[Pandoragem]

Once again Hannah graciously offers up her picky 13 year old, former kibble addict taste buds.

 

[Pandoragem]

This round ended up with 3 out of the 4 being a hit, only the Felidae Cat and Kitten was a miss.

The first candidate was Pinnacle Chicken and Ocean Fish. The food itself is a very soft pate. Hannah really liked it but this is not a food I would feed daily as it contains fish broth as a main ingredient and fish. The GA on this food is decent though.
Petco carries this in stores so in a pinch it would do.

Guaranteed Analysis Crude Protein (min) 10.00% Crude Fat (min) 5.00% Crude Fiber (max) 1.50% Moisture (max) 78.00% Ash (max) 1.90% Magnesium (max) 0.025% Taurine (min) 0.05% Caloric Content Metabolizable Energy (calculated) 196 kcal/can Metabolizable Energy (calculated) 1255 kcal/kg

 

[Pandoragem]

Next on the list was Fromm Duck and Chicken. I really wish this food had a slightly higher protein content and more fat/less carbs which would make it more species appropriate. That being said the food looked and smelled high quality and Fromm states on their site that they use hormone free meat and their plant is USDA inspected. There is tomato paste and pea fiber in this food but NO gums (guar, carrangeenan). The low fat content indicates that good cuts of meat are used and it is higher in moisture than most canned foods.

The food is a light orange color pate and Hannah gobbled it up eagerly. here are the ingredients and GA. I will probably order a case and feed a couple of times a week. This is the only duck based food she has really liked. Natures variety and wellness core duck were a a no go.

Ingredients

Duck Broth
Duck
Chicken
Ocean Fish
Chicken Liver
Pea Fiber
Tomato Paste
Potato Starch
Vitamin/Mineral Mix
calcium sulfate, taurine, choline chloride, salt, potassium chloride, vitamin e supplement, iron chelate, zinc chelate, niacin supplement, vitamin a supplement, calcium pantothenate, potassium iodate, riboflavin supplement, manganese supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin d3 supplement, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate, copper chelate, vitamin b12 supplement, folic acid, biotin


Guaranteed Analysis Crude Protein8% Min Crude Fat2% Min Crude Fiber1.5% Max Moisture79.5% Max Taurine0.1% Min
Calorie Content kcal/kg1012 kcal/can143

 

[Pandoragem]

Here is a pic of her eating the Pinnacle, it has a strong fish smell.

 

[Pandoragem]

Next up, Felidae Cat and Kitten. This one is a firmer pate style so I added a little water. Hannah took a few licks of it then gave me that "um ok where is my real dinner" look. I left it out thinking maybe she would come around but no luck. It's a shame because this food has a very good GA.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein

(min.)

11.00%

Crude Fat

(min.)

7.00%

Crude Fiber

(max.)

1.00%

Moisture

(max.)

78.00%

Linoleic Acid (Omega 6)

(max.)

1.00%

Magnesium

(max.)

0.025%

Ash

(max.)

1.90%

Calcium

(min.)

0.25%

 

[Pandoragem]

The final test candidate is ZiwiPeak Venison. I was hesitant to try this one due to Hannah previously rejecting other venison based foods in the past (EVO 95% and the new Wellness Core venison). The rave reviews and excellent ingredients convinced me to give it a chance. The consistency is a chunky semi pate and has a real meat smell that is very different from the other venison foods. I added some water to soften it up. Hannah ate it eagerly so I will be adding this one to the rotation.

Ingredients

Ingredient Quantity (minimum) Venison - Meat, Liver, Tripe, Kidney, Green-Lipped Mussel 66% Carageenan, Guar Gum, Sodium Tripolyphosphate
Vitamins: Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Nicotinic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement
Minerals: Zinc Sulphate, Ferrous Sulphate, Manganese Sulphate, Copper Sulphate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Chloride
Taurine, DL-Methionine

Guaranteed Analysis

Analysed Quantity (minimum) Crude Protein 10.0% Crude Fat 7.0% Crude Fibre 2.0% (max) Moisture 78% (max) Ash 2.0% (max) Calories 1100 kcal/kg Calcium 0.54% Phosphorus 0.39%

 

[Pandoragem]

Based on this last tasting round I plan to rotate out Chicken Soup adult and Natural Balance and add EVO , Fromm, and Ziwi Peak. That will make a 5 flavor grain free rotation of:

Halo pate chicken
EVO Turkey and Chicken
Fromm Duck & Chicken
Ziwi peak venison
Blue Freedom indoor

 

[coyt]

This was really interesting, thanks for sharing! I've been thinking of getting a rotation of different brands going for my cat, too.

The only thing that concerns me is the tomato paste. I heard tomatoes were toxic to cats, and it appears on ASPCA's list of toxic plants for cats :ASPCA | Tomato Plant

 

[Jacq]

Thanks very much for this! I love these kinds of tastes tests and information.

Did you consider price in these flavours? When you say Evo, are you talking the cat & kitten or the 95%?

 

[Pandoragem]

Yes price does factor in, EVO and Halo will be feed more frequently as they are less expensive by far. Ziwi peak is very expensive but is high in protein so it is a better value than Fromm or Blue freedom. Petsmart actually sells Blue freedom for less than any of the online retailers. I am adding Fromm and blue in for variety so she does not get bored with the others.

My understanding on tomatoes is that once they are cooked they are not poisonous to cats. The amount of tomato paste in From appears to be a small % based on the color which is a slight orange. The ingredient list in my post is from the Fromm website and lists them in descending order. Fromm has been in business for many years.


Sent from my iPad using PG Free

 

[Pandoragem]

EVO cat and kitten is the one I tested and am planning to feed. It is higher in protein and lower in fate than the 95% chicken.


Sent from my iPad using PG Free

 

[Carmel]

Yes price does factor in, EVO and Halo will be feed more frequently as they are less expensive by far. Ziwi peak is very expensive but is high in protein so it is a better value than Fromm or Blue freedom. Petsmart actually sells Blue freedom for less than any of the online retailers. I am adding Fromm and blue in for variety so she does not get bored with the others.

Interesting... personally, I wasn't interested in feeding Halo (Spot's Stew) since I feel its price was not worth its ingredients. Plus I think its larger cans are smaller than most? EVO my cats liked, but the 95% Chicken was the main winner with them, and Cat/Kitten version was hit and miss... Ziwi I never would try due to its price being prohibitive... it's likely the most expensive food on the market.

As far as the brands you're dropping... one of my dogs eats both them, haha. Well, not much Chicken Soup any more, but she ate it as a puppy. She loves the Natural Balance Lamb she gets as well. And on the cat side of things, both my cats occasionally get the chicken and grain free fish versions of Felidae.

I've never tried Fromm... it was probably expensive or something and so I was't interested. I can't remember if I tried Blue, but if I did it didn't go over well.

Did you think of trying Innova, Go!, Merrick's or Wellness? They're pretty good too. Since you're mentioning Petsmart, I believe it sells Innova and Wellness - not that it's the cheapest there. They sell Spot's Stew too.

 

[Pandoragem]

I don't feel the Halo stew, way too heavy on veggies, they have a new grain free pate that is high protein/low in carbs, I am feeding the chicken pate.

When I was transitioning Hannah from kibble to canned I tried many brands and she rejected Innova, Merrick (she would only eat the grain free salmon), regular wellness (she only likes Core chicken and turkey), Blue wilderness, Nature's variety instinct canned and Natures Logic. The only ones she did eat were wellness core, chicken soup adult, and natures balance.

I have not tried Go! yet because there are not many stores around here that carry it so I can grab a can or two to test. The one or two that do are smaller stores that are not open many hours. I made the mistake of buying a 12 can case of Nature's Logic online because that was the only way I could get it. Oh well, some lucky shelter cat will be happy to eat it I am sure.

I am thrilled that she likes ziwi peak even though it is expensive.