Cat Food: Go Natural or Horizon Legacy?
 

So I decided to switch my girls to a different food because Aubrie had been having on and off squishy poos (she's long haired and they'd stick to her rear end, causing her to need a bath). So I got samples of Horizon Legacy & Go! Natural (Trout formula) on the recommendation of the employees at the pet food store I go to.

I've now emptied all of the samples I have and need to get more today - but I don't know which one. So far (after a couple days of each), Aubrie's poos are fine, but a couple days isn't usually enough to judge with her.

So, opinions? I only have a few hours to decide as I need to go get some today, so please don't hesitate.

Ingredients/analysis on each:
[B]Horizon Legacy[/B] Ingredients:Fresh chicken meat, chicken meal, salmon meal, turkey meal, pea starch concentrate, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, rosemary, citric acid), green split peas, whole eggs, flaxseed, salmon oil, dried alfalfa, carrots, apples, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, cranberries, Saskatoon berries, dried kelp, dried pumpkin meal, colostrum, sea buckthorn, fenugreek protein meal, dried pomegranate, dried astragalus root, dried milk thistle, glucosamine HCl, chondroitin sulphate, garlic, enzymes (dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, dried aspergillus niger extract, pineapple, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation product, rhizopus oryzae), probiotics (dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, and dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product), taurine, yucca schidigera extract, mannan oligosaccharide (MOS), burdock root extract (FOS), vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, vitamin B12, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, vitamin C (ascorbyl phosphate), ferrous sulphate, iron proteinate*, zinc sulphate, zinc proteinate*, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate*, copper sulphate, copper proteinate*, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, seleno methionine, magnesium oxide.

Nutritional Information
Protein (min)41%
Fat (min) 20%
Fibre (max) 3%
Moisture (max)9%
Omega 3 1%
Omega 6 3%

Horizon foods are 100% sourced & made in Saskatchewan, so I have no concerns about contamination or "bad" ingredients with them.

[B]Go! Natural Trout [/B]INGREDIENTS: Trout Meal, Freshwater Trout, natural fish flavor,herring meal, potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols (vit. E), salmon oil, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, taurine, choline chloride, prebiotics - (chicory root extract, mannanoligosaccharides), pumpkin, apples, carrots, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, lentil beans, broccoli, spinach, cottage cheese, alfalfa sprouts, garlic, probiotics ( Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casei, Enterococcus Faecium, Bifido-bacterium Thermophilum), Vitamins (vit. E, vit. C, niacin, inositol, vit. A, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, vit. K, beta-carotene, vit. D3, folic acid, biotin, vit. B12), Minerals (zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, iron proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), Ascorbyl-polyphosphate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Rosemary

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (min) 50%
Crude Fat (min) 21%
Crude Fiber (max) 2%
Moisture (max) 10%
Ash (max)10%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 0.5%
Taurine 1800 mg/kg
Magnesium 0.1%

Go! Natural (by Petcurean) is also Canadian made & sourced (BC), so again, no worries about contamination or bad ingredients.

Ok, now to the opinions!
Thanks in advance!
Melissa

Have you tried Orijen? It also gets its ingredients locally:

[url]http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/products/CatIngredients.aspx[/url]

[QUOTE=Love4himies;688565]Have you tried Orijen? It also gets its ingredients locally:
[url]http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/products/CatIngredients.aspx[/url][/QUOTE]

No I haven't, and I don't have time to try it right now. I will keep it in mind should neither of these work longer-term, though.

Melissa

I don't like fish-based diets for cats, so I voted Horizon.

[url]http://catnutrition.wordpress.com/2007/09/22/eight-strikes-against-fishy-feeding-for-cats/[/url]
[url]http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whyfishisdangerousforcats[/url]

[QUOTE=dogmelissa;688568]No I haven't, and I don't have time to try it right now. I will keep it in mind should neither of these work longer-term, though.

Melissa[/QUOTE]

You can purchase sample bags of orijen, made in Morinville you know ;)

[QUOTE=sugarcatmom;688571]I don't like fish-based diets for cats, so I voted Horizon.
[url]http://catnutrition.wordpress.com/2007/09/22/eight-strikes-against-fishy-feeding-for-cats/[/url]
[url]http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whyfishisdangerousforcats[/url][/QUOTE]

Thank you for the links! I don't know if the same info is true of dry kibble vs canned cat food or even just canned fish, though. I was unable to find any information on that. I will keep it in mind though!
Perhaps I could get the Go! Natural Chicken/Turkey/Duck instead of the Trout.... I'd be ok with that option, too. Except now it's given me 3 things to choose from. I'm not good with decisions!! :confused::shrug:

Melissa

I'm with sugarcatmom - fishy food is a no no. Otherwise, both sound like decent foods, but I voted for Horizon because of the trout flavor.

Have you thought about rotating the flavors? Then you don't have to choose, and your kitties won't get bored. :shrug:

They both have excellent ingredients but....

Horizon is made at their own manufacturing plant.

Go Natural is outsourced to other Canadian manufacturing plants.

Unless Go Natural has their own dedicated lines and their own staff monitoring them then I would go with the Horizon. If you do decide on Go Natural then I would choose the chicken based one.

Also, Orijen is also made at their own manufacturing plant. :thumbs up

I just got back from the store... I got the Horizon Legacy. :) Hope my kitties think that was also the right choice!

Thanks for the help,
Melissa

Good luck....let us know how it goes. :goodvibes:

I had never heard of the first one. I work at a pet food store so if that's available in the US I'm going to see if we could start carrying it. It looks very good! (for the cats... not for me:o)

I've heard of Go! and believe we carry that, but I never see anyone buying it :shrug:

good luck with the food!

[URL="http://www.horizonpetfood.com/Products/dog_legacy.html"]Horizon Legacy[/URL] and [URL="http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/"]Orijen[/URL] are both Canadian brands with excellent ingredients.

They also each have their [B]own[/B] manufacturing plants which means alot nowadays imo.

Orijen is available in the U.S. (see store locator) but as far as I know Horizon is not available yet.

Just wanted to put a quick update:
So far the girls have been very happy with the Horizon. They seem to be eating less (on normal days, at least; same as before on days when it's colder in the house or they're more active), and so far, the best part - not a single squishy poo!!
*happy dance*

They're getting a bit low on the first bag, so I'll be going back to buy more probably early next week. I'm even thinking of switching my chow-hound Taz to it. And possibly my dog to a dog formula of theirs, too.

Thanks for the help everyone! (I think the kitties are the happiest about it)
Melissa

Excuse my ignorance but why are the fish formulas a no no ?

[QUOTE=zomo;696991]Excuse my ignorance but why are the fish formulas a no no ?[/QUOTE]

Read the links above.

Thank you I just took in a Foster kitty and thought I would switch between fish and chicken. Now I think I will try the chicken and other formulas instead. Evo and Orijen chicken. She is such a sweet heart I am looking forward to seeing the change in her coat. I don't dare feed raw to her my dogs would be to jealous lol already the are swiping her canned food ( monsters!)

[QUOTE=zomo;697001]Thank you I just took in a Foster kitty [/QUOTE]

That's awesome! Good on ya.

Check the links posted earlier by sugarcatmom - that should answer your question.

I'm very much a believer in "everything in moderation"... my kitties get canned fish-based food as a snack, everyday - well Taz & Sierra, the other 2 don't have any interest in it. It's like, maybe a tsp for Taz and a little more for Sierra. And they still eat their regular food.

Melissa