Nature's Variety Instinct canned food

[micknsnicks2mom]

Are you serving your cats the Nature's Variety Venison, and if so, what's the expiration date and is it the 5.5 oz. can?

no, i'm not serving my cats nature's variety venison. we had been serving nutro max venison, which my two loved, but snick developed blood in her urine -- which my understanding is that a small percentage of cats react this way to the nutro canned cat foods, so i discontinued that brand here.

i do serve taste of the wild rocky mountain feline formula canned to my cats, which has venison as one of the ingredients and which my two love.

 

[teeveecat]

i do serve taste of the wild rocky mountain feline formula canned to my cats, which has venison as one of the ingredients and which my two love.

I just checked the ingredients of the Rocky Mountain Feline formula and they're really throwing alot of different proteins in that food!

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.co..._food/rocky_mountain_feline_formula_in_gravy/

Salmon, fish broth, chicken broth, chicken liver, chicken, dried egg white, ocean fish, peas, potato starch, natural flavor, smoked salmon, roasted venison

it's the first cat food I've seen that has lox (smoked salmon)! The venison is last on the list, so I'm assuming they're not adding much. According to the site, it's 82.5 calories per 3 oz. can, so a 10 lb cat would need almost 3 cans a day to maintain weight. This is definitely not a food for cats that can only handle few or novel proteins. I also noticed that Taste of the Wild is canned by Diamond Pet Foods.

I may have to start another thread about NV Venison.

 

[bonepicker]

Update, so far:

It seems that Pork is well received by Artie! He is eating up both the NV pork and the Hound and Gatos (1/2 of the 6 oz can gone)

He is turning his nose up and walking away from duck~~both NV and Nutro. I could swear he ate some a couple weeks ago--but...

Weruva: Steak frites is a definite no go! He lapped a tiny bit and then walked away. Later in the day I tried again, putting it under him and he just stared at it...
I did mash it up and add water.

I will try lamb later today. He did eat it last week.

Hesitant about the buffalo, but I will try

I add water to all his food. 

He is so stubborn..he will starve himself rather than eat.....sigh

The forti-flora should arrive tomorrow....

Was it on this site that I saw a change over chart for cats? I mean it told you what kind novel protein they would go for if chicken or fish or beef was their favorite...

I am not really thinking about trying a raw diet. I leave food out all day for him because he is a grazer. I also left food during the night for him.  I could nor would I do that with raw food. Artie has always been a grazer. A little bit at a time.

I hope I am not jinxing myself, but he has not vomited in an entire week!! 

not working on his bowels--I know the change over in food will effect them.. he has been constipated, but between the food change, miralax (always gave it to him) and one dose of laxatone (no bm for 3 days); he had a lot of diarrhea yesterday.. no miralax today.....

Cats on canned food poop very little normally, are you sure he is constipated, maybe he does not need a laxative ad that is why he has diarrhea!

 

[artiemom]

I bought one can of the NV venison. It was a nose turner upper! That is long gone...

I have several cans of NV rabbit; Mostly small cans with one large can...exp date on one small can is 12/1/17; The large can is 10/20/16

The Hound and Gatos from Amazon is Lamb,  large cans, expiration date of 3/20/16...None of the cans were dented or seals broken..The case was in good shape....

Artie turned suddenly turned his nose up at all the novel proteins...all brands..He stopped eating completely, not because he was sick, because he wanted Fancy Feast.

.. What a few people strongly suggested is to stick with one novel protein until he gets tired of it and then introduce another. I decided to start with the lamb because he took to it so easily..

He now refuses to eat it unless I mix a bit of fancy feast and Forti flora with it.......

He will be getting tired of that soon..I know him...

Wed: I opened a can of H&G pork. Again, nose turned up......I know he is constipated. We have played that game enough to know...so I am waiting this out..laxatone and miralax...I expect a 'gift' today.....then his appetite will improve....

this is so maddening....

I am about to give him a real can of cat food.....sigh

 

[teeveecat]

I bought one can of the NV venison. It was a nose turner upper! That is long gone...

I have several cans of NV rabbit; Mostly small cans with one large can...exp date on one small can is 12/1/17; The large can is 10/20/16

The Hound and Gatos from Amazon is Lamb,  large cans, expiration date of 3/20/16...None of the cans were dented or seals broken..The case was in good shape....

Artie turned suddenly turned his nose up at all the novel proteins...all brands..He stopped eating completely, not because he was sick, because he wanted Fancy Feast.
.. What a few people strongly suggested is to stick with one novel protein until he gets tired of it and then introduce another. I decided to start with the lamb because he took to it so easily..
He now refuses to eat it unless I mix a bit of fancy feast and Forti flora with it.......

He will be getting tired of that soon..I know him...


Wed: I opened a can of H&G pork. Again, nose turned up......I know he is constipated. We have played that game enough to know...so I am waiting this out..laxatone and miralax...I expect a 'gift' today.....then his appetite will improve....

this is so maddening....
I am about to give him a real can of cat food.....sigh

Artiesmom - I'm going to address your recent post in order of your comments above:

1) If the NV Instinct canned venison you purchased was a small can, then there's a good chance your cat won't eat it. For some reason the food in the small cans doesn't smell or look the same as the food in the 5.5 oz cans. I would hold off in purchasing Nature's Variety venison for a few months as I'm finding bone fragments in their large cans with the best by expiration date of November 12, 2017.
Wait several months and either email or call the company and ask if the problem has been resolved. That's why I've been asking if anyone has purchased Nature's Variety Instinct Venison.

2) In regard to the Nature's Variety Instinct rabbit, once again I would recommend not buying the smaller 3 oz. cans. For some reason, the food is several shades lighter in color than that in the 5.5 oz cans. You should also return the can with the 10/20/16 expiration date as that was the first corrected production cycle after another problem with bone fragments that weren't ground properly in cans from several previous production batches.

3) I would not order any food from Amazon as they have stuff sitting on their shelves for too long. There's not a fast turnover of pet items there for some reason. Wag.com will ship it faster but as I've said, they would have to guarantee me an expiration date before I placed an order. Petco doesn't carry Hound & Gatos, so Chewy and Petfooddirect might have faster shipments. I think Petflow.com might carry it and they also will tell you the expiration dates if you ask via email.

In regard to the constipation, Hound & Gatos has .5% of crude fiber in their canned food, Fancy Feast is about 1.5 crude fiber content, while Nature's Variety rabbit is 3%. If your cat has been completely taken off a high fiber kibble diet, it can cause constipation in some instances. When my cat was eating Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken which has a low fiber content, she wouldn't poop for 4 to 7 days at a time! I would get really worried and take her to the vet. He would tell me not to be alarmed as he didn't feel much in her intestines. He recommended a fiber additive which didn't help much. It wasn't until I switched her to Nature's Variety Instinct that she started going regularly. I later found out that Weruva's Paw Lickin' Chicken was only about 100 calories per large can! That explained why she was getting very thin and why she rarely had to move her bowels! Remember that a small can of Fancy Feast is only about 75-85 calories. I'm not sure how much Artie weighs, but if that's his entire diet, and if he's over 10 lbs., it might take 3 cans or more of Fancy Feast to have any effect on him. The Hound & Gatos Lamb is 192 calories, so a male cat might need 1.5 or 2 cans of that a day depending on weight.

This is a pretty good chart to bookmark:

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/SortableCatFoodChartCatinfo.org2-22-13.htm

 

[ahlysha]

Oh my word! This sounds like my finicky furbal. He too, eats Fancy Feast classics pates. He likes the beef, turkey gibblets even chicken but tends to have days he was T&G or beef. I never know and end up opening two Or three cans. He always has a bowl of water and dry food nearby. He too, does the wolf down food and vomit bit sans re-eating. He used to be constipated now just sort Of loose with occasional constipation If he isn't drinking enough. Ugh.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

I just checked the ingredients of the Rocky Mountain Feline formula and they're really throwing alot of different proteins in that food!

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.co..._food/rocky_mountain_feline_formula_in_gravy/
it's the first cat food I've seen that has lox (smoked salmon)! The venison is last on the list, so I'm assuming they're not adding much. According to the site, it's 82.5 calories per 3 oz. can, so a 10 lb cat would need almost 3 cans a day to maintain weight. This is definitely not a food for cats that can only handle few or novel proteins. I also noticed that Taste of the Wild is canned by Diamond Pet Foods.

I may have to start another thread about NV Venison.

yes, the venison is last on the ingredient list in the rocky mountain feline formula. it's (some) variety in proteins for my picky eater, which i like. snick does have IBD (as well as CKD), though we manage the IBD very well. we have a fairly large rotation of canned cats foods here, partly because snick is an extremely picky eater (and will eat so much better when she is offered variety with her canned foods) and partly because i prefer for her to eat some variety in the proteins.

we used to buy nutro max venison and the same brand in duck, canned foods. but snick had a bad reaction to the nutro, blood in her urine -- my understanding is that this can happen in a small percentage of cats/dogs who eat nutro foods. it's too bad that snick cannot have the nutro max, because she absolutely loved it.

 

[artiemom]

This morning, I gave up on feeding Artie the novel protein.  He is just flat out refusing to eat....The last straw was seeing him eat only a tablespoon of food during the night and a small amount yesterday...only enough to survive.. He stopped purring....he is not happy..  And I payed a lot of attention to him yesterday...not a purr...just a bit when I was brushing him.....

I broke down and gave him a can of Fancy Feast beef with cheddar.. He loves that....Artie gobbled down half the can in one sitting! As soon as he smelt the can, he ran over with his tail up in the air...He was starving....

I am going to try to stay away from poultry, and see how he does on that....I will give him the  novel proteins in-between......

I cannot stand to see my cat suffer, either from sickness or him starving himself because he is so stubborn.....I will keep up with the pepcid....

If this does not work, along with the pepcid; I mean a week of this, then I will take him to the Vet for testing......

He is very stubborn...

He is happier now that his tummy is full. I just went over to him and he is purring....

He is 11 years old and had been fed junk food for 8 years.... It is too much of a habit and taste for him to change....

 

[lisahe]

 
I am going to try to stay away from poultry, and see how he does on that....I will give him the  novel proteins in-between......

Given the circumstances (meaning Artie's pickiness... something I think most of us understand all too well!), this sounds like a good approach. You've always thought it was poultry that was bothering him, right? Maybe his symptoms will improve by taking poultry out of his diet and then you can try giving him different kinds of foods. Sometimes mixing can help.

In any case, good luck. It's not easy feeding cats!

 

[teeveecat]

This morning, I gave up on feeding Artie the novel protein.  He is just flat out refusing to eat....The last straw was seeing him eat only a tablespoon of food during the night and a small amount yesterday...only enough to survive.. He stopped purring....he is not happy..  And I payed a lot of attention to him yesterday...not a purr...just a bit when I was brushing him.....

I broke down and gave him a can of Fancy Feast beef with cheddar.. He loves that....Artie gobbled down half the can in one sitting! As soon as he smelt the can, he ran over with his tail up in the air...He was starving....

I am going to try to stay away from poultry, and see how he does on that....I will give him the  novel proteins in-between......

I cannot stand to see my cat suffer, either from sickness or him starving himself because he is so stubborn.....I will keep up with the pepcid....

If this does not work, along with the pepcid; I mean a week of this, then I will take him to the Vet for testing......
He is very stubborn...

He is happier now that his tummy is full. I just went over to him and he is purring....
He is 11 years old and had been fed junk food for 8 years.... It is too much of a habit and taste for him to change....

I understand completely and sympathize. You want to see your pet happy and healthy. The most important thing is to try to ensure that he eats enough so that he's getting the the necessary vitamins and minerals, and especially the taurine in his diet. If Fancy Feast is what he wants and needs to stay healthy, that's what you have to feed him.

If you're going to stay with one of the Nestle's Purina made foods, have you looked at or tried Purina Beyond? It looks like they're finally making an attempt at manufacturing a more natural food:

https://www.beyondpetfood.com/products/cat

Perhaps it has a taste similar to Fancy Feast. It looks like they've eliminated any use of artificial flavoring and by-products in the canned and dry formulas. Here's a good thread in this forum that discusses Purina Beyond. I checked the first page and they said their cats liked it. Some don't like that menadione is in it, but that's in Fancy Feast, too. Menadione is a synthetic form of Vitamin K
that's a somewhat controversial ingredient (see http://truthaboutpetfood.com/toxic-menadione and http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/menadione-in-dog-food/ ).

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/289052/purina-beyond-canned

I'm not sure why Purina can't try making foods with novel proteins, or at least lease their cannery to the smaller cat food producers as well as distributing the brands. Although Nestle's Purina has had recalls from time to time, considering the massive pet food production they're responsible for, their quality control is almost definitely superior to the various smaller canneries.

 

[ahlysha]

Do any of you feed the fineky cats eggs? Mine will BEG for one, then he eats his FF
. I also noticed he enjoys raw chicken, beef. I cut up a whole chicken breast small and store it in the fridge. I'm trying to do whatever I can to augment his diet with as much protiens as I can and not go broke.

 

[teeveecat]

Do any of you feed the fineky cats eggs? Mine will BEG for one, then he eats his FF
. I also noticed he enjoys raw chicken, beef. I cut up a whole chicken breast small and store it in the fridge. I'm trying to do whatever I can to augment his diet with as much protiens as I can and not go broke.

I never fed my cat an egg, but then again she's allergic to many things so I can't take a chance. The most important thing is that the cat get all the necessary vitamins and minerals each day and that's why cat food with the appropriate serving for a cat's weight is so important. Those who home cook the food have to ensure that all the nutrients are met, especially the taurine.

Here's a good article on eggs and cats. The author seems to feel that it can be beneficial when cooked, even if hardboiled and fed with the shell!. I'm quoting a summary but I would suggest reading not only the whole article but the comments as well:

http://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_multi_eggs_for_pets2

The egg is also a great source of protein; it helps build muscle, strengthen the hair, and repair tissue. Hardboiled is the most foolproof and straightforward method for feeding eggs to your pet, since there is no need for extra non-stick ingredients (i.e., butter, oil, or margarine for scrambling). The cooked egg can be cut into heart chunks, or diced and mixed into the usual kibble. The egg can even be given as is -- after it has cooled thoroughly.

Again, if you are at all concerned about your pet’s ability to handle a whole unbroken egg, you can tap the egg against a counter top, tapping the egg on all sides until the shell is cracked all over. Then your dog or cat will be able to bite right into the egg, shell and all.Raw eggs, on the other hand, are not generally recommended for cats and dogs. While there have not been health scares involving raw eggs and transmission of any major illness to domesticated animals, it is still better to be safe. Raw eggs do not impart any significant health benefit, and may only cause problems -- issues of which are nullified by cooking the egg.

One such issue is the presence of the naturally occurring protein avidin in raw egg whites. Occasional consumption is not an issue, but excess avidin interferes with the functioning of biotin in the body. Biotin, more commonly known as vitamin H or B7, is essential for the growth of cells, metabolism of fat, and transference of carbon dioxide, amongst other functions. Even with cooked eggs, moderation is key. No more than one egg a day, unless your veterinarian has indicated otherwise.

 

[ahlysha]

Teeveecat,
Good informative article. He only eats one a day if that. Sometimes only once every other day. Only the yoke. He won't eat it cooked or raw whites.

We used to feed Iams dry and occasionally Iams wet A's treats. I didn't go to exclusively wet for Sangria (Mr. Picky eater ) until last year. Three years ago he stared being constipated from not drinking enough water while on the dry food diet. Vet suggested butter or olive oil to get things moving.

It worked.Also made him thirsty so he'd drink. Sangria since a kitten always ate or drank too much or fast until he vomited. Was always slim too,yet always has access to fresh food and clean water.
He started being more constipated so I gradually got him to Fancy Feast and raw. I would like to have him exclusively raw if I can. He is gaining weight, although I prefer a little more. (Not obese type just not skinny. )

Unfortunately, I have 7 other fur babies who gladly steal Sangria's food. If I put him in a room alone with his food, he won't eat. Thus, I must stand by guarding him and the food until he is full and is washing up.
Needless to say, this can be mildly stressful to make sure he eats his 2-3 cans a day of FF w/o being harassed by his brothers and sisters.

 

[leanansidhex]

I've read some of your "Arti" posts but only have time to skim some others ... Enzymes are probably part  (most) of what is missing from his (and all animals and people fed a dead, processed diet. I forget this fact sometimes, but when I remember it, usually because of an educational email from wysong, my cats THRIVE and their symptoms subside when I feed them frozen raw.

I recently had a cat diagnosed with PEI, pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, and was given RX enzyme product TO PUT IN DEAD CANNED FOOD! That was my cat food aha moment ... again ... because I keep forgetting, why wouldn't I just feed them live food instead of medicating them and their dead food? And it is working.

You can sign up for this http://www.wysongpethealth.net/  and read these now http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/?article=0&cat=cat0

I have had my cats, both the sick and the well, allergy [blood] tested with the BICOM method, and PRIMAL products, in whatever proteins they are not allergic to, have been non allergenic for all 4 of them.  Some are on the Beef and Salmon (yes I know FISH, BUT these formulas were deemed non allergenic to my individual cats, some on the Turkey, none of them on both. Now PRIMAL has pork and it has been the answer for my CRF kitty, low phosphorous (double check this 'fact' for yourself, by contacting Primal as I am trusting another source, for now, for that info) The best part is all the kitties CAN eat the pork, and all of them do! If you are concerned about 'germs' and the CRF cat you could see what you think about freeze-dried 'raw' as it is not really raw (enzymes) but I look at it as the cleanest form of limited ingredient 'canned' food.

I add purified, or spring water (NEVER distilled for pets or people to drink) to the glass bowls I defrost it in, it adds water and draws the blood out. I am actually saving money on cat food now that I have it streamlined and am not throwing out food.

For what it's worth, I had all the cats tested for allergies, BICOM, against all Fancy Feast Classics, and all Hound and Gatos, and none those were 'good' for MY cats.

I know what you mean about leaving food out all the time, but cats don't biologically function well when they are constantly digesting food. they eat many 6- 10-12... small meals a day, so I feed 2 consistent feedings at 5:30 am 5:30 pm  and space the rest out  randomly, as my schedule permits. I read somewhere that even leaving food out, so that they can smell it, starts their digestive process, so it's best to pick up and refrigerate what they don't eat in a timely manner.  I'm not careless about raw feeding, but I've also been known to fall asleep without wiping down the counter or washing the empty dishes and so far no problem. I'm far more worried about dry pet food (which I never feed) being contaminated and making us sick.

 

[mewlittle]

You might be able to find the venison one on chewy . Com i cant remember if they have it also they sell the food cheaper then the store does

My cat Marty eats natures variety and he is doing good on it not 100% yet thou but its been about a month on it

 

[ginny]

Hi,

I've recently started introducing Nature's Variety Instinct to my kitties.  I normally feed them Fancy Feast and Friskies and started putting a little spoonful beside their regular food to see what they'd do.  They've tried Turkey and Rabbit and Lamb so far - grain-free.  I'm also trying Canidae too.  I can't remember which can it was where I found several whole peas.  When I saw it, I immediately thought "they'll never eat that!"  But they did!  In fact, there hasn't been any throwing up so far.  I'd like to switch them to grain-free completely because I've noticed Oreo no longer overgrooms and the scabs on his back are all gone since switching to grain-free dry food.  I don't want to keep them on the dry food because of Dr. Lisa Pierson's recommendations.  She actually said on her website that it may be better for them to eat the least expensive wet food like Friskies than to eat the most expensive dry food.  

 

[ragsmom]

"Fluffing it up with a fork"

And I thought I was the only one who had been "trained" to do that! :lol3: Sami does not like it when her food gets flattened out in her bowl. I have to "fluff" it and get it all back into a nice little mound in the middle of her bowl!

 

[ginny]

"Fluffing it up with a fork"

And I thought I was the only one who had been "trained" to do that!

Sami does not like it when her food gets flattened out in her bowl. I have to "fluff" it and get it all back into a nice little mound in the middle of her bowl!

Well I'm glad you learned better!  

  Rather that your kitty taught you the lesson that a food bowl with food missing from the center is essentially an empty bowl, and that makes them sad. Lol!  Apparently they have no peripheral vision until abject hunger sets in, then (but only then) do they see the food plastered on the sides of the bowl. Silly kitties.  No wonder we love them so much!