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Old March 9th, 2009, 07:55 PM
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IYO 5 best canned cat foods

I would like to know which canned foods in your opinion are the best and tell me the reason for each choice please. All answers will be truly appreciated.
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Old March 9th, 2009, 10:51 PM
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My top 5 would be:

Wellness - because it was the first company to come out with grain-free canned food for cats.

Innova Evo 95% (not the Cat & Kitten, which I think is too complex) - has simple ingredients and novel protein sources (useful in allergy situations), and the venison and beef flavours are lower in phosphorus, which makes it a good choice for CRF kitties.

Nature' Variety Instinct - another of the no-grain choices and also has novel protein flavours available.

By Nature - another simple food (no plant matter), although I'd stick to the chicken/turkey/beef varieties and not feed too much of the fishy ones. Not a good choice for CRF kitties because it's high in phosphorus. They also have an organic line.

Fifth place would probably go to Evanger's, specifically for their Organic Turkey & Butternut Squash (because it's organic, and grain-free, and squash can be good for kitties with digestive problems).
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Old March 9th, 2009, 10:59 PM
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Hi Zomo
The best canned cat food in my opinion is Wellness brand. We have been feeding it to our cat for a year and a half after it was recommended to me by Sugarcatmom.
The change in her overall health in a very short time was remarkable. I also believe her rapid recovery from a devastating illness last fall was due to the quality of this food. Laurie and Maggie (the aforementioned cat)
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Old March 10th, 2009, 07:11 AM
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My favourites are:

Nature's Variety Instinct

Wellness Core (less carbs than other Wellness)

Organics, by Nature

Fromms 5 Starr, grain free vatieties.
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Old March 10th, 2009, 07:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
Wellness Core (less carbs than other Wellness)
Hi Love4, just wondering what your info is on this. My sources tell me that the turkey/chicken CORE canned is 7.7% carbs from calories (so about the same as the regular grain-free Wellnesses), and the fishy one is 13.3% (too high). I wish they wouldn't put potato in it, completely unnecessary.
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Old March 10th, 2009, 09:31 AM
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It is stated on their cans that the Core is (I think it is 22%) higher in protein than their other grain free varieties. I couldn't find that on their website though. When I go home I'll check the number on the can.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
Hi Love4, just wondering what your info is on this. My sources tell me that the turkey/chicken CORE canned is 7.7% carbs from calories (so about the same as the regular grain-free Wellnesses), and the fishy one is 13.3% (too high). I wish they wouldn't put potato in it, completely unnecessary.
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

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Old March 10th, 2009, 11:10 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
It is stated on their cans that the Core is (I think it is 22%) higher in protein than their other grain free varieties. I couldn't find that on their website though. When I go home I'll check the number on the can.
Ya, the numbers on the cans are "guaranteed analysis" which is a max/min scenario and not a true representation of the protein/fat/carb ratio. You have to get the "as fed" values directly from the manufacturer (and some of them are completely unwilling to part with this info , but Wellness is pretty good about it) and then for comparison purposes, convert the numbers to a percentage of calories. Someone on the feline diabetes message board (thanks Stephanie!) recently evaluated the numbers (cause diabetic cat owners are quite obsessed with the carb content of the food they feed) and came up with this:

Quote:
WELLNESS CORE Canned Cat Food
5.5 oz Chicken, Turkey & Chicken Livers Formula

Protein ~ 31.8%
Fat ~ 60.5%
Carbohydrate ~ 7.7%
Fiber ~ .21 g/100 kcal
Phosphorous ~ 215 mg/100 kcal
Total Calories ~ 139.8
______________

WELLNESS CORE Canned Cat Food
5.5 oz Salmon, Whitefish & Herring Formula

Protein ~ 37.1%
Fat ~ 49.7%
Carbohydrate ~ 13.3%
Fiber ~ .28 g/100 kcal
Phosphorous ~ 269 mg/100 kcal
Total Calories ~ 122.7
Which puts it pretty much in line with the rest of their flavours. Basically, "new and improved" is usually more hype than fact. Not that it isn't a decent food to have in one's rotation. Now if only they hadn't put that darn potato in there, we'd be rockin!
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Old March 10th, 2009, 11:59 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
Ya, the numbers on the cans are "guaranteed analysis" which is a max/min scenario and not a true representation of the protein/fat/carb ratio. You have to get the "as fed" values directly from the manufacturer (and some of them are completely unwilling to part with this info , but Wellness is pretty good about it) and then for comparison purposes, convert the numbers to a percentage of calories. Someone on the feline diabetes message board (thanks Stephanie!) recently evaluated the numbers (cause diabetic cat owners are quite obsessed with the carb content of the food they feed) and came up with this:


Which puts it pretty much in line with the rest of their flavours. Basically, "new and improved" is usually more hype than fact. Not that it isn't a decent food to have in one's rotation. Now if only they hadn't put that darn potato in there, we'd be rockin!
I hear ya, that is why I like Nature's Variety, no reason to have potato.

It actually states on their can that Core has a higher protein value, I didn't do the calculation myself. I do have a can of the fish one too, I have that as a treat for Puddles, so I will check what that can says too.
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

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  #9  
Old March 10th, 2009, 05:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
Hi Love4, just wondering what your info is on this. My sources tell me that the turkey/chicken CORE canned is 7.7% carbs from calories (so about the same as the regular grain-free Wellnesses), and the fishy one is 13.3% (too high). I wish they wouldn't put potato in it, completely unnecessary.

This what it states on the cans:

"20% more protein than chicken wellness formula" it states this on both the fish and chicken cans.
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Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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  #10  
Old March 10th, 2009, 07:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
This what it states on the cans:

"20% more protein than chicken wellness formula" it states this on both the fish and chicken cans.
Ah, even though I like Wellness and think they make some good products, I'll never completely trust a pet food manufacturer. The 20% thing is a ruse. Here are the values for the regular chicken formula:

Protein ~ 30%
Fat ~ 66%
Carbs ~ 4%
Fiber ~ 0.2g/100 Kcal
Phosph ~ 219mg/100 Kcal
Calories 220

The Wellness Core Chicken/Turkey is lower in fat, higher in carbs and lower in calories, with slightly more protein. The salmon one does indeed have "20% more protein" than the regular chicken, but also way more carbs, so it's not a decent trade off. A better choicer is their regular turkey & salmon flavour which also has 37% protein, but less carb content than the Core salmon at only 5%.

One thing I really do wish would happen (in my dreams!) is that Wellness would put less fat in their foods and make the protein/fat ratio closer to 1:1. But fat is cheaper than animal protein, so that's the way she goes......
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Old March 11th, 2009, 07:04 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Can they blatantly lie? I was buying Core thinking that it had less carbs. That and my cats are on and off the regular Wellness and I was throwing too much in the garbage. They all prefer Instinct now, but I just don't want to stick to one manufacturer.
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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Old March 12th, 2009, 07:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
Can they blatantly lie?
It may not really be a blatant lie, in that they're likely using a different reference point. There could very well be 20% more protein by volume or weight or some such silliness, but for comparison's sake, the best format is as a percentage of calories. In which case, the 20% thing isn't really accurate.
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Old March 12th, 2009, 09:05 AM
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They do state the 20% on their website now. I think I will email them and ask how they came up with the 20%.
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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Old March 16th, 2009, 02:10 PM
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Thanks for your replies and this information will be taken into great consideration.
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Old March 26th, 2009, 10:41 PM
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Red face

Right now, my fave cat foods are:

1. Wellness Grain-Free - Turkey, Chicken, Chicken & Herring, Turkey & Salmon
2. Nature's Variety Instinct
3. Fromm's 4 star (nothing else is available in Fromms) - shredded chicken
4. Nature's Variety Homestyle -beef & liver stew, lamb & liver stew (not grain-free)
5. By Nature Organics?? - on my list as the next best one that I know of.

My cats' opinions will most likely differ. Depends on the day and the moon...
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