? Canidae/Felidae cat food?

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Squalliesmom

Squalliesmom

Member Since 2015
I'm still on the quest for the perfect and affordable cat food, lol!

Has anybody tried Canidae/Felidae Grain Free Pure Elements? On the catinfo site it's listed as having 9% carbs but when I put all the numbers into the ScheyderWeb carb calculator it came out to 5.69% carbs. Just wondering if anyone has tried it, if their cat(s) liked it and whether or not it affected BG. Thanks!
 
Are you talking about this food? http://www.canidae.com/cat-food/products/canidae-grain-free-pure-elements-canned-formula

The sweet potatoes and alfalfa stand out to me as ingredients that probably would raise the carb content a bit, so I think I think that the 9% seems accurate, considering the carb content of foods with similar ingredients.

Using the carb calculator with the guaranteed analysis from the label is not going to be as accurate a number as the as-fed analysis, because the guaranteed analysis is done in minimums and maximums.

That said, 9% isn't bad and I'd try it out and see if it works. Bandit can eat canned foods with a bit of potato at 8-9% without any big effect on his BG--but every cat is different! A few diabetics can be sensitive to the starch from potatoes.
 
Thanks, folks! @Julia & Bandit Somehow I missed seeing the sweet potatoes; yikes, they would drive Squallie's BG sky-high!

What is this thing now with everybody putting alfalfa in cat food?!?
 
Squalliesmom said:
Thanks, folks! @Julia & Bandit Somehow I missed seeing the sweet potatoes; yikes, they would drive Squallie's BG sky-high!

What is this thing now with everybody putting alfalfa in cat food?!?
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Sweet potatoes aren't as bad as regular potatoes, but they can affect some cats! I found out last week that Bandit's BG had recently started to creep up (when it didn't used to) when he eats the Weruva Steak Frites food which contains sweet potato, but I'm wondering if it's that or the potato starch that's bumping him up (the last few cans we opened looked much starchier than usual). Either way, we've removed it from his menu and had no more readings in the 160s since, and he absolutely loves the replacement food we got for it (the Lamburgini).
 
Mine like all the Weruva flavors they have tried but with four kitties to feed it isn't in our budget, sadly.
 
I've found the "Cats in the Kitchen" line to be way more affordable than the traditional flavors. At this point all of our Weruva is CitK, with the exception of the "Paw Lickin' Chicken", which is only affordable because I can buy it in 10 oz cans.

Bandit is usually the one who mostly gets Weruva, my other cat eats mostly the Wellness Core. However, every so often Bandit will decide he doesn't like a flavor anymore of Weruva, or we find out it's too high in carbs for him (like the steak frites), and in those situations Orpheus gets to finish off the case. :cat:

It's funny, because Bandit really likes the pate style foods more than the shredded, and Orpheus likes the shredded more than the pates, but we need Bandit to eat the Weruva for the lower fat content.
 
I've been following your quest Lucy, I found a food at Tractor Supply called 4Health Grain Free Turkey and Giblets. I don't know the carb count, but from the ingredients and Colin's BG when I've fed it, it's low carb. I was concerned about Phos content, so called the manufacturer-Simmons. They told me .4 DM. Now looking at the charts of other low Phos foods, that doesn't seem correct, so I will try to contact them again to clarify. I was just wondering if this was a food you, or anyone else had tried and already knew the answer...
 
Sharon14 said:
I've been following your quest Lucy, I found a food at Tractor Supply called 4Health Grain Free Turkey and Giblets. I don't know the carb count, but from the ingredients and Colin's BG when I've fed it, it's low carb. I was concerned about Phos content, so called the manufacturer-Simmons. They told me .4 DM. Now looking at the charts of other low Phos foods, that doesn't seem correct, so I will try to contact them again to clarify. I was just wondering if this was a food you, or anyone else had tried and already knew the answer...
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Thanks, Sharon. I'll check into it. If you get any additional info from the manufacturer please let us know! :)
 
@Sharon14 I just found it online and ran it through a carb calculator, says it's about 9% carbs. Looking at the ingredients, it seems like it should be lower. It does have high phosphorus, though.
 
Ok I saw that, just not Phos content. I still haven't gotten the hang of the calculator. When I tried it on Wellness Turkey I got a really high number, so I guess I'm doing something wrong:confused: I just look at ingredients. I'll try to call them again tomorrow about Phos. I asked for dry matter Phos, is there some other way I should ask?
 
Sharon14 said:
Ok I saw that, just not Phos content. I still haven't gotten the hang of the calculator. When I tried it on Wellness Turkey I got a really high number, so I guess I'm doing something wrong:confused: I just look at ingredients. I'll try to call them again tomorrow about Phos. I asked for dry matter Phos, is there some other way I should ask?
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Wellness turkey is on Dr. Lisa's chart, I believe! Unless they've changed the formula recently, it's been a great food for being low in carbs and phosphorus. I used to feed it to my senior CKD kitty.
 
Thanks @Julia & Bandit I just went to the Wellness website and got the as fed values and this time I was able to calculate the carb values correctly. (I hope) When I ask the pet food companies for Phos levels, how should I ask? Dry matter? And what are acceptable levels?
 
If something isn't on Dr. Lisa's chart, or if there has been a formula change since she compiled the values (this happens rarely, but it has happened once that I know of), I will call the company and ask for the as fed values. Some companies are more resistant than others giving you this information, and if they refuse, I would not feed that food. The as fed values should be the protein, fat, carb, fiber, moisture, ash, and phosphorus values. Once you get all of those there is a spreadsheet (from Janet and Binky) that you can plug all those values into that give you the % per 100 calories, which gives you the values you see on Dr. Lisa's list. Phosphorus levels are recommended at 250mg/100kcal (or below 250 on the list), or less than 1% pre breakdown. I'm on my phone now, but I can link to the spreadsheet tomorrow. Or, you can post the as fed values here and someone can break them down for you.
 
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