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#1
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
Alex was recently off his food for a couple of days, so my vet suggested
that I try (canned) Pro-Plan (for the sake of its ostensible palatability), which I did. He seemed to like a few of the flavors. However, in looking at the labels, it lists by-products amongst the first four ingredients of mosty of its flavors (at least the ones I checked), and it's made by the Purina company just like Fancy Feast, which I buy for my cats (in addition to the Wellness), but I do consider the Fancy Feast to be "junk food" for cats. To my mind, I can't see much difference between Pro-Plan and Fancy Feast. I didn't mind buying the Pro-Plan because Alex did like it, and it was on sale this week at Petco, which brought it down to the same price as the Fancy Feast at the supermarket, but does anyone here think there is any real difference in quality between the two? Thanks in advance. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
#2
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"cindys" wrote Wellness), but I do consider the Fancy Feast to be "junk food" for cats. Based upon what ingredients? |
#3
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"cindys" wrote in message ... Alex was recently off his food for a couple of days, so my vet suggested that I try (canned) Pro-Plan (for the sake of its ostensible palatability), which I did. He seemed to like a few of the flavors. However, in looking at the labels, it lists by-products amongst the first four ingredients of mosty of its flavors (at least the ones I checked), and it's made by the Purina company just like Fancy Feast, which I buy for my cats (in addition to the Wellness), but I do consider the Fancy Feast to be "junk food" for cats. To my mind, I can't see much difference between Pro-Plan and Fancy Feast. I didn't mind buying the Pro-Plan because Alex did like it, and it was on sale this week at Petco, which brought it down to the same price as the Fancy Feast at the supermarket, but does anyone here think there is any real difference in quality between the two? Thanks in advance. Best regards, ---Cindy S. I have Rumble on a Fancy feast diet to control his diabetes. I have had several vets including mine and also several members of this group recommend me to use Fancy Feast to help his diabetes. Rumble has had a positive result and been on insulin for over a year being on this diet. I use any of the varieties that have gravy in them that are not roasted, grilled or minced |
#4
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"Matthew" wrote I have Rumble on a Fancy feast diet to control his diabetes. I have had several vets including mine and also several members of this group recommend me to use Fancy Feast to help his diabetes. Rumble has had a positive result and been on insulin for over a year being on this diet. I use any of the varieties that have gravy in them that are not roasted, grilled or minced *scratching my head* What does that leave? (I cannot use the kind with gravy because they almost always have some wheat gluten, and I am pretty sure wheat is what Gracie is allergic to.) |
#5
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"cybercat" wrote in message ... "cindys" wrote Wellness), but I do consider the Fancy Feast to be "junk food" for cats. Based upon what ingredients? ---------- I am troubled by the byproducts as opposed to 100% organ meats. But you make a good point...When I say FF is "junk food for cats," I am in fact parroting what other people have said. Why do people call it "junk food?" The expression "junk food" implies that a product contains a lot of tasty albeit non-nutritious fillers. I don't know that I would actually classify FF that way. I do believe that Wellness is a much better quality product, but that doesn't mean that FF is a "junk food." FTR, my cats prefer FF to Wellness. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
#6
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"cybercat" wrote in message ... "Matthew" wrote I have Rumble on a Fancy feast diet to control his diabetes. I have had several vets including mine and also several members of this group recommend me to use Fancy Feast to help his diabetes. Rumble has had a positive result and been on insulin for over a year being on this diet. I use any of the varieties that have gravy in them that are not roasted, grilled or minced *scratching my head* What does that leave? (I cannot use the kind with gravy because they almost always have some wheat gluten, and I am pretty sure wheat is what Gracie is allergic to.) I have no choice for Rumble he will not eat anything that does not have gravy in it. I can't use roasted, minced, or grilled since it has higher levels in it |
#7
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"Matthew" wrote in message ... "cindys" wrote in message ... Alex was recently off his food for a couple of days, so my vet suggested that I try (canned) Pro-Plan (for the sake of its ostensible palatability), which I did. He seemed to like a few of the flavors. However, in looking at the labels, it lists by-products amongst the first four ingredients of mosty of its flavors (at least the ones I checked), and it's made by the Purina company just like Fancy Feast, which I buy for my cats (in addition to the Wellness), but I do consider the Fancy Feast to be "junk food" for cats. To my mind, I can't see much difference between Pro-Plan and Fancy Feast. I didn't mind buying the Pro-Plan because Alex did like it, and it was on sale this week at Petco, which brought it down to the same price as the Fancy Feast at the supermarket, but does anyone here think there is any real difference in quality between the two? Thanks in advance. Best regards, ---Cindy S. I have Rumble on a Fancy feast diet to control his diabetes. I have had several vets including mine and also several members of this group recommend me to use Fancy Feast to help his diabetes. Rumble has had a positive result and been on insulin for over a year being on this diet. I use any of the varieties that have gravy in them that are not roasted, grilled or minced ---------- The truth of the matter is that when Alex was first diagnosed with diabetes, and the vet told me to switch him to canned, I started feeding him Friskies Special Diet and supermarket-brand canned cat food at 25 cents a can. And his blood sugar returned to normal, and he was doing fine even on these products. Then, I moved to FF because I considered that it was better quality. As time went on, after reading this newsgroup, and after I did a bunch of reading on the internet about the importance/quality of muscle meats as opposed to byproducts and after I read some excerpts from the book _Foods Pets Die For_ and learned the source of those byproducts, and then of course the melamine thing, I wanted to feed my cats human grade cat food which by definition cannot contain byproducts. I also needed to choose one that contained few carbohydrates because of the diabetes and that was how I eventually came to Wellness. At one point, I was buying Pet Promise, which I still think is an excellent quality food, but it does contain rice and potatoes. I had asked my vet if she thought FF was a good choice, and she stated that she wouldn't recommend any supermarket pet food. I currently have been feeding my cats Wellness and FF because they really like it (despite the byproducts). My cats seem to only be willing to eat the pate varieties. I try to avoid the varieties that are chunks or slices in gravy because my cats just lick off the gravy and leave the rest. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
#8
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"cindys" wrote in message ... "cybercat" wrote in message ... "cindys" wrote Wellness), but I do consider the Fancy Feast to be "junk food" for cats. Based upon what ingredients? ---------- I am troubled by the byproducts as opposed to 100% organ meats. I am confused by your use of "byproducts as opposed to 100% organ meats." I thought organ meats were included in the term "byproducts" and that when an ingredient is listed as "beef, chicken," and so forth that it was muscle meat. I could be wrong. In any case, there are several flavors in which meat, not byproducts, is the first ingredient. For example, the flavor my cats eat more than any other is "Tender Beef Feast." The ingredients are listed below: "Beef, Beef Broth, Liver, Fish, Meat Byproducts, Natural and artificial flavors, guar gum, potassium chloride, salt, taurie, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B-1), Vitamine E supplement, SodiumNitrite to promote color retention, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, magnesium sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, pyroxidine hydrochoride (Vitamin B6), Dicalcium phosphate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B-2), Cobalt carbonate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, Menadione Bisodium Sulfate Complex (Source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Biotin." I asked my vet about these ingredients and she said most are vitamin supplements and some are preservatives. The only one that makes me nervous is sodium nitrite, due to the many studies linking this preservative to cancer in lab rats, but then again, it is in my ham and hot dogs too. Wellness beef and chicken canned cat food, one of the five flavors it offers that are grain free (important for my cat because she has allergies, and for every cat because grains are used as fillers and cats need meat) has the following ingredients: Beef & Chicken Ingredients: Beef, Chicken Liver, Deboned Chicken, Beef Broth, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Vegetable Gums, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Alfalfa, Cranberries, Blueberries, Yellow Squash, Yellow Zucchini, Garlic, Dicalcium Phosphate, Spirulina, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E, A, D-3, And B-12 Supplements, Beta Carotene, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, Iron Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Iron Proteinate (Source Of Chelated Iron), Zinc Proteinate (Source Of Chelated Zinc), Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Copper Proteinate(Source Of Chelated Copper), Biotin, Manganese Proteinate (Source Of Chelated Manganese), Calcium Iodate, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite. I like the lack of artifical flavors in this Wellness. That could definitely be considered "junky," in my book, but handy when palatability is important, as with old cats and sick cats who must be encouraged to eat. I like that Wellness had no nitrites. I also like that the vitamins are chelated, which they are not in FF. (It is my understanding that chelation makes the compounds more available to the body.) Otherwise, I see a bunch of vegetables and fruits designed to appeal to humans, but which cats, as obligate carnivores, can very likely do without. In addition, garlic has been demonstrated to cause health problems for cats, so it has no place in cat food, and again, appeals more to humans than cats. I also noticed that at the site I checked, a 3-oz can of Wellness beef and chicken is 99 cents, whereas Fancy Feast runs 44 to 65 cents most places. I would not pay twice the price for the few benefits I see there for my cats, particularly since the negatives--starch where there should be protein and the addition of garlic--are pretty big ones. I also noted that the 5.5 oz can of beef and chicken Wellness could be had for $1.19 at the web site I visited, which brings it down around the price of Fancy Feast. I like these kinds of discussions. Thanks. |
#9
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"cindys" wrote ---------- I try to avoid the varieties that are chunks or slices in gravy because my cats just lick off the gravy and leave the rest. Mine do this too! |
#10
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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast
"cybercat" wrote in message ... "cindys" wrote in message ... "cybercat" wrote in message ... "cindys" wrote Wellness), but I do consider the Fancy Feast to be "junk food" for cats. Based upon what ingredients? ---------- I am troubled by the byproducts as opposed to 100% organ meats. I am confused by your use of "byproducts as opposed to 100% organ meats." I thought organ meats were included in the term "byproducts" and that when an ingredient is listed as "beef, chicken," and so forth that it was muscle meat. I could be wrong. Check out this website for a description of meat byproducts: http://www.aplus-flint-river-ranch.c....php?win=small While I understand that Flint River Ranch is promoting its own pet food (and knocking others), what this website is describing is very similar to what I have read on other websites. The "muscle meats" are first quality meats from the muscle itself (as opposed to the intestine, feet, skin etc i.e. rendered byproducts). It is illegal to put meat byproducts in human grade food. In any case, there are several flavors in which meat, not byproducts, is the first ingredient. For example, the flavor my cats eat more than any other is "Tender Beef Feast." The ingredients are listed below: You don't have to sell me on the "Tender Beef Feast." I have an entire shelf filled with it and two cases of it on order from Pet Food Direct. As far as I can tell, it's the only variety of FF that doesn't list byproducts in the first four ingredients. Wellness beef and chicken canned cat food, one of the five flavors it offers that are grain free (important for my cat because she has allergies, The only flavor of Wellness I have ever given my cats is the Beef and Chicken. It's not that I would be averse to trying the other flavors but Wellness is not readily available to me in a store (unlike FF, which I could buy at the supermarket but order only for convenience). So, I am reluctant to get stuck with an entire case of cat food my cats won't eat. The first time I ordered, I knew that Beef and Chicken was a safe bet, but I would be afraid to order the Chicken and Herring flavor, for example because Pet Food Direct is by the case only, and I don't know if my cats would like that flavor. snip for brevity Otherwise, I see a bunch of vegetables and fruits designed to appeal to humans, but I agree completely. As one person on this group quipped, no one's ever heard of packs of cats hanging out in cranberry bogs. which cats, as obligate carnivores, can very likely do without. In addition, garlic has been demonstrated to cause health problems for cats, so it has no place in cat food, and again, appeals more to humans than cats. Cats like the taste of garlic, and it's added to the food to make the food more palatable for them. I did ask my vet about this, and she said that the amount of garlic in the cat food was minute and not enough to harm them. Nevertheless, Wellness does make some garlic-free flavors because a lot of cat owners don't want to give their cats the food with the garlic. I also noticed that at the site I checked, a 3-oz can of Wellness beef and chicken is 99 cents, When I order from Pet Food Direct, the regular price of a case (24 cans) of the 5.5-oz sized can of Wellness is $27 and change (that's before the discount, tax, and shipping). The 20% discount more or less wipes out the shipping charge and then some. So, in the end I'm paying around a dollar a can for the 5.5-oz size of Wellness (give or take a few cents). The FF does not come in 5.5-oz cans. It comes only in 3 oz cans. This time, it was on sale from Pet Food Direct, so I got it for 41 cents a can (the sale may still be on - check it out - $9.99 per case and the GEICO promotional code is 20% off). The regular price for FF in my supermarket is 48 cents for the 3-oz can, so in the end, the difference in price between FF and Wellness is negligible (around a dollar a can for 5.5 oz Wellness versus about a dollar for two cans of 3-oz FF). whereas Fancy Feast runs 44 to 65 cents most places. I would not pay twice the price for the few benefits I see there for my cats, particularly since the negatives--starch where there should be protein and the addition of garlic--are pretty big ones. I also noted that the 5.5 oz can of beef and chicken Wellness could be had for $1.19 at the web site I visited, which brings it down around the price of Fancy Feast. I should have read further down your note before writing my shpiel above. Agreed. Today, I went to Petco to get the Pro-Plan on sale for 50 cents for a 3-oz can (regular price 79 cents). The Pro-Plan Selects are a lot like the Wellness (first four or five ingredents are organ meats, no meat byproducts, followed by the usual list of useless vegetables and berries). They seem to be much better quality than the regular Pro-Plan where many of the flavors contain the byproducts and wheat gluten and fillers. When I got up to the register, it turned out that Selects were not on sale...only the regular Pro-Plan was on sale. I was not inclined to pay 79 cents for a 3-oz can of cat food. As I said in the beginning, my gut feeling is that Pro-Plan is the same as FF under a different label. It's one thing to pay 48 cents for FF, but I wouldn't pay 79 cents for 3 ounces of any cat food (unless it were some special prescription food from the vet) I like these kinds of discussions. Thanks. Me too. On my list of "to read" books is Ann Martin's book _The Foods Pets Die For_. It was written in 1996 long before the melamine problem. I mentioned it to my vet this past week. She said she had never heard of it. I read an excerpt on Amazon, and it made my hair stand on end. Here's another point about Wellness: It's manufactured in a factory where human food is manufactured as well and is considered human grade food, therefore it has to meet FDA standards, unlike pet foods which are produced in a pet food factory (which would include the Pro-Plan and Fancy Feast - which our cats love so much). If it seems like the information in the book is for real, I'll order a copy for my vet as well. Thanks for a good discussion. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
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