Canned food options

Hi - I'm looking for a little advice about what canned food you feed you cat and where you buy it. I am sorting through the information here on the site and it is super comprehensive but it is taking me longer than I thought to sort through it. My kitty had been on a diet of Iams perfect portions chicken pate several times during the day and then some Purina One Complete dry food. I really didn't give him treats on a regular basis, but am looking for something to reward him after his shots. The HALO freeze dried salmon treats were something he did have occasionally before. I definitely am interested in eliminating the dry food based on what I've read here. From the food charts, it looks like Fancy Feast Natural (the ones that don't have any carbs) might be a good option. Are these the trays of food with a peel off top instead of an actual can? If there is another option that you'd highly recommend, please let me know. I had been reading on this forum even before we went to the vet so I already knew what this community feels about dry food. I asked at my vet appointment if I should switch him to canned food and was basically told it wouldn't change anything. Just thought that was interesting and something that didn't make sense to me and was glad that I had read better advice on here!! Much thanks for your patience with a Newbie!

 

Before Sophie developed a food intolerance, she did great on the chicken and beef flavors of just the regular Fancy Feast pates. As for treats, she LOVES Purebites salmon and ocean whitefish treats, starts drooling as soon as I grab the bag!

But switching to low carb wet food will definitely change things. When Sophie gets pancreatitis flare ups all she will eat is dry food, and even though it is only 10% carbs, it increases the amount of insulin she needs

 

When you say FF Natural, are you talking about the little tubs with shredded meat (chicken, etc.) in water? Those are good as snacks I think but are not a complete meal with the minerals, organ meats, etc. that cats need. I know most folks here recommend the FF Classic Pate varieties (in the small 3 oz cans) for regular feeding. There are new versions of those as well, called (confusingly) Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals - also in the same size 3oz cans. Petco carries them now (they stopped carrying anything with artifical colors and flavors this year). What I don't know is whether the new FF Gourmet Naturals are as low in carbs as the classics. I think someone here said they were safe, but hopefully someone else here can confirm.

As for treats, any of the freeze dried meat treats (one ingredient only, like freeze-dried chicken, etc.) are fantastic. I haven't tried the Halo ones but my cat likes the Purebites chicken, as well as the freeze dried tuna made by Whole Life Pet (new to me, saw them on sale at Petco a couple days ago. Big hit.).

 

two treats you can buy at stores catering to those who cook Oriental -- bonito flakes (sometimes labeled katsuobushi) -- bag of fluffy fishy curls, most cats go crazy for these

also dried sardines/herring/anchovies -- check ingredients, just the fish, no seasonings

Kat-Man-Doo produces treats like these, targeted for pets, smaller packages, bigger price, you can buy online

 

Hi Megan, there is a great website about feline nutrition by Dr. Lisa Pierson, www.catinfo.org who also complied the food chart many of us use to see what amounts certain components of many of the processed canned foods have. Fancy Feast Classics and Friskies pates are often recommended because you can get them at the grocery store. There are other labels like Weruva, Tiki Cat varieties for example that members use and have recommended. My daughter's kitty is nuts for Soulisitic, because she loves the shredded versions, and turns her nose up at pates most of the time. Some can be obtained via Chewy.com or at a local pet store.
Here is the link to the food chart:
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

We use bits of cooked unseasoned chicken breast for treats for Idjit. I pressure cook, cool, slice and freeze, then store in a freezer bag. It's easy to take out a few slices to thaw in the fridge or thaw in the microwave. You can poach or bake the breast also, if you don't pressure cook. I use the broth when adding liquid to Idjit's meals for extra hydration, and freeze some in ice cube trays, or larger containers. I can then quickly thaw a cube for Idjit when he's begging for "MORE !!!" or use it in cooking.

 

Thanks for the suggestions - I'm definitely going to get some of the Purebites treats. Conner seems to do better with the pate type of canned food. He had several teeth removed 3 years ago and has one bad one in the front now. We typically add a little water to the canned food anyway...just to make sure he's getting water. He does really like cooked, unseasoned chicken so I'll have to start using that for treats. I do love using Chewy for almost all my pet needs -- it is so convenient and their customer service has always been excellent for me. Plus I love not having to heft cat litter bags in and out of my cart and car. I'm sure the FedEx guys cringes every time he comes into our neighborhood!

The Fancy Feast naturals I believe are the ones that come in a tub and look like real shredded chicken with some broth. I did look at the food chart that was posted and that is where I saw the FF naturals and they had no carbs -- like it was mentioned, maybe these varieties are better suited for treats. The canned food he currently eats wasn't on the chart -- so I'd have to research that a bit more.

Again--thanks so much!

 

.....my quest only continues. My chewy order showed up this AM with two new canned foods that I wanted to try and gradually introduce to my kitties. As I was unpacking them, I noticed stamped on the bottom of the one case "Manufactured in Thailand". I'm ashamed to admit that I never considered where the food that I feed by pets is manufactured, but seeing that made me check a few things out online. Now I feel like I'm even more concerned if this is really good quality food to feed. There are opinion from both ends of the spectrum as expected -- some say that Thailand is safer than the US and others say to avoid it. The two types of food that I bought to try are Tiki Pets & Weruva brand. I'm trying to be rational about the level of concern to have. My rational brain tells me that even if these are made in Thailand that they have to be better than what they are currently eating (Purina One dry kibble & Iams Chicken Pate)....but I'm finding that I'm still hesitant. Has anyone looked into food manufactured in Thailand/these brands and have any thoughts??

 

Because of the issue they had with contaminated pet food that killed several pets, I will not feed my pets anything that is not manufactured in the US. For a product to carry a “Made in the USA” label, it must be made from all or virtually all products from the United States. For pet food, that includes the packaging, ingredients and production of the food, Bough said. If a company uses a “Made in the USA” label but sources products from another country, they must have a disclaimer on the packaging (e.g., “Made in the USA with lamb from New Zealand).

Another option for treats is freeze dried chicken. I buy the bigger bags you find in the dog treat section of the store. You get more treats for about the same amount of money, sometimes even cheaper.

 

Sophie has eaten both Tiki Cat and Weruva brands before and she has never had any issues. However, this is of course just my own personal experience. If you think you’ll be worried about it, it may be best to try something else just for your own peace of mind