Best canned food brand?

[felineempathy]

I just adopted a 2 year old cat named Shanoah which means princess of the sun in Cherokee.  She's a black/brown tabby mix.  I use to have a female calico named April that passed away in 2006....yep, it took me almost 10 years to adopt a new cat.

Anyways....

It's been frustrating  trying to find an excellent food for her.  I first tried looking at dry foods and after a lot of research I decided that canned food is the best way to go due to cats getting more moisture, energy, and less carbs out of it.  Why? After doing the research, I looked at all the dry foods at Petco and all of them have things in it that cats can't digest properly such as fruits, vegetables, rice, potatoes, barley, flour, etc.  Cat are carnivores and need meat and lots of protein.

In my opinion canned food is the natural and healthiest way to go.  Even though it's more expensive, there's nothing more important then your cat being healthy and living a long life.  Cheaping out on dry food is a no no.  The only "dry" stuff I give her are Greenie's chicken dental treats because it's possible for canned good to have negative affects on cats teeth and mouth over time.  I'm also laying out ground rules, no fish of any kind in the food because it could have mercury and toxin contamination - I'm sticking with chicken, turkey, duck, and etc.

The only issues I have with canned food is that some of them have guar gum and carrageenan in them which I hear isn't good for our cats.  Also it's good to check the ingredients for the above things found in dry food, as well as the content %'s.

So, what canned food brand do you think is best? What do you feed your cats?  So far I've only given her Iams and Blue Buffalo (realized that there's guar gum and carrageenan in it).  I heard Wellness is pretty good.

 

[emilesc]

I had to start feeding my 1 year old wet food, and after an hour-long talk with a woman at a local store, I decided on Weruva's Cats in the Kitchen. It comes in both cans and pouches, it doesn't have carrageenan in it, it's grain-free and it meets some other dietary restrictions for my kitty that I just posted about here.

Do you have an Unleashed by Petco store in your area? They focus on more "natural" foods.

Emile

 

[felineempathy]

 
I had to start feeding my 1 year old wet food, and after an hour-long talk with a woman at a local store, I decided on Weruva's Cats in the Kitchen. It comes in both cans and pouches, it doesn't have carrageenan in it, it's grain-free and it meets some other dietary restrictions for my kitty that I just posted about here.

Do you have an Unleashed by Petco store in your area? They focus on more "natural" foods.

Emile

Thanks for the reply Emile!  I'll look up Weruva Cats in the Kitchen.  I don't have a Unleashed around here but there is a chain of stores called Mud Bay that focuses on natural and healthy food, they also have vets that work with the stores to provide advice.  I'm definitely going to try that place next.

 

[lisahe]

 
I had to start feeding my 1 year old wet food, and after an hour-long talk with a woman at a local store, I decided on Weruva's Cats in the Kitchen. It comes in both cans and pouches, it doesn't have carrageenan in it, it's grain-free and it meets some other dietary restrictions for my kitty that I just posted about here.

Our cats love all the canned Cats in the Kitchen chicken flavors. They've very decent foods (though they do have gums) and a good value. I think one of the very best brands is Tiki, which is on the other end of the price spectrum from Cats in the Kitchen! (We alternate them.) Tiki doesn't have any thickeners at all and the cats enjoy it. They've been eating Tiki's various chicken flavors for a year or so and we're trying them on the Gourmet Carnivore foods now. So far so good, though there are a few fish flavors and I generally don't feed them fish. Both those brands are low carb and high protein.

Good luck @FelineEmpathy, and welcome!

 

 

[LTS3]

So, what canned food brand do you think is best? What do you feed your cats?  So far I've only given her Iams and Blue Buffalo (realized that there's guar gum and carrageenan in it).  I heard Wellness is pretty good.

The "best" one is the one that your cat will eat

Most people here recommend grain-free. A few may go gum, etc free for various reasons. I personally feed raw food but I do keep cans of Nature's Variety Instinct and Weruva on hand just in case.

 

[emilesc]

 
Our cats love all the canned Cats in the Kitchen chicken flavors. They've very decent foods (though they do have gums) and a good value. I think one of the very best brands is Tiki, which is on the other end of the price spectrum from Cats in the Kitchen! (We alternate them.) Tiki doesn't have any thickeners at all and the cats enjoy it. They've been eating Tiki's various chicken flavors for a year or so and we're trying them on the Gourmet Carnivore foods now. So far so good, though there are a few fish flavors and I generally don't feed them fish. Both those brands are low carb and high protein.

Good luck @FelineEmpathy, and welcome!

 

Hi, LisaHE. I looked into Tiki, but some of the negative Amazon reviews about bug infestations and illnesses concerned me. 

Emile

 

[lisahe]

 
Hi, LisaHE. I looked into Tiki, but some of the negative Amazon reviews about bug infestations and illnesses concerned me. 

Emile

I'd never seen these Amazon reviews, Emile... but have read only good things about Tiki's quality from Cat Site members. To be honest, I generally discount reviews like these: for one thing, it sounded like the bugs were in the Tiki box and packaging, which may not be Tiki's fault at all. Of course individual cats' taste is another matter!

Originally Posted by LTS3  

The "best" one is the one that your cat will eat

Most people here recommend grain-free. A few may go gum, etc free for various reasons. I personally feed raw food but I do keep cans of Nature's Variety Instinct and Weruva on hand just in case.

It is so true that the best one is the one the cat will eat! We feed a lot of commercial raw food, too -- it's about 60% of our cats' diet -- and find it more cost-effective than most of the canned foods the cats will consistently eat. It's also an easy way to avoid carrageenan, gums, potato, and lots of other undesirable ingredients.

 

[rupertoooo]

The biggest challenge you may end up having is finding a food that she will eat.  The first place I would start is Hounds and Gatos for the reasons described below:

1. All meats are USDA inspected and approved. 2. This company produces a minimal ingredient pet food; perfect for pets with allergies and/or other health issues. 3. Foods are carrageenan free. Effective December 2014, the company will remove all gums from their products. 4. Pet foods are manufactured at Performance Pet - the owner of Hound and Gatos is present at the plant for every batch made.

 With any luck she will gobble this stuff up.

Others Weruva (certain varieties), Tiki (grain free), Addiction (certain varieties) and Natures Variety (limited ingredient varieties are best).  There are others but these are probably the ones you will have the best luck with.  

Note:  While Addiction is a very good food they are known to be experiencing supply shortages.  

 

[siold]

 
I just adopted a 2 year old cat named Shanoah which means princess of the sun in Cherokee.  She's a black/brown tabby mix.  I use to have a female calico named April that passed away in 2006....yep, it took me almost 10 years to adopt a new cat.

Anyways....

It's been frustrating  trying to find an excellent food for her.  I first tried looking at dry foods and after a lot of research I decided that canned food is the best way to go due to cats getting more moisture, energy, and less carbs out of it.  Why? After doing the research, I looked at all the dry foods at Petco and all of them have things in it that cats can't digest properly such as fruits, vegetables, rice, potatoes, barley, flour, etc.  Cat are carnivores and need meat and lots of protein.

In my opinion canned food is the natural and healthiest way to go.  Even though it's more expensive, there's nothing more important then your cat being healthy and living a long life.  Cheaping out on dry food is a no no.  The only "dry" stuff I give her are Greenie's chicken dental treats because it's possible for canned good to have negative affects on cats teeth and mouth over time.  I'm also laying out ground rules, no fish of any kind in the food because it could have mercury and toxin contamination - I'm sticking with chicken, turkey, duck, and etc.

The only issues I have with canned food is that some of them have guar gum and carrageenan in them which I hear isn't good for our cats.  Also it's good to check the ingredients for the above things found in dry food, as well as the content %'s.

So, what canned food brand do you think is best? What do you feed your cats?  So far I've only given her Iams and Blue Buffalo (realized that there's guar gum and carrageenan in it).  I heard Wellness is pretty good.

Thank you for adopting a cat. I think moggies are the best cats. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your calico. I know how hard it can be.

I only feed Hill's. So, it is the only product I can personally recommend. I only feed dry food because it helps keep their teeth clean. Cats are very capable of drinking water. Cats can digest fruits, vegetables, rice, potatoes, barley and flour just fine. Cats are DOMESTICATED carnivores.

There is nothing wrong with feeding canned food, but you will have to keep up on the oral hygiene. Cats live a perfectly long and healthy life being fed dry food. It's not called cheaping out - it's called wanting your cat to have good oral hygiene. I would never feed my cats Greenies because I'm not giving them "ground brewers rice." The guaranteed analysis of a food is more important than ingredients.

I will always recommend Hill's. I only feed Hill's. I wouldn't feed Iams or Blue Buffalo because I wouldn't want to my cats to be ingesting chicken broth. Wellness also contains chicken broth, so I would never feed that either.

 

[Willowy]

Do you have any links to studies showing that cats can digest plant materials "just fine"? The studies I've seen suggest differently. Cats are barely domesticated, their digestive systems have not adapted to human food like dogs' have. Plant materials need to be highly processed and supplemented for cats to derive any nutrition from them, if they were to eat raw plant matter it would pass right through as they don't have the necessary digestive enzymes to process them.

 

[felineempathy]

Sorry if you took offense, that's just my opinion and research.  But I'm going to have to agree with Willowly, do you have any links to studies that cats can digest plant materials?  All the research I've seen suggests cats have a hard time/can't digesting them and they don't get any benefits from them.

It is hard to say but it's definitely a good idea to get a vets advice.  All of them do have their own preferences and reasoning though.  

Our late family Calico did eat dry cat food her whole life, she only liked the Kirkland Costco brand.  I remember when I was little, we tried to feed her other brands (dry and wet) but she wouldn't eat them and stuck with Kirkland.  I also remember my mother accidentally left a beef rib out on the counter unattended (big mistake) and April jumped on the counter and took a couple of bites out of it.  Well like I said she passed away in 2006 around age 16-17 (she was born a stray so the exact DOB is unknown).

 

[lvmygrdn]

I agree to feed what your cats will eat and the best you can afford. If you are on a budget, there are options. My vet, who is a cat only vet, (not that it makes a difference) strongly suggested wet only whether it be canned or raw and dry food as treats only, no fish or only once in a while. I feed canned food along with freeze-dried raw (that I obviously add water to). I give dry food as treats. I feed the following can food on a rotation basis.

Weruva (use this as a topper)

Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit

Nature's Variety Pride Rockstar Rabbit

Merrick pate, Turkey, duck, chicken (duck is their favorite)

Nutro Natural Choice Chunky loaf in Turkey, Chicken

Wild calling, Turkey, Chicken 

Fancy Feast Classic Pates, chicken, turkey

Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw, duck, duck, goose (currently on back order)  :

Current dry food for treats is Nature's Variety Instinct dry rabbit,  previously was Orijen. 

Good luck and thank you for adopting. I have 3 rescues who came to me eating Purina dry so it took some time to switch them over.  I think you need to do what works for you.  Our dear Petey lived to be 19 and he was free fed dry his whole life. I did feed him wet 3 times a day. 

 

[lokhismom]

If you're only feeding dry chances are much much higher the poor kitties will have health problems down the road.

I know from experience. I wish I had known for my last furbaby what I know now about only feeding dry.

 

[lvmygrdn]

If you're only feeding dry chances are much much higher the poor kitties will have health problems down the road.

I know from experience. I wish I had known for my last furbaby what I know now about only feeding dry.

If you are speaking to me, I too wish I knew what I know now. My kitties only get dry as treats which amounts to very little. Dry food is like crack to my furbabies. :0

 

[tabbysia]

Pride by Instinct Rockstar Rabbit could be a decent choice. It does have some fruit and veggies, but most of them are listed at the bottom, so there might not be very many. The first four ingredients are meat and organs. There are some gums listed, but they are also toward the bottom of the ingredient list. There is no carrageenan, which I think is the main concern for most people. The only worrisome ingredient for me is the clay. I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not.

A lot of cats must like it because it gets mentioned a lot on this site!

By the way, my cats completely snubbed Weruva, but maybe yours will like it. It does seem to have good ingredients. The Paw Lickin ' chicken is mostly just shredded chicken breast. I wish my cats liked it.

 

[felineempathy]

Thanks for the tips everybody!

Shanoah will be going in for her first vet health exam on Thursday and I'll ask the vet what she recommends for food.

I'll check out all the food recommendations mentioned on here and I've been making a list of potential food options.  Like Ivmygrdn is doing, I hear it's good to have a food rotation for your cats, although I don't exactly remember the reasoning behind it.  I think it has something to do with the cats digestive system getting to use to a certain brand of food or so your cat doesn't get sick of the same food.

 

[felineempathy]

If you're only feeding dry chances are much much higher the poor kitties will have health problems down the road.

I know from experience. I wish I had known for my last furbaby what I know now about only feeding dry.

Yeah the main reason why I'm focusing on wet food is because of my late cat April.  She was fed dry food her whole life and I feel like she could of lived longer.  I mean 16-17 years is a long life but she was very active being a indoor and outdoor cat in a woodland environment.  But even being active while eating dry food, she still looked overweight.  She was free fed during the day while inside and would be put out every night.

 

[bonepicker]

Rotations avoid allergies, boredom, recall danger, recipe changes. Rotate brands, textures, and meats.

 

[felineempathy]

Rotations avoid allergies, boredom, recall danger, recipe changes. Rotate brands, textures, and meats.

Good to know.  Thanks for clearing that up!

 

[emilesc]

 
I'd never seen these Amazon reviews, Emile... but have read only good things about Tiki's quality from Cat Site members. To be honest, I generally discount reviews like these: for one thing, it sounded like the bugs were in the Tiki box and packaging, which may not be Tiki's fault at all. Of course individual cats' taste is another matter!

Thanks, LisaHE. I went to buy some more cans of food for my younger cat to try out so I can rotate them, and I bought a couple of the Tiki's. I did mention the Amazon reviews and asked the salesperson if he'd heard of any problems. He said the issues were probably due to Amazon's storage, and he also said they tend to sell food that's close to its expiration date. So I'm definitely giving it a try, and if she likes, I'll definitely avoid Amazon.

 
The biggest challenge you may end up having is finding a food that she will eat.  The first place I would start is Hounds and Gatos 

Thanks for the suggestion, rupertoooo. I looked into them too. In case anyone's interest, I was concerned when I saw salt among their ingredients and emailed them. I got a quick, very friendly response back. The rep explained to me that salt is required by law in a complete meal for a pet, and that the salt content in Hounds and Gatos is only .027%. And then he directed me to stores in LA where I can find it. I was impressed with the response, so I'm going to give them a try too.

Emile