Hound and Gatos cited as a choice by several..which ones are delicious to the kitty set

I've looked at some reviews for Hound and Gatos and can well imagine my cats also walking away from their dishes. I'm always on the look out for new types of canned food to rotate in, but I'm not thrilled about ordering a case of this type of food if the cats won't eat it.

In this area we have Mud Bay Grainery with quite a few raw and canned and dry food selections. They put big signs on the dry urging people to incorporate more wet foods. They research the foods they offer and it includes many of the brands I've seen people speak of here as well as a number that haven't been reviewed.

Their raw selection is enormous and the idea of it still makes me squeegee but they have Rad cat which I might like to have the kitties try. Ground bone troubles me and Rad Cat doesn't have ground bone in it. In any case, back to the canned.

I noticed they have pork--which surprised me and rabbit---which makes sense. However one review said that the rabbit smelled very odd and the cat would have nothing to do with it.

With the addition of the rescued stray, I have enough cats to make the evening news (7) and we spend more on cat food than our own. At present their canned food has included Wellness and Wellness Core, Merricks, Fancy Feast classic, Evo, tried a couple of cans of Wysong chicken, Weruva and Lotus. In years past the list of rejected choices is long. I put 1/4 cup of wellness kibble in two dishes overnight so that they don't wake me up like a pack of lions at 3 AM

These cats do not care for:

Innova

Felidae

Merrick

BFF

Wellness Core Beef fish free

Natural Balance

Lotus

Instinct

Nature's Variety homestyle

Castor and Pollen's Organix is getting mixed reviews

Nutro Naturals is a meh

One of mine is picky, but they both love the Hound and Gatos rabbit.  The beef was a no go.  Pork was so-so. Those are the only flavors I have tried.

Krysta said:

 
One of mine is picky, but they both love the Hound and Gatos rabbit.  The beef was a no go.  Pork was so-so. Those are the only flavors I have tried.

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It does seem like rabbit would be a natural like for cats.

Please see my signature for info on getting single cans of the Hound and Gatos (1st link) or other foods so you can try them out.

I had no issues with the Hound and Gatos rabbit, I used to joke that my kitty "likes eating Bugs Bunny." Rabbit is supposed to be close in taste to chicken, except slightly more gamey.

My cats are half and half with H&G.  They like the beef, venison and rabbit but really dislike the chicken - which they will eat in almost all circumstances otherwise.  I haven't tried the pork yet.  Oh and they didn't like their fish one either - is it trout I think, or some mixture?  Can't remember off hand.

Also, is it me or do others notice that the bottom of these are kind of funky looking sometimes?  I got one can that really looked like it was moldy - although I am sure it wasn't.  Kind of reminded me of the clay used in Instincts canned food.  But, they don't list that as an ingredient so pretty sure that wasn't it.  

Thanks! RE: weird looking food, that would alarm me.  It could also be the reason why Friskies et al uses artificial coloring because it gives uniformity.

Was it a grayish color thin layer? I saw something like that sometimes, but it never made my kitty sick.

Raintyger said:

 
Was it a grayish color thin layer? I saw something like that sometimes, but it never made my kitty sick.

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Yes, exactly.  They never got ill from it but I have to admit there was one can a while back that just looked to strange for me to feed it to them.  I threw it out and didn't buy it for many months.  Just started again, but avoid the chicken since they protested.  So far, so good.

I am going to have to order a few cans to try it.  One of my kitties has developed a chicken allergy so I won't be trying that one anyway.  I have seen reviews about the texture being odd.  Some have said that it has a soufflé type texture which they thought was odd for a food with such a high percentage of meat.

Denice said:

 
I am going to have to order a few cans to try it.  One of my kitties has developed a chicken allergy so I won't be trying that one anyway.  I have seen reviews about the texture being odd.  Some have said that it has a soufflé type texture which they thought was odd for a food with such a high percentage of meat.

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That's strange. I had heard some comments about the texture, but when I used it, it didn't seem different to me.

sivyaleah said:

 
Also, is it me or do others notice that the bottom of these are kind of funky looking sometimes?  I got one can that really looked like it was moldy - although I am sure it wasn't.  Kind of reminded me of the clay used in Instincts canned food.  But, they don't list that as an ingredient so pretty sure that wasn't it.

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My cat is on frozen raw now but that was the last canned food type we were feeding her.  They do have a slime type layer but I think that is the preservative that lines the can during the manufacturing process. I know I read something about a coating on the can that congeals like that somewhere.  Anyhow, the last can of H&G we ever fed her was lamb and on the bottom of the food was what looked to be a moldy black / green layer which was very unlike the slime layer.  In fairness I noticed that on her second feeding (half can in morning half can at night) so it could have grown in the fridge as I didn't notice it in the morning but it also could have just been on that portion of the food.

That being what it is, she liked all the flavors she tried and I liked them because she is allergic to chicken, quail and turkey and H&G offers other great protein sources.

Hmmm...several concerns about slime and mold. That tells me that there is a quality control problem, or at least seems to be.  I can't imagine that any food would develop mold that quickly, B-Roc. I would assume that it was already in the can.

With commercial pet foods, it often seems that issues with the food don't get noticed until many people report a problem, or vets note that animals are getting ill. And even then, if specific ingredients are generally harmful, or have ill-effects on cats, most pet people don't ever find that out.

My cats are eating the rabbit and they love it. It looks like a good allergy food too, because of the limited amount of ingredients. Hounds and Gatos just got voted as one of the most trusted pet food companies. I think I also read that it is one of the few canned foods without BPA. No carrageenan either.

smitten4kittens said:

 
My cats are eating the rabbit and they love it. It looks like a good allergy food too, because of the limited amount of ingredients. Hounds and Gatos just got voted as one of the most trusted pet food companies. I think I also read that it is one of the few canned foods without BPA. No carrageenan either.

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Well that is good to know!

I feel like I've gone through an incredible number of foods trying to find ones that the cats will eat. I've wasted so much food and money over the course of many years. While I am fortunate to live close to a store that sells great for kitty foods, it is almost guaranteed that every one of the foods they carry will be foods my cats will not eat or eat for a limited amount of time and then reject it. 

I've tried the freeze dried meats crumbled over the food for Boo the former stray cat.  And because of others here talking about Parmesan cheese. He ate the cheese off the food and left the rest. Does the same thing with the freeze dried bits. Boo enjoys real meat. I just cooked three chicken thighs for him and put 1/2 in the freezer and half in the fridge. Boliling the bones and skin for a broth. He has a water avoidance issue and so the broth is a tasty way to get him to drink water. It works. 

With the rest of the cats, there is one that is interested meat and the rest turn their noses up at it. They do this for all the varieties of canned that I've tried.

lauraG said:

 
Hmmm...several concerns about slime and mold. That tells me that there is a quality control problem, or at least seems to be.  I can't imagine that any food would develop mold that quickly, B-Roc. I would assume that it was already in the can.

With commercial pet foods, it often seems that issues with the food don't get noticed until many people report a problem, or vets note that animals are getting ill. And even then, if specific ingredients are generally harmful, or have ill-effects on cats, most pet people don't ever find that out.

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I would not say at all that I saw slime or mold. It was some sort of discoloration which I thought was due to the canning process. I've seen it in other brands of cat food, too, just more often in Hound and Gatos.

on Rabbit...

We live in the country and my cats regularly catch, kill  and eat rabbits and mice --  this is regardless of what I feed them or how much they eat of it.  So I think rabbits ARE a natural diet of cats.  More so than any type of fish.   This sounds gross, but they bite them into two pieces (across the stomach area) and eat from the inside of the animal -- the organs, intestines and flesh,but they always start with the organs   ... They don't all kill but most wait in line for their share.  The killer eats first and then moves down  from there.  I have watched this fascinated at their hierarchy when catching live prey. 

Mostly in the winter,  it's about 80 percent baby or young rabbits and 10 percent mice.  Then in the summer, it's pretty much an equal share.  They are all nice fat older healthy cats...  except for one, who is a mostly indoor cat.  I put her out  but she doesn't kill.  I'm here trying to research "how to feed and get weight on a 17 yr old cat".   What to feed her.  I think maybe the rabbit might help her.  Like I said, I do think that is a natural diet.

They also eat blue tailed lizards in about 30 seconds.  No sharing there.  They also catch birds, but they don't eat them.  They lay them by the door and we throw them back out in the woods.

You are right. That does sound gross. I don't think I could look at my cats the same way if I witnessed them murder and mutilate a baby bunny--even though I feed them rabbit!

This may be a dumb question, but can't the cats get sick by catching and eating possibly diseased animals in the wild?

I'm sure they can get something but i have 13 cats.  Mostly are feral but have allowed me into their lives because I have had them so long.  They are wormed with their shots and have regular Revolution all year round, and they ALWAYS sleep indoors at night due to coyotes and other large predators that hunt at night.  

I have an 1200 sq foot enclosure but they are unhappy penned in it in the daytime. They want to play in the fields and woods.  Especially in the winter.  I keep the door blocked and chained with a brick in it so they can get in but large predators can't enter it.  It's more a safety net for them and they use it.   It has a nice insulated and heated 100 sq foot house inside it.

In the summer, I keep them inside my house when it's over 90 degrees and they enjoy that.  They are acclimatized to comfort. In the winter, when the temp is in the 30's and 40's, they are hunters.  If it is below 30, they are in the house.  Their house in the winter stays 45 degrees. They enjoy it and it is natural. They are thrilled by the hunt.  They have lived long lives being this way with me.  I would never take it from them.

I do what I can to keep them safe, but I let them live their lives as cats.  They are all older cats that I have had from 7-16 years.   They roam on about 15 acres out of 200. That is their territory.  We have no neighbors and no stray dogs in our area.  Just coyotes, a few bear etc...

Here's some of them at our creek which is our front yard.


And here's their enclosure.  It is thoroughly used, but they still are avid hunters.

When I say below 30 degrees, they are in my house.  When i say over 90 degrees, I bring them in my house because old cats don't do well in the heat.  I keep their temperature regulated.

They are in by dark every night and they all know their names and my special calls for them. We do all right.  I am not paranoid about them.  They are happy natural animals.

Cleo is the one I am worried about .  She is 17 and skinny and doesn't like to eat much.  I've tried raw, several brands of canned.  Even tuna doesn't get her attention..

I'm still looking for a food that she will enjoy.  I sit outside with her on a piece of carpet that I put out over a section of the yard.  It's indoor outdoor so it drains and they sharpen their claws on it and enjoy sleeping on it.  I sit on it with Cleo trying to get her to eat too

I found this particular thread looking at Hound and Gato food. Haven't tried that.  I may get her some rabbit food, if I can find out the calorie content.  I want high calorie. I would like at least 200 a can. The kibble that all the other animals eat, both dogs adn cats is Taste of the Wild, which they all like.  Cleo has just recently quit eating as much.  I need a high calorie wet food for her that she enjoys.  I want grain free as that is what her system has been used to for years.  I am thinking getting her a little bag of Acana plus some type of canned to go with it.. I need the kibble for her teeth.  I need the canned for the moisture.

I wouldn't worry about the black/grey parts much, or if they big you, you can cut it out. It's not mold, it's from the charcoal-based denaturing product that they have to use by law until they pack their food at a facility that only does human grade foods, which I hope they plan on doing soon! It looks like they cut 99.5% of it out in most cans, but some have a bit more than others. I've never had a can that was sniffed at or nibbled at and rejected, although if H&G does move production to such a facility, I bet the product will look sooo much better, smell better, and appeal more to cats.

I feed my two rescue kittens (one siamese female & one balinese female) cans of the H&G chicken exclusively, with some Orijen Regional Freeze-dried Cat Treats as a treat, and they are happy enough to eat it. They are growing up so healthily and putting on so much good muscle weight for their age that the vets are impressed (too bad they're royal canin shills, haha). The balinese's coat is so ridiculously shiny and silky, and the siamese is a brutally strong tank with unrelenting energy at 7 months old.

I can definitely see many cats who have experienced other cat foods (including my last cat who i sadly lost in January) totally ignoring it. They seem to prefer foods with flavour enhancers and fillers, which is the problem here.... which is why Ziwipeak buckled and uses tetrasodium pyrophosphate. That being said, I think it is worth the effort to try and transition them into a food of this nutritional quality. I trust H&G for my ladies. They definitely prefer the weruva paw lick'n chicken, which they used to get as a treat sometimes, but I don't like the potato starch and I think the vitamins/minerals aren't as good/chelated. Also considerably more expensive here. I get a case of 24 cans of the H&G chicken from my wonderful local pet food store for ~$48 CAD after tax, which I am happy to pay.

All that being said, I wish I could get Answers Raw Pet Food Co. in BC, Canada! They are so great and would be my first choice.