If I must feed hard food/kibble...Which one?

[trisha422]

I too would throw a recommendation out for Fromm, in particular 4-Star Game Bird.  I would also take a look at Orijen Regional Red or Go Petcurean. 

She is currently eating Orijen cat and kitten. Is regional red better?
I'm very interested in petcurean.

 

[sargon]

Regional Red is better than the cat and kitten, but also is heavily pork based, and like all Orijin took a major quality hit when hey started producing it in their US factory. 

 

[trisha422]

Why

Regional Red is better than the cat and kitten, but also is heavily pork based, and like all Orijin took a major quality hit when hey started producing it in their US factory. 

Why does US have to screw up the quality of all food??!!! Lol

 

[trisha422]

What do you all think of ziwipeaks?

 

[rupertoooo]

While Orijen's recipes have changed the Regional Red US version is still very high quality with many good meat sources.  The biggest issue with Orijen is not the quality but the recipe change (Cat and Kitten in particular).  Regional Red Formula did not undergo the drastic overhaul which the Cat and Kitten Formula underwent which is the reason I switched to Regional Red Formula.  As for Go Petcurean that was my number one choice however my cats turned their noses up to it.  I currently provide them a mixture of 1/3 Fromm Game Bird and 2/3 Regional Red.  One significant difference with Regional Red is its fortified with all 11 essential amino acids but since you are feeding freeze dried their hopefully packed in.  

You mentioned your concerned with the ingredients of Fromm but I would not be particularly since you will be feeding as a treat.  

 

[lalagimp]

I think last I priced it, I couldn't really afford Fromm with the four cats all eating kibble. The boys are now on raw but the girls are still on kibble. We were/are feeding Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken with Raw Boost. I still have the boys' Nature's Variety Instinct Healthy Weight Chicken with Raw Boost in the freezer if I need it like say we're on a day trip or something. 3 our of 4 or our cats like Nature's Variety Instinct canned duck. The 4th won't eat anything wet. Even the boys' raw was Nature's Variety Instinct chicken medallions before I moved to homemade. 
so... I'm bias. For me, the quality is there and it's palatable all around the house.

 

[trisha422]

Canidae pure elements is pretty good and well tolerated by most cats, and MUCH easier to find (chewy.com sells it, among other places)

I decided to get canidae elements for my brother's cat (whom was eating buffalo blue before). He's a very picky cat but he is loving it!!! What do you think of the protein? It's only 35%.
I've read that it should be high in the 50% range...

For my girl, I've decided to give Ziwipeak a try. Petcurean gather will be my second choice if Ziwipeak doesn't work for some reason.

 

[thegreystalker]

I have seen the crude protein content in kibble range from 30% to 40%, which apparently is the approved (minimum) ratio from AAFCO.  As for fruits and vegetables, as someone on another thread said better than I, cat owners typically are compelled to accept some neutral or somewhat undesirable elements along with the positive aspects of a food that your cat will hopefully consume.  Caregeenan might bother you.  Beef liver could be of concern.  Perhaps artificial color, pea or potato content is annoying;  but If you keep adding up  deal breakers then pretty soon you have no practical options for a healthy menu for your particular pet THAT YOU CAN AFFORD.

 

[trisha422]

While Orijen's recipes have changed the Regional Red US version is still very high quality with many good meat sources.  The biggest issue with Orijen is not the quality but the recipe change (Cat and Kitten in particular).  Regional Red Formula did not undergo the drastic overhaul which the Cat and Kitten Formula underwent which is the reason I switched to Regional Red Formula.  As for Go Petcurean that was my number one choice however my cats turned their noses up to it.  I currently provide them a mixture of 1/3 Fromm Game Bird and 2/3 Regional Red.  One significant difference with Regional Red is its fortified with all 11 essential amino acids but since you are feeding freeze dried their hopefully packed in.  

You mentioned your concerned with the ingredients of Fromm but I would not be particularly since you will be feeding as a treat.  

Thanks so much. I'm not a fan of pork for multiple reasons, but don't doubt it a good food. Fromm isn't too bad, but I think i'm more drawn to petcurean over it.

 

[trisha422]

I think last I priced it, I couldn't really afford Fromm with the four cats all eating kibble. The boys are now on raw but the girls are still on kibble. We were/are feeding Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken with Raw Boost. I still have the boys' Nature's Variety Instinct Healthy Weight Chicken with Raw Boost in the freezer if I need it like say we're on a day trip or something. 3 our of 4 or our cats like Nature's Variety Instinct canned duck. The 4th won't eat anything wet. Even the boys' raw was Nature's Variety Instinct chicken medallions before I moved to homemade. 

so... I'm bias. For me, the quality is there and it's palatable all around the house.

Oh yes, I understand price. I'm taking care of my brother's cat and was debating between NV instinct, but I liked canidae's ingredients more. NV is still a good one.

 

[trisha422]

I have seen the crude protein content in kibble range from 30% to 40%, which apparently is the approved (minimum) ratio from AAFCO.  As for fruits and vegetables, as someone on another thread said better than I, cat owners typically are compelled to accept some neutral or somewhat undesirable elements along with the positive aspects of a food that your cat will hopefully consume.  Caregeenan might bother you.  Beef liver could be of concern.  Perhaps artificial color, pea or potato content is annoying;  but If you keep adding up  deal breakers then pretty soon you have no practical options for a healthy menu for your particular pet THAT YOU CAN AFFORD.

OK, so 35% should be good then. I know what you're saying. I just about went crazy researching food cause I kept eliminating options due to some ingredient I didn't like. You're absolutely right, I just had to compromise and choose the one that pros outweighed the con. I like how canidae had meat in the first 3 ingredients and ninthing much else to worry about besides peas and potato.

 

[BluPersian]

I feed my cat Fromm game bird and he loves it. I also feed my dog Fromm, and have for years. I trust their product and it is reasonably priced compared to some of the other foods.

 

[ignited-red]

Hi there, I'm newbie here, but my advice did you consider giving him Orijen? I think its better than any kibble brand food, I guess

 

[BluPersian]

Orijen is excellent. It is a lot more expensive though.

 

[Kat0121]

I too would throw a recommendation out for Fromm, in particular 4-Star Game Bird. I would also take a look at Orijen Regional Red or Go Petcurean.

Mine get the Petcurean GO! Fit & Free and they like it a lot. It is not a regular part of their diet though. I use it as an occasional topper to wet food if they are being fussy or now and then as a snack. I recommend it.

 

[thegreystalker]

If I were to relent and start buying an un-affordable luxo kibble I guess I would personally choose among the Pure Vita, 'Go' and Solid Gold brands.

 

[Kat0121]

She is currently eating Orijen cat and kitten. Is regional red better?
I'm very interested in petcurean.

Petcurean is made in Canada. It is good food. If you are interested in giving it a go, they are offering a $5 coupon off a bag. The coupon says ANY bag so if they have a small one you can get that. Here's the link to the coupon.

Nourish for Life | Petcurean
http://www.petcurean.com/nourish-for-life/
Retailer locator

Canada & USA | Petcurean

 

[_spadekitty]

I have a smaller tom and really liked the Origin brand, but it has a ton of protein that I figured he'd just poop out most of. So I went with Acana, the somewhat cheaper and lower protein option by the same people who make Origin. I adopted him from my school (a veterinary technician school) so I've seen the HUGE improvement in his energy and coat switching him from Royal Canin UI to Acana Meadowlands. I'd recommend it highly. He only gets it as snacks, and sometimes as his lunch, but until I found a wet food we both liked, he was on it exclusively.