My New Dry Food Challenge! (aka, HELP PLEASE!)

Ok, now that California Natural is off the menu for awhile,

I need to find another Dry food for the Kitties' "between meal snack."

No big deal, right?

Hundreds of brands to choose from, right?

Ok, the "only" ingredients I need to avoid are:

Fish / Fish meal (Boo has become UTI prone)

Peas, Potatoes (3 Kitties allergic to one or both)

Corn, Soy (I will not knowingly feed any GM ingredients)

I was just about to buy Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal and Rice formula,

but after taking another look at the ingredients, it has Salmon Meal in it. It is far down the list,

but I'd hate for poor Boo to have to deal with another Urinary Tract Issue.

Then, I remembered Evolve... yep - you guessed it - it has Fish Meal.

Does anybody know of ANY Dry foods that do not contain the ingredients I mentioned above?

Thanks much!  

I have been searching and have not found anything without those ingredients yet...

What do you think about this:

Holistic Select Adult Health Duck Meal Recipe Dry Cat Food

Take a look at this ingredient list - wow!

Duck Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Oatmeal, Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Tomato Pomace, Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Chicken Flavor, Carrots, Pumpkin, Cranberries, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Apples, Choline Chloride, Salt, Peas, Potassium Chloride, Organic Quinoa, Taurine, Inulin, Minerals [Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodide], Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid], Papaya, Dried Kelp, Blueberries, DL-Methionine, Pomegranate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Fennel, Ground Peppermint, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract.
 

Analysis:

Crude Fat (min).20%
Moisture (max) 10%
Crude Fiber (max) 2.8%
Crude Protein (min) 32%

It has peas, but they are listed after Salt, so I'd think the amount of peas would have to be very small.

Not sure that I am crazy about Tomato Pumice... thought tomatoes are not good for cats?

Did I hear something negative about Yucca for cats?

The only dry food, that, my exotic cat hybrids (F1 Bengal and F3 Savannah) could eat was Evo: Turkey and Chicken formula (http://www.naturapet.com/products/1441) and ZiwiPeak (http://www.ziwipeak.com/air-dried-cat-food-ziwipeak-daily-cat-air-dried-cuisine/). Like you, I just used it for between meal snacks. I fed them, whole live prey, twice a day as well. When, my male African Serval was alive, the ONLY domestic cat food, he, could eat was
 

That's a lot of weird stuff. . .fennel? Peppermint? I wouldn't guess that cats would like that! :lol3: But I suppose if it's in small enough amounts it won't bother them. It seems high in grains and the protein level is low for a food with a meat meal first. Supposedly, tomato pomace is just the fibrous stuff left over after all the tomato-y parts are removed, so that shouldn't bother them. I'm sort of :/ about the alfalfa meal.

Have you considered Ziwipeak, or is the price just out of the question? If you want to avoid certain ingredients, that seems like your best bet.

One of the ingredients was peas. It was way down on the list, but it is still there.

Willowy said:

That's a lot of weird stuff. . .fennel? Peppermint? I wouldn't guess that cats would like that!

But I suppose if it's in small enough amounts it won't bother them. It seems high in grains and the protein level is low for a food with a meat meal first. Supposedly, tomato pomace is just the fibrous stuff left over after all the tomato-y parts are removed, so that shouldn't bother them. I'm sort of :/ about the alfalfa meal.

Have you considered Ziwipeak, or is the price just out of the question? If you want to avoid certain ingredients, that seems like your best bet.

Click to expand...

I know - quite an ingredient list! Peppermint, really?  

I looked at Ziwipeak, but yes, with 8 Kitties, it is prohibitively expensive for me.

But, even that has Mussels and Fish Oil...

not sure if that is safe for Boo.

I am still searching PFD to see if there is ANYTHING that fits the bill.

Does DoggieFood.com have any brands that PFD doesn't carry?

In the meantime, I had to go locally as I can't feed the Cali Natural anymore.

I had just opened a new bag the other day, and 3 Kitties had very loose stools, and 2 vomited!

I hope they don't actually have salmonella!

My local stores had no "perfect" matches,

and so many of them have peas or potatoes or fish in the top 3 ingredients,

so I had to choose at least one of the ingredients

I want to avoid, and since Boo definitely has UT issues,

I felt the most important thing to avoid in the short term was the fish.

Despite the fact that this has several things I am not crazy about

(brewers rice, potatoes, canola meal, "natural flavor" and pea protein)

at least most of them are far down the list, so for this week I bought:

Canyon Creek Ranch Chicken & Brown Rice

Chicken, chicken meal, brewers rice, barley, dried egg product, brown rice, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), pea protein, natural flavor, brewers dried yeast, potatoes, zucchini, canola meal, sodium caseinate, gelatin, malted barley flour, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, salt, potassium chloride, sodium bisulfate, phosphoric acid, zinc proteinate, taurine, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, DL-Methionine, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, copper proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.

Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 34%
Crude Fat (min) 15%
Crude Fiber (max) 3%
Moisture (max) 12%

Oddly enough, the potatoes are little dehydrated pieces that are separate from the kibble -

I doubt that they will eat those anyway.

I "might" be onto something here...

I have never been interested in this brand, as the NAME just sounds "cheap" to me.

PetGuard Premium Cat & Kitten (Just sounds like a "store brand" name to me.)

Fresh Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Sunflower Oil, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Fish Oil, Dried Whole Eggs, Dried Kelp, Dried Whey, Brewer's Yeast, Calcium Ascorbate (Source of Vitamin C), Apple Fiber, Alfalfa Meal, Sea Salt, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Ergocalciferol (Source of Viatmin D2), Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of B2), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine (Source of Vitamin B1), Biotin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite.

Analysis:

Ash (maximum)5.00%
Calcium (minimum)1.00%
Phosphorus (minimum)0.80%
Magnesium (maximum)0.10%
Taurine (minimum)0.12%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (minimum)1.80%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (minimum)7.20%
Moisture (maximum)12.00%
Crude Protein (minimum)30.00%
Crude Fat (minimum)15.00%
Crude Fiber (maximum)3.00%

Not thrilled with the Yucca, and I know nothing about Whey,

but other than that, seems to fit my rather specific requirements.

Oh, seems that Fish Oil is actually recommended for cats with Urinary Tract issues!   Go figure.

Thoughts on PetGuard anyone?

Sorry, never heard of it. I have a very small selection at my local Walmart.

SevenWonders said:

I "might" be onto something here...

I have never been interested in this brand, as the NAME just sounds "cheap" to me.

PetGuard Premium Cat & Kitten (Just sounds like a "store brand" name to me.)

Fresh Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Sunflower Oil, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Fish Oil, Dried Whole Eggs, Dried Kelp, Dried Whey, Brewer's Yeast, Calcium Ascorbate (Source of Vitamin C), Apple Fiber, Alfalfa Meal, Sea Salt, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Ergocalciferol (Source of Viatmin D2), Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of B2), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine (Source of Vitamin B1), Biotin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite.

Analysis:

Ash (maximum)5.00%
Calcium (minimum)1.00%
Phosphorus (minimum)0.80%
Magnesium (maximum)0.10%
Taurine (minimum)0.12%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (minimum)1.80%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (minimum)7.20%
Moisture (maximum)12.00%
Crude Protein (minimum)30.00%
Crude Fat (minimum)15.00%
Crude Fiber (maximum)3.00%

Not thrilled with the Yucca, and I know nothing about Whey,

but other than that, seems to fit my rather specific requirements.

Oh, seems that Fish Oil is actually recommended for cats with Urinary Tract issues!   Go figure.

Thoughts on PetGuard anyone?

Click to expand...

My local Whole Foods Market sells Petguard. I have fed their canned food.

I think whey is fine. It's good protein. Have you checked out Wysong?

How about Life's Abundance brand?

What about Kirkland Signature Maintenance Cat (Costco)?  The ingredients are almost identical to the California Natural Chicken and Rice:

Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, ground white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, taurine, dried chicory root, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

smitten4kittens said:

My local Whole Foods Market sells Petguard. I have fed their canned food.

I think whey is fine. It's good protein. Have you checked out Wysong?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback!  

While I feel very good about the quality of Wysong products,

Epigen "may" contain corn. With 90+% of corn now being GM, I just can't do it.

So sad... corn is one of my favorite foods!

Wysong Anergen looks great, but I tried to give my kitties a little bit of cooked Lamb once,

and all but 2 refused it, so I am hesitant to try it.

smitten4kittens said:

How about Life's Abundance brand?

Click to expand...

Where can I find this?

My local pet stores don't carry it, and neither does PFD.

WOWIE!!!     Just found it on Amazon...

$69. with free (Prime) shipping for 16.5 lbs.

With 8 Kitties, I'd need a third job.  

Is that about the going price with shipping?

Wanted to point out that the Life's Abundance has catfish meal. 

Krysta said:

What about Kirkland Signature Maintenance Cat (Costco)?  The ingredients are almost identical to the California Natural Chicken and Rice:

Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, ground white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, taurine, dried chicory root, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Click to expand...

Thanks Krysta!

I have been hesitant to try any Diamond foods due to the recalls,

but as is obvious, they happen to very good, reputable companies as well.

We aren't members at Costco, but my Wife's friend is...

ingredients look pretty good, and it gets good reviews on the net.

Might give this a try!

Could be a good temp food, and, it might be a great addition to the Feral's diet as well.

Is this really around $25 for 25 pounds? I can't find it on Costco's site for whatever reason.

SevenWonders said:

Where can I find this?

My local pet stores don't carry it, and neither does PFD.

WOWIE!!!  

  Just found it on Amazon...

$69. with free (Prime) shipping for 16.5 lbs.

With 8 Kitties, I'd need a third job.  

Is that about the going price with shipping?

Click to expand...

I think it was about $43 for 16.5 lbs on the Life's Abundance website. I didn't look at the shipping charges.

I agree about the corn. I won't eat it and neither do my kitties.

At my Costco (and I see that you are in NC also ) I think it's about $18 for 25 lbs.  I've fed California Natural to my current kitties, as well as this, and this is the closest I've ever seen to the CN recipe.  My last cat ate the Kirkland for years in good health. I hear you about the recalls, yes, it apparently can happen to anybody.

Have you looked at Wysong's Epigen 90 : http://www.wysongepigen.net/ingredients.php Scroll down to find the ingredients in their Epigen 90.

Feralvr said:

Have you looked at Wysong's Epigen 90 : http://www.wysongepigen.net/ingredients.php Scroll down to find the ingredients in their Epigen 90.

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That definitely looks good - no peas, potatoes, fish, corn etc...

PFD does not carry it, and it is $72. (w/ free Prime shipping) on Amazon for 16 pounds - is there a less expensive place to buy it?

SevenWonders said:

That definitely looks good - no peas, potatoes, fish, corn etc...

PFD does not carry it, and it is $72. (w/ free Prime shipping) on Amazon for 16 pounds - is there a less expensive place to buy it?

Click to expand...

I'm curious...why did you think this one might contain corn?