Grain- & carrageenan-free foods

dorimon

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I made a spreadsheet of foods that are grain- & carrageenan-free for my own reference when I am out shopping, so I just thought I'd share.


I only listed foods that are available in a 3 oz. (or close to 3 oz.) size, since I am lazy and dislike dealing with the big 5-5.5 oz. cans (I don't know how any of you portion out food from the gigantic 13 oz. cans!!).  Also, this way we don't ever have to serve cold food (Coco & Callie split a can for one meal). 
 

My chart isn't as cool as Dr. Pierson's, since I just typed up the guaranteed analysis values, and computed the estimated dry matter basis percentages using that data.  So it definitely isn't super accurate (especially for the formulas that don't provide ash percentages), but it's good enough for my purposes.

I'll be adding and removing entries from the chart per Coco & Callie's request demand, but feel free to make a copy of the information and use it as you please.
 

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Not on your list but also grain free & carrageenan free and come in 3oz (or 6oz) is Ziwipeak.  
 
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dorimon

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Not on your list but also grain free & carrageenan free and come in 3oz (or 6oz) is Ziwipeak.  
Added it to the spreadsheet, thanks! 
  I haven't fed ZiwiPeak before, but I'll have to try it at some point.  Seems like a great food!
 

missmimz

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Added it to the spreadsheet, thanks! 
  I haven't fed ZiwiPeak before, but I'll have to try it at some point.  Seems like a great food!
It is good food, however it's a bit pricey.  
 

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Did you see this thread about gum-free foods? http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240335/canned-food-without-carrageenan-or-guar-gum I think there may be a few listed here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/310250/new-brands-of-canned-cat-foods-including-gluten-and-wheat-free And there are likely other threads on the subject that you can look through and add any brands that are not currently on your list.

A 5.5 oz can is usually eaten up in a few days so you can keep it in the fridge You can use one of those pet food lids to keep the food from drying out or transfer the food to a glass or other food storage container. The larger 13 oz cans can be portioned into meal sized servings (silicone ice cube tray or small food storage containers) and frozen. Frozen cubes can be popped out of the tray and put into freezer baggies to save space. Just take a day's worth of meals out to thaw in the fridge at least overnight. Cold food can be briefly warmed in the microwave or a bowl of warm water.
 
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dorimon

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A 5.5 oz can is usually eaten up in a few days so you can keep it in the fridge You can use one of those pet food lids to keep the food from drying out or transfer the food to a glass or other food storage container. The larger 13 oz cans can be portioned into meal sized servings (silicone ice cube tray or small food storage containers) and frozen. Frozen cubes can be popped out of the tray and put into freezer baggies to save space. Just take a day's worth of meals out to thaw in the fridge at least overnight. Cold food can be briefly warmed in the microwave or a bowl of warm water.
We have lids that fit the 5.5 oz. cans... I just don't like buying the larger cans unless there is some amazing deal or they are clearanced out!  We like to switch up proteins/flavors at each meal, and the larger cans also don't fit into my can dispenser. 
 
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dorimon

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I've updated the spreadsheet with more foods and also more information!  I went through and noted which, if any, gums each formula contains, as well as if fish meat is present.  Hope some of you will find this helpful 
 

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A 5.5 oz can is usually eaten up in a few days so you can keep it in the fridge You can use one of those pet food lids to keep the food from drying out or transfer the food to a glass or other food storage container. The larger 13 oz cans can be portioned into meal sized servings (silicone ice cube tray or small food storage containers) and frozen. Frozen cubes can be popped out of the tray and put into freezer baggies to save space. Just take a day's worth of meals out to thaw in the fridge at least overnight. Cold food can be briefly warmed in the microwave or a bowl of warm water.
We have lids that fit the 5.5 oz. cans... I just don't like buying the larger cans unless there is some amazing deal or they are clearanced out!  We like to switch up proteins/flavors at each meal, and the larger cans also don't fit into my can dispenser. 
Is fish meat bad for cats?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
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dorimon

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mehow

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wow that's a nice looking spreadsheet :D. Thank you for sharing.

May I ask why you singled out carrageenan? Is this bad for cats or does your cat have some sensitivity towards it. None of the foods I feed my cats have carrageenan, but I know my dog's dental bone does, so that got me thinking. 
 
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dorimon

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wow that's a nice looking spreadsheet :D. Thank you for sharing.

May I ask why you singled out carrageenan? Is this bad for cats or does your cat have some sensitivity towards it. None of the foods I feed my cats have carrageenan, but I know my dog's dental bone does, so that got me thinking. 
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/246168/the-truth-about-carrageenan

http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/carrageenan-a-common-pet-food-additive/

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/carrageenan-just-dont-do-it/

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/show-the-science-carrageenan/

http://consciouscat.net/2012/06/08/carrageenan-should-it-be-in-your-cats-food/

I suspect that one of our kitties (Callie) has a sensitivity to carrageenan, but it's also just safer to avoid the ingredient, as it has no nutritional value.
 
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thegreystalker

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Alexp08 asked...

"Is fish meat bad for cats?" Depends on whom you talk to, and of course it depends upon the cat.

Many wet cat food varieties contain fish, as do dry varieties.  While some cat owners avoid adding ocean fish to their pet's diet for fear of harmful amounts of mercury (particularly tuna), you can safely feed your cat  fish like salmon or mackerel.  Sardines packed in water are ideal, but  in small amounts.  Be forewarned that your cat could be allergic to fish, or that fish may upset the cat's stomach.

I feed my cat dry food salmon flavor and she loves it.  She is not crazy about wet cat food where the lead ingredient is fish, however.
 
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dorimon

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Procrastinating on my final seminar paper yet again, so I went ahead and added new columns for whether or not each food contains peas, potatoes (sweet potatoes don't count), and tapioca.

I'm so close yet so far from finishing my Master's degree program. 
 
 

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Procrastinating on my final seminar paper yet again, so I went ahead and added new columns for whether or not each food contains peas, potatoes (sweet potatoes don't count), and tapioca.

I'm so close yet so far from finishing my Master's degree program. 
 
Maybe you should have gone to vet school!? (And focused on feline nutrition...)
 

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Very interesting, thank you for the articles! I've been feeding my dog bones which have carrageenan and these bones are promoted by Dr. Karen Becker. Not sure if you've watched her videos on youtube, but I really have a lot of trust in her. I'll definitely look through these tho because i'm pretty surprised 


By the way, i'm not sure if your know this but there is a website called PawDiet which lets you basically filter foods by any ingredient you want. One of my cats has some serious allergy problems and I use it while shopping for treats. It's at http://www.pawdiet.com/pet-food-finder/
 

lisahe

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Perhaps... but I don't think I would survive in vet school!

I'm going to be teaching middle school math next year. 
That's great, congratulations! Near-failure at calculus in college was the first step in my deciding to be a language major so I have particular respect for math majors and math teachers! I hope the rest of what you have to do goes smoothly -- the last things always feel the hardest.
 
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dorimon

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That's great, congratulations! Near-failure at calculus in college was the first step in my deciding to be a language major so I have particular respect for math majors and math teachers! I hope the rest of what you have to do goes smoothly -- the last things always feel the hardest.
I was actually a Computer Science major in college... I worked in the software/tech industry for a couple years out of college and decided it wasn't for me.  So here I am!  One more month until I am finally free!  If only this 50-page paper would write itself......
 
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