Wanting Higher % Protein Canned Cat food Help .....................

Hi Everyone,

Through my research i have done it is my understanding that cats to thrive to should have a minimum of 50% of calories coming from protein to a maximum of up to 80%, fat should be a  minimum of 20% to a maximum of 45%, and of course we all know cats require no carbs. However it is very difficult to find a non-fish base can food that checks all the boxes that has 70% calories coming from protein and 30 % fat. 

As a matter of Fact i am finding that the majority of decent quality meat base pate food ( My cats like pate but with also eat shredded canned food ) is at best on average 40% protein and 60% Fat and that is if they have no Carbs. And that number to me just seems so backward as to what it should be 60 % protein and 40 % fat, knowing that fat is cheaper to put in the can then protein is probily why it is happening but it is so frustrating. 

I am just starting to calculate these percentages on the food and also call companies that i feed, And for example here is some offerings from natures variety instinct, and these numbers i got directly from them.

Chicken   36 protein 57 fat 7 carb

Beef         42 protein 51 fat 4 carb

lamb         31      "      61   "  4   "

venison    42       "      55      3

And not to pick on natures variety because all in all i believe they are a good company but come on up the protein and lower the fat.

Petcurean Go fit and free chicken and duck pate     34 protein   61 fat   5 carb

                                             duck pate                       36      "        57 fat    7 "

just to name a few and such .................

And just to be clear the numbers that i am referring to are Me numbers or metabolized energy number % not dry matter basis, I am sure everyone here gets that but some companies did not understand after i explained what i was looking for and tried giving me dry matter basis numbers.

I have recently food another company that looked very good to me, and checked all the boxes, which i should explain what those boxes are so you know 

Canned food primarily meat based, no meat by products, non fish varieties, can have some veggies at end of list for example like natures variety has but no veggies near beginning of list 

NO CARRAGEENAN

I have 7 cats to feed so high calorie food is a must for me, 170 plus calories for a 5.5/6.0 oz can but prefer more

also i know above i said non fish varieties and that is mostly what i want however i do feed fish once per week so some fish suggestions will be fine ..

Another company i have found that checked all my boxes and seemed real good was Red Barn  however here are the numbers

Turkey pate    39% protein     61% fat

chicken pate   40%   "              51%  fat    9%  carb

lamb pate         29%      "          66%   "      5%   carb     however lamb is traditionally higher in fat and i get that..

So i have decided to lower the standards a bit because i don't believe anyone for some reason out there makes a high quality pate that is 60 percent protein 40 percent fat ( please please please if someone knows of one or lots of them let me know )Decided  to lower the standards a bit to 50 percent protein 45 percent fat 5 percent of less carb 

So here is where i am looking for your help if you know of a canned food that ( does not have to be pate but cats like pate but will eat shredded varieties to but they seem to be low in calories ) checks all the boxes listed above and is in the neighborhood of 50 % protein 45% fat and 5 % carb please let me know any and all the ones you know ..

And all suggestions will be VERY much appeciated ..............................?

Also and example approximately what the guaranteed analysis on the can will look like to get the 50 45 5 is

79% moisture 

14% protein

5%  fat

Wow this turned out to be so long of a message and i  so appreciate all that stayed with this Book to the finish .................

Welcome to TCS! 

It's great to see that you're taking such an interest in feline nutrition! I think that you're right in relaxing your rules and I don't think you're lowering your standards by doing that. The way I see it, the guidelines are very general and not too well established. I don't believe there's one strict measure for percentage of nutrients for cats (or humans for that matter). It's more about the overall ration and meeting minimum requirements.

I asked Dr. Rachel Boltz - an expert on feline health - for an overview on feline nutrition, helping us weed out the fact from the fiction. This is the result - 

 [article="33544"]A Scientific Take On Cat Nutrition By Dr Rachel Boltz​[/article]  

What I liked best was her conclusions - find a food by a reputable company that your cat actually likes. I would add, try to use a variety of flavors and formulations too.

IMO, as cat owners we shouldn't be looking for the perfect cat food because there is no such thing. At this point in time, we don't know what would make the perfect cat food. Sure, a varied mix of live small rodents, birds and insects is probably it but how to emulate it into something we can actually feed in a modern home is still up for debate. The good news is that we probably don't have to. After all, we humans evolved to eat a mix of non-cultivated plants, insects and live/raw small mammals and we seem to be doing well (at least living much longer) eating anything but that diet

Oh, and I wouldn't avoid by-products or carrageenan. You can read more about by-products here -

 [article="32669"]By Products In Cat Food 5 Facts You Need To Know​[/article]  

I hope you find the best food your cats like and eat. I know how stressful these decisions can be! One thing you could do is consult with a real qualified expert from the directory in this website.

Cats do pretty good with higher fat diets. They don't process fat the way humans do, so you will find a lot of foods with more fat in them because of that. The best canned foods IMO are Ziwipeak an Feline Naturals. Both are pricey. ZP is higher in fat, but again, that's not really much of an issue unless your cat has issues tolerating a fattier meat such a lamb. Lamb and beef are fattier, while venison, rabbit, are more lean. Chicken and turkey can go either way depending on the cut you use. Fat is good and important for cats. 

You might want to look into making your own food, Homecooked or raw, using EZcomplete or alnutrin. You can control the protein and fat levels while making essentially the best food available, and for 7 cats, it's more cost effective than feeding canned. 

Here is a list of many major foods.  It is in order of Phosphorus, then protein, and also shows fat, carbs, etc.  It is listed as Dry Matter Basis rather than As Fed though:  http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm#canned_usa

Anne,

As you know I am a novice; just finished my first year as a cat owner.  Nevertheless I think you are100% correct.  We should stick to companies with solid reputations and rotate our cats' menu.  It's worked in my house.  I don't diss what others do with endless debate but I don't seek perfection either.  If the cat is happy with her menu and appears healthy and active, then I'm happy, too.