Looking for non-pate (chunky/pieces) grain free canned food in the 5.5 oz size - any company make it

Well, its official, my guys don't like pate (odd, because the Ragdoll loved Wellness Kitten - but that particular brand made the Ginger girl vomit every time). I'm not willing to spend the money to try every freaking brand (tried about 8 of them so far). I'd like to get away from the 3 oz cans, but so far I haven't found a 5.5 oz can that isn't pate.

Okay, amend that, I think I saw online that Hills Science diet has it, but unfortunately neither cat likes any of this brand that I've tried so far (funny, because she was fostered on it).

Well, basically, any large can non-pate grain free wet cat foods?

I personally found "Taste of the Wild" in my local Pet's Unlimited. They're grain free and my cat loves them. There's only two varieties that I've seen, but they come in 3 oz and 5.5 oz cans.

Tiki Cat - Comes in two good chicken varieties, shredded.

Weruva - Similar to Tiki, more protein/mix options. They also have the "Cats in the Kitchen" line which is also decent.

^ Those two are the first ones that come up in my head...

To be sure, are you saying that both the 3 oz and 5.5 oz can are the same consistency?

I've been burned a number of times buying the 5.5 oz can of a product with the same name/ingredients as the 3 oz can only to find that the larger can is pate*. Finding a 5.5 oz can that says "chunks" or "slices" has been very difficult. Haven't heard of this one, so I'll put it on my list to look out for.

*Even the sales staff at the big chains has said that they are not aware of any larger cans that aren't pate. Sigh. Little stinkers.

kamero said:

I personally found "Taste of the Wild" in my local Pet's Unlimited. They're grain free and my cat loves them. There's only two varieties that I've seen, but they come in 3 oz and 5.5 oz cans.

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I'm pretty sure TOTW is pate' though, right? I was thinking "Newman's Own"... Yes they make catfood too... I know they make both 3 and 5.5 oz cans. I'm pretty sure some are pate' and some are chunky/sliced. I'm pretty sure it's grain free too. Some walmarts sell it.

NBrazil said:

 
To be sure, are you saying that both the 3 oz and 5.5 oz can are the same consistency?

I've been burned a number of times buying the 5.5 oz can of a product with the same name/ingredients as the 3 oz can only to find that the larger can is pate*. Finding a 5.5 oz can that says "chunks" or "slices" has been very difficult. Haven't heard of this one, so I'll put it on my list to look out for.

*Even the sales staff at the big chains has said that they are not aware of any larger cans that aren't pate. Sigh. Little stinkers.

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I haven't gotten the smaller cans of Weruva/Cats in the Kitchen. I HAVE however bought the smaller and larger cans of the Tiki Cat in chicken varieties. I'd say I've never thought that the textures were different between the large and smaller cans. 

I'm pretty sure Nutro has some chunky types that aren't too bad. Chicken Soup for the Cat lover's Soul is chunky too I think.

Soulistic (Petco's brand) is grain free and NOT pate.  Its manufactured for them by Weruva, I believe, so quite similar.

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
Soulistic (Petco's brand) is grain free and NOT pate.  Its manufactured for them by Weruva, I believe, so quite similar.

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Yep.  I was just going to suggest Soulistic, too.  

Yes, they do like Soulistic - pricey for the calories (finally, FINALLY found a chart of calories/protein/fat/carbs online). But I'll check out how much the 5.5 oz cans cost today on my food trial run.

Based on the table, Nature's variety Instinct looks pretty good (but I don't know if it is pate or not - and I'm guessing not cheap, but it is more calorie dense than Soulistic - i.e. more calories for the $$$), I'll see if I can try a can or two).

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

I'm pretty sure Nutro has some chunky types that aren't too bad. Chicken Soup for the Cat lover's Soul is chunky too I think.

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Absolutely - their favorite foods are Nutro Max Cat... the duck, the venison and lamb varieties. But the chunky style is only in the 3 oz can. 

Not complaining, just in the process of figuring out a feeding plan that is sustainable ($$$) and not fattening. I was shocked when I saw the calorie counts for Max Cat, much less than I would have guessed. More carbs than I would have guessed. I'm not making any drastic changes yet, just stepping back and reassessing.

I too have a cat that only goes for chunks, and he devours almost all of the Merrick "sliced" varieties. But it's a new formula and some aren't crazy about the carbs for a grain free food and other issues. There's a recent thread on this (don't know how to link) which has me seeking out some other alternatives. Taste of The Wild and Precise Holistic Complete (flaked) are two other chunkies he'll eat. All come in 5.5 oz. but none are very cheap.

What is your budget? There are many grain free that are not pate. The other thing would be what % of carbs do you need to stay under?

bigperm20 said:

I'm pretty sure TOTW is pate' though, right? I was thinking "Newman's Own"... Yes they make catfood too... I know they make both 3 and 5.5 oz cans. I'm pretty sure some are pate' and some are chunky/sliced. I'm pretty sure it's grain free too. Some walmarts sell it.

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I'm currently using the 5.5 oz cans of TOTW and they are not pâté. I speak by experience only.

momof3b1g said:

 
What is your budget? There are many grain free that are not pate. The other thing would be what % of carbs do you need to stay under?

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Ideally, budget is about $60/month. I haven't researched enough to answer or even consider % of carbs is better. I figure lower is better? For instance, looking at the chart at their favorite (Max Cat), it looks pretty high. Then Nature's Valley Instinct looks much better. It is an ongoing process. But I've got something to now say...

WHAT DO CATS DO THE MOST? BE CATS!!!!!!

I bought a Blue Buffalo grain free can that I thought was chunks, and turned out to be pate. I put it out this morning and it got the usual sniffs. To see if they would eat it if they were hungry, I only put out a little dry. When I got home the pate was gone. So, these guys are picky but not stupid! I also figured they were hungry.

I played a little while (which isn't easy for me) and then opened up a Trader Joe's cat food I had here (which they have mostly walked away from, I still had one can) and put it down. They immediately ate half of it, came back later and finished it! Okay, more choices!!!!

I'm still going to finish off the dry food, but in smaller portions, seems a hungry cat (not free feeding) can be less picky... FOR NOW! LOL.

Artemis (13 lb Ragdoll, 1 year old boy) will still go to eat some or all that Jessie (pushing 10 lb DSH Red ticked Tabby girl) leaves - but tonight she actually ate more. C A T S. Gotta love 'em, they change all the time. I put the weights and temperaments in to illustrate some of what I'm trying to figure out.

Well, so much for THIS topic - sometimes everything changes (just gotta keep them hungry to eat it all).

My cats has been getting really picky with wet food. But I was feeding rationed dry food most of the time. I cut back to rationed dry food at night only, and lo and behold, they are nowhere near as picky with their 3 wet food meals during the day. I think that if they nibble on kibble all day, it would be a lot like us snacking all day and being rather full, and then someone offering us a meal - we, like the cats, could afford to be picky as to what meal we might choose to eat as our tummies would be reasonably full.

Does it have to be grain free? My cats are fussy overall, and they liked the Authority Flaked Turkey - it has some wheat gluten in it. Cost is reasonable and the flakes are more like super soft chunks. My cats almost all loved this food, which is a rare occurrence so it must taste good. It is somewhat lower phosphorus which is why I had chosen to try it for my senior cats.

Merrick have shredded meat in 5.5oz, Addiction Venison and Addition Brushtail (5.5oz), minced. Fussie Cat (3oz), shredded.

Scarlett 001 said:

 
My cats has been getting really picky with wet food. But I was feeding rationed dry food most of the time. I cut back to rationed dry food at night only, and lo and behold, they are nowhere near as picky with their 3 wet food meals during the day. I think that if they nibble on kibble all day, it would be a lot like us snacking all day and being rather full, and then someone offering us a meal - we, like the cats, could afford to be picky as to what meal we might choose to eat as our tummies would be reasonably full.

Does it have to be grain free? My cats are fussy overall, and they liked the Authority Flaked Turkey - it has some wheat gluten in it. Cost is reasonable and the flakes are more like super soft chunks. My cats almost all loved this food, which is a rare occurrence so it must taste good. It is somewhat lower phosphorus which is why I had chosen to try it for my senior cats.

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Grain free? Not ALL of the time. Although they have preferences (which I thought was texture only), they don't walk away from most of the brands I use (again, if chunky). So I look for grain free a lot of the time, but I will pick up a bargain now and then. And because I have the nutritional content source now, I can see what I'm really getting. I just want to give them the optimal food I can afford, but even people have a corn dog every now and then (or a Little Debbie Snack cake).

Yeah, interesting about them eating the pate today (with so little dry available). Also more calories for the buck. Another observation, a hungry cat can be an (even more) affectionate cat! (Hey guys, we're not talking deprivation, just timed feedings instead of snacking - that kind of hungry). I'm so still learning about this. Thirty years ago when I was involved with a woman with 6 cats she fed them Little Friskies (shudder) exclusively (with the "lucky charms" colors), and they seemed fine most of the time. I want to do this the best I can... good nutrition equals fewer vet visits (mostly).

Thanks for listening and for feedback. I'm merely a Padawan.

Side note - I even brush their teeth a few times a week (RT is getting better at tolerating it - he is a mellow Ragdoll, but he has muscles in his legs that can push you away so hard, LOL. He doesn't like the taste. Jessie loves the taste of the toothpaste, but not the process, complaining the whole time, but I give her the leftovers as a treat, so all is well. If I'm gonna do mostly wet, I'm going to brush their teeth.

Take a look at this http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninga/sets/72157630596066364/with/7579520884/

I feed my cats Merrick as well. They have chunks and pate. I give them both. Cowboy Cookout awesome and is chunky with beef, and I just got the Thanksgiving Dinner flavor, which is also chunks. They have lots of other flavors to choose from, are grain-free, and come in 5.5 oz. From the online retailed I order from, they are about 30 dollars per 24 cans. Pretty reasonable, I think.

The other non-pate food my cats love is the Weruva Paw Lickin Chicken, but they are a bit more pricey.