what do you think of orijen dry cat food?

andreiamlm

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What are the brands of wet canned food that you give your cats usually that you think agree with the Orijen dry food?

I'm giving Gourmet Gold or Fancy Feast rotating the flavours.

What do you think?

They don't drink a lot of water mas they eat almost all wet food nowadays. Half a small can each 3 to 4 times a day. They are energetic but they have put on a little weight.

Not easy trying to be a good cat mom =) 

Thanks a lot !

PS: two boy cats brothers from the same litter of 1 year and 5 months old.
 

missmimz

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What are the brands of wet canned food that you give your cats usually that you think agree with the Orijen dry food?

I'm giving Gourmet Gold or Fancy Feast rotating the flavours.

What do you think?

They don't drink a lot of water mas they eat almost all wet food nowadays. Half a small can each 3 to 4 times a day. They are energetic but they have put on a little weight.

Not easy trying to be a good cat mom =) 

Thanks a lot !

PS: two boy cats brothers from the same litter of 1 year and 5 months old.
I don't think it matters. Feed whatever wet food your cats will eat. Mine eat a huge variety along with raw and kibble (Orijen and Ziwipeak) as a snack. 
 

serena77

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Orijen, as other brands such as Acana, Applaws, etc... has a high fresh meat content, which is good on one hand and not so good on the other one: they apparently use fresh and organic ingredients, add cranberries extract which is a natural support for urinary system, don't use cereals, which is certainly good. Personally I never used it, not only because here in Italy Orijen is awfully expensive (almost 7/8 Euros for a small- 400 grams- bag), but also because it has a high level of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus (not as high as the other brands I mentioned above, though) which might lead to kidney failure in the long term and as the cats get old. If you want to feed your cats Orijen, you could alternate it with other brands with a lower protein content, not to overburden renal and urinary apparatus.

I have a question myself (sorry to intrude so badly in someone else's thread); I'm considering feeding one of my cats James Wellbeloved No Cereals (since they are the only  grain free kibbles with one single source protein I could find), but since it's an almost unknown cat food here in Italy, I have no idea if it's good or bad and if it could have unpleasant effects on her health (like bladder or kidney stones). Does any of you use it? What is your experience? I was also intrigued by Lily's kitchen dry food (it's a British brand again very little known in Italy); does anyone know it and what is your opinion?
Thank you!
 

mrnobody

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Dway, I think that I have to agree with you. Still learning and it seems that there is no one or two or three best foods for every cat. That being said I am currently using Origen Cat and Kitten kibble and both cats like it and are doing well. I also feed moist food in the morning and have a water fountain which is getting used.  I had a cat that adopted us many years ago and she lived to be sixteen years old eating what might be considered the lowest grade of dry food available at the grocery store (Meow Mix). She got a bowl of Meow Mix once a day and some canned cat tuna once a day. She was very healthy and active and playful up to about age fourteen or fifteen before she slowed down. I now know better than to feed my current cats low grade dry food but if the cats are drinking water how can dry food possibly be all that bad? Yes it is processed and heated but so is moist canned cat food. If moisture is the key missing ingredient but the cats are drinking water then I don't see the problem. My beloved sixteen year old (now deceased) cat seems to be proof of what I'm saying.
 

zed xyzed

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As far as dry cat food goes I think it is one of the best ones out there. Made in North America and just as important I think all ingredients are sourced from North America. When I was feeding Midi kibble that is the only brand I bought
 

kittens mom

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It was my choice for that bit of kibble I leave out when I could find it. Many of the pet food stores here no longer carry it.
 

Kat0121

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As far as kibble goes, it's one of the best but it's got a high price tag and it's hard to find. None of the big box pet stores carry it so you'll have to go to a specialty pet store for it and they will probably charge a premium for it or buy it online from Chewy.com or another similar site. There are other high quality dry foods out there that are more readily available. The only time I feed dry is if I have to go away for a couple of days and there's no one here to feed the kids. The one I buy is Nature's Variety LID turkey.

As far as wet food is concerned, I agree with @missmimz - get what they like. We have a pretty wide variety of wet foods in our rotation from Friskies on up. That's the beauty of wet foods. It's very easy to switch them up to get a variety of foods in your cat's diet unless of course, your cat has specific dietary needs such as allergies or a specific illness or condition that limits what he or she can eat.
 

oldwarhorse

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Found this site and thread while checking up on Orijen cat food, which I do periodically (it never hurts to check up on your pets' food).  I've been feeding my cats Orijen's chicken formula cat and kitten dry food since the mass pet food recalls of 2007 and have yet to have a problem with it, knock wood.  Since I live about 26 miles from the closest brick and mortar store that carries Orijen, I started ordering it from chewy.com about a year ago.  So far, I've only had one problem with the food Chewy sends (an improperly sealed bag) and they replaced the bag of Orijen at no cost to me.  They charge the same amount for a 15 pound bag of Orijen that the brick and mortar store charges without me having to drive 52 miles to get it, plus they ship it to my door free (any order over $50 ships free).  I also buy my cat litter from them, since they have a much better price than the local grocery store, which is frequently out of the brand I buy anyway.
 

jolie0216

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I feed mostly canned & freeze-dried raw, but when my cats get kibble, Orijen is what I feed them.

After much researching, I honestly feel it is one of the best (if not THE best) brands of kibble out there.    Champion (the company) owns their own kitchens & manufacturing sites, so you don't have to worry about it being manufactured somewhere questionable.  They use fresh, locally sourced ingredients and they have a steam cooking process that cooks the kibble at minimum low temperatures.     I feel their ingredient list is really superior to other brands I have checked out.        Other brands I would feel comfortable feeding (if I couldn't get Orijen for whatever reason) are Acana and Nature's Variety Raw Boost or Ultimate Protein.     It is expensive though - oooh, is it expensive!! 
 

oldwarhorse

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Believe me, I hear you about Orijen being expensive.  
 My two cats have a much better diet than I do, quite frankly.  
 

karen dsupin

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Really?  You give them whole live prey?  That is soooooooo interesting.  I was wondering if maybe I should do that for my two fuzzy faces.  They are so sick of eating all the garbage in the cans and bags.  A mouse twice a day for each?  They get their play time in and meal.  Sounds wonderful.
 

sweetpea24

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If you feed dry food, I would try something other than Orijen.  It is high in protein, phosphorous and other nutrients that may lead to FLUTD.  Diet does not necessarily cause FLUTD; male cats are especially prone to it because of their narrow urethras but they also may be genetically prone.  Or add water to the dry food. 

If you want to feed Orijen, which is not inherently a bad diet, because of its high protein and low carbohydrate content,  supplement it with a good quality wet food with moderate protein.  Low carb of course.  No fish.  I will give my cats fish once in a while because they love it but usually it will be something that crawls, walks, or flies. 

Make sure your cat gets adequate exercise and maintains a good body weight. Overweight cats are also prone to FLUTD as well as diabetes, joint problems, and heart disease.  And it is hard to get a cat to lose weight.  Orijen is high in calories so make sure you keep an eye on your cat's weight.  If he is gaining weight, cut back on the dry food and increase activity.  What the bag says is just a guideline. 1 pound on a cat equals 10 pounds on a human - that is, how 10 pounds affect a human is how 1 pound affects a cat in terms of impact on health, mobility and quality of life.
 

missmimz

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If you feed dry food, I would try something other than Orijen.  It is high in protein, phosphorous and other nutrients that may lead to FLUTD.  Diet does not necessarily cause FLUTD; male cats are especially prone to it because of their narrow urethras but they also may be genetically prone.  Or add water to the dry food. 

If you want to feed Orijen, which is not inherently a bad diet, because of its high protein and low carbohydrate content,  supplement it with a good quality wet food with moderate protein.  Low carb of course.  No fish.  I will give my cats fish once in a while because they love it but usually it will be something that crawls, walks, or flies. 

Make sure your cat gets adequate exercise and maintains a good body weight. Overweight cats are also prone to FLUTD as well as diabetes, joint problems, and heart disease.  And it is hard to get a cat to lose weight.  Orijen is high in calories so make sure you keep an eye on your cat's weight.  If he is gaining weight, cut back on the dry food and increase activity.  What the bag says is just a guideline. 1 pound on a cat equals 10 pounds on a human - that is, how 10 pounds affect a human is how 1 pound affects a cat in terms of impact on health, mobility and quality of life.
High protein doesn't cause urinary issues, the issue is carbs and dehydration. Cats, as obligate carnivores, require "high" protein, however cats with a history of urinary issues may benefit from eating low phos foods, but low phos doesn't equal low protein. 
 

sweetpea24

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High protein doesn't cause urinary issues, the issue is carbs and dehydration. Cats, as obligate carnivores, require "high" protein, however cats with a history of urinary issues may benefit from eating low phos foods, but low phos doesn't equal low protein. 
There are many factors which cause urinary issues. I work at an animal hospital and did a lot of reading about animal nutrition and urinary issues. Protein is not a direct cause but it is a factor. As is phosphorous, calcium, magnesium (though this is debateable). It is too simple to say carbs cause urinary issues. There are many cats eating dry higher carb food that don't get urinary problems. Stress also contributes to a cat's urinary issues as does excess weight. There are plenty of cats who eat a high protein diet and wet food and still have urinary issues. Some cats are prone to urinary issues.
 

missmimz

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There are many factors which cause urinary issues. I work at an animal hospital and did a lot of reading about animal nutrition and urinary issues. Protein is not a direct cause but it is a factor. As is phosphorous, calcium, magnesium (though this is debateable). It is too simple to say carbs cause urinary issues. There are many cats eating dry higher carb food that don't get urinary problems. Stress also contributes to a cat's urinary issues as does excess weight. There are plenty of cats who eat a high protein diet and wet food and still have urinary issues. Some cats are prone to urinary issues.
There are people that smoke cigarettes for 50 years and never get cancer either, but playing this game doesn't mitigate the facts, which prove that high carbs are inappropriate for obligate carnivores. The majority of cats that get UTIs get them from eating an all kibble diet. There are rare cats that are prone to UTIs even on raw food diets, but ultimately those cases are uncommon. I don't know any cases of healthy cats on all wet or raw food diets without a history of urinary issues that developed a urinary issue. What we do know based on biology is that cats are obligate carnivores with high proteins needs, that they obtain most of their hydration from their prey, and that feeding an all kibble diet is dehydrating and has been linked to both UTIs and kidney disease. 
 

aric pont

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Hello.. on the topic of Orijen.. I've been feeding my cat Orijen RED for a while now and she loves it. Recently, Orijen has begun making food in the USA and I am concerned about the quality carrying over from their original location in Alberta, Canada. Because of this, I am trying to find another dry food to give her. I was looking at Precise Hollisitic Turkey/Chicken.. does anyone know if this would be as good as or even better than the Orijen Red? Or worse?

Thanks for any info,

A. Pont
 

missmimz

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Hello.. on the topic of Orijen.. I've been feeding my cat Orijen RED for a while now and she loves it. Recently, Orijen has begun making food in the USA and I am concerned about the quality carrying over from their original location in Alberta, Canada. Because of this, I am trying to find another dry food to give her. I was looking at Precise Hollisitic Turkey/Chicken.. does anyone know if this would be as good as or even better than the Orijen Red? Or worse?

Thanks for any info,

A. Pont
Worse. Even with the change RR is still better than probably every other kibble out there. Although I think with these changes people should consider not feeding any kibble. 
 

kitlit

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I have started supplementing with Petcurean Go Fit dry food which is 46% protein, low in starch and sourced from Canada. It does contain some fish but my 3 cats only get it once a day along with grain free wet food in their rotation diet. They are fed a ratio of 4 wet grain free to 1 dry grain free. They like their cookies so I do still offer this excellent dry food in moderation.
 
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