So, what is the best cat wet food?

[just mike]

If I really must get a canned food, then weruva, as it uses human grade ingredients. Aside from that, I just have no trust in the pet industry in general.... I do like commercial raw, but then, that's not really canned....

I have a question for you Carolina.  I'm not starting anything I'm just curious.  You don't like the pet food industry in general and I respect that opinion.  But in the next breath you state you like commercial raw.  Do you not consider commercial raw part of the pet food industry?  In reality they are part of the pet food industry and are as accountable as the other commercial companies that create, produce and manufacture wet foods. 

 

[carolina]

I have a question for you Carolina.  I'm not starting anything I'm just curious.  You don't like the pet food industry in general and I respect that opinion.  But in the next breath you state you like commercial raw.  Do you not consider commercial raw part of the pet food industry?  In reality they are part of the pet food industry and are as accountable as the other commercial companies that create, produce and manufacture wet foods. 

Yes and no.
To answer your question, I like some of the commercial raw - and by commercial, I mean as opposed to being home made :nod: Commercial as in being sold/commercialized.

For example, I LOVE Rad Cat. I LOVE Hare Today, which it is not sold in stores, but you can order online. I like Nature's Menu. None of these have additives, vegetables, grains, or anything that I don't like in commercial food. They do not have by-products, they do not have artificial flavorings, they do not have rendered meats, they have a clean formula.
Nature's Variety "Passes", as it can be used temporarily to introduce a cat to a raw diet :nod: I do not like their mixed protein/organs formula, the bone content, and the amount of vegetables and fruits in it.

Commercial raw are made with USDA human grade raw meats - very different than what is used in THE commercial pet industry :nod:
Furthermore, the only Company really that is part of the "Pet food industry" as in producing kibbles and wet, that also produces raw that I am aware, is Nature's Variety - the others produce Raw food. Ziwi Peak to a certain degree, as they produce air dried raw and their canned is raw canned/cooked under the lowest temperature as possible. There might be others, but they are not in the "map" as much.
So no. While they are certainly a segment of the Commercial Pet food, IMHO, I do not consider them part of THE Pet food Industry as it is known.
I don't see raw from Purina, by Nutro, by Science Diet, and the other big Companies in the PFI.
I hope this explains a bit how I feel.
To me, commercial raw means not home made; means you can buy it in a store or online. Defrost and serve. But they are still raw. They are still USDA Meats. They are still not processed like commercial pet food - canned and kibbles are. That to me, makes a World of difference.

 

[subtle]

Organix by Castor & Pollux.  No contest.  Easily the best.

 

[ldg]

Unfortunately, the Organix foods are very high in carbohydrates.

 

[subtle]

I thought we were specifically focused on wet food in this thread.  I don't consider 1% of crude fiber to be high in carbohydrates.

Aside from that, the most important aspect is that the meat used in the product is 100% certified organic which is vastly more important than worrying about a bit of brown rice.  Chicken is arguably the most necessary form of meat for both humans and animals to consume in a 100% organic form.  Unlike with Turkey, there are no Federal laws in place prohibiting the use of growth hormones in Chicken.  That coupled with the detection of heavy amounts of arsenic, antidepressants, antibiotics, etc. in generic chicken feed concerns me far more than a few carbs.

 

[carolina]

I thought we were specifically focused on wet food in this thread.

As far as I can see, this thread IS focused on canned food :dk:
Mike simply asked me a question, and in returned I answered. There was no discussion, no debate, nothing. A question he was curious about, and an answer to his curiosity. I hope we can all focus on canned now.

FYI, the use of growth hormone is illegal in the US for all poultry. That IS Federal.... And poultry includes chicken.

 

[tinkermiss]

My cats love Friskies wet food. It's not the best brand but it's all they'll eat wet food wise.

They all get Blue Buffalo dry food though. They love that. There is one bowl of Blue down so they're all free fed. We've never had a problem with over eating. And when they get wet food it's one can split between 4 cats

 

[ldg]

 I don't consider 1% of crude fiber to be high in carbohydrates.

Fiber isn't carbohydrates. The macronutrient content of a food is protein, fat, fiber, ash (minerals), and carbohydrates. The guaranteed analysis provided on the foods indicates protein, fat, fiber, and ash (minerals). What's left over is carbohydrates. Dr. Pierson provides analysis of quite a few foods here: (a pdf file) http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf Here is the discussion: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods

The first column is on an energy basis: the second column is a dry matter basis (which adjusts for the water content, so puts all foods on an apples-apples basis). Here is Organix:

The columns are protein, fat, carbs:

Turkey with seafood 35%, 33%, 25%
Turkey/brown rice/chicken 36%, 36%, 21%
Turkey & spinach 35%, 35%, 23%
Turkey with salmon 37%, 37%, 19%

Cats have no daily nutritional requirement for carbohydrates. A study published February 2011 indicates that cats naturally eat a diet that is 2% carbs on an energy basis, or 2.8% if you look at it on a DMB basis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22005434

 

[numystic]

Fiber isn't carbohydrates. The macronutrient content of a food is protein, fat, fiber, ash (minerals), and carbohydrates.

^ This.

In fact many of the things absolute highest in carbs are completely fiber free like white sugar and white flour. 

Subtle, I completely share your appreciation for organic meats and wish more companies made them available, but I'll take a commercial protein over feeding my cats 10x their ideal carb profile every day of the week. I personally won't even look at a food now that has carbs over single digits let alone 20+ like the C&P formulas, and am avoiding rice especially at all costs.

You mentioned arsenic, meanwhile rice is actually the single worst culprit in creating dangerous levels of detectable inorganic arsenic (the worst kind) in our diet according to a massive new study published by Consumer Reports that is being reported all over the news right now. Shockingly brown rice is even worse than white when it comes to how much arsenic has been found in their study. (including "healthy" brands like Whole Foods 365 and Lundberg)

Currently it is being suggested that humans limit the consumption of rice or rice related products (cereals, rice milk etc.) to no more than 2-3 servings per week, and only one serving per week for children, as it was definitively shown that those who ate a single serving in the prior 24 hours had arsenic levels 40% higher than those who ddin't, and 2 servings resulted in a whopping 70% higher level of arsenic than those who didn't. 

ABC News - Arsenic in Rice: New Report finds "Worrisome Levels":
http://abcnews.go.co...72#.UHK_wGjGVNE

LA Times - Rice Contains Worrisome Arsenic Levels, Says Consumer Reports:
http://www.latimes.c...,0,396689.story

Reuters -  US Needs Arsenic Limits in Rice: Consumer Reports:
http://www.reuters.c...E88I0RR20120919

 

[bluebo]

^ This.

In fact many of the things absolute highest in carbs are completely fiber free like white sugar and white flour. 

Subtle, I completely share your appreciation for organic meats and wish more companies made them available, but I'll take a commercial protein over feeding my cats 10x their ideal carb profile every day of the week. I personally won't even look at a food now that has carbs over single digits let alone 20+ like the C&P formulas, and am avoiding rice especially at all costs.

You mentioned arsenic, meanwhile rice is actually the single worst culprit in creating dangerous levels of detectable inorganic arsenic (the worst kind) in our diet according to a massive new study published by Consumer Reports that is being reported all over the news right now. Shockingly brown rice is even worse than white when it comes to how much arsenic has been found in their study. (including "healthy" brands like Whole Foods 365 and Lundberg)

Currently it is being suggested that humans limit the consumption of rice or rice related products (cereals, rice milk etc.) to no more than 2-3 servings per week, and only one serving per week for children, as it was definitively shown that those who ate a single serving in the prior 24 hours had arsenic levels 40% higher than those who ddin't, and 2 servings resulted in a whopping 70% higher level of arsenic than those who didn't. 

ABC News - Arsenic in Rice: New Report finds "Worrisome Levels":
http://abcnews.go.co...72#.UHK_wGjGVNE


LA Times - Rice Contains Worrisome Arsenic Levels, Says Consumer Reports:
http://www.latimes.c...,0,396689.story


Reuters -  US Needs Arsenic Limits in Rice: Consumer Reports:
http://www.reuters.c...E88I0RR20120919

Thank you SO much for this post. My daughter is autistic and requires a gluten/casein free diet. Instead of dairy milk we were using a lot of rice milk. Thankfully we just switched her onto almond milk and hemp milk. That's horrible.... I feel bad for giving that to my child

 

[numystic]

We recently made the switch to Almond Milk as well even before this news broke. Don't feel bad though! Even with the "worrisome" levels being reported, we're talking about an amount that is small enough that it may only be a concern compounded over years if not decades of consumption. It's not like a food recall where folks land in the hospital after only eating something once. We can't take responsibility for things we don't even know and you're clearly doing everything you can to care for your loved one. 

 

[jedinose]

I feed my cats Fancy Feast.

They love it.

 

[rad65]

I feed my cats Fancy Feast.

They love it.

The general rule is that the food they will eat is the best food for a cat, but I would still like to caution anyone else reading this that Fancy Feast is generally considered one of the lowest quality wet foods. I only bring this up because the thread title specifically asks for "best cat wet food" and objectively speaking, Fancy Feast is nowhere near the best. I'm not talking bad on it or anyone that feeds it to their cats either, since the "best" foods are also multiple times the price of the mid-range food I feed my cats so I have no leg to stand on.

 

[numystic]

The general rule is that the food they will eat is the best food for a cat

That is not only untrue, it's a dangerous fallacy to spread. 

Cats will drink antifreeze… and it will kill them. 

Cats go bezerk for most fish formulas but it's known that a heavy fish diet is not what is best for them. 

That idea may have been valid 200 years ago for a cat living in the wild, but when we're discussing the commercially manufactured highly processed foods which 98% of cats are fed it holds no truth whatsoever.

Why? Because the major pet food companies spend millions researching and testing flavor enhancers and additives which make their garbage food appealing to cats. Most cats LOVE absolute crap kibble dry food, not because it's the best food for the cat but because it is coated in powdered digest which is extremely appealing to cats and fools them into thinking they're getting real food. 

Canned food is no different with all the flavor enhancers used in commercial brands to make their food more appealing. Even the "best" regarded brands are not above this, and it's one of the reasons I won't feed the varieties that include even "natural flavors" like Evo. So called "natural flavors" often include things like Castoreum and MSG. It's a well known that companies legally use the euphemism "natural flavors" to hide ingredients that would be distasteful to consumers if they were individually listed. 

 

[rad65]

That is not only untrue, it's a dangerous fallacy to spread. 

Cats will drink antifreeze… and it will kill them. 

Cats go bezerk for most fish formulas but it's known that a heavy fish diet is not what is best for them. 

You're right, I should have specified that I didn't mean things like antifreeze when talking about cat food 

In all seriousness, I meant to say that if you have a picky cat who won't eat the best food, but will eat mid-range or even low-end food, then that is the best food for that cat, because a cat eating Fancy Feast is better than a cat starving itself. The main gist of what my post was about is how Fancy Feast is usually considered one of the worst foods, so I really am sorry that I had such a poorly worded first sentence.

 

[numystic]

I understood perfectly what you were saying, and what I'm pointing out is that cats who won't eat the best food and only eat mid or low quality food are not being "picky" they are addicted to the flavor enhancers and additives that the cheap food manufacturers use to achieve this very thing.

NO cat wants to starve, and it takes an owner committed to their health and well being to educate themselves and then begin a program of patiently helping them break their addiction in a safe systematic way as covered in hundreds of articles and forum posts which outline proven strategies since this is such a common issue for pet caretakers who decide to make the switch to quality food. 

 

[rad65]

I also didn't mean "keep feeding a cat crap food forever just because it's the only thing they'll eat right now." I meant that in the moment, feeding them bad food is better than no food. Again, that was not even remotely related to the point I was originally making and I only said it to offset what I then said about Fancy Feast. 

 

[jedinose]

Mine is Fancey Feast.

 

[mewlittle]

I think Before grain said they was human grade not sure is it? and what about evangers and diamond or truimph?

 

[pezkat]

I had seen several recommendations of Halo Spot's Stew so I was disappointed to find garlic powder in the ingredients.

I'm still learning & experimenting - recently lost an 18-year old with kidney failure so learned all about best nutrition for her, but am now focusing on our healthy 2-year-old.  So far Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient seems the best as far as grain-free, good protein, low carbs, and no carrageenen, bad preservatives, ground flaxseed or menodione.  (whew!)  Plus, of course, she will actually eat it!

Hound & Gatos sounds great on paper but I haven't tried any yet.

One thing I recently learned is that some premium brands have the same formula for their dog foods and there are usually larger cans available (so possibly a cheaper option).

Also Fancy Feast Classic flavors are gluten-free and low-carb, so as far as the cheap stuff goes they're not all bad though they don't have the best protein sources.