Is Fancy Feast Really That Bad?

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2rescuekitties

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If you have an old cat, 10 years or older, be aware that many varieties of Fancy Feast are high in phosphorus. This is otherwise not a problem.
They are babies still...well not really they are both 1 year old about... :)
 
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2rescuekitties

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...which can be a good thing, if you're looking to build a rotational menu

:yummy: :agree:
Hehe rotational menu I wish...it usually ends up with the stray cat outside getting their leftovers too :cloudy:and then I get meowed at for a good 20 minutes in which during that time they are probably telling me my food choices suck and that they just want lobster and steak for dinner :(
 

FakeGourmet

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Here's a link to the canned food listing at Tanya's site and this listing at Dr Pierson's site (she has the listings for Friskies).

Young and middle aged cats have no problem excreting excess phosphorus. It only becomes a problem if they have kidney disease.
 

KappyShortsleeve

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So what I am wondering is one time someone told me that even the worst brand of wet cat food is healthier than the best quality dry food...

Is that true? My cats like dry kibble a lot, and I have tried so many of the expensive good quality wet foods but they pick at it. I know fancy feast has filler and by products but is it okay to feed them with that since they eat it? I don't know why but they go crazy for the gross gravy ones and even the shredded "meat" in it looks fake and I hate that they pick that over Instinct or wellness etc.

So my question is that is it okay to feed them a cheaper wet food if they prefer it? ir should I stick to the high quality dry food instead? (I currently feed them Nature's Instinct High protein dry food with the freeze dried chicken bits).
Wet food is always better than dry food. Just read the ingredients, I’ve seen some cheap wet food that has decent ingredients.
It’s always good to add a little water to the wet food, cats aren’t normal water drinkers.
 

Taigaclaq

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Thank you all for your input! maybe this weekend I will take some time to try a few brands I have no tried yet like the Tiki cat and Weruva and see if they like it!

*** and its the Fancy Feast Medley's that they like so much lol

I just want to make sure they are with me for a long long time :)
Tiki Cat is VERY good but pricy, but worth it! Dry kibble is a fav for my Leo and May. Those two are pretty picky. I get them chicken and salmon combo and they bake the food, and it has high protein, low carbs, and good balance fats. I also love Applaws- natural and simple ingredients- no fillers and no by-products.

May only likes Fancy Feast medley and pate. However, a vet told me that the reason it is a fav is because they have lard which is hard for cats to digest, but it makes it tastier. They eat a few cans because they dont get full and the nutrition isn't the best compared to others, but May will only eat that. My recent rescue, who is 8m now, loves the Fancy Feast Medley which I think is healthier with veggies. I just don't like if I see in the label there are by-products, which I learned CAN have cancerous tissue from dead animal parts... I totally would stop giving it to my girl but she is EXTREMELY stubborn and would rather starve than not have what she wants.

Check out- Tiki Carnivore for kibble, Tiki after Dark for wet or the Luau pack. For the wet food, Applaws, Canidae, Royal Canin, Hills Science Diet are safe and good. Also at Vons, you can find the new brand " I AND LOVE AND YOU" and that is higher quality and is grain-free and yummy too. I may get some of those next time I am at Vons. Natural Balance is also tasty.
 

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However, a vet told me that the reason it is a fav is because they have lard which is hard for cats to digest, but it makes it tastier...I just don't like if I see in the label there are by-products, which I learned CAN have cancerous tissue from dead animal parts.
This is an old thread, so most of the original posters are not even active on this site anymore. But, I am curious about what you said -
If Fancy Feast contains lard it must be under another name - do you by chance know what that name is?

And, as far as meat-by-products, which are "the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially de-fatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents". If those 'parts' contain cancer then the likelihood is that the actual 'meat' is also cancerous.

And, pray tell, what do you think a cat is eating when it catches mice/birds/etc?
 
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Flybynight

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FeebysOwner FeebysOwner I think Taigaclaq Taigaclaq said her vet told her about the lard, which may just mean high fat. I don't know and don't use Fancy Feast.

If I understood, she is saying the by products may have cancerous tissue not that they are a carcinogen themselves. Which I assume is because pet companies may use 'downers' and diseased animals for pet food, not allowable (to my understanding) in human grade meat. So if a pet food company certifies their food cruelty free or human grade that is a plus.
 

Taigaclaq

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I understood that - all I was saying is that IF the by-products can have cancerous tissue, so can the meat..
Yeah rather avoid you know? But our mainecoon girl only accepts fancy feast. The boys love healthy brands but she has Tiki kibble
 

Taigaclaq

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Yeah rather avoid you know? But our mainecoon girl only accepts fancy feast. The boys love healthy brands but she has Tiki kibble
I also just ordered Wellness to try. No meat by product or corn, wheat, soy
 

FeebysOwner

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I also just ordered Wellness to try. No meat by product or corn, wheat, soy
"Lard" is from fatty tissue that is part of most organ meat, so unless the ingredients specify that all fatty tissue was removed from the organ, you may still be getting what your vet called lard. Additionally, some of the 'essential' fatty acids contained in cat food come from this very same 'lard'. Other sources of fatty acids are corn, soybean, and safflower oil. So, I am guessing whether or not the products you buy specifically state 'meat by products' they most like include some degree of lard.
 

Taigaclaq

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"Lard" is from fatty tissue that is part of most organ meat, so unless the ingredients specify that all fatty tissue was removed from the organ, you may still be getting what your vet called lard. Additionally, some of the 'essential' fatty acids contained in cat food come from this very same 'lard'. Other sources of fatty acids are corn, soybean, and safflower oil. So, I am guessing whether or not the products you buy specifically state 'meat by products' they most like include some degree of lard.
I definitely want some good amino acids and fats. I think the vet told me the reason why my mainecoon mixed girl throws up is because of the amount of lard Fancy Feast has, and she is the only one out of my other two that pukes. I think all cats react differently though, since some people's cats do just fine with Fancy Feast but I think breed and overall health genetically also factors in. It's always good to try other brands though. I think I will give Fancy Feast occasionally to my little boy, and well...the mainecoon girl is the most stubborn eater you'll ever meet...
 

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"Fresh" by-products, in canned foods, cannot include products from downed animals; only "by-product meal" can (presumably because meals are rendered at high heat which should neutralize any infectious agent).

Lard, by definition, is pork fat. Probably some of the unnamed by-products are pork, but I doubt that adds a significant amount of lard to the food. I think some vets just say whatever pops into their heads sometimes. But, yeah, there are certainly some cats who are sensitive to pork (or any other ingredient).
 

IndyJones

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The problem is that the byproduct is unspecified. When they unspecify the meat or ingredients all kinds of things start running through people's minds, just look at hotdogs for example, some people think they have chicken feet and beaks in them.

I personally don't feed anything unspecified to my cats, but byproducts that are from a specific source don't bother me ( chicken byproduct for example).

One other thing that makes me suspicious of fancy feast is the cheap price. They have to cut corners somewhere to have it that cheap... what those corners are I have no idea. Especially in today's market.

The one time I gave it to Indy (she had a headcold) she threw it up. She normally never throws up and is used to food rotation.
 

daftcat75

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Applaws is not a complete food. Fewer ingredients does not mean a healthier food. Meat alone is not complete. And I don't buy their "well, it's meant to be paired with a dry food to be a complementary food." That's not how this works. Cat nutrition is a balance, not a finish line. All phosphorous (meat) and no calcium source means the body has to go its natural calcium bank to keep the pH balance. That bank is teeth and bones. Feed too much meat without enough bone or calcium supplement and you'll end up with a cat with weak teeth and bones. This is why treats should make up no more than 10% of a cat's diet. It ensures the balance is maintained. Meat alone is basically a treat. It isn't complete nutrition.

Byproducts isn't a bad word. AAFCO has very specific definitions for what can be included as by-products.

FeebysOwner FeebysOwner posted it above:
the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially de-fatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents
If it's meat by-products, it comes from mammals such as pigs, sheep, lamb, or cows. If it's poultry by-products, it comes from chicken, turkey, duck, and maybe one other bird. I'm not so familiar with their poultry definition. But this is something that can be looked up on the AAFCO website.

I call this unnamed organs. These are all the things a cat would eat in their natural diet (except maybe the "partially de-fatted low temperature fatty tissue".) There are no by-products as far as a cat is concerned.

When selecting a cat food, the ideal cat food should be: meat, moisture, organs, and supplements. Don't believe for a second that supplements can be omitted or replaced with veggies. Cats don't have the enzymes to use many of the plant-sources of vitamins and minerals. They are obligate carnivores. They must eat meat. They are not tiny dogs. Eyeballs and brains are missing from commercial cat food. Taurine and vitamin A must be supplemented. Bone cannot be cooked as canned and dry food is cooked. Calcium must be supplemented. Skin and fur isn't included so vitamin E is supplemented. Your first test of a healthy food should be whether there are supplements. If there are not, I would immediately put that food back on the shelf. And moisture cannot be made up for at the water bowl. This is why folks say the worst wet food is better than the best dry. Cats do not and will not drink enough water to make up for the amount of moisture missing in dry food.

So is Fancy Feast a good food? It depends on the recipe and if we can agree on what really is a filler ingredient. Anything that does not fit into that meat, moisture, organs, and supplements formula is what I consider a filler. That would be grains, fruits, vegetables, gums, cheese, flour, etc. By-products, though, fall under the organs umbrella. If you stick to the Fancy Feast Classic pates, those are pretty darn close to being exactly meat, moisture, organs, and supplements. There is guar gum, one of the more benign gums used in cat food and also a pre-biotic. And there is probably a non-nutritive amount of fish included for flavor more than nutrition. My only "beef" with Fancy Feast Classic pates is that they cross the protein streams. If you have a healthy cat, this shouldn't be an issue. But if you have a cat with food sensitivities or allergies, every recipe contains some chicken or fish regardless of the flavor listed on the front.
 
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lisahe

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There are no by-products as far as a cat is concerned.
This is so true! I make homemade food and our cats eat a lot of commercial raw food but I have no problem whatsoever with by-products. Lots of ingredients that fall into the by-product definition are very nutritious: bone and liver, for example, are crucial ingredients in lots of foods.

We used to feed Fancy Feast Classics to our cats, one can a week. They loved it but, as daftcat75 daftcat75 mentioned, those foods contain multiple proteins. When one of our cats was diagnosed with asthma, the vet recommended not feeding any fish at all. We fed very little of it -- the small amounts in FF and an occasional can of some Weruva chicken/fish food as a treat -- but cut all of it out.
 

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Most Applaws is complimentary food but not all. The pates and the senior foods are complete.
I don't see a problem with people feeding some complimentary foods if they feed primarily dry. It gives the cats more moisture in their diet as cats do not have a high thirst drive.
I feed all wet but give my cats complimentary foods as a treat from time to time or I make homemade meat and broth for them.

Almo Nature also has similar shredded chicken and tuna foods that are complimentary but also a complete range in the shredded foods as well.
Worth looking at the Almo complete shredded range also for anyone who feeds Applaws or Almo complimentary.
 
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