How is everybody doing on Cal Nat cat formulas?

[garypen]

Is everybody who started using it during the recall scare era still using it? Dry only? Canned as well? Chicken or Fish formula?

Has anybody had any bad experiences? Switched off of it?

I'm just asking because I was using it in conjunction with Merrick canned, and my cats seemed fine on it. I switched to Innova Senior dry and Innova Lite canned (Yes I know that Innova canned is made by Menu) to get them slimmed down a little, and also because the older one is over 9 now.

However, I am thinking of switching them off the Innova, after having read some stuff about it that has me concerned. And, their coats are not as thick and shiny, especially the older one. Also, they are both drinking much more water, which seems to have started with the Innova. (I know that drinking water is good. But, the sudden change in the amount has me concerned.)

I would probably switch back to CalNat, despite the possible problems with Innova and the less-than-stellar way that Natura seems to handle their product safety (that video they released back in April seems to have been all talk, no action), as CalNat seems less susceptible to contamination due to the shorter ingredient list.

OTOH, Wellness looks interesting, if a bit expensive. I might give it a try. I would probably switch back to Merrick cans, as well, wanting to avoid Menu-made products. (Will Natura ever open their own cannery? I'm starting to wonder. Perhaps if we all refuse to buy their canned foods, they'll get off their asses.)

Anyway, I'd like to hear everybody's recent experiences with Cal Nat, since it's been a month or two since I've used it.

[himimom1254]

I've been using Cal Nat dry for at least 10 years.  My kitty seems to be doing fine on it.  He's 4.5 years old, but I've used it for my other cats as well.  He eats CN dry and 1/4 of Wellness chicken canned food.  He had labs done in April as part of a regular check up and all kidney and liver vaules were normal.

I'm toying with switching him to Wellness Debone Chicken dry, but he's very finicky and we're not had good luck with Wellness dry in the past.  I've not tried since they changed their formula though.

[garypen]

It sounds like a case of "if it ain't broken, don't fix it". You should probably just stick with Calnat.

Why do you use Wellness canned instead of Calnat canned? (They're both made by Menu, btw.)

[Geff]

I'm still on the Cal Nat Chicken dry. All is very well.

[lacy]

Well I was on the California Natural Chicken and Rice Dry untill this whole Natura thing happened. I just bought a new bag, expiration date May 08, and I examined it and found it had big black chunks embedded in it. It scared me, since I read Donnas story in Itchmo, with those chunks testing positive for acetemenophen(cant spell) and cyanuric acid. I feel horrible having to take it away from the kitties, mainly my one kitty that has a sensitive stomach. The bags I had been using before, exp Feb 08, were perfectly fine. I might go on the hunt for those bags but not many places carry it around here. The one store I get it at only have April and May 08 bags.

For now the kitties are loving Kumpikat, Merrick canned, Wellness Turkey Salmon canned, and They are unsure about the New Wellness dry I bought. I really need that California natural back for kitty Cooper!! I hope they fix the problem!

[Geff]

Lacy, I haven't heard a word about this. Could you please post a link to the story on Itchmo you're referencing?

I am still intentionally using older bags with pull dates of Oct 07.

[Geff]

I googled this & here are 3 links:

http://www.itchmo.com/read/innova-testing-results-posted-by-ceo-of-naturapet_20070724
http://www.ourdogsonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=125644
http://www.itchmoforums.com/news-recall-related/problems-w-innova-and-test-results-t1028.870.html

I personally should have a couple months until my last 9 pounds or so of older food runs out.

I'm not sure what to think about this. My cat can only tolerate a small number of foods due to allergies.

[himimom1254]

Geoff,

I use Wellness canned chicken because it has no grains.  I had a kitty with IBD that I used to feed raw and without the grains there were no symptoms.  The guy I have now has a tendency toward loose stools and so I stick with Wellness varieties that don't have grain.

[Geff]

My sister has had good luck with Wellness. At this point, I want to stick with dry, & I BELIEVE that all the Wellness dry foods have some form of Fish, which my cat appears to be allergic to. I am planning on staying with the Cal Nat I have with Pull dates of Oct-Dec until they run out.

I may check with Wellness on the Seafood issue at that time. We went through a NIGHTMARE finding a food he could tolerate that wasn't part of the recall. Since I believe his current older bags are safe, I'm going to be very cautious about changing.

[lacy]

Geff, I am so sorry I didnt post links. That last itchmo forum link you posted is what i have been reading. there is almost 60 pages and I have read them all over the past few weeks. Donnas story is also on this page If you want the short version of her story.

http://www.petfoodrecallfacts.com/lab.html

The itchmo pages go through how Natura is responding to this and everyones input.

[Davis]

Although I have my cat mostly on canned now, and am investigating homemade recipes, he is still eating some Cal Nat.  My cat has done really well on this food.  My current bag has the same expiration date as Lacy's, and I have no black chunks in mine.  It looks completely normal.  But I suppose it would not be unusual for only a portion of a run of food to be affected by some inconsistency. 

Geff, I would not be too quick to pull your cat off of the food until we know more.  I remember the struggles you went through to find a food that worked for him.  I think we just have to take this one day at a time.  I'm disgusted at Natura right now, but there are not a lot of alternatives out there.  I've now returned to reading ingredient lists of other foods in search of a good replacement, but every cat is different.  My cat does not have the tolerance issues with food that yours does Geff, so that makes it easier. 

[garypen]

Geff, I would not be too quick to pull your cat off of the food until we know more.  I remember the struggles you went through to find a food that worked for him. 

That might be true for finishing existing stock that is known to be safe. But, I would certainly have reservations about feeding any newly purchased Natura dry foods.

[Geff]

I'm going to have to make some sort of decision when the 7 pounds or so I have gets close to running out.

                                             Geff