Need New Canned Food Suggestions

So apparently Fancy Feast “realligned” their formula for their classic pates including the kitten formula....I’m so upset because I thought my cats would not notice since technically the ingredients stayed about the same. However I ordered a monthly supply of various flavors (all classic pate) and of course they won’t eat it. They definitely aren’t as enthusiastic about it. They try to eat some and then walk away. They were OBSESSED with this food prior to this week so I’m not sure what’s going on. I couldn’t get them to eat anything else. So now I’m trying to figure out what to transition them to. I want it to be healthy but I also can’t be spending $300 per month on cat food for 4 hungry kitties. So it needs to be within my budget, good for them, and also something they would actually eat. I know this question gets asked a lot, I was hoping someone could recommend a few options. Please do the math on how much it would cost before you suggest something extremely expensive. I’m still in school part time while I work full time so eventually I’ll be feeding them something WAY better but for now I need the optimal food for my budget. Thanks in advance!

Hi!
I've seen that people have commented Tractor Supply's 4Health is somewhat similar to FF's pate...

Richard2121 said:

They were OBSESSED with this food prior to this week so I’m not sure what’s going on.

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What’s going on is that they waited for you to order a monthly supply so they could to do what cats do. (“You must be mistaken,” says Cat. “I’ve never liked this food.”)

Back in August, I did some research on decent cat food for decent prices for the sanctuary where I volunteer. In case it’s helpful, here’s what I gave them. Prices have surely changed but probably not by that much.

If you have access to a Costco, the Kirkland brand canned (but not the dry) is pretty decent and the price is comparable to Friskies which has too many fillers for my liking: Nature's Domain Grain-Free Organic Chicken & Chicken Liver Formula and Nature's Domain Grain-Free Organic Chicken & Turkey Formula.

You can hang on to the FF and try them on it again in a month or so.

The catfooddb.com is a good site for looking up the ingredients of dozens of varieties of cat food. There are also links to Amazon and Chewy so you can look up prices pretty easily.

I never tried the Hound and Gatos, but as for Dave's. my cats generally liked it, but I only get it occasionally. The reason is that I've read too many things about recalls and stuff like that and don't really trust it. Besides that, until the past year or so, their prices were really cheap. It's like they knew what their food was truly worth, but jumped on the "let's raise our cat food prices" bandwagon.
Take Fancy Feast, for example. That stuff is one step above regular Purina and they sell it at a cost that makes most people think it's a quality food. Sure, it doesn't get recalled a lot. But the first three ingredients on most of their varieties are by-products. Yeah, I know cats in the wild eat--and need--by-products. That's if the by-products are things like bone meal WITH the marrow, or fatty tissue. But not when it's chicken lips or horse hooves or, even worse, road kill or diseased or dead animals from shelters and who knows where.
I saw a special on TV about ten years ago, where these reporters followed a truck picking up roadkill. They wound up dropping the 'meat' off at an 'unnamed but well-known cat food' rendering plant. At that time there were only a very small number of cat food makers (Purina, Mars, maybe one or two others...). So you never know.
But, and this might be a good but, though I haven't tried it yet. That American Journey might very well be a pretty decent food. I emailed them asking about their by-products. I asked what they were, specifically. They answered my email in one day! That alone amazed me, and caused me to actually possibly believe them...or at least, think they had some caring folks working at their end. And that made me respect them, something I rarely do with companies.
They explained that their by-products were made of things like bone meal and other parts that a cat would normally consume when it captured its prey naturally in the wild. And they seemed very knowledgeable. I can't quote it but they was much more specific than I'm being here and it was ALL good.
Sure, I would love to see boneless white meat chicken included, but their response put me at ease 100% and I'm just passing that along to you.
So, if you'll forgive my long-winded reply, of the three food brands you mentioned, I'd go with the American Journey. The price is right and the quality seems to be there. I've gotten my seven little buggers everything from Fancy feast to $75 dollar per case foods like Nulo, or Weruva, and Core, and I've gotta say that the higher priced ones are the ones they usually were not too fond of.
I always said that Fancy Feast and similar foods are like McDonald's for kids. It's okay to let them eat it occasionally. But on a steady diet of it, they're gonna suffer physically. I mean, I have it on hand almost always and I'll mix one can in with better foods to "trick" my kids. But not for an everyday thing.
Since I started reading labels and getting better foods--and the trick is sometimes as simple as variety--everyone I know that knows my cats commented on how much softer their fur is and how much brighter their eyes are. You truly are what you eat. I'm definitely going to try that American Journey. (I just have to use up some of what I have now. For some reason I have a surplus of wet food and I'm low on kibble.)
But Chewy.com has had it on sale on and off for weeks and I will certainly give it a go. If one of my cats doesn't like a food, I ignore that. That's just individual taste. But ifa all seven, or even five or six of them walk away when I know they're hungry, that tells me something is wrong.
So, my advise is give it a whirl. If your kitty (kitties?) doesn't like it, then what can you do? No one made President Bush eat his broccoli and he turned out
just fine without it. See what I'm saying. Do your best to some to sa sort of equilibrium between good quality and what they actually eat. No matter how good a food is, if no one's eating it it ain't doing anybody any good. And don't forget to try different flavors and varieties.
I hope that helped a little. You have a great day!

The Tiny Tiger brand on Chewy seems to be similar enough for my picky girl!

mizzely said:

The Tiny Tiger brand on Chewy seems to be similar enough for my picky girl!

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I may give that a try but for now it seems that they have a sudden shift in food preferences. Something triggered it and I can’t quite pinpoint the cause but now all the sudden they want nothing to do with any pate from any brand and any flavor. They devour chunks or flaked in gravy kinds. So I got some roasted fancy feast flavors to try, some Friskies meat bits, and some blue buffalo wilderness wild bites. It’s a wide assortment and each kind is at least low carb fairly high protein, and wet food. I did give them some dry food at the end of the week and that may have been the root of the problem. Having four kitties who suddenly decide they don’t want their usual food is frustrating but not surprising I guess!

Richard2121 said:

So apparently Fancy Feast “realligned” their formula for their classic pates including the kitten formula....I’m so upset because I thought my cats would not notice since technically the ingredients stayed about the same. However I ordered a monthly supply of various flavors (all classic pate) and of course they won’t eat it. They definitely aren’t as enthusiastic about it. They try to eat some and then walk away. They were OBSESSED with this food prior to this week so I’m not sure what’s going on. I couldn’t get them to eat anything else. So now I’m trying to figure out what to transition them to. I want it to be healthy but I also can’t be spending $300 per month on cat food for 4 hungry kitties. So it needs to be within my budget, good for them, and also something they would actually eat. I know this question gets asked a lot, I was hoping someone could recommend a few options. Please do the math on how much it would cost before you suggest something extremely expensive. I’m still in school part time while I work full time so eventually I’ll be feeding them something WAY better but for now I need the optimal food for my budget. Thanks in advance!

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I'm always surprised at how many people who are truly concerned for their cats' well-being think that Fancy Feast (FF) is a quality food. I didn't know they changed their 'recipe' for lack of a better word. But FF is really only a small step up from their most basic Purina canned cat food. Read the label and you'll see that the ingredients are virtually identical.
Until about five years ago or so FF was not a costly cat food. It wa much cheaper than it is today. It was only when all the other smaller companies began to spring up and people became more aware of the quality of their pets' food that FF prices started to soar. I think--and I'd bet my last buck on it--that they only raised their price for two reasons.
The first, and most obvious, being to simply make more profit. The second is that they probably figured, and rightly so for the majority, that if they charged more then people would assume the food was of a higher quality and more or less equal to those in line with brands like Nulo or Blue or Canidae (used to be Felidae).
But none of those have meat-byproducts as their second ingredient, nor do they include carrageenan or wheat gluten, the latter being a plant protein that, although can be good for some of us, is useless to cats who are unable to digest plant proteins. That's a trick many companies, even the 'better ones' use to pump up their protein percentages on the labels. They will add pea protein or protein from potatoes, corn and a number of other cheap alternatives to meat. That's may look good on the label, but the fact is that most cats cannot digest plant protein the way we can.
being obligate carnivores, their guts are very short and straight compared to ours which are highly convoluted and very long. Our extended gut allows us the longer time needed to break down plant proteins. The protein in meats are the most easily digested of nutrients we eat. Cats are specifically designed for that type of diet. Therefore, any food that has anything other than meat or a meat in the form of a meal as its first four or five ingredients is not truly a good food for a cat.
Dogs evolved alongside man, and the dog's diet shows this. A dog, although long referred to as a carnivore, is actually an omnivore, and can live a long and healthy life eating the same types of food we do. In fact, most dogs subsisted on a diet of our table scraps for thousands of years before any dog food companies existed. Cats are not quite as easily made content. Some think that may even be how the 'finicky cat' reputation got its start.
My advise is to read as much as you can about what your cat needs and, especially,what it does not. Then get out your calculator and decide what you can realistically afford--personally I refuse to pay more for cat food than i will for filet mignon for myself (I actually set my sights a bit lower), and some foods would have you pay as much as ten dollars per can if they had their way.
I find that incredibly greedy on the part of the manufacturers, and incredibly naive on the part of those who recommend those foods. There IS an in-between area where a bit of compromise can please everyone.
Take Fancy feast, for example. I still use it, though only the classic as there's no wheat gluten (too much vomit and regurgitation from the other types). But I think of it as McDonald's for cats. Just as you wouldn't feed your children cheeseburgers from Mickey d's every day, you shouldn't feed your cats FF each day either. but an occasional once per week (give or take) will usually produce no ill effects. We all deserve a treat now and then, right?
I find that with my seven cats, pleasing ALL of them is next to impossible. But if I can make most happy most of the time that's okay with everyone. And the best way to do that is variety, but...and this is an important but...with a fallback food that everyone likes at least a little, or enough to eat anyway. It takes some trial and error, but you will succeed sooner or later.
Remember that variety is key. The saying about it being the spice of life goes for cats just as it does for humans. Textures too make a difference. Stay away from brands that include sugars, even when they try to hide it under its glucose or other "-ose" names. Cats do not need sugar with each meal.
And watch the prices. many companies will lure you in with cheaper prices on a certain flavor or type, then after you're securely settled in and off-guard, the cost doubles and you find you have a bill for cat food that's more than your own grocery bill. What the...???
So, good luck. Hope what I said helps a little at least. And YOU have a great day. Spend time with your kitty--he or she will be gone all too soon.

Linda R said:

I'm always surprised at how many people who are truly concerned for their cats' well-being think that Fancy Feast (FF) is a quality food. I didn't know they changed their 'recipe' for lack of a better word. But FF is really only a small step up from their most basic Purina canned cat food. Read the label and you'll see that the ingredients are virtually identical.
Until about five years ago or so FF was not a costly cat food. It wa much cheaper than it is today. It was only when all the other smaller companies began to spring up and people became more aware of the quality of their pets' food that FF prices started to soar. I think--and I'd bet my last buck on it--that they only raised their price for two reasons.
The first, and most obvious, being to simply make more profit. The second is that they probably figured, and rightly so for the majority, that if they charged more then people would assume the food was of a higher quality and more or less equal to those in line with brands like Nulo or Blue or Canidae (used to be Felidae).
But none of those have meat-byproducts as their second ingredient, nor do they include carrageenan or wheat gluten, the latter being a plant protein that, although can be good for some of us, is useless to cats who are unable to digest plant proteins. That's a trick many companies, even the 'better ones' use to pump up their protein percentages on the labels. They will add pea protein or protein from potatoes, corn and a number of other cheap alternatives to meat. That's may look good on the label, but the fact is that most cats cannot digest plant protein the way we can.
being obligate carnivores, their guts are very short and straight compared to ours which are highly convoluted and very long. Our extended gut allows us the longer time needed to break down plant proteins. The protein in meats are the most easily digested of nutrients we eat. Cats are specifically designed for that type of diet. Therefore, any food that has anything other than meat or a meat in the form of a meal as its first four or five ingredients is not truly a good food for a cat.
Dogs evolved alongside man, and the dog's diet shows this. A dog, although long referred to as a carnivore, is actually an omnivore, and can live a long and healthy life eating the same types of food we do. In fact, most dogs subsisted on a diet of our table scraps for thousands of years before any dog food companies existed. Cats are not quite as easily made content. Some think that may even be how the 'finicky cat' reputation got its start.
My advise is to read as much as you can about what your cat needs and, especially,what it does not. Then get out your calculator and decide what you can realistically afford--personally I refuse to pay more for cat food than i will for filet mignon for myself (I actually set my sights a bit lower), and some foods would have you pay as much as ten dollars per can if they had their way.
I find that incredibly greedy on the part of the manufacturers, and incredibly naive on the part of those who recommend those foods. There IS an in-between area where a bit of compromise can please everyone.
Take Fancy feast, for example. I still use it, though only the classic as there's no wheat gluten (too much vomit and regurgitation from the other types). But I think of it as McDonald's for cats. Just as you wouldn't feed your children cheeseburgers from Mickey d's every day, you shouldn't feed your cats FF each day either. but an occasional once per week (give or take) will usually produce no ill effects. We all deserve a treat now and then, right?
I find that with my seven cats, pleasing ALL of them is next to impossible. But if I can make most happy most of the time that's okay with everyone. And the best way to do that is variety, but...and this is an important but...with a fallback food that everyone likes at least a little, or enough to eat anyway. It takes some trial and error, but you will succeed sooner or later.
Remember that variety is key. The saying about it being the spice of life goes for cats just as it does for humans. Textures too make a difference. Stay away from brands that include sugars, even when they try to hide it under its glucose or other "-ose" names. Cats do not need sugar with each meal.
And watch the prices. many companies will lure you in with cheaper prices on a certain flavor or type, then after you're securely settled in and off-guard, the cost doubles and you find you have a bill for cat food that's more than your own grocery bill. What the...???
So, good luck. Hope what I said helps a little at least. And YOU have a great day. Spend time with your kitty--he or she will be gone all too soon.

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Okay I understand where you’re coming from but I don’t think you’ve actually read all my posts. I only feed their classic pates. Not their other types. Just the classic pate kind. It’s grain free, caraganeen free, high in protein, low carb and it’s wet food so I’m doing better than dry anyways. I have 4 young kittens who would eat me out of the house if I purchased Nulo or Blue for them right now. I’m planning on mixing other brands in and I’ve begun that process last week but it’s slow going! I don’t mean to sound rude I just wish people would read my posts before criticizing my cats’ nutrition. I work very hard to research every aspect of my kitties food plan, the litter boxes I use, the litter I use, the toys they have, the cat trees and window perched, etc. So I try my best! When I’m done with school in 1.5 years I will hopefully have a better job and my girlfriend and I will be able to financially afford the food we ideally want to feed them!

Linda R said:

But I think of it as McDonald's for cats. Just as you wouldn't feed your children cheeseburgers from Mickey d's every day, you shouldn't feed your cats FF each day either.

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I think it's incredibly rude to tell people what they shouldn't feed their cats. It's fine to say what you feed your cats, but don't tell me what to feed mine. I think I'm taking a break from this place.

maggiedemi said:

I think it's incredibly rude to tell people what they shouldn't feed their cats. It's fine to say what you feed your cats, but don't tell me what to feed mine. I think I'm taking a break from this place.

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THANK YOU!!! Like I don’t care about my cats enough? Literally every time I get a paycheck I think about what I could do with some of it to improve my kitties’ lives first!

In a house full of raw fed animals we have a cat that really got screwed up on raw. Even a watered down 100% boneless (additional moisture), heavy on the organ meats (extra laxatives) in a pre-mix diet sent him to the vet to be put under and "dug out" because he was so constipated he would hardly walk!
For a little while we did a very simple home cooked diet that wasn't safe long term, and we weren't comfortable making a cooked diet long term, and one day he started picking at it. He did good on some premium canned foods for awhile until one day he had an episode of vomiting and diarrhea so bad I thought he was a goner. We got some of the plain Fancy Feast classic pate for him and he's done surprisingly well with this. We chose it for a few reasons:
-It's not super expensive.
-It's easy to find (most stores with pet supply departments carry it so if one store is out, someone else probably has some.)
-He eats it (with a cat with a very confusing case of IBD and sometimes lacks appetite, this is a huge step in the right direction.)
-Foods like Fancy Feast might be like a Mickey D's hamburger, but some of the boutique high end $5.00 buck a can stuff to me resembles USDA certified organic snacks, and by this I only mean there seems to be a limit on how good a massed produced convenience food can be, but no limit as to how much it costs.
L Linda R your post has a lot of very good information in it on food cats need, and you obviously have a passion for feeding your animals well. But people here do the best they can with what they have, and not everyone can afford to pay big bucks for a tiny can of food. And some cats are (shall I say) "stubborn" about switching foods.

1 bruce 1 said:

In a house full of raw fed animals we have a cat that really got screwed up on raw. Even a watered down 100% boneless (additional moisture), heavy on the organ meats (extra laxatives) in a pre-mix diet sent him to the vet to be put under and "dug out" because he was so constipated he would hardly walk!
For a little while we did a very simple home cooked diet that wasn't safe long term, and we weren't comfortable making a cooked diet long term, and one day he started picking at it. He did good on some premium canned foods for awhile until one day he had an episode of vomiting and diarrhea so bad I thought he was a goner. We got some of the plain Fancy Feast classic pate for him and he's done surprisingly well with this. We chose it for a few reasons:
-It's not super expensive.
-It's easy to find (most stores with pet supply departments carry it so if one store is out, someone else probably has some.)
-He eats it (with a cat with a very confusing case of IBD and sometimes lacks appetite, this is a huge step in the right direction.)
-Foods like Fancy Feast might be like a Mickey D's hamburger, but some of the boutique high end $5.00 buck a can stuff to me resembles USDA certified organic snacks, and by this I only mean there seems to be a limit on how good a massed produced convenience food can be, but no limit as to how much it costs.
L Linda R your post has a lot of very good information in it on food cats need, and you obviously have a passion for feeding your animals well. But people here do the best they can with what they have, and not everyone can afford to pay big bucks for a tiny can of food. And some cats are (shall I say) "stubborn" about switching foods.

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Yes this!! I tried numerous times to feed them higher end canned food or raw and they either turn it down or get sick! Sure, some expensive brands are super high quality, but I think the overall market is saturated by hogwash especially the marketing schemes by some of the “premium” brands. I compare it to the fads us humans buy into with vegan diets, organic foods, no red meat, blah blah blah....sometimes you have to trust foods like fancy feast that have never had a recall....ever! And the classic pates are grain-free but it’s not in capital letters on the front of the can like some sort of major achievement. They don’t tout it around as the number one reason to buy their product!

Richard2121 said:

Yes this!! I tried numerous times to feed them higher end canned food or raw and they either turn it down or get sick! Sure, some expensive brands are super high quality, but I think the overall market is saturated by hogwash especially the marketing schemes by some of the “premium” brands. I compare it to the fads us humans buy into with vegan diets, organic foods, no red meat, blah blah blah....sometimes you have to trust foods like fancy feast that have never had a recall....ever! And the classic pates are grain-free but it’s not in capital letters on the front of the can like some sort of major achievement. They don’t tout it around as the number one reason to buy their product!

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Food is a bad place to go when you try to outsmart marketing because there are a lot of good products out there but there are a lot of fancy words to make them seem better than they are.
Small ranches sometimes aren't certified organic but they use organic practices and family farmers or ranchers can't afford the big price tag of buying that certification. it's why people say buy local and you'll be OK.
If we paid the money to get a certified whatever label, the food we actually sell or use for others would go sky high to offset that cost. Or, people can check the place out, ask questions, and make decisions they're comfortable and happy with. For humans and animals alike.
It pays to be street smart.

First off, I disagree that fancy feast is like McDonald's compared to higher end stuff. Many of the recommended brands I see throughout the site that are twice the price of FF include ingredients like vegetables, berries, carragean, and wheat or corn products. Those are the ingredients that worry me, more than the guar gum. I'm not saying it is the absolute best, but I wouldn't consider it unhealthy by any means. That being said, I only but the classic pate kind.

I'm also a fan of the idea that whatever the healthiest cat food you can afford and that your cat enjoys eating is the best cat food for your kitty family. For my kitty, that currently means mostly fancy feast classic pate, some sheba, a bit of nutro (only certain flavors), a bit of petsmart brand stuff, and I just bought some freeze dried raw stuff for her to try for christmas, and I am thinking of getting her some whole frozen mice for every now and again (doesn't that just sound fun?). She also gets some dry food a few days a week when I'm gone at work all day, since she's still a kitten. She really enjoyed sheba cuts in gravy for a while, and I feel like there was some ingrediant in there that I didn't love but overall wasn't too bad, maybe your kitties would like that? Its reasonably priced but sold in tiny plastic half-sized meal things.

Overall, I would start by just finding something in your price range that they enjoy eating, even if you're not in love with the ingredients. See if they prefer specific flavors, etc. It sounds like you're off to a good start already. Good luck!

Richard2121 said:

I tried numerous times to feed them higher end canned food or raw and they either turn it down or get sick!

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Hi. How are your cats doing? Did you find a canned food they would eat? Demi decided that he hates pate now, so I had to go back to the Shreds in gravy. There is some wheat in it, but hopefully not much. He has to have wet food, and this is all he will eat.

maggiedemi said:

Hi. How are your cats doing? Did you find a canned food they would eat? Demi decided that he hates pate now, so I had to go back to the Shreds in gravy. There is some wheat in it, but hopefully not much. He has to have wet food, and this is all he will eat.

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I sure have!! It seems like a 5 or 6 brand rotation works better for my house. Some days are better than others! I figure I have to not fight it so much and just let them be cats. I am still trying to integrate a more firm feeding schedule as my weekends I am off of work and I can feed them more frequently or at different times of the day. Now I am trying to stay consistent all 7 days a week. It seems that when I disrupt their feeding schedule, even for a day, or give them too many treats, or feed them food they don't like, they protest! So I do my best to keep things orderly by controlling the variables I have power over. If they walk away from their food bowls I try not to make a huge fuss and open several different kinds of food to convince them to come back. When I do this they seem to catch on and realize they can get a full buffet style meal if they keep walking away after a few nibbles. Cats are too smart for their own good!

I will note that Dave's Shredded Chicken Dinner in Gravy is a popular one. So is Blue Buffalo Indoor Freedom Flaked Chicken and Tiny Tiger Chunks in Gravy!

Richard2121 said:

I will note that Dave's Shredded Chicken Dinner in Gravy is a popular one. So is Blue Buffalo Indoor Freedom Flaked Chicken and Tiny Tiger Chunks in Gravy!

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I'm glad you found something that works. Demi is such a drama queen. If he hates a food, he will boycott his dinner, give me the silent treatment, and put himself to bed.