# Reccomendation on what kind of Canned Food to feed my cat?



## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

I am planning on starting to feed my cat canned food, as it seems to be good for them, but Id like recommendations on a brand to choose. Id prefer it to not be expensive. My cat currently eats Science Diet Adult Optimal Care if it helps. However I would like to wait to start feeding her it until after she gets a check up at the vet since she's due for an examination and shots, I want to know that Im giving the correct amount of food(she's a bit overweight)

Can anyone suggest what brand of canned food to buy?


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Evo 95% is on par with Science Diet price-wise, I think, and it a really high quality food.

There's a new one on the market called Wild Calling that's a little more expensive but has a wider variety of flavours. I hesitate to give it a huge "thumbs up" yet (since I've only just started trying it out), but it seems like a winner.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

Natures Variety Homestyle is a good one, but by far my favorite, price-wise is First Mate, It's only $2.80~ for the big dog sized cans $1.30~ for the smaller cat cans, which is by far cheaper than most comparable foods, and I would feed it over Evo or Wellness any day... Infact I won't feed those foods at all . It's grain-free, made in a human grade facility, and is limited ingredient.

Here's the chicken formula, taken from their website. Canned - Limited Ingredient (Cat) - FirstMate Pet Foods

Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken liver, water sufficient for processing, potato, potassium chloride, choline chloride, minerals: (sodium chloride, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, iodine), vitamins: (niacin, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate,d-pantothenic acid, riboavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin A supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement), taurine, parsley

*Chicken Sourced From Within British Columbia
97% of Protein From Free Run Chicken
3% of Protein From Potatoes

And the foods are also mad from:

Free Run Chicken
Free Run Turkey
Salmon From Sustainable Sources
Ethoxyquin Free Meats
No Thickeners, Such as Carageenan or Guar Gum
Pâté Style
Epoxy Free Cans 



But I don't know if it's available where you are or not, however it's by far the best bang for your buck!


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Can I ask why you wouldn't feed Evo? 

The only thing questionable I've ever heard about it is the inclusion of carrageenan, which has never really been proven to be detrimental to cats. (When I searched my school library's database, the only thing that came up was a 200-something article that said, if I remember rightly, that carrageenan was potentially able to bock the transmission of feline herpes in some cases).

I mean, ultimately we all make a decision about what to feed and what not to fed, but I've never heard someone say they'd never feed Evo (except for the carrageenan thing), so I'm curious.

Nature's Variety has a lot of rice and veg in it that I think aren't necessarily bad for cats, but certainly not nutritionally appropriate.

First Mate looks interesting. The shop I usually go to is listed in their "where to buy", but I've never seen it there, so I'll ask next time I go.


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

Im not familiar with First Mate. I know Ive seen EVO though, I may look around for some of those brands. I obviously dont want to change her food around a lot of times,that might not be good for her, but Im under the impression it shouldnt have too much grain/carbs in it and be mostly protein.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

I don't like Evo or wellness or innova (or many, MANY others  ) because of who owns them, and where it's manufactured. it's not the ingredients themselves. I have 2 lines I will not cross when it comes to what I feed my pets. It has to be owned and manufactured by a company that only makes Pet food, and the company has to own the plant they manufacture in (though that's almost impossible with canned foods, which is why First Mate canning in a human grade facility is the next best thing) 

Natures Variety has their own Canning facility, and I do feed the instinct line, not the homestyle, myself (I really don't care about cost)


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I'm not sure I've ever seen First Mate here, or heard of it. I wish. I'm not a fan of EVO since they were bought out by Mars (I think), but as far as I know, Wellness is still manufactured by Mother Hubbard, and I thought they were ok? I feed my cats that, and am quite happy with it. I do actually like Nature's Variety Instinct better, as does my holistic vet, but I have a hard time finding it close to where I live. I have to drive a half hour to get it, or I would feed that one. But I'm Ok with Wellness. As far as I know they have not been bought out, but I"m not positive, but I wll not be happy if that is the case. My cats have never been a fan of EVO, one reason I don't feed it. THey never liked it. I feed the Wellness grain free varieties, not the Core, which they don't care for either. I'm sure Wellness is not the best out there, but we do quite well on it, for now. I do like Halo, my cats LOVE it, but again, I have to drive a half hour to get it, so I don't usually buy it. I only feed the chicken and turkey and beef varieties, no fish, as per my vet recommendation. So far, my cats seem very healthy and very beautiful coats on the Wellness.


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## grrawritsjordi (Dec 29, 2012)

I feed my Moosey Wellness Wet with a little taste of the wild dry on top.

She loves it and will eat her whole bowl up.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I bought Firstmate kibbles once. Most strays are just ok with it, not particularly like it very much. ET likes it though, but its fish based, he like all kibbles I have bought. The canned ones are not available here.

About Evo canned, ET hates it, even if I hide just less than 1tsp below his regular food, he can smell it and refused the whole bowl. No matter what toppings I add, no way I can make him eat it. He loved Evo kibbles/treats though. He will also eat only Wellness Core Turkey & Duck, not too enthusiastic though, all other wellness flavour, same fate as Evo canned.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

howsefrau32 said:


> I'm not a fan of EVO since they were bought out by Mars (I think), but as far as I know, Wellness is still manufactured by Mother Hubbard, and I thought they were ok? .... As far as I know they have not been bought out, but I"m not positive, but I wll not be happy if that is the case.


Wellness, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack & Old Mother Hubbard all fall under a company called WellPet which is owned by Berwind...a huge holding company who owns Elmer's Glue amongst many others. The Holistic Select/Eagle Pack acquisition brought along a manufacturing plant, but up until last year they were using Diamond for at least some of their production. They had already pulled out most of their products before the Diamond recall last year but did have a few skus affected. I don't know where there food is produced now.

Berwind: Berwind Natural Resources Corporation

For clarification...EVO is now owned by P&G not Mars.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Wellness, Before Grain, Merricks, EVO, By Nature, and the occasional can of California Naturals (if I'm low on money one month). Those are my rotation(I think I got them all).


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## Julie Carvill (Jun 30, 2010)

My cats and I like Dave's cat food. Can Archives Dave's Pet Food Dave's Pet Food 
Doodlebug -Do you sell this in your store?


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yup...good food, excellent price. Holly really likes the new 95% cans.


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## molldee (May 19, 2013)

I feed EVO, Wellness, Nature's Variety Instinct, Holistic Select, and Before Grain.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

snowy said:


> I bought Firstmate kibbles once. Most strays are just ok with it, not particularly like it very much. ET likes it though, but its fish based, he like all kibbles I have bought. The canned ones are not available here.
> 
> About Evo canned, ET hates it, even if I hide just less than 1tsp below his regular food, he can smell it and refused the whole bowl. No matter what toppings I add, no way I can make him eat it. He loved Evo kibbles/treats though. He will also eat only Wellness Core Turkey & Duck, not too enthusiastic though, all other wellness flavour, same fate as Evo canned.


I don't feed the First Mate Kibble, just the canned (to my cat, the dogs get First Mate kibble now and then, as well as canned) The canned First Mate just came out a few months ago. It really is excellent. Right now, there's only the three varieties, but the rep I saw last weekend said that there will be more varieties, eventually... they just want to see how the first three do first. So maybe you will be able to get the cans soon. It honestly just became available here 3 or 4 months ago


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## coyt (Jul 15, 2012)

I feed Dave's pet food. Unfortunately it's a bit hard to find but there's a few sites that stock it online and the website( Dave's Pet Food - Healthy Dog & Cat Food Dave's Pet Food ) shows stores in your area that may carry it.

I used to feed Wellness but the price went way up and my local pet store owner told me they got bought out by Proctor&Gamble. He recommending I try out Dave's since it was similar and more affordable but better quality.

It's only 1.99 for a 13.5 oz can, and since I feed Kiba 3 oz a day it comes out to less than 30$ a month to feed him a high-quality canned diet. So I'm happy with it. Also, his fur is way softer than it was even on Wellness, so I think the food's treating him well


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

I dont know what to choose really, I am kinda iffy about a pet food brand that is owned by that kind of company but I cant jump though a bunch of hoops for pet food, Id prefer it to be something I could obtain locally due to transportation issues and convenience.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

coyt said:


> I used to feed Wellness but the price went way up and my local pet store owner told me they got bought out by Proctor&Gamble.


Clarification...Wellness is not owned by P&G. See my post on page 1.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Dave's cat food? Is that a regional brand? I've never seen it or heard of it.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Dave owns a small chain of pet food stores in western Mass (Springfield area). He's all about good quality food for a good price. I've met him a couple times and he's quite the character...watch some of the videos on his website.

Anyway...it's mostly a northeast brand, but he was recently on Home Shopping network and is starting to get distribution in other areas of the country. Has also started some national advertising. His website lists a few online pet food stores that carry his products.

His canned foods really remind me of Wellness. My cats approve!

The 5.5 oz cans go for $1.19, 13 oz for $1.89 and the new 95% meat in 5.5 oz are $1.40. All are grain free.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I wish Dave sold his food here in Florida! Would make my life much simpler, and then I may be able to afford to by myself the occasional pair of new shoes


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## coyt (Jul 15, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> Clarification...Wellness is not owned by P&G. See my post on page 1.



Thanks for the clarification!

And that's awesome you met Dave, haha! If you see him again tell him someone from CatForum has a cat that loves his food ;-)


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Dave's IS sold on petfooddirect, I found it and he does have a beef flavor... but it's not on petfood direct. Just the beef and chicken.

I'm sure my local mom and pop could get it from their distributor. I'll give it a shot, another food in the rotation can't hurt!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yeah...it looks like PFD is not carrying the Dave's 95% line yet. It's fairly new...just a few months...maybe they haven't jumped on it yet.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

Now in rotation all wet: Nature's Variety Instinct, Homestyle, Halo, Wellness, Merrick's Gourmet entrees, Dave's, Nature's Logic, Addiction. 
Once in a while: Earthborn, Taste of the Wild, Evo, Merrick's BG, Fussie Cat. 

I buy larger can for Wellness and Dave's, usually lower price per ounce. I also buy when there is discount for bulk purchase and free shipping online. Lower priced food per ounce (dave's, 12 oz wellness) help to keep the overall cost lower.


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## MB70 (Apr 1, 2012)

Dave's is great food, pretty cheap too! 1.13 for a 5.5 oz can where I buy it. Inky loves the Turkey. He wasn't thrilled with the new 95% for some reason. The regular line is very much like Wellness as far as ingredients and consistency. In fact, some of the formulas ( chicken and turkey that I know of) changed ingredients over the last year, I emailed him and he stated " it was too similar to a major brand and they complained"


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## Julie Carvill (Jun 30, 2010)

You can order all Dave's cat food varieties including the 95% at the online store he owns All Natural Pet Foods. Pet Supplies. Online Pet Food Delivery

I am a big Dave Ratner fan. 

I buy the food by the case when I can. Only one independent pet food store carries it -well we have 2 independent in the area. 

My cats prefer the turkey formula and the chicken formula. They are kinda iffy about the 95%. 

I don't like feeding dry but sometimes I have to --- the dry is ok quality. Wish he would make a dry food Evo /Wellness Core dry like.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

DeafDogs&Cat said:


> I don't feed the First Mate Kibble, just the canned (to my cat, the dogs get First Mate kibble now and then, as well as canned) The canned First Mate just came out a few months ago. It really is excellent. Right now, there's only the three varieties, but the rep I saw last weekend said that there will be more varieties, eventually... they just want to see how the first three do first. So maybe you will be able to get the cans soon. It honestly just became available here 3 or 4 months ago


Thanks for mentioning the canned food. I managed to get the Salmon, Chicken and Turkey and a 456gm pack of kibble in a free gift trial bag that comes with the purchase of a $5 pet magazine. Well worth it. The canned food is still not available for sale at most popular pet store. 

Yea! this canned food doesn't contain carrageenan and guar gum and I didn't see any starch in the ingredient list too. I am now sure ET is allergic to any kind of starches, tapioca starch and modified starch. Now...hope ET will eat this brand.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Great! I now have one more canned food w/o carrageenan and guar gum in rotation. ET likes it.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

snowy said:


> Great! I now have one more canned food w/o carrageenan and guar gum in rotation. ET likes it.


That's awesome! I really like the company, and the canned food. There are alot of kibble better than theirs, but I have yet to find a canned food that I like better 

I like that it's LID, and free of all the bad stuff... It's just too bad I cant find anything else as good. I'm having to resort to lesser foods, just to keep up a rotation!


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## Lily's Mum (Jun 10, 2013)

Torbie said:


> I am planning on starting to feed my cat canned food, as it seems to be good for them, but Id like recommendations on a brand to choose. Id prefer it to not be expensive. My cat currently eats Science Diet Adult Optimal Care if it helps. However I would like to wait to start feeding her it until after she gets a check up at the vet since she's due for an examination and shots, I want to know that Im giving the correct amount of food(she's a bit overweight)
> 
> Can anyone suggest what brand of canned food to buy?


Hi I found this site that could help you.  
Canned Cat Food Reviews- Best Cat Food Brands

Here is the list. In This site there is pics to show you and the reasons. Hope this helps.  

*BEST CANNED FOODS- GRAIN FREE :*
Wellness
Innova EVO
Merrick
Merrick BG ( Before Grain)
Natures Variety Instinct
Natures Logic
Innova 95% Meat
Weruva
Halo Spot's Stew
Avoderm
ZiwiPeak
Evangers

*VERY BAD CANNED FOODS:*
Hills Science Diet
Eukanuba
Iams
Max Cat
Friskies
9-Lives
Whiskas


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

No one has mentioned Trader Joe's, which has 5 flavors of canned food for 69 cents a can. Now that I live in Maine I have to drive 30 minutes to get to a Trader Joe's, but it's worth it!


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

I have a Trader Joes, but it's kind of a drive, although I can get to it :/

Update: I found Wellness at Petco, it's Grain Free. I picked up two small cans,in Chicken and Turkey flavors, so we'll see how my cat likes those. I did not see many of the brands mentioned in this thread however. I'll give her some for her dinner and see how she likes it.


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

Sorry for the double post but I wanted to post an update and I cannot edit my above post. If that's not allowed I truly am sorry.

Well I started feeding the Wellness, she REALLY likes it lol. I want to feed it to her twice a day. She seems to meow for food less( it's probably keeping her more full) and she also seems to have more energy( my mom said she was quite energetic this morning) so I dunno if that's all from feeding the canned food or not. It seems to be ok and hasnt upset her stomach. If all goes well, Id like to continue feeding her it. I do need to find out how much she really needs to eat so I dont overfeed her. I am also still giving her a bit of Science Diet dry since I dont think suddenly switching her to all canned is a good idea.

If anyone has any more advice on feeding canned food Id appreciate it.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

I think the guidelines are around 3% of the cat's body weight, adjusted up or down depending on activity level (Though I'm not 100% sure). There's lots of good info online and in catforum for how much to feed. For what it's worth, my cat is 7lbs, only eats wet food, and get about 5.5 oz, or about 200 calories a day (she also gets greenies treats sometimes). I weigh her every few weeks to make sure she's not losing (or gaining), and it seems to maintain her shape and energy well.

She gets half of a 5.5oz can in the morning, and half at night. We also feed her the big 13-ish oz cans of Wellness and Evo, where she gets 1/5 of the can each meal.

To be honest, I don't think the dry food is doing her any good. By all means keep feeding it until the bag's gone so it doesn't go to waste, though. Then you can try all wet and if there's no tummy upsets get rid of the dry forever.


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## Busterboy (Apr 6, 2013)

Lily's Mum said:


> Hi I found this site that could help you.
> Canned Cat Food Reviews- Best Cat Food Brands
> 
> Here is the list. In This site there is pics to show you and the reasons. Hope this helps.
> ...


Very bad? Come on now...


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

Jacq said:


> I think the guidelines are around 3% of the cat's body weight, adjusted up or down depending on activity level (Though I'm not 100% sure). There's lots of good info online and in catforum for how much to feed. For what it's worth, my cat is 7lbs, only eats wet food, and get about 5.5 oz, or about 200 calories a day (she also gets greenies treats sometimes). I weigh her every few weeks to make sure she's not losing (or gaining), and it seems to maintain her shape and energy well.
> 
> She gets half of a 5.5oz can in the morning, and half at night. We also feed her the big 13-ish oz cans of Wellness and Evo, where she gets 1/5 of the can each meal.
> 
> To be honest, I don't think the dry food is doing her any good. By all means keep feeding it until the bag's gone so it doesn't go to waste, though. Then you can try all wet and if there's no tummy upsets get rid of the dry forever.


I plan to do that, assuming everything goes well, there havent been any tummy upsets so far as far as I know, and she seems to really enjoy the canned food alot(Im surprised she stopped at the bowl lol xD) so I will keep feeding her it, she loves the chicken flavor. I got the smallest cans to start since I didnt know how she might like it. I have been giving her a spoonful twice a day. She weighed about 10.2 lbs last time at the vets, so Im not sure how much that means she needs. I dont want to overfeed or underfeed her. I think she needs to lose some weight though since the vet said she had a bit of a tummy.


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## Shaftell (Aug 2, 2009)

I usually feed my cats Natural Balance wet food but recently I stopped by Walmart and checked out their cat section. I was looking at the ingredient list of the Meow Mix Tender Favorites and found that there was no meat by products, corn, or any of the other fillers. I even compared it to the natural balance cans and found that they had a lot of similar ingredients.

I'm confused though because everywhere I read I see how bad Meow Mix is for cats. Has anyone else checked it out?

Here is the ingredient list for their Shrimp pack.

tuna, fish broth, ocean fish, shrimp, vegetable oil, natural and artificial flavors, tricalcium phosphate, guar gum, carrageenan, salt, calcium sulfate, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, pantothenic acid, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], biotin, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex [source of vitamin K activity]), minerals (ferrous sulfate monohydrate, zinc oxide, manganese sulfate monohydrate, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), sodium nitrite (to promote color retention), canthaxanthin (color).

Can someone point out what's bad in that ingredient list?


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## Lily's Mum (Jun 10, 2013)

Busterboy said:


> Very bad? Come on now...


I just copped the one in the site. The link is in my post above.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Shaftell said:


> I'm confused though because everywhere I read I see how bad Meow Mix is for cats. Has anyone else checked it out?


I wonder how large the tin sizes are (it appears _under_ 3 oz!! rip off... the less you're buying, usually the more the company is making off you in a price vs. quantity comparison), if they're a balanced diet (appears to be, but how much would you need to feed daily?), and if they come in non-fish versions? A general rule is to avoid too much seafood.

Meow Mix gets its especially bad reputation from its dry food, which is simply very, very bad... where's the meat? :|

As far as Friskies, Iams etc. being "very bad" ... well, obviously no so bad that cats are dying left and right on it. Seems to keep them healthy. They just don't use as top quality products.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Personally, I wouldn't feed the meow mix because they add colourants (and whatever that "colour retention" thing is) to it. She's a cat! She doesn't care what colour it is. Colour is added to prevent me, as an owner, seeing what it actually looks like.

That aside, after doing a bit of digging, the ingredients don't look too bad except for being overly fishy, and as Carmel said the serving size (2.75 oz, around 60 calories) is a bit off to make feeding it anything other than a hassle.


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## Busterboy (Apr 6, 2013)

Lily's Mum said:


> I just copped the one in the site. The link is in my post above.


I know, just didn't like the way it was written. I'm thinking the writer of that article is about 12 years old.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

_tuna, fish broth, ocean fish, shrimp, *vegetable oil*, natural and * artificial flavors*, tricalcium phosphate, guar gum, carrageenan, *salt*, calcium sulfate, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, pantothenic acid, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], biotin, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, *menadione sodium bisulfite* complex [source of vitamin K activity]), minerals (ferrous sulfate monohydrate, zinc oxide, manganese sulfate monohydrate, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide),* sodium nitrite (to promote color retention), canthaxanthin (color)*.
_


Meow Mix considered a low quality food because they use pet quality ingredients aka "human food rejects". 4D animals (dead, dying, diseased and disabled), insect infested etc. They don't declare their sourcing, so many of their ingredients are likely coming from China.
Possible use of ethoxyquin, which has been outlawed for use in human foods but very often ends up in imported fish products. It is linked to all kinds of things from birth defects to cancer. Since it's in the fish at purchase it doesn't have to be declared on the label because it wasn't added in the manufacturing process.
Vegetable oil is a poor choice, better to use fish oil or even flaxseed...much better sources of Omegas.
Artificial flavors...because they're using low quality ingredients they need to boost it up. This can also be a euphemism for MSG which has a lot of issues linked to it.
Salt...pet food should not have added salt. Again it's needed because the flavor needs a boost.
Menadione is a controversial ingredient linked to many health issues, however there is conflicting info about it. It's also used in many of the higher end foods. This is one that makes me a little uncomfortable but I don't avoid it like the plague.
Sodium Nitrite is linked to multiple health issues from migraines to cancer. Feeding a food with nitrites is the equivalent of a human eating hot dogs or sausage every day.
Canthaxanthin is a natural colorant that is considered safe in small amounts. But it makes you wonder what's wrong with the color of the food to begin with that they need to enhance it.


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## Shaftell (Aug 2, 2009)

I had a feeling it was too good to be true. Meow mix is known for making unhealthy food so it was just surprising to see the first few ingredients weren't corn meal.


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## Lily's Mum (Jun 10, 2013)

Busterboy said:


> I know, just didn't like the way it was written. I'm thinking the writer of that article is about 12 years old.


I was going to change it. But I changed my mind. Because of copy rights laws. I didn't want to risk it.


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

Now Im not sure if my cat likes the canned food, she didnt eat much of the canned food I gave her for her dinner(Wellness grain fee Turkey flavor) Hmm.. a little concerning but maybe I just need to try a different kind or she's just being picky.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

snowy said:


> Thanks for mentioning the canned food. I managed to get the Salmon, Chicken and Turkey and a 456gm pack of kibble in a free gift trial bag that comes with the purchase of a $5 pet magazine. Well worth it. The canned food is still not available for sale at most popular pet store.
> 
> Yea! this canned food doesn't contain carrageenan and guar gum and I didn't see any starch in the ingredient list too. I am now sure ET is allergic to any kind of starches, tapioca starch and modified starch. Now...hope ET will eat this brand.


It has potato, fourth ingredient  
Canned - Limited Ingredient (Cat) - FirstMate Pet Foods




Shaftell said:


> I usually feed my cats Natural Balance wet food but recently I stopped by Walmart and checked out their cat section. I was looking at the ingredient list of the Meow Mix Tender Favorites and found that there was no meat by products, corn, or any of the other fillers. I even compared it to the natural balance cans and found that they had a lot of similar ingredients.
> 
> I'm confused though because everywhere I read I see how bad Meow Mix is for cats. Has anyone else checked it out?
> 
> ...


See bolded, above



Torbie said:


> Now Im not sure if my cat likes the canned food, she didnt eat much of the canned food I gave her for her dinner(Wellness grain fee Turkey flavor) Hmm.. a little concerning but maybe I just need to try a different kind or she's just being picky.


Cut down on the dry.  Feed smaller portions of canned. Rotate the flavors. Many cats prefer variety in canned. 

Canned isn't sprayed with addictive animal digest, which is what makes cats willing to eat the same dry food day in and day out, so usually the foods have to be rotated more.


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

yeah I guess I will have to, Im probably giving her too much, I give her a bit more than a spoonful and mash it up/microwave it. Mom said she didnt seem as interested this morning, but ate it eventually, suggesting I only feed it once a day. Does she need it twice a day, I may have given her too much of it too soon, and she really dosent eat that much dry food, I give her a handful 2-3 times a day and dont leave out a huge bowl of dry.

I will have to go shopping for more soon and may try some of the other varieties mentioned in the thread. I hear Seafood is kinda bad for cats, and a lot of the varieties I saw contained it, so it limits my selections(thats why I only bought those two kinds) but I guess I will have to try different kinds.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

_


lovetimesfour said:



It has potato, fourth ingredient  
Canned - Limited Ingredient (Cat) - FirstMate Pet Foods

Click to expand...

_


lovetimesfour said:


> Yes, I noticed, but between potatoe and carrageenan, I'd choose potatoe, moreover he is getting it only once or twice a week and he is already getting alot more of the carrageenan from other brands. There just aren't that many choices of canned w/o carrageenan or guar gum, though I managed to find 3 other brands w/o these 2 ingredients, but there are still starches which ET is allergic to. Guess I'll have to stop trying any food with starches, it really makes ET puked and sick in the stomach, poor boy, I actually made him go through that, during the period when I try to find out what he is allergic to.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

I share your frustration over non-carrageenan non starch foods. I too would take a starch over carrageenan, but since you mentioned an intolerance to starches I thought this might not be a good food for your cat.

However I have a cat with FLUTD, so she has to be on the most minimal of carbs, and that means no starches at all.

By Nature Organics does not contain carrageenan or starches. The only strikes against it are pea flour (fourth ingredient) and menadione sodium bisulfate (last ingredient).( It does have guar gum, but guar gum is not on my "avoid list". Xanthan gum is though, being made from corn.) If they would only take the menadione out I would be really really happy with the By Nature Organics.

It's the only canned I feed these days but it's less than 50 % of their daily intake at least, the rest being raw.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Cats in the Kitchen (by Weruva) is carrageenan and starch free.

_By Nature Organics does not contain carrageenan or starches. The only strikes against it are pea flour _

Pea flour is a starch...


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Sorry for my inaccurate statement. It's a very low carb food (less than 4 %). The pea flour is used for protein content. I am not thrilled with the pea flour, but there is no perfect canned cat food. We all have to make concessions where we see fit. 

By Nature Organics Turkey & Chicken formula is the only canned commercial food that my cat with GI/motility issues can keep down. And I have, truly, "tried them all" with her, within the parameters I set forth earlier in this thread. So I have had to make my peace with the pea flour and menadione.

Since 50% of her diet is raw, both commercial and home made (prey model) I have had to learn to live with it, though I never stop searching, and hoping, to find something else she can eat.

Cats In The Kitchen, unfortunately contains xanthan gum, which is something my cat cannot tolerate.


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

I might try Innova, I probably should try different kinds, Im out of canned food currently :> I'll see if any of the other brands mentioned are available where I can find them,I know I can find Innova, and there also is a small local pet food shot near me, so I may go there and see what they have, because I have been there and they seem to have harder to find stuff, but easiest for me is good quality foods I can get at Petsmart or Petco.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> Cats in the Kitchen (by Weruva) is carrageenan and starch free.
> 
> Pea flour is a starch...


Too bad we don't have Weruva here, otherwise I'll buy a can to try. ET is ok with rice flour not sure about pea flour yet, cos I haven't bought anything with pea flour yet (or did I miss out this ingredient?). He is certainly not ok with tapioca starch and modified starch.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

lovetimesfour said:


> S
> Cats In The Kitchen, unfortunately contains xanthan gum, which is something my cat cannot tolerate.


I don't think I see xanthan gum in those I feed, but I did see guar gum and cassia gum and ET seemed ok with these cos I had been feeding those brands with it for quite a while and he seemed ok, so I suppose xanthan gum should be ok for him too, but of course I wouldn't deliberately find something that contains it. If I can, it would be better if I can find something w/o carrageenan, starches and all the gums too.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

snowy said:


> Too bad we don't have Weruva here, otherwise I'll buy a can to try. ET is ok with rice flour not sure about pea flour yet, cos I haven't bought anything with pea flour yet (or did I miss out this ingredient?). He is certainly not ok with tapioca starch and modified starch.


A lot of the Weruva has tapioca (or I may be thinking of their cheaper line, Soulistic), along with the xanthan gum. Many of the Weruva foods are very high carbohydrate. My girl can't tolerate any type of grain at all.




snowy said:


> I don't think I see xanthan gum in those I feed, but I did see guar gum and cassia gum and ET seemed ok with these cos I had been feeding those brands with it for quite a while and he seemed ok, so I suppose xanthan gum should be ok for him too, but of course I wouldn't deliberately find something that contains it. If I can, it would be better if I can find something w/o carrageenan, starches and all the gums too.


According to the Weruva website all of the canned Cats in the Kitchen formulas contain xanthan gum. It's made from corn, is why it's a no go here.

I realize websites can be wrong. I went through a long drawn out process with By Nature about their Organics line and whether it has carrageenan or not. The can labels do not list it, the web site, and on line store sites, had it listed. After many many e mails, I finally was assured by some director or other that the By Nature Organic line does NOT contain carrageenan, the can labels are correct. They have since fixed it in their website, but some on line stores have not made the changes, though I contacted all of them and suggested they look into it and change it, since many people are trying to avoid that now.

The names of the Weruva foods, especially the new ones, annoy me greatly, besides. They are as bad as Tiki Cat with those stupid names. It's too easy to end up with the wrong thing, when you have to read a whole page, just to find out what protein the food is supposed to be.


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

What is people's opinion on Blue Buffalo? Ive seen some people around here that dont like it, but it was one of the cans I picked up today to try. 

Picked up some more Wellness, but couldnt find Innova EVO :l Might have to go to my local pet food store for that one( there's a nice one near where I live where I can get it) but Petco seemed to have a fair few of the good brands.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I feed wellness canned food. My cats love it so I'm happy and will continue to feed.it. its a little over $24 for 12 big cans and that lasts my 3.cats over a month. They only get canned food for their evening meal. So food goes.further.


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## Lucas718 (Feb 19, 2012)

Torbie said:


> What is people's opinion on Blue Buffalo? Ive seen some people around here that dont like it, but it was one of the cans I picked up today to try.
> 
> Picked up some more Wellness, but couldnt find Innova EVO :l Might have to go to my local pet food store for that one( there's a nice one near where I live where I can get it) but Petco seemed to have a fair few of the good brands.


Some people are down on Blue because they do not provide all their nutritional info. I think it's a good food, especially the Wilderness variety. I had the Wilderness chicken and turkey flavors in Gazoo's rotation, but for some reason he has rejected the last two cans of chicken. Not sure what is up with that. 

We only feed grain-free non-fish flavors and Wellness is our main brand. I have to go to about 5 different stores to get all the combinations of pate, minced, cubed, sliced, and Core. The only flavors of Wellness he has ever rejected were the Turkey & Duck formula of the Core, and the last can of Beef & Chicken. He seems to be a big fan of the minced/cubed/sliced chicken and turkey as he has licked the bowl clean the last few times I've given it to him. 

Nature's Variety Instinct is a really good brand, but Gazoo rejected the can of chicken I gave him this morning. At over $2 a can, we won't be getting that again.

One of the local Petsmarts just started selling Castor & Pollux Organix grain-free. It looks like a pretty good food. Gazoo will eat it but usually leaves a little in the bowl.

He wouldn't even taste Soulistic, probably because it was so different than anything he was used to. Merrick Before Grain 96% was a dud - he was ok with the chicken but didn't like the turkey or beef. 

EVO is another brand Gazoo will eat, but leave a little in the bowl. It's harder to find. Most of the chains don't sell it, although PetValu does if you have one of them near you.


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## Kimmy (May 26, 2013)

MB70 said:


> Dave's is great food, pretty cheap too! 1.13 for a 5.5 oz can where I buy it. Inky loves the Turkey. He wasn't thrilled with the new 95% for some reason. The regular line is very much like Wellness as far as ingredients and consistency. In fact, some of the formulas ( chicken and turkey that I know of) changed ingredients over the last year, I emailed him and he stated " it was too similar to a major brand and they complained"


Thankfully to this forum I discovered Dave's canned food and I am very impressed. The closest store to me is about 20 miles drive, but it well worth it if you buy a lot. I bought it yesterday and paid .99$ for 5.5oz cans and 1.59$ for 12oz cans. This is almost half the price of Wellness! The ingredients are pretty good too. I now transferred my kitty to wet diet and have 3 brands in my rotation - Wellness, Trader Joe's and now Dave's. So far so good and kitty loves it.


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## Kimmy (May 26, 2013)

Lucas718 said:


> Nature's Variety Instinct is a really good brand, but Gazoo rejected the can of chicken I gave him this morning. At over $2 a can, we won't be getting that again.


In my local Petco it is 2.99$ for 5.5oz can. Pretty expensive, but my kitty likes it (well, she eats any wet food I give her). I only got it because they have duck and lamb variety and once she finishes I am not buying it again due to the price.


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## Kimmy (May 26, 2013)

October said:


> No one has mentioned Trader Joe's, which has 5 flavors of canned food for 69 cents a can. Now that I live in Maine I have to drive 30 minutes to get to a Trader Joe's, but it's worth it!


I feed Trader Joe's in my rotation. Pretty good food, I think. But my store only has 3 varieties - Chicken, Turkey Rice dinner, Turkey and Giblets dinner and Fish one (in light green can). They also have Tuna for Cats, but I don't consider it a variety because you can't feed you cats just tuna, it is more a supplement to the regular food. What other flavors your Trader Joe's have?


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

Wellness is definately staying as she has eaten all the flavors I've tried so far, and am willing to try more of them for variety. Her portion seems to be about a quarter of a 3 ounce can twice a day. Nature's Variety instict is one I will look for( anything I can get at Petsmart or Petco is easiest for me) Will try the Blue Buffalo Wilderness for her dinner tonight. Wish Trader Joes was closer, seems like a good option as well.


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