Hi, I have two rescued cats and I have been feeding them natural balance wet food which has carrageenan in them. Is this still better than feeding dry food? I've read a lot of negative things about carrageenan but most wet food here contains carrageenan and the most expensive I could afford is natural balance and holistic select. Would like to know all other cat lover's opinion .

I think any wet food is preferable to dry food. I know carrageenan can cause digestive issues in some cats, but if your guys are fine with it there's no reason to change

Agree!

Thanks to both for your input . Just having second doubts after reading some articles on carrageenan in cat's wet food(it's a carcinogen?). It would be ideal if I could find one without carrageenan but that's not the case where I live.

Wet food for sure. As long as they are not having any issues with it, it should be fine. I feed food with carrageenan in it. Agreed with the previous posters as well.

fujisai said:

Thanks to both for your input . Just having second doubts after reading some articles on carrageenan in cat's wet food(it's a carcinogen?). It would be ideal if I could find one without carrageenan but that's not the case where I live.

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Where do you live and can you order online?

bonepicker said:

Where do you live and can you order online?

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I live in Asia and ordering online is not feasible as I have to put out very expensive shipping fees. We do have other brands like addiction,avoderm,wellness core,evo,California natural but I believe all these have carrageenan in them as well. There's also whiskas but I don't feed them that..

Nature's Variety Instinct, Halo, and Weruva don't contain carrageenan. Are these brands available to you??

I also agree that wet is better than dry. I saw a huge difference when I switched my cat to 100% wet food. 

Nora1 said:

Nature's Variety Instinct, Halo, and Weruva don't contain carrageenan. Are these brands available to you??

I also agree that wet is better than dry. I saw a huge difference when I switched my cat to 100% wet food. 

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Nope. Haven't been able to find these few brands yet. If it's around the same price as wellness then I doubt I can afford it as wellness is quite expensive here. Are any of you guys feeding natural balance or holistic select? How is it so far? My two cats are ok with them at the moment and I tried feeding them with evo once but their stomach don't quite agree with it.

I don't recall Holistic Select having any carrageenan? I tried the duck flavor pate one for my cat, and he seems okay with it, except that 1 can is too big for his small appetite so it lasted him 2 days. I heard Holistic Select is not bad and since you mentioned that your cats are okay with it perhaps stick to it? 

Is Fancy Feast available in your country too? I live in Asia and we definitely have FF here. FF is a cheaper brand but pretty good too (just get the classic ones though, because I heard those are the only decent ones in the whole FF line). 

Are you open to feeding raw food? But I do think the canned food with carrageenan is fine. I feed it to mine rather than feed them dry food.

lnjf93 said:

I don't recall Holistic Select having any carrageenan? I tried the duck flavor pate one for my cat, and he seems okay with it, except that 1 can is too big for his small appetite so it lasted him 2 days. I heard Holistic Select is not bad and since you mentioned that your cats are okay with it perhaps stick to it? 
Is Fancy Feast available in your country too? I live in Asia and we definitely have FF here. FF is a cheaper brand but pretty good too (just get the classic ones though, because I heard those are the only decent ones in the whole FF line). 

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The grain free ones are carrageenan-free but it's slightly more expensive. I alternate it with the cheaper holistic select which is not grain free. We do have FF here but not sure if it's the classic line. I'll have to check it out. I do keep a few FF cans on hand as it nvr fails to entice my cats to eat when they're feeling slightly down. I wonder what they put in that cats always seem unable to resist FF even when sick. XD

nansiludie said:

Are you open to feeding raw food? But I do think the canned food with carrageenan is fine. I feed it to mine rather than feed them dry food.

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Raw food here is even more expensive and I can't really afford it.

N nansiludie thanks for the suggestion. I mispress the reply button before I could write more.

Thanks everyone. It certainly put my mind at ease knowing that wet food even with some controversial ingredient is still at least a much better choice than dry food.

fujisai said:

Hi, I have two rescued cats and I have been feeding them natural balance wet food which has carrageenan in them. Is this still better than feeding dry food? I've read a lot of negative things about carrageenan but most wet food here contains carrageenan and the most expensive I could afford is natural balance and holistic select. Would like to know all other cat lover's opinion

.

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I think Lisa Pierson, DVM (catinfo.org) suggests that even a non-premium canned food is far better for a cat than the "best" premium kibble since the cat would be getting needed moisture.

Whole Earth (made by Merrick) makes an affordable canned -- grain and carrageenan-free, cheaper than NB actually (Petco stores have had the 3oz on sale for .99).

(Ingredients: Turkey, Turkey Broth, Turkey Liver, Natural Flavor, Dried Peas, Dried Egg Product, Yeast Extract, Organic Alfalfa Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate), Guar Gum, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Glucoheptonate, Sodium Selenite), Xanthan Gum, Cinnamon, Olive Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme.

fujisai said:

I live in Asia and ordering online is not feasible as I have to put out very expensive shipping fees. We do have other brands like addiction,avoderm,wellness core,evo,California natural but I believe all these have carrageenan in them as well. There's also whiskas but I don't feed them that..

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Oops, just saw this post - Asia, so there aren't any Petco's there, sorry! Good luck.

Although Wellness pouch food is carrageenan-free, if that is in your price range.

fujisai said:

Raw food here is even more expensive and I can't really afford it.

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Commercial raw pet food is expensive but you can make your own Many people find that making their own raw food is cheaper than canned food. For a frankenprey raw diet, you basically use raw meat and add in raw organs and raw liver and raw bones (all in the right proportions to balance the nutrients). Butcher shops in Asia should have all of these. You could also make raw from a recipe but sourcing the required supplements in Asia may be tricky. Here's some info to read: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263955/helpful-resources-raw-home-cooked-cat-food-forum
 

But canned food is an acceptable choice to feed The brands you listed are fine to feed to a cat. I wouldn't worry about carregeenan. Watch out for the Fancy Feast: some of the lines are supplement / treat only such as the Broths and Appetizers. Feed the Classic / Gourmet line and Elegant Medleys and whatever other line there is  (Gravy Lovers?)

fujisai said:

I wonder what they put in that cats always seem unable to resist FF even when sick. XD

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Artificial and natural flavors - it's akin to MSG, flavor enhancer.

Yes, I do make my own raw cat food according to Dr. Pierson's recipe. The canned should work out nicely as long as it agrees with your kitty's tummy.

There is nothing wrong with carrageenan in pet food, unless your cat is allergic to carrageenan or had a bad reaction to it. On the other hand, there's also nothing wrong with feeding quality dry cat food. Dr. Pierson has her opinions but they are not shared by the majority of veterinarians, specifically not those who specialize in nutrition.

fujisai said:

The grain free ones are carrageenan-free but it's slightly more expensive. I alternate it with the cheaper holistic select which is not grain free. We do have FF here but not sure if it's the classic line. I'll have to check it out. I do keep a few FF cans on hand as it nvr fails to entice my cats to eat when they're feeling slightly down. I wonder what they put in that cats always seem unable to resist FF even when sick. XD
Raw food here is even more expensive and I can't really afford it.

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There is an interesting article in Popular Science about the additives used to make cat food more delectable to cats.  

THE CHEMISTRY OF KIBBLE

THE BILLION-DOLLAR, CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE OF CONVINCING DOGS AND CATS TO EAT WHAT’S IN FRONT OF THEM.

By Mary Roach

It's available online.  Sorry for the large font, but it was cut and pasted and I'm too lazy to change it.