Thoughts on/Experience with Ziwi Peak's wet canned food?

[Sonnys_sonnet]

Greetings, this is my first post! I've been in search of a wet food that my cat will enjoy and won't upset his stomach. For the longest time I was feeding him Tiki Cat's Venison wet food, but that's been discontinued. I've been on the search for a food that he'll like and I'm not sure if I've found success... I've had issues with many brands, but recently tried Ziwi Peak and he seems to enjoy it. I purchased all flavors but chicken (he hates chicken.) So far he seems to be doing good on the venison and lamb, but for some reason the beef has made him throw up twice, usually happening 25 minutes after eating which was concerning. What is also concerning is the fact that there's chickpeas in all the flavors, and mussels. At first I didn't think too much about the mussels, but with them being seafood.. am I basically feeding my cat seafood everyday? And as for the chickpeas, I know this bumps up the carb count, but is the amount in Ziwi Peak enough to be concerned/ bad for my kitty?
With the mussels and chickpeas, I've considered trying Rawrz, but I'm not sure if he'll like them. He's very finicky when it comes to beef, turkey, rabbit, and duck which are the only flavors they have (besides chicken, which again he hates...)
(He initially ate Tiki Cat's After dark flavors with beef, duck, and rabbit, but in the end he only wanted to eat their venison. It seems to be his favorite meat....)

I'd love to hear other's thoughts on Ziwi Peak (specifically their venison food), and their cat's experience with their food in recent years.
And if possible any other wet food brand recommendations (looking mostly for ones with venison, but willing to try anything at this point...)

Foods I've tried in the past that have failed:
Weruva (caused him to vomit an unusual amount)
Made by Nacho (diarrhea, also got tired of turkey and beef)
Tiki Cat (success, but they only have seafood and chicken flavors, big no no)
Sheba (success-ish, eventually got tired of their chicken and turkey, other flavors gave diarrhea)
Instinct (didn't want to touch it. don't know why..)

 

[lisahe]

Welcome to The Cat Site, Sonnys_sonnet ! Your quest -- for wet foods that won't upset your cat's stomach -- sounds all too familiar.

First, on Ziwi Peak. I've never fed it to our cats because they contain... yes, chickpeas and green-lipped mussels. I won't feed chickpeas out of principle (especially since they're legumes, which can cause gas and worse) and the mussels seem to make one of our cats barf. A supplement I used to use for cat food contained green-lipped mussels and Edwina was vomiting a few hours after meals. In your cat's case, if he'd eaten Tiki's beef food but can't eat the Ziwi Peak food, the problematic ingredient is probably in the Ziwi, right? (I'm questioning because maybe I missed a detail?)

Your summary of previous fails is very helpful... though I'm not sure what to suggest. Other than Rawz, which is already on your list. It's very good food, expensive but fairly calorie-dense. I buy individual cans from Incredible Pets. Our cats have vacillated between loving and hating it so I don't dare buy too much! The same goes for Mouser, which is also very good food, though the cats currently hate that one. That said, it sounds like your cat -- what's his name, by the way? Is he Sonny? -- doesn't like any of their proteins.

Lamb and venison can be a little tricky. Feline Natural makes very good lamb food, though it does contain green-lipped mussels. They also make a food with chicken and venison. Hound & Gatos also makes good food and they have lots of proteins -- like lamb and pork -- but their food contains agar-agar, which makes some cats (including both of ours!) barf.

We have a long list of ingredients we can't feed and of course your cat's list won't be the same as our cats' list since these problems can be very individual. It can take a lot of trial and error to figure things out. This is why I feed our cat with IBD symptoms so much homemade food: no gums or other thickeners, no mussels, and so on.

Does your cat have any other symptoms beyond the barfing? Does he scratch, itch, or mow fur? Does his stomach gurgle? Does he get gas? And do you give him any supplements, anything like probiotics or fish oil?

 

[Sonnys_sonnet]

Hello lisahe! My cat's name is Hunter. Thank you for your response.

I haven't noticed any off behavior while feeding him Ziwi Peak, and in all honestly it's been one of the only foods he's positively reacted too. Though I'm still considering switching since i'm concerned about the long-term effects of feeding him chickpeas and mussels. The only protein from them he seems to have a negative reaction to is the beef.

Regarding said reaction to their beef flavor, it is concerning. He does like beef from most brands, but will eventually stop eating it. Though he does this, he has Never thrown up any beef foods like he has with Ziwi Peak.

He will eat proteins like turkey, duck, lamb, and rabbit, but like beef, he will eventually stop eating them and go on a hunger strike. The only protein he seems to not do this with is Venison which is why i've been trying to stick to it (which has been troublesome since few brands carry the protein...)

Even with getting foods that have different proteins mixed together (ie: beef with chicken, turkey with beef , etc etc), if he smells a protein he's currently boycotting in the food, he won't eat it. He's a very troublesome cat Hahaha

Due to my current living situation I can't feed my cat homemade or frozen foods, but i'm hoping by beginning of next year I can make the switch. Based on your response it seems like your kitties do well on Rawz canned food? I will have to check if my local pet store has the brand. If they do I'm definitely going to try them!

 

[maggie101]

I agree with lisahe about the chick peas. My cat likes instinct with venison. I take out the peas. One of the few foods she can eat. Also likes feline naturals lamb. I know rawz pate is popular because of the ingredients but my cat I was going to give to doesn't like pate

 

[maggie101]

Quick Share

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This site has single cans

 

[lisahe]

Hello lisahe! My cat's name is Hunter. Thank you for your response.

I haven't noticed any off behavior while feeding him Ziwi Peak, and in all honestly it's been one of the only foods he's positively reacted too. Though I'm still considering switching since i'm concerned about the long-term effects of feeding him chickpeas and mussels. The only protein from them he seems to have a negative reaction to is the beef.

Regarding said reaction to their beef flavor, it is concerning. He does like beef from most brands, but will eventually stop eating it. Though he does this, he has Never thrown up any beef foods like he has with Ziwi Peak.

He will eat proteins like turkey, duck, lamb, and rabbit, but like beef, he will eventually stop eating them and go on a hunger strike. The only protein he seems to not do this with is Venison which is why i've been trying to stick to it (which has been troublesome since few brands carry the protein...)

Even with getting foods that have different proteins mixed together (ie: beef with chicken, turkey with beef , etc etc), if he smells a protein he's currently boycotting in the food, he won't eat it. He's a very troublesome cat Hahaha

Due to my current living situation I can't feed my cat homemade or frozen foods, but i'm hoping by beginning of next year I can make the switch. Based on your response it seems like your kitties do well on Rawz canned food? I will have to check if my local pet store has the brand. If they do I'm definitely going to try them!

That's definitely odd about the beef... meaning that Hunter has such a bad reaction to Ziwi Peak's but not other brands' beef. Are you keeping a log of "incidents" and what was last fed? Sometimes a cat log can help identify patterns. It sounds like you've got lots of potential culprits since Hunter has tried a lot of foods: various proteins, gums, and who knows what all else (like the chickpeas!) that companies put in their food. Feeding the simplest possible recipes can help but that can be really difficult if the cat is picky.

It really can be trouble when they notice blends of proteins. Or, as is sometimes the case here, blends of different foods that I combine in one dish because we have lots of leftovers!

When did Hunter last go to the vet? Have you discussed any of this with the vet? Of course vomiting and possible food sensitivities are notoriously difficult to sort out...

 

[maggie101]

Greetings, this is my first post! I've been in search of a wet food that my cat will enjoy and won't upset his stomach. For the longest time I was feeding him Tiki Cat's Venison wet food, but that's been discontinued. I've been on the search for a food that he'll like and I'm not sure if I've found success... I've had issues with many brands, but recently tried Ziwi Peak and he seems to enjoy it. I purchased all flavors but chicken (he hates chicken.) So far he seems to be doing good on the venison and lamb, but for some reason the beef has made him throw up twice, usually happening 25 minutes after eating which was concerning. What is also concerning is the fact that there's chickpeas in all the flavors, and mussels. At first I didn't think too much about the mussels, but with them being seafood.. am I basically feeding my cat seafood everyday? And as for the chickpeas, I know this bumps up the carb count, but is the amount in Ziwi Peak enough to be concerned/ bad for my kitty?
With the mussels and chickpeas, I've considered trying Rawrz, but I'm not sure if he'll like them. He's very finicky when it comes to beef, turkey, rabbit, and duck which are the only flavors they have (besides chicken, which again he hates...)
(He initially ate Tiki Cat's After dark flavors with beef, duck, and rabbit, but in the end he only wanted to eat their venison. It seems to be his favorite meat....)

I'd love to hear other's thoughts on Ziwi Peak (specifically their venison food), and their cat's experience with their food in recent years.
And if possible any other wet food brand recommendations (looking mostly for ones with venison, but willing to try anything at this point...)

Foods I've tried in the past that have failed:
Weruva (caused him to vomit an unusual amount)
Made by Nacho (diarrhea, also got tired of turkey and beef)
Tiki Cat (success, but they only have seafood and chicken flavors, big no no)
Sheba (success-ish, eventually got tired of their chicken and turkey, other flavors gave diarrhea)
Instinct (didn't want to touch it. don't know why..)

Venison is not beef. It is lean meat from a deer. What meat has he tried?

 

[Sonnys_sonnet]

That's definitely odd about the beef... meaning that Hunter has such a bad reaction to Ziwi Peak's but not other brands' beef. Are you keeping a log of "incidents" and what was last fed? Sometimes a cat log can help identify patterns. It sounds like you've got lots of potential culprits since Hunter has tried a lot of foods: various proteins, gums, and who knows what all else (like the chickpeas!) that companies put in their food. Feeding the simplest possible recipes can help but that can be really difficult if the cat is picky.

It really can be trouble when they notice blends of proteins. Or, as is sometimes the case here, blends of different foods that I combine in one dish because we have lots of leftovers!

When did Hunter last go to the vet? Have you discussed any of this with the vet? Of course vomiting and possible food sensitivities are notoriously difficult to sort out...

I'm currently not keeping a log, but just simply remembering what brands he's had a bad reaction to and not buying them again. A log is a good idea though, and I think i'll make one soon. I'll also try comparing all the different brand's ingredients to each other to see if they share anything in common.

I haven't taken him to the vet since this occsional vomiting and diarrhea seems to be linked to his food (since he does well on some brands and terrible on others,) and I assume it can be solved by simply finding a food that agrees with his stomach. (ie: when I had him on tiki cat's seafood for a month recently, he was perfectly fine. No diarrhea, no vomiting)

I assume this issue with food is due to his age. He's almost 7, so he's getting into the years where intolerances and other issues can pop up.
(I should add he did go to the vet in May for a check up and urine analysis, and they said he was fine. My local vet closed earlier this month, so i'm in the process of finding another)

 

[Sonnys_sonnet]

Venison is not beef. It is lean meat from a deer. What meat has he tried?

Hi yes I know Venison is deer. He's tried all types of proteins available on the market. Beef, Venison, Duck, Rabbit, Turkey, and Chicken. Chicken is his least favorite. He will not touch chicken from any brand.

Beef, Duck, Rabbit and Turkey, he will eat, but is finicky with. I can feed them to him for a couples weeks or months, then all of a sudden he will no longer eat them and go on a hunger strike.

Deer (or Venison) seems to be the only protein he will continuously eat w/o hunger striking.

 

[maggie101]

Unfortunately,venison is very hard to find. Until you can find him something else I would stay with ziwi so he has nutrition. Let me know if you find anything!

 

[Sonnys_sonnet]

Unfortunately,venison is very hard to find. Until you can find him something else I would stay with ziwi so he has nutrition. Let me know if you find anything!

Yes, I have realized that Venison is very rare protein to find in cat food
I'm going to try Rawz in hopes that he'll like it and stick to it. But if not.. then Ziwi Peak Venison it is haha

 

[lisahe]

I'm currently not keeping a log, but just simply remembering what brands he's had a bad reaction to and not buying them again. A log is a good idea though, and I think i'll make one soon. I'll also try comparing all the different brand's ingredients to each other to see if they share anything in common.

I haven't taken him to the vet since this occsional vomiting and diarrhea seems to be linked to his food (since he does well on some brands and terrible on others,) and I assume it can be solved by simply finding a food that agrees with his stomach. (ie: when I had him on tiki cat's seafood for a month recently, he was perfectly fine. No diarrhea, no vomiting)

I assume this issue with food is due to his age. He's almost 7, so he's getting into the years where intolerances and other issues can pop up.
(I should add he did go to the vet in May for a check up and urine analysis, and they said he was fine. My local vet closed earlier this month, so i'm in the process of finding another)

That's very interesting about seafood not bothering Hunter. And yes, I completely understand what you're saying about the vomiting and diarrhea seeming to be linked to food: I do the same thing with Edwina (meaning switch up food) when she has trouble because that almost always solves the problem. If it's persistent, as it was last year, it's off to the vet.

Stress is another thing to consider with vomiting: that seems to be a factor for Edwina. It's not just that she has food anxiety but that certain other things -- particularly noise and hot weather -- get her riled. This has been a rough summer thanks to some very hot and humid weather plus lots of very loud construction (and destruction!) noise in the neighborhood. She's also eaten or chewed on slugs, centipedes, and other insects, which can make her barf. I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes lots of factors come together and make things worse.

 

[cejhome]

Hello, our Buddy is allergic to chicken. We feed him:

• Rawz Rabbit - he is so-so about it, but will eat it
• Feline Natural Lamb - he is so-so about it, but will eat it
• Lotus Venison Stew - he loves it. Has potato starch in it, but he is fine with it.
• Tiki After Dark Venison with Beef Liver - loves it. Are you sure it's been discontinued? I can't find anything saying it has. I will ask on their website. I have noticed that during the summer - fall, it is usually 100% out of stock, then back in stock around January/February to now. I stock up a bunch to make sure it carries me through. I think during the hot months, its hard to source the venison. Same thing with the Feline Natural lamb. They are frequently out of stock during certain times of year.
• Soulistic Lamb & Tuna - for an occasional treat - Loves it

We tried Instinct Rabbit - he hated it and it is loaded with peas and pea fiber.
We tried Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Morsels in Gravy Real Rabbit Recipe Cuts - he hated it.

Years ago I tried Ziwi peak - many, many years ago it did not have Chickpeas in it (neither did Dr. Elsey's canned). I was not please with the inconsistency of the food and our cat at the time was so-so with it. She didn't like the Dr. Elsey's at all.

I tried for a treat - Tiki sardines in sardine consomme - he loves it, but I am going to try sardines from the grocery store in water if I can fine some with low/no sodium added. Cheaper and better for him.

 

[cejhome]

I emailed Tiki Cat customer service. They responded today. They have discontinued the After Dark Venison with Beef Liver.

 

[lisahe]

I emailed Tiki Cat customer service. They responded today. They have discontinued the After Dark Venison with Beef Liver.

I am so sorry. Recipe changes and discontinued foods can be really tough to deal with.

 

[cejhome]

At least I have about a 6 month supply. I have already started looking for replacement possibilities. I'll be making a post asking opinions when I have my list! Thank goodness for this site.

 

[lisahe]

At least I have about a 6 month supply. I have already started looking for replacement possibilities. I'll be making a post asking opinions when I have my list! Thank goodness for this site.

Good for you for stocking up!

 

[Sonnys_sonnet]

Hello, our Buddy is allergic to chicken. We feed him:

• Rawz Rabbit - he is so-so about it, but will eat it
• Feline Natural Lamb - he is so-so about it, but will eat it
• Lotus Venison Stew - he loves it. Has potato starch in it, but he is fine with it.
• Tiki After Dark Venison with Beef Liver - loves it. Are you sure it's been discontinued? I can't find anything saying it has. I will ask on their website. I have noticed that during the summer - fall, it is usually 100% out of stock, then back in stock around January/February to now. I stock up a bunch to make sure it carries me through. I think during the hot months, its hard to source the venison. Same thing with the Feline Natural lamb. They are frequently out of stock during certain times of year.
• Soulistic Lamb & Tuna - for an occasional treat - Loves it

We tried Instinct Rabbit - he hated it and it is loaded with peas and pea fiber.
We tried Merrick Backcountry Grain-Free Morsels in Gravy Real Rabbit Recipe Cuts - he hated it.

Years ago I tried Ziwi peak - many, many years ago it did not have Chickpeas in it (neither did Dr. Elsey's canned). I was not please with the inconsistency of the food and our cat at the time was so-so with it. She didn't like the Dr. Elsey's at all.

I tried for a treat - Tiki sardines in sardine consomme - he loves it, but I am going to try sardines from the grocery store in water if I can fine some with low/no sodium added. Cheaper and better for him.

How has your cat reacted to the Lotus Venison Stew? I'm trying Rawz this week and my cat is of course being finicky. He ate a whole can of rabbit, but when I gave it to him again he wouldnt touch it. Same with their Turkey and Duck.
I cant seem to find any other venison wet foods besides Lotus and Farmina. Lotus is the only brand I haven't heard much about so i'm hesitant about trying it.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Sonnys_sonnet
cejhome
Have either of you checked out instincts venison?
I haven't personally yet but I am about to start my girls transition from dry to wet and I have gotten this one to try along with a few others

 

[cejhome]

Buddy loves the Lotus venison stew. It's his favorite! He is so-so on the Rawz rabbit. He will eat it for breakfast when he is starving (that is what he says), but won't eat for any other meals that day. He does the same with Feline Natural lamb.

I have not tried the Instinct venison. I plan on doing that soon. He didn't like the Instinct rabbit at all.