Thread: Innova Evo Canned Cat Food

I just read that Fancy Feast has meat by-product.........

Originally Posted by Meredith

I just read that Fancy Feast has meat by-product.........

Yes, which is why I don't consider it a "gourmet" cat food. However, you should know that the meat by-products are not being used as the main source of meat in Fancy Feast. I just looked at a bunch of flavors, and meat by-products is the fifth or sixth ingredient. The first three are virtually always some kind of broth and two regular meats. In the flavors that include wheat gluten to thicken their "gravy," meat by-products is always listed AFTER the wheat gluten. In one, it is even listed after spinach (there are little bits of spinach in a number of the flavors). From this I conclude that meat by-products makes up a very small fraction, so I am not concerned (even if also not pleased). Fancy Feast is nothing like the cheap brands that have meat by-products or poutry by-products as their primary meat ingredients. How much wheat gluten does it take to thicken the gravy in a 3oz can? Darn little, and yet the meat by-products are even less. So I am not losing any sleep over this. On the other hand, if we could find some "better" foods that our cats genuinely liked, that would be great. Having tried most everything on the market in the US, we have had no luck! If you are dead set against feeding your cat any amount of meat by-products I can certainly understand that. My advice then is to not ever let them have any Fancy Feast or they will no longer be willing to eat any "gourmet" cat foods. That has been our experience. Part of the problem is that most of the gourmet canned foods are these sticky pates that are almost impossible for the cats to eat--they just spread all over the bottom of a dish and cannot be picked up. The only better quality foods we have had any luck with are Natural Balance and Pro Plan Selects.

Originally Posted by NCarver

Yes, which is why I don't consider it a "gourmet" cat food. However, you should know that the meat by-products are not being used as the main source of meat in Fancy Feast. I just looked at a bunch of flavors, and meat by-products is the fifth or sixth ingredient. The first three are virtually always some kind of broth and two regular meats. In the flavors that include wheat gluten to thicken their "gravy," meat by-products is always listed AFTER the wheat gluten. In one, it is even listed after spinach (there are little bits of spinach in a number of the flavors). From this I conclude that meat by-products makes up a very small fraction, so I am not concerned (even if also not pleased). Fancy Feast is nothing like the cheap brands that have meat by-products or poutry by-products as their primary meat ingredients. How much wheat gluten does it take to thicken the gravy in a 3oz can? Darn little, and yet the meat by-products are even less. So I am not losing any sleep over this. On the other hand, if we could find some "better" foods that our cats genuinely liked, that would be great. Having tried most everything on the market in the US, we have had no luck! If you are dead set against feeding your cat any amount of meat by-products I can certainly understand that. My advice then is to not ever let them have any Fancy Feast or they will no longer be willing to eat any "gourmet" cat foods. That has been our experience. Part of the problem is that most of the gourmet canned foods are these sticky pates that are almost impossible for the cats to eat--they just spread all over the bottom of a dish and cannot be picked up. The only better quality foods we have had any luck with are Natural Balance and Pro Plan Selects.

Thanks!!! Very helpful

Thanks!

Originally Posted by candes

Teddies vet ponited out something that really makes sense. A cats "normal diet" is by products. Brains, intestines etc....

Oh and unless you buy "top shelf" premium food, they all will have by products. Even science diet has by products (mid shelf)..

On the wellness, I feel teddies muscle mass has picked up. Unless it is nornal growth.. And his coat is starting to really look nice.

Thanks! What does Wellness look like? Is it a pate, or?

Originally Posted by candes

Pate. But I can cut it into nice chunks with a fork, since it ain't overly mushy.

I know you are worried about by products. But I have a concern that is beyond this. I will not feed my family anything from China, and that includes my kitties. Busniess folks in China will poisen babies for a profit. And almost killed my moggie nala. Most cat foods have ingredients from China. That is the main reason I use Wellness.

Thanks!

I have settled on Felidae... I really like the look of the ingredients - I hope Enzo likes it! If he doesn't... I'll try Wellness! Only a couple of weeks til he arrives

What are the disadvantages of grain in cat food?

That's quite an upsetting video. I couldn't work out what the point of the tests were but the dogs were so lack-luster it was heart breaking, and all of them seem to have some sort of wound or sore around their back legs. It's ironic, I've been trying to find biscuits to swap the RC Kitten 36 with and have tried 4 or 5 brands, and the only two they seem to like as much as RC K36 are RC Maine Coon (which encourages runny bum syndrome) or Iams, and I'm certainly not buying THAT again.
Thanks for posting, Candes. It amazes me that these firms get away with it. I realise some stuff needs to be tested on someone or something, but whatever they're doing doesn't seem to agree with those dogs, or the kitten, and I don't feel inclined to fund them in the future.

I don't think I will watch that video... I'm too much of a coward and afraid I'll lose sleep over it.
I wonder if these horrible things are going on at all the big petfood producers...

That video is awful... how sad.

I'll lighten the mood here! I've read some reviews about Fancy Feast and a lot of people state that Fancy Feast is like feeding your cats McDonalds everyday... what are your opinions?

Originally Posted by Meredith

I'll lighten the mood here! I've read some reviews about Fancy Feast and a lot of people state that Fancy Feast is like feeding your cats McDonalds everyday... what are your opinions?

My opinion is that you can find virtually any idiotic and ill informed opinion that you could conceive of on the Interwebs, and when it comes to pet food virtually all of what you read on most websites is nothing but rubbish. How is that for lightening the mood? Of course I actually do mean every word of this!

I cannot think of any sense in which Fancy Feast could be considered equivalent to McDonalds except for its ubiquity. I guess if you are somebody that feels the need to demonstrate your supposed love for your pet by buying overpriced boutique food from overpriced boutique pet shops, then you will have to try to feel superior to other people by denigrating cheaper foods. It seems like I have already posted a good deal of factual information answering questions you have asked about Fancy Feast previously. I know lots of people that feed Fancy Feast--including MC breeders--and they are very happy with it. If you want to waste hundreds of dollars on overpriced boutique cat foods that you will probably end up throwing out because your cats won't eat them, be my guest. Already been there and done that. Learned our lesson.

Originally Posted by candes

Well, it is inexpensive for those on a limited budget. Wouldn't feed it to my babies though. Mostly due to chinese ingredients.

Uh, it is the most expensive mainstream canned cat food in the US. 9 Lives and the like are inexpensive. Fancy Feast is only inexpensive when compared to boutique brands at overpriced pet stores. If you feel the need to pay over a buck for 3 oz of 80% water then go to Petco to get your Fancy Feast, as they will oblige you. Medleys are $.80/3oz can at Walmart. We go through at least 8-10 of these per day. So inexpensive??? You must have a heck of a much better paying job than I do, Candes, cause I think that spending $7 or $8 per day for what is 80% water seems not too cheap and definitely not for those on a limited budget. (We also spend a pretty penny on dry foods.)

Purina announced during the Chinese melamine scandal that they would begin testing all wheat gluten and similar ingredients. Since Purina has the resources to do this, I am not concerned. One thing we learned during that incident was that most of the boutique canned pet foods are actually being manufactured by somebody else and so the boutique brands have no control over the source of ingredients in their high priced food. Lots of luck guaranteeing there are absolutely no Chinese-sourced ingredients in food these days.