People should forward this to the various news organizations, especially the ones with consumer hotlines. Also, CNN has a "Made In China" section that this would fit nicely in.

Has Wellness mentioned what lab they use? I think there was some concern as to the lab that Natura uses. I was wondering if Wellness uses the same one.

It probably doesn't hurt to store these "natural" dry foods in the fridge, in general, regardless of brand.

Oh yeah. He's doing fine now. I really think it was just one of his "blah" days.

catmom - I know that sudden weight loss can adversely affect  a cat's liver, as the liver processes the metabolized fat. I would guess that a high fat diet might be bad for the liver as well. But, that is just a guess. Obviously, your vet specialist knows better.

And thanks to all for your well wishes. Lucky says thank you. It's just something that happens with him now and then. If he was a human, it would have just been one of those days where he would call in sick.

Lucky seems to be fine. He's done this before, and Lucy was acting OK, so I really didn't think there was a problem with the food.

We'll keep an eye on him, of course. Thanks for you concern!

Anyway...I'm glad to hear that your kitties are doing well on the Wellness foods. If you don't mind me asking, what types of positive changes have you seen from them?

To be fair, they both looked great and behaved great when I was feeding them CalNat dry and Merrick canned. But, Lucy, the youngster who has a propensity for being chubby, seemed to be getting rounder. Also, Lucky, the older guy, was also gaining a little. But, even though Lucky didn't really need to watch his weight, I have to feed them both the same food. So, I decided on a combo of Innova Senior dry and Innova Lite canned. It was less fat and calories, plus, supposedly, nutrients that were good for the older cat. However, Lucky seemed to be getting too skinny, and their coats were looking less shiny, and they seemed less playful and energetic. They also fought a lot, with the little Lucy overpowering the alpha Lucky almost always.

Since I wasn't that happy with the Innova foods, I was thinking about switching back to CalNat and Merrick when the recent Natura controversy hit the fan. I did some research, and decided to try Wellness. BOTH cats immediately loved the canned, and ate it with a fervor I had never seen before from them. Lucky loved the Complete Health Chicken dry, eating it from my hand like a treat, and Lucy took to it fairly quickly after mixing with the Innova for a day or so.

After a couple of weeks on Wellness, I noticed more energy from both cats, more affectionate behavior, more playfulness, and their fighting didn't get as vicious. It was more playful, and Lucky would now dominate!!! (As the older alpha cat should.) Their coats got shinier, and Lucky's body filled out. Unfortunately, it looks like Lucy is getting rounder again. But, not too bad. (I'm starting a transition to a Core/Indoor mix to lower calories, and add L-Carnitine, which should help.)

But, here's a wrinkle. This morning, Lucky stayed under the bed, and didn't come out for breakfast. He ate his dinner, and was affectionate, this evening. But, he still seems lethargic and mopey. He's definitely not feeling well. He has gotten like this before on occasion, and goes back to normal after a day or so. But, I worry now with all that has happened, and is still happening, in pet food industry. I did just start adding Wellness Core and Indoor Health to their Complete Health dry, preparing for a complete switch to a Core/Indoor mix. It is probably coincidence, as Lucy is acting and looking fine. But, I am bringing him to the vet tomorrow anyway, and will probably get some blood and urine work done. It's been almost a year since his last workup. So, he's almost due anyway.

I will keep my fingers crossed. (for catmom's little guys as well.)

Ditto

Ummm. It doesn't. In fact, it does quite the opposite. It assures people of a true physical presence.

OTOH, the fact that their corporate address is not listed on their website or packaging, and only a PO box is listed as a mailing address, does strike some people as odd and a little evasive.

Sounds good. But, of course, other companies have said the same thing, only to have later recalls due to the rice gluten, or issues like Natura is having now.

But, I must mention that both of my cats are showing positive changes in personality and appearance since switching to Wellness Complete Dry, and Chicken and Turkey Canned from Innova Senior Dry and Innova Lite Canned. (It reminds me of the difference when I switched from Natural Choice to Royal Canin.)

OTOH, they were also doing better on the CalNat Chicken Dry and Merrick Canned than the Innova products, as well. So, perhaps those particular Innova products are just lacking in some nutritional components my cats need.

In any case, I've been happy with Wellness for the short time I've been using it so far. What has it been now? 3 weeks? A month? I'm happy. I'll be trying a blend of Indoor and Core starting in a couple of days. I'll let you know how that turns out.

[Natura Pet Products1101 S Winchester Blvd Bldg J Suite 225San Jose, CA 95128(408) 261-0770]

I checked out Natura's corporate HQ today. As I thought, it is a leased office space in an old commercial development that houses a bunch of small business, medical, and dental offices. Their space isn't too tiny though. It occupies about a half of one side of one building. It looks like it probably holds around a dozen or so staff. (It was closed, so I'm guessing based on what I saw through their front door.) Obviously, they have more staff at their plant in NE.

It still bothers me that they don't post the corporate address on their website or packaging, and use a PO box as a mailing address. Why? I just don't get it. Their office is certainly legit. Maybe they feel it's too small for the image they are trying to project? Who knows.

To reiterate, for anybody who feels the need to know, their corporate HQ is located at:

Natura Pet Products
1101 S Winchester Blvd
Bldg J Suite 225
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 261-0770

FYI - I found a very reasonably-priced online source of Wellness foods. Not only are their food prices cheaper than PetFoodDirect, and other online vendors I've found. But, their shipping appears to be cheaper, as well. (It could be due to distance. It's the closest online vendor to me, as well.)

http://www.epetpals.com/wellness_cat_food.htm

I may be ordering dry food from them because the retailer where I get the cans for .99 doesn't carry the Indoor or Core formulas. Or, I may even buy both wet and dry from there.

I'm gonna go check another local store today. If their prices are OK, I'll probably start buying everything there. If the prices stink, I'll just get everything from the online vendor. I don't feel like driving to multiple stores, or splitting between local and online, just to save a few dollars. At $3.25 gallon, the cost of gas quickly makes up for whatever I save buy driving around.

Anyway, I hope the link helps those who can't find Wellness locally. (Their Innova, CalNat, Wysong, Eagle, etc prices are excellent, as well!)

That's what I meant by deriving protein from grain. Sorry.

[37]

If you compare Iam's/Eukanuba's history and reputation with Natura's, you'd probably find that Natura's is quite better. And, even if they aren't handling this situation well, if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose Natura.

Your cat's condition warrants special consideration. In this case, you may want to stick with CalNat, despite the company's recent behavior. You can always examine it carefully for specks, chunks, or other foreign particles, and return any bags that you don't trust for any reason.

You might also want to try a different Wellness formula, before giving up on that brand. Just because she had a problem with the Indoor, doesn't mean she won't tolerate one of the other formulas. The Healthy Weight has approx the same level of Phosphorous and Protein as the Indoor, but less fiber, which may have accounted for your cat's diarrhea. The Complete Chicken has a phosphorous level of 1.03%. I don't know if that is high for ARF. But, it hasn't caused any issues with my cats' stools.

Finally, if you're considering an Iam's/Eukanuba prescription formula anyway, perhaps you might want to look into Royal Canin non-prescription formulas. My cats did very well on their Light 37. It is "grainy", and derives much of its protein from grain, but they seemed to thrive on it anyway. Their website has no phosphorous info though. You'd have to contact them. The Beauty and Fitness 37 has a relatively short ingredient list, minus the vitamins and minerals, plus a nice protein level. (FYI - The number in the formulas, Light 37, Indoor 27, Hairball 34, etc is the protein level.) BTW, in general, RC non-prescription formulas generally get rave reviews from users.

Of course, I prefer Wellness. But, I would use RC, with only minimal hesitation, if I had to use a non-holistic/natural-style food for some reason. In fact, I'd definitely put RC at the top of the "scientific" type premium brands. (I wouldn't touch Nutro/Natural Choice or Iam's/Eukanuba with a 10-foot-pole. Not a Hills fan either.)

Those are just my opinions based on experience, and what I've been reading of others' experiences. It's what I would do in your situation. Of course, there will be others. And, I hope that together they can help you decide. Best of luck to you, and more importantly, your little kitty.

Tootles is gone now. So, now, it's Lucky and Lucy, which only serves to confuse the vet's receptionist. (They're both brown tabbies, as well.)