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Wet cat food comparison

43 replies

SunsetDream · 05/02/2016 10:30

I've been working on finding the best cat food, so thought I'd share my findings. To the best of my knowledge correct, but please double check in case I've made a mistake.

I've mostly looked for meat content and the inclusion of Taurine. We're on the kitten/ cat crossover, so've been a bit relaxed about which we feed.

Nature's menu Country Hunter (steamed in the pouch, not raw)
96% meat
Taurine added

Animonda Carny
93% meat (unless I'm misreading something in the German ingredients)
Taurine added

Wainwrights kitten:
75% meat
Taurine added
Grain free

Evolution Naturally:
70% meat
Taurine added
Grain free

Hilife Poultry pates
50% meat
Taurine added

Butcher's Classic
48% meat
Taurine added

Purely Holistic
45-49% meat
Taurine added

James Wellbeloved
35% meat
No mention of Tauring on packaging

Sainsbury's pouches
8% meat
No mention of taurine

Felix
4-7% meat
No mention of taurine

I hope that can help someone! Please feel free to add your own findings to the list. Sorry I don't have time to go back and do a price comparison.

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SunsetDream · 05/02/2016 10:45

I forgot to keep adding the grain bit!

I believe they are all grain free apart from Felix and Sainsbury's pouches.

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TheGirlOnTheLanding · 05/02/2016 10:50

This is really interesting - I knew they weren't all the same but the huge variation shocks me. I do wonder how it's possible for the meat content in Felix to be so low when it looks like meat - is it soya formed to look like meat or what?

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Kewcumber · 05/02/2016 11:05

Can't be soya ThGirl because from memory the protein content is about the same - must be fillers.

Felix as good as it looks is higher - maybe 15%

If it has high meat content do you have to feed them less?

Not sure I can afford 4x2 sachets a day of some of those

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Kewcumber · 05/02/2016 11:07

james wellbeloved website says "We have always added extra taurine to our cat foods because it is an essential nutrient for cats."

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Destinysdaughter · 05/02/2016 11:10

What about Whiskas??

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SunsetDream · 05/02/2016 11:30

Kewcumber. I hope that's right. I found it listed on the dry food page, but not the wet food page:

www.wellbeloved.com/products/cat-food/complete-wet-cat-food/complete-wet-food-turkey-adult/

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SunsetDream · 05/02/2016 11:33

Yes. Here's the dry food, where it's mentioned. I can't find reference to Taurine on the wet food ingredients.

www.wellbeloved.com/products/cat-food/kitten/kitten-turkey/

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Jackie0 · 05/02/2016 11:33

Aaaargh my message disappeared.
Apologies if I post twice.
Where is everyone buying the better quality food?

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SunsetDream · 05/02/2016 11:40

Sorry, I didn't check whiska's - I assumed it would be like Felix.

Animonda Carny is from Zooplus
Butchers from Sainsbury's
All the rest from Pets at Home (for now - I've found a local small shop that's cheaper)

I have decided to do the Butcher's when I can't afford more and Carny as the staple as you can bulk buy. And add in the others as I can afford it (it doesn't seem to bother her mixing the food around and I'm trying to make sure she doesn't get fixated on one food only).

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FinestGrundyTurkey · 05/02/2016 11:46

Felix is much more than 4% meat! It's only min 4% of the "specified type" - ie if it's called "beef" it's at least 4% beef.

This is Doubly Delicious:

meat variations: Meat & meat by-products (min. 4% of the specified type), fish and fish by-products, vegetable protein extracts, minerals, sugar.

Given that ingredients are listed in volume order then it's mostly meat, fish & their "by-products" - all animal protein.

No taurine, true, but no grain either.

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FinestGrundyTurkey · 05/02/2016 11:51

There's probably a fair amount of by-products in the ones that just say "meat" too - it's not going to be prime steak Wink

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FinestGrundyTurkey · 05/02/2016 11:55

This is Animonda Carny - it's 30% "broth" (presumably the water it was cooked in)

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FinestGrundyTurkey · 05/02/2016 12:08

According to this taurine is found naturally in "real meat" so it must also be present in the other foods which use meat even if they don't mention it. (I noticed the Animonda meats include a lot of things like lungs & neck, aka Felix's by-products)

Wet cat food comparison
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SunsetDream · 05/02/2016 12:22

Thanks.

By the way, I'm only trying to present what I've found- I don't want to upset anyone and I'm happy to learn. I've found reading the labels very confusing, which is why I'm putting them here.

I'm also happy for the cat food to contain everything: heart/ lungs/ brain/ stomach etc. I assume that's when they've evolved to eat! I don't fancy the highly processed stuff, though.

Re the Felix - I'm going on what's what's the pack. It may be 4% meat and 50% derivatives, but it doesn't say that. I had read it was full of fillers.

Usual disclaimer of I could be wrong - I hope this helps, but don't let it take place of your own research.

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SunsetDream · 05/02/2016 12:24

And I'm not telling anyone what to feed their cat. Just presenting information. Do with it what you want.

Taurine diminishes in cooked/ processed food, therefore more needs to be added. There's lots of info about that everywhere.

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Wolfiefan · 05/02/2016 12:36

Thanks very much. Very informative. Still trying to find a food that suits our young girls.

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Jackie0 · 05/02/2016 12:44

Thank you Sunset.
It's something I've been meaning to look in to.

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FinestGrundyTurkey · 05/02/2016 13:49

The zooplus website has a lot of information about each brand/variety.

pick one & click on it, then 'more info', then 'show all details' - it gives composition & analytical constituents (plus general description)

Very helpful Smile

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hollinhurst84 · 06/02/2016 14:45

Mine likes the natures menu country hunter. As does stable cat (although she eats anything so possibly not a good tester!)
I use it alongside raw food for mine

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IAmAPaleontologist · 06/02/2016 14:57

My cat gets Bozita. High meat content, added vitamins. taurine etc but no soya or grains or fillers. Not as fancy as some of the premium foods but a good complete wet food at a good price.

From Zooplus:

Haddock:
Chicken, haddock (4%), pork, beef, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Perch:
Chicken, perch (4%), pork, beef, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Crayfish:
Chicken, crayfish (4%), pork, beef, calcium carbonate, dill, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Mackerel: Chicken, mackerel (7.2%), pork, beef, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß -1,3/1,6-glucan 0.01%).
Minced beef:
Chicken, beef (4%), pork, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Beef liver:
Chicken, beef liver (4%), pork, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Chicken liver:
Chicken (> 4% chicken liver), pork, beef, minerals, egg, carrots, ß-1.3/1.6 glucan

Rabbit:
Chicken, pork, rabbit (4%), beef, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Rich in Chicken:
Chicken (50%), pork, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Elk:
Chicken, elk (4% in chunks), beef, pork, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Turkey:
Chicken, pork, turkey (4%), calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

Salmon & Mussels: Chicken, salmon (4% in chunks), mussels (4% in chunks), beef, pork, calcium carbonate, yeast (ß-1.3/1.6 glucan 0.01%).

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FinestGrundyTurkey · 06/02/2016 16:10

I used to get Bozita for mine but the buggers went off it. They love Felix (it's probably the sugar Hmm)

I wonder if Bozita's 'yeast' is equivalent to Felix's vegetable protein extracts? (Like marmite)

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SunsetDream · 06/02/2016 16:17

It's so complicated, isn't it? That's why I started making notes Blush

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Archfarchnad · 06/02/2016 21:30

Great idea for a thread, Sunset. I can try and give a bit of a German perspective, since Zooplus and Bitiba are both German companies, I believe, and sell quite a few good German brands. German cat owners can be incredibly obsessively fussy about what their fur-babies eat, and I suspect the really detailed ingredient labelling on the Zooplus site is there to deal with that obsessive level of interest. I've seen arguments on German cat forums not just about the need to supplement raw food, but about the exact ingredients necessary for making your own supplements, because obviously none of the shop-bought supplements are in any way adequate. You get discussions on the exact levels of vitamin A or percentage of protein or whatever - it goes way beyond merely 'does it contain taurine?' For me the main concerns are: is it grain free (have a cat with intolerance), does it contain taurine and thus doesn't need supplementing, and what is the percentage of named meat? I'm trying to ensure at least 60% named/labelled meat. We also feed raw fairly often, supplemented with powder containing taurine and other stuff.

We've discovered that Arcahct gets bored if we feed the same brand of anything too much, so have now identified a number of reasonable-quality brands which we feed in random order, mixed with raw meals. And I'm sure he has a pretty efficient self-service habit going with the local mice too, which keeps his taurine levels nice and high. We've found the food quantity recommendations are MUCH too high, because they need less when it's such high quantity. Archcat is 6.5 kilos and gets 2 x 100g wet (either canned or raw) plus a small handful of dry. That's much less than recommended. Presumably the self-service bumps up his calorie count.

I think taurine levels are naturally highest in organs like heart. I bought a pack of chicken hearts the other day and mixed them with chicken stomachs and livers; beef heart also goes down well with the Boss. We intersperse this with commercial food.

OK, down to the wet food. Several we use have been mentioned already.

Animonda Carny
Anomonda vom Feinsten
Bozita
Grau
Miamor
Catz Finefood

Animonda Carny is actually the 'entry level' Animonda food, which is perfectly OK. We tend to use the 100g trays of Animonda vom Feinsten (means 'of the finest'). We get an assorted meat and fish mega-pack like this. These are the ingredients in vom Feinsten:

Turkey Hearts: 65% meat & meat by-products (beef, poultry, pork, 8% poultry hearts), stock, minerals.

Poultry & Veal: 63% meat & meat by-products(25% poultry, beef, pork, 8% veal), stock, minerals.

Salmon & Shrimps: 42% meat & meat by-products (poultry, pork), stock, fish & fish by-products (15% salmon), shellfish (6% shrimp), minerals.

Multi Meat Cocktail: 63% meat & meat by-products (23% beef, each 10% lamb, turkey, chicken, rabbit; pork), stock, minerals.

Turkey & Rabbit: 63% meat & meat by-products (pork, 25% turkey, 8% rabbit), stock, minerals.

Chicken Liver: 63% meat & meat by-products (beef, 14% chicken liver, pork), stock, minerals.

Chicken & ocean fish: Meat & meat by-products (16% chicken), fish & fish by-products (4% ocean fish) shellfish and crustaceans (4% crabs), minerals.

Chicken & Seafood: 55% meat and animal derivatives (pork, beef, 16% chicken), fish & fish by-products (4% ocean fish), crustaceans (crabs 4%), broth, minerals.

Turkey: turkey (57%), broth, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride.

Beef & Potato: 60% meat and animal derivatives (30% beef, poultry, pork), vegetables (4% potato), broth, minerals.

Beef: meat and animal derivatives (30% beef), minerals.

Poultry & Pasta: 60% meat and animal derivatives (25% poultry, beef, pork), baked products (4% noodles), broth, minerals.

Turkey & Tomato: turkey (53%), broth, tomato (4%), calcium carbonate, sodium chloride, broth.

Turkey hearts: 65% meat and animal derivatives (beef, poultry, pork, 8% turkey hearts), broth, minerals.

Now this is really weird, because I've always assumed it has taurine, but can't find any mention of it. Hmmm.

Grau has a really good reputation in Germany for being high quality, and is available on Zooplus. We get a multipack like this.

These are the ingredients, and it contains 1000mg of taurine per kg.

Turkey & Lamb:
Meat & innards (min. 40% turkey, min. 28% lamb), meat stock, calcium carbonate.

Chicken & Veal:
Meat & innards (min. 40% chicken, min. 28% veal), meat stock, calcium carbonate.

Turkey, Salmon & Mackerel:
Meat, fish & innards (min. 30% turkey, min 20% salmon, min. 18% mackerel), meat stock, calcium carbonate.

Rabbit, Beef & Duck:
Meat & innards (min. 30% rabbit, min. 20% beef, min. 18% duck), meat stock, calcium carbonate.

Poultry & Ocean Fish:
Meat & innards (min. 40% poultry, min. 28% ocean fish, min. 18% mackerel), meat stock, calcium carbonate.

Poultry Gizzards in Jelly:
Poultry gizzards (min 72%), meat stock, calcium carbonate.

Catz Finefood

We get the mixed trial pack.

This stuff is seriously expensive, but has a fab reputation for good quality. The meat is all human grade quality! Taurine is added at 0.15% of content. I find also there's a bit much in the way of fancy ingredients that Archcat doesn't give a hoot about (cranberries, really?)

Ingredients:

Veal:
70% veal (approx. 50% heart & lean meat, of which approx. 2/3 meat and 1/3 heart; approx. 50% offal, of which approx. 1/3 liver, 1/3 lung, 1/3 kidney), 27.45% water, 1% apricot, 1% pineapple, 0.15% taurine, 0.15% linseed oil, 0.15% sea salt, 0.1% seaweed.
Game:
70% game (approx. 70% heart & lean meat, of which approx. 2/3 meat and 1/3 heart; approx. 30% liver), 24.45% water, 3% potato, 2% cranberries, 0.2% rosemary, 0.2% wheat germ, 0.15% taurine.
Poultry:
69% poultry (approx. 50% heart & lean meat, of which approx. 2/3 meat and 1/3 heart; approx. 50% offal, of which approx. 1/3 stomach, 1/3 liver, 1/3 necks), 27.7% water, 2% cranberry, 1% dandelion, 0.15% taurine, 0.15% safflower oil.
Herring and Crab:
45% herring, 26.45% water, 25% crab, 2% pumpkin, 1% aloe vera, 0.2% seaweed, 0.2% salmon oil, 0.15% taurine.
Lamb & Rabbit:
49% lamb (approx. 50% lean meat; 50% offal, of which approx. 1/2 liver and 1/2 lung), 24.45% water, 21% rabbit (approx. 50% lean meat; 50% liver), 3% cranberries, 2% carrot, 0.2% egg shell, 0.2% sunflower oil, 0.15% taurine.
Salmon:
36% salmon, 35% poultry (approx. 70% heart and lean meat, of which approx. 2/3 meat and 1/3 heart; approx. 30% liver), 26.2% water, 1% spinach, 1% tomato, 0.3% egg shell, 0.2% sea salt, 0.15% taurine, 0.15% hempseed oil.

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SunsetDream · 06/02/2016 22:10

Wow! Thank you, that's an amazing help. I'm going to look at those links.

I have to say, I like that level of detail Wink if I could speak or read Geeman, I would be searching out those forums. What you put inside is so important.

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SunsetDream · 06/02/2016 22:14

By the way, what do you feel about feeding beef/ pork? I've found that some people don't like feeding it, but I'm not sure why.

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