I have this same issue with Natural Balance. I weigh the boys food and the Natural Balance NEVER has as much as the can says it should. Evo ALWAYS has the 13.2 ounces (usually a tiny bit more). Merrick's BG almost always has the right amount.... so does By Nature. It's just the darn Natural Balance.

 

Have you asked the company? I feel like I am getting jipped and it makes me disgruntled.

 

I have not. I feed such a large rotation of food that I just kind of rotated it out. I tried it again this month out of curiosity and because it was something that hadn't been in the rotation for long time... but it won't be back. NOt only because of that, but because MowMOw's reaction to the Natural Balance is 'ho hum'.

 

Well, I just spoke with the owner of Hounds & Gatos. He said they get thousands of emails a day. He told me if I was not satisfied to return the cans to the store I bought them from and that they were looking into the situation. My kitty happens to be pretty picky and he does like this food.

 

Wait, so this is over .2oz?

 

The can should say "net weight" which means the weight of the food without the can. Sleazy business practice if you ask me.

 

Couple months back I was so happy when I found a 3oz canned food without those gums and carrageenan but when I opened the can, I was shocked at the actual amount of meat, just a couple pieces and full of the so-called stock, approx 2tbs or more. So, I was paying for the liquid, not the meat.

 

Paying for liquid vs actual meat is why I never buy shreded, cubed or any cat food except pate (loaf). When I pay for pate, I know I am paying for the water/juice that is contained inside the food, but the food is more solid than liquid. Also, the liquid/juice/gravy on canned cat food is often just thickened chicken byproducts broth.

I made to make a report in college on some kind of automatic system for a certain class. I picked the automatic machinery used to can cat food. Here is how it is done:

After all the meat and byproducts are mixed together and ready for canning, the machinery lines up and gives the receiving cans one last cleaning with, usually, steam. The filling machine is preprogramed with an AVERAGE weight of the empty can and as the cans ride past a depositor, the usually hot product is deposited into the cans for a specific amount of TIME determined by the actual speed of the moving line. After the can is filled, it runs over a weight sensor which is programed with a range of acceptable weight parameters. If the weight of the filled can (can weight plus food weight added together) is within parameters, the filled can goes on for either more cooking or for sealing. And that is how the food gets in the can. The weight of the food in the can is a NET weight, can plus food.

Have you tried taking the food out of the can and weighing it on a very small paper plate to determine your actual food weight? I am not someone who keeps track of how many ounces I feed my cats; with thirteen cats it is kind of dumb. But I do weigh each of my cats monthly at mostly the same time each month to make sure my cats are eating and maintaining their weight. This method is the method scientists use to help evaluate the quality of a cat's diet and whether or not a feline is getting enough to eat calorie-wise. Whether or not the cat is getting the nutrients they need, is a little harder to determine and depends on the quality of the food fed.

There is a great book, probably out of print by now, called Feline Husbandry that outlined how to maintain a scientifically adequate cat colony. It was written to help scientists maintain a healthy population of cats for scientific experimentation and addressed how to meet calorie, nutrient, emotional, social and instinctual needs of cats. I was upset it was written for scientists doing experiments on cats, but I also found it extremely informative on how to keep my cats healthy, happy and active.

 

I do weigh the food when I open the can. I have a very accurate digital scale. That is what I'm saying -- the beef of houd and gatos only comes to 4.5 oz so that is a whole ounce less than what the can says it is (5.5 oz). The pork comes in a little better at 5.1 oz... but still it's less than 5.5 oz. It has been consistently like this.

 

I do weigh the food when I open the can. I have a very accurate digital scale. That is what I'm saying -- the beef of houd and gatos only comes to 4.5 oz so that is a whole ounce less than what the can says it is (5.5 oz). The pork comes in a little better at 5.1 oz... but still it's less than 5.5 oz. It has been consistently like this.

Perhaps a sternly worded letter to the manufacture about the quality control is in order. I do this regularly when I find things amiss.

 

I follow now, 1 oz per can is enough to complain about.

 

Note I said the weight listed on the can is the NET weight of both the empty can and the food which has been put in the can. So now you know the can and weigh up to an ounce. Also, as I said, the filling of the can is TIMED, not measured by the ounce; and cans are deemed full and properly saleable when they fall within range of weight which usually goes from 4.75 oz to 5.75 oz. Complaining will do you no good; their practices are usual for the mode of manufacture. This is how all canned food is packaged and sold.

Years ago, those short cat food cans had six ounces of food in them. In order to not raise prices, the first thing the manufacturers did was remove half an ounce of product from the cans. I am betting that soon they will be removing another half ounce from these cans as costs increase and the manufacturers try to keep their costs down and fool the public into paying the same money for less product.

 

I never weigh cat food. I could be getting ripped off right and left and never know it. I like hound & gatos but I never noticed any of that.

if your cat likes the food, i'd keep buying it. (just like I will--however I have only bought rabbit, chicken and salmon of the H & G. my cats don't care for beef and the pork and rabbit are never in stock any more as this food becomes more popular. I just don't keep up with Pet's Paradise enough to get my order timed right. they're much more expensive than online and they charge a delivery charge regardless of how much my order is--never under $100--but the one food the place where I order doesn't carry is H & G.)