For those who have cats

[couchon]

Do you know of a web site for cat food that's similar to Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble ? By the way, I did not get another critter - this is for a friend. Basically, he wants to find the healthiest, best possible cat food (no grains, etc.)

[guineapigluver1]

I don't know of one like Dog Food Analysis. But this website has a small list of brands that are grain free and a list of ones that have grains, but are otherwise fine.

Your friend could look at the Dog Food Analysis site and then go to the website of a brand that interests them, as most brands have a cat food formula as well.
Good brands that are grain free are Wellness, Innova EVO, Orijen, Nature's Variety etc.
If you google Grain Free Cat Food several should come up.
Hope this helps.

[1frankie7]

My cat is on a vet diet because he had F.U.S(feline urinary syndrome) so I think he gets the best.

[wigglesgiggles1]

I will keep that in mind for the future but my cat is on special food for his urinary tract problems.

[MissFormosa]

I have had cats - anywhere from 1 to 6 at a time - for the past 23 years, since I was 10. (OMG! I just realized how old I am! ) I feel qualified to give you my opinions on the good brands of cat food, because cats let you know right away if they think the food is crappy. I've also been active with volunteering for rescue groups and have learned a lot from that.

Wysong makes an absolutely superior cat foot. I feed my cats this and they like it. It is slightly costly though, with the amount of food you pay for. They do not test on animals, not even feeding trials.

For wet food, Tiki Cat makes really really nice wet food. Cats are addicted to it. I am not sure as to the status of whether they conduct feeding trials or not. I looked at their website but didn't see anything. I did notice that they now carry small animal toys though! I want the Guinea Pig Camping Kit for my boys!

Here's some more reviews based on my experiences:

I would recommend NOT buying these brands because they test on animals: Iams, Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba, any of the Nestlé Purina/Friskies brands and any of the Mars, Inc. brands.

I do not purchase Chicken Soup brand cat food because they offer breeders a "Preferred Breeder Clubs Awards Program".

I do not purchase Nature's Variety, even though they are a grain free food, because they conduct animal testing, which they are not specific on. They also source meat (rabbit meat) from China, which makes me uncomfortable because of all the recalls on products from China as of the last few years.

Natura, maker of Innova, California Natural, and Evo cat food makes excellent foods that are 90% and above grain free. However, Natura does and admits to non-evasive animal testing. According to the company, they receive their test subjects from rescues, private parties and breeders. The animals live at a laboratory in Nebraska where they are treated like pets and get plenty of toys. They claim to only test what the animals eat and what they poop out. They claim to adopt out the animals after a period of time, as pets. However, the thing about this though, is that they also conduct post-mortem tests, which makes me slightly suspicious.

It is good food, excellent food, however, I do not purchase these brands because I am uncomfortable with them supporting breeders. I am also uncomfortable with the post-mortem tests, because they claim to adopt out the animals. Unless these animals die a natural death, that is one thing, but they have not clarified this. I wrote them about this a few years ago when I was volunteering for a French Bulldog rescue and did not receive a response. I just don't feel good about it. I feel good about the way the animals are kept at the facility and taken care of, as well as the adoption policy, but something seems vague and fishy about it. It is a personal choice though, and if these things don't bother you, it is probably not an issue. My cats were never overly excited about Innova. They liked California Naturals. I haven't tried Evo.

Merrick's brand products are good, both the dry and wet food. The dry food is called "Before Grain" and it is excellent. The cats love it, but we don't feed it to them anymore. The wet food is amazing - I tried some at a pet show and it tasted good. Merrick does conduct short term non-invasive feeding trials in an animal friendly environment.

Halo is another good brand. We have tried the Spot's Stew. I loved it, I thought it was really good quality food, but the cats only liked it. I would recommend them. They do not do animal testing of any kind.

Wellness is also another good brand. We fed the dry food for a little while. The cats did like it, but were not enthusiastic about it. Wellness conducts feeding trials.

Natural Balance is alright. I had a few sample packs of it and my cats didn't care for it. They do not conduct animal testing of any sort. However, they do have a breeders program. It's not the best of the best in my opinion, but better than what you would find on most pet store shelves.

We also had a few sample packs of Champion Pet Foods Orijen recently. They cats were so so about it. I wasn't overly impressed. This company does feeding trials.

We just had a sample pack of Taste of the Wild. Well, the cats were not wild about it at all.

My friend feeds her cats Felidae, but I have never used it. Her cats must love it, because that is what she buys them and her cats are her kids! It is also grain free. They do not do animal testing.

Castor and Pollux is another awesome brand. I haven't used them though, but lots of people do like it. It is a little too costly for my budget. I would like to try them one day. They work with a lot of animal charities and rescue programs. They are also a certified organic company.

Have you checked the Pet Food List??

[wigglesgiggles1]

Thanks MissFormosa, good information in there.

[Heady]

Miss Formosa should be Miss. Informed (not to be taken as misinformed!!!)!

This is an excellent list you provided, I enjoyed reading it and will be using it as reference, because I believe I've made a very bad mistake!

When I first adopted Dora from the SPCA, they were feeding her Iams, so I stuck with that until I learned about Iams Cruelty. Then I switched to a natural and non-animal tested dry food and I can not remember the name of, but I wish I did. I remember the bag...it was green and white with silhouettes of cats. Nature or Natural-something. Or maybe it started with an "O"???

I followed the Iams Cruelty for a number of years and received an email from either PETA or another animal right's organization I was on the list of, stating that Iams has stopped animal testing, etc...so I started buying Purina indoor cat formula, and UGH! Enter the mistake.

SO...now I read your post, I went back to Iams Cruelty, and found the list again, and I think I may need to switch to Natural Balance, although I read in your post that they support breeders. Once again, UGH!

At some point I'm going to figure something out. It would be fabulous to find non-animal tested, non-breeding supported, good quality dry cat food for a reasonable price on my supermarket shelf!!! Yet another thing I hate about production costs and such.

During the beginning stages of Dora's dental problems, when I was feeding the natural dry food, my vet had me buy a bag of Science Diet dental food, and I knew that they tested on animals, and noted this to the vet, but she said that the...what's the word...benefits...outweighed the other. Dora hated it, wouldn't eat it, so that was $25 down the hole for an 8lb bag of food.

Now that we took in the stray, we're at 3 cats. I would like to, again, write down each positive company you listed so I can price them and see which would be the most beneficial. She and Lucy really took to the natural dry food after a bit, but now that we're back to Purina (which, when I switched back to that, they hogged it down), I would like to find something healthy and tasty for all 3 kitties with a similar price tag. Thankfully Gabriel (the stray) will eat anything. Lucy is slightly picky, but Dora is the most picky.

Off to find a solution!!

Thanks, again, Miss! Terrific post!!!!!

[dpringle1737]

I don't know of any specific sites for cat food. We are currently feeding Acana, which is grain free. I personally refuse to use any food that is manufactured in a Diamond or Menu plant, becuase of the food recalls.

[ferndalezoo]

The Diamond recalls involved tainted CORN. Many of the Diamond Brands (Chicken Soup, Diamond Naturals, Taste Of The Wild, and Kirkland) were NOT affected by that Recall because those foods don't contain corn. In fact, Diamond was one of the few manufacturers who were NOT affected by the HUGE recalls of 07 (and MANY of the so-called-superior brands WERE). If I personally chose to never feed my animals a food from a company which had never been involved in any recalls at all, the pickings would be slim indeed. Informing oneself over what the issues were, which ingredients were involved, and what the resolution was, is key.

Personally, I feed my cats Taste Of The Wild, which is grain-free and all-life-stages (both important to me). They also get Wellness brand (non-fish) wet food twice a day. Both (I have an 8 year old spayed female and a 6 month old neutered male) are healthy and of good weight, with shiny coats and bright eyes.

[dpringle1737]

The recall also involved tainted rice protein which is used to bind wet food. However, for me the recall had less to do with the specific materials. For me, I was unhappy with how they companies handled the recall previously & presently. As of late, they are having more and more voluntary recalls but they are not being as prominantly advertised as a tradtional recall would be. A lot of their foods, are very good in deed, however, I chose to feed a food that was manufacturered in a company owned plant (rather than being manufactuered at another company's plant). I'm a little OCD about it I guess.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by Heady

Then I switched to a natural and non-animal tested dry food and I can not remember the name of, but I wish I did. I remember the bag...it was green and white with silhouettes of cats. Nature or Natural-something. Or maybe it started with an "O"???

Nutro?

[ferndalezoo]

I also personally would be worried to feed a pet food that was NOT tested on animals. I hate to say it, and it clearly depends on WHAT kind of testing and how it's done (I'm not about orturing animals, obviously!) , but I don't want to feed my pets untested food.

[MissFormosa]

Originally Posted by Heady

Miss Formosa should be Miss. Informed (not to be taken as misinformed!!!)!

Now that we took in the stray, we're at 3 cats. I would like to, again, write down each positive company you listed so I can price them and see which would be the most beneficial.

Miss Informed...I love it!

The good thing I have noticed with the grain free foods, which are more expensive, is that the cats eat less of it. They don't eat less because they don't like it. My thinking is that maybe it takes the cat longer to digest and breakdown the protein in the food, as opposed to simple grains. That might balance out the cost for you.

Wysong carries pet treats for teeth. Wysong does no animal testing whatsoever. Don't use Greenies. They are manufactured by Mars, Inc.

This website carries a lot of the brands I mentioned: Only Natural Pet Store. Before I found the great store in our area, I used to buy the pet food from Only Natural. They have an automatic delivery program which I liked. For instance, you can have them send you a bag of cat food every three weeks automatically. So I really liked that.

And to save money, here's a site that has discount codes for them: Retail Me Not - Only Natural Pet Coupons.

I forgot to add Grandma Lucy's to my list. When I lived in California, they were located just down the road, in Lake Forest. They make wonderful natural cat treats that my cats couldn't get enough of.

[MissFormosa]

Originally Posted by ferndalezoo

I also personally would be worried to feed a pet food that was NOT tested on animals. I hate to say it, and it clearly depends on WHAT kind of testing and how it's done (I'm not about orturing animals, obviously!) , but I don't want to feed my pets untested food.

Ferndalezoo, I do value your opinion. But I have to disagree. I worked in and saw the horrors of an animal laboratory when I was in the Army and I am now more critical of supporting companies that do testing on animals, especially if it is unnecessary. I am trying my best to support instead, companies that are proud of being able to provide a quality product without any animal testing and there are plenty of brands out there to choose from.

I do not think feeding trials are necessary - no matter what the environment.

Feeding trials only require 8 animals to be tested only 6 of the animals need to complete the trial. That means that 2 of the animals can fail the test and the pet food can still pass. That is 25% allowed to fail by either losing too much weight or developing a medical condition, among other criteria!

The trials last 6 months and for those 6 months, the animals are kept in cages and fed the EXACT SAME thing every day. Nothing else. Absolutely perfectly measured portions every single day. I don't know about you, but I couldn't eat the same thing everyday. Why should an animal?

The animals can lose no more than 15% of their body weight or the trial fails. For a 60 lb. dog, this means they could drop to 45 lbs. and still be okay. That dog would be close to being able to count it's ribs.

Additionally, if in that 6 period, any of the animals develops nutritional deficiencies or pathological diseases, the test fails. But, even if nothing happens during the trial - what if these animals develop something down the road? That information doesn't make it into any of the test results - only what was done during the 6 month testing period.

The animals may be kept on a great open pet ranch that provides them with toys and stimulation, but for the testing, I guarantee you they will be in a controlled lab setting in order to reduce error or contamination. Many of these animals are kept in laboratory wire cages with concrete floors, under fluorescent lights, etc. Does anyone measure the psychological effects of these trials?

Additionally, a lot of the companies obtain their test subjects from breeders. Some even get their subjects from rescues. Can you think of anything more cruel than a poor animal sitting at the rescue waiting for a loving forever home and being taken to a lab instead?

How can you tell me that a test that lasts 6 months is going to ensure the complete health of my pet for their lifetime?

The formula in cat food is not that complex and it doesn't vary widely between brands. Most of the better grain free companies use human grade ingredients. Shouldn't we already know the palatability and digestibility of beef and chicken to begin with? The only reason I can see that these companies are doing the testing is because they add chemicals and ingredients that they want to use to claim the food will ensure some sort of health benefit. In that case, I don't want to buy it in the first place.

So what's the point to begin with? These feeding trials do not prove that the food is indeed healthful and meets all the benefits the company claims. It simply does not correlate to what would happen in my home with my cats every day.

[ferndalezoo]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree.

Not so many years ago, a lot of cats were going blind, etc, until it was discovered that a cat's need for Taurine was much higher than previously thought. That could have been avoided if there had been some monitored testing of the food beforehand.

Using human-grade ingredients isn't enough. It's a starting point, but different species have different nutritional needs, and you can't, in my opinion, be sure of that without some form of testing. Like I said,though, I'm not talking about torturing animals (THAT kind of testing is NOT okay).

[MissFormosa]

Originally Posted by ferndalezoo

I think we'll have to agree to disagree.

Not so many years ago, a lot of cats were going blind, etc, until it was discovered that a cat's need for Taurine was much higher than previously thought. That could have been avoided if there had been some monitored testing of the food beforehand.

Using human-grade ingredients isn't enough. It's a starting point, but different species have different nutritional needs, and you can't, in my opinion, be sure of that without some form of testing. Like I said,though, I'm not talking about torturing animals (THAT kind of testing is NOT okay).

That sounds fair. At least we agree that torturing animals is definitely wrong