Any info on Taste of the Wild?

They claim its grain free and it does not contain Carrageenan.
Any info on carbs out there?

I have not found anything in the usual sources.

Thanks guys.

 

Dry or Canned Taste of the Wild?

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

Hi, I'm guessing you're talking about the 2 canned varieties?

Just had a quick look at their website and according to the analysis there they come out as follows (according to my cat food calculator)

Percentage of calories from carbs:
Rocky mountain feline formula 10.5%
Canyon river feline formula 8.8%

Both contain potato starch and pea flour, I think....

 

Canned.

 

Yes it does have pea flour and potato starch. The potato starch is more of a concern than the pea flour I would think.
However the Canyon River does not have Guar gum, Xanthum gum or carrageenan.
The Rocky Mountain has guar gum.

 

Plus both contain carrots (can be high in natural sugars) as well as fruit such as raspberries. They also talk about the potato starch being a highly digestible carborhydrates...not sure I would comfortable feeding it to my crew.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

Good points.

The problem I am having is this cat is very finicky.
You would think he would like the chicken, beef or turkey recipes by Wellness or Merrick. Nope.
He wont even eat "Fresh Pet" which is chunks of chicken.
A can goes a long way.

He is not losing any weight so I can only conclude that he is still consuming a massive amount of rodents and birds.
Which is fine by me. Its healthier. I just have to keep on top of the parasites he could pick up.
I do use revolution. So that helps.

 

Praziquantel for tapeworms (from eating raw infested prey or from infected fleas) is available OTC now. You can get tapeworm tabs through Amazon (Entirely Pets had the best price there when I bought a bunch recently. One or more of the Heat Waifs from last summer had a tape, so I've got to treat all 14 cats!)

 

There have been a few studies in recent years on a cat's diet and they've found that ideally, a healthy cat will consume 52% of their daily calorie intake from protein, 36% from fat, and 12% from carbohydrate. Diabetics, of course, need much less carbs, so what I do is I try to find higher protein, lower fat, and ultra-low carbs with the least amount of grains, corn, and/or vegetable and as few additives as possible (like the carrageenan).

Have you tried the chicken varieties from Tiki Cat? Those are the ones I've found that are closest to pure meat but still contain the right balance of nutrients to be considered a "complete meal" for cats and my cats ♥ it! Plus, it's really high in protein vs. fat and really low carb (0%). I use it to mix with some of their other foods to make sure they're getting enough protein.

Ingredients in their Puka Puka Luau (73% protein, 27% fat, 0% carb):
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Sunflower Seed Oil, Fish Oil.
Vitamins & Minerals: Dicalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate Heptahydrate, Ferrous Sulfate Monohydrate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate Monohydrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Ingredients in their Koolina Luau (86% protein, 14% fat, 0% carb):
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Dried Egg, Sunflower Seed Oil, Fish Oil.
Vitamins & Minerals: Dicalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate Heptahydrate, Ferrous Sulfate Monohydrate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate Monohydrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

 

Those two look great! I suspect the reason I passed on them before was because I was avoiding eggs and plant oils because of IBD (civvie) so I went with the high fat Merricks BG. But these look good for Chip. I will have to try them and worry later about the price, since I'd guess he'll like then. If those protein values are correct that sounds perfect. Less plant materials than Cowboy Cookout or Surf nTurf.

 

They are a bit expensive (which is one of the reasons why I mix them with other brands instead of serving them plain), but they're family owned, so I don't mind supporting them when I can. Regarding the plant oil, at least Sunflower oil can be one of the better oils depending on if they're using the high-oleic acid variety. If so, it's really low in the the saturated fats that make vegetable oils so bad for IBD in the first place (and it might even help the IBD). I've sent them an email asking what kind of sunflower oil they use, so I'll let you know how (if) they respond.

Their fish varieties are also not too bad in terms of mercury and other pollutants normally found in fish products and are wild caught (not farm raised).

 

The Tiki Cat I tried I did like. Perhaps they are cheaper by the case?

 

Both of the taste of the wild canned varieties elevated bandit's bg. I wouldn't recommend them for diabetics, but for other cats they are ok.

 

I've looked at Tiki.

The problem I have with it is that it is manufactured in Bangkok.

http://www.greenlittlecat.com/?p=66
A nice write up. However I need convincing that it is actually all that its made out to be.

 

Well I just weighed Silky. He is at 14.4lbs. Up about 2lbs since getting him neutered. He is not eating a lot of cat food so he must be wiping out the rodent population.

I have also been looking into Nature Variety Instinct.
They all have Flax seed. The limited edition has flax seed oil. It has a lot of positive health benefits including preventing cancer.
The carbs are very low the chicken, beef, lamb and duck. The protein/fat ratio could be better though.

Right now cost is still a concern. So I am seeking the best nutritional value for the buck.


Chicken Recipe.

Sizes Available
3 oz and 5.5 oz

Ingredients
Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Ground Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Eggs, Peas, Carrots, Lecithin, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Artichokes, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Tomato, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Parsley. Visit the Ingredient Glossary to learn about each ingredient.

Calories
121 per 3 oz can
222 per 5.5 oz can


Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min): 11.0%
Crude Fat (min): 8.0%
Crude Fiber (max): 3.0%
Moisture (max): 75.0%
Calcium (min): 0.25%
Phosphorus (min): 0.20%
Vitamin E (min): 25 IU/kg
Taurine (min): 0.05%
*Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (min): 30 mg/kg
*Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min): 1.00%
*Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min): 0.20%

Vitamins
Vitamin A: 44125.652 IU/kg
Vitamin D: 346.645 IU/kg
Vitamin E: 34.396 IU/kg
Thiamin (Vitamin B1): 4.336 mg/kg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 5.239 mg/kg
Pantothenic Acid: 9.947 mg/kg
Niacin: 46.437 mg/kg
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6): 3.136 mg/kg
Folic Acid: 1.139 mg/kg
Biotin: 0.199 mg/kg
Vitamin B12: 0.026 mcg/kg
Vitamin C: 41.211 mg/kg
Choline: 1779.957 mg/kg


Minerals
Calcium: 0.384%
Phosphorus: 0.307%
Magnesium: 0.029%
Sodium: 0.114%
Potassium: 0.273%
Chloride: 0.181%
Iron: 41.824 mg/kg
Zinc: 54.763 mg/kg
Copper: 5.965 mg/kg
Manganese: 9.221 mg/kg
Iodine: 0.756 mg/kg
Selenium: 0.089 mg/kg
Ash: 2.206%


Amino Acids
Arginine: 0.665%
Histidine: 0.269%
Isoleucine: 0.517%
Leucine: 0.787%
Lysine: 0.852%
Methionine: 0.270%
Methionine-Cystine: 0.508%
Phenylalanine: 0.432%
Phenylalanine-Tyrosine: 0.772%
Threonine: 0.411%
Tryptophan: 0.136%
Valine: 0.489%
Taurine: 1020 mg/kg

 

He has no health issues to be concerned about at this stage of his life.
However I do want to make sure I am supplying him food that is healthy for him over the long term so as to limit the possibility of having to go through what I did with Kitty again.

 

Here is a similar write-up from Weruva, who also import from Thailand and one from the Agriculture Minister of Thailand. Thai Tuna is also allegedly considered to have the least amount of contaminants. My problem with importing from Thailand, however, is the unregulated human trafficking. Even still, I think I'd prefer Thai imports over Chinese when it comes to pet food. :YMSIGH:

I also feed that occasionally to my cats. They really don't like it very much and will only nibble on it throughout the day (even with parmesan cheese on top). Since it's relatively expensive, I don't buy it very often because half of it usually ends up going to waste. (ECID, of course, and hopefully your cats will like it because I really wished my cats liked this brand a bit more. :roll: )

 

The thing is I wont eat anything that comes from the waters in that portion of the world. The amount of pollution the fish are sucking up is very worrisome.
So you can imagine my concern about pet food considering the industry over all really isnt in it for pet health.

 

I plugged Canyon River into a carb counter.

http://fnae.org/carbcalorie.html

Comes up with 2% carbs.

Is this accurate?

 

I heard back from Tiki this morning! I'd like to post the whole response (some of which was just a repeat of the write-up Sev posted above), but I'm requesting permission first. In the meantime, I'll repost some of the good bits from them.

First off, she provided me with the Published Product Clinical Analysis without me even asking for it. :thumbup

Next, in answer to Dale 'n' Chip about the IBD:

As for being wild caught in the South Pacific and possible fish contaminants:

And! She signed off with this recommendation:

When I first found out about Michelangelo's diabetes, Dr. Hodgkins' website was the first one I found (and what eventually led me here). She's got some great information from what I can tell, but since I'm using Lantus, I'm not too sure. Either way, I found it pretty neat that a cat food company is more up-to-date on nutrition than most vets!

 

The problem with trying to calculate based off the guaranteed analysis is that there are too many discrepancies with what a Guaranteed Analysis might really mean and even then, the calculations differ depending on the calculator you use (See Elizabeth and Bertie's calculations below).

The only way to know for sure is to get the "As Fed" values directly from the pet food company by asking.

 

KPassa is right. The only way to be sure of the cat food contents is to ask the manufacturer for the 'as fed' values. Though many of us do use the 'analysis' as a ballpark figure.

Re the calculation you did using the online calculator, no you've got the wrong number. The '2' was in the first column which is the figure for the percentage of carbohydrate - as an ingredient - in the food. What you're looking for (and it took me a long time to get my head round this) is the percentage of calories from carbohydrates. So, when we talk about foods with less than 10% carbs, we mean that the food has less than 10% of it's total calories coming from carbohydrates.

The online calculator doesn't go as far as calculating this, but it gets pretty close.

Re 'Canyon River' the calculation shows that there are 8 calories from carbs per 100g of food. And it shows the food as having a total calorific value of 87 calories per 100g. In order to find out what the percentage of calories from carbs is you can do this last calculation:
Divide 8 (calories from carbs per 100g) by 87 (total calories per 100g) and then multiply by 100. That will give you 9.19. That is the figure we're looking for. That means the calories from carbs is 9.19% (according the figures we have for the food, and the calculator used)

The online calculator is slightly different to mine because it calculates calories from fat differently, I think. But the end result is still pretty close.

If, when you do a calculation, the total calorie value of the food is close to 100 calories per 100g, then the carb figure in the second column is very close to the percentage of calories from carbs, and so the last part of the calculation isn't necessary.

 

From me???
Post away.

 

I found a stack of Evangers 6 oz cans on sale for 1.19
This cats killing me on being finicky.

Next to the Evangers was 6 oz cans of Solid Gold blended tuna. Its from Thailand as well.
Its solid chunks of tuna like you would get from Bumblebee.
On sale for 1.59 a can.

I mixed it with the Evangers and he dove right in.

Here is a review of if.
http://petfoodtalk.com/catfoodreviews/solid-gold/

Here are the ingredients

Description

Made with Tuna, Tapioca and Canola Oil with vitamins and Minerals. Perfect for adult cats and growing kittens. Ideal as an accompaniment to dry food, to feed alone, or
as a treat.

Protein, Min 13.84%
Fat, Min 2.01%
Fiber, Max 0.50%
Moisture, Max 79.57%
Ash, Max 2.0%
Magnesium, Max 0.011%
Ingredients

Tuna, Water Sufficient for Processing, Tapioca, Canola Oil, Tricalcium Phosphate, Cellulose Gum, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid

Anything in there that is worrisome?

 

I sent them an email requesting as fed data on their canned cat foods.
Looks like all their product with the exception of the blended tuna is make in the USA.

 

Sorry, from Tiki Cat. And she did give me permission, so here it is in full.

It seems most of the USA's tuna comes from Thailand because it allegedly contains the least amount of contaminants (like mercury) and is controlled by the West and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission for sustainability (as a "cooperating non-member").

One thing to be aware of is that you don't want to feed cats fish too often (only a couple of times a week). Fish oil is generally considered okay for daily feeding because it doesn't contain (or contains trace amounts) fish protein.

ETA: Moved page so I updated link.

 

Cool. Its good to know they are forth coming about their product.