# cat food question



## summer334 (Jul 7, 2016)

Good morning everyone! 
I need help with what brands of canned cat food I should buy for my feral cat colony.

Earlier this month I purchased Wellness adult chicken cat food 12 x 12.5oz (150oz) and Instinct LID turkey 12 x 5.5oz (66oz) from petco. 

I was hesitant in ordering Wellness because of carrageenan but it is such a great value deal so I ordered it anyway. I must admit, it was a big hit for my cat colony. 17/20 cats LOVED it and 3 refused to eat it. 
The 12 cans lasted one whole week which is very reasonable and on my budget!

Now that I'm out of Wellness, its time to use the instinct cans, these are really healthy but they're not so cheap :neutral:. I'm afraid that these won't last a week for 20 cats; i'd have to order 24 cans of instinct and that would be double the price! 

So I was just about to place another order of Wellness but I'm still concerned over the carrageenan. I love these cats to the moon and back so If I have to spend more money for healthier foods then I guess I have no choice. What would you guys recommend? Should I completely avoid brands with carrageenan forever, or would it be okay to rotate and maybe feed them these brands once or twice a month (for a whole week)? Also, if you guys know of any other alternate canned brands without carrageenan please let me know. So far I have my eyes on Instinct and Tiki cat. 
If you take your time to leave a suggestion, it's greatly appreciated! 

(I MUST order within the next 24 hours because I don't want to run out of canned food)


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Are _all _the 20 cats in your feral colony neutered/spayed/received shots? and TNR'd =Trapped Neutered Returned? If not, I would be more concerned with trapping them and getting that done than worrying about Carrageenan. This answer may seem heartless, but for feral cats the average lifespan is about 4 yrs. depending on their environment and amount of prey animals/birds around. I don't think it will make any difference by avoiding carrageenan in the food with such a short life span. Feral cats would be most likely to die of other causes---infections caused by injuries in fights, parasites, feline leukemia or other diseases.


----------



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Wowza, your ferals get Wellness and Instinct?! They don't know how lucky they are! 

Personally, I don't worry about carrageenan, but some members do. In this thread, Augustine lists a bunch of brands that are carrageenan-free: http://www.catforum.com/forum/38-health-nutrition/360058-inappropriate-urination-causes-other-than-uti-2.html

It's post #11. Hope that helps!


----------



## summer334 (Jul 7, 2016)

Hi, thank you for responding. I am currently still in the process of getting everyone through TNR. Females are my priority right now, and then the males. I know how important TNR is for ferals!:kittyball
Many of them are 5 years+ but I guess some food is better than no food at all


----------



## summer334 (Jul 7, 2016)

Hello thank you for replying! They are a little spoiled but $28 for 150oz of wellness is a great value deal. I also feed them purina dry food and I know it's not the best but for now it's right on my budget. Instinct will definitely be an occasional treat because it's expensive for me.
After searching online for a few hours I found Merrick Limited Ingredient and Soulistic by Weruva. I'll be giving these a try. 
Thanks for the thread, I'm definitely going to check it out but I've come to the conclusion that carrageenan is safe to be fed occasionally.


----------

