Experience with Feline's Pride

[gbin]

Based on today's mail, I've a correction to make about my recent update on my effort to get my money back from Feline's Pride (recall they never sent me the cat food I ordered nor refunded the nearly $400 I paid them for it in early January, despite stringing me along for a lengthy period by repeatedly promising one or the other):  Apparently my credit card company has actually so far only temporarily removed the charge, pending an opportunity to appeal by Feline's Pride and then the credit card company's final verdict.  I've no doubt I'll ultimately win my protest of the charge, as I've ample documentation of Feline's Pride's repeated empty promises to finally do right by me in one way or the other, but I haven't won yet and it seems likely that Feline's Pride will continue to attempt to rip me off until forced to do otherwise.  I'll keep y'all posted.

Remember, those of you who have been similarly lied to and ripped off by Feline's Pride should contact your credit card companies about protesting the charges - don't let Feline's Pride string you along with empty promises until it's too late to get your money back! - and you should file a complaint about Feline's Pride with the Better Business Bureau (see link in earlier post), too.

Gerry

 

[tournesol]

Thank you, mschauer -

My attitude is that the more companies there are out there doing this the better off all of us are.

 

[thedude]

Does anyone have any updates on this company? I bought some Rad Cat because of this thread (and the discussion on FaceBook) but my cat is really not taking to the Rad Cat. 

My cat has a super sensitive stomach and seems to only do well on FP. I am going to keep trying Rad Cat but I'm hoping to hear FP has cleaned up their act and is back to acting like a company should.

 

[mschauer]

I would suggest calling FP and telling them what a bad rep they are getting due to recent problems and ask them if they are getting their act together. Of course if they really aren't being responsive to customer concerns they may just tell you everything is hunky dory and always has been. If they own up to the problems and say they have taken steps to address them though maybe it would be worth gibing them another try.

 

[gbin]

 
...  Of course if they really aren't being responsive to customer concerns they may just tell you everything is hunky dory and always has been. If they own up to the problems and say they have taken steps to address them though maybe it would be worth gibing them another try.

I (and apparently many others) can certainly vouch for the fact that they aren't being responsive to customer concerns, and for the fact that they will occasionally acknowledge problems and claim to have fixed them when actually they haven't.  Not only have I never received the food I ordered - and was repeatedly promised - in early January, I also never received the refund I was due - and was repeatedly promised - for that food never having been sent to me.  My very last communication from the company was yet another empty promise to deliver whichever of those I preferred, said empty promise having been sent to me unsolicited (as I'd already given up on them by that point) more than a month ago.  It's pretty clear that the only way I'm ever going to get my money back is via the protest I filed with my credit card company when it finally became obvious to me that Feline's Pride was telling me this, promising that,... and repeating as necessary just to string me along.  (My credit card company has provisionally rescinded the charge, but hasn't yet made a final judgement on it.)  For Feline's Pride to meaningfully own up to their problems and genuinely take steps to address those problems would include them finally refunding the money they've ripped off from me and however many others.

Until that's happened, I don't see how Feline's Pride can even begin to rebuild customers' trust in them.  And I personally can't imagine it happening until significant personnel changes have occurred, beginning at the very top (as it was supposedly the company's top executive who treated me and presumably others so abusively, in addition to taking our money for orders never shipped), either.  One has to pay upfront for orders placed with Feline's Pride and they aren't by any means cheap, so giving them another try effectively means risking a fair bit of one's money while also setting oneself up for them not to come through with a shipment of cat food one is expecting - certainly not anything I'd ever recommend, least of all when that cat food shipment is really going to be depended upon.

Dude, when Feline's Pride left me and my super-sensitive cat in the lurch, I came here for emergency recommendations and one of those, Primal's Rabbit, fortunately worked out OK.  (Feline's Pride's Rabbit was previously the only thing that had ever worked for my cat, too; everything else made him very sick and then he'd stop eating entirely.  Quite scary.)  Unfortunately, it's clear that my problem cat isn't particularly fond of Primal's Rabbit, and I'd prefer that he be happy as well as healthy.  :^ /  And my other cat (which has no dietary issues, thank goodness) absolutely refuses to eat Primal's Rabbit at all, and I'd also prefer to be able to feed both cats the same food.  I don't know why they don't like Primal's Rabbit, but they clearly don't.  So I'm only using it until I find something else that works.  I just placed my first order with Hare Today for some of their ground whole rabbit and some Alnutrin, and hopefully my problem cat will do well on that, too, and both cats will like it.  Fingers crossed!

Gerry

 

[lisamarie12]

Gerry,

Sorry about your troubles with FP, I have zero tolerance for that sort of un-customer service. 

My little FHV IBD kitty does very well on Primal Pronto or nuggets rabbit - and it's a single protein vs FP's rabbit mix that uses chicken.

Good luck.

 

[gbin]

Originally Posted by LisaMarie12  

My little FHV IBD kitty does very well on Primal Pronto or nuggets rabbit - and it's a single protein vs FP's rabbit mix that uses chicken.

Good luck.

Thanks, LisaMarie!

Yeah, that and the higher protein/lower fat content are why I decided to try Primal's Rabbit Formula when Feline's Pride left me and my problem cat in the lurch, and perhaps why said cat has done well on it.  It was a disappointment to find that he dislikes the Primal Rabbit (not to mention that my other cat won't eat it at all), but it's a real comfort to know that as I go forward I can rely on this food for him if/when other things I try don't work out so well.  My Hare Today order just arrived so I'll be trying to phase that in shortly.

Gerry

 

[lisamarie12]

Gerry, my male cat for some reason doesn't care for the Primal nuggets but will wolf down Primal Pronto rabbit (the bites). It's works out to be a little more expensive since Pronto is only 1 lb vs the 3 lb nuggets, however, if you are in a pinch and as a back up, you may want to try the rabbit Pronto bites. I'm not sure why that is, that he prefers the taste of the bites vs the nuggets, despite breaking up the latter into small pieces. 

HT looks good, I actually want to try to order something from them soon.

Have  a great day!

 

[gbin]

Huh, I caught that you were talking about the Primal Pronto bites rather than the larger nuggets of the plain Primal, LisaMarie, but I assumed they were formulated (and so would be viewed by cats as) essentially the same.  Thanks for the tip that your cat considers them different!  I'll definitely look into that.

One question that I have about all these (rabbit-based) raw meat cat foods I've now tried or at least looked into since leaving Feline's Pride behind, and that I'd be interested in folks' thoughts on:

Why are they all some shade of gray-brown when you buy them, rather than pink-red as I've always thought freshly frozen raw meat should be (and as FP was)?  Is it just some relatively harmless oxidation that the companies don't concern themselves over, or what?  Whatever it is, I don't like it.  No, I certainly don't want companies to start adding dye to their raw meat diets to keep them looking pink-red, but I much prefer the idea of feeding my "kids" a raw meat diet that both is and looks fresh, and I have to wonder whether whatever is turning them gray-brown is also affecting their palatability to at least some small extent even if not their nutrient content.  You know, such that it's not spoiled by any means, but maybe it's not quite as good-smelling and -tasting as it could be, either.  But maybe this is a topic for another thread.  (Probably I should search to see whether it's been discussed before...)

Gerry

 

[ralphie2011]

Thank you for sharing your most recent experience with Feline's Pride.  I have a senior cat who's been on the food (Chicken formula) for at least 2 years now.  I had ordered around the end of October and noticed that he would barely touch the food.  In fact, I ended up throwing half of it out most days.  I really hadn't thought anything about it at the time.  I kind of chalked it up to his age.  It took us twice as long to go through it.  Normally I had been ordering every 2 months. He kind of acted like he has in the past when a company changed their formula and then he wouldn't touch the food.

Anyway, I placed my last order the middle of February.  The package came in the normal time it would have however, it was not the 20 lbs I had ordered.  The box was too light.  When I opened it, there were 5 small containers in there similar to what would be put in a large takeout soup container from a Chinese restaurant.  All of the containers were completely cracked.  These definitely were not those really nice white containers that they previously packaged the product in.  Written in a Sharpy on each FP label was 2 lbs.  I took them to my work where we have a scale inspected by our state Dept of Ag and they were all weighing in between 1.75 and 1.89 lbs.  I tried calling the company and could not get through.  I ended up sending an email with the details and did get a response from the one woman whom I spoke with in the past.  I believe she is the one co-owner.  She told me that I had received the wrong order and in fact it was a resell order for 1.5 lb containers and they would ship me out a replacement on Monday.  To this day I have never received that replacement order and still have not received responses to any of my subsequent emails to her and was never able to get through via phone.  I have put in a dispute with my Credit Card company for the purchase.  In the meantime I had to scramble to find something else for my cat to eat.  I did see many complaints on their Facebook page with similar issues.  By the way that page is now taken down completely.  

I really don't know if I would trust the company now even if they did send me a replacement.  Considering my cat stopped desiring the food and then if they ship in packaging that was not meant for frozen, I'm not going to trust the food not to have fragments of plastic in it.  It is a shame because I was beyond pleased with the company for most of our experience until recently.  

 

[lesterktty]

Hello All,

I am new here but I surely do wish I would have done some research before I ordered from Feline's Pride. About 5 years ago, all four of my cats ate only FP. I got started on raw due to an IBD kitty. He wasn't diagnosed with FEV until he had already been on raw for over a year. By the time he was diagnosed with FEV, it was obvious that the raw diet had saved him from complications of IBD. I left him on it and he lived another 2 really good, blissful (for us both) years before taking a sudden turn and succumbing to pneumonia.

I left everyone on Feline's Pride for about 6 months then transitioned them over to good quality canned using Dr. Pierson's guidelines. I only have one kitty left from that original group, Stevie Ray. He was a disgustingly healthy kitten during the time of raw feeding and I guess that's how I still thought of him when he began throwing up and losing weight. I live in rural Texas; no cat-friendly vets. But of course, he has been to the vet numerous times, they are just not much help.

I had a lightbulb moment (finally) and tried to order from Feline's Pride. Their site did not accomadate iPhone nor iPad, so I ended up ordering RadCat from Only Natural Pets. Well, it helped tremendously! But Stevie Ray wasn't crazy about it and my younger female, Daisy, would barely eat it. After re-reading Dr. Pierson and her preference for FP, I ordered from work last Tuesday.

Yep. They got me too, I think. I got a confirmation from customer service. I got a Welcome email from Suzanne. I got a tracking number on Wednesday. It had a delivery date of Friday, 3-20. However, the tracking has not moved from Tampa, Florida since Wednesday.

And after reading all this, I'm not even sure I would trust the food and feed it to my babies. This is such a shame. The founder of Feline's Pride was such an animal lover and I believe he truly had a calling to help.

And unfortunately, I used a debt card. $80 for food and $50 for shipping. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[thedude]

Hello All,

I am new here but I surely do wish I would have done some research before I ordered from Feline's Pride. About 5 years ago, all four of my cats ate only FP. I got started on raw due to an IBD kitty. He wasn't diagnosed with FEV until he had already been on raw for over a year. By the time he was diagnosed with FEV, it was obvious that the raw diet had saved him from complications of IBD. I left him on it and he lived another 2 really good, blissful (for us both) years before taking a sudden turn and succumbing to pneumonia.

I left everyone on Feline's Pride for about 6 months then transitioned them over to good quality canned using Dr. Pierson's guidelines. I only have one kitty left from that original group, Stevie Ray. He was a disgustingly healthy kitten during the time of raw feeding and I guess that's how I still thought of him when he began throwing up and losing weight. I live in rural Texas; no cat-friendly vets. But of course, he has been to the vet numerous times, they are just not much help.

I had a lightbulb moment (finally) and tried to order from Feline's Pride. Their site did not accomadate iPhone nor iPad, so I ended up ordering RadCat from Only Natural Pets. Well, it helped tremendously! But Stevie Ray wasn't crazy about it and my younger female, Daisy, would barely eat it. After re-reading Dr. Pierson and her preference for FP, I ordered from work last Tuesday.

Yep. They got me too, I think. I got a confirmation from customer service. I got a Welcome email from Suzanne. I got a tracking number on Wednesday. It had a delivery date of Friday, 3-20. However, the tracking has not moved from Tampa, Florida since Wednesday.

And after reading all this, I'm not even sure I would trust the food and feed it to my babies. This is such a shame. The founder of Feline's Pride was such an animal lover and I believe he truly had a calling to help.

And unfortunately, I used a debt card. $80 for food and $50 for shipping. Thanks for letting me vent.

Let us know what ends up happening with your order!

 

[lesterktty]

I sure will. So far, I filed a claim on the package with USPS (the tracking has still not moved from Tampa). I sent emails to Customer Service and Suzanne Anderson. I called the contact number listed on the website and left a message for Customer Service and Corporate offices.

After doing some digging online, it does appear that Feline's Pride, a subsidiary of My Pets Pride, relocated to Spring Hill, Fl. I also wrote to the Feline Nutrition Org to bring to their attention the incorrect info on their site regarding FP location, etc. I also asked if they were aware of the problems this company was having. I received a very nice response, almost immediately from the director. She said she had known Shelby Gomas and was aware of the company's difficulties. She has been assured that they are diligently trying to resolve the issues.

So.......we shall see. Personally, I hope they get it resolved. I hate to see what Shelby Gomas worked so hard for, go down the drain.

 

[lesterktty]

Well, I wish I was reporting that I received a box of lovely, nourishing food and posting pictures of my happy kitties licking their chops. But as predicted, that is not the case. I'm not sure if I should post pics of the box and food?

It was revolting. My son got home about thirty minutes after it was left on the porch. He could smell it from the driveway. I took photos as I opened it. All ice packs were melted. There was no aluminum wrap that I paid extra for. It was loosely packaged and one of the containers busted open and mixed with the styrofoam peanuts and was all over everything. The smell made me literally gag.

This is nothing like the packages I received from FP years ago.

Also, I feel like I really should give props to Only Natural Pet. The RadCat packages I have received from them have been perfection. They used a styrofoam igloo with dry ice and well padded, tightly packed containers of food, that were still frozen hard as arock when they arrived. Top-notch job! I just wish the RadCat was made with real bone and that my cats liked it better.

Maybe Feline's Pride should let Only Natural Pet distribute!!

 

[lesterktty]

I wanted to add that I paid $53.00 to FP for packaging and shipping with the above results.

 

[gbin]

I'm sorry but of course not surprised to hear about your troubles with Feline's Pride, Ralphie and Lester.  (And I'm especially sorry to hear you don't have the ability to get your money back through your card issuer, Lester, as I very much doubt Feline's Pride will ever refund it even if they repeatedly promise to do so.)  I wish there were more good ways to get the word out so fewer people/cats would be victimized.  I guess if the company keeps going the way they have - for the past five months(!) or so now, by my reckoning - then eventually everyone who needs to know what's going on will know, and/or the company will go under.

Don't forget to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau via the link above.

FYI:  I never received any official notice from my credit card issuer that my protest of Feline's Pride's charge had been won, but on my latest statement that charge has clearly been reversed.  A small victory, I guess.  All Feline's Pride managed to do to me was coerce an interest-free loan of about $400 from me for nearly three months.  (Of course, it would have been much longer, and maybe would have turned into an outright gift from me to them, had I continued to let them string me along with empty promises that they would finally fill my order or refund what I paid for it until after the date by which my credit card company required me to file a protest.)  That's only what they did to me, though; what they did to my special dietary needs cat was much worse, by leaving me in the lurch with respect to food he can eat without getting sick.  He's consequently been sick enough to require an emergency trip to the vet - the first such trip he's needed in some years - once so far while my wife and I are cautiously, carefully trying to figure out another diet he will do well on.  By rights I should be able to send the $200+ vet bill to Feline's Pride and they should pay it, but we're much more concerned that we get our kitty straightened out once again.

In my mind I can still clearly hear the woman who told me she's Feline's Pride's top executive when I tried to remind her that I really needed the food I'd long since paid for and she'd repeatedly promised to send, because of my cat's special dietary needs:  "All my customers have such cats!"  She was so incredibly cold about it, it's hard to forget!  I can only hope that what she said is nowhere near the truth given Feline's Pride's outrageous unreliability and uncaring attitude...

Gerry

 

[thedude]

Lesterktty, sorry to hear about your order and this news saddens me. I was / am really hoping this company can somehow turn it around. I just don't understand after all the issues they've had that they still send food in subpar packaging. Maybe a wealthy cat owner/lover can make FP an offer they can't refuse and turn this once great company around.

 

[lesterktty]

Hello again, y'all! I wanted to give an update so everyone will have all the info if they are trying to make decisions, like me and The Dude.

I, of course, notified FP immediately upon receiving that bad shipment. They immediately shipped another order before responding to me. It was shipped the same way, 2nd day priority USPS, so I was leery. I was never called, but I have emailed back and forth several times with S------- (not sure I should use names). She was apologetic and vowed to make it right. She acknowledged serious problems stemming from nefarious (always wanted to use that word ) activity by folks no longer employed or involved in the company.

And yes, I said "WTH happened with my order, if it is fixed, as you say?". She seemed really upset that USPS didn't come through. I also emailed once more with the founder of Feline Nutrition Foundation because I noticed on the page listing their Board, that one of the members was Dennis Gomas, Feline's Pride CEO. She again reassured me that the company is still committed to fulfilling the legacy of Shelby Gomas. She acknowledges that they have had serious problems. She also confirmed that S------ is part of the company and NOT the disgruntled employee.

Since it is too late to make this long story short haha........... I received my second shipment this morning. All was intact and still frozen. It was the correct foods. I am going to thaw some of the rabbit and get a review from Stevie Ray and Daisy as soon as I finish posting this. I tried to add some pictures but can't figure it out, doh.

Dude, I definitely wish I was in a position to make them an offer! I know what a difference the proper food makes for cats and I will never again stop feeding raw. Obviously, the time has come for me to stop relying on others and make my babies' food here at home! Hope this helps others trying to decide about FP. I want Gerry to know how much I appreciate him and everyone else for being open about their experience. My experience is in no way meant to challenge or throw shade on what happened to those who didn't have a good resolution. I honestly don't even want to imply that my experience was ideal, like my experiences with Only Natural Pet.

If anyone is interested in seeing what my shipment looked like, let me know and I will try again. Happy Feeding and Healthy Cats, y'all!

 

[lesterktty]

I'm so sorry about those lines. It was supposed to be a name that starts with S followed by some dashes. Sorry!

 

[lesterktty]

Also, I wanted to tell Gerry I am sorry to hear your kitty has had a setback. Sending him well wishes.