Is Orijen A Healthy Choice For Your Cat
Orijen is a nutritionally balanced complete food source with high amounts of protein and micronutrients for optimal health.
Cats are obligate carnivores in the wild and experience fewer digestive health complications on a wild diet of small prey. Orijen uses a lot of animal protein products and fewer carbohydrate ingredients, which is beneficial for cats.
Cats are adapted to high protein diets and use protein as a source of energy. Their livers have a high rate of gluconeogenesis which is a process converted amino acids to glucose .
Unlike other species like humans and dogs , cats have abnormally high rates of gluconeogenesis which dont appear to lower with a higher carbohydrate diet.
This means their bodies are constantly pumping out glucose sugar to fuel their brain and muscles even though they consume a diet high in protein and fat.
This also means when cats eat a high carbohydrate diet, their blood sugar levels rise higher than normal which may increase diabetes risk.
Thankfully, Orijen is lower in carbohydrates than most dry cat food options which makes it a better choice for your cats health. Check out my top tips for optimizing your cats health for more information.
Great Choice Wet Dog Foods
While Petsmarts dry food has a number of advantages for the pet owner, most of the benefits of wet food are geared towards the dog itself.
First off, wet food tastes and smells better to dogs than dry food, meaning a lack of appetite is less of a problem when feeding your pet this type of food. Also, the higher water content is wet food makes it easier to satisfy your pets fluid requirements, which is particularly helpful if your dog doesnt drink much in a day.
Wet food may also be a better option than dry formulas if your dogs substantial appetite keeps causing weight issues. Thats because wet foods typically have a lower calorie count per serving, meaning your furry friend can eat a substantial portion without exceeding the recommended daily calorie intake.
Having looked at the most relevant arguments for wet food, lets review Petsmarts offerings to find out if theyre worth your buck.
What Do Customers Think Of Authority Cat Food
While limited, most reviews on Chewy and PetSmart are positive. Customers say that both they and their cats enjoyed the food. Once you get beyond the retail reviews, however, youll read about a few negative experiences, including illness after eating Authority or pets who simply refused to eat it.
Heres what a few Authority customers have to say about their experience.
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What Are The Cons Of Orijen Cat Food
The main downsides of Orijen cat food are the slightly higher price, use of legumes, inconsistent flavor, and lack of a wet cat food option.
Whilst the price is higher than average, we think the benefits of this cat food are worth the price compared to cheaper dry cat food options.
This cat food brand also uses a small number of plant ingredients such as lentils and peas. These ingredients raise the carbohydrate level slightly.
Some customers report taste changes that reflect the use of US kitchens. The company Orijen is Canadian based, but opened new kitchens in the US using local products which differ from the local products sourced in Canada.
Another issue is the size of the kibble which may be too large or hard for some cats. Cats tend to gulp down foods and larger hard pieces may cause discomfort.
Fortunately, Orijen uses rounder shapes that are easier to swallow and a smaller size for their kitten product.
Finally, like all dry cat food and kibble Orijen is low in moisture. You will need to provide your cat with fresh water and make sure they are drinking enough to hydrate themselves.
What Are The Different Types Of Cat Food
As a cat owner, it is your job to provide for your cats needs, and that includes a healthy and nutritious diet. Before you stroll into the nearest pet store and grab something off the shelf, however, you should take the time to learn about your options this includes familiarizing yourself with the different types of cat food youre likely to encounter.
Here is a quick overview of some of the most popular types of cat food:
- Dry Cat Food
- Fresh Cat Food
- Raw Cat Food
Within each of these categories, there are a variety of other types of cat food as well.
For example, both dry cat food and canned cat food brands offer options for grain-free and limited ingredient cat foods. These options are great for cats with food allergies or sensitivities. Limited ingredient diets are simply cat foods made with a lower number of main ingredients to limit the risk of triggering food allergies.
A quick word about grain-free cat food.
There has always been a great deal of controversy surrounding the inclusion of carbohydrates in cat food. The fact remains that cats are obligate carnivores which means that the majority of their nutrition needs to come from animal sources. Unfortunately, meat-based diets are expensive, and most cat owners dont have the knowledge or ability to create a homemade cat food diet that is nutritionally complete and balanced.
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Where Is Orijen Manufactured
Orijen is manufactured in Alberta, Canada in Champion Pet Foods kitchens although some food is manufactured in US facilities.
They manufacture all their products in their own facilities and do not outsource to other facilities.
The formula has minor changes in US kitchens due to Orijen using regionally sourced ingredients.
Nutro Natural Choice Cat Food Review
| Pet CircleMy Pet Warehouse |
Ive found Nutro to have a loyal following, and being a brand we often see in supermarkets its widely used. We often see marketing terms like holistic, premium, balanced and so forth with pet food, and in this case theyve used the word natural. Its important to look beyond these marketing words and look at the ingredients and analysis they tell the real story.
For this review Ive selected the Wholesome Chicken recipe, which can be used as a guide for all recipes in the range.
We find chicken as the main ingredient which gives a good impression, but its important to note this is reduced to 20~30% of its weight when the kibble is cooked. This is fine when a food has other meats in the ingredients, but this one doesnt thats it! Cats need a meat-based diet, even more so than dogs, so this food falls short at the first hurdle.
Ground rice is a cheap filler and provides little nutritional value. We can be sure this is white rice as its unspecified, which isnt as good as brown rice which we find in some better foods.
Corn gluten is the 3rd ingredient in the food and potentially the predominant source of protein. Historically it was used as animal feed due to the high protein content, but we often find it these days in cheaper pet foods to inflate the protein. They label it maize in the ingredients as more pet owners are on the alert for corn, not maize. Its the same thing.
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How To Make Homemade Dry Cat Food With Salmon:
- 125 g fat-free dry milk
- 210 g soy flour
- 340 g whole wheat flour
- 115 g wheat germ
- 68 g brewers yeast
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- Oven
- Baking pan
1. Boil salmon. Put it into a pot with boiling water, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. After that, take it off the gas and leave it to cool.
2. Prepare a baking sheet. If you are going to use a small one , do your best to prepare two to have enough space for all kibbles. Cover sheets with parchment paper to get them ready for cooking.
3. Prepare an oven. Preheat it to 350 F and meanwhile get the dough ready.
4. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Put dry milk, soy flour, wheat germ, brewers yeast, cornmeal, and whole wheat flour into one large bowl and mix them with a whisk or wooden spoon.
5. Mash boiled salmon with oils in another bowl.Take salmon, sesame oil, and vegetable oil put the ingredients in a small bowl mash them with a fork. Its OK if the salmon is still in little bits after youve finished.
6. Combine the dry ingredients with water. Take two cups of water, add them to that large bowl with dry ingredients, and use a spoon to turn them to a heavy and thick mass. Then, mix it by hand if necessary: Youll need to get a dough ball as a result.
7. Add mashed salmon to the dough. Pour it over and mix with a spoon or by hand until you get the thick mixture. Dont add any more water to it: The dough should be rough.
What I Noticed After Kitty Started Eating Smalls
There were a handful of things I noticed in the weeks following Kittys introduction to Smalls. After I wrote this, I read more customer comments on the Smalls website, and what I noticed seems very consistent with other pet owners experiences.
I noticed that Kittys coat looked extra silky and shiny and she had brighter eyes and great hydration. Ill often do the pinch test on my cats skin to confirm they are not dehydrated and make sure their gums are bright and moist. Aside from this, two big things stood out the most that speak to the quality and value of Smalls products.
1. Less stinky poops
This was one of the most surprising things to me, though it makes complete sense. With four foster kittens and that litter box life, you notice quickly when their poops are extra stinky. But I noticed that my kittens poops were barely stinky at all on the days after they ate Smalls. And while this may be TMI Maine coons are giant cats which means they have giant poops it was a pleasant surprise to discover that Kittys poops were much less stinky too!
2. Tons more energy
There was also the abundance of energy that resulted from their obsession with the Freeze-Dried Raw Bird. Just rattling the bag could wake Kitty from her slumber and cause all my feline friends to storm the kitchen and swarm my feet.
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Worst Cat Food Ingredients
Theres an expression youve probably heard: the devils in the details. The same goes for cat food ingredients. Pet food manufacturers can be extremely deceptive about their products. Most are profit driven they use cheap, low-quality ingredients and fillers. They use feed-grade not food grade products. They put beautiful pictures of fresh, whole foods on the packages and have large marketing budgets to produce heart-tugging, memorable commercials that drive consumers to buy their brands at the grocery stores and vet clinics.
Which Cats Are Best Suited To Orijen Cat Food
Orijen is suitable for cats of all life stages, underweight, and overweight cats.
ORIJENs diets are made to match the nutritional requirements established by AAFCO for cats.
AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials which is a non-profit organization that provides recommendations for manufacturers.
Orijen is AAFCO approved for all life stages meaning it is suitable for cats of all life stages from kitten to senior.
Orijens Kitten dry product is suited for kittens with smaller kibble sizes and additional calcium and essential fatty acids for developing bodies.
Since this brand of cat food uses a higher amount of animal protein ingredients it helps cats gain lean muscle and maintain a healthy weight.
Orijen cat food provides an ideal balance of nutrients to support lean muscle mass, healthy bones, and optimal organ function.
The main downside of Orijen cat food is the lack of moisture. This may lead to your cat not getting enough moisture for kidney and urinary health.
It is important to make sure your cat is drinking enough water, especially when eating a dry kibble diet. Check out my article on the best cat water fountains for help with hydration.
Remember that you can always add some water to dry cat food to increase moisture.
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The Best Wet Cat Food In 2021
What is the best food for cats? If they could speak, were certain our feline friends would say freshly-killed mice. While we all love our cats to the moon and back, rare are the ones who would actually let their pets hunt and eat mice every day, especially if were talking about indoor kitties. But do you know what resembles a juicy mouse, only it comes in a much better packaging? Wet cat food. Soft, delicious, high in protein and moisture, wet cat food contains everything our feline companions need to thrive, and then some. Whether youre looking for specific wet formulas to support your cats urinary and kidney health, or paw-licking recipes to spoil them rotten, youre guaranteed to find them here. From juicy meat cuts in gravy to tender pates, grain-free formulas, and gourmet recipes, we reviewed them all to help point you in the right direction.
Nutro Max Dry Cat Food
Nutro MAX Cat food offers simple and complete nutrition at a great value. It promises to deliver natural nutrition for maximum health.
Aside from chicken meal or fish meal as protein sources, it also has tomato pomace, cranberries, and blueberries that are rich in antioxidants. It is enriched with omega-6 fatty acids, as well as fish oil, chicken fat, sunflower oil, and soybean oil for healthy skin and coat.
2. Nutro MAX Adult Dry Cat Food Roasted Chicken
This roasted chicken flavored dry food is tasty as it is nutritious. It offers a complete and balanced meal with protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It includes natural fibers such as ground whole wheat and brewers rice for healthy digestion. It also has chicken meal, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, and Menhaden fish oil among other ingredients.
Pros
Kitties love it. A lot of kitties seem to love this roasted chicken flavored dry food. Even known finicky eaters like Nutro MAX Adult Dry Cat Food. Some cats who usually only eat wet food have even been converted.
Affordable price. Many customers are confident that they get great value from Nutro MAX Adult Dry Cat Food Roasted Chicken. Their pets get high-quality, tasty, nutritious food at an affordable price with this particular brand of dry food.
Cons
Based on our review, the Nutro MAX Adult Dry Cat Food Roasted Chicken is an overall good quality cat food at an affordable price point. Its flavor is a hit among a lot of kitties as well.
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Account For The Calories
It’s important to remember that this is not an epic, human-sized cheeseboard, so go small. “It needs to be in proportion in your pet,” Nelson says. “Don’t put a massive amount in front of a chihuahua unless you want to pay for the emergency room.”
And, just like humans, Nelson advises, if a dog is going to enjoy a special meal, “All calories for the day still need to be counted.” If you’re serving up a barkcuterie board, “Be sure to pull out a little bit of their kibble,” she says, to help keep their day in balance.
Nomnomnow Fresh Food Delivery
If you want to feed your cat the best of the best, try NomNomNows fresh food delivery service. Similar to a food delivery service for humans, NomNomNow prepares your cats meals and delivers them fresh to your door. All you have to do is create a profile for your pet online and choose between two chicken or fish recipes to receive monthly orders of fresh food perfectly portioned for your pet. These meals are packed with premium protein as well as fresh fruits and vegetables to ensure balanced nutrition and maximum digestibility. Both recipes provide a minimum of 50% protein and maximum of 10% carbs.
- Pros: Food delivered fresh to your door, high in protein low in carbs, no grains or fillers, choose from two protein options, balanced nutrition, easy to digest
- Cons: Expensive to feed compared to dry food, only two recipes to choose from
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Grreat Choice Cat Food Review Summary
- Overall CatFoodDB has reviewed 52 Grreat Choice cat food products.Together they average 4.7 / 10 paws,which makes Grreat Choice a below average overall cat food brandwhen compared to all the other brands in our database.
- The 46 reviewed wet foods scored on average 4.9 / 10 paws,making Grreat Choicea significantly below average wet cat food brandwhen compared against all other wet food manufacturer’s products.
- The 6 reviewed dry foods scored on average 2.5 / 10 paws,making Grreat Choicea significantly below average dry cat food brandwhen compared against all other dry food manufacturer’s products.
At CatFoodDB, we calculate two scores for each product, each represented from 1 – 5 paws.The first score represents the quality of the ingredients in the product.The second score represents our analysis of the product’s published nutritional information.The 2 ratings are then added together to give each product a final score between 2-10 paws.For more information on our cat food analysis techniques, please .
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Hmmm… Looks like these reviews were last updated over 2 years ago, and may be out of date.Please email us at if you’d like us to prioritize updating them and we’ll get it added to the todo list!