High end, price-is-no-object, only the good stuff cat food

Mer.kitten

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any recs? Ive always gotten her the best i can afford, which has been grain free options from Petco. I also have tried Koha, which is available online only and is good. I can afford a better food now.. if one exists?

What im looking for is something with no peas, no rice, no potato starch, no carageenan, no gums... basically the meat, the added vitamins, and water, basically. Big plus if its made in the US-I like Koha but theyre made in Thailand.

Any ideas welcome. Id like at some point to switch to homemade cat food, either cooked or raw, but right now i cant do it.
 

Willowy

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I think a premix with cooked meat is what you want. I don't think there are any commercial foods that really meet your criteria.

Or maybe a freeze-dried raw? Some of those are pretty good, but they'll definitely test your "money is no object" policy ;).
 
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Mer.kitten

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I think a premix with cooked meat is what you want. I don't think there are any commercial foods that really meet your criteria.

Or maybe a freeze-dried raw? Some of those are pretty good, but they'll definitely test your "money is no object" policy ;).
Thank you! After i read your post i googled freeze dried raw, but i actually found a canned food called Carnivora thats pretty much what i'm looking for-it does have gums but other than that its looking good, i'm going to grab a few and see if the princess likes it :)
 

cheesycats

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If money is no object a raw balanced diet would be ideal. If not a cooked or freeze dried diet. Then an all wet diet some good wet brands are dr elseys, tiki, weruva, and if your cat doesn’t like any of that wysong kibble, dt elseys kibble and tiki cat kibble are the best kibbles on the market.
 

Willowy

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If you plan on switching foods in the future, feed as much of a variety as possible. Cats tend to get imprinted on one type of food and it can be hard to convince them otherwise. So, if you get some canned, get some freeze-dried raw, get some frozen raw, feed some cooked meat, etc., that will make it a lot easier when you try to switch.
 

LTS3

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A pet meal subscription is an option but pricey. You get fully prepared pet meals delivered frozen and you just thaw a container as needed. There are companies that do raw or "gently cooked" meals. Some companies include veggies and other fillers in the food :ohwell: Prices vary depending on the plan and delivery frequency.


What im looking for is something with no peas, no rice, no potato starch, no carageenan, no gums... basically the meat, the added vitamins, and water, basically.
Did you try this chart to find foods that meet your criteria? Check This Out.... Chart For Cat Food Ingredients
 

She's a witch

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The brands worth checking out imo:
- Rawz - no gums!
- dr Elsey
- Essence
- Pure Vita
- Hound&Gatos
- Identity
- Feline Natural& Meat Mates - no gums, from New Zeeland but on dr. Pierson’s black list

I feed the combination of frozen commercial raw and high protein canned in rotation and it works great.

I think Carnivora (Blue Buffalo) has pea protein?
 

moxiewild

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If money is no object a raw balanced diet would be ideal. If not a cooked or freeze dried diet. Then an all wet diet some good wet brands are dr elseys, tiki, weruva, and if your cat doesn’t like any of that wysong kibble, dt elseys kibble and tiki cat kibble are the best kibbles on the market.
Ehh, I would say for dry that Dr. Elsey’s and Young Again are roughly tied for best, then Tiki Cat and Wysong Epogen 90. ZiwiPeak air dried is up there somewhere too if you consider that “dry”.

But canned Tiki and Weruva are great if your cat will eat enough of it (most varieties are lower in calories).

Other than those, definitely Dr. Elsey’s and RAWZ, and Feline Natural, Hounds and Gatos, and ZiwiPeak.

If I really had my way though and could afford it, I’d feed mostly homemade raw.
 

maggie101

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Canidae Grain Free PURE WILD Chaparral Canyon
Wet food. No longer on chewy or Amazon but you will find it on other sites
$30 for 18 3oz
 

daftcat75

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I like Rawz. My Krista has multiple food sensitivities and intolerances that preclude her from any other brand mentioned above. In a pinch, she can eat Tiki Cat (only the fish flavors) for a short period of time. But they don't have enough calories and she will get sick of fish and she does have some sensitivity issues there too.

But if money is not an object, buying an electric grinder* and learning how to make your own cat food, raw or cooked, will be better than anything you can get from a can or a bag.

That said, I would still recommend keeping a high quality canned food in her rotation to weather out supply issues, fussiness, failure to make a new batch in time, and having others (cat sitters) care for her. Also, you're not likely to get homemade right the very first time. It's good to keep homemade as a minority portion until you've landed upon a repeatable recipe that passes the most important tests: it's nutritionally complete, your cat will eat it, and she thrives on it. You may and should keep some canned in her rotation in case you come up short on any of those tests.
 

daftcat75

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*You can start with a manual grinder to see if she'll even like your homemade. But it's a bit more work. I got a manual grinder off Amazon for $40 (Weston #10.) I'm sick of it "dancing" around when I use it. And I always have to put more meat into it than what comes out of it (a certain portion just doesn't push through.) I'm ready for the upgrade to an electric.
 
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