Weruva

So I was loading up on free samples from a big cat show (in NJ) the other day...

There was a table set up for the brand Weruva. I had never heard of it, but I took a can home and the cats ate it up in 2 seconds. The ingredients look pretty good, but it's hard to find. The spokesperson said it wasn't very mainstream.

Anyone feed their cats this brand? Where do you get it? What do you think of it?

I've fed my cats the wet variety of that food. It is 'stringy' and they're not used to that type of food. But they liked it just the same. I bought it at a pet store. And I'm in Canada..........could hardly believe that we had it.

It is more expensive than the Wellness, but it is a premium brand just the same.

I like the ingrediants and think it's a good food for my cats. They also like Wellness and a few other premium brands that are less expensive..so I probably won't buy Weruva too often....maybe just as a treat.

Perhaps you could go to their website..sometimes they'll say where their food is available...or if they have a toll-free number, you could phone them up to see if it's sold in your area.

Our cat shows don't have very many free samples...mainly coupons...boo!!
Of course, maybe they're not 'big' cat shows.

Yeah, I ended up buying more stuff than getting much for free , Weruva was the only brand giving away whole cans. Heck, Royal Canin just gave out pamphlets . Anyway, I did look at the Weruva website and Petfooddirect.com sells it (I don't know how I didn't notice it there before!), so maybe I'll buy some with my next order...if I can afford it!!

It's a good food, and if you kitty likes it then it is worth it. If it's too expensive for all the time, then a treat once in a while is nice.

Your kitty is sweet looking...so comfy on the pillows.....

Royal Canin has corn in it....which isn't ideal....so maybe the pamphets were a better idea...

Love the brand though we haven't tried all the flavors, taste test results here are very positive.

There are a number of places that carry this

I have very serious concerns that Weruva canned foods may not be a suitable food for long term use in cats, I think it would be prudent have a closer look at the ingredients, the fat content and the protein/fat ratio.

Having recently read glowing recommendations for Weruva from someone on this site, I went to the Weruva website and reviewed the ingredients & analysis. I was shocked by what I perceived to be a very low fat and high moisture content (water being the second ingredient!). I thought to myself that, at best, it might be usable as a weight loss food - to be used with great care, at that.

Quite coincidentally, a few days ago, on another site, someone posted that she had purchased some Weruva with the intention of assisting her aged, thin cat to gain some weight. To her shock, her cat started losing weight! Needless to say, her stock of Weruva now sits in her cupboard.

She followed up and obtained the calorie content information from Weruva and from some other "high end" food manufacturers. The results were, to say the least, eye-opening.

Her research on 5.5oz cans found that Innova has about 209 calories, Evo- 217, Merrick 130-170, Wellness 160-220. The information from Weruva for the non-fish varieties translated to 84 cal per 5.5 oz can. Was it any wonder that her poor cat lost weight?

From the Weruva website:
Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken
Ingredients: Chicken (boneless, skinless white breast meat), water sufficient for processing balance, thickening agent (Tapioca starch and/or potato flour and/or Xanthan gum) Sunflower seed oil, Taurine...
Guaranteed analysis:
Crude protein 10%
Crude fat 1.4%
Moisture 85%

From the Wellness website:
Wellness Grain Free Chicken
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Liver, Turkey, Chicken Broth...
Guaranteed analysis:
Crude protein 10.5%
Crude fat 5%
Moisture 78%

Just based on the Guaranteed Analysis numbers, Weruva has 72% less fat than that contained in the Wellness product. Anyone who knows anything about feline nutrition is aware that cats derive most of their energy from fat and protein.

And, based on the research into what cats require to thrive, it should be abundantly clear that this product is, at best, a "supplemental food" for healthy cats, or, perhaps a "diet food" for obese/overweight cats - but only to be used with great care and careful wieght monitoring.

To add insult to injury, it would appear that this is priced as a "high-end" product. Heck, with water as the second ingredient, the Wellness I use is a bargain!

If anyone would like to review the comments of the person I've referenced here, just PM me.

I only give my cats about 1 can a week of it, usually the one that's like chicken soup. I don't think it's suitable for kittens to have as their only food. It is like someone said more a FUN food. I buy it at a local store. They have the smaller cans too.

I've bought Weruva at my local mom-and-pop pet store. We've tried two of the chicken flavors and Wally didn't care for them (but he is extremely picky about wet foods). A few of the fish flavors were in his roation at one time, but he seemed to get bored with them after a while. The ingredients seemed good and I would be willing to try them again.

My cats all really like Weruva, especially the Paw Lickin' Chicken. You should check out their website, as I find it pretty informative. The food is made in a human food facility in Thailand.

It sounds like a good food for my overweight Phoebe...she needs to lose about 5 pounds and really can't. Coupled with arthritis or a back problem, she doesn't move around too much. But she does move to her food bowl...