Trader Joe's Cat Food?

lionessrampant

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So, I went to Trader Joe's today (aka, the store I love to love), mostly because it is about 10 times cheaper than Whole Foods Market and has many of the same things availible for people.

Today, I stumbled uopn their cat food. Right now, Lola is in the kitchen pounding down some of their wet food...she appears to love it (the saice especially) and instead of looking like some unidentified meat-related product, it has REAL crab meat in it. Smells good, even to me! The ingredients list checks out for me and as far as I'm concerned, I'm feeding the cat meat I can identify...that's ok by me! It's also WAY cheaper than anything else I've fed, coming in at .59 per 5.5 oz can.

Then, there is the question of dry food. I just switched them, and they're doing fine on Nature's Variety, but TJ's sells a brand of cat food with a nearly identical ingredients list (actually, the TJ's cat food has more meat and meat-meal sources) for much cheaper. It's made by and company called Bench and Field and it's called Holistic Natural Feline. The website is here: http://www.benchandfield.com Anyone had any experience with this that they can tell me about?
 

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CAT FOOD INGREDIENTS
Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken, Brewers Rice Flour, Ground Corn, Beef Tallow (naturally preserved with Vitamin E [natural mixed Tocopherols] and Ascorbic Acid [Vitamin C]), Dried Beet Pulp, Egg Product, Meat Meal, Fishmeal, Brewers Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Monosodium Phosphate, Poultry Digest, Potassium Chloride, Salt (Sodium Chloride), Choline Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Inositol, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Taurine, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Biotin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid.

The items in read arent worth much... chn by product meal is broad since it can be organs to heads and feet... ground corn is my lowest 3 on grains for a cat ... meat meal could include some very yukky things ... the blue highlights are foods that I try not to feed much of....

this reads very close to a 9.99 a 20 lbh bag food
 
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lionessrampant

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Originally Posted by sharky

CAT FOOD INGREDIENTS
Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken, Brewers Rice Flour, Ground Corn, Beef Tallow (naturally preserved with Vitamin E [natural mixed Tocopherols] and Ascorbic Acid [Vitamin C]), Dried Beet Pulp, Egg Product, Meat Meal, Fishmeal, Brewers Dried Yeast, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Monosodium Phosphate, Poultry Digest, Potassium Chloride, Salt (Sodium Chloride), Choline Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Inositol, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Taurine, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Biotin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid.

The items in read arent worth much... chn by product meal is broad since it can be organs to heads and feet... ground corn is my lowest 3 on grains for a cat ... meat meal could include some very yukky things ... the blue highlights are foods that I try not to feed much of....

this reads very close to a 9.99 a 20 lbh bag food
Are we looking at the same ingredients list? This is the one I see...


\t


For cats of all ages and the owners who love them. Holistic Natural â„¢ Feline Formula is the right choice. It's naturally preserved, fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, and made with certified organically grown chicken plus a bounty of wholesome, healthful ingredients including:

* Nature's Greens: sun-cured alfalfa, organically grown dandelion leaves & kelp
* Healthful Fruits & Veggies: peas, carrots, sweet potato, apples, cranberries & more
* Omega 6 / Omega 3 from menhaden oil, flaxseed & chicken fat for healthy skin & coat
* 3 primary Antioxidants:
Vitamins A, E & C plus beta-carotene & glucosamine for a healthy immune system
* Oatmeal & Chicory Root Extract for a healthy digestive system

Holistic Natural Feline
Formula Pet Foods
Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (Naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid and Rosemary Extract), Chicken, Pork Meal, Lamb, Oatmeal, Menhaden Oil, Flaxseed, Sun-Cured Alfalfa, Egg Product, Tomato Pomace, Brewers Dried Yeast, Chicken Liver Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Blueberries, Dried Whole Apple, Sweet Potato, Dehydrated Kelp, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Dandelion, Cranberry Powder, Chicory Root Extract, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, D-Activated Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D3), Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol, Bisulfite, Calcium Pantothernate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid, Inositol Polysaccharide Complexes (sequestered), Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper and Cobalt, Calcium Iodate, Taurine, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Carbonate, Yucca Schigera Extract.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein
Crude Fat
Crude Fiber
Moisture
Magnesium
Ash
Taurine
Omega 5
Omega 3 \t

not less than 32%
not less than 20%
not more than 3.7%
not more than 10%
not more than 0.095%
not more than 4.3%
not less than 0.17%
3.9%
0.49%
 

sharky

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Sorry ... i pulled the super premium not holistic off the site... I would get yelled at by my vet for the pork .... alfalfa aint great Pat posted an article I will link it if I find it..lol..I am not a fruit and veggies fan since cats aare carnivores and prefer to give them as treats... but over all it looks good enough to try ... I miss TJs
 
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lionessrampant

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Originally Posted by sharky

Sorry ... i pulled the super premium not holistic off the site... I would get yelled at by my vet for the pork .... alfalfa aint great Pat posted an article I will link it if I find it..lol..I am not a fruit and veggies fan since cats aare carnivores and prefer to give them as treats... but over all it looks good enough to try ... I miss TJs
Hmmm...my cats haven't had any tummy problems with alfalfa foods...Maybe it's not all cats? Fruits and veggies don't bother me so much...they're not necessarily necessary, but it doesn't seem to hurt my two, nor have I seen any arguments against using some fruits and veggies in commercial food other than from raw/homemade purists (I am not one of them.)

We'll give it a try eventually and report back, I think.

I'm surprised no one has come along that actually uses it! TJ's is so a) wonderful and b) popular, that I'm kind of surprised it isn't discussed here....or maybe it has, since I can't do a search
 

pat

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Some of the Trader Joe's flavors are actually suitable (if going by phosphorous content) for crf kitties, I've heard good things about it.

The dry food, I went to the link to read the ingredients, and for what it's worth, there is some concern (recently posted a link to an article mentioning the effects it can have on a kitty - inc. digestive/intestinal upset) that alfalfa is not a plant to be fed to cats, and if one did have a kitty with any kidney issues, I'd not want to feed it dandelion which as I recall has a diuretic effect.

Other than that (and the fact that I'm personally not into a ton of fruits and veggies in my cat's food) it looked pretty good
 

pat

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Originally Posted by lionessrampant

Hmmm...my cats haven't had any tummy problems with alfalfa foods...Maybe it's not all cats?
Here is the article link, you can decide for yourself
click here
 

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The Trader Joes wet food is very good, it is equivient to the other premium brands at 1/2 the price, it has no by products or meal. I do not care much for their dry food though, all fillers and the main ingredient is Chicken Meal which can be just about any part of the chicken ground up. But I give a big thumbs up
for the wet food (And at my local store its just$0.45 per 5.5oz can
)
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by MRod1

The Trader Joes wet food is very good, it is equivient to the other premium brands at 1/2 the price, it has no by products or meal. I do not care much for their dry food though, all fillers and the main ingredient is Chicken Meal which can be just about any part of the chicken ground up. But I give a big thumbs up
for the wet food (And at my local store its just$0.45 per 5.5oz can
)
chn meal is chn minus entreils( organs) feathers beeks feet most of the fat and h2o removed ... 1lb chn meal = 5lbs of chn... basically it is meat and bone of the chn without the fat and h2o
 
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lionessrampant

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Here is the article link, you can decide for yourself
click here
That's so weird! I just read that and as you know, Leo has problems with many foods and he and Lola just had terrible stool and started vomitting after using Ivo exclusively, so I switched them to Nature's Variety Prairie which has alfalfa. This is the first time I have seen their stool formed in a while and no one has vomitted since I started feeding it....interesting article, though, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for those symptoms and report back!
 

mrod1

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Originally Posted by sharky

chn meal is chn minus entreils( organs) feathers beeks feet most of the fat and h2o removed ... 1lb chn meal = 5lbs of chn... basically it is meat and bone of the chn without the fat and h2o
I am talking about the Wet food. I don't care for the dry food. The wet food ingredients are for the Turkey and Giblets wet food are


Turkey Broth, Turkey, Giblets, Ocean Fish, Chicken, Oat Bran, Rice Flour, Fish Protein Concentrate, Lecithin, salt, potassium chloried, guar gum, minerals(iron Amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, colbalt amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, maganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite potassium iodide), Vitamins (VitaminE, A, D3, B12 supplements, Thiamine Monoitrate, Niacin, d-Calcium pantothenate, pytidoxine hydrochloride, Riboflavin supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine.


Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 9%min
Crude Fat 5% min
Crude Fiber 1%max
Moisture 78%max
Ash 1.9% max
Magnesium 0.025% max
Taurine 0.05% min.

Very Different from the Dry food. It is also made by Trader Joes, not the above mention company, they only make the dry food that I don't care for either. The wet food has no mention of any type of animal by-products.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by MRod1

I am talking about the Wet food. I don't care for the dry food. The wet food ingredients are for the Turkey and Giblets wet food are


Turkey Broth, Turkey, Giblets, Ocean Fish, Chicken, Oat Bran, Rice Flour, Fish Protein Concentrate, Lecithin, salt, potassium chloried, guar gum, minerals(iron Amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, colbalt amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, maganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite potassium iodide), Vitamins (VitaminE, A, D3, B12 supplements, Thiamine Monoitrate, Niacin, d-Calcium pantothenate, pytidoxine hydrochloride, Riboflavin supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine.


Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 9%min
Crude Fat 5% min
Crude Fiber 1%max
Moisture 78%max
Ash 1.9% max
Magnesium 0.025% max
Taurine 0.05% min.

Very Different from the Dry food. It is also made by Trader Joes, not the above mention company, they only make the dry food that I don't care for either. The wet food has no mention of any type of animal by-products.
Gotcha //// see I have never seen a meal in a wet food... off to read some labels
 

grooverite

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I know this thread is old but anyone else using TJ's cat food? I have been as of late feeding them the Bench & Field dry food and they love it! Just wanted to know if its any good for them? Used to feed them Wellness dry but money is becoming very scarce right now so we need to cut down on some things. If this TJ's dry food is bad for them, I will quickly switch them back to their Wellness.
 

gloriajh

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yeah, - a year or so ago I checked out the ingredients of the dry - then wrote a letter to TJ's complaining - I haven't looked at the package recently - needless to say - I haven't purchased the dry because of the poor ingredients that were listed a few years ago

we've been buying the canned for a while - lately all 4 that have been on it are just walking away - so, I'm trying other canned food - Wellness, or anything they will eat.
 

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I've switched Larry over to their wet food. Sort of impressed with the low cost and the lists of ingredients. Larry loves it, and gobbles it up, and it's cheaper!!! I feed him Wellness dry and TJ's wet. I just can't afford the Wellness wet food anymore, so I figured this arrangement would work.

Larry's happy with it.
 

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I'm extremely impressed (so far) with TJ's *wet* food! The first 4 ingredients are meat, and NO by-products. The FIRST ingredient in Hills cd wet IS by-products! Morty was put on the Hills cd after he developed Struvite crystals and bladder infection. His first problem like that ever, and not until he was 10! I blame myself because I had him on grocery store dry, and grocery store (cheap) friskies canned food for years.

The dry was iams senior and he would only get 2 small measured amounts; once morning, once late afternoon. His midday meal was 1/3 can of the wet. I know now that he was very likely dehydrated with all the dry and little wet, and now I also know why he loved to drink from the bathroom faucet each morning while I shaved! He wasn't getting enough water otherwise! I am absolutely convinced that years of this regimen led to his bladder infection/blockage! I'm only surprised he didn't develop it long ago!

I carefully read and compared the analysis breakdown between the cd wet and TJ wet, and they are almost identical. My research also concluded that too much magnesium contributes to urinary problems, and the mag. percentage on TJ is 0.025%, vs 0.02% for cd, so not much difference. So the choice for Morty is simple. .59 cents for 5.5oz TJ, or $1.50 for 5.5oz CD. No brainer.

PS: Now that he's been on an exclusively WET food diet, plus I always mix in some bottled water, he has stopped drinking out of the bathroom faucet!
 

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Just my opinion, and I also have a cat who had struvite crystals....please please please consult with the vet before changing from prescription food. Although to a lay person the ingredients in Hills C/D, let's say, may not look great, to me the proof is in the pudding - does the cat stay healthy on C/D. In my case - yes he does, as shown in follow-up urine draws.

That said, it certainly wouldn't hurt showing a vet the TJ wet and asking about substituting it for C/D - but, I myself, will never change from prescription foods without making sure my vet is on board with the change.
 

unigeezer

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Originally Posted by darlili

Just my opinion, and I also have a cat who had struvite crystals....please please please consult with the vet before changing from prescription food. Although to a lay person the ingredients in Hills C/D, let's say, may not look great, to me the proof is in the pudding - does the cat stay healthy on C/D. In my case - yes he does, as shown in follow-up urine draws.

That said, it certainly wouldn't hurt showing a vet the TJ wet and asking about substituting it for C/D - but, I myself, will never change from prescription foods without making sure my vet is on board with the change.
This is my opinion too, and shared my many; Vets get nice "kickbacks" for selling Hill's, which is insanely expensive, VERY fattening--there quote to me was': "Yeah, canned cd really packs on the weight".

I thought to myself, that's just great! Now Morty has a real chance of developing other problems, like diabetes! I found out that what makes CD canned good for preventing urinary problems is LOW MAGNESIUM, but "low" is considered anything below 1.2%. CD is 0.02%, and TJ is 0.025%. Both are well below 1.2%. Other than that, TJ has NO by-products. CD does. Ash%, protein, and the rest are all pretty much the same levels.

And I already know the answer I'll get from my vet, because they have a vested interest in SELLING CD. Why would they say ANYTHING they don't sell would be ok, including a raw diet, which by all accounts is far and away the best food you can feed your cats?

One reason: PROFIT! If you go to a Ford dealer, do think the salesman would recommend anything but a Ford? Why would he? He wants to sell you HIS product so he can put food on the table.

I'll be keeping a sharp eye on Morty, and if he ends up with another blockage/infection, I'll get him treatment again, and never balk about CD again! But it just seems to me that there's something terribly amiss when you vet tells you there is NO OTHER FOOD ON THE PLANET I can give my cat, other than what they sell! AND, that by feeding him CD for life, he WILL get fatter, and fatter, and FATTER! Yeah, that sounds like great plan...NOT!
 
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