Evangers Canned Cat Food

[Davis]

That's okay Cindy. Thanks for trying.  I'm sure I can find some good canned low sodium human meat.  I think I'm going with the Evangers canned meats for now.  I read that they are perfectly acceptable for both dogs and cats.  Then I'm going to add the InstinctsTC for complete nutrition. 

Speaking of tuna, good news.  It seems that my cat is finally adjusting to the canned idea.  He has now eaten a small plate of tuna 2 days in a row.  I don't want to have him on a tuna diet and preferalby not much fish, but I will do whatever it takes to make the transition.  At least it will make him more likely to accept other canned foods now.  Relief.....

[cw]

You're getting a great deal on canned food. 89 cents!! The cheapest place here sells the turkey for 1.19/can and the mackerel for 1.29/can.  I can't get California Natural cans any cheaper than 1.29/can, and the cheapest food they have is Felidae at .99/can. So consider yourself lucky!

That's exactly what I was thinking!

[Cindy Nevarez]

That sounds like avery good idea. And I agree.

In June, they are having a special, buy 3 cases of meat chunk products, you get a case of duck and sweet potato free...only good if you have a dog to eat the D & S.

Also in July they are having a special, buy 5 cases of 100% organic chicken 13.2 oz, 100% chicken 6 oz, or cooked chicken 13.2 oz, and get 1 case cooked chicken 22 oz free.

I'll be taking advantage of these.

[lacy]

I am using a few flavors of the Evangers as most of you know! But I also found out that Evangers makes By Nature Organics. I bought a can of Chicken and Mackerel. The only ingredients were something like Organic Chicken, Chicken Liver, Natural Well Water, Mackerel, and vitamins and minerals. ( thats not exactly right, but as close as I can remember) My cats really liked it. So now I have something along with the Evangers. Has anyone tried By Nature? What do you guys think?

[Davis]

Lacy, I saw ByNature mentioned by Jenny earlier in this thread.  It sounds really good, but I was worried when I went to the ByNature board and read that there was a bit of controversy over where it's actually made.  I'd like to try it if I can be confident that it's made by Evangers. 

[lacy]

Davis
Hmm, Its hard to know what to believe. I got a phone call(voicemail) and an email from the vice president saying that the canned by nature organics were made at Evangers. Here is the email.

"Hi Lacy,

We have our organic canned formulas made for us by Evangers, a small, family-owned cannery located in Illinois.

If you have any questions or need more information, please let me know.

Tedd Ellis, Vice President
Consumer Brands Division
Blue Seal"

So maybe just the pouches are made in China? What do ya think?

[Davis]

Yes, that must be it...pouches from China. I do have to wonder why they would have anything made in China though.  It looks like they care about standards and are trying to make a food that would appeal to people looking for a really "safe", healthy food.  The China factor will kill the appeal for a lot of people.   

[garypen]

It does for me. I won't even eat in Chinese restaurants any more. I'm serious.

[Davis]

An update.  I can now give my review of Evangers.  I ordered 3 cases of food a while back (in my opinion, it's expensive).  Duck Game Meat, Mackerel, and Turkey & Butternut Squash.  My cat likes the Turkey formula and is now eating it on a regular basis, which is a huge step for him with his dry preference.  He was polite and kind enough to try the duck and mackerel, and has decided he despises them both and will not touch them.  Between myself and my mother, we have 3 cats, and neither of her cats will eat the duck either.  I have to say that I was pleased with the quality and quantity of the duck and wish they liked it.  If your cats will eat duck, I recommend this one (but it has no supplements added, so keep that in mind).  My mother is slowly coaxing one of her cats to eat some of it by mixing juice from the mackerel into it, which brings me to my next point. 

I was very disappointed with the amount of meat in the can of mackerel and felt totally ripped off.  They have got to be kidding!  I only got about 2 total tablespoons of meat out of the can and the rest was brown water.  This formula is "soup" (watery soup) and not meat...period.  However, mom's cats like it and she gives them all of it, water and all, but they'd starve to death on a can of that a day.  Ridiculous. 

Overall, I am happy with the food, except as mentioned.  The cans are sticky, spotty, and not high tech at all.  They look like they came from an old factory with rudimentary equipment, but I don't care about that.  I only care what is in the cans and that it is safe and healthy.  I feel good about the fact that they have their own small, less advanced canning factory and seem to care more about the food inside than the cosmetics of the cans.  They are doing their own canning, imperfect though it might be..good for them, and us!

[Davis]

Well, I have another update.  I attempted once again with the mackerel, and opened another can.  This time the can I opened was not as bad as the first.  It had more fish in it, but still not what I would call a reasonable amount.  Nonetheless, I must have gotten a really bad can the first time that did not get any fish in it.  They really should pay more attention to the amount of meat going into the cans.  Not much consistency with the meat ounces.  Anyway, unfortunately my cat still will not eat this formula.  Just his weird personal preferences.  I'm sure most other cats would like it.

I want to mention one thing about watery foods.  I don't mind that the liquid that goes into the cans is watery...I just want the meat to be an acceptable amount.  I hate it when they thicken the water or juices with flour (or glutens!), etc.  The cats don't mind the runny liquid and don't need it thick.  They don't care.  That is just for "people appeal".  I would like to try some of the other Evanger's cat formulas, but won't because they list rice flour on the ingredients, which is nothing but a thickener to make it more gravy-like.  For obvious reasons I think most of us have an aversion to gravy thickeners in our pet's food.  Didn't they find out that the tainted rice protein was actually rice flour?  I really wish they would not use thickeners.  Just pack it with meat and leave it alone.  The simpler the better.

[Khari]

I was searching on the internet for a new higher quality grainfree canned food to add into my cats food rotation. I purchased the Evangers Turkey & Butternut Squash because it did not have any grains or fillers. I received the cans at work today so I came home from work at lunch to feed it to Lexus. She took a few licks and walked away. So, I gave it another shot after work and same thing - she took a few licks and walked away 

I am really disappointed because in the last couple of months I have introduced many new brands into her rotation and not once has she walked away. One thing I noticed was that there wasn't much of a smell to the Evangers as compared to the other canned foods I have offered her. This may have something to do with it. Or maybe she doesn't like the turkey or squash flavor? I will try adding it slowly into her other canned foods to see if she can grow a tolerance to the taste...

[Perseus]

Khari, I've done searches for updates on Evangers since the original FDA notice and couldn't find anything that seemed like a resolution.  So good for you that you came up with this article.  I've never used Evangers so I don't really have a comment on the food itself.  I didn't like the way the company handled the FDA notice though.  They continually said the FDA made some kind of a mistake, but now it seems they are admitting to finally be in compliance.

If you have enough brands to give your kitties in rotation, and they don't seem to like the Evangers, maybe when you run out just don't offer it any more.

Have you tried Wellness canned grain free yet?  I feed my crew a little every day but mostly they are on a raw diet.

[Khari]

If you have enough brands to give your kitties in rotation, and they don't seem to like the Evangers, maybe when you run out just don't offer it any more.

The only thing is I don't have much in her rotation and I want more - right now I have Wellness grainfree and am switching to Core, and EVO 95% meat. I tried the Natural Balance Ltd. ingredients and Merricks Turducken but not too impressed with either of them. I am looking for a grain free with no veggies and fruits would be ideal. But will use a little because brands are limited that don't have these in them.

I feed my crew a little every day but mostly they are on a raw diet.

I love feeding raw. My one cat is completely on a raw diet. But my other cat has megacolon and it seemed to get really bad while on a raw diet so I have her on canned for now with raw as a treat. I have finally got her situation under control with some medication so I may try feeding raw more often to her. But at this point I don't want to rock the boat. She has been through so much in the last 6 months.

[Khari]

Have there been any updates in Evangers? Are they still having problems with the FDA? I haven't heard anything lately.

[Hannie]

Funny but I was thinking about this just the other day.  I did Google & the only thing I can come up with is from June when the FDA pulled their temp operating permit or whatever that foolish thing is called.  This is the latest thing posted when I Google FDA & Evangers.  I guess we can only assume that this is where it stands right now:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm166265.htm

June 12, 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today it was suspending the temporary Emergency Permit issued to Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc.

Evanger's, operating in Wheeling, Illinois, deviated from the prescribed process, equipment, product shipment, and recordkeeping requirements in the production of the company's thermally processed low acid canned food (LACF) products.  The deviations in their processes and documentation could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.

In April 2008, Evanger’s was issued an “Order of Need for Emergency Permit” after the agency determined that the company had failed to meet the regulatory requirements to process a product that does not present a health risk.   In June, 2008, FDA issued Evanger’s a temporary Emergency Permit.  During inspections conducted between March 2009 and April 2009, FDA determined Evanger’s was not operating in compliance with the mandatory requirements and conditions of the Temporary Emergency Permit.

“The FDA is stopping Evanger's ability to ship pet food in interstate commerce,” said Dr. Bernadette Dunham. “Today’s enforcement action sends a strong message to manufacturers of pet food that we will take whatever action necessary to keep unsafe products from reaching consumers.”

In order for Evanger's to resume shipping in interstate commerce, the company must document that corrective actions and processing procedures have been implemented to ensure that the finished product will not present a health hazard.

Botulism is a powerful toxin that affects the nervous system and can be fatal. The disease has been documented in dogs and cats. Signs of botulism in animals are progressive muscle paralysis, disturbed vision, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and progressive weakness to the body. Death is usually due to paralysis of the heart or the muscles used in breathing.

While FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is responsible for regulating all human and animal LACF processing, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine has authority over animal feed and foods.  The two centers are collaborating on this enforcement action.