# EVO 95% vs Regular EVO and Wellness CORE



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I was looking at some food analysis info the other day for a post and got a bit of a surprise. I had never directly compared EVO and Wellness....I found that EVO 95% meat actually has 25% less protein than regular EVO and Wellness CORE and 10% less than the regular grain free Wellness. The difference is made up in fat, which makes sense...the first time I opened a can of 95% and got some on my finger it felt really greasy to me. 

The Wellness grain free has higher protein than the 95% EVO, but lower fat...so it does have higher carbs (which is evident from the ingredient list). 

It just doesn't seem right to me that the fat content is higher than the protein content in the 95%. 


*EVO 95% Chicken/Turkey*

Crude Protein (min)9.00%
Crude Fat (min)10.00%
Crude Fiber (max)1.00%
Moisture (max)78.00%

*Regular EVO*

Moisture78.00%
Protein12.00%
Fat8.00%
Fiber0.50%

*Wellness CORE*

Crude Protein12.00%
Crude Fat7.00%
Crude Fiber0.50%
Moisture78.00%
*
Wellness Grain free Chicken*

Crude Protein (minimum)10.00%
Crude Fat (minimum)6.00%
Crude Fiber (maximum)1.00%
Moisture (maximum)78.00%


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

doodlebug said:


> It just doesn't seem right to me that the fat content is higher than the protein content in the 95%.


Why not? Why would they be necessarily connected? Use higher fat meat, you get higher fat content . . . I've heard of more cats reacting poorly to Wellness CORE than to EVO -- I assumed b/c of higher carbs -- but this is good info for folks whose cats DO react poorly to EVO -- perhaps it's the extra fat they aren't accustomed to.


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

It seems like the higher protein content in the regular Evo is related to the eggs, herring and salmon meal? 

The same flavor combo in the 95% version - turkey/chicken - is missing those ingredients, as well as carrots ...

Fran


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

doodlebug said:


> *EVO 95% Chicken/Turkey*
> Crude Protein (min)9.00%
> Crude Fat (min)10.00%
> Crude Fiber (max)1.00%
> ...


I feed two EVO products and mix them in equal parts.
***edit*** I compared my two EVO products and they are exactly like yours ... though I am wondering about your 'regular' EVO compared to mine that is for kittens/cats. I think it is just semantics; I think of the 95% as 'regular' and the other product as 'kitten'.

95% Chick/Turk for cats *_this can has a LOT of goopy gel_*
9% Protein
10% Fat
1% Fiber
78% Moisture

Turk/Chick for kittens & cats *_this can has minimal goopy gel_*
12% Protein
8% Fat
.5% Fiber
78% Moisture


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

When I say regular EVO, I mean the cat & kitten...which was their first product..."EVO Classic" if you will. 

Any diet recommendations I've ever read indicate that protein should be higher than fat. And when you look at the composition of an average mouse....protein content is higher than fat by a more than 2 to 1 ratio. So I'm questioning why a cat food with a higher percentage of fat than protein would be good for a cat when it doesn't remotely resemble the proportions of it's natural diet. 

Elizabeth...I believe they are connected...as I remember, food is comprised of water, fat, protein, and carbs with small amounts of vitamins/minerals that are negligible as a percentage of the whole. So if you increase fat then protein, carbs or water (or some combination) has to go down.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

doodlebug said:


> Any diet recommendations I've ever read indicate that protein should be higher than fat.


Ah, I see the disparity with the 9% protein and 10% fat .... I gotcha!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

One of our local cat only vets holds a discussion group about cats and I attended last night...and actually remembered to ask about this. This vet practice is very current on nutrition and actually stocks Wellness and some other high quality foods. I had signed up for the discussion because I'm considering switching vets.

She said that since the protein content is within the acceptable range, she isn't too concerned about the fat content...but she indicated that cats with sensitive stomachs may not be able to handle the higher fat. She also said that many vets are beginning to believe that there may be a link between high fat content diets and pancreatitis, but no formal studies have been conducted. She summed it up as "if your cat tolerates it, then it should be fine. but it wouldn't be a surprise if caused diarrhea or vomiting due to the fat content"


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

But I see far more folks complaining of those issues w/ Wellness than w/ EVO. Completely empirical, I know, but perhaps of use.

Mice are surprisingly high in fat. Cats do well on a higher fat diet, and handle increased fat better than dogs do.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

hoofmaiden said:


> But I see far more folks complaining of those issues w/ Wellness than w/ EVO. Completely empirical, I know, but perhaps of use.


My empirical data is the opposite...when EVO 95% first came out, several of us here who tried it had cats vomiting it up. Maggie is my sensitive stomach girl and I had bought 3 cans and all three cans (served several days apart) came up. I posted about it and several other people said they had the same problem. 

I was interested in this because last week I bought some thinking I would try it again. This time Maggie kept it down. I think there's a couple more cans, so we'll see how those go. 


Adult mouse nutrient composition on a dry matter basis: 

Protein: 55.8% 
Fat: 23.6% 

http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I don't really have a dog in this fight (if it is a fight).  Either of those foods is a decent choice for those not wanting to feed raw. I wouldn't feed either one, LOL, so . . . ! Whichever works better for one's cat is fine.


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