Venison from Natural Balance and Sardine & Shrimp from Natural Value

We going to "test drive" a couple of new flavors for dinner this week;  Natural Balance Venison and Natural Value Sardine & Shrimp.  I was attracted by the fact that the primary ingredients in both formulas are animal protein.

Anyone have any first-hand experience with these two formulas?

 Natural Balance is too heavy on the peas and contains carrageenan. I don't think it's a good value. 

True, peas are a significant ingredient in that particular formula for Natural Balance and other varieties under the Natural Balance brand.  Frankly, I have not made up my to believe that peas are unhealthy for cats.  Of course, vegetables are not meant to be a staple for carnivores but that doesn't mean that cats don't get some benefit from some particular  vegetables in their diet.

True, peas are a significant ingredient in that particular formula for Natural Balance and other varieties under the Natural Balance brand.  Frankly, I have not made up my to believe that peas are unhealthy for cats.  Of course, vegetables are not meant to be a staple for carnivores but that doesn't mean that cats don't get some benefit from some particular  vegetables in their diet.

As obligate carnivores cats don't have a biological need for a high amount of carbs. If we were talking about a few peas in a can of food that would be one thing, but in a food like NB we're dealing with a high starch content. Often times pet food companies use pea protein to substitute for meat protein, essentially cutting corners to make the food cheaper but keep the protein content up, which is what is happening with Merrick LID foods right now.

I would consider the Natural Balance you mention to be a pea-based food that also contains animal protein. I've tried this food myself and the food smells just like smashed green peas (much like baby food.) It is quite high on the carb side as a result.

If looking for a LID Venison food, Addiction makes one.

Other brands that have foods containing Venison: Ziwipeak, Wellness CORE, Nature's Variety Instinct and Taste of the Wild.

My cats LOVE venison and it's a really excellent novel protein. I feed Rad Cat venison and ZP venison and some venison raw grinds from HT. My only issue with the ZP venison is that it's expensive, and they love to change their prices. Cases on Chewy and Amazon go up and down by as much as $5 a case or more. I looked at the Addiction Venison Stew but I decided against it because it has cranberries pretty high up on the ingredients list, although I don't think cranberries are necessarily bad, my cats just seem to hate them in food.