In Search Of More High Quality Affordable Wet Food

[Rosepud]

Currently I have been using almost exclusively tiki cat after dark with the occasional can of Miko, or holistic select mixed in, however, I am planning on getting another cat and tiki after dark is terribly expensive, I only feed wet food atm and plan to keep it that way. I was hoping some of you lovely knowledgeable people would know of other foods that have no peas legumes lentils etc. or grain, so basically really high quality wet that's somewhat affordable. I recently purchased some against the grain chicken and cheese to try, but am hoping to stick more around the price point of holistic select. Any and all recommendations appreciated.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Fancy Feast Classic Pates and the Chewy brand Tiny Tiger are both very economical and biologically appropriate (no unnecessary grains, peas, etc.). My 3 only eat wet food too, so I feel your pain about wanting more economical options!

Redbarn makes a good, affordable pate too, although mine weren't fans of the turkey.

Chewy also has a brand called American Journey that I love, but unfortunately my cats don't care for it.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Side note: Don't confuse "high quality" with "expensive"! There are a lot of boutique-y brands that I would never, ever feed because there is so much crap in them that cats don't need, like peas, lentils, etc.

 

[Rosepud]

Fancy Feast Classic Pates and the Chewy brand Tiny Tiger are both very economical and biologically appropriate (no unnecessary grains, peas, etc.). My 3 only eat wet food too, so I feel your pain about wanting more economical options!

Redbarn makes a good, affordable pate too, although mine weren't fans of the turkey.

Chewy also has a brand called American Journey that I love, but unfortunately my cats don't care for it.

American journey unfortunately has peas in it, and tiny tiger adds in artificial coloring so both of those aren't really what I'm looking for. I will look at the other 2 though and really appreciate the insight. I'm aware expensive doesn't mean good although it would maybe make things easier if it did

 

[EmersonandEvie]

I'm aware expensive doesn't mean good although it would maybe make things easier if it did

Ain't that the truth! I didn't mean to come across as condescending either, so I apologize if I did. The internet makes it hard to convey how something is meant to be read.

I didn't realize that AJ has peas! I suppose it's been a whole since I purchased it!

 

[Rosepud]

Ain't that the truth! I didn't mean to come across as condescending either, so I apologize if I did. The internet makes it hard to convey how something is meant to be read.

I didn't realize that AJ has peas! I suppose it's been a whole since I purchased it!

I get that I used to get instinct, but it seems they've added peas to the recipe or I never noticed before and it's super frustrating when you can't use on of the go-to foods anymore, and it wasn't condescending at all!

 

[maggie101]

I feed my cats dr elseys clean protein chicken and Turkey. Chewy recently had it on sale.

 

[Rosepud]

I feed my cats dr elseys clean protein chicken and Turkey. Chewy recently had it on sale.

I had forgotten about them! They had been on my list to try but I lost track of them thank you!

 

[She's a witch]

American journey unfortunately has peas in it, and tiny tiger adds in artificial coloring so both of those aren't really what I'm looking for. I will look at the other 2 though and really appreciate the insight. I'm aware expensive doesn't mean good although it would maybe make things easier if it did

I've just checked both brands you mentioned on chewy and AJ does not have peas, and Tiny Tiger, unlike Fancy Feast classic pates it copies, does not have artificial ingredients. I'm referring to the pate styles as these are the only ones we use. These are great economical options and chewy has very often deals on them.

The other brands I feed: Rawz, Hound&Gatos, Essence, Pure Vita, Feline Natural, Dr Elsey, Meat Mates, Redbarn Lamb flavour, BBF, Koha, Kaikoa, Weruwa, Merrick Purrfect Bistro rabbit

Edited to add: dr Elsey, Rawz, KaiKoa will probably send you samples if you ask them to

 

[Rosepud]

I've just checked both brands you mentioned on chewy and AJ does not have peas, and Tiny Tiger, unlike Fancy Feast classic pates it copies, does not have artificial ingredients. I'm referring to the pate styles as these are the only ones we use. These are great economical options and chewy has very often deals on them.

The other brands I feed: Rawz, Hound&Gatos, Essence, Pure Vita, Feline Natural, Dr Elsey, Meat Mates, Redbarn Lamb flavour, BBF, Koha, Kaikoa, Weruwa, Merrick Purrfect Bistro rabbit

Edited to add: dr Elsey, Rawz, KaiKoa will probably send you samples if you ask them to

The American Journey I looked at has peas, and tiny tiger has red dye added to all the foods I looked at.

 

[Rosepud]

 

[Rosepud]

https://www.chewy.com/american-journey-minced-poultry-in/dp/160947#Nutritional-Info

 

[Rosepud]

I see the pate does not have peas, I had just looked at the first one for those, but all the tiny tiger included red dye that I saw

 

[Willowy]

Shreds/minced/bits-type canned food usually has more vegetable ingredients than pate does.

This is the first result for Tiny Tiger. Beef does have "added color" but chicken and turkey don't. They do have nitrates though.
https://www.chewy.com/tiny-tiger-pate-beef-poultry-recipes/dp/168784#Nutritional-Info

 

[She's a witch]

I see the pate does not have peas, I had just looked at the first one for those, but all the tiny tiger included red dye that I saw

if you want to try Tiny Tiger, try Turkey and giblets, I see no dye in the ingredients? It has no fish also and it's a big deal for me. I'm not an expert in the added colour, but I'm guessing it doesn't have to be artificial? I'd hope they have to label it as "artificial coloring" if they use artificial ingredients and they don't label it that way. But maybe they don't have to....
Anyway, my girl loved the first batch of Tiny Tiger but hated the next one. I guess this is a risk with the foods with by products. My boy loved them both. But for this price and their deals, it's worth checking imo, especially if you would use it in a rotation with "better" brands.
I only use Pate food as it seems the ingredients of this style as usually way better.

 

[maggie101]

I had forgotten about them! They had been on my list to try but I lost track of them thank you!

I had forgotten about them! They had been on my list to try but I lost track of them thank you!

Someone just posted that the dr elseys chicken is on sale for $15.

 

[mizzely]

Soulistic from Petco is Weruva with a different label. I've had good luck with those! No peas etc

 

[lavishsqualor]

My crew used to eat exclusively raw. They ate rabbit from Hare Today. But when the rabbit supplies vanished and Thirteen, my beautiful, uber-picky, four-year-old female tuxedo wouldn't eat anything, not even raw rabbit from other suppliers, I realized that we had to make some changes. I didn't want her stuck on a food that could be so limited in availability. The only thing I could get her to eat during the rabbit shortage was Wholehearted's Chicken Recipe Flaked in Gravy. She gobbled it up. All my cats did. Even when Hare Today's rabbit supply came back online Thirteen wanted nothing to do with it; she wanted her Wholehearted. While I don't think Wholehearted is necessarily a terrible food, I do think there are better options so I started mixing it with Dr. Elsey's Beef (which she loved) and then Dr. Elsey's Turkey for variety. Right now I'm trying, with a great deal of success, to transition her over to Ziwi Peak Lamb. I really wanted my crew on Rawz and although my other two would eat it, Thirteen would not.

Dr. Elsey's vs. Ziwi Peak Lamb vs. Rawz . . . any thoughts?

 

[Rosepud]

My crew used to eat exclusively raw. They ate rabbit from Hare Today. But when the rabbit supplies vanished and Thirteen, my beautiful, uber-picky, four-year-old female tuxedo wouldn't eat anything, not even raw rabbit from other suppliers, I realized that we had to make some changes. I didn't want her stuck on a food that could be so limited in availability. The only thing I could get her to eat during the rabbit shortage was Wholehearted's Chicken Recipe Flaked in Gravy. She gobbled it up. All my cats did. Even when Hare Today's rabbit supply came back online Thirteen wanted nothing to do with it; she wanted her Wholehearted. While I don't think Wholehearted is necessarily a terrible food, I do think there are better options so I started mixing it with Dr. Elsey's Beef (which she loved) and then Dr. Elsey's Turkey for variety. Right now I'm trying, with a great deal of success, to transition her over to Ziwi Peak Lamb. I really wanted my crew on Rawz and although my other two would eat it, Thirteen would not.

Dr. Elsey's vs. Ziwi Peak Lamb vs. Rawz . . . any thoughts?

I tried the ziwi peak and later realized at least the recipe I got had peas, so it's personally a no from me, rawz is pretty good, but Dr. Elseys I think is gonna be my favorite for price and ingredients, I ordered a case for mine to try. I tried raw and my girl tends to puke it up and having to throw away my sheepskin rug, I decided no more and gave up on trying it.

 

[MissClouseau]

BIO Chicken (There is also the same formula with Beef)

Chicken | Naturea