Strictly Wellness

[garypen]

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.

[lacy]

catmom5, I am in the same boat. I have one kitty who just did awesome on Cal Nat. I am really hoping to go back to it after this mess is over. That same kitty got diarreah with the Wellness Indoor Formula, but is not having that problem with Complete Health. I agree with garypen, that maybe you should try another Wellness formula, or try and find a good bag of Cal Nat. Good luck!!

[lacy]

After reading garypens post, I looked up the royal canin's light formula. I just loved the analysis and the addition of Lcarnitine. I got so excited, but then saw the it had wheat gluten in it and now Im kinda sad I thought that would be a great thing for my overweight kitties. (sorry i know that had nothing to do with wellness..)

[garypen]

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

[jenny]

My cats actually ate the RC Weight Control 38 Prescription dry for years - even fewer calories than the stuff I think Gary used 'over the counter'.  They actually did well, but I wanted a more natural diet for the cats.  For some reason I'm with Gary - of the 'scientific' brands I like them the best.  Although I'm glad they weren't eating the canned Weight Control prescription formula - because it was recalled for too much Vit D.

I also am probably along the same lines with Natura.  My IBD cat is doing well on their canned Innova product.  I feel like the company has treated me poorly as they won't answer very basic questions I ask - but you can't easily switch an IBD cats diet.  Hopefully I will eventually find something else to give him.

[garypen]

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!)

[Geff]

For those in the North West the excellent Mud Bay Pet Food Chain carries Wellness.

[eternaljester81]

Just thought I'd pass this along. I e-mailed Wellness about ingredient origins and testing of ingredients and finished products. Here is their reply:

Thank you for taking the time to write about Dry Cat Wellness®.

We choose to source some ingredients internationally.  We source our ingredients based on quality, not by country.  When we say source we actually do mean the country of origin.

Ingredient Sourcing is a follows:

95+%- United States and Canada
4%- New Zealand and Australia (Lamb or Venison)
-1%- Europe
-1%- Asia

We have always tested our raw materials before we use them in our foods.  We also retain a sample from every batch of food that is produced and of course it is retested. Of course, due to the recent recalls, we have expanded all of our regular testing procedures to include all the new known contaminates to the industry.

Thanks again for contacting us.

[garypen]

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.

[eternaljester81]

Garypen,
It is hard to know what to believe and think anymore, but I still wanted to pass the info along. I take a bit of solace in that there's been no realy negative reports (at least that I've seen) from anyone using Wellness (of course I say a prayer and knock on wood at the same time I type those words). I just have to hope and pray that Wellness is actually doing as they say they are doing, and are actually on top of things. Also, the info about ingredient sourceing wasn't as important to me as the statement about testing both raw ingredients and finished products. I just hope they use a worth-a-darn lab.

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?

[catmom5]

Have decided to try Eagle Pack dry and Healthy Weight by Wellness.  Both are the lower phosphorus that CJ needs.  We'll see. I like the idea of mixing a couple so if one has a problem I can just switch to the other.  Thanks for all of your feedback.  She goes back to the vet for bloodwork on Thursday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get a good report. Otherwise, we might well be looking at yet another surgery to remove the damaged kidney.  Don't know if she can handle another major medical procedure.

[garypen]

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.)

[eternaljester81]

Garypen,
How's Lucky doing today?

[garypen]

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!

[eternaljester81]

Garypen,
I'm happy to hear that Lucky is doing well. Hopefully he stays that way!