Recommendations on Better Canned Food

[CatLadyofNine]

Hi,

I am new here but I’ve lurked around this site for a couple of years now and finally made an account. I am owned by nine kitties that I love to spoil but I am sometimes limited on a budget. Does anyone have recommendations for better canned food? I’ve been feeding a rotation of Friskies, Purina One, Pro Plan and recently Sheba. I normally always get pates, and I like to add water to them a bit. They get the Friskies more than anything, though. I’ve read quite a bit on learning to read labels and what food is best for them. I want to stop feeding food with fish completely in the near future, and I want to try brands that are grain/gluten/wheat free etc.. and I’d like to rotate their proteins to something other than chicken or turkey. They really liked the Shebas, so I will definitely be getting more of that, and I got some Stella & Chewys Absolutely Rabbit and they just love it as a treat. Some brands I’ve been eyeing are Weruva, Merrick, Wellness, Evangers, and Petcos brand, Wholehearted. Anyone have experience with these brands or any other recommendations that won’t break the bank with nine babies? They are my world and I want what’s best for them!

Thanks!

 

[heatherwillard0614]

CatLadyofNine WELCOME to TCS
You will find that everyone here is kind, non judgemental, and everyone tries to help with any information/advice.
I'm not able to help with this topic because I'm in the process of trying to get my little girl off kibble so I'm at the stage of getting her on a meal routine.
I just wanted to give a big warm welcome.

 

[CatLadyofNine]

Thank you! I am very happy to have discovered this site years ago and now be apart of it!

 

[Astragal14]

They are my world and I want what’s best for them!

You have certainly found some like-minded people!

Pro Plan and Purina One are a pretty good value for the money. Petco's Whole Hearted brand is also a good value, but my cats don't like their canned food, just the dry. Weruva, Wellness and Merrick are also good brands (I don't have personal experience with Evangers). Be careful with Weruva if you're trying to avoid fish, they hide fish (especially tuna) in a lot of foods that say chicken or lamb.

There are a few other options to consider as well. Take a look at the Petco Vital Care Premier membership and see if it's worth the cost (I don't work for Petco, I just know about the program because they give me their entire sales pitch every single time I'm in the store, I personally don't shop there enough to make it worth the cost). It's $20/ month but you do get a lot of rewards. I also find that Petco has a lot of deals in store that they don't have online.
Petco Vital Care Premier

Petco also has Soulistic, which is made exclusively for Petco by Weruva, so it's very similar to Weruva but a little less expensive. And watch out for hidden fish.
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/brand/soulistic

There are also a few brands that offer 10-12 oz cans, I find they're a terrific value as long as your cats will eat it! I hate finding out my cats loved the single can I bought but hate the case. Soulistic, Weruva, Nulo and Lotus are brands that offer 10-12 oz cans (there are probably others, I'm just not aware of them.... also Lotus has super thick pates, so you can really make the can go farther by just adding water). Nulo also has good sales at PetSmart as well.
https://www.chewy.com/weruva-cats-in-kitchen-lamb-burgini/dp/169229
https://www.chewy.com/nulo-freestyle-turkey-chicken-recipe/dp/580958
https://www.chewy.com/lotus-turkey-pate-grain-free-canned/dp/109963

 

[CatLadyofNine]

Thanks for the suggestions!
I will definitely check out Soulistic, I didn’t know Weruva made it. Unfortunately I don’t get to my Petco often, as it’s a further drive. I typically shop at Pet Supplies Plus regularly since they’re closer, but my store only carries 2 varieties of Weruva. I normally get my Purina Pro Plan and the freeze dried Stella & Chewy’s there. Once I find what brands both my cats and I like, I’ll just order cases from Chewy. I normally rotate flavors so we normally don’t have any issues going through cases. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Chewy and their shipping time actually beats Amazon. I will definitely take a look at Nulo and Lotus as well, bigger cans would be more convienent for us.

 

[Astragal14]

It's worth asking Pet Supplies Plus if they can order food for you, and see how much it will cost and if you can use coupons. Most stores can order any food from any brand that is carried in store... something about already having a vendor relationship. And I find PSP often has better prices than anyone else, even Chewy (our local PSP closed last year and I'm still so bummed).

Definitely check out the Lotus pates if you'd like larger cans. Their pate is so dense you can easily add up to 50% water, so a 10 oz can becomes close to 15 oz of food. Nulo is also thick and you can add water, it's just not as thick as Lotus.

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Hi,

I am new here but I’ve lurked around this site for a couple of years now and finally made an account. I am owned by nine kitties that I love to spoil but I am sometimes limited on a budget. Does anyone have recommendations for better canned food? I’ve been feeding a rotation of Friskies, Purina One, Pro Plan and recently Sheba. I normally always get pates, and I like to add water to them a bit. They get the Friskies more than anything, though. I’ve read quite a bit on learning to read labels and what food is best for them. I want to stop feeding food with fish completely in the near future, and I want to try brands that are grain/gluten/wheat free etc.. and I’d like to rotate their proteins to something other than chicken or turkey. They really liked the Shebas, so I will definitely be getting more of that, and I got some Stella & Chewys Absolutely Rabbit and they just love it as a treat. Some brands I’ve been eyeing are Weruva, Merrick, Wellness, Evangers, and Petcos brand, Wholehearted. Anyone have experience with these brands or any other recommendations that won’t break the bank with nine babies? They are my world and I want what’s best for them!

Thanks!

Way to go looking for healthier alternatives! For high-quality canned food, I typically only recommend human-grade, but if human-grade is unaffordable, super premium is the next best option. For human-grade canned food, the brands I've found to be most trustworthy, from my family's personal experience with our cats, are Tiki Cat and Nature's Logic. The next best super premium brand that I can think of, not as an expert, but just from what I've researched thus far, is American Journey.

If you still want to go the human-grade route but you want something cheaper than canned food, try Raw Dog Food & Co., which also produces raw meals for cats. For reference, I was feeding my 8-lb. neutered male cat Boaz canned Tiki Cat & Nature's Logic, which would cost me around $65 per month. When I switched to Raw Dog Food & Co., I brought my monthly cat food bill down to around $45-50 per month. I can handle that since I only have one cat, LOL. American Journey might be the next best option for you.

Whatever you decide, just stick with the highest quality food that you can afford, and don't beat yourself up if human-grade canned or raw is beyond your budget. All you can do is the best you can.

 

[maggie101]

Thanks for the suggestions!
I will definitely check out Soulistic, I didn’t know Weruva made it. Unfortunately I don’t get to my Petco often, as it’s a further drive. I typically shop at Pet Supplies Plus regularly since they’re closer, but my store only carries 2 varieties of Weruva. I normally get my Purina Pro Plan and the freeze dried Stella & Chewy’s there. Once I find what brands both my cats and I like, I’ll just order cases from Chewy. I normally rotate flavors so we normally don’t have any issues going through cases. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Chewy and their shipping time actually beats Amazon. I will definitely take a look at Nulo and Lotus as well, bigger cans would be more convienent for us.

I feed my cats expensive and cheaper like fancy feast classics