Today’s best cat foods–reviews of canned and raw options
SMALL UPDATE Apr 2021: Updated links. Removed some products no longer available. Moved Halo Sensitive Stomach Formula to top choice group.
The cat food world changes A LOT. When I have time, this list is updated. Meanwhile, you can help others by sharing info in the Comments.
Scratching your head in the cat food aisle? I’ve been there.
In fact, I’ve become a bit obsessive about how to choose the best cat food. I hope the hours of research and time I put into it will help you–and your cat. If you’re curious, I explain how I selected these cat foods here and answer FAQ’s about it here.
My main concern with cat food is how it affects:
- cat metabolism in regards to diabetes and weight
- cat kidney and urinary health
- cat digestive system, IBD, and intestinal cancer prevention
To me, these issues are even more important than the quality and source of the micro-ingredients in a food and who manufactures the food. Of course, I would never use a cat food created in China, but high quality pet food canning plants are few and far between even in the US. Now, there are some small ingredients I’ve taken a great interest in – such as carrageenan and BPA. This is because there may be life-threatening problems associated with these substances if they are consumed regularly over time. On the other hand, people ask about a lot of ingredients, like guar gum, that are not – to my knowledge thus far – known to be a big risk.
I think it’s easy, out of concern for your cat, to lose sight of the forest for the trees. So for me it’s about minimizing risk while keeping the higher priorities (above) in perspective and making sure we have enough good options to choose from.
Today’s best cat foods
If your cat has special health issues, please be sure to consult with a good vet about their food. If your cat has an illness with weakened immunity, some vets recommend avoiding raw meat as a precaution against bacteria.
Tip: On mobile, click the “+” signs for more info on each food.
FIRST PLACE | WHAT’S | COST | SPECIAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life’s Abundance Instinctive Choice canned |  | Simple ingredients, include organic chicken Omega 3s (fish oil) No carrageenan Very low starch, grain free No BPA in cans US ingredients only | MED-HIGH daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | Most cats love this food. I can only find it online–by the case. I suggesting getting their trial size first. You can save money & hassle with their auto-ship option. |
| Ziwipeak Canned Cat Food |  | Meat ingredients are sourced from grass-fed farming with no hormones or antibiotics used. No BPA in can lining. No carrageenan (removed). Very low starch, grain free. Sourced only from fully traceable, approved New Zealand farms. Manufactured in company-owned facilities in New Zealand | HIGH | Contains bone, which can be constipating for some cats |
| Primal, RAW frozen |  | Some ingredients are organic (not the meats though). Small company focused solely on quality pet food. Omega 3s (fish oil) Raw is considered most easily digested, nutrient-available form of cat food. Very low starch, grain | LOW daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | Includes ground bones—caution for cats with kidney issues or constipation.Tip: See their helpful food portion calculator provided online (it’s challenging to calculate amounts without it)Uses water High Pressure Processing to prevent bad bacteria while preserving the enzymes that make raw food nutrients so available.Includes Montmorillonite Clay (from Azomite) that is tested as contaminant-free.While Primal contains more plant matter than I like to see in a cat food (making it more complicated for digestion), the fact that it’s raw outweighs that issue and keeps it in the 1st tier. |
| Halo Natural Sensitive Stomach Recipe |  | No grains No rendered meats Includes omega 3 + 6 Ingredients sourced in US, except lamb from New Zealand and peas from Canada Includes a Quail formula, which is a good novel protein for cats with digestive tracts requiring alternatives (it also contains chicken though) | MED-HIGH | A little dry – try mixing a splash of water Moved from 2nd to 1st place because now uses D3 (instead of D2). |
| Weruva Grain Free Cats in the Kitchen (cans + pouches) |  | No carrageenan Simple ingredients Grain-free Responsive customer service Certified GMO-free Made in human-food processing facility No BPA in can lining | MED -HIGH daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | Moved from 2nd to 1st place because no longer contains starch ingredient. Beef is from Australia & New Zealand. Fish is from international waters, except for Tilapia, which is farmed in Thailand. Chicken raised in Thaliand. Manufactured in Thailand in human-food processing facility. |
| Tiki Cat Koolina Luau canned and Puka Puka Luau (both chicken) |   | Very low starch, grain free Manufactured in a human food factory USDA certified chicken Very simple ingredients– easy on digestion No BPA in cans No carrageenan | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | Made in Thailand at a human food factory. USDA certified chicken. |
| Darwins RAW frozen |  | All meats are hormone-and antibiotic-free and free-range Claim human-quality ingredients Raw is considered the most easily digested, nutrient-available form of cat food. Low starch, grain free Simple recipe (best for digestion) | MED-LOW | Lab-tested to meet and exceed AAFCO guidelines Includes ground bones—caution for cats with |
| Hound & Gatos canned |  | No BPA in can lining No carrageenan Low starch, grain free Claim human-quality US food and factory | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | There is a misprint on some cans that indicates the product contains Vitamin D2. I have been contacted by the owner of Hound & Gatos, who assures me that it is a misprint; the product still contains D3, not D2. We assume the misprint will be corrected on future labels. |
SECOND PLACE | WHAT’S | COST | WHY 2nd PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primal Freeze Dried RAW |  | More convenient than raw frozen food. Raw is considered the most easily digested, nutrient-available form of cat food. Low starch, grain free Some ingredients are organic (not the meat) | LOW daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | IMPORTANT: Add water as instructed – otherwise the carb count is too high, plus cats can get dehydrated & accidentally overeat if you don’t add water. All raw dehydrated food are in 2nd place because they require water to be healthy and some people may overlook this. Includes ground bones— caution for cats with Includes Montmorillonite Clay (from Azomite) that is tested as contaminant-free. |
| Ziwipeak, Raw air-DEHYDRATED |  | Omega 3s (fish oil) No hormones and antibiotics 8% more moisture than most dry foods–more if you add water. More convenient than raw frozen food. Raw is considered the most easily digested, nutrient-available form of cat food. Low starch, grain free; nice simple ingredients | LOW daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | IMPORTANT: Add water as instructed – otherwise the carb count is too high, plus cats can get dehydrated & accidentally overeat if you don’t add water. All raw dehydrated food are in 2nd place because they require water to be healthy and some people may overlook this. Includes ground bones—caution for cats with Several experts say dry foods are too dehydrating for cats with kidney problems. |
| FirstMate Limited Ingredient Canned |  | Made in Vancouver, Canada Uses free-range chicken. Vitamin and mineral supplements are sourced from North America, Germany and France. Meats sourced from US, except Duck from Germany, Lamb from New Zealand/Australia. | MED | In 2nd place because contains some starch, making carb count slightly higher. |
| Party Animal Canned Cat Food |  | Grain free Hand-crafted in small batches Organic protein sources, oils, fruits, vegetables.Made in USA | MED | In 2nd place because it contains several plant ingredients ingredients (harder for cats with sensitive digestion) |
| Pure Vita canned |  | Grain free, low starch Fairly simple ingredients Manufactured at company-owned US plant Fish meal is cetified ethoxyquin-free No carrageenan | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | In 2nd place because contains controversial ingredient Menadione (synthetic K) |
| Feline Natural Raw Freeze Dried by K9 |  | More convenient than raw frozen food. Raw is considered the most easily digested, nutrient-available form of cat food. Low starch, grain free Nice simple ingredients are easy on digestiom (if you add water as instructed – Clean New Zealand sourced ingredients | LOW daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | IMPORTANT: Stir in warm water (at about body temp); don’t have to wait to serve. Add water as instructed – otherwise the carb count is too high, plus cats can get dehydrated & accidentally overeat if you don’t add water. All raw dehydrated food are in 2nd place because they require water to be healthy and some people may overlook this. Includes ground bones—caution for cats with “Has been tested and exceeds the AAFCO minimum requirements” – including taurine. (Shane Bartlettf, K9 Natural Food) |
| Honest Kitchen GRACE DEHYDRATED |
| Only pet food legally allowed to call themselves “human grade” (they won a lawsuit). Company owned US plant is certified for organic and kosher products by the state of California. Meat is steamed at low temperatures to kill pathogens while conserving nutrient quality, then dehydrated. Grain free | LOW daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | IMPORTANT: Add water as instructed – otherwise the carb count is too high, plus cats can get dehydrated & accidentally overeat if you don’t add water. All raw dehydrated food are in 2nd place because they require water to be healthy and some people may overlook this. Also in 2nd place because contains starchy ingredients, making carb count a bit higher than first place foods. NOTE “Grace” is lower in carbs and simpler in ingredients than “Prowl” Introduce gradually. Texture is unique–some cats resist it. Ours like it better with ground turkey added. Tip: Best deal I found on a trial |
| Stellas Freeze Dried RAW Dinner Morsels |  | More convenient than raw frozen food. Raw is considered the most easily digested, nutrient-available form of cat food. Low starch, grain free Nice simple ingredients are easy on digestion No carrageenan | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | All raw dehydrated are in 2nd place because they require added water to be healthy and many people may overlook this. No longer contains menadione! IMPORTANT: Add water; rehydrate for 1 minute. Add water as instructed. |
| LOTUS canned |  | No carrageenan No ethoxyquin in fish Very low starch, grain free All ingredients sourced from US, Canada, New Zealand Made in small batches in US Claim not to have BPA in lining | Medium daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | In 2nd place because contains large fish (4th ingredient), so should not be fed exclusively due to concerns about accumulated ocean pollution toxins and/or extra iodine affecting thyroid health over time. |
| Taste of the WILD canned |  | No BPA in cans No carrageenan No ethoxyquin in fish Low starch, grain free | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | In 2nd place because contains large fish, so should not be fed exclusively due to concerns about accumulated ocean pollution toxins and/or extra iodine affecting thyroid health over time. Also contains small amount of menadione sodium bisulfite (controversial form of vitamin K) |
| Soulistic canned Carrageenan-free formulas only: Good Karma, Harvest Sunrise |  | Claims human-quality food sources and “free range” chicken No GMOs Grain free No Carrageenan (Good Karma and Harvest Sunrise) | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | In 2nd place because contains starchy ingredients, making carb count a bit higher than first place foods. Other carrageenan-free formulas were removed from this list because they contain controversial ingredient Menadione (synthetic K) Manufactured in Thaliand at USDA-approved human food facility You’ll find it at PETCO |
| ORGANIX Grain-Free Canned Cat Food |  | GMO-free certified. Organic (meats and protein sources as well as flaxseed, cranberries and carrots) No carrageenan Made in USA No artificial preservatives, growth hormones or antibiotics in organic ingredients—ever | MED | In 2nd place because Organix is owned by Merrick, which was bought by Purina in 2015. They say the company will still operate independently with no changes. The takeover process will take many months. For these reasons, I would say the product is probably still fine for now, but after 2016, let’s revisit what’s happening with Merrick and the quality of its ingredients. (If you notice anything, let me know. I have already had too many complaints about the Merrick canned cat food and removed it from this list in March 2016. I believe Organix food has more of chance of maintaining quality thanks to certified organic standards.) |
| SOJOS Freeze Dried Raw |  | Raw is considered the most easily digested, nutrient-available form of cat food. Grain free USDA meat Variety of formulas to choose | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | IMPORTANT: Add water as instructed – otherwise the carb count is too high, plus cats can get dehydrated & accidentally overeat if you don’t add water. All raw dehydrated food are in 2nd place because they require water to be healthy and some people may overlook this. Also, this food contains a starchy ingredient (sweet potatoes), so carb percentage will be higher than the many foods on this list that don’t contain a significant starch. Includes ground bones—caution for cats with kidney issues or constipation Meets (exceeds) minimum nutritional levels established by the AAFCO.com. |
| Tiki Cat Hanalei Luau Wild Salmon, canned |  | Sources through environmental fishing practices; seafood sustainability and food safety guidelines Manufactured in a human food factory (quality is visible—looks and smells like human food) Omega 3’s No carrageenan No BPA in cans Low starch, grain free | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list | In 2nd place because contains large fish, so should not be fed exclusively due to concerns about accumulated ocean pollution toxins and/or extra iodine affecting thyroid health over time. No longer contains menadione (controversial synthetic vitamin K). Note: Avoid the TikiCat formulas that have grain (rice) in them. (This Wild Salmon one doesn’t have it.) |
| Instinct LID (Limited Ingredient) canned |  | Meats sourced from US and New Zealand (except rabbit) No carrageenan Very low starch, grain free No BPA in 5.5oz and 3 oz cans GMO free Manufactured in Thailand and Kansas. | MED daily feeding cost compared to others on this list. | Move down to 2nd place (2022) after formula change and manufacturing relocation. Many customers are reporting their cats don’t like the smell and taste of the new formula. Montmorillonite Clay is tested to be toxin-free. According Nature’s Variety rep: “Our vendor tests the Montmorillonite Clay used in our diets for toxins and it is guaranteed toxin-free.” LID formulas are best as they have more simple ingredients than other Nature’s Variety canned recipes. |
While all of these cat food choices are unbiased and based solely on what I would buy, I have started to allow some links on this page to be affiliate links in order to keep this blog funded.
Most cats resist unfamiliar food at first! Buy and try SMALL at first AND use these smart tips to help your cat accept new foods:
If your cat has IBS symptoms or digestive issues
See How treatment-resistant feline IBS symptoms healed in one month and What to feed cats with feline IBS, diarrhea, or frequent hairballs.
If your cat’s favorite natural cat food didn’t make the list…
Many cat foods almost made this list. There were so many foods, I had to be brutal in selecting.
See These natural cat foods didn’t make the “best” list: here’s why (includes the Runner Ups!).
Maybe I missed a food. Let me know if you have questions–I won’t always be able to answer every question personally, but I will add foods you ask about to my “To Be Researched” list.
I also started a list best dry cat foods here–with some health caveats.
Resources
Where to find these foods
- Only Natural Pet Store (carries most of these foods – affiliate store chosen for their reasonable prices)
- Amazon.com and Petfooddirect.com carry many of these foods.
- Many brands are available online directly from the company that makes them
- Your local pet food store (especially if holistic) may have some brands
- Whole Foods carries Primal cat food
Resources for making cat food
Making your own raw cat food can cost even less than the packaged raw cat foods, and is one the healthiest things you can do for most cats. However, it is absolutely essential that you do it right, and add proper nutrients—serious health problems could result if you don’t add the right nutrients. Here’s the scoop!
Your experience? Let’s talk!
None of these foods are perfect, but they met my “best of” criteria. However, every cat has different needs, just like you and I do.
I welcome your experiences, opinions, and contributions in the comments below.
Thanks for your awesome blog, by the way. I wish that Instinct Nature’s Variety Venison would be available LID. Both our cats love it, but our 5 year old Domestic Shorthair, Edgar Allen Poe vomits it within 15 minutes, so he doesn’t get it anymore. Our other cat, a 4 1/2 YO Oriental Shorthair has no problems with it at all, and simply adores it. He is not that hot on the LID Turkey, nor is our Domestic SH. Our Oriental does like the Instinct NV Chicken once in awhile- and our Domestic SH will eat a small amount mixed in with the two foods he can tolerate- Tiki Puka Puka, and two Fancy Feast foods. He loves Wellness Turkey and Chicken in Gravy- but he gets diarrhea from it. Our OSH loves it and has no problems. But I do wish that the Venison was available in LID. I am not that comfy with the carrots, peas, etc.
I give my 9 yr old cat MAGOO a can of a premium canned food at 6am and another at 12pm! At 5 I give him 20 pieces of ORIJEN FIT & TRIM DRY so he quits his meowing when he’s hungry!! The FIT & TRIM is actually good for him even though it’s DRY! That’s why I only give him 20 pieces!!!!!???
Hound and Gatos gamebird pate has changed. I’m finding pieces of bone in it. It was fine until the latest batch. Even the consistency has changed. I mash the pate down really well as my two cats are missing some teeth. Both cats love this brand and so do I because of their lack of ingredients. Anyone else noticing this? I’ve had contact with someone gathering information and photos, but that was weeks ago and no additional contact.
Hi all, just wondering what if anyone can tell me what’s happening with Wild Calling? I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Thank you 😀
Wild Calling went out of business. I asked on their FB page, and was told the owner died.
Ohhh ok! Thank you for the info 😊
Any opinions on Kasik’s or Firstmate cat foods, my cats seem to like the chicken flavor wet. It’s very pricey, but if I consider all the food I toss because they won’t eat it, it’s worth it for me.
I’m trying to find out why Trader Joe’s Trader Joe’s Chicken Turkey & Rice Dinner was rated only one star by the Clean Label project. I can’t find that information anywhere online e. Do you have any idea why it was rated 1 out of 5 stars?
Thank you for all your hard work on this list, Liz. One question – I saw that Instinct and Ziwi are now crossed over and I couldn’t find any explanation as to what that means? Are they no longer good?
Eager to read replies. Great question!!
Oh my gosh, sorry guys. The cross-outs are a weird artifact that must have appeared with a recent wordpress plugin update. Please ignore them and I will figure out how to fix them.
Just want to say thank you for keep updating this list over the year and keep up with today’s cat food world. I’ve been a reader since 2012 and always come back and check whenever something new comes around. Learnt a lot!
Hi Liz. Have you tried Open Farm wet cat food? Any thoughts on it? Thanks!
Hi!
Thanks so much for your research! Since Rad cat went out of business, I have been feeding Small Batch frozen patties, as per recommendation of the pet store where I buy. It;s grain free, but has plant based ingredients, but seem limited and perhaps cat eat dandelions when outside. https://www.pawtrero.com/smallbatch-cat-raw.html?id=507522&quantity=1
Just wanted you thoughts, as it is not on the list. aI did also ask about taurine, and the response was that it was the recommended daily amount needed. TIA
Hi Stephanie, I think Small Batch looks good. It just has ground bones, which some cats can’t process very well (we have one cat who can, and one who gets dangerously “backed up” with the bones — like, terminally constipated and will also throw up the bones sometimes. So it just depends on your cat.)
What do you think of digestive enzymes for your cat. According to karen becker we need to use this supplement for them!!!
Thanks so much for all he wonderful information. Sorting through so many sources of cat food and picking out one of the good ones has been very difficult, to say the least. I have used Blue Buffalo food for quite a few years and don’t think it is the best and now I will try some of your suggestions. Do you know the company “Nulo”? brand? If you can give me any information on this one I’d really appreciate it. Many thanks, Karin in Riverside CT.
My cats wouldn’t touch it
Thank you so much for this blog post. My cat was just diagnosed with cancer. Won’t do chemo on her or radiation that is poison to pets and people- if you survive the treatment you only get 3-5 years on your life and the quality is gone. Going gluten free, grain free, starch free- organic- with pure water- not house water – right now poland springs for the moment. Using colloidial silver, hemp oil 900 mg for pets for pain (she doesn’t like it but it works) and heard the collodial will kill the cancer. Trying to remove the stuff from her diet that cancer thrives on- kill the cancer, kill the pain- keep her company and working on other treatments. Your food blog was a lifesaver- ordered a few to try. Thank you a million!
Natures Variety has changed up their canned cat food lately, what would be a good alternatives given this criteria
cats prefer shredded or chunks
avoid seafood flavors
want good ingredients and avoid unnecessary or potentially bad ones.
Like to keep cost reasonable if possible.
I thought I had lost my mind but our two boys will no longer eat NV LI Turkey and they loved it and not thrilled with the LI Rabbit that was just delivered from Chewy. They loved the cans marked date Sept 2021 but wont eat Nov 2021 with their original gusto. Now I am shaking my head thinking about what to substitute. One of the cats loves the NV chicken the other wont touch it. They love Tiki Puka Puka and Weruva Chick N FrickaZee but still need to find alternatives. They wont touch anything raw and don’t get dry food. Sigh. Signed kitty mom who was happy with the foods she was giving them and now frustrated.
Hi Jo, Natures Variety stopped working for us too. After much trial and error, we are back to Life’s Abundance. As far as canned foods go, Life’s Abundance ingredients really seem to work best for our cats.
My two Ragdoll are picky too. I give them Weruva paw licken chicken along with some Fussy Cat, only the grain free and carrageen free in AM. In the PM I give them a specialty brand of Raw food called Answers Chicken formula pet food for cats.i get it from a privately owned pet food in North Carolina. It is organic and has other formulas like turkey. Look it up on www,answerspet food.com or 1-800-431-8480. My issue is my cats don’t drink water. Maybe it’s because they only get a wet food diet, no kibble ever. Do others notice cats on a wet diet won’t drink water? Any comments will be appreciated.
Hi Mary,
We feed only wet food – and still trying to get them to eat raw. Our vet carries a raw cat food that our two now angel kitties adored. But these two relatively young cats (one just turned 4 and the other will be 4 in August) think that the food is unacceptable– so for the time being at least I am feeding commercial canned which are high in fluid. For example, they get Tiki Puka Puka which is very high in fluid as are the Weruva canned cat food also. Our two kitties always have fresh, cool water at their disposal but they never were big drinkers. However, we did find that they have drinking more now that we got them ceramic fountain which is very quiet. They seem to enjoy watching the fountain’s water drops which are similar to a small stream of water coming from a faucet.
My cats only get wet food and do not drink water. Only my cats who started getting kidney disease started drinking water. My holistic vet says as soon as your wet food cat drinks water it’s a bad sign. Kidney disease.
If you have a CAT that is 7 yrs or older i wud try Purina Pro Plan Prime Plus. Im not a fan of PURINA but this prdct stopped my cat from vomiting & no more diarrhea! They developed this prdcr and took 9 yrs to make sure their claim that cats wud live longer with this cat food. My friends say their cats are doing GREAT with this food. I feed wet with a little dry with it. It comes in wet or dry. I feed the poultry & beef food. You cant mix any other food with it. PURINA pro plan prime plus ONLY! That means NO treats! GOOD LUCK!!!!!
I’ve been researching cat issues for 9 years and never once heard that cats that eat wet food only drink water if they have kidney disease. It’s true they need less water than cats that eat dry food, but any cat may need a drink of water if they have dust or hair in their mouths or throat, if they just barfed up a hairball, chewed on something distasteful, their food wasn’t that great that day (even the best brands sneak in inferior ingredients now and then), it’s a hot, dry day, they don’t feel that great, ect. ALL Cats should have fresh, hopefully filtered (not bottled) water available to them at all times. Yes, an unusual amount of drinking may signal a serious health issue, but it certainly doesn’t guarantee one.
I never said that! Im just saying my CAT and many of my friends cats did well on PURINA pro plan prime plus!!!
Sorry, wrong person. I apologize. I hit the reply button to the most recent comment and landed in the wrong place.
Apology accepted!!!!
If your cats don’t drink water, buy salt free, msg free bone broth and add one tablespoon to each meal right with the canned food. Start a little at a time and work up. My cats lick it up before they eat the food. Also try giving your cats filtered water (not bottled) because your tap water might smell off putting to them. Make sure the water bowl is separate from their food by at least 10 feet. Cats in the wild never drink water where they can smell food, and many house cats are the same. Make sure their water bowl is cleaned thoroughly every day, with fresh water. You can also try a cat fountain, again, far from their food.
Party Animal used Evangers to process their food and pentobarbital showed up in their dog food, so they sued Evangers in 2017. Your list says that Great Life, Feline Cavier, Holistic Select, and Wild Calling may use Evangers for processing. If that’s true I would never buy these foods.
I am so very glad I came across your blog! My cat has IBD and has been starving himself due to the pain I had no idea he was having! My husband loves dogs more and kept telling me “animals wont starve themselves”, however he was greatly suprised when I read to him that cats actually will starve themselves to death due to the pain from this disease. So, as suggested we’re starting on Tiki Cat only because it’s all I could find in our local pet store. All specialty stores close too early, unfortunately!
I do have concerns as he completely refuses to eat any new foods and I cannot try the “introduction to new food” as he literally vomits it up less than 5 minutes after eating it. I do not know what to do and down to force feeding him to get him to eat… the Vet is useless. I will not put him on a corticosteriod and cause kidney or liver failure… Might you have any suggestions as to how to get a sick cat to eat these new foods more easily??
Hi Michelle,
You are correct in that you cannot force them to eat what they do not like. In my case, my IBD cat would sometimes eat things my other 3 cats had and then get very sick.and vomit profusely which is the worst for an IBD cat! That was in the past, now everyone eats only what she can have for fear that she will become sick.
My first suggestion, is to find another vet even if you need to go out of your town or area. Just in case of an emergency, you need someone who understands your cats condition bc it can be a life or death condition. My cat almost died and needed surgery. After her surgery several years ago, it sort of reset her body clock and I was able to start her over on a new food regimen. It is a trial and error situation as to what each cat will like and eat. Many people on this blog will have great suggestions. Some only feed wet food which is very important bc cats do not Drink a lot of water and I came to realize early on that they Really need water in their bodies just like we do. The wet food helps to provide that water in their bodies. I had a hard time getting my cats to eat wet food bc they wet used to dry
Food. How I get her to drink more water is that I give her
COLD bottled water from the frig bc I know she really likes to drink from my glass.
Also, I tried EVERY food recommended on this blog and then some, the bottom line, as far as the vomiting, seemed to be if I was very careful about reading the ingredient list (it can be different for every owner in some areas) she did not get sick but did not always like the foods and often just walked away from the foods. My kitty is a very picky girl so it has been extremely frustrating The single most important ingredient to avoid
That I discovered was and is Carrageen. Aside from the
The various wet foods you will find on here, I have found
Wellness Signature Select “Grain Free” Food that my kitty loves, WILL EAT HAPPILY AND DOES NOT GET SICK. I order this food by the case from Petco.com.
It is not recommended on this site but it works for me.
Also I feed as a staple Orijen Dry Cat Food. It is a bit
pricey but again well worth the money bc it works for my
Kitty. I tried Tiki Cat also and none of my cats would eat it!
So you see how different they all can be.
Next suggestion after the Vet, is to try ordering on Amazon since you said the stores close early in your area. They have a great policy that if you order a case of food and then the cat won’t eat it, they will give you a credit so you can order something else and then tell you to donate it to a rescue
Finally, of course you can’t force feed your cat but you can encourage her with different types of food that may seem palatable to her. I am sure you will get many other suggestions from this blog. It’s been 5 years for me and
My kitty still vomits sometimes but for the most part she is healthy and happy cat, and like you I refused to give her steroids bc I know what they will do to her.
Good luck with your Kitty.
Linda M
One of my cats has IBD and would vomit everything. I’ve had success with adding probiotics and digestive enzymes to her food. Adored Beast has great ones. I chose Gut Soothe to start. I got the enzymes from Mercola. No vomiting after a few days. I would also switch vets. Go to AHVMA.org to find a holistic vet near you.
Hi Michelle, like others here, we have dealt with similar issues. There are so many possible things that can help, I know it can be overwhelming. One thing that has worked miracles for our cat who started reacting to new foods is Luxolite by Vitality Science. We add about 1/4 tsp to each meal. This is one of the products that also helped a friend of mind, whose story I shared in this article: https://loveofacat.com/2012/09/how-treatment-resistant-feline-ibs-diarrhea-throwing-up-healed-in-one-month-not-just-by-food/ You want to stop the vomiting first, I get that. Then introducing new foods can be done in smaller bits, where you add a little of the new food to the old food, a little more each time. While the following site doesn’t know about Luxolite, they also have a lot of helpful info: http://www.foodfurlife.com/my-cat-is-vomiting—what-do-i-do.html And – just to get some food that might help, you might try some Beechnut Turkey babyfood (the only brand without other junk in ingredients). This doesn’t have all the right nutrients for a long term solution, but in a pinch (read: http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/how-to-use-baby-food-or-the-bland-diet.html)
I have also had good luck offering turkey baby food to my cat when he is not feeling well. He will usuallu eat if I sit with him or hold the bowl. He also thought the Inaba Churu Puree Lickable Cat Treat were wonderful. I figure sometimes it is sometimes most important to eat something. A commenton the raw. Although I would love to try raw, there have been a ton of recalls and one of the worst offenders is Darwins
I am not so sure this should be on your recommended list.. worries me.
Hi Liz
Can you please help to advise if Fussie Cat’s super premium canned wet food is good for my kitty? It is grain free and non-carrageenan. Many thanks!
https://www.fussiecat.com
check out susan thixton’s List at https://truthaboutpetfood.com/
Does anyone else on here have cats that suddenly don’t like Primal freeze dried? I know cats are notoriously picky, but mine are young and healthy; and tho they liked some flavors more than others, they used to love some of them. Now, they hate all the flavors.
Such is the world of Finicky Cats! Finicky, finicky. Like it one day/ hate it the next. I’ve been through it many a time. Run to buy a case of a new healthier food he seems to like only to have him refuse future cans of it. I have one cat that demands Fancy Feast or he will hunger strike! I’d suggest giving the Primal a rest and trying something new while feeding the standby food that he will eat. I find one of my cats highly changeable. If I take a food out of rotation for a while and introduce it back at a later date, he’ll often like it again. Currently, he is liking Whole Earth Farms canned Duck with Stella & Chewy’s Duck Duck Goose mixed in and sprinkled on top- with added water of course. Your kitty may eventually eat the Primal again and I hope he does! Good Luck!
Hahahaha… yeah, you’re probably right. Just placed a huge order with Chewy for some new things to try. I just get soooo tired of researching cat food. Ugh. Pretty soon, I’m going to have to designate a room in my house for storage of food to hold out of rotation for a while.
Luckily we have two feral cats that we feed…so the food I buy doesn’t go to waste. Ironic how they often eat better quality food than my spoiled indoor fur babies! Every once in a while I do some internet research on healthier canned cat foods and then I go to Petco or a local store to try them out before I commit to a case. If you can’t return what you buy on the internet, hopefully you can donate the food to cats in need. As an alternative to Primal, you might want to try Feline Natural freeze dried Chicken and Lamb. All three of my boys really like it.
Is Jerilin the curator of the “Today’s Best Cat Foods” list above? I thought Liz was?
Well, Bravo is out of my rotation, they stopped producing canned cat food. And with Wild Calling being on backorder for now (they’re moving to a new manufacturing facilities), I have nothing left to feed my kitties but Wellness CORE Grain Free Turkey & Duck Pate, and an occasional I&Love&You Whascally Wabbit Pate. Back to the drawing board…
What do y’all think about Health Extension brand? I’ve never heard of it before, but just found their Grain-free Real Turkey entree wet food on Chewy and the ingredients look pretty decent. Have you heard anything good/bad about this company in general? Like about their practices and reputation?
I tried a case of Turkey Health Extension because my cats seemed to like it. The ingredients look good but I don’t know much about the company. I wish I knew more about them. Never see them on any lists. I’ve recently gone back to Wellness because I think the low carb ones are better than many other foods, it’s easy to get, and my cats will eat it! I mix canned with rehydrated freeze-dried raw and that seems to work for my cats (although I believe an all raw diet is healthier but I can’t manage it).
Nature’s Variety LID canned cat food…the THIRD INGREDIENT IS PEA PROTEIN! Peas have lectins that even humans can’t digest so why CHEAPEN a cat food by SUBSTITUTING REAL MEAT with a VEGETABLE PROTEIN and NOT EVEN A HEALTHY ONE FOR CATS!!! I thought this was a good company until I read about pea protein. I’m phasing out the remaining cans and going strictly REAL MEAT like Tiki Cat and Miko by Chewy!! I wish I could find a legitimately healthy pate to supplement the REAL MEAT meals, but so far have not!!! WAKE UP CAT FOOD COMPANIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I checked out Instinct LID and apparently, they’ve added pea protein to all of their wet foods – people are NOT happy about the switch.
Per S&C in response to an Amazon comment (not that I buy from Amazon):
The manufacturer commented on this review (What’s this?)
Stella & Chewy’sMANUFACTURER1 year ago (Edited)Report abuse
Hello all,
Our customers spoke and we listened. As of early February 2017, we have removed the menadione sodium bisulfite complex (aka. MSBC, a source of Vitamin K) and pea fiber in our dinners for cats. In our continued commitment to provide only the best nutrition to your feline friends, our fish-based products now contain dandelion greens (a rich source of vitamins and minerals) as well as fenugreek seed (another great source of vitamins and minerals). As always, the dinners for cats are still 98% meat, organ meat and bone with added probiotics, vitamins and minerals.
Please be patient as these products work through the supply chain and as the information is added to our website. Please note that any bag with a best-by date of 2/2/18 or later will be affected by this positive change. Feel free to reach out to our customer service team if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Stella & Chewy’s
Can we start a discussion about what to do now that Rad Cat will no longer be available (for those that have not heard, firm is going out of business)? I have two cats with food sensitivities AND kidney issues. Rad Cat was awesome for both. Most other raw options will not work for the following reasons:
1) Raw foods frozen in small kibble-sized chunks have too much surface area for freezer burn and bacteria to develop. Rad cat froze its foods in big lumps in sealed tubs… much better.
2) Most raw foods contain ground bone: not good for kidneys.
3) Many raw foods mix proteins. One of my cats cannot tolerate any red meat, fish, chicken, or duck. What does that leave? Turkey. He can have turkey and only turkey. We think he might also be okay with quail, but that’s kind of a niche product…
So where we are now…
1) We think that Honest Kitchen’s “Grace” will be okay. However, one of our cats is reluctant to eat it, and she’s already underweight.
2) We can order deboned turkey from somewhere and mix our own (oh I so do not want to do that, such a mess in my nice clean vegan kitchen!).
3) ?
Help? : )
Do 2 things: dont feed dry and dont feed raw to a cat. My cats lived to be 22, 22, 20 and 18!!!
Thanks. However, I’m hoping for a discussion focused on the specific problem of finding substitutes for Rad Cat for those of us whose experience has been that Rad Cat resolved problems that arose when feeding other foods, rather than a general discussion of the merits of feeding raw food.
Savage Cat food raw was recommended to me when Rad Cat went out of business. My cat loves the chicken. http://www.savagecatfood.com
After 8 years of jumping through hoops trying to find great food for my two sibling cats, I finally gave up and now make my own. I do the research, tweak, found great supplements, and after just a few months my cats are friskier.
The main reasons were : one day I accidentally touched a spoon to my mouth after it touched the expensive cat food I was serving them and I was grossed out. Then I thought, “Why am I feeding my cats something I wouldn’t touch?”.
And after all my years of research I found that all commercial foods contain some form of MSG disguised a dozen different ways, and I knew I ‘d never be happy with that. (see article link below)
Plus… I know the initial meat quality – even for high end brands – is just not what I would give them.
And the preservatives and other hidden chemicals.
The way companies can switch ingredients without notice or source them from different places.
RECALLS.
My recipes are pretty easy, complete, tasty, and healthy. Each batch takes me about an hour and lasts about 14 days. The cats love it. Even buying premium ingredients and several supplements (enzymes, aminos, vitamins, minerals, ground flax seed, ect…) I figure I still save at least $500 a year.
I feel better about what I feed them and could eat it myself if necessary.
It’s not hard. I make a big batch (boneless and skinless chicken thighs, chicken livers and hearts, ground turkey….all good stuff) and split it into three large glass containers, freezing two and taking out as needed. I switch out some proteins each time, keep researching about vitamins and other things like amino acids, and am careful. I found I enjoy the process and feel I’m doing the best for my cats, two lovely creatures that have been so especially good to me all these years.
MSG
http://www.feedingfidoandfluffy.com/a-hidden-ingredient-in-pet-food/#
Why not feed raw, ron??? Curious as to why you say that.
Salmonella, salmonella, & salmonella!!!!
I think you should feed can wet food with a large rotation of variety
I believe cats get health issues when they are fed the same thing all the time
frozen raw food don’t think it the best idea
Thanks. I’m hoping to keep this thread focused on the problem of identifying brands similar to Rad Cat *for individual cats (usually elderly) who don’t tolerate other foods well,* rather than a general discussion of what works for most cats most of the time. We’ve tried alternatives to Rad Cat before (it’s expensive), including quality canned foods. Every attempt brings back the health issues that lead us to try Rad Cat in the first place.
Contacted Stella & Chewy’s today to ask about the percentage of bone in ‘Duck Duck Goose freeze dried raw for cats.’ This is a food I feed and that all my cats like. I was told that the bone content in their diets range from 2%-10%…and that for proprietary formulation reasons, they could not release the exact content in each of their foods. I am not happy with this reply. Why can’t I know as a consumer what I am getting when I purchase their food for my cats?? What do you think?
Just a few updates to my cat food list with high protein, moderate fat, lower carbs that is safe for cats urinary tracts Ie. with controlled minerals…I am constantly trying new foods but if I missed something you think is great please let me know!! 🙂 (Note that the fish flavors have been heavily vetted and approved for quality and mercury before being added to the list or the fish is very far down in the ingredients list.)
Updates::
-Miko in consumme (Chewy brand) shredded cat food, all flavors added to the list. (the tuna flavor is skipjack)
-Purina dry foods added and percentages adjusted after speaking with Purina Consumer Relations.
-Pride Nature’s Variety Rockstar Rabbit was removed from the list due to the entire Pride line now being discontinued.
Note: For most of the foods on the list only ONE recipe or formula is approved for both urinary and being higher protein, mod fat, lower carb and not the entire brand or range of flavors so please read the list carefully.
Note: Farmina N & D large bags are available on Petflow, as is the Fromm pates. Only tiny Farmina bags are on Chewy.
Note: the Nulo dry recipes on my list are NOT on Chewy. They are available from Petsmart in store or online only. All of the formulas on Chewy are NOT ok for urinary health. The only ones that are OK are the ones that say magnesium: 0.12% Max in the guaranteed analysis.
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***Wet***
-**Miko in consumme shredded foods (exclusive Chewy brand), all flavors.
(Extremely high protein, mod fat, low carb)
(Magnesium is approx 0.10% DM in all flavors, phosphorus is 0.8-1.4% DM all flavors. Tuna used is skipjack tuna)
-**Purely Fancy Feast white meat chicken, chicken and beef, Wild Alaskan Salmon and White Meat Chicken flavors (extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Muse Shredded Chicken and spinach cup (orange square box),potentially other flavors ok (chicken and salmon one in pink box is NOT ok for urinary health)(extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Muse shreddded chicken and anchovies pouch (other flavors from this line could be ok..salmon and scallops one is too high.) (extremely high protein, no carb)
-Against the Grain Chicken and P. Berry canned food (Thai berry hard to spell lol) (extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Nutro Max Cat Chunks in Sauce-all flavors, highly recommended all my cats love.(carbs are 8% DM) (I do increase the protein by adding Wild Frontier Turkey and Duck Cuts in Gravy (yellow package) to it which is 42% protein, 55% fat) (protein in Max Chunks is 35-39% of calories depending on the formula. Salmon & Duck flavors highest in protein, 50-60% fat)
-**Purina One Turkey Pate (0.02% as fed magnesium, acceptable but higher phosphorus, protein about 41%, fat about equal to protein %)
-**Warning: Following 2 Nature’s Variety recipes Borderline for Urinary*::
-Nature’s Variety Original Instinct Rabbit pate (only the rabbit flavor-others are low protein high fat)(0.12% DM magnesium, 1.3% DM phosphorus, very high protein,moderate fat, 8% carbs DM)
-Nature’s Variety LID Rabbit pate
(0.12% DM magnesium, 1.24% DM phosphorus, very high protein, moderate fat, 12% carbs DM)
-Earthborn Hollistic Catalina Catch & Monterey Medley (chicken ones are high carb ~23%) (tuna used is skipjack tuna–which is ideal–in Monterey Medley flavor) (extremely high protein, moderate fat and low carb)
-Weruva Mideast Feast, Weruva Pates (my cats hate the ones with chicken..I recommend Name dat’ Tuna and Lamb and Mackerel. Some of the ones with chicken are ok formula wise if your cat will eat it. These foods are very high protein, moderate fat and low carb. Note that the lamb & mackerel one has higher phosphorus for kidney cats), many other Weruva flavors are approved for urinary but my cats either don’t like it or
Weruva Cats in the Kitchen Line especially NOT recommended due to
***it giving them diarrhea..due to the excessive amount of gums in the food. Note that Weruva is coming out with new canned pate flavors very soon.
-***Purina Beyond Chicken, Beef & Carrot chunks in gravy (carbs are 8% DM)(GREAT my cats love. (***note that almost all other Purina foods that are in gravy are high carb, have potentially questionable ingredients, and the high amount of gravy gives my cats immediate diarrhea)
-Solid Gold Five Oceans Shredded tuna foods (all routinely screened for mercury) (VERY high protein)
-Solid Gold Flavorful Feast Tuna and Sardine Pate (high protein, almost as much fat as protein though)
-***Fancy Feast Classic pates (I try to feed the ones lowest in Phosphorus so Beef & Liver and Turkey & Giblets. **Note that Turkey & Giblets does have DM magnesium likely between 0.12-0.14% or 0.03% as fed, Purina will only supply as fed magnesium values for fancy feast classic wet) (high protein but a little more fat then protein)
-Sheba classic pate (most flavors ok-Savory Chicken,Delicate Salmon, Chicken & Tuna ok…but whitefish and tuna and the other fish flavors with ash max 3.5% probably not ok.) (Chicken and tuna has so little tuna in it I am not concerned about quality)
-Nutro Chunky Loaf Chicken pate, Nutro Senior soft loaf chicken
-*Wild Frontier Turkey & Duck Cuts in Gravy formula only (yellow package)( my cats don’t like on it’so own. I mix it with the Nutro Max Cat Chunks which is liked far better.)
-Lotus Just Juicy Shredded (extremely expensive)
-Natural Balance Catatoulli Stew (heard it was reformulated so buy at own risk)
-Merrick Backcountry chunks in gravy pouches (**Note: this food contains quite a lot of sauce/gravy which could give sensitive cats digestive problems such as diarrhea, carbs are 17-20% DM) (my cats hate Merrick pates and some of them have high magnesium or phosphorus but some are ok like Whole Earth Farms Turkey pate, Chicken pate. Merrick LID is far more fat then protein. The new grilled foods by Merrick Purrfect have 4 gums in them so don’t get my recommendation.)
-***Fromm Classic Pate Turkey & Duck flavor, other Fromm pates are ok too, check values on their website.(seems great but haven’t tested yet)
-Tiki Cat Ahi Tuna and Crab Surimi, Tiki Cat Manana Grill Tuna and Prawns (NOTE:: Only flavors of Tiki Cat that makes it due to all others having high magnesium.) (**Note that I don’t recommend either of these due to the species of Tuna used in these foods-Ahi tuna is a larger tuna.)
*Note: Several other wet foods could be on the list for urinary but the low protein % is unacceptable and not worth your money not to mention that high protein is vital for a cat to thrive and have high levels of energy.
—————————
***Dry*** (for 1/3 meals only, I put broth or wet snack out with it):
– ***Dr. Elsey Clean Protein both flavors-highly recommended (4% Chicken and 9% carbs Salmon dry matter) (VERY high protein, moderate fat, very low carb)
-Annamaet Grain Free Fish and Chicken Formula only (purple bag) (17% carbs dry matter, 15% as fed)
-***Farmina N & D (Boar & Apple, Herring and Orange,Chicken & Pomegranate)(equal % of cal from Protein and Fat) (17.5% as fed carbs all flavors, ~20% dry matter) (highly recommended-NOTE: big bags on Petflow only.)
-**Borderline on mineral content, please mix only::
Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken dry (NOTE: Only this formula of Nature’s Variety dry)
(0.12% DM magnesium, 1.4% DM phosphorus, VERY high protein, moderate fat, 13% DM Carbs)
-First Mate Limited Ingredient (Pacific Oceanfish flavor only) (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Go! Sensitivity + Shine Freshwater Trout formula ONLY (NOTE: the chicken & turkey formula is very high ash) (equal % of cal. coming from Protein & Fat) (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Petsmart only–none of these formulas on Chewy:: Nulo Medal Series Turkey and Cod,Cod & Duck, Salmon & Lentils—regular formula not fit and trim/weight management (my cats didn’t like any of the Nulo choices.) (NOTE: the Nulo flavors I recommend are the ones that have Magnesium: 0.12% Max in the guaranteed analysis.
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Trout and Rice 45% Protein OR True Nature Turkey & Rice 45% Protein formulas only (only negative is that it contains soy protein which has been suggested but not proven to potentially be a cause for cat thyroid issues) (magnesium is 0.11% as fed, carbs: Trout-22.3% Dry matter, Turkey-23.3% Dry Matter, Low phosphorus)
-Note: Pro Plan Indoor Shredded Turkey & Rice also okay. (25% DM carbs)
-Solid Gold Indigo Moon (Chicken & Egg flavor only) (***potentially is giving my cats diarrhea, especially the older more sensitive cat) (just watch your cats litter box closely, going to retest it soon. Might be fine) (contains some vegetable protein)
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Grain Free KITTEN (not adult) Chicken and Egg Formula
(24.4% DM carbs, lots of pea protein)
-Cheap Mixer Option: Purina One Healthy Kitten dry food (carbs is 25% dry matter, 22.9% carbs as fed, magnesium is 0.11% as fed and 0.12% dry matter, phosphorus and ash are low) (Note that like the Purina Pro Plan recipe mentioned above this food contains soy protein)
——————
(***Just a note that Orijen/Acana (urinary and carbs), Crave/Wild Frontier (urinary and carbs) , most Nature’s Variety (urinary), Merrick (urinary and carbs), Fromm (carbs), Halo (carbs), Now Fresh or Gather (carbs),Wellness (urinary and carbs), Blue Buffalo (urinary and carbs), Taste of the Wild (urinary), Purina Beyond (carbs), Hill’s (carbs and gave my cat a UTI) , American Journey (only giving range for urinary minerals) aren’t recommended due to urinary health concerns and or carb %)
Treats: Pure Bites freeze dried one ingredient, other freeze dried one ingredient treats, use the dry above as treat
***Just a note that I do NOT suggest feeding any freeze dried raw such as Stella and Chewy’s or Primal nor do I suggest raw food such as Darwin’s or Nature’s Variety (besides Rad Cat perhaps as it is boneless–but that food was discontinued.)
Also don’t feed dry food with freeze dried raw in it such as Nature’s Variety with raw because of the BONE content…”no bone, no stone when it comes to cats urinary health”. Even if the magnesium isn’t sky high in these foods with bone all of the other suspect urinary minerals such as phosphorus and calcium also need to be checked. Excessive bone content is also heavily linked to constipation in cats.
Have a great day!
What about First Mate Pate Wet Canned food The Chicken and The Turkey flavor?
Yes, I saw those but forgot to add them to my list. Thanks for reminding me 🙂 Yes if your kitties eat it those are great choices. I will add them to the list next time I update it.
Larry, I just looked at First Mate a little closer. On first inspection seemed great, urinary friendly, etc. When I took a closer look though it is very high in carbs especially for a wet food. The dry matter carbs % for the chicken and turkey pate flavors is 23-25%. Potatoes or rice seem to be the second ingredient in most of their pates. The salmon and tuna 50/50 flavor pate seems to be lower in carbs then the other choices. Due to the high carb nature I am not adding them to my list. If you can find one that is lower in carbs besides the salmon/tuna flavor I will consider adding them-thanks bud.
Hi, I read your food analyses with interest! I don’t know all the canned kinds you have evaluated. Have you looked at Dr Elsey’s Clean Protein, chicken, turkey, salmon pate? Or Solid Gold chicken and turkey pate? I have an IBS cat who is 16, no urinary kids so far but they are all older. Another is 13, then 11 then 4! Thanks for all your research. My cats have stopped dry long ago and since getting my first cat in the 80’s, food has drastically improved from that mess!! No junk commercial snacks but they do eat Cat-Man-Doo chicken and salmon! Check out their web site. Thanks again.
I have 11 cats so I feed one dry meal to help with cost. If feeding dry Elsey is by far the best choice. The catmandoo snacks are just like pure bites freeze dried treats so great choice!! I don’t know what specific Solid Gold pate you mean but the tropical blendz aren’t on my list due to the high inclusion of coconut oil and it’s uncertainty at being safe for cats. The Triple Layer products while nutritionally far superior all 11 of my cats hated. (and many other cats judging by reviews lol) so those aren’t on my list.
The Dr. Elsey wet pate formulas aren’t on my list due to higher % of calories coming from fat then protein in all flavors and also the only one that makes my urinary cutoffs is the beef flavor. But, again, the beef flavor isn’t on the list because I require at least 38-39% of calories coming from Protein to make the list. If your cat eats the elsey pates that’s fine but just be aware that for your money–it’s a lot of money to spend for the nutrition it provides. Cats require high protein to function at a high level. (lots of playing..high energy) I hope that is helpful 🙂 Thanks for sharing about your adorable kitties.
Thank you! So you are concentrating on high protein, less fat, wet or dry for optimum nutrition and to help avoid UTI events. My kids like pates mostly (Cats in the Kitchen 3oz turkey, chicken, duck, beef) but some love Weruva like Paw Licken. Also eat Merrick Ltd Ing. turkey, duck, chicken pate.
Yeah, the Cat-Man-Doo kitty crack is a way better value than similar Halo. Youngest is a tortie that must have the chicken on her wet food! Tortitude!
Based on my research, high carbohydrate foods are really bad for cats. And yet, the stores are lined with high-carb cat foods! Finding suitably low carb cat food is like finding ‘fragrance free’ kitty litter– it takes a lot of weeding through! Do you strive for under 10% carbs in foods you feed? I prefer under 5% but I will occasionally feed a food around 10%. Thanks.
I think unless the cat is diabetic, under 15% carbs as fed is acceptable. In the dry category on my list a few of the foods are up to ~20% as fed. This is because of cost some may choose to feed a very affordable choice that is as close as they can afford to “appropriate” for cats, or to strech out a very expensive dry food, etc. A smaller amount of carbs can be actually beneficial to cats because the fiber can help very much with digestion and the fruits/vegetables carry a lot of vitamins and nutrients so that a less desirable man made vitamin doesn’t have to be used in it’s place. Peas and potatoes are used by a lot of cat food manufacturers in dry especially to balance out the ash and mineral content (of chicken and turkey, especially) to make it more urinary friendly. Sometimes they take it really overboard though. If too much is used it can make the ph wrong for cats. So if you use a dry with a lot of vegetable protein it’s better to mix it with one that mainly has animal protein.
For an unscented cat litter I use Tidy Cats Free and Clean Unscented 35 lb cat litter pail on Chewy. I also like Fresh Step Simply Unscented and Dr. Elsey’s.
Just a few updates to my cat food list with high protein, moderate fat, lower carbs that is safe for cats urinary tracts ie with controlled minerals…I am constantly trying new foods but if I missed something you think is great please let me know 🙂 Note that the fish flavors have been heavily vetted and approved for quality and mercury before being added to the list or the fish is very far down the ingredients list.
Updates:
-Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken dry removed as during testing my cats were constipated and one peed outside the box. This food was a little outside my mineral thresholds as you’ll recall.
-Pride Nature’s Variety Rockstar Rabbit was removed due to the entire line now being discontinued. Note that I don’t recommend ANY Nature’s Variety due to mineral levels.
-I am looking at new Chewy shredded food line Miko (sp?) closely. This food line may potentially soon be added to the list.
***Wet***
-**Purely Fancy Feast white meat chicken, chicken and beef, Wild Alaskan Salmon and White Meat Chicken flavors (extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Muse Shredded Chicken and spinach cup (orange square box),potentially other flavors ok (chicken and salmon one in pink box is NOT ok for urinary health)(extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Muse shreddded chicken and anchovies pouch (other flavors from this line could be ok..salmon and scallops one is too high.) (extremely high protein, no carb)
-Against the Grain Chicken and P. Berry canned food (Thai berry hard to spell lol) (extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Nutro Max Cat Chunks in Sauce-all flavors, highly recommended all my cats love.(carbs are 8% DM) (I do increase the protein by adding Wild Frontier Turkey and Duck Cuts in Gravy (yellow package) to it which is 42% protein, 55% fat) (protein in Max Chunks is 35-39% of calories depending on the formula. Salmon & Duck flavors highest in protein, 50-60% fat)
-**Purina One Turkey Pate (0.02% as fed magnesium, acceptable but higher phosphorus, protein about 41%, fat about equal to protein %)
-Earthborn Hollistic Catalina Catch & Monterey Medley (chicken ones are high carb ~23%) (tuna used is skipjack tuna–which is ideal–in Monterey Medley flavor) (extremely high protein, moderate fat and low carb)
-Weruva Mideast Feast, Weruva Pates (my cats hate the ones with chicken..I recommend Name dat’ Tuna and Lamb and Mackerel. Some of the ones with chicken are ok formula wise if your cat will eat it. These foods are very high protein, moderate fat and low carb. Note that the lamb & mackerel one has higher phosphorus for kidney cats), many other Weruva flavors are approved for urinary but my cats either don’t like it or
Weruva Cats in the Kitchen Line especially NOT recommended due to
***it giving them diarrhea..due to the excessive amount of gums in the food. Note that Weruva is coming out with new canned pate flavors very soon.
-***Purina Beyond Chicken, Beef & Carrot chunks in gravy (carbs are 8% DM)(GREAT my cats love. (***note that almost all other Purina foods that are in gravy are high carb, have potentially questionable ingredients, and the high amount of gravy gives my cats immediate diarrhea)
-Solid Gold Five Oceans Shredded tuna foods (all routinely screened for mercury) (VERY high protein)
-Solid Gold Flavorful Feast Tuna and Sardine Pate (high protein, almost as much fat as protein though)
-***Fancy Feast Classic pates (I try to feed the ones lowest in Phosphorus so Beef & Liver and Turkey & Giblets. **Note that Turkey & Giblets does have DM magnesium likely between 0.12-0.14% or 0.03% as fed, Purina will only supply as fed magnesium values for fancy feast classic wet) (high protein but a little more fat then protein)
-Sheba classic pate (most flavors ok-Savory Chicken,Delicate Salmon, Chicken & Tuna ok…but whitefish and tuna and the other fish flavors with ash max 3.5% probably not ok.) (Chicken and tuna has so little tuna in it I am not concerned about quality)
-Nutro Chunky Loaf Chicken pate, Nutro Senior soft loaf chicken
-*Wild Frontier Turkey & Duck Cuts in Gravy formula only (yellow package)( my cats don’t like on it’so own. I mix it with the Nutro Max Cat Chunks which is liked far better.)
-Lotus Just Juicy Shredded (extremely expensive)
-Natural Balance Catatoulli Stew (heard it was reformulated so buy at own risk)
-Merrick Backcountry chunks in gravy pouches (**Note: this food contains quite a lot of sauce/gravy which could give sensitive cats digestive problems such as diarrhea, carbs are 17-20% DM) (my cats hate Merrick pates and some of them have high magnesium or phosphorus but some are ok like Whole Earth Farms Turkey pate, Chicken pate. Merrick LID is far more fat then protein. The new grilled foods by Merrick Purrfect have 4 gums in them so don’t get my recommendation.)
-***Fromm Classic Pate Turkey & Duck flavor, other Fromm pates are ok too, check values on their website.(seems great but haven’t tested yet)
-Tiki Cat Ahi Tuna and Crab Surimi, Tiki Cat Manana Grill Tuna and Prawns (only flavors of Tiki Cat that makes it due to all others having high magnesium.) (**Note that I don’t recommend either of these due to the species of Tuna used in these foods-Ahi tuna is a larger tuna.)
*Note: NO Nature’s Variety wet food recommended any longer. The lowest option is 0.12% dry matter magnesium and the mon. Clay ingredient seems to bring urinary issues on extremely quickly and cause constipation.
*Note: Several other wet foods could be on the list for urinary but the low protein % is unacceptable and not worth your money not to mention that high protein is vital for a cat to thrive and have high levels of energy.
***Dry*** (for 1/3 meals only, I put broth or wet snack out with it):
– ***Dr. Elsey Clean Protein both flavors-highly recommended (4% and 9% carbs dry matter)
-Annamaet Grain Free Fish and Chicken Formula only (purple bag) (17% carbs dry matter, 15% as fed)
-***Farmina N & D (Boar & Apple, Herring and Orange,Chicken & Pomegranate) (17.5% as fed carbs all flavors, ~20% dry matter) (highly recommended)
-First Mate Limited Ingredient (Pacific Oceanfish flavor only) (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Go! Sensitivity + Shine Freshwater Trout formula only (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Nulo Medal Series Turkey and Cod,Cod & Duck, Salmon & Lentils—regular formula not fit and trim/weight management (my cats didn’t like any of the Nulo choices.)
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Turkey & Rice formula only (only negative is that it contains soy protein which has been suggested but not proven to potentially be a cause for cat thyroid issues) (magnesium is 0.11% as fed, carbs 23.4% Dry matter, low phosphorus)
-Solid Gold Indigo Moon (Chicken & Egg flavor only) (***potentially is giving my cats diarrhea, especially the older more sensitive cat) (just watch your cats litter box closely, going to retest it soon. Might be fine) (contains some vegetable protein)
-Cheap Mixer Option: Purina One Healthy Kitten dry food (carbs is 25% dry matter, 22.9% carbs as fed, magnesium is 0.11% as fed and 0.12% dry matter, phosphorus and ash are low) (Note that like the Purina Pro Plan recipe mentioned above this food contains soy protein)
(***Just a note that Orijen/Acana (urinary and carbs), Crave/Wild Frontier (urinary and carbs) ,Nature’s Variety (urinary), Merrick (urinary and carbs), Fromm (carbs), Halo (carbs), Now Fresh (carbs),Wellness (urinary and carbs), Blue Buffalo (urinary and carbs), Taste of the Wild (urinary and carbs), Purina Beyond (carbs), Hill’s (carbs and gave my cat a UTI) , American Journey (only giving range for urinary minerals and higher carbs) aren’t recommended due to urinary health concerns and or carb %)
Treats: Pure Bites freeze dried one ingredient, other freeze dried one ingredient treats, use the dry above as treat
***Just a note that I do NOT suggest feeding any freeze dried raw such as Stella and Chewy’s or Primal nor do I suggest raw food such as Darwin’s or Nature’s Variety (besides Rad Cat perhaps as it is boneless)
Also don’t feed dry food with freeze dried raw in it such as Nature’s Variety with raw because of the BONE content…”no bone, no stone when it comes to cats urinary health”. Even if the magnesium isn’t sky high in these foods with bone all of the other suspect urinary minerals such as phosphorus and calcium also need to be checked. Excessive bone content is also heavily linked to constipation in cats.
Have a great day!
Well this is embarrassing. TMI poop talk warning. I am re-adding back the Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken dry food because I mistaked a pee issue while trying the food out when it was caused by a poop issue. I give my oldest cat Meatball psyllium husk 2x a day for fiber because he usually needs it with his regular foods. The combination of the Nature’s Variety with the fiber seems to have been to much for the sweetie so he got super constipated and peed outside the box because of his constipation. He always pees outside the box if really constipated or really hungry lol. All is well now. If feeding this food even 1 time a day to your cat–he will not need fiber the NV food apparently has maybe a little too much fiber. (This is why we rotate or mix foods) So back on the list it and the canned rabbit goes too for now. I will keep testing them though.
—————————-
Just a few updates to my cat food list with high protein, moderate fat, lower carbs that is safe for cats urinary tracts ie with controlled minerals…I am constantly trying new foods but if I missed something you think is great please let me know 🙂 Note that the fish flavors have been heavily vetted and approved for quality and mercury before being added to the list or the fish is very far down the ingredients list.
Updates:
-Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken dry re-added back to the list.
-Pride Nature’s Variety Rockstar Rabbit was removed from the list due to the entire line now being discontinued.
-Nature’s Variety Instinct Original Rabbit pate and LID Rabbit pate added to the list.
-I am looking at new Chewy shredded food line Miko (sp?) closely. This food line may potentially soon be added to the list.
***Wet***
-**Purely Fancy Feast white meat chicken, chicken and beef, Wild Alaskan Salmon and White Meat Chicken flavors (extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Muse Shredded Chicken and spinach cup (orange square box),potentially other flavors ok (chicken and salmon one in pink box is NOT ok for urinary health)(extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Muse shreddded chicken and anchovies pouch (other flavors from this line could be ok..salmon and scallops one is too high.) (extremely high protein, no carb)
-Against the Grain Chicken and P. Berry canned food (Thai berry hard to spell lol) (extremely high protein, no carb)
-**Nutro Max Cat Chunks in Sauce-all flavors, highly recommended all my cats love.(carbs are 8% DM) (I do increase the protein by adding Wild Frontier Turkey and Duck Cuts in Gravy (yellow package) to it which is 42% protein, 55% fat) (protein in Max Chunks is 35-39% of calories depending on the formula. Salmon & Duck flavors highest in protein, 50-60% fat)
-**Purina One Turkey Pate (0.02% as fed magnesium, acceptable but higher phosphorus, protein about 41%, fat about equal to protein %)
-Nature’s Variety Original Instinct Rabbit pate (only the rabbit flavor-others are low protein high fat)(0.12% DM magnesium, 1.3% DM phosphorus, very high protein,moderate fat, 8% carbs DM)
-Nature’s Variety LID Rabbit pate
(0.12% DM magnesium, 1.24% DM phosphorus, very high protein, moderate fat, 12% carbs DM)
-Earthborn Hollistic Catalina Catch & Monterey Medley (chicken ones are high carb ~23%) (tuna used is skipjack tuna–which is ideal–in Monterey Medley flavor) (extremely high protein, moderate fat and low carb)
-Weruva Mideast Feast, Weruva Pates (my cats hate the ones with chicken..I recommend Name dat’ Tuna and Lamb and Mackerel. Some of the ones with chicken are ok formula wise if your cat will eat it. These foods are very high protein, moderate fat and low carb. Note that the lamb & mackerel one has higher phosphorus for kidney cats), many other Weruva flavors are approved for urinary but my cats either don’t like it or
Weruva Cats in the Kitchen Line especially NOT recommended due to
***it giving them diarrhea..due to the excessive amount of gums in the food. Note that Weruva is coming out with new canned pate flavors very soon.
-***Purina Beyond Chicken, Beef & Carrot chunks in gravy (carbs are 8% DM)(GREAT my cats love. (***note that almost all other Purina foods that are in gravy are high carb, have potentially questionable ingredients, and the high amount of gravy gives my cats immediate diarrhea)
-Solid Gold Five Oceans Shredded tuna foods (all routinely screened for mercury) (VERY high protein)
-Solid Gold Flavorful Feast Tuna and Sardine Pate (high protein, almost as much fat as protein though)
-***Fancy Feast Classic pates (I try to feed the ones lowest in Phosphorus so Beef & Liver and Turkey & Giblets. **Note that Turkey & Giblets does have DM magnesium likely between 0.12-0.14% or 0.03% as fed, Purina will only supply as fed magnesium values for fancy feast classic wet) (high protein but a little more fat then protein)
-Sheba classic pate (most flavors ok-Savory Chicken,Delicate Salmon, Chicken & Tuna ok…but whitefish and tuna and the other fish flavors with ash max 3.5% probably not ok.) (Chicken and tuna has so little tuna in it I am not concerned about quality)
-Nutro Chunky Loaf Chicken pate, Nutro Senior soft loaf chicken
-*Wild Frontier Turkey & Duck Cuts in Gravy formula only (yellow package)( my cats don’t like on it’so own. I mix it with the Nutro Max Cat Chunks which is liked far better.)
-Lotus Just Juicy Shredded (extremely expensive)
-Natural Balance Catatoulli Stew (heard it was reformulated so buy at own risk)
-Merrick Backcountry chunks in gravy pouches (**Note: this food contains quite a lot of sauce/gravy which could give sensitive cats digestive problems such as diarrhea, carbs are 17-20% DM) (my cats hate Merrick pates and some of them have high magnesium or phosphorus but some are ok like Whole Earth Farms Turkey pate, Chicken pate. Merrick LID is far more fat then protein. The new grilled foods by Merrick Purrfect have 4 gums in them so don’t get my recommendation.)
-***Fromm Classic Pate Turkey & Duck flavor, other Fromm pates are ok too, check values on their website.(seems great but haven’t tested yet)
-Tiki Cat Ahi Tuna and Crab Surimi, Tiki Cat Manana Grill Tuna and Prawns (only flavors of Tiki Cat that makes it due to all others having high magnesium.) (**Note that I don’t recommend either of these due to the species of Tuna used in these foods-Ahi tuna is a larger tuna.)
*Note: Several other wet foods could be on the list for urinary but the low protein % is unacceptable and not worth your money not to mention that high protein is vital for a cat to thrive and have high levels of energy.
***Dry*** (for 1/3 meals only, I put broth or wet snack out with it):
– ***Dr. Elsey Clean Protein both flavors-highly recommended (4% and 9% carbs dry matter)
-Annamaet Grain Free Fish and Chicken Formula only (purple bag) (17% carbs dry matter, 15% as fed)
-***Farmina N & D (Boar & Apple, Herring and Orange,Chicken & Pomegranate) (17.5% as fed carbs all flavors, ~20% dry matter) (highly recommended)
-Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken dry (only this formula of Nature’s Variety dry)
(0.12% DM magnesium, 1.4% DM phosphorus, VERY high protein, moderate fat, 13% DM Carbs)
-First Mate Limited Ingredient (Pacific Oceanfish flavor only) (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Go! Sensitivity + Shine Freshwater Trout formula only (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Nulo Medal Series Turkey and Cod,Cod & Duck, Salmon & Lentils—regular formula not fit and trim/weight management (my cats didn’t like any of the Nulo choices.)
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Turkey & Rice formula only (only negative is that it contains soy protein which has been suggested but not proven to potentially be a cause for cat thyroid issues) (magnesium is 0.11% as fed, carbs 23.4% Dry matter, low phosphorus)
-Solid Gold Indigo Moon (Chicken & Egg flavor only) (***potentially is giving my cats diarrhea, especially the older more sensitive cat) (just watch your cats litter box closely, going to retest it soon. Might be fine) (contains some vegetable protein)
-Cheap Mixer Option: Purina One Healthy Kitten dry food (carbs is 25% dry matter, 22.9% carbs as fed, magnesium is 0.11% as fed and 0.12% dry matter, phosphorus and ash are low) (Note that like the Purina Pro Plan recipe mentioned above this food contains soy protein)
(***Just a note that Orijen/Acana (urinary and carbs), Crave/Wild Frontier (urinary and carbs) , most Nature’s Variety (urinary), Merrick (urinary and carbs), Fromm (carbs), Halo (carbs), Now Fresh (carbs),Wellness (urinary and carbs), Blue Buffalo (urinary and carbs), Taste of the Wild (urinary and carbs), Purina Beyond (carbs), Hill’s (carbs and gave my cat a UTI) , American Journey (only giving range for urinary minerals and higher carbs) aren’t recommended due to urinary health concerns and or carb %)
Treats: Pure Bites freeze dried one ingredient, other freeze dried one ingredient treats, use the dry above as treat
***Just a note that I do NOT suggest feeding any freeze dried raw such as Stella and Chewy’s or Primal nor do I suggest raw food such as Darwin’s or Nature’s Variety (besides Rad Cat perhaps as it is boneless)
Also don’t feed dry food with freeze dried raw in it such as Nature’s Variety with raw because of the BONE content…”no bone, no stone when it comes to cats urinary health”. Even if the magnesium isn’t sky high in these foods with bone all of the other suspect urinary minerals such as phosphorus and calcium also need to be checked. Excessive bone content is also heavily linked to constipation in cats.
Have a great day!
Just a few updates to my cat food list with high protein, moderate fat, lower carbs that is safe for cats urinary tracts ie with controlled minerals…I am constantly trying new foods but if I missed something you think is great please let me know 🙂 Note that the fish flavors have been heavily vetted and approved for quality and mercury before being added to the list.
Updates:
-Against the Grain Chicken and P. Berry formula only shredded cat food added (really hard to spell Thai Berry)
-Solid Gold Flavorful Feast Tuna and Sardine Pate added
-Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken added as a MIXER food only (the magnesium is a tad high so please don’t feed on own)
-Nature’s Variety Rockstar Rabbit more completely added
-Dr. Elsey’s Beef canned removed due to low protein
-Weruva new pates approved formulas adjusted
-Removed several Purina options due to carbohydrate %.
Wet:
-Purely Fancy Feast white meat chicken, chicken and beef, Wild Alaskan Salmon and White Meat Chicken flavors
-Muse Shredded Chicken and spinach cup (orange square box),potentially other flavors ok (chicken and salmon one in pink box is NOT ok for urinary health)
-Muse shreddded chicken and anchovies pouch (other flavors from this line could be ok..salmon and scallops one is too high.)
-Against the Grain Chicken and P. Berry canned food (Thai berry hard to spell lol)
-**Nutro Max Cat Chunks in Sauce-all flavors, highly recommended (carbs are 8% DM) (I do increase the protein by adding Wild Frontier Turkey and Duck Cuts in Gravy (yellow package) to it) (protein in Max Chunks is 35-39% of calories depending on the formula)
-Purina One Turkey Pate (0.02% as fed magnesium, acceptable but higher phosphorus, very high protein.)
-Earthborn Hollistic Catalina Catch & Monterey Medley (chicken ones are high carb 23%) (tuna used is skipjack tuna which is ideal in Monterey Medley)
-Weruva Mideast Feast, Weruva Pates (my cats hate the ones with chicken..I recommend Name dat Tuna and Lamb and Mackerel. Some of the ones with chicken are ok formula wise if your cat will eat it. Note that the lamb & mackerel one has higher phosphorus for kidney cats), many other Weruva flavors are approved for urinary but my cats either don’t like it or
***it gives them diarrhea..due to the excessive amount of gums in the food.
-Purina Beyond Chicken, Beef & Carrot chunks in gravy (carbs are 8% DM) (***note that almost all other Purina foods that are in gravy are high carb, have potentially questionable ingredients, and the high amount of gravy gives my cats immediate diarrhea)
-Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain canned chunks in sauce (only a couple of my cats will eat this though)
-Solid Gold Five Oceans Shredded tuna foods (all routinely screened for mercury)
-Solid Gold Flavorful Feast Tuna and Sardine Pate
-Fancy Feast Classic pates (I try to feed the ones lowest in Phosphorus so beef & Liver and turkey & Giblets. **Note that Turkey & Giblets does have DM magnesium likely between 0.12-0.14% or 0.03% as fed, Purina will only supply as fed magnesium values for fancy feast classic wet)
-Sheba classic pate (most flavors ok-Savory Chicken,Delicate Salmon, Chicken & Tuna ok…but whitefish and tuna and the other fish flavors with ash max 3.5% probably not ok.) (Chicken and tuna has so little tuna in it I am not concerned about quality)
-Nutro Chunky Loaf Chicken pate, Nutro Senior soft loaf chicken
-Wild Frontier Turkey & Duck Cuts in Gravy formula only (yellow package)
-Lotus Just Juicy Shredded (extremely expensive)
-Natural Balance Catatoulli Stew (heard it was reformulated so buy at own risk)
-Merrick Backcountry chunks in gravy pouches (**Note: this food contains quite a lot of sauce/gravy which could give sensitive cats digestive problems such as diarrhea, carbs are 11-12% DM) (my cats hate Merrick pates and some of them have high magnesium or phosphorus but some are ok like Whole Earth Farms Turkey pate, Chicken pate)
-Fromm Classic Pate Turkey & Duck flavor, other Fromm pates are ok too, check values on their website.
-Nature’s Variety Rockstar Rabbit flaked (equal amounts of protein and fat)
-Tiki Cat Ahi Tuna and Crab Surimi, Tiki Cat Manana Grill Tuna and Prawns (only flavors of Tiki Cat that makes it) (**Note that I don’t recommend due to species of Tuna used in these foods-Ahi tuna is a larger tuna)
*Note: Several other wet foods could be on the list for urinary but the low protein % is unacceptable and not worth your money not to mention that high protein is vital for a cat to thrive and have high levels of energy.
Dry (for 1/3 meals only, I put broth or wet snack out with it):
– **Dr. Elsey Clean Protein both flavors-highly recommended (4% and 9% carbs dry matter)
-Annamaet Grain Free Fish and Chicken Formula only (purple bag) (17% carbs dry matter, 15% as fed)
-Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken formula only (magnesium is 0.11% as fed and 0.125% dry matter, phosphorus is 1.3% as fed and 1.4% dry matter, ash is fine) so please mix with one of the foods above or below.
-Farmina N & D (Boar & Apple, Herring and Orange,Chicken) (17.5% as fed carbs all flavors, ~20% dry matter)
-First Mate Limited Ingredient (Pacific Oceanfish flavor only) (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Go! Sensitivity + Shine Freshwater Trout formula only (~20% carbs dry matter)
-Nulo Medal Series Turkey and Cod,Cod & Duck, Salmon & Lentils—regular formula not fit and trim/weight management (my cats didn’t like any of the Nulo choices.)
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Turkey & Rice formula only (only negative is that it contains soy protein which has been suggested but not proven to potentially be a cause for cat thyroid issues) (magnesium is 0.11% as fed, carbs 24.4% Dry matter, low phosphorus)
-Solid Gold Indigo Moon (Chicken & Egg flavor only) (***potentially is giving my cats diarrhea, especially the older more sensitive cat) (just watch your cats litter box closely, going to retest it soon.) (contains some vegetable protein)
-Cheap Mixer Option: Purina One Healthy Kitten dry food (carbs is 26.5% dry matter, 23.4% carbs as fed, magnesium is 0.11% as fed and 0.12% dry matter, phosphorus and ash are low) (Note that like the Purina Pro Plan recipe mentioned above this food contains soy protein)
(***Just a note that Orijen/Acana, Crave/Wild Frontier most Nature’s Variety, Merrick, Fromm (carbs), Halo (carbs), Now Fresh (carbs),Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, Purina Beyond (carbs), American Journey aren’t recommended due to urinary health concerns and or carb %)
Treats: Pure Bites freeze dried one ingredient, other freeze dried one ingredient treats, use the dry above as treat
***Just a note that I do NOT suggest feeding any freeze dried raw such as Stella and Chewy’s or Primal nor do I suggest raw food (besides Rad Cat perhaps as it is boneless)
Also don’t feed dry food with freeze dried raw in it such as Nature’s Variety with raw because of the BONE content…”no bone, no stone when it comes to cats urinary health”. Even if the magnesium isn’t sky high in these foods with bone all of the other suspect urinary minerals such as phosphorus and calcium also need to be checked. Excessive bone content is also heavily linked to constipation in cats.
Have a great day!
Hi Jerilin, What do you think about Darwin’s raw?I feed my 2 Ragdolls Weruva canned in am and the raw in pm. I am going to try some of your suggestions for other brands of canned wet food and rotating different flavors of different brands. But my cats will not drink water, probably because they only get wet and raw food,I guess. Maybe I should add extra water to their canned food. My cats are indoor cats and long haired. They bother seem healthy and are not overweight, but one throws up sometimes a couple of times a week, some hair balls being the cause but other times she’ll throw up right after she eats?? I hesitate taking her to the vet because I don’t want them to have rabies shots and most vets wont treat the cats unless you agree to give them those shots. That’s a whole other issue! Thanks . Mary C
Darwin’s raw food has bone in it and seemingly as a result high mineral content so no I don’t recommend this food. Their nutritional analysis charts on their website are very very difficult to understand the numbers given and make no sense. You could email the manufacturer and ask for % magnesium and phosphorus on a dry matter basis to be certain (needs to be preferably at or under 0.11% dry matter magnesium and 1.35% dry matter phosphorus.) Your cat could very well be throwing up due to the bone content or an inability to chew the tough meat. If you must feed raw I would switch to a boneless raw such as Rad Cat or better feed the canned/pouch choices.
The Weruva could also be bothering his stomach especially if you are feeding any of the Cats in the Kitchen line which I don’t recommend due to the high amount of gums and jello texture. The pouches from cats in the kitchen like Love Me Tender are all unnecessarily high in gravy and carbs. I recommend if needing to stick with Weruva the new pates especially the Lamb and Mackerel and the Name Dat Tuna flavor. You could try a chicken flavor but my cats didn’t like any of those. They are releasing new flavors in cans soon as well I hear.
Yes, you should always add some water (~1-2 tsp) to your cats wet meals and always feed a wet “snack” (1-2 tbsp wet cat food with water added) with your dry meal if feeding dry as a middle meal while gone during the day or overnight. If you cannot be there to give this to your cat (gone during the middle of the day) you can leave the wet snack right before you leave and use a electronic feeder to dispense the dry. You can also freeze the little wet snack so it has to thaw and the cats can’t eat it right away hehe.
I don’t believe in yearly Rabies shots either. If needed I would try to find a vet that doesn’t require you to get one or at least allows the 3 year shot instead which I feel is much more appropriate.
In case you don’t see my new post I’m going to make about my list Nature Variety Pride line was discontinued (the whole thing) so Rockstar Rabbit will be removed from my list. The replacement option is Nature’s Variety Instinct Original Rabbit flavor only.
Speaking of the instinct nature’s Variety rabbit I would not feed the regular canned. It is loaded with veggies and fruits. I feed the limited ingredient one which our cats regard as the “Cat’s Meow”. It disappears really fast so I have to slow them down a bit. It isn’t perfect, having copper sulfate but no canned is perfect and right now not well enough to cook for them and they looked at RadCat raw with a very unhappy expression. I am trying to move them to raw really badly. However, the LI rabbit is one they highly approve of and I rotate some weruva (not thrilled) with NV LI turkey. Was feeding tiki chicken Liao Puka and stopped. Might go back to it for a change.
Hello, hope you are having a good day. Unfortunately Nature’s Variety reformulated almost all of their lines recently and the L.I.D. Rabbit and Turkey now have 4% as fed carbs (which makes it 16.6% dry matter carbs) This is because they added some pea protein to try to make it a lot better for urinary health which was needed. The Turkey LID also has far more fat then protein % so I don’t recommend. The Orginal Instinct Rabbit flavor remains the only NV wet product I will recommend but the LID Rabbit is also acceptable. The carbs on the regular rabbit is 1.9% as fed or 8% dry matter. (No others recommended due to having more fat then protein and/or carb issues, also the Pride line being discontinued.)
The Puka Puka from Tiki Cat is higher magnesium (0.14% dry matter) but my cats did love it when I fed it so it may be acceptable on a very intermittent basis only.
I have not tried Rad Cat but I have heard very mixed reactions as far as cats liking it.
Hope you feel better really soon 🙂
Feline Natural Raw Freeze Dried by K9 is great. I am giving this to my pets for a long time and they are really satisfied.
Hello,
I just looked into this product because I implied you were informing me of a freeze dried raw product which is actually balanced for cats. I just looked into the product and it is mostly appropriate for felines. The website lists the magnesium as 0.1% for all recipes and the product is boneless which are both great things. I did notice, however, that there is significantly more % of calories coming from fat in this food rather than protein though. The Chicken and Lamb Feast has the highest % of calories coming from protein (35.5% of calories coming from protein and 55.6% coming from fat) so this selection while suitable for cats is quite expensive for the amount of protein you are getting (the other 2 recipes only have ~30% of calories coming from protein) Also the calcium in this food is quite high which can contribute to urinary problems. Nonetheless if your cat enjoys this food (especially the Chicken & Lamb formula) it is definitely more suitable than any other freeze dried raw formula I have looked at..which is most of them…
Can you name some brands of freeze dried raw that you think are better or worse as balanced formulas for felines? Thnx.
Hi, What specific food are you feeding or looking at? It would be easier to just look at it that way.. Stella and Chewys has quite a bit of bone and I have seen constipation comments regarding the food. I believe the magnesium on it might actually be controlled (per a chewy response) but the phosphorus, calcium,etc is sky high due to the bone content. That one isn’t boneless and the company won’t say how much bone it contains so I personally wouldn’t feed the food knowing that information alone.
I feed my cats Stella & Chewy’s Duck Duck Goose and Primal Chicken & Salmon (along with canned foods). So these are the ones I am wondering about. I am open to trying other brands… Read that 10% is the cat standard, but around 7% is more natural for cats. There are brands and whole prey grinds known to be higher than 10%. For example, NV Instinct manages all raw for cat and dog to 15%, which is more than double the cat standard. Vital Essentials and Feline Natural raw are thought to be a little high, but are likely fine in rotation. One thing is for sure, there is no perfect commercial food… but am always looking to improve, though it comes down to what they are willing to eat.
Yes a lot of it is what the cats actually want to eat lol. The Duck Duck Goose has quite a bit more fat than protein (percent of calories from). You should verify this with the manufacturer though because it can be hard to tell based on the guaranteed analysis. Just ask them for the M.E. (metabolic energy) profile for the food (percentage of calories coming from protein/fat/carb) and you can also ask them for the dry matter % magnesium and phosphorus. I like the phosphorus to be below or at 1.2% dry matter but up to 1.5% is acceptable on an intermittent basis. The magnesium % dry matter needs to be at or under 0.11%. The Chicken and Salmon Stella and Chewy’s seems to have the most protein based on the guaranteed analysis but again check with the manufacturer and ask for the metabolic profile. Yes no commercial food is perfect for cats so we do the best with what we are given..I’m pretty sure the Primal product is high everything so probably would significantly contribute to flutd but it’s been awhile since I’ve looked at the products. I agree that 4-7% bone is more appropriate for cats. A lot of manufacturers are using more than that unfortunately.
Just a few updates to my cat food list with high protein, moderate fat, lower carbs that is safe for cats urinary tracts ie with controlled minerals…I am constantly trying new foods but if I missed something you think is great please let me know 🙂
Wet:
-Purely Fancy Feast white meat chicken, chicken and beef, Wild Alaskan Salmon and Chicken flavors
-Muse Shredded Chicken and spinach cup (orange square box),potentially other flavors ok (chicken and salmon one in pink box is NOT ok for urinary health)
-Muse shreddded chicken and anchovies pouch (other flavors from this line could be ok..salmon and scallops one too high.)
-**Nutro Max Cat Chunks in Sauce-all flavors, highly recommended (carbs are 8% DM) (I do increase the protein by adding Wild Frontier Turkey and Duck Cuts in Gravy (yellow package) to it)
-Earthborn Hollistic Catalina Catch & Monterey Medley (chicken ones are high carb 23%)
– Weruva Mideast Feast, Weruva new pates (my cats hate the ones with chicken..I recommend salmon flavors and lamb and mackerel. Note that the lamb & mackerel one has high phosphorus for kidney cats), many other Weruva flavors are approved for urinary but my cats either don’t like it or ***it gives them diarrhea..due to the excessive amount of gums in the food.
-Purina Beyond Chicken, Beef & Carrot chunks in gravy (carbs are 8% DM) (***note that almost all other Purina foods that are in gravy are high carb, have potentially questionable ingredients, and the high amount of gravy gives my cats immediate diarrhea)
-Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain canned chunks in sauce (only a couple of my cats will eat this though)
-Solid Gold Five Oceans Shredded tuna foods (all routinely screened for mercury) other Solid Gold wet foods could also potentially be great for urinary and nutrition..testing them out.
-Fancy Feast Classic pates (I try to feed the ones lowest in Phosphorus so beef & Liver and turkey & Giblets. **Note that Turkey & Giblets does have DM magnesium likely between 0.12-0.14% or 0.03% as fed, Purina will only supply as fed magnesium values for fancy feast classic wet)
-Purina One Turkey Pate (0.02% as fed magnesium, acceptable but higher phosphorus)
-Sheba classic pate (most flavors ok-Savory Chicken,Delicate Salmon, Chicken & Tuna ok..whitefish and tuna, and the other fish flavors with ash max 3.5% probably not ok.)
-Nutro chunky loaf Chicken pate, Nutro Senior soft loaf chicken
-Wild Frontier Turkey & Duck Cuts in Gravy only (yellow package)
-Lotus Just Juicy Shredded (extremely expensive)
-Natural Balance Catatoulli Stew (heard it was reformulated so buy at own risk)
-Merrick Backcountry chunks in gravy pouches (**Note: this food contains quite a lot of sauce/gravy which could give sensitive cats digestive problems such as diarrhea, carbs are 11-12% DM) (my cats hate Merrick pates and some of them have high magnesium or phosphorus but some are ok like Whole Earth Farms Turkey pate, Chicken pate)
-Fromm Classic Pate Turkey & Duck flavor, other Fromm pates are ok too
-Nature’s Variety Rockstar Rabbit flaked (checking that percent of calories from Protein/Fat/Carb is worth your money)
-Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein beef flavor only
*Note: no Nature’s Variety wet recommended due to excessively high magnesium and or phosphorus. The same goes for Tiki Cat wet food-the lowest option starts at 0.13% DM magnesium. Rockstar Rabbit is ok for urinary but the protein % was maybe just lowered—looking into it. Several other wet foods could be on the list for urinary but the low protein % is unacceptable and not worth your money not to mention that high protein is vital for a cat to thrive and have high levels of energy.
Dry (for 1/3 meals only, I put broth or wet snack out with it):
– **Dr. Elsey Clean Protein both flavors-highly recommended (4% chicken and 7% salmon carbs dry matter)
-Farmina N & D (Boar & Apple, Herring and Orange,Chicken)
-First Mate Limited Ingredient (Pacific Oceanfish flavor only)
-Go! Sensitivity + Shine Freshwater Trout formula only
-Annamaet Fish and Chicken Recipe (purple bag formula only)
-Nulo Medal Series Turkey and Cod,Cod & Duck, Salmon & Lentils—regular formula not fit and trim/weight management (my cats didn’t like any of the Nulo choices.)
-Purina Beyond Wild Turkey & Lentil (at the very top end of my allowed dry carb %—25%, I add more of the freeze dried chicken to it and mix with the others)
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Grain Free Kitten Chicken and Egg (see my previous comment on carbs also a lot of pea protein, affordable though, I use the Pro Plans to mix with a better ingredient food. I rate Pro Plan exceptionally high for Nutrition but more poorly for ingredients)
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Turkey & Rice (only negative is that it contains soy protein which has been suggested but not proven to potentially be a cause for cat thyroid issues) (nutritionally though it is a far superior food so worth inclusion,imo) (magnesium is 0.11% DM, carbs 20% DM) (**There are other flavors of Purina Pro Plan dry which are appropriate nutritionally and for urinary health but see previous sentence about the soy)
-Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken flavor only (magnesium is 0.12% DM, phosphorus is 1.3% as fed, mix with a food that is better above)
-Solid Gold Indigo Moon (Chicken & Egg flavor only) (***potentially is giving my cats diarrhea, especially the older more sensitive cat) (just watch your cats litter box closely) (contains a lot of vegetable protein)
-Hill’s MD diabetic/weight management cat food (***is potentially giving my cats diarrhea-watch the litter box closely, Hills dry food in the past while it didn’t cause a urinary blockage does give one of my cats frequent utis..proceed while watching your cat like a hawk) (be careful with the wheat gluten and make sure your cats aren’t allergic and don’t itch) (I don’t have a diabetic cat..)( I do not suggest any other Hill’s dry food than this)
(***Just a note that Orijen/Acana, most Nature’s Variety, Merrick, Fromm, Halo (carbs), Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, American Journey aren’t recommended due to urinary health concerns)
Treats: Pure Bites freeze dried one ingredient, other freeze dried one ingredient treats, use the dry above as treat
***Just a note that I do NOT suggest feeding any freeze dried raw such as Stella and Chewy’s or Primal,raw food (besides Rad Cat perhaps as it is boneless) dry food with freeze dried raw in it such as Nature’s Variety,etc because of the BONE content…”no bone, no stone when it comes to cats urinary health”. Even if the magnesium isn’t sky high in these foods with bone all of the other suspect urinary minerals such as phosphorus and calcium also need to be checked. Excessive bone content is also heavily linked to constipation in cats.
Have a great day!
What about Halo Chicken Recipe Grain-Free canned Kitten food?
I also like Halo Impulse and Halo Spot’s Pate canned cat food. Low carb, grain free, and my cats like it.
Hi Larry,
Based on the guaranteed analysis I suspect more % of calories coming from fat then from Protein (because the fat is 8.5% min relative to 10.5% min Protein, usually when the values are this close together the % of calories from fat ends up being more then the Protein in the Metabolic Energy Profile)
It otherwise seems like a good food though. If your cat enjoys it then you could rotate it with something higher protein just to make sure they are getting something daily that is high protein. Some of the halo recipes contain carragenan so be wary of that especially the regular line-the Spot’s Line. As far as urinary health for this recipe I have no idea-you would have to email the manufacturer I’m afraid. It does say ash 2% on Chewy so that’s good.
Geo55, some Halo Impulse flavors are perfectly fine, the Rabbit flavor is high protein and should be fine on phosphorous but you would have to check on magnesium. I like that it doesnt contain carragenan. The Quail flavor is lower protein and much higher phosphorus then the Rabbit so might not be suitable for urinary health. You will have to check with the maker on these as I don’t feed Halo Impulse because I tried it and my cats hated it lol. I don’t see the rabbit flavor listed anymore on Chewy though so maybe that flavor is discontinued. The two flavors that are currently listed on Chewy based on the guaranteed analysis likely have quite a bit more fat then protein %.
According to Chewy.com, Stella and Chewy’s now removed Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex in their freeze-dried food! Yay
**alert!!**
Feline’s Pride is now called My Pets Pride and apparently has been scamming people of their money and food since 2016. People were receiving rotten food with the change of owners, or not receiving product at all. I did a search on their yelp to see if they are still having problems and scamming people.. they are.
I would consider removing them from this list.
Our cats love Weruva however, my vet doesn’t love that it contains guar gum. SIGH… As far as the Tiki Puka Puka Luao is concerned, not only do they love it- it has no gum in it at all. The fluid content is great- and our cats lap it up. I just wish I could get them on raw. They just don’t have any interest in it. Our now two angel kitties loved raw and thrived on it. Double Sigh.
I really can’t justify paying more for cat food than what I pay for prime filet mignon. I can buy fresh fish or beef for a lot less money. I don’t use commercial hamburger but I don’t have a problem paying $4.00 or less for meat and fish. It only takes a few seconds to finely dice enough for a couple of meals or I can do batches and freeze in serving size containers. $16. a pound for frozen cat food is ridiculous. Raw chicken is different from my perspective. That I want to cook first because of the bacteria risk. I have seen frozen rabbit on occasion in the stores but I haven’t purchased any yet. Why pay$12+ a pound to have someone grind up meat and package it. Do it yourself save $$$$ and then you know exactly what is in your cat’s food.
Barry
I agree, plus you know the quality is tip top. I give my cats chicken thighs, hearts, cooked hamburger, raw beef cubes, turkey, occasionally lamb…. no pork and they’re sensitive to fish. I add a few crunchy biscuits that contain duck and flax seed, plus a multivitamin. I add chicken or bone broth to make a gravy, which they love. In rare cases I give them high quality carb free dry food when I’m in a super rush (and they regard this as a treat, lol), plus I have high quality, carb free wet food cans of duck or turkey, too. Once in awhile I sprinkle cat nip on top, which they go nuts for. I also occasionally add a little colloidial silver or slippery elm. They just turned 8 years old and so far zero health issues or need for dental cleanings.
I think if I fed any dry kibble it would only be Acana or the like. I keep rad cat lamb around bc for whatever reason, it makes my cats cost look like a million bucks ( although I would never eat baby meat myself or meat other than fish for that matter). Hare Today Turkey chunks are amazing. He loves them. I love ordering from them but I’m gonna get away from all the grinds next go around and get into the whole prey thing. Gonna need a kiddy gate to keep him from taking it to the sofa though. Be aware, they run.
I always keep good cams of food around just in case, AS.WE ALL SHOULD, party animal, natural balance is decent,
I found your site in search of carb free cat foods. My primary search is for some dry. kibble that I can use as treats. We have two rescue cats that are 3 and 6 years old. The male is a large Bombay at 16 pounds the female is 10 pound tabby. We have had them for 7 months now. They both could lose a couple of pounds. They put the weight on eating some so called grain free high quality cat food that supplemented their wet food. They both really liked the dry food and of course put on the weight. We call it “kitty crack” now and have them almost entirely on both canned (convenient) and fresh meats and fish. I worry about giving them raw poultry.
What carb free brand of dry food do you buy?
How do you determine the quantity and frequency to feed your cats?
What additional nutrients do I need to add to their wet food?
Thanks,
Barry
I have a large breed Norwegian forest cat, the trick to know the quantity is cutting back if you see they are gaining weight as it means they are eating too much and don’t do free feeding rather stick with schedules feedings by giving them their food two or three times a day and then putting it away afterwards till next feeding time. My cat already knows his feeding schedule and will go to his mat when it time to eat. He eats a can a day in which is about 5.5 to 6.5 oz divided into three feedings, he has a healthy body fat mass and thick beautiful mane and fur. I don’t do fish except salmon oils, don’t do dry food or treats (they cause weight gain, health issues, and so on). Perhaps try doing more play time to up their activity to lose weight. High quality grain free raw and canned food generally cause cats to lose weight if they are gaining, cut back on quantity and again don’t give dry food if you can. My cat is a on a rotational meat diet in which he eats different type of meat (duck, guinea fowl, rabbit, lamb, venison, etc..) a day from different brands such as halo, bravo, ziwipeak, hounds and gatos, go! Lid, and sometimes nature variety or lotus’ just juicy lines and so on.
ARCANA/ ACANA dry is the only dry food worth anything..
It depends as they under went some manufacturing and ingredient changes and not all are made in excellent quality such as those manufactured in the US vs Canada. Best to get from Canada if you can in which i heard is practically difficult as they rather just ship you the food manufactured from their US factory. The Champion Orijen or Acana has great reviews etc but it is still dry food, with 10 percent moisture or less and this caused my friends’ bengals to suffer health issues and so on even with three water fountains nearby. My cat suffered his first and last uti due to this dry diet and he normally drinks adequate amounts of water with two water bowls and two large water fountains nearby. After the all wet diet transition three years ago, he has zero health issues, no allergies, and thick coat and grown more inches as expected of his breed. If you think about it, dry food is still heavily processed and people report health issues are reversed or improved when switch to either raw or high quality canned food diet such as the person that wrote this blog as they are more species appropriate for feline diets. Now i understand for occasional convenience, some will feed dry but it shouldn’t be the mainstay daily intake food diet for them. Recently, my male friend was not convinced and felt his champion acana and Orijen was great for his Norwegian forest and just underwent two painful blocked mucus plugs with a high chance of reoccurrence. He had extreme difficulty switching to all wet diet as dry kibble is like crack even high quality premium ones, yet great determination was made and he finally got his cat to transition, no problems and allergies have disappeared since then.
Acana/Orijen may seem good on paper and may be good for some but the formulas all have high magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and other minerals and you are almost guaranteed a urinary blockage on this diet. Plus when I tried it once years ago the crazy amount of rich fish and weird vegetables,etc,etc caused my cats diarrhea, constipation and to be just miserable in the potty.
See my list above for dry (which should always be used as supplemental only to the wet, no more than 30% in a day) that has both controlled mineral values and is lower carb. It is extremely hard to find both. Pro Plan dry is vet recommended across whole of USA by “traditional” vets. Hollistic vets recommend Solid Gold Indigo Moon and Farmina N&D as better grain free options for urinary health. Dr. Elsey’s was formulated by a cat only veterinarian and is low minerals. In dry or wet the “meat” has to be cut with something to bring down the mineral values is the short answer. Better to be cut with proteins (Purina) then vegetables (ridiculously expensive canned/dry),imo. I always serve a cat broth pouch cut with water alongside leaving to go out of the house with any dry meal for guaranteed cat hydration. The cats LOVE the broth much more than a plain water bowl lol. Nature’s Variety Instinct, Merrick, Acana and many other grain free dry kibble are definitely not recommended due to risk of urinary blockage. I have tried every cat food brand out there at some point or other. Wishing everyone here the very best of health to any and all cats.
You mentioned you give your cats several different brands, rotating them. I know you should be adding new foods gradually to avoid digestive issues. Does your cat do well changing brands regularly. My cats get bored with the same flavor, so I sometimes change types withinn the same brands, like just Weruva. My one cat will throw up occasionally, even if I give her a different flavor that she hasn’t eaten for a while. One thing I will mention is that Igive both of my cats Darwin’s raw for her evening meal and she has no problems digesting it and actually prefers the raw food over the canned. The other cat prefers canned, so I always give them the canned in the AM. But they both are fussy! They act like they’re starving in the morning, but then will walk away after I put the food down. I don’t like to leave wet food down for too long, especially in the summer. It’s like a food game they’re playing. My husband will comment that they’re on a food strike again.
It is a balance as I started giving him different meat protein on a daily basis at a very young age to decrease the chance of the digestive upsets and no issues, in fact he demands it like that ha ha. One time, i forgot and ended up giving him the same meat two days in a row and he definitely didn’t like that and let me know not to make that mistake again! I highly recommend doing a slow transition such as give them different meat variety’s or brands on a weekly basis if that is the route you want to consider, and any time you are about to first change the meat (or brand) of the week, do half of the old and new so they won’t be surprised or off putted. I do the same, I’ll put the food up less than 30 mins if not eaten and bring it out again for the other timed feedings, the other half i have it In the a canned covered with a bpa free silicone- like top cover, refrigerated. May i ask Do you use a wide dish, my cat has sensitive whiskers and prefer wide foodware. I sometimes Have to dip a bit of food on his nose so he can lick and stimulate his interest, or i put it on mat or paper towel and he likes to sniff from there and eat and then go to the dish and eat the rest. Yep cats are weirdos. My cat has this weird loveable trait- he insists on being petted and loved before he eats, if he doesn’t get it- he won’t eat lol
My brother and sister cats (just turned 8) were rescued at 8 weeks and I started them on a rotation diet with about half homemade. They’re basically not finicky so if they really don’t like something I don’t make them eat it, just change it. I can’t imagine what it must be like for a predator to rely on someone else where, when, and what they eat – 24/7!!!
I try very hard to make them happy and healthy, and they reward me with kisses and tails up in the air. So far they are healthy and have great teeth and gums. I have done loads of research on pet food, feeding and pet health. For instance, a ‘finicky’ cat may be acting out not because of the type of food, but because she doesn’t like the bowl or where it’s placed on the floor. Or they may be bored and depressed. Exercise and ‘catification’ is crucial. Attention every day is mandatory.
All pet owners should take time often to see things from their pet’s point of view. I feel so very sorry for the millions of pets that are forced to eat the exact same cheap food every day for years – a guaranteed way to shorten a life and end up with vet bills, as well as it being very unnatural to them.
Agreed about the meat variety as no one food or brand is perfect as we do this for ourselves, but why not apply the same principle to our fur babies! Yep, my blue lion’s allergies have long ago disappeared and he is very healthy with long luxurious fur and mane, the vet always comment about his great health and healthy weight size (he is a big cat in length and height due to his breed). Also forgot to mention, some cats if tall like mine or even if regular sized may benefit from having a little stand or pedestal to put the dishware on top of, this helps relieve pressure off their back and legs and sustains balance and even helps their digestive system. I have the petrageous’ set the table elevated pet dining table stand in gizmo size, purchased from amazon. My cat loves to eat off this. Or you can get a wooden chopping block in a certain thickness if you prefer
Hi Barry!!
I don’t think the person who wrote the article replies here… I agree with you that the very expensive canned food is not worth it. If you are very concerned with ingredients probably easiest and cheapest to make your own. Make sure you are using a balanced recipe that has all the essential vitamins and nutrients and less than 10% bone. High bone content means high mineral content which means urinary blockage. When I made my own cat food for a period I used Alnutrin with calcium (for boneless recipes) and Alnutrin without the calcium supplement when making recipes with bone.
As far as the kibble question..there is really NO carb free kibble. I will list the best low carb ones that I use (no more than 30% in a day). I have also made sure the magnesium and ash percentages are controlled (less than 0.10% dry matter magnesium) to prevent urinary issues.
Dry:
1) Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein Chicken dry food (grain free) (4.5% carbs dry matter basis)
2) Solid Gold Indigo Moon (grain free) 17% carbs dry matter basis (no other Solid Gold formula recommended just this one)
Other options I love that are not grain free:
1) Purina One Healthy Kitten Formula (only this Purina One-please use no other) by far best value for your money-not grain free. 20-22% carbs approx dry matter. Very high protein like most Purina. I feed to adult cats..”kitten” diet is just marketing ploy.
2) Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Lamb and Rice (approx 23% carbs dry matter) very high protein. I use basically all the dry pro plans besides weight management because of the higher minerals content and savor chicken and rice because of higher carbs.
For wet food I have made homemade in the past but I currently use:
1) Fromm Beef Pate (has pearled barley)
2) Fancy Feast Beef and Liver Classic (grain free)
3) Fancy Feast Primavera Pate white meat chicken
4) Fancy Feast Creamy Delights chicken pate
5) Friskies Turkey and Giblets classic pate
6) Friskies Mixed Grill Classic Pate, also Poultry Platter
7) Wild Frontier Duck and Turkey cuts in gravy (as a topper on the pate)
8) new Weruva Pates occasionally, Weruva Truluxe steak frites.
9) Sheba cuts in gravy Turkey flavor (only this one, the other flavors higher in carbs) (as a topper on the pate)
10) Purina Pro Plan Chicken and Spinach Pate, Beef and Carrots Pate sometimes.
Note: All these wet and dry foods are extremely high protein and also have controlled magnesium and ash for urinary health and my cats absolutely thrive on these foods. Have a good day.
She occasionally responds as she is very busy. However there are great distinctions from low to high quality premium food as mentioned Purina and friskies although wet is still better than dry food, but not superior to others higher quality canned brands (Of course not all are superior or perfect) as what the main factor to take into account as not all protein is equal meaning there is a difference between plant and animal protein. Felines require higher content or all of animal protein, but many companies such as those listed above choose cheap low quality plant protein and other fillers to satisfy the percentages and keep the cost low, the ingredients are often questionable when considering the type of mineral and vitamin such a small vitamin k etc…used as well as type of meat or region), etc..
It is up to you re ingredients if the Vitamin k used by many companies even “high end” ones is a deal breaker or not. The canned Purina recipes I mentioned above are all animal protein only no plant protein is used.Most are completely grain free. The dry recipes obviously have some plant protein but more animal then plant. If you must have the best ingredients, all animal protein etc then there are options like the Dr. Elsey’s and weruva,etc but budget is a concern for many and multiple generations of cats of mine have thrived on the listed Purina foods and lived long lives. High protein and low carb, and lower magnesium/urinary health is the biggest consideration I factor when picking foods so I will not shell out big bucks for Hound and Gatos for example when it is mainly fat. Heart to heart I’m sure your cats are doing lovely too 🙂
Jerilin, I do buy some of the top recommended foods from this list. But I recently saw this post by a vet on facebook which talks about the magnesium issue, which I fully understand. I see you mentioned that in your comment so maybe you can answer this. Do you know if the foods on this list are also fine in terms of magnesium content? I don’t exactly know how to be sure. Would it directly state “magnesium” in the ingredient list? I am particularly curious because one of my three cats has developed crystals in his urine (idk if they are struvite crystals or some other kind, or even if there ARE other kinds) and the vet had me put him on a prescription diet (Hills c/d) which is like way more expensive than the expensive things on this list. i’m wondering if the Hound & Gatos and Nature’s Instinct LID, which I’d been feeding him and which I still feed my other two, are also fine in terms of the magnesium/nutrient mixture, or if it’s possible that they are why he got crystals, and if so, maybe he could do fine on a cheaper diet than what I was giving him, instead of a more expensive one?
Here is the post I saw that made me wonder:
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, when Dr. T was but a lad freshly graduated from veterinary school, there was a disease in cats called F.U.S. – “Feline Urologic Syndrome.” Cats, especially those who preferred dry foods, would make nasty, razor blade-like crystals in their urine. These cats would strain to urinate, pee all over the place (particularly places where the owner would notice, like your bedspread or favorite chair), and pass blood in their urine. Male cats, neutered or otherwise, would obstruct and become completely unable to urinate. These cats could die in as little as 24 hours, and often required several days in the hospital with a catheter in their bladder before they could reliably regain the ability to pee by themselves.
Then the Research Fairy discovered that the problem was NOT the ASH in the diet, but a complex interaction between the amount of MAGNESIUM in the food and the nutrient mixture that resulted in urine with a high pH (low acidity) and high concentration. The combination of these things resulted in the precipitation of little razor blade (struvite) crystals in the urine, which cut up the bladder lining, caused pain and bleeding, and could ultimately result in the formation of sandy plugs that made it impossible for the poor boy cats to pee.
“HURRAY!” cried the happy cat owning villagers and veterinarians. “Hurray!” cried the makers of cat foods, who rushed to adjust their food recipes to eliminate the problem. “Meow!” cried the kitties who no longer were forced to pee bloody urine all over the place.
When the foods were improved, FUS became (pretty much) a thing of the past. Veterinarians were forced to come up with a new name – “Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease”, and later, “Feline Interstitial Cystitis” for the cats who continued to have similar problems even when the crystals were not present in their urine.
And it looked like everyone would live happily ever after.
BUT time passes, and the memories of men (but not women) are short. As the decades passed, new manufacturers of cat food came on the scene with new, and often very expensive kitty diets with catchy names. The wisdom of the past having been forgotten, these diets were no longer formulated in a way that prevented the formation of struvite crystals. And then, much to the despair of kitties and kitty lovers and veterinarians, the dreaded struvite crystals crept back into the urine of kitties, and some cats started to suffer – again – from a disease that had become all but a thing of the past.
Hi Laurie,
I would be glad to help you out. The magnesium % for cats is never usually listed on a can. You need to contact the manufacturer to find out that information. Ask them for the dry matter % magnesium. It needs to be at or less than 0.10-0.11%. I try to keep phosphorus at or below 1.2% dry matter if possible. If the manufacturer will only give you “as fed” values and not dry matter (more accurate) it needs to be at or below 0.25%. I don’t know specific numbers for either of the two brands you asked about but I do not feed Nature’s Variety because they are one of the worst offenders for both dry and wet for formulating cat foods with excessively high magnesium. Also the Nature’s Variety and Hound and Gatos pates tend to have lower protein %. I like to see the % of calories from protein at least at 36%. Look for the chart at catinfo .org that says protein/fat/carb chart to see for the specific formula you are currently feeding. One new gripe I have with SOME of the Purina foods I previously mentioned as good is the amount of soy protein. Soy is a phytoestrogen and is said to be causing thyroid issues in cats. I don’t like to see it used as a protein in cat food. Pea Protein is ok but I don’t like to see it overshadow the meat protein or the cat tends to poop a lot and it contributes to the carb %. Cats are extremely picky but here is my current list of fed foods. Keep in mind there are other extremely well formulated foods that my cats just won’t eat. My cats don’t like Weruva shredded chicken foods because of the stringy tough texture of the chicken and many Weruva foods caused my cats diarrhea. The new Weruva pates have not though but some of my cats won’t accept their texture. Tiki Cat shredded foods are too high in magnesium!!! Ok here’s what I’m using…none of it is perfect but I am most concerned about cat nutrition, high protein and urinary health but do have some unacceptable ingredient concerns. I have 11 cats so I do feed one dry meal to help with cost but if you can wet is better (though try to avoid BPA as much as you can)…I feed fish but ask about mercury and look at the species of fish fed..
Wet: Purely Fancy Feast white meat chicken, chicken and beef, salmon and beef flavors, Muse Shredded Chicken and spinach cup, Muse shreddded chicken and anchovies pouch, **Nutro Max Cat Chunks in Sauce-all flavors, highly recommended (I do increase the protein by adding Crave or Wild Frontier chunks into it), Earthborn Hollistic Catalina Catch & Monterey Medley (chicken ones are high carb), Weruva Mideast Feast, Weruva new pates (my cats hate the ones with chicken..I recommend salmon flavors and lamb and mackerel), Purina Beyond Chicken, Beef & Carrot chunk in gravy, Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain canned chunks in sauce (only a couple of my cats will eat this though), Solid Gold Five Oceans Shredded tuna foods (all routinely screened for mercury), Fancy Feast Classic pates (I try to feed the ones lowest in Phosphorus so beef and turkey), Purina One Turkey Pate, Sheba classic pate, Nutro chunky loaf pate, Nutro Senior soft loaf chicken, Crave (Nutro) chunks in gravy foods, Sheba Cuts in gravy (turkey flavor only), Lotus Just Juicy Shredded (extremely expensive), Naural Balance Catatoulli Stew (heard it was reformulated so buy at own risk), Merrick Backcountry chunks in gravy pouches (my cats hate Merrick pates and some of them have high magnesium or phosphorus), Fromm Classic Pate Turkey & Duck flavor. I used to feed some Weruva TruLuxe flavors but my cats have started rejecting them and I have noticed some looser stools.
Dry (for 1/3 meals): **Dr. Elsey Clean Protein-highly recommended, Farmina N & D, Solid Gold Indigo Moon, Purina Beyond Wild Turkey & Lentil (at the very top end of my allowed dry carb %—25%, I add more of the freeze dried chicken to it and mix with the Elsey’s), Purina Pro Plan True Nature Kitten Chicken and egg (see my previous comment on carbs also a lot of pea protein), Annarmet (sp?) Fish & Chicken formula, Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain (magnesium is 0.12% so I mix with appropriate foods, Pea Protein amount is high but it’s economical), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Recipe (magnesium is 0.14% max on B.B. dry foods so I mix with something more appropriate) (kitten recipe is lower carbs than the regular adult Wilderness dry by a smidge but I do feed the adult ones mixed in for taste especially salmon and duck), American Journey Chewy dry cat foods (see B.B. comment on magnesium, mixer food, this food is essentially generic B.B.). I do also have a prescription for Hill’s MD diabetic/weight cat food (be careful with the wheat gluten and make sure your cats aren’t allergic) (I don’t have a diabetic cat..)( I do not suggest any other Hill’s dry food than this)
Treats: Pure Bites freeze dried one ingredient, other freeze dried one ingredient treats, Blue Buffalo semi moist high protein cat treats (Chicken and Duck, Chicken and Salmon, Chicken & Turkey, use the dry above as treat.
Have a great day!!
Good morning fellow cat lovers.
I visited Chewy this morning and searched for two of the wet foods we feed (we are trying SO hard to transition to raw), and while these are only three of the canned foods I searched, looking for magnesium content, since many of the cat foods sold on Chewy does have a nutritional list for most of the foods they carry, Weruva Cats in the Kitchen Fowl Ball has 0.03%, and Instinct Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient doesn’t list magnesium on the nutritional contents. I checked Wellness Core chicken and turkey (we don’t feed this) and it too had 0.03% magnesium. We rarely feed any food that contains fish, since fish can be irritating to the bladder, and invite FLUTD- which dry food does also from what I have been learning. The other day I received an ad from Nom-Nom, so I checked their chicken formula and while the first ingredients is meat, there are also too many fruits and veggies in their formula. I wrote to Nom -Nom inquiring about the reason for so many plant proteins in their ingredients, they responded to me very quickly saying that their recipes are based on the recommendations by their veterinarian who states that this formula was created to mimic cats’ ideal prey since these items may be found in the prey’s digestive tract. The percentage of fruits and veggies is about 10%. The problem is that the prey animal consumed by a cat has the plant protein digested already. Lacking the enzyme to easily digest carbs, carbs are not an ideal species appropriate diet. 10% is a substantial amount, in my opinion.So, another disappointment. Thankfully one of our cats does like small test pieces of raw chicken and raw beef. Just wish our other cat so so inclined, still I am working on it. I would much rather grind our own and add the necessary supplements to make their diet both nutritionally complete and species appropriate.
Just another update here on this thread regarding wet and dry foods that are safe for cats urinary tracts…just heard back from Mars re their new Wild Frontier Cuts in Gravy and Crave Cuts in Gravy that were previously on my approved list…unfortunately these new foods are very high above my magnesium threshold cutoff and unsafe for cats. There is one formulation which should be OK…the Wild Frontier Turkey and Duck Cuts in Gravy (yellow packaging) This food has as fed magnesium % of 0.11%. My cats aren’t seeming to like these new cuts in gravy nearly as much as the Max Cat Chunks anyway due to the minced texture…the much higher protein in the one approved Wild Frontier Cuts though is worth mixing it in with the better liked food… the pates from these new Mars food lines all have carrageenan so I don’t recommend and the dry food from these lines aren’t safe for urinary health.
Also regarding Nature Variety wet…the only wet food formulation that is OK for urinary health is Pride Rockstar Rabbit which my cats have in the past liked..BUT I see unfortunately that they just lowered the protein to 8% min so due to this change and my requirement of higher protein it no longer makes my “list”…
2 new dry foods to add to the list are: Go! Sensitivity + Shine Freshwater Trout and Nulo Medal Series Salmon & Lentils and Nulo Medal Series Turkey & Cod. My cats didn’t like the Nulo flavors but your cats may like…haven’t tried the Go! one yet.
Also I had the Chewy American Journey dry food, Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild on my previous dry urinary list with a stipulation they be fed/mixed with lower magnesium foods..unless budget is a big problem I now no longer recommend mixing these foods due to high phosphorus and magnesium and also in the case of Taste of the Wild peas being the second ingredient and animal protein only making up 28% of the food…
Wet:
-Purely Fancy Feast white meat chicken, chicken and beef, Wild Alaskan Salmon and Chicken flavors
-Muse Shredded Chicken and spinach cup (orange square box)
-Muse shreddded chicken and anchovies pouch
-**Nutro Max Cat Chunks in Sauce-all flavors, highly recommended (I do increase the protein by adding Wild Frontier Turkey and Duck Cuts in Gravy (yellow package) to it)
-Earthborn Hollistic Catalina Catch & Monterey Medley (chicken ones are high carb)
– Weruva Mideast Feast, Weruva new pates (my cats hate the ones with chicken..I recommend salmon flavors and lamb and mackerel), many other Weruva flavors are approved for urinary but my cats either don’t like it or it gives them diarrhea..
-Purina Beyond Chicken, Beef & Carrot chunks in gravy
-Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain canned chunks in sauce (only a couple of my cats will eat this though)
-Solid Gold Five Oceans Shredded tuna foods (all routinely screened for mercury)
-Fancy Feast Classic pates (I try to feed the ones lowest in Phosphorus so beef & Liver and turkey)
-Purina One Turkey Pate
-Sheba classic pate (most flavors ok)
-Nutro chunky loaf Chicken pate, Nutro Senior soft loaf chicken
-Wild Frontier Turkey & Duck Cuts in Gravy only (yellow package)
-Lotus Just Juicy Shredded (extremely expensive)
-Natural Balance Catatoulli Stew (heard it was reformulated so buy at own risk)
-Merrick Backcountry chunks in gravy pouches (my cats hate Merrick pates and some of them have high magnesium or phosphorus but some are ok like Whole Earth Farms Duck Pate and Turkey pate)
-Fromm Classic Pate Turkey & Duck flavor, other Fromm pates are ok too
*Note: no Nature’s Variety wet recommended due to excessively high magnesium and or phosphorus. The same goes for Tiki Cat wet food. Rockstar Rabbit is ok for urinary but the protein % was just lowered. Several other wet foods could be on the list for urinary but the low protein % is unacceptable.
Dry (for 1/3 meals, I put broth or wet snack out with it):
– **Dr. Elsey Clean Protein both flavors-highly recommended
-Farmina N & D
-Solid Gold Indigo Moon
-Go! Sensitivity + Shine Freshwater Trout
-Annamaet Fish and Chicken Recipe
-Nulo Medal Series Turkey and Cod, Duck & Cod, Salmon & Lentils (my cats didn’t like)
-Purina Beyond Wild Turkey & Lentil (at the very top end of my allowed dry carb %—25%, I add more of the freeze dried chicken to it and mix with the others)
-Purina Pro Plan True Nature Kitten or Adult Chicken and egg (see my previous comment on carbs also a lot of pea protein)
-Hill’s MD diabetic/weight management cat food (be careful with the wheat gluten and make sure your cats aren’t allergic and don’t itch) (I don’t have a diabetic cat..)( I do not suggest any other Hill’s dry food than this)
Treats: Pure Bites freeze dried one ingredient, other freeze dried one ingredient treats, use the dry above as treat.
Have a great day!!
Found one additional dry option safe for urinary health while browsing Chewy since it won’t quit raining here!!!
**First Mate Grain Free Pacific Oceanfish and Blueberry dry (it is Sardines, anchovies and wild caught Herring)(the other flavor Chicken is much higher in carbs then this flavor)
Also wanted to add that I’m still looking into the Rockstar Rabbit wet food protein lowering issue..food appears unchanged in numbers on Chewy but I received cans with a different guaranteed analysis and lower protein % that my cats don’t seem too want to eat.
Also three dry food options to add that straddle my cutoff line but should be just fine as long as not fed solely as the only food option:
1) Nature’s Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken dry cat food (the only dry Nature’s Variety I will recommend)(0.11% magnesium as fed or 0.12% dry matter, 1.3% phosphorus as fed)
2) Merrick Purrfect Bistro Kitten dry food (0.11% magnesium as fed or 0.12% dry matter, 1.4% phosphorus as fed or 1.5% dry matter) (only comes in a small bag)
3) Purina Pro Plan True Nature Turkey and Rice dry (does contain soy protein which could potentially–not proven yet be contributing to thyroid issues in cats but so could about 15 other things) (dry matter magnesium is 0.11% in this food, phosphorus is very low-0.90%)
I would just like to add one additional comment regarding safe food for cats urinary tracts (and avoiding stones, crystals and utis) and that is that virtually almost all (**unless it is boneless AND actually balanced for cats) commercially available frozen or dehydrated raw cat food contains an exorbitant excessive amount of bone which means excessively high phosphorus and magnesium which is all but guaranteed to wreck havoc on your cats urinary and renal systems. “No bone…no stone” is the adage. In addition this excessive amount of bone almost always causes severe constipation and digestive distress in cats. Apart from Rad Cat raw and any other bone free (or LOW bone) frozen or dehydrated raw none of these diets are safe for cats…small amounts of bone ARE a good source of natural calcium for cats but the problem is since bone is much cheaper than muscle meat most of these “healthy” “spectacular for your cat” food companies are putting much more % bone content then necessary for your cat to get it’s daily calcium % and then refusing to tell you how much they are even putting in the foods at your cats health expense. With so many people feeding these high bone dehydrated raw recipes it’s no wonder the number of cats in the vet office in complete misery with blocked urinary tracts.
Jerlin, I did not know about the effect of high bone/magnesium content of the freeze dried raw foods. I am going to research this and continue to feed this food only in moderation. Thank you for the heads up!
If you are going to feed some dry food, imo the best out there is made by Young Again. It is low carb with a healthy nutritional profile. I feed my cats wet meals and give them a small amount of YA Mature Health dry food as snacks- usually less than a tablespoon at a time since a diet of low carb, grain free wet/ raw food is the only really healthy kind for a cat. I recommend calling Young Again and speaking to Jennifer who does a great job explaining why their food is so much better than the average corn-laden, crap-based dry food on the market. (800) 311-6646.
i discovered Riplee’s Ranch brand, Canadian made. Ordered it by post. It has no gums. Google and try it out if you like.
It uses human grade meat.
My cats actually will eat it.
Often the most healthy brands they won’t
Worth a try for others looking for healthy, and fresh, as they make it in small batches, food.
The Ontario rep let me pay for a sample box so I could try some first rather than starting with a whole case.
i am always looking for fresh, as some brands the edges look dark of the food and not fresh. And for natural filler rather than gums,
and for human grade meat.
The price….its the same around as pet store brands.
Lotus makes other food than the fish one. My kitties eat the Just Juicy Chicken and Just Juicy Turkey and love it.
I also Used to get lotus just juicy lines as they contain no fish, but was so disappointed the last recent times as the pork and venison was so little in quantity and mostly liquid, especially factering price the past batches were more fulfilling. May i ask Is the turkey quantity more thicker- meaning more meat and not mainly juice or stew? I would post a pic of the pork but did on chewy reviews.
Holistic select constipated my cat, too much filler. I rotate lots of brands of food otherwise cats can get an allergy,
I don’t believe allergy is usually for life, just take it out for awhile and add back later small amount.
All the foods have some filler, so I rotate a lot of brands.
Wild Calling, Romeo, Party Animal, Healthy indulgence,
Wellness stew couple times a week which I add filtered water to,
keeps my cat regular,
and also few times per week the Weruva pate chicken and pumpkin.
The wide variety at least 8 different brands seems to keep him healthiest and out of the vet
with constipation, and none of my cats seem to have allergy .
Don’t think any of the brands don’t have fillers. There is occasional one that is supposed to be healthy but they won’t eat it, still through trial and error I have about 8 or more brands that they will eat, and just rotate everyday.
I always open 2 or more cans so if one cat likes one type more and the other cat likes other brand more, then I am not throwing stuff away.
Working out okay with the limited amount of brands available in Canada, which is annoying we are not allowed to buy from America our closest neighbour, pet food that is in a can. as U.S. has a lot more choices of pet food.
My cats get a few kIBBLE a few times per week, I found this to actually help my cats stay regular, even though kibble has a bad rap, it has worked giving a small amount, better for my cats, then not giving any. he was constipated often when I previously tried completely moving kibble. Also keeps them happier like a treat..
I’m not ever going to eat cake or ice cream even though I know it is not good for me, I will have it in moderation so I get it on behalf of how my cats feel,
Also an avid believer if cats can go outside monitored and walk on grass and they are trained by putting in significant time with them to not run away then of course they should be like a natural cat was intended to be.
My cats have never run away, but I hang out with them, and had put my time in with training. Its been 7 years here now with them having a great life of some outside time. There has not been problems like some people think like cat fights or dying birds.
I only mention this because cats have got a bad rap, whereas someone who never allowed a dog out of the house would be criticzed.