I am a big believer that wet food is way better than dry, do good for you for making sure they get wet food. I think grain free is best for cats, they do not need grains and fillers in their food. I have a feral cat who will only eat fancy feast, and so that's what she gets. I think the classics are better, or pate style. You can add some water to the food and make it kind of like a gravy. The ones with gravy, I can tell you, they do not seem to be as liked as the pate style ones.

I personally think most grocery store cat food is not the best choice for cats. Do you have a Pet Co, or Pet Supermarket or some other pet store nearby? You can usually find some good foods there, and honestly, you can find some that are not a whole lot more expensive than fancy feast. The cheaper cat food is full of by-products, and some will say, that's not the worst thing a cat can eat, after all, you see what they eat in the wild. I prefer to feed my cats something with meat, something that is made in the USA, with meat from the USA. I have heard recently that some of the foods made in Thailand are not bad. Apparently, they have very strict standards, and also they do not spray their food with some of the chemicals that end up in pet foods made here in USA, at least that is what someone that owns a fancy pet food store was explaining to me.

I rotate brands with my cats. I avoid the fish ones, because of mercury and also because the fish that they use for pet foods is usually very poor quality, and it's also not an ideal source of protein, for regular use anyway, and it can aggravate urinary troubles in cats that are prone to those problems. So I stick with chicken and turkey based products, for the most part. I do thrown in some fish ones now and then, as a treat, but not on a regular basis. Some of the brands I buy are Wellness, Weruva, Tikki Cat, Natural Balance, Nature's Variety Instinct, Halo, that is some of them. I find that if you feed a good quality food that is not full of corn, rice and fillers, that you can feed less of it to them, and they don't get as hungry, at least that's what it seems like to me.

A really good link to read about what cats should eat, and why is Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health it explains so much, and why it is important for cats to get water in their diet, which canned food is about 80% water, vs. dry which has practically none. Cats don't have a natural thirst drive, so they need all of the water in their diet they can get. I have been down the road with UTI's and blockage in one of my cats, when he was on a dry diet, and I didn't know any better. Luckily, he was only 1, he was young, and a switch to wet food was enough to keep him from developing further problems with urinary issues. The link is very eye opening. One of the vets at the clinic I go to, he gives the link to all of his clients with cats, which is rare, because many vets just tell you to buy the Hill's cruddy food that they sell and make big profits off of.

I think if you can only give them cheaper food, fancy feast is not the worst thing you can give them. I would definitely stick with the pate or classic styles and avoid the gravy ones. From what I've read, the gravy ones, the ones they make to look more like human food, has more junk in it that cat's really don't need. If you can get to a pet store, and find some of the better brands, that would be better for your cat. If you can find the 12 ounce cans, I know that the Pet Smart near me has them in Wellness brand in the big cans, they are a better value. If you are only feeding one cat, a 12 ounce can sill last you a few days, depending on how big your cat is. I feel like you can feed less of Wellness than some other foods that are full of corn. Wellness seems to fill up my pig boy cat that is an eating machine. I can divide a 5 ounce can up between 3 cats (for one feeding). My cats get three meals a day. Early morning, early evening, and a bedtime snack, that is usually smaller. When my cats were little, they got the biggest meal at bedtime, it makes them sleep longer

 

Hi Ina,

I've looked over the product you've mentioned, and it looks like decent food (ingredient-wise), with the exception of Menadione Sodium Bisulfite in some of their canned foods, and that most of their foods are fish-based. I don't recommend feeding cats mostly a fish-based diet, it's usually addicting and after a while, they won't eat anything else. It's also a highly allergenic food in many cats.

You can read more about fish and menadione here:
Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats | Little Big Cat
The ONLY Approved Vitamin K Supplement in Pet Food | Truth about Pet Food

While going grain-free is fantastic:thumb on your part, I also believe Purina's products are highly overpriced for what it is. I mean, this product comes only in those small, 3 oz cans, correct? If you're also trying to save some money, I'd say you can do a lot better buying canned foods from many other brands. Many of which you can find in your local independent stores, which are usually CHEAPER than big box pet store's pricing to remain competitive.

As examples, I've broken down the cost price-wise based from an online store (Chewy.com), just to give you an idea what you're paying for per ounce, but please note that prices do vary from store to store and state to state (assuming you're in the US):

Purina Beyond Grain-free chicken, beef & carrot: $13.75/case of 12, 3 oz = 0.38/oz
EVO Chicken/Turkey $23.99/case of 12, 13.2 oz = 0.15/oz
Wellness Chicken $27.99/case of 12, 12.5 oz = 0.19/oz
Wild Calling Turkey $36.99/case of 24, 5.5 oz = 0.28/oz
Wild Calling Duck $48.49/case of 24, 5.5 oz = 0.36/oz
Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken $34.80/case of 12, 13.2 oz = 0.22/oz
Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit $50.52/case of 12, 13.2 oz = 0.32/oz
Tiki Cat Puka Puka Luau (chicken) $19.99/case of 8, 6 oz = 0.42/oz

Note that the Purina Beyond is $1.14/can here, but even if at $1.09/can, that's still 0.36/oz you're paying, which is still more than most brands I've listed. The ONLY one that is super expensive here is Tiki Cat, but you've got to know that this is one food that is very high protein, and there's absolutely zero carbs in this food. Not just grain-free, it's void of any starches at all, and without harmful/controversial ingredients (it's basically shredded chicken in broth with added minerals/vitamins). If you get your cats on a rotation diet of several good quality canned and want to include the Tiki Cat chicken now and then, it won't be such an "ouch factor" on your finances, especially if you can afford feeding Purina Beyond regularly, lol.

Now, with all that said, some things you buy, your cat may or may not love. So it'll be pretty much up to your cats, with maybe some negotiating on your end on finding the right food they'll eat and something that's good for them, too. Many of us struggle with this. If your kitties are young, they're more likely be open to the new, healthier food you're trying to offer.

Going grain-free is a wonderful start, but if you can, for your obligate carnivore kitties, you want to go towards a high protein, moderate fat (for satiety), low carb (under 10%) diet that doesn't contain mainly fish, glutens, or ethoxyquin, menadione, or unspecified meats like by-product meals. Howsefrau has also given some good advice about avoiding those foods with gravy. Gravies indicate more starches in there. If your cats like gravy, buy the pate version and add some warm water to make your own 'gravy'. Many do this for our cats who don't take in a lot of water to begin with.

Hope this helps you some, good luck! Oh gosh, I realized how terribly long this is. Sorry about that.

 

Purina fish has ethoxyquin...a very controversial ingredient. I'd avoid it.

 

Wow, really great information! Thank you! I will be doing more research on this.

 

Doodlebug... how can one tell if there's ethoxyquin in there? I think I read in Susan Thixton's site about how some manufacturers conveniently leave out the fact there is that "e" ingredient in there because their supplier is the one who adds it in, not them, so therefore it's not listed on the label!! What kind of trickery is that!? I assume Purina falls in that category? Grrr.

If you have a list of "safe" ones, or know how to get that info, I'd be grateful.

 

Susan Thixton's Petsumer Report.

 

TabbCatt, so I am checking out TikiCat. Do you NOT recommend any of the fish formulas? I am reading that many of their formulas contain carrageenan except for the Ahi Tuna and the Salmon in crab consommé.
I can get a case of 12 of the Ahi Tuna for $8.49 or a case of 12 in the Salmon for $16.79 (but why pay double if the cats like AND don't get sick on the Tuna?). But then reading that article you provided about why fish is bad for cats has me wondering....if those two formulas don't contain carrageenan, but fish is bad, what do I go with?

 

And keep in mind, I will be keeping the cats on Science Diet dry food as well, so the wet food won't be their only food source. The vet recommended a senior diet for all 3 since they're all over the age of 5.

 

I don't feed fish meals to my cats for the most part. They eat exclusively canned or raw, usually a mix of the two in one sitting 2x/day. I will occasionally give them canned sardines by Tiki Cat for their EFAs, but since I've recently started adding in fish oil to their meals, I may not feed it as much. I also stock up on Tiki's two chicken flavors, not the other proteins. I switch up proteins (rabbit, duck, chicken, turkey, beef, venison) as part of their rotational diet, mostly with the brands I've listed. Wild Calling & NVI doesn't contain carrageenan and comes in all types of proteins, including novelty ones like rabbit, venison, duck, etc. You can find NVI at big box pet stores, too, and buy a can or two first before buying a whole case.

 

ina,

I forgot to note you feed your kitties SD k/d. If you've got a cat or two with urinary issues, that's a BIG reason to avoid fish based ingredients altogether! NO fish or dry food for those cats, but of course that's my own opinion. What you do will be ultimately your choice.

I also don't think cats over age 5 is really a "senior", so I'm sort of confused on that point. Anyway, I'm sure with all your digging around for some info, you'll draw your own conclusions. Good luck.

 

I have talked at length with my vet AGAIN about whether or not to go grain-free, and he does not feel it is imperative that I make the switch. He did suggest that I stop feeding my kids Fancy Feast because it's "crap". He suggested Science Diet. As far as the k/d diet that Chino is on, I don't quite understand it, but I understand it...I'm not sure I could regurgitate the explanation he gave me on why I don't need to switch, but it all makes sense to me when he explains it, including the reason why everyone is on a senior diet.

Now, having said all that, I am still on the fence about whether or not to go grain-free. I want a good wet food for the kitties, but I also have 6 animals total to feed (3 dogs, 3 cats) so this food takes a toll on the pocketbook.

 

Your vet considers older than 5 to be "senior"? What is 12 or 14? Petrified? Fossil? :shock:

 

No, he doesn't. He just believes that it won't hurt my 5 year old kitty to be on the senior diet with the other 2 who are both 10.5 years old.

 

A vet that thinks feeding an obligate carnivore grains is OK and and says that Science Diet is an upgrade from Fancy Feast.

Maybe if he learned about proper nutrition and passed that knowledge on his clients wouldn't have the bodies of a Sr. at age 5.

My first step would be vetting out new vets.

ETA: oh, I see. I also wouldn't feed a younger cat food designed for a senior. Their nutritional requirements are not the same.

 

ina, your vet told you Fancy Feast is crap and recommended Science Diet in the same breath?! The ingredients are pretty comparable...meat by-products in both. Fancy Feast classic pates are grain-free. They have who-knows-what-else in them, but no grains. Cats do seem to love Fancy Feast - I had one addict. I'm suspecting it's a higher salt content. However, even though they seem to be cheap, they only come in the 3 oz. cans, and there are many better-quality foods that are comparable in price. $0.69 for a 3-oz. can at my grocery store. Dave's 95%, grain-free, no by-products, is $1.39 for a 5.5-oz can at my local independent pet store.