No Turkey Wet Food Option

[BonitaBaby]

Hi. Now that I'm checking this site again, I'm feeling crazy again about trying to get my cat the best rotation of wet cat foods. This is hard since I have tried different flavors (salmon, tuna, shrimp, beef, venison, lamb, rabbit, etc.), textures, and brands. She only seems to like turkey. Pate usually. I currently have her eating a little bit of Nutro turkey pate and Nutro cuts in gravy.

She really is not interested in chicken, but I'm going to try some chicken & turkey formulas from other brands just in case.

My question is does anyone have any idea why quite a few pet food companies either don't have a turkey option or at least a mixed turkey option? It makes no sense to me since some offer lamb and rabbit, etc. that should cost the company a lot more than turkey.

I was getting worried about my cat developing an allergy to turkey since it's the only wet she'll eat a little bit of, but I realized it's a good thing she free feeds dry kibble since she'll eat different flavors of kibble. She's currently on Blue Wilderness Rabbit.

So right now I'm looking again at different brands of turkey for her to eat since the Nutro Perfect Portions has gums, carageenan, and menadione complex.

 

[2BSH]

I think the fancy feast turkey and giblets classic pate is a decent food. No carrageenan and very low in carbs. It’s got decent ingredients and no artificial colors. It’s the only fancy feast food I occasionally feed my cats. You could feed that in rotation. It very affordable too. I think natures variety has a limited ingredient turkey pate also. That one is pricier.

 

[BonitaBaby]

I think the fancy feast turkey and giblets classic pate is a decent food. No carrageenan and very low in carbs. It’s got decent ingredients and no artificial colors. It’s the only fancy feast food I occasionally feed my cats. You could feed that in rotation. It very affordable too. I think natures variety has a limited ingredient turkey pate also. That one is pricier.

Thanks. My picky kitty used to eat a bit of the Fancy Feast Classics until she only wanted Turkey with Giblets and another flavor (Liver and Chicken, I think). Then, she quickly stopped eating them, leaving me with cans I'd ordered from Chewy.

Earlier today, I picked up a can of the FF Classics Turkey & Giblets just in case I can get it into the rotation, but I think it was the giblets that made her not like it anymore.

I also picked up a Nature's Variety Instinct LID turkey pate can, so we'll see.

I bought like 10 different turkey or turkey and something flavors to try. Dr. Elsey's sample of Turkey pate arrived today so Yay! I'm looking forward to trying that one!

 

[KarenKat]

So I referred to my cat food spreadsheet for this, since I have become absolutely insane about cat food for the same reason. I understand well your cat food mania.

I don't know your price range, but often you can buy some pricier foods as an infrequent treat and to add variety. I have tried:

• Hound and Gatos "Gamebird" flavor - first ingredient is turkey, but it also includes quail, duck and guinea fowl. Olive loves this flavor
• Wellness Core Chicken, Turkey, and Chicken Liver
• Dr. Elsey's Turkey Formula (available at drelseys.com or chewy) - one of my staples, you can order a 24 case of all the flavors too I think to try some) -- Also because this post is so long I saw you got a sample just now, hope she loves it! I'm keeping it on my suggested list because it took a long time to type lol.
• Life's Abundance (only available at Lifesabundance.com but you can buy a single can to try) - It's Chicken, Turkey and Shrimp flavor
• Only Natural Turkey Pate (onlynaturalpet.com, sells single cans) - Olive loved it until I bought a case, then she wouldn't finish it. The feral cats ate well that night
• Rawz Turkey and Turkey Liver (can be hard to find, I order from bernalbeast.com) - the Rawz brand is a little more expensive but there is no objectionable ingredients
• First Mate Turkey recipe (I have a can but haven't tried it yet) - Trin and Gohan liked the chicken flavor, Olive didn't

Those are the ones I have looked at. Merrick also has an LID turkey which I haven't tried. Has she eaten pieces of turkey that you cook with no seasonings? Topping our "chicken is the only food ever" cat's wet food with chicken was the way we got him to even try it. You might be able to top non-turkey food with turkey/

 

[BonitaBaby]

But I'm disappointed that quite a few brands don't offer turkey. I should make a list and maybe start asking the companies why they don't.

 

[duckpond]

these are a few brands i feed

Caru Classic Turkey Stew Grain-Free Wet Cat Food, 6-oz, case of 12
havent tried the turkey, my guy likes the salmon and turkey

American Journey Minced Turkey Recipe in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24
this one does have a bit of guar gum.
American Journey Minced Chicken & Turkey Recipe in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24

Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Turkey Formula Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24

American Journey Minced Chicken & Turkey Recipe in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24

Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Morsels in Gravy Real Turkey Recipe Cuts Cat Food Pouches, 3-oz, case of 24

Castor & Pollux PRISTINE Grain-Free Free-Range Turkey Recipe Morsels in Gravy Cat Food Pouches, 3-oz, case of 24

And Rawz makes a turkey as well.

Its really hard to find anything without gums

 

[BonitaBaby]

So I referred to my cat food spreadsheet for this, since I have become absolutely insane about cat food for the same reason. I understand well your cat food mania.

I don't know your price range, but often you can buy some pricier foods as an infrequent treat and to add variety. I have tried:

• Hound and Gatos "Gamebird" flavor - first ingredient is turkey, but it also includes quail, duck and guinea fowl. Olive loves this flavor
• Wellness Core Chicken, Turkey, and Chicken Liver
• Dr. Elsey's Turkey Formula (available at drelseys.com or chewy) - one of my staples, you can order a 24 case of all the flavors too I think to try some) -- Also because this post is so long I saw you got a sample just now, hope she loves it! I'm keeping it on my suggested list because it took a long time to type lol.
• Life's Abundance (only available at Lifesabundance.com but you can buy a single can to try) - It's Chicken, Turkey and Shrimp flavor
• Only Natural Turkey Pate (onlynaturalpet.com, sells single cans) - Olive loved it until I bought a case, then she wouldn't finish it. The feral cats ate well that night
• Rawz Turkey and Turkey Liver (can be hard to find, I order from bernalbeast.com) - the Rawz brand is a little more expensive but there is no objectionable ingredients
• First Mate Turkey recipe (I have a can but haven't tried it yet) - Trin and Gohan liked the chicken flavor, Olive didn't

Those are the ones I have looked at. Merrick also has an LID turkey which I haven't tried. Has she eaten pieces of turkey that you cook with no seasonings? Topping our "chicken is the only food ever" cat's wet food with chicken was the way we got him to even try it. You might be able to top non-turkey food with turkey/

Thanks for your list! I occasionally used to let my cat eat a little bit of Trader Joe's low-sodium turkey breast, but she quickly got bored of it and barely ate any pieces last time. It was rarely that I bought it/gave her any. She just gets bored so quickly.

 

[Daisy6]

I look forward to reading the results. Daisy seems to like turkey too but has mostly eaten chicken recipes in her short life.

 

[molly92]

A couple other good turkey cans that I feed: Holistic Select and Whole Earth Farms.

 

[BonitaBaby]

these are a few brands i feed

Caru Classic Turkey Stew Grain-Free Wet Cat Food, 6-oz, case of 12
havent tried the turkey, my guy likes the salmon and turkey

American Journey Minced Turkey Recipe in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24
this one does have a bit of guar gum.
American Journey Minced Chicken & Turkey Recipe in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24

Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Turkey Formula Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24

American Journey Minced Chicken & Turkey Recipe in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, 3-oz, case of 24

Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Morsels in Gravy Real Turkey Recipe Cuts Cat Food Pouches, 3-oz, case of 24

Castor & Pollux PRISTINE Grain-Free Free-Range Turkey Recipe Morsels in Gravy Cat Food Pouches, 3-oz, case of 24

And Rawz makes a turkey as well.

Its really hard to find anything without gums

Thanks! I was actually looking up the Caru earlier after I saw you post it on a different thread. I was going to call in case they'd send the sample of the Turkey Stew, but they're EST, so I'll call tomorrow. Otherwise, I might go to my local specialty store and look for it there. I don't have high hopes for my picky pate kitty liking it though. She's so picky about pate even.

 

[KarenKat]

That's too bad! It was helpful for Trin until he developed IBD/a chicken allergy (we think).

Olive is a little porky cat and eats almost anything, but I noticed she would get bored with flavors if I fed them in a row. Now I have a rotation of about 6 different flavors and brands, and she seems to be as excited about each meal regardless of the food. Of course, I know I got extremely lucky with her lack of pickiness. The two boys are ridiculous with their snubbing of wet food, so I guess it makes up for that. I highly recommend the Life's Abundance, all three liked that one right away.

 

[KarenKat]

BonitaBaby - what part of California are you in? There is a specialty store called Fog City Pet Supplies in Pacifica that has a lot of flavors you can buy a can or two of. That's where I got the First Mate (also branded as Kasiks) and the Rawz Turkey.

 

[BonitaBaby]

A couple other good turkey cans that I feed: Holistic Select and Whole Earth Farms.

Thanks! I started my search again at PetSmart although I did call Dave's and messaged Dr. Elsey's and they are sending/sent samples. I called Petcurean to get a sample of Go! Fit and Free turkey recipe. They said no, but said they will call my local specialty store to see about getting their wet cans (only 2 flavors) in stock there. The store only stocks dry.

I'll try not to keep going crazy over cat wet food and wait a while to go back to Petco and my local specialty store.

 

[2BSH]

Thanks. My picky kitty used to eat a bit of the Fancy Feast Classics until she only wanted Turkey with Giblets and another flavor (Liver and Chicken, I think). Then, she quickly stopped eating them, leaving me with cans I'd ordered from Chewy.

Earlier today, I picked up a can of the FF Classics Turkey & Giblets just in case I can get it into the rotation, but I think it was the giblets that made her not like it anymore.

I also picked up a Nature's Variety Instinct LID turkey pate can, so we'll see.

I bought like 10 different turkey or turkey and something flavors to try. Dr. Elsey's sample of Turkey pate arrived today so Yay! I'm looking forward to trying that one!

Excellent! I think you’re waaaay ahead of me lol

 

[BonitaBaby]

BonitaBaby - what part of California are you in? There is a specialty store called Fog City Pet Supplies in Pacifica that has a lot of flavors you can buy a can or two of. That's where I got the First Mate (also branded as Kasiks) and the Rawz Turkey.

I live in L.A. I've bought different flavors for my cat to try from Petco, Petsmart and a local specialty store called Urban Pet. I was hoping to get my kitty on a nice rotation of different flavors, but she really only seems to like turkey when it comes to wet food. I'm guessing they probably use dark meat turkey in their wet foods...

 

[2BSH]

That's too bad! It was helpful for Trin until he developed IBD/a chicken allergy (we think).

Olive is a little porky cat and eats almost anything, but I noticed she would get bored with flavors if I fed them in a row. Now I have a rotation of about 6 different flavors and brands, and she seems to be as excited about each meal regardless of the food. Of course, I know I got extremely lucky with her lack of pickiness. The two boys are ridiculous with their snubbing of wet food, so I guess it makes up for that. I highly recommend the Life's Abundance, all three liked that one right away.

What’s life’s abundance? I don’t see it anywhere only the dry.

 

[BonitaBaby]

That's too bad! It was helpful for Trin until he developed IBD/a chicken allergy (we think).

Olive is a little porky cat and eats almost anything, but I noticed she would get bored with flavors if I fed them in a row. Now I have a rotation of about 6 different flavors and brands, and she seems to be as excited about each meal regardless of the food. Of course, I know I got extremely lucky with her lack of pickiness. The two boys are ridiculous with their snubbing of wet food, so I guess it makes up for that. I highly recommend the Life's Abundance, all three liked that one right away.

I wish my cat was more cuddly, but I ignore that and think she's a perfect kitty for me in many ways. Recently though, I realized I would say her pickiness over wet food is my one big problem with her. But I'd rather take that "problem" over peeing problems or stuff like that. .

 

[KarenKat]

I was hoping to get my kitty on a nice rotation of different flavors, but she really only seems to like turkey when it comes to wet food.

Yeah, I know the struggle from the other two cats we have. You can lead a cat to grain-free, carrageenan-free cat food but you can't make them eat ....

 

[KarenKat]

What’s life’s abundance? I don’t see it anywhere only the dry.

I first heard about it in Dr Jean Hofve's book "What Cats Should Eat: How to Feed Your Cat for Optimal Health." She also runs the littlebigcat.com blog with Jackson Galaxy. It was my first introduction to cat food, and what to look for on labels. Talk about going crazy with cat food, her criteria is so strict on what she considers good brands. She has a list of her "approved" brands but doesn't say why some don't make the cut while others do. I started using it as a guide and then relaxed the standards since they were somewhat unrealistic.

She recommends this food on her website since she said the ingredients are good, and most cats really like it. I have it as a major rotation, and so far it's the one Gohan doesn't gag at and eats a little bit of. Olive seems to especially like it, so we add it in to her rotation. Trin liked it a lot before we stopped giving him chicken.

It's only sold on their website, so you can't find it in stores or on Chewy.com. The wet food is called "Instinctive Choice" and they only have the one flavor and only in 3 oz cans. I did email them, and they said they are developing a new flavor soon.
Life's Abundance

 

[2BSH]

So I referred to my cat food spreadsheet for this, since I have become absolutely insane about cat food for the same reason. I understand well your cat food mania.

I don't know your price range, but often you can buy some pricier foods as an infrequent treat and to add variety. I have tried:

• Hound and Gatos "Gamebird" flavor - first ingredient is turkey, but it also includes quail, duck and guinea fowl. Olive loves this flavor
• Wellness Core Chicken, Turkey, and Chicken Liver
• Dr. Elsey's Turkey Formula (available at drelseys.com or chewy) - one of my staples, you can order a 24 case of all the flavors too I think to try some) -- Also because this post is so long I saw you got a sample just now, hope she loves it! I'm keeping it on my suggested list because it took a long time to type lol.
• Life's Abundance (only available at Lifesabundance.com but you can buy a single can to try) - It's Chicken, Turkey and Shrimp flavor
• Only Natural Turkey Pate (onlynaturalpet.com, sells single cans) - Olive loved it until I bought a case, then she wouldn't finish it. The feral cats ate well that night
• Rawz Turkey and Turkey Liver (can be hard to find, I order from bernalbeast.com) - the Rawz brand is a little more expensive but there is no objectionable ingredients
• First Mate Turkey recipe (I have a can but haven't tried it yet) - Trin and Gohan liked the chicken flavor, Olive didn't

Those are the ones I have looked at. Merrick also has an LID turkey which I haven't tried. Has she eaten pieces of turkey that you cook with no seasonings? Topping our "chicken is the only food ever" cat's wet food with chicken was the way we got him to even try it. You might be able to top non-turkey food with turkey/

Oh I am a first time cat owner and I’m already fanatical about cat food. Maybe we need to open cat food anonymous