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Pro-Plan versus Fancy Feast



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 24th 07, 06:40 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cindys
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Posts: 592
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 07:34 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
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Posts: 4,212
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 07:34 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Matthew
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Posts: 2,930
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 07:42 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
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Posts: 4,212
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 08:10 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cindys
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Posts: 592
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 08:11 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Matthew
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Posts: 2,930
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 08:23 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cindys
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 592
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 09:25 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
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Posts: 4,212
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 09:29 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
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Posts: 4,212
Default 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  
Old June 24th 07, 11:14 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cindys
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Posts: 592
Default 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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