# Looking for a new brand of food



## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

I have decided to search for a new brand of food due to Natura recalling their dry food which I have had to throw out 2 bags worth. 

I am going to continue to feed my cat the EVO canned, unless they recall this too, but would like some other suggestions.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

1. Taste of the Wild
2. Addiction
3. Wellness Core
4. Holistic Select
5. Avoderm
6. Fussie Cat

I am all for adding 1 or 2 more brand from different manufacturer in case of a recall and you can be stuck with a transitioning period problem.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I was going to switch my dog to EVO, but have decided on wellness core.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Something that I discovered recently. Pinnacle Peak Protein has the same protein fat and carb ratios that EVO does according to dogfoodadvisor.com. So I mean if you want the same quality as EVO that would be a definite option for you. 
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pinnacle-peak-protein-formula-dog-food/










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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

They have a peak protein cat formula also..... As well as cans. I believe you can order them both from Chewy.com 


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

As far as I know they have never been involved in a recall either.... Sorry I can't edit my posts on this phone app :lol: 


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## Lucas718 (Feb 19, 2012)

Orijen is supposed to be really good. 


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

snowy said:


> 1. Taste of the Wild
> 2. Addiction
> 3. Wellness Core
> 4. Holistic Select
> ...


Taste of the Wild is on today's recall list. I don't mind recalls as long as I get good replacements and EVO was very good about this!!
I'll second Avoderm, my cats like it as long as I don't over do it. I love Petco's Soulistic brand too, but have to grind it up or they just lap up the juice and leave the fish chunks.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Marcia said:


> Taste of the Wild is on today's recall list.


Where did this info come from?


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> Where did this info come from?


I was wondering that too. They haven't had a recall for almost a year now.

rcat

^^
This little guy is so cute!


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I have both TOTW kibbles and wet, googled, only found the May 2012 recall, my bag of kibbles was on the recall list back then but haven't found the latest. Maybe there should be a sticky or a separate section on "Petfood recall".


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

Thank you. I may give Wellness a try. For some reason, my pet stores do not carry Orijen. 

I think the new shipment of EVO is due to be on the shelves by May. So, I don't know. 


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

I have dry and cut off the top of the bag. Is that where the expiration date is? 

I mix foods but no signs of anyone being sick, including me. This is pretty disappointing. I just switched foods because of the forums here.

Is there a recall list to check on a regular basis? I wouldn't have known except for this forum.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

I feed Innova Prime Grain Free dry food as about 33% of my girls' caloric intake. When the start of the recall began, I called Natura and they verified my product/lot no/expiration date was not part of the recall. So I've since thrown away the bag. But the girls have eaten almost half of it in the meantime without getting sick, so I guess we'll be ok.

Meanwhile, I need to find a rotation kibble so I'm not stuck with just one brand/manufacturer (like the OP said). I suppose I'll start with Orijen and Wellness Core. I've heard those are quality dry foods.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Go Natural Fit & Free is another 


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

Zilla said:


> Go Natural Fit & Free is another
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I forgot about that one. 


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

NebraskaCat said:


> I feed Innova Prime Grain Free dry food as about 33% of my girls' caloric intake. When the start of the recall began, I called Natura and they verified my product/lot no/expiration date was not part of the recall. So I've since thrown away the bag. But the girls have eaten almost half of it in the meantime without getting sick, so I guess we'll be ok.
> 
> Meanwhile, I need to find a rotation kibble so I'm not stuck with just one brand/manufacturer (like the OP said). I suppose I'll start with Orijen and Wellness Core. I've heard those are quality dry foods.


I need to find another brand to put in her rotation. I know my cat doesn't like Wellness Core canned food but I haven't tried just Wellness. 

Recalls stink.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

Fromm, First Mate, Acana, Orijen, and Horizon, are my dry food choices for both the dogs and cat.

All are manufactured in plants/factories that they own personally, and have excellent ingredients and integrity. 

As for wet, I feed Fromm, First Mate and Merrick (I might phase out the Merrick and find something better, but it's so fun to feed, so many different recipe's LOL) First Mate is by far my favorite, as it's made in a human canning facility, and is formulated for both dogs and cats (meaning dogs are getting the high quality protein and taurine that an obligate carnivore needs, but most dog food neglects). And Fromm has never had a recall, so I like them


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

Anyone ever hear of nature's variety instinct?


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## carbonxxkidd (Oct 19, 2012)

I like Nature's Variety Instinct for kibble. My cats only get dry food a couple times a month now, but they used to eat it consistently with good results. The rabbit formula sits better with my cat. A little more spendy than brands like TOTW but still a great food. 

I feed my cats Wellness Turkey and Chicken 13oz cans as their main diet (one can is about 5 meals), with the occasional raw meal (still playing with the idea of going totally raw at some point, once I can find a good organ source). Ganymede would only eat Instinct Rabbit canned for a long time but it was SO EXPENSIVE. Glad he was able to make the switch to Wellness. Both are doing great on it too, very pleased.


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

After staring at the variety of foods, I bought a small bag of Wellness. 


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

carbonxxkidd said:


> I like Nature's Variety Instinct for kibble. My cats only get dry food a couple times a month now, but they used to eat it consistently with good results. The rabbit formula sits better with my cat. A little more spendy than brands like TOTW but still a great food.
> 
> I feed my cats Wellness Turkey and Chicken 13oz cans as their main diet (one can is about 5 meals), with the occasional raw meal (still playing with the idea of going totally raw at some point, once I can find a good organ source). Ganymede would only eat Instinct Rabbit canned for a long time but it was SO EXPENSIVE. Glad he was able to make the switch to Wellness. Both are doing great on it too, very pleased.


Yeah, I don't feed her that much kibble but I like to put a tablespoon of it in with her wet food.

I will try Wellness canned after I get her used to the dry. She gets bad gas when I switch her food. Ugh!


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

soccergrl76 said:


> After staring at the variety of foods, I bought a small bag of Wellness.


I went to my locally owned pet food shop and asked there. He said their most popular grain-free kibble they sell is currently TOTW. He had free sample bags, so I grabbed one of those to try. Unfortunately they only have fish+fish and deer+fish as the protein components and my cats aren't big on fishy food but we are going to give it a shot anyway.

The other freebie bag of cat kibble was Solid Gold Indigo Moon? What the heck is this? I'll have to investigate.

I looked at their selections of Acana, Orijen, and Wellness Core but they only had the really big bags.


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## V-paw (Mar 30, 2013)

We use chicken soup for the cat lovers soul. Our cat loves it! We switched her from baneful or something, she had no problem switching and didn't even want the old food anymore!


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

NebraskaCat said:


> The other freebie bag of cat kibble was Solid Gold Indigo Moon? What the heck is this? I'll have to investigate.
> .


I was surprised nobody here mentioned Solid Gold Indigo Moon, its one of the popular and more economical grain-free kibbles here in Sg. I fed the strays with this for more than a year until the formula change and kitties decided not to eat. Solid Gold Health Products for Pets - Products


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

snowy said:


> I was surprised nobody here mentioned Solid Gold Indigo Moon, its one of the popular and more economical grain-free kibbles here in Sg. I fed the strays with this for more than a year until the formula change and kitties decided not to eat. Solid Gold Health Products for Pets - Products


I have never heard of that brand. It wasn't one of the choices to choose from at my pet store.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I have only just realised SGIM is probably manufactured by Diamond. Their website didn't mention it but I saw it here Solid Gold Cat Food Reviews, Ratings and Analysis. The dog food was manufactured by Diamond, but this website also isn't sure about the cat food.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Horizons Legacy Im using with my cats now. Great kibble and good price. Im SO mad Natura recalled everything again today. I convinced my friend to switch her dog from Royal Canin to EVO and I had to tell her to order Pinnacle Peak Protein instead because Natura had another recall....  Why did they get bought by P&G


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

Solid Gold...have never heard of it but checked the link. Potatoes (high glycemic index) is the second ingredient. Sigh.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Hmm...TOTW has pea and sweet potatoe as 2nd and 3rd ingredient too. The only diff between TOTW and SGIM is that TOTW has probiotics. Being in the 2nd ingredient, does it necessarily mean its higher in %? It can be 50% of chicken meal and 10% of potatoe or 70% of chicken meal and 20% of potatoe or whatever the combination. Cos its basically a chicken based kibble, so the % of chicken meal, I'm sure cannot be very low? that's just my guess. I'm just wondering if there are any way to find out the actual % of each ingredient.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

snowy said:


> I'm just wondering if there are any way to find out the actual % of each ingredient.


If a food has specific meat(s) in the name then there are some rules that apply...

Pet Food Labels - General

But with something like TOW Rocky Mountain Feline Formula with Roasted Venison and Smoked Salmon...the only thing you can tell is that there is at least 3% venison & salmon...but it's not even clear if it's 3% of each or 3% combined. 

Orijen and Acana are the only foods I know of that list the % of each ingredient on the bag...but only on the non-English lists. But it's pretty easy to compare and figure it out.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

Zilla said:


> Horizons Legacy Im using with my cats now. Great kibble and good price. Im SO mad Natura recalled everything again today. I convinced my friend to switch her dog from Royal Canin to EVO and I had to tell her to order Pinnacle Peak Protein instead because Natura had another recall.... * Why did they get bought by P&G *


Unfortunately, everyone has a price. However, there is no way to find out if this wouldn't have happened if they hadn't been bought out.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

And wellness got bought out by Mars corp. which to me is a big no no, though they haven't started using sub-par ingredients yet, I still quit buying Wellness after they got bought out.

I just found out that Go canned food is a product of the USA (not that that's a major problem) but Petcurian says they manufacture in Canada... that annoys me that they aren't truthful. I'm going to check out their website and see if they say anything about making their canned foods in the US...

and a couple of the other expensive, high end cat food is a product of thiland... so I'm becoming very limited in the brands I can rotate with my cat. I'm going to end up feeding him more raw, I think.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

DeafDogs&Cat said:


> And wellness got bought out by Mars corp. which to me is a big no no, though they haven't started using sub-par ingredients yet, I still quit buying Wellness after they got bought out.


I think you have inaccurate info here. As far as I know Wellness is part of Wellpet which is owned by Berwind a huge holding company. I cannot find any record of Mars having anything to do with Wellness.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

DeafDogs&Cat said:


> And wellness got bought out by Mars corp. which to me is a big no no, though they haven't started using sub-par ingredients yet, I still quit buying Wellness after they got bought out.
> 
> and a couple of the other expensive, high end cat food is a product of thiland... so I'm becoming very limited in the brands I can rotate with my cat. I'm going to end up feeding him more raw, I think.


mars is the parent company for quite a few foods, but wellness isn't one of them.

and as far as i'm concerned, Weruva and Tiki cat are some of the best foods on the market. they're very clean, and you can definitely see what your cat is eating. Thailand isn't the same as China. I have used a lot of Weruva over the last year (less Tiki cat simply because it's quite expensive) and you can always call Cheryl (their customer service rep) if you have any questions about the cleanliness of the plant or the quality of ingredients.


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

cinderflower said:


> mars is the parent company for quite a few foods, but wellness isn't one of them.
> 
> and as far as i'm concerned, Weruva and Tiki cat are some of the best foods on the market. they're very clean, and you can definitely see what your cat is eating. Thailand isn't the same as China. I have used a lot of Weruva over the last year (less Tiki cat simply because it's quite expensive) and you can always call Cheryl (their customer service rep) if you have any questions about the cleanliness of the plant or the quality of ingredients.


I think that I saw Tiki cat at my pet store.

My cat seems to like the Wellness but I think it smells stinky. The EVO smelled better.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> If a food has specific meat(s) in the name then there are some rules that apply...
> 
> Pet Food Labels - General


Thanks for the link. I learnt something new again.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I almost had a heart attack when I read that Mars owns Wellness.....and I'm hoping this is not true!!! I will be so disappointed!!! This was why I stopped feeding EVO to my dog and cats, I had no interest in it at all after it was bought out by P & G...or whoever bought them out.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

We are talking about the same company who makes Pedigree dog food... They don't own Wellness.... Haha they do however make royal Canin... But that's expected... Not much better than pedigree lol Nutro I think is another one they make but I don't think Nutro is any good either... 


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## BryanOwnee (Feb 21, 2011)

soccergrl76 said:


> I have decided to search for a new brand of food due to Natura recalling their dry food which I have had to throw out 2 bags worth.


Don't they give money back?
Anyone know when the recall be over and Innova will be back on shelves?
Janunsz


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

soccergrl76 said:


> I think that I saw Tiki cat at my pet store.
> 
> My cat seems to like the Wellness but I think it smells stinky. The EVO smelled better.


Tiki cat is awesome--all except for the sardine filets in that fish Jell-O. I don't recommend that one. the napili luau is chicken with wild salmon, and my cats love it so much. it comes out to .47, .48 an ounce though, so it's almost twice as much as weruva. and I think the reason that is is because there's considerably more water in weruva, but it's still good food. if you don't mind spending all the extra money on tiki, it's great but I use it sparingly. 

I feed mine wellness, but the only flavor they like is plain chicken (or is it chicken and turkey maybe). I've bought the chicken and herring and that wasn't high on their list so I never bought it again. same way with the turkey and salmon.

I also feed mine pinnacle, spot's stew, hound & gatos, probably will feed them fussie cat again now that I've found they make it in bigger cans (if I can find a case under $100!!)


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## RalphNaderFan (Apr 16, 2013)

As far as my search has indicated Merrick Before Grain is one of the best dry foods and Merrick is one of the most respected cat food companies so far. They have never had a recall on their dry or wet foods. There were some treats recalled (I've forgotten the specifics but I think that at the time the treat ingredients were obtained elsewhere which they now do not do) but that is all. My cats have been thriving on the food for years. That said, yesterday I saw that they had a problem which I think though is being blown out or proportion on the web. A web-based supplier had a few cans of the BG go moldy which seems to have been caused either by shipping damage or faulty cans. Not a recall yet however people are overreacting harshly to this about Merrick. Needs to be taken with a grain of salt. As far as I'm concerned they are still one of the best pet food companies, regarded highly, get their food locally, and have their own manufacturing facilities which will not affect them like other companies that have their foods made by someone else. I use their BG Chicken or Salmon and sometimes their Merrick wet.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> I think you have inaccurate info here. As far as I know Wellness is part of Wellpet which is owned by Berwind a huge holding company. I cannot find any record of Mars having anything to do with Wellness.


I didn't think so, well pet bought Holistic Select/Eagle, but no one bought them. I was about to go BONKERS! LOL! Swiching my dog to Wellness CORE since EVO isn't an option anymore.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

While I think Merrick makes a good food, there isn't anything that makes me think that they're head and shoulders above the majority of pet food manufacturers. In fact they inspire a little doubt in me...they had multiple dog treat recalls about 3 years ago, spread out over several months if I recall correctly. They received a warning letter from the FDA for being somewhat evasive in the recall notices, providing incorrect lot numbers and delaying the recall notice. The letter also cited poor handling practices:

_Our inspections revealed that the manufacturing processes used by your firm to manufacture pet treats are not controlled and that contamination of these products may occur through inadequate treatment or through recontamination of the treated products due to improper storage or handling after processing.

Specifically, your firm could not provide evidence that your manufacturing processes eliminate pathogens such as Salmonella during processing because your firm does not consistently monitor critical factors in the process such as time and temperature; nor could you provide evidence demonstrating that recontamination was not likely to occur post-processing. Further, your firm could not provide evidence supporting the adequacy of your in-house sampling and testing program, for example, explaining the location and number of samples collected for each lot of finished product._

Tejas Industries Inc. 6/1/10

I realize this was 3 years ago and things may have changed. But the letter cited some things that make me uncomfortable about their overall mindset.


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## RalphNaderFan (Apr 16, 2013)

Without getting into a protracted argument I really have very little respect for the FDA. At one time they were legitimate but they have become corrupt and most of their members are ex-chiefs that sat on the boards of big pharma so that says very little to me about how effective the FDA is now. They will go after anyone who is anathema to big pharma and the giant food processors. You can search FDA corruption online and find out for yourself.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yeah, I know enough about the FDA not to believe everything they say. But I'm a critical thinker and I know enough about Merrick to be watchful of them.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

hmmn, my pet store people told me Wellness was bought out by Mars... They must be wrong then. Who owns Well Pet then? 

Ah crap. I'm so totally stupid! It's California Naturals that got bought by Mars corp  That's what I was feeding when I got told that it was bought out... sorry for the scare all! I seem to mix the two of them up regularly...


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Nope...Cal Nat'l wasn't bought by Mars, but closer...it was P&G. 

As I said, Wellpet is owned by Berwind.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I chanced upon these 2 brnads which I don't remember anybody here mentions. Any feedback? Look like these 2 brands weren't in fda recall list before.
1) Dry Cat Food, Gourmet Cat Food | CANIDAE
2) Pet Foods the Way Nature Intended®

Just wondering, is brown rice as bad as white rice?


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Felidae is a good food, although I had it in the store and it didn't sell very well...people that bought it rarely bought it a second time which tells me the cats weren't thrilled with it. 

Timberwolf was a really good food at one time and they had some sort of fall from grace, about 4-5 years ago I think, somebody told me the details but darned if I can remember.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

snowy said:


> I chanced upon these 2 brnads which I don't remember anybody here mentions. Any feedback? Look like these 2 brands weren't in fda recall list before.
> 1) Dry Cat Food, Gourmet Cat Food | CANIDAE
> 2) Pet Foods the Way Nature Intended®
> 
> Just wondering, is brown rice as bad as white rice?


Felidae is ok... I don't really like it though. Their canned food is gross to me. Timberwolf I have been wanting to try. It has a decent rating on dog food advisor... I wish there was a cat one that rated food haha try checking out Pinnacle Peak Protein. Their rating is excellent on that website. Same stats as Evo as far as protein fat and carbs go.. High protein and the lowest carbs out of all the kibbles... 
http://www.pinnaclepet.com/


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## carbonxxkidd (Oct 19, 2012)

I tried feeding my cats Felidae once...they ate it at first and then straight up refused it. I was so mad because I had bought a case of 13oz cans off Amazon and they started refusing it halfway through the case. Luckily I had a friend take the remaining cans. It's a decent food but not for us I guess...

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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

doodlebug said:


> Felidae is a good food, although I had it in the store and it didn't sell very well...people that bought it rarely bought it a second time which tells me the cats weren't thrilled with it.
> 
> Timberwolf was a really good food at one time and they had some sort of fall from grace, about 4-5 years ago I think, somebody told me the details but darned if I can remember.


Thanks. I read somewhere that Timberwolf worked with Diamond before, but no longer now, that's probably the reason they fell from grace? urgh...just my guess.

I was tempted to try Felidae, but it isn't that popular and if taste fails, then I better not try.



Zilla said:


> I wish there was a cat one that rated food haha try checking out Pinnacle Peak Protein. Their rating is excellent on that website. Same stats as Evo as far as protein fat and carbs go.. High protein and the lowest carbs out of all the kibbles...
> Pinnacle® - Holistic Limited Ingredient Dog and Cat Foods
> 
> 
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Pinnacle for dogs is easily available here, but not the cat ones. Haven't found any online store that sells the cat ones. Some brands are just not available here in Sg.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

snowy said:


> Pinnacle for dogs is easily available here, but not the cat ones. Haven't found any online store that sells the cat ones. Some brands are just not available here in Sg.


Here you go: Pinnacle from Chewy.com

Thats where I order all my stuff from. Never had any problems with them. I dont like Pinnacles canned food because there is fish in all of them but I am interested in trying their dry food after I run out of Horizons Legacy.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Pinnacle is another one of those foods that people didn't buy a second time. I've dropped carrying it.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Guess it depends on how picky your cat is :lol: I thank god mine arnt picky haha


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Jasper eats Felidae in rotation, but he eats anything. It's softer than a lot of other pate foods but otherwise I don't see how it's any worse than other cat food... all cat food is sort of gross. I buy it since it's 1.75 for chicken and chicken/turkey versions and 1.89 for their grain free versions (though they both have fish in them) in the 13 oz tins.


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