Trader Joe's Cat Food?

jakey

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Aug 24, 2012
Messages
10
Purraise
1
I can't understand why people do not yet get it that dry pet food is pure crap. Even most vets I talk to seem to accept that people would feed this.  It is like giving your beloved pet a death sentence.
 

bekahsa

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
1
Purraise
1
Hi,

Does anyone know what the Trader Joe's cat food looks like?  My cat hate pate, they prefer to sink their teeth in actual meats.
 

otto

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
9,837
Purraise
197
Hi,

Does anyone know what the Trader Joe's cat food looks like?  My cat hate pate, they prefer to sink their teeth in actual meats.
The style of the food (pate, shredded, chunks etc) is not indicative of how much meat is in the food. Some pates have more actual meat than some chunks. Those chunks could be made up of anything. You have to read the labels to know how much real (identified) meat is in the food.

Some cats will eat pate if it is mixed with a little water and made into a gruel or even a gravy. Other cats will eat it if you make the gruel, plus leave chunks of the pate (some pates are stiff enough to leave chunks, some aren't)

However there are plenty of choices of good quality chunks and gravy styles to choose from, though I know, with a 'finicky' cat, that still can present a challenge. :)
 
Last edited:

ags86

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
2
Purraise
1
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf

Control f to find trader joe's. This lady is a vet and has spent hours (even days perhaps) compiling the nutritional content of various cat foods. One of my cats recently had struvite crystals but he absolutely hates the hill's junk (I can't blame him.. it smells awful!) I think I'm going to give him trader joe's stuff because it's lower in phosphorous and carbs. Read her website for more details. Good luck!
 

zanamu

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Feb 17, 2013
Messages
1
Purraise
1
I mix the TJs tuna with Walmart's generic chicken broth. My cat loves this so much, and its a great way to get extra liquids into her. She was pretty chubby when I got her, and now that she is eating mostly wet food, she's lost some weight. (no, she doesn't exclusively eat tuna, but there's nothing she loves more, especially with the broth added).
 

mewlittle

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 20, 2012
Messages
1,632
Purraise
127
Location
usa
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?
kroger has cat food for .39 for 5.5 oz <petpride
 

steph lang

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
1
Purraise
1
Zanamu -
I mix the TJs tuna with Walmart's generic chicken broth. My cat loves this so much, and its a great way to get extra liquids into her. She was pretty chubby when I got her, and now that she is eating mostly wet food, she's lost some weight. (no, she doesn't exclusively eat tuna, but there's nothing she loves more, especially with the broth added)."
Doesn't chicken broth have a lot of sodium?  I read that sodium is REALLY bad for cats!
 
Last edited:

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,266
Purraise
5,230
Location
New Jersey
I'd imagine you'd have to read the label for the sodium content.  I always buy low sodium chicken broth to cook with for us at home, it's widely available at least where I shop.  I would hope they use that kind for canned cat food.  
 

ivy fasko

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
1
Purraise
1
Contains Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol, which is toxic to the liver. Do not feed.

Oh, erm, the thread went off topic. This was in response to the original TJ's food we were talking about.
You know, I don't see any of the things listed by the FDA that might be listed on a label that actually were [color= rgb(70, 70, 70)]Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol (see below), so I disagree with your 'do not feed' thinking.[/color]

just for reference - here's a quote from the About.com website:

Definition: Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex is a synthetic pet food ingredient which stimulates the production of vitamin K in an animal's body. Although it is technically not vitamin K, it is substituted for vitamin K in some pet food formulas, as it is inexpensive compared to sources of vitamin K, such as kelp, seaweed, alfalfa, and green leafy vegetables. Its use in pet foods is controversial, however many pet food experts have come out against it. The FDA has no regulation preventing such use.

Pronunciation: men-uh-dy-own so-dee-um by-sul-fayt com-plex

Also Known As: menadione, sodium sulfate, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite, Vitamin K3, Vitamin K Active Substances (VKAS)
 

path

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Messages
2
Purraise
11
To all of you dry cat food feeders out there, please, please note that cats do not DRINK enough water for proper hydration. They get most of their water from their food. I have found that, feeding my cats TJ's wet turkey and or chicken canned foods, diluted with no sodium chicken broth, has been the best thing ever to cure them of hairballs and clear the kidneys, and they LOVE it. I will not feed my cats a fish-based wet food (especially tuna), as cats do not eat it naturally, and tuna has its own health issues attached, one of which is mercury. (I was grateful to learn this, actually, because the fish-based wet foods stink, too!) I would feed my cats a raw food diet if I could figure out a way to make it work with indoor cats and a full-time job, but as a second-best alternative I am feeding them the above-mentioned mixture, plus a bowl of water plus (for now) a little bit of Origen Cat & Kitten. I no longer trust the likes of Science Diet and Royal Canin for kidney crystals. Origen has the highest meat-based protein content that I have found, and I still don't give them much of it, just enough to satisfy their enjoyment of crunchy food, since they don't have bird bones to gnaw on. 

To sum up, after about a month on this regimen, my cats - who were barfing up hairballs constantly - have barfed no more than twice since this regimen started. This is a HUGE improvement, and far more successful than ANY hairball remedy or hairball teats I have tried. My male cat has been treated for crystals before, and when he started behaving oddly a couple of months ago I had the vet run tests and there was no sign of crystals (and he was given antibiotics 
)  in case of a UTI. We never found out what the problem had been, but his behaviour has corrected, in addition to the complete absence of hairball issues.

Dry food diet is not healthy for cats, as they will not get anywhere near adequate hydration from the amount of water they will drink. I am grateful to have found TJ's wet food, as it seems to be very high quality and the price is so reasonable. My cats love it, and they are happy and hydrated on it. In the absence of a raw food diet, I feel pretty confident that I am doing the best that I can for them. I wish I had known this sooner!
 

path

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Messages
2
Purraise
11
They love tuna, but it isn't good for them. I have successfully substituted low / no sodium chicken broth.
 

gloriajh

FERAl born “Pepper”
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
2,027
Purraise
66
Location
CA - Desert
To all of you dry cat food feeders out there, please, please note that cats do not DRINK enough water for proper hydration. They get most of their water from their food. I have found that, feeding my cats TJ's wet turkey and or chicken canned foods, diluted with no sodium chicken broth, has been the best thing ever to cure them of hairballs and clear the kidneys, and they LOVE it. I will not feed my cats a fish-based wet food (especially tuna), as cats do not eat it naturally, and tuna has its own health issues attached, one of which is mercury. (I was grateful to learn this, actually, because the fish-based wet foods stink, too!) I would feed my cats a raw food diet if I could figure out a way to make it work with indoor cats and a full-time job, but as a second-best alternative I am feeding them the above-mentioned mixture, plus a bowl of water plus (for now) a little bit of Origen Cat & Kitten. I no longer trust the likes of Science Diet and Royal Canin for kidney crystals. Origen has the highest meat-based protein content that I have found, and I still don't give them much of it, just enough to satisfy their enjoyment of crunchy food, since they don't have bird bones to gnaw on. 

To sum up, after about a month on this regimen, my cats - who were barfing up hairballs constantly - have barfed no more than twice since this regimen started. This is a HUGE improvement, and far more successful than ANY hairball remedy or hairball teats I have tried. My male cat has been treated for crystals before, and when he started behaving oddly a couple of months ago I had the vet run tests and there was no sign of crystals (and he was given antibiotics 
)  in case of a UTI. We never found out what the problem had been, but his behaviour has corrected, in addition to the complete absence of hairball issues.

Dry food diet is not healthy for cats, as they will not get anywhere near adequate hydration from the amount of water they will drink. I am grateful to have found TJ's wet food, as it seems to be very high quality and the price is so reasonable. My cats love it, and they are happy and hydrated on it. In the absence of a raw food diet, I feel pretty confident that I am doing the best that I can for them. I wish I had known this sooner!
  Welcome to the Forum, and welcome to the folks here that have been trying to share the problems with serving dry food to cats.  

I'm sending you a private message with a website that you might like. 
 

densmom

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Aug 31, 2013
Messages
1
Purraise
1
6 weeks in to my 6 year old, otherwise very healthy and active, male being on Bench & Field dry "holistic" cat food ... and he as in the ER Vet with blocked urinary tract and struvite crystals!!!!  - with a urine pH of 8 (proper cat urine pH should be 6).

Prior to this he was on Science Diet Hairball formula, but thinking the grain products might be contributing to his mild skin condition/iching, we switched to the B&F. It almost killed him and he's still recovering. I will NEVER feed this to him again!!!
I brought the B&F ingredient label to his primary vet for review and they instantly determined the protein (meat) content too low, and the veg/fruit content too high... resulting in the pH imbalance. Crystals from in an alkaline (above 7) environment. A meat diet results in an acidic (below 7) urine, which is not conducive to forming crystals. Veg/Fruit diet results in an alkaline urine - perfect for crystals.

Hydration is also a major factor, and wet food is more like the cats natural diet of 85% moisture (mice, birds, etc.). If the cat is eating quality dry food and also consuming ample water, it would be ok. if not consuming ample water, dehydration would become a factor. But still, the pH environment is the major concern for struvite crystals.

Live and learn....... but i will NEVER feed him Bench & Field Holistic dry again!!! that is for sure!

~ den's mom
 

pinkman

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
607
Purraise
44
Location
BRKLYN
I've seen the Bench & Field dry food and treats. Occasionally I will buy the treats as a topper for raw food. The dry food I have never tried. 

Now, Trader Joe's CANNED cat food in Turkey and Giblets is what I started feeding my cat when I first got her. I didn't know how my budget would be at the time and was still figuring out how much I can spend on food. I now feed raw, but I still recommend the Turkey and Giblets wet food to anyone who needs to be on a budget. 
 

tinykisses

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Messages
5
Purraise
1
Location
South Carolina
Hi...In answer to your question about why CD cat food can be called prescription, according to my vet, there is a medicine in the food that creates thirst in the cat.  Therefore, the cat drinks more water than he normally would.  I know this to be true with my male cat who has bad issues with crystals.  Since being on the CD diet, he has not had an incident in over two years.  Hill's is not the best food, and I hate feeding it to him, but to switch his food and take the chance of him getting crystals again is not an option.  
 

vball91

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
3,851
Purraise
250
Location
CO, USA
 
Hi...In answer to your question about why CD cat food can be called prescription, according to my vet, there is a medicine in the food that creates thirst in the cat.  Therefore, the cat drinks more water than he normally would.  I know this to be true with my male cat who has bad issues with crystals.  Since being on the CD diet, he has not had an incident in over two years.  Hill's is not the best food, and I hate feeding it to him, but to switch his food and take the chance of him getting crystals again is not an option.  
Actually the "medicine" you are referring to that creates thirst in the cat is salt, plain old salt. The reason c/d and s/d are prescription is the added methionine which is an amino acid which acts as a urine acidifier. The urine acidifier bring urine pH down to levels where crystals do not form as easily. Feeding a diet high in meat also acts as a natural urine acidifier.
 

tinykisses

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Messages
5
Purraise
1
Location
South Carolina
Most all commercial cat food has salt in it.  That is an nutrient that cats need.  If the additive you are referring to is plain old salt, then why does the CD cat food work for urinary problems when regular cat food does not? They both contain salt.  So the salt  analogy doesn't quite make sense.  I am sure that Hills does add something to the medicated food, because it works where regular food does not.  Of course, they are not going to tell the general public what that "medicine" is. 
 

vball91

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
3,851
Purraise
250
Location
CO, USA
 
Most all commercial cat food has salt in it.  That is an nutrient that cats need.  If the additive you are referring to is plain old salt, then why does the CD cat food work for urinary problems when regular cat food does not? They both contain salt.  So the salt  analogy doesn't quite make sense.  I am sure that Hills does add something to the medicated food, because it works where regular food does not.  Of course, they are not going to tell the general public what that "medicine" is.
I thought I had explained that methionine, not salt, is the "medicine" that makes c/d and s/d effective against the formation of struvite crystals.
 
Top