Hello!
My little guy is still a kitten, but reaching full cathood shortly. I am trying to plan which natural (I’ve seen a lot of grain-free) cat food is best.
Taste of the Wild and Nature’s Variety both look good, but I am wondering what your experiences are with those brands or others. I read some so-so reviews on the Nature’s Variety.
Any input is welcome! He is a Russian Blue.
I’m feeding Taste of the Wild dry to my girl. I feed cheep wet food, otherwise I would be in the poor house. Do keep in mind that some cats are picky and won’t eat some foods, no matter how good they are.
Thanks for that reminder! It’s pretty expensive so I’ll buy the small bag first. Although my guy is pretty agreeable 
If you are not sure get samples. My pet food store gets samples of the highend stuff.
Twice now I have gone in and said my cat won’t eat anything.
I had free samples of several brands and finally got her eating Oven Baked Chicken formula kibble (1/2 cup per day) and Fancy Feast pate (1/2 can per day).
I had her on just Fancy Feast, but she got really fat.
I would have her on better food if possible, but she won’t eat it.
Wet food.
I really like Hound and Gatos for the price and ingredients: https://www.chewy.com/hound-gatos-chicken-formula-canned/dp/117608
Here is an awesome comparison chart for comparing protein/fat/carbs. http://catinfo.org/docs/SortableCatFoodChartCatinfo.org2-22-13.htm Simkie, Hound and Gatos is a good choice. My 2 are kittens so we are doing kitten foods. OP, Fancy Feast Pate is actually one of the best to get at a supermarket. Low carb.
Thanks everyone! Sorry, I don’t usually go on here on the weekends.
I feed him Fancy Feast Pate as a treat once a week, but he gets dry otherwise. I’m worried he’s getting a little fat right now, so we are going to the vet this week for input as well.
Very helpful, thank you!
Dry food is the more likely culprit in his fatness than anything else. Cats are really not designed to work well with carbs, which are necessary binders in dry food.
www.catinfo.org is really a great website to spend some time. 
Wet food is best, even better than the most expensive dry. Cats are not big drinkers, and the moisture content will help more with urinary health than anything.
My cats are on a rotational diet of wet. They eat Whole Earth Farms, Blackwood, Precise Holistic, Dave’s, Weruva, and Fancy Feast Classics occasionally. They are mid-range in price.
They get dry at night to tide them over since my one girl gets pukey when she’s hungry. They get a mixture of Orijen, Merrick Before Grain, and Fussie Cat.
Since your kitty is a boy, avoid fish, especially if you continue feeding mostly dry. It is terrible for urinary tracts and boys get blocked easily. I agree that his weight is probably related to the dry food- the carbohydrate content is very high, even in the best dry foods. More wet, less dry will help his weight.
Best Natural Cat Food? Mice. That’s what my vet says.
Has anyone tried feeding the frozen mice they have for snakes?
I would not be able to do it.
[QUOTE=Simkie;8970432]
Dry food is the more likely culprit in his fatness than anything else. Cats are really not designed to work well with carbs, which are necessary binders in dry food.
www.catinfo.org is really a great website to spend some time. ;)[/QUOTE]
Thank you! I will do that.
[QUOTE=Perfect10;8971036]Wet food is best, even better than the most expensive dry. Cats are not big drinkers, and the moisture content will help more with urinary health than anything.
My cats are on a rotational diet of wet. They eat Whole Earth Farms, Blackwood, Precise Holistic, Dave’s, Weruva, and Fancy Feast Classics occasionally. They are mid-range in price.
They get dry at night to tide them over since my one girl gets pukey when she’s hungry. They get a mixture of Orijen, Merrick Before Grain, and Fussie Cat.
Since your kitty is a boy, avoid fish, especially if you continue feeding mostly dry. It is terrible for urinary tracts and boys get blocked easily. I agree that his weight is probably related to the dry food- the carbohydrate content is very high, even in the best dry foods. More wet, less dry will help his weight.[/QUOTE]
Thank you so much! I’m sure I will get the answer from the link above, and could figure it out, but how much wet food do you feed? A can for breakfast and can for dinner? I can come up with a horse’s nutrition plan, but not a cat!!
[QUOTE=csaper58;8971144]Best Natural Cat Food? Mice. That’s what my vet says.
Has anyone tried feeding the frozen mice they have for snakes?
I would not be able to do it.[/QUOTE]
Eeek! No! I’ve taken him to the barn because we had some brave mice, but he wouldn’t chase them 
Thought I could get us a new employee! He failed the interview miserably.
My cats, who are all in the 8-9 ish pound range, eat a 5.5 oz can, each, every day.
If your cat is in the same ballpark, that’s a good place to start
My 7 cats, who are all from the 9-12 lb range, get 4 5.5 oz cans divided between them per day. The kitten, who is 7 months, gets a can for himself per day. Because mine also eat dry, they stay good weights on this. The cans have a recommended portion size on them, but that would be way too much food for my cats. It really depends on your cat’s ideal weight and appetite.
Good starting point is one 5 oz can per cat per day
Perfect10, I think the recommendations on the can apply if that’s all you’re feeding. If you’re also using dry food, of course you have to adjust based on that.
There’s a calorie matrix online. Ah, here it is. Another good starting point, especially if you’re looking to mix dry and wet.
Simkie, I agree. As I mentioned in my post, mine also eat dry.
I feed my 12 lb girl 1 5.5 oz can of wet, and 1 3oz can scoop of Taste of the Wild dry per day. She is indoor/outdoor, so she is pretty active.
Fantastic! Thank you everyone. I think I’ll start getting the Taste of the Wild wet food, as some have mentioned it and that is the brand I was leaning towards.
No fish for the boy
He goes crazy for the wet stuff, so this will make him very happy!
Perfect 10, I didn’t know that about fish and boys. Thanks because I have 2 young males.
I rotate between Wellness and Precise Holistic because they both come in the 12.5 oz cans. I feed around 4 oz for 7-8 lb cats. The male went through a brief period when he was eating 6 oz + 1/2 c dry for a month or two during an insane growth spurt but thankfully that subsided.
I like everyone at a definite 4 BCS. When they hit 5 we do meal cuts and increased exercise.
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