Natural Balance Cat food

touro1979

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I currently feed my cats science diet advanced protection dry food and science diet canned food, (not the savory cuts THANK GOD!!!!!!!!) I have been contemplating switching their food for some time and was about to make the move to wellness when this recall came out and now I am nervouse about that brand to since it was made by Menu foods. From what I have seen Natural Balance is not made by Menu but I have some questions. Does anyone know the following:

Do they use any ingredients imported from china?

Do they have their own plant or is it subcontracted out?

What is the consistnecy of the canned Food? (my cats are not a huge fan of lumps and prefer a smoother texture)

Is this a good food? I will be feeding both wet and dry foods.

thanks in advance.
 

beandip

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I answered in bold...


Originally Posted by touro1979

I currently feed my cats science diet advanced protection dry food and science diet canned food, (not the savory cuts THANK GOD!!!!!!!!) I have been contemplating switching their food for some time and was about to make the move to wellness when this recall came out and now I am nervouse about that brand to since it was made by Menu foods. From what I have seen Natural Balance is not made by Menu but I have some questions. Does anyone know the following:

Do they use any ingredients imported from china?

I don't know.

Do they have their own plant or is it subcontracted out?

I would guess subcontracted but NOT by Menu. I base this on the statement at their site (http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/). It says "NO Natural BalanceÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] products are produced by ANY company associated with the Pet Food Recall." ...to me that means NOT menu foods...but since they don't implicitly state that they have thier own plant, I would guess that they don't.

I'm currently feeding the NB food. My cats like it and I'm comfortable with it.

What is the consistnecy of the canned Food? (my cats are not a huge fan of lumps and prefer a smoother texture)

We have only tried the Venison/Green Pea canned NB food. I wouldn't call it lumpy, but it's a little on the dry side. I experimented with adding just a touch of chicken broth to it and it went over OK the 1st time. The 2nd time I fed it they gobbled it up as is from the can.
I think they just needed to try it...then they liked it. I have one that won't eat anything with the slightest bit of a sweet smell...and so he doesn't like that flavor, but the rest of them love it.

Is this a good food? I will be feeding both wet and dry foods.

I think it's a good food and my cats like it. We've sampled the ven/green pea dry too..and they really liked it.

thanks in advance.
 

sharky

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Call the company and ask the china question... my guess is your typical call center person wont know that answer ...

I beleive earlier in the week it was shown on the web they share a plant ... which is okay


it is a very pate food ... and yep I agree with venison being a bit dry ...
 

sillyjilly

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I just recently starting looking into another brand of dry for Kitters as well, here is a link to their site. There is a lot of information but as stated above you can try to contact them via email or phone and ask the remaining questions, and possible see about getting a sample can or something.
 

misty8723

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I tried the green pea and venison and neither of my cats would eat it (And Swanie will generally eat anything).
 

leesali

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I have been using Natural Balance for quite some time...wet & dry. I have a whopping crew of 12 here & to find something that they all eat & is good for them is a major hurdle that has been overcome w/NB food.

I am reading the label as I type...and see the good ole' American flag on back stating "made in the USA".

I did find the green pea flavor a bit on the dry side...2 flavors that are loved here are 1 - indoor formula and 2 - ultra formula...the ultra is more moist than the indoor formula.

Top ingredients on indoor formula:
Chicken
Chicken Broth
Chicken Liver
Ocean fish
Oat bran
Brown rice flower
lecithin
dried cranberries
parsley

Top ingredients on Ultra formula:
chicken
chicken broth
chicken liver
duck
salmon
carrots
brown rice flour
fish meal
lecithin
dried cranberries

Highly recommend NB both wet & dry. When in doubt, purchase a few cans & see how it goes.
 

jellybella

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My kitties like the NB, in my experience the wet is a pate style, I add water to any wet food l give them, so dryness is not an issue...and that website just answered my question about whether or not "Dick VanPatten" of the cat food is "the" Dick VanPatten...


It's a little more expensive than the cheap food, but much less expensive than the vet visits...
 

jenny82

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My cats are eating the NB green pea and venison dry and doing very well!

I'm trying different flavors of NB wet this week to see what works.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by Jenny82

My cats are eating the NB green pea and venison dry and doing very well!

I'm trying different flavors of NB wet this week to see what works.
It's on sale now at the Petco here...buy 4 get one free.
Hopefully a deal is available in your area too.
 

cloud_shade

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Odo gets three different Natural Balance flavors. They are all pate style and mix well with water. Most have at least one fish ingredient, which is only a problem if your kitties are sensitive to fish (Odo is sensitive to certain types). According to this site, http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=210, Natural Balance is safe:

Natural Balance (verified via phone 3/23/07)

* Dry food is made at their own plant then shipped to the Diamond plant where it is bagged.
* Canned food is made at their own plant, then shipped to American Nutrition in Utah where it is canned. Natural Balance has their own line at American Nutrition and no other canned foods are run through Natural Balance’s equipment.
 

jenny82

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Originally Posted by beandip

It's on sale now at the Petco here...buy 4 get one free.
Hopefully a deal is available in your area too.
I just went to Petco yesterday and the cans weren't on sale but the dry food was!
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by Jenny82

I just went to Petco yesterday and the cans weren't on sale but the dry food was!
That's too bad...it must be a regional thing...I'm in Kansas. I need to go back and stock up! I think the sale is good till 4/14 here.
 

white cat lover

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I was in Petco about a week ago. It wasn't on sale.
I paid $1.15 a can I believe.
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

I was in Petco about a week ago. It wasn't on sale.
I paid $1.15 a can I believe.
Dang...maybe we do need that coop. The Petco sale made it .87/can, down from $1.09. I need to hurry up and find out if mine like the other flavors...or maybe it just won't matter. They can eat it and love it at that price
 

jean44

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I'm also feeding Natural Balance. My gang like the Venison and Pea, Turkey and Giblets and Ultra. I've also tried the fish flavor but am not currently using it due to two cats with crystals. I also keep some dry Venison and Pea on hand. They all like that as well.
 

sharky

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I use the venison and pea dry as a "cookie" for my oldest ...
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by sharky

I use the venison and pea dry as a "cookie" for my oldest ...
I thought I was the only one who did that.
I'm like the mom who only hands out carrot sticks and triscuits as snacks. They don't know any better, though...they come running and gobble it up when I say "who wants some TREATS??". LOL
They love that stuff.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by beandip

I thought I was the only one who did that.
I'm like the mom who only hands out carrot sticks and triscuits as snacks. They don't know any better, though...they come running and gobble it up when I say "who wants some TREATS??". LOL
They love that stuff.
We may have to make you get a new user title when ready....
 

lyric

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I have been feeding NB canned to my 4 cats for the past year. It looked to have the best ingredients of most of the cat foods I compared it too. My 4 love it. Particular favorite is the Venison and Green Peas followed by Ultra and Chicken Pate.

I felt vindicated for paying the extra money when I heard about the big recall.
 

pekoe & nigel

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I fed my guys NB about 1-2 times a week... at nearly $2 here it unfortunately can't be an "everyday" food. They seem to like it quite well, but then I've never given them a food they've refused to eat.
The one thing I did notice, that I really liked, was when I opened the can it actually smelled like something I would like to eat. Most wet foods make me nauseous (yeah, I'm a fussy eater, what's your point) so I love that this smells better. Makes me feel like I'm giving them something that's really high quality if I think I might eat it myself...
(Hey, and if there's ever an emergency where I can't leave the apartment, the cats and I can share, right?!)

I do find the texture to be slightly more firm and dense than a regular pate food, but haven't noticed any "lumps" in particular. Next time I open up a can I'll be sure to thoroughly inspect it and get back to you. The only flavour I've had any experience with though is the "Indoor Cat Formula"- I've never seen other flavours in my store but will take a closer look next time.
 
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