Meat Mates

Kieka

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I might give it a try. The calorie count seems a little low but for the moisture content that isn't too surprising. But it reads like it would take about 3 cans for a cup of food for approximately 150 calories. You'd need three or four cans a day for most cats which could get expensive. But maybe as part of a rotation it would be manageable.
 

daftcat75

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It’s a shame they don’t have a turkey flavor because I would try this with Krista if she liked red meat or chicken wasn’t IBD public enemy number one with her. I like their formulas. I will have to write them and suggest a turkey formula.
 

Azazel

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Seems a lot like Feline Natural - another New Zealand brand. I think the ingredients are really good as far as canned foods go. The beef and lamb are way too high in fat though. The chicken is what you'd expect for fat from chicken.
 

Azazel

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I noticed that yesterday. First I need
To figure out the dry matter
All varieties are close to zero carbs - most of the calories come from fat. The chicken one is around 60% fat but the lamb and beef are closer to 70% fat.
 

Time 2 Recognize

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All varieties are close to zero carbs - most of the calories come from fat. The chicken one is around 60% fat but the lamb and beef are closer to 70% fat.
Is this more of a undesirable thing or a good thing? I'm looking to get this brand in the lamb dinner flavor and try it for my lady
 

Azazel

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Is this more of a undesirable thing or a good thing? I'm looking to get this brand in the lamb dinner flavor and try it for my lady
I would personally not feed a food that is this high in fat (70%). A lot of canned foods are around 50-60% fat, and I think that's too high also - but maybe okay in moderation mixed with other lower fat varieties. But, ideally, a cat's diet should be around 30-40% fat.
 

Tobermory

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The super low carbs is great—exactly what you want. Here’s the ideal ratio of protein to fat to carbs according to feline nutrition specialist Dr. Lisa Pierson:

Cats are obligate carnivores and are metabolically designed to consume diets with the following general composition:
1) animal (not plant)-based protein (>50% calories)
2) moderate fat (~20-40% calories)
3) very low carbohydrate (1-2% calories)
4) water-rich (~70%)

She goes on to say:
On a good note, in general, most cats handle high fat diets better than they do high carbohydrate diets. They are designed to eat protein and fat, not carbohydrates. Therefore, cats often do quite well on the relatively low protein/relatively high fat commercial diets. (“Relative” to what they would consume in the wild.)​
 

Time 2 Recognize

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I would personally not feed a food that is this high in fat (70%). A lot of canned foods are around 50-60% fat, and I think that's too high also - but maybe okay in moderation mixed with other lower fat varieties. But, ideally, a cat's diet should be around 30-40% fat.
Thanks! Yeah I always have a variety of cans and avoid just giving her a single brand/flavor/protien source. I've read there are some theoretical/potentials risks with higher fats and pancreatitis?

The super low carbs is great—exactly what you want. Here’s the ideal ratio of protein to fat to carbs according to feline nutrition specialist Dr. Lisa Pierson:

Cats are obligate carnivores and are metabolically designed to consume diets with the following general composition:
1) animal (not plant)-based protein (>50% calories)
2) moderate fat (~20-40% calories)
3) very low carbohydrate (1-2% calories)
4) water-rich (~70%)

She goes on to say:
On a good note, in general, most cats handle high fat diets better than they do high carbohydrate diets. They are designed to eat protein and fat, not carbohydrates. Therefore, cats often do quite well on the relatively low protein/relatively high fat commercial diets. (“Relative” to what they would consume in the wild.)​
Thank you for this! Another thing is, my vet recommends adding some salmon oil to her meals. I wonder if given the fat content in canned foods like this if that actually might be too much of a "good thing" situation? I guess in a higher fat content canned like this one I would forgo the added fish oil on those meals
 

maggie101

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I plan on using it with miko which is very low in fat. Probably just 1/2 3 oz can and 3rd meal something different like dr elseys
 

She's a witch

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My cats really like Meat Mates lamb. But just so you know, its (and Feline Natural) manufacturer, K9, is on dr Pierson’s black list of companies and she does not recommend their products. I also received very delayed and pretty confusing response to my question re their freeze dried food (they claim it respects AAFCO recommendations although the food is boneless with no other calcium source).
 

lisamarie12

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"She's a Witch":
The freeze dried food isn't boneless, Feline Natural / Meat Mates won't list that ground bone is included in their recipe (same as Vital Essentials). I contacted them a few years back about this, they claim that due to AAFCO definitions of meat ingredients, or something or other, they don't have to include that they're using ground bone.

I verified with TAPF, Susan knows AAFCO regulations inside and out, and she confirmed this. I have a real problem with these companies not listing that they're using ground bone as it confuses some people.
 

Azazel

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The freeze dried food isn't boneless, Feline Natural / Meat Mates won't list that ground bone is included in their recipe (same as Vital Essentials). I contacted them a few years back about this, they claim that due to AAFCO definitions of meat ingredients, or something or other, they don't have to include that they're using ground bone.

I verified with TAPF, Susan knows AAFCO regulations inside and out, and she confirmed this. I have a real problem with these companies not listing that they're using ground bone as it confuses some people.
The best part is that public advocates (including Susan) who were pushing the AAFCO and pet feed companies to be more transparent about ingredient lists and pet feed manufacturing have now been banned from attending future AAFCO meetings.
 

She's a witch

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"She's a Witch":
The freeze dried food isn't boneless, Feline Natural / Meat Mates won't list that ground bone is included in their recipe (same as Vital Essentials). I contacted them a few years back about this, they claim that due to AAFCO definitions of meat ingredients, or something or other, they don't have to include that they're using ground bone.

I verified with TAPF, Susan knows AAFCO regulations inside and out, and she confirmed this. I have a real problem with these companies not listing that they're using ground bone as it confuses some people.
Yes, I know that most ingredients listed as: Chicken, Turkey etc may include bones. That’s why I wanted to verify with them. They specifically said their food doesn’t include bones when I asked them, they said the calcium source is the meat itself, enough to meet AAFCO requirements, which doesn’t sound possible? That’s why I’m not buying their food anymore as it seems they may not be honest and I’m not risking to trust them with my cats’ health. It’s a shame cause my cats really like their cans and they’re often on sale on chewy.
(Having said so, lamb freeze dried is most probably boneless as it has additional calcium source).
 

lisahe

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Our cats really loved Feline Natural's freeze-dried chicken/lamb food but what L lisamarie12 has said in the past (and She's a witch She's a witch says now) about the company's non-answers to questions about bone was enough to make me stop feeding it. I just don't trust the company. It's just wrong -- and irresponsible -- not to be forthcoming about ingredients, particularly something like bone.
 

Azazel

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Our cats really loved Feline Natural's freeze-dried chicken/lamb food but what L lisamarie12 has said in the past (and She's a witch She's a witch says now) about the company's non-answers to questions about bone was enough to make me stop feeding it. I just don't trust the company. It's just wrong -- and irresponsible -- not to be forthcoming about ingredients, particularly something like bone.
Honestly, pretty much every company out there isn’t forthcoming about ingredients.
 

Azazel

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I know but they don't charge what this company does!
It is pricey, but it also has to do with the fact that they actually use mostly meat/organ ingredients as well as grass-fed lamb and venison. I don’t think any pet food company is that great, and it is messed up that they weren’t forthcoming about the bone, but after weighing all the evils out there, FN is the only one I feed on occasions when we are not home and the cats need a timed meal. Otherwise I bypass all this pet food nonsense by making my own food.
 
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