Nature's Variety Instinct canned dog food can be given to cats

For anyone that feeds their cats NV, apparently the dog and cat formulas for their instinct line (original and LID) are the same (according to one customer service rep). So you can buy the bigger dog cans for your cats to save a bit of $.

Is anyone doing this already? 

According to Chewy.com's ingredients list, that is correct. 

NATURES VARIETY INSTINCT CANNED DOG FOOD

Ingredients:

Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Ground Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Eggs, Peas, Carrots, Lecithin, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Artichokes, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Tomato, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Parsley.

Chewy.com  15.2 oz. can = case of 12 = $34.92  [List $49.89]

works out to $2.91 per can or 19 cents/oz  or $3.06/POUND

Chewy.com  5.5 oz. can = case of 12 = $22.68  [List $32.39]

works out to $1.89 per can or 34 cents/oz  or $5.49/POUND

NATURES VARIETY INSTINCT CANNED CAT FOOD

Ingredients:

Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Ground Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Eggs, Peas, Carrots, Lecithin, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calciumpantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Artichokes, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Tomato, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Parsley.

Chewy.com  5.5 oz. can = case of 12 = $22.68  [List $32.39]

works out to $1.89 per can or 34 cents/oz  or $5.49/pound  (without shipping costs)

The reviews were mixed for cats.  Almost all the dogs loved it, but only about half the cats did.  Probably nothing a little forti flora wouldn't cure.

Only the NV Instinct Orignals canned are the same for both cats and dogs. The LID line uses slightly different formulas and the dog formulas do not contain taurine.

LID rabbit for cats:

Rabbit, Water, Rabbit Liver, Peas, Montmorillonite Clay, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Minerals (Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Taurine

LID rabbit for dogs:

Rabbit, Water, Rabbit Liver, Peas, Dicalcium Phosphate, Montmorillonite Clay, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Proteinate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride

Natures Variety LID canned dog food Turkey, Lamb , and Duck all contain Taurine. I feed my cat the LID dog canned duck and lamb. NV confirmed that in these two flavors the formula are the same and may be fed  to cats. The LID pork and rabbit in the dog version do not contain taurine.

Lamb LID - Dog

.

Ingredients

Lamb, Lamb Broth, Lamb Liver, Peas, Montmorillonite Clay, Sunflower Oil, Potassium Chloride, Flaxseed Oil, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Magnesium Oxide, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Salt, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Taurine.

Duck LID - dog

Ingredients

Duck, Duck Broth, Peas, Montmorillonite Clay, Potassium Chloride, Flaxseed Oil, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Salt, Taurine

I feed both to my cat. For a treat I buy the Cat version of the rabbit LID since the dog version does not contain taurine.

Hmm, I'm hearing conflicting answers, lol. The Natures Variety Rep I talked to said that everything from the Original and LID canned dog line can be given to cats EXCEPT the LID rabbit. She said everything else has taurine in it so I'm a little confused about why those ingredients you listed are different.

Thank you for this information. I wonder if this food would be good for a cat with a sensitive stomach?

Rosa Bood said:

 
Thank you for this information. I wonder if this food would be good for a cat with a sensitive stomach?

Click to expand...

NV LID is specifically for cats with food allergies and sensitivites and healthy cats can eat it as well. You can give it a try.

If your cat's tummy is sensitive to a specific protein, try a novel protein. Here's a thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306947/your-favorite-brands-of-novel-protein-canned-cat-food

I've looked through all the ingredients.

All the NVI Originals canned dog food can be given to cats.

You can also give the NVI LID canned dog turkey/lamb/duck to cats. The only LID formula you cannot give is rabbit, which doesn't have taurine. 

This was confirmed by an NV rep.

Thanks for your input.

I've heard they're the same formulas also. However, I only buy the little cans for cats only because I don't want to store opened food for days. Our cat only eats about 2.5-3 ounces of the NVI canned per day which means the leftovers from the large dog cans (13.2 ounces) would sit in the fridge for 4-5 days? But if I had multiple cats, I'd totally get the 13.2 ounce cans for dogs.

Fair enough. I've got one adult cat and two kittens so they go through food like crazy, hence the need to get a bigger can haha. 

Seems like it's more like .22 cents/oz? I only have two cats but I love buying the large cans- cuts down on waste and I can afford nicer food than I usually buy thank you!

Thank you LTS3 !!!

Yes I've been buying the dog food cans ever since I realized the formulations were the same. Just to be sure I called the company & yes they are identical. It is more economical especially for people with more than one cat. I was on autoship with Chewy, which took the price down even more per case.

hamhoos said:

 
You can also give the NVI LID canned dog turkey/lamb/duck to cats. The only LID formula you cannot give is rabbit, which doesn't have taurine. 

Click to expand...

Not sure about NVI, but I feed Nature's Logic dog food version to my cats and in the FAQ page it is asked about the missing ingredient taurine and their response was that the quality of their meat ingredients includes enough taurine  naturally that they don't have to add it.  Possibly that is the case with NVI?  Do they have a FAQ page?  They might address it there.