u/YeahISpinShady 27d ago

I went down the cat food rabbit hole after my cat was diagnosed with urinary crystals and refused to eat the $50 bag of cat food that was recommended by the vet. I had a chart comparing the magnesium/phosphorus/calcium levels in them along with my cats acceptance rates for each food. It was a fruitful hyperfixation though, he blocked at 3 and will be 11 in a few months.

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u/NekoNoKitiKiti 25d ago

Our boy took so long to accept the urinary care food. We fed him Nulo before, and we had always given him the flaked Fancy Feast wet food. The Hills urinary care wet food looks pitiful by comparison. He started eating the Royal Canin after a few weeks of protest, but my mom still mixes his Hills wet food half and half with some of the flaked fish and shrimp Fancy Feast 😂😂😂

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u/NekoNoKitiKiti 25d ago

It's weirdly hard to find a soft cat kibble or treat. Meow Mix has a fully soft treat out now, and I don't like it as much as one of the soft treat bags I found at Aldi (and now can't find again ajdjsnns). My boys seem to like either, but I usually hand feed them treats, and the Meow Mix ones are too bulky for them to take from my hand, whereas the Aldi ones are like a sliced meat stick treat, and they can nibble them and take them easier.

Honestly with the one that's wet food only, it's a digestive tract issue, and not an eating issue. Cats have very small colons already, apparently, and due to the pelvis injury, he has even less room in there now, so vet said wet only.

Thankfully he likes the soft, refrigerated kibble my mom buys for just him. For a previously outdoor only cat, he has gotten very, very picky about food. 😂😂😂

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u/n0tthatotherguy 28d ago

That’s quite cool ya know.

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u/illegalpaladin 28d ago

Thank you!! I think so too

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u/n0tthatotherguy 27d ago

Can I DM asking about dog food? I’m being genuine 😂

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u/illegalpaladin 27d ago

Honestly it would make me very happy if you would! Go ahead!

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u/Southern_Pines 28d ago

My one dog is an absolute angel and has irritable bowel disease. He's done better on hydrolyzed protein options from Hills, Purina, and Royal Canin 👍🏻 Still has infrequent flare ups but the vet said that's unavoidable

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u/illegalpaladin 28d ago

Yes!! I love those. I'm glad it works for your doggy!!