Which Food Better Quality Cats Instinct or Blue Wilderness

Cat Food Breakdown: The Good, The Bad, & The Heinous

The pet food industry and I have always had a bit of a rocky relationship. We don't call, we don't write. We definitely don't send Christmas cards. We have what you might call a dark and storied history.

Call me overdramatic (because I probably am), but few things get my blood boiling more than seeing ads on TV from big pet food brands, touting "happy, healthy" pets with "glossy coats" and "increased energy and vitality!!"

Stick it where the sun don't shine, big pet food brands.

Why so much angst, you ask? My childhood dog and best friend of 13 years died (relatively early, for his breed) from canine leukemia, caused in no small part by the various bits of garbage that pet food manufacturers are shoveling into our furry family members. After his death, I spent months researching pet food, going on mini-crusades against the pet food industry, and annoying the crap out of my family and friends.

The (cat-related) fruits of that labor, I present to you below.

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Basic cat food rules:

• Before you buy anything, check the ingredients on the back. By law, ingredients must be listed according to content, with the most prevalent ingredient listed first. Thefirst 5 ingredients should always be a protein of some sort, and ideally not a by-product (by-products are beaks, feathers, hooves, rancid meat, euthanized pets, etc.. yum)

• No more than 10% of calories should come from carbohydrates (grains, potatoes, soy, peas, etc). Grain-free is best, if you can swing it.

• Wet food will generally be better for your cats than dry foods, since dry foods tend to be heavily processed, have high carb content and very little water content.

*I'll go more in-depth into why these things are important at the end of this post

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2020 UPDATE: A note about diets for cats with CKD (chronic kidney disease) or early renal failure-

I get a lot of questions asking about recommended diets for cats with CKD. CKD is unfortunately incredibly common, especially in older cats. No one is exactly sure why, but there are possible links to certain vaccinations. For a highly-recommended and incredibly enlightening read on how to care for a cat diagnosed with CKD, please read this HealthyPets interview with Dr. Lisa Pierson, author of the incredible cat care site Catinfo.org.

She breaks down exactly why so-called "prescription" diets from those dreaded brands like Royal Canin, Hill's Science, or Purina are still the absolute worst thingyou can feed a cat, let alone a cat with organ failure.

A quick summary of her points:

• Protein is NOT the enemy of cat kidneys. Cats are obligate carnivores and need ample protein, even with compromised kidneys.
• Ramping down slightly from a species-appropriate 60%+ protein diet to a "gentler" 40% protein diet is more than sufficient for cats with CKD. Proportion of carbohydrates should still be as low as possible, so the remaining 60% of calories should ideally come from fat.
• Phosphorus levels should be low, ideally under 250mg / 100 kcals, or between 0.3 – 0.6%.
• It's highly recommended to supplement a cat with CKD with omega-3 fish oil. (I find salmon oil for cats and dogs is a great/easy way to do so – just drizzle over your cat's food each day.)

She created an incredibly in-depth chart of most major wet cat foods, with their protein, fat, carbohydrate, and phosphorus levels broken down in columns. See it here.

Based on the above points, I've taken it upon myself to filter out all the wet foods in her list that meet the criteria for a cat with CKD—that is, as close to a 40/60/0 protein/fat/carb ratio as possible, and under 250 mgs/ 100 kcals of phosphorus. They're listed below*:

(Bolded names link to Amazon)

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COMPANY

FLAVOR/STYLE

PROTEIN %

FAT %

CARB %

mg PHOS/100 kcals

NULO Freestyle/Medal Pate	Salmon & Mackerel	38	57	5		230
P RO PLAN Focus	Urinary Tract Health Formula – With Salmon	38	58	4		230
WHOLE EARTH FARMS Grain Free	Turkey Pate	38	57	5		246
HOUNDS & GATOS	Lamb	38	61	1		246
CANIDAE PURE – Grain Free	Salmon & Mackerel	38	62	0		247
TIKI CAT Gourmet Carnivore (discontinued)	Beef Liver and Chicken	38	62	0		231
CANIDAE Life Stages	Yellowfin Tuna	38	52	10		223
HOUNDS & GATOS	Pork	39	61	0		228
IAMS Grain Free	White Meat Chicken Breast & Tuna	39	51	10		179
WHOLE EARTH FARMS Grain Free	Chicken Pate	39	51	10		182
TIKI CAT Gourmet Carnivore (discontinued)	Chicken with Duck	39	61	0		170
IAMS Grain Free	White Meat Chicken Breast & Beef	40	53	8		179
SOULISTIC Moist and Tender – cans	Turkey	40	54	6		178
CHICKEN SOUP FOR the SOUL	Weight & Mature Care	41	51	8		245
NATURE'S VARIETY Pride	Flaked Rabbit	41	49	10		213
WERUVA Cats in the Kitchen cans	Fowl Ball	41	55	4		180
SHEBA Perfect Portions – Pates	All varieties – approximate values	42	56	3		236
TIKI CAT Gourmet Carnivore (discontinued)	Chicken with Turkey	42	58	0		170
HALO Impulse – Grain Free	Rabbit	43	50	7		210
IAMS Grain Free	White Meat Chicken Breast	43	49	8		173
SOULISTIC Pate and Shreds	Lamb	44	50	5		234
WERUVA Cats in the Kitchen cans	Lamb Burgini	45	47	8		236
WERUVA Truluxe	Steak Frites	45	49	6		118
PRO PLAN Focus	Urinary Tract Health Formula – Chicken in Gravy	46	45	9		185
NATURE'S VARIETY Pride	Flaked Tuna	47	43	10		227
WERUVA Cats in the Kitchen cans	The Double Dip	48	45	8		248
NATURAL BALANCE Delectable Delights	Sea Brulee	49	40	10		237

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*As you peruse this list, make sure to do your due diligence on each brand and read their ingredient labels.The same rules apply here: look for high quality animal protein sources, and as little filler as possible.

And now, back to our regularly-scheduled (non-CKD-oriented) cat food recommendations:

Best bang for your buck

Don't feel like spending hundreds of dollars a month on cat food? I feel you. These are a few great options that won't have you eating top ramen every day.

*slightly less-than-ideal ingredients are highlighted in red

Natural Balance canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the ultra formula):

Chicken Broth, Chicken, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Duck

Price range:

$30-35 for 24 6-oz cans

Not grain free

Newman's Own canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the chicken/salmon formula):

Organic Chicken, Sufficient Water for Processing, Poultry Liver, Salmon, Ocean Whitefish (fish used in cat food can be high in mercury/toxins)

Price range:

$25-30  for 24 6-oz cans

Not grain free

Sheba Turkey Entree

Get it on Amazon, while you can

First 5 ingredients (for the Turkey formula):

Turkey, Turkey Broth, Meat By-Products, Chicken, Chicken Liver (vague descriptors and by-products = no bueno)

Price range:

$32  for 24 3-oz cans(prices are climbing because this formula has been discontinued, in favor of a slightly lower-quality product called "Perfect Portions Pate")

Grain free!

Slightly more buck

The ingredient quality will be higher here, with fewer fillers and fewer (or zero) non-animal protein sources.

Petcurean Go Fit + Free canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the chicken/turkey formula):

Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Turkey Liver

Price range:

$55 for 24  5.5-oz cans

Grain free!

Wellness Core canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the chicken/turkey formula):

Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Chicken Meal

Price range:

$40 for 24  5.5-oz cans

Grain free!

Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the turkey formula):

Turkey, Turkey Broth, Turkey Liver, Peas, Montmorillonite Clay (a natural anti-caking agent with supposed detoxifying health benefits)

Price range:

$25 for 12  5.5-oz cans (so approximately $50 for 24 cans)

Grain free!

Blue Buffalo canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the chicken/turkey formula):

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Water, Turkey, Chicken Liver

Price range:

$46  for 24  5.5-oz cans

Grain free!

Weruva canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the lamb formula):

Fish Broth, Lamb, Tuna, Lamb Lung, Locust Bean Gum (A common thickening agent that doubles as a source of fiber, but can cause digestive upset)

Price range:

$48  for 246-oz cans

Grain free!

Nature's Logic canned cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients (for the chicken formula):

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, DriedEgg Product, (Egg Product = egg waste product, cheap protein)

Price range:

$23 for 12 5.5-oz cans (so approximately $46  for 24  cans)

Grain free!

There are other canned food options out there, but from my digging these appear to be your best bet (both in terms of price and quality). Know a great brand* that you don't see here? Please leave me a comment and I'll commence my obsessive research.

Dry food options worth a look

"But Stef," you say, "I heard that dry cat food is literally from the devil. Literally."

Well, not exactly. Although dry food isn't optimal (nothing beats a homemade, raw diet), if you choose the right brand it can be a fantastic supplement to wet food, or at the very least a cheaper alternative. And by right brand I mean: high quality animal protein content / low carb & grain content.

*If you're feeding your cat dry food exclusively, closely monitor their water intake. If your cat doesn't drink at least 8-10 fl oz (about 1 cup) of water per day, please consider switching them to wet food! Why? Cats generally have very low thirst drive and derive most of the water they need from their food.

Orijen Cat & Kitten dry cat food

*Dec 2016 update: Thanks to a commenter for bringing this to my attention: Orijen has recently moved their manufacturing (for the US only) from Canada to Kentucky, US. Ingredients have changed as well, and initial reviews indicate strange fishy odors and kitty reluctance to partake. I've highlighted the major changes below.

Get it on Amazon

[CANADA] First 5 ingredients:

Boneless Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Whole Herring, Boneless Turkey

In fact, the first 14ingredients are all high-quality proteins. No grains and no preservatives. (There's a reason it's so expensive)

Price range:

$60-65  for a 15-lb bag

Grain free!

[USA – NEW] First 5 ingredients:

Deboned Chicken, Deboned Turkey, Yellowtail Flounder, Whole Eggs, Whole Atlantic Mackerel

Major changes:

• Chicken meal has been replaced by deboned turkey as the second ingredient. Deboned meats are weighed before being cooked, so their weight includes water, disproportionately inflating their percentage in the final product. Their actual content in the formula is much lower. Chicken meal, on the other hand, has the water extracted beforehand, so it's a far superior, more concentrated form of protein.

• If we consider the aforementioned change, most of the protein in this formula comes from fish (including scales, bones, & fins)

• Maximum level of Phosphorus, Calcium, Ash, etc. are not mentioned

• Magnesium increased from 0.09% to 0.1%

• Proteins reduced from 42% to 40% (min)

• Omega-3 reduced from 1.2% to 0.8% (min)

(See a full breakdown of the new formula here.)

Price range:

Here is the most irritating part. They've degraded their ingredient quality (and protein content)anddecreased their bag size, while keeping prices the same. Smells like a cash grab.

Here's the new price breakdown:

$60-65 for a 12-lb bag (so approximately $75-80 for 15 lbs). What. the. f#$%.

Still grain free. No exclamation point for you though, because fuck you.

Petcurean Go! Fit & Free dry cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients:

Chicken Meal, Deboned Chicken, Deboned Turkey, Duck Meal, Turkey Meal

With just as impressive an ingredient list as Orijen, Petcurean go! checks all the boxes

Price range:

$60  for a 16-lb bag

Grain free!

[Another advantage of Petcurean go!: It's manufactured in Canada (like the Orijen US formula used to be), where the pet food industry is much more heavily regulated.]

Acana Grasslands dry cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients:

Deboned Lamb, Deboned Duck, Whole Eggs, Lamb Meal, Catfish Meal

Price range:

$55-65 for a 15-lb bag

Grain free!

Wellness Core dry cat food

*June 2017 update: Formula has changed to include peas in the top 5 ingredients. I can no longer recommend this brand as whole-heartedly as before, especially since bag size has decreased as well.

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients:

Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Herring Meal

Price range:

$30-40 for a 12-lb bag (so approximately $40-50 for 15 lbs)

Grain free!

[NEW] First 5 ingredients:

Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas

Price range:

$30-40 for an11-lb bag (so approximately $40-50 for 15 lbs)

Open Farm Homestead Turkey & Chicken dry cat food

Open Farm is interesting, since they're the first pet food manufacturer (that I know of) to mass-produce "ethical pet food," which means their farm animals are all humanely raised and sourced. I dig it.

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients:

Humanely Farmed Turkey, Humanely Farmed Chicken, Ocean Caught Whitefish Meal, Ocean Caught Herring Meal, Chickpeas (no brotato, cats shouldn't eat chickpeas… although this ingredient isn't quite as bad as some other cheap fillers)

Price range:

$25 for a5-lb bag (so ~ $75 for15 lbs)

Grain free!

Merrick Before Grain dry cat food

Get it on Amazon

First 5 ingredients:

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Potato Dehydrated, Turkey Meal, Chicken Fat (silly Merrick, cats don't eat potatoes)

Price range:

$25 for an 11-lb bag (so $35 for15 lbs) <–steaaaallllll

Grain free!

I've left off a lot of otherwise-decent brands with higher carb content (like pea proteins or oats) and excessive use of fish.

Know a good brand you think should be included? Clue me in in the comments!

Things to absolutely avoid

Looking to do your own digging? Here are a few things to look out for:

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Avoid like the plague:

• Corn, corn meal, corn gluten (just anything corn-related). It's a shit filler product and it's killing both us and our pets

• Soy. Another cheap filler protein, that commonly causes pet food allergies

• Wheat and wheat gluten. More cheap filler protein used to increase profit margins

• Cellulose/Powdered cellulose: 10000% empty fillers

• By-products. These are all the leftover scraps deemed unfit for human consumption, like intestines, feet, bone—often from diseased animals

• BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole),BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene), orEthoxyquin. All chemical preservatives known to cause cancer in humans and animals

• Any "natural"/artificial flavors or colorings

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Test your knowledge!

Here's a real life cat food ingredient label from a very well known, TV-ad-running, pet-health-touting manufacturer. Feel free to cross check with the "to avoid" ingredient list above!

Now do you see why I LOATHE big pet food brands?

Why does any of this matter?

Your cats are doing just fine on TV-ad-running garbage food, you say? They justlove it, you say? That's equivalent to saying that a toddler loves having Lucky Charms three meals a day. Of course they love it! It's sugary, nutritionally-barren filler laced with chemicals and artificial flavors.

Cats have evolved to subsist on animal protein, period. In fact, they need 5 times more protein in their diets than dogs do, making careful meal-planning on our parts even more crucial. Their bodies were simply not made to digest carbs like grains, corn, soy, or rice, and forcing them to do so inevitably leads to:

• Diarrhea, skin problems, allergies & arthritis, to start
• Feline diabetes
• Pancreatitis
• Chronic renal failure
• Urinary crystals
• Cystitis (bladder inflammation)
• Bladder / kidney stones
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Hepatic Lipidosis (fatty liver disease)
• Cancer (and premature death)

If you love your kitties (and I know you do!), give them the best possible chance at a long, healthy, happy life—just like their wild, fearsome (and very very carnivorous) ancestors had before them.

Read on:

Nutrition is only one factor affecting your cat's longevity and health. Here's how to ensure your cat lives to the ripe old age of 20, and beyond

Check out my breakdown ofWhat to indulge and what to avoid with cat treats

Read my Comprehensive guide to another essential cat need – Vertical Space

What do you feed your little wombats? Anything I missed? Let me know!

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Source: https://www.whycatwhy.com/cat-food-breakdown-the-best-and-worst/

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