Pet Food Reviews

[Ken Anderson]

Earthborn Holistic Catalina Catch

Ingredients

Mackerel, Mackerel Broth, Shrimp, Sunflower Oil, Tricalcium Phosphate, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, and Potassium Iodide.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS: Crude Protein (min.) 14.0%; Crude Fat (min.) 2.0%; Crude Fiber (max.) 1.5%; Moisture (max.) 82.0%; Ash (max.) 3.0%; Taurine (min.) 0.05%

CALORIE CONTENT: (ME Calculated) 1,007 kcal/kg; 157 kcal/5.5 oz

Earthborn is Ella's favorite brand. This particular recipe is a fairly simple, high-meat seafood wet food with a short ingredient list and no obvious plant fillers, gums, or carbohydrate thickeners.

The primary ingredients are:

• Mackerel: An excellent animal protein source, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and highly palatable for most cats. It provides protein, fat, vitamin D, selenium, and natural taurine.
• Mackerel Broth: Primarily moisture and flavor, it helps hydration but adds little nutritional value beyond trace nutrients. Hydration is very important.
• Shrimp: Additional animal protein source that adds flavor and texture; generally low-fat and highly digestible.

Added Fat: Sunflower Oil, which provides calories and essential linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid for cats), although it is less desirable than fish oil as an omega-3 source because it is primarily omega-6; but since mackerel already supplies omega-3, that's not a major concern.

The rest of the ingredients are essentially there to make the food nutritionally complete:

• Tricalcium Phosphate: calcium/phosphorus source.
• Taurine: An essential amino acid that cats require.
• Potassium Chloride: Electrolyte support.
• Choline Chloride: Liver and nervous system support.
• Ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganese sulfate, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide: trace minerals.
• B vitamins, vitamin A, D3, E, and K sources.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS

As Fed Basis

• Protein: 14%
• Fat: 2%
• Moisture: 82%
• Ash: 3%
• Fiber: 1.5%

The fat number looks low, but then, fish recipes are low in fat, and wet foods contain a lot of water.

Approximate Dry Matter Basis

Removing moisture:

• Dry matter = 18%
• Protein: 14 ÷ 18 × 100 ≈ 77.8% dry matter
• Fat: 2 ÷ 18 × 100 ≈ 11.1% dry matter
• Ash: 3 ÷ 18 × 100 ≈ 16.7% dry matter
• Estimated carbohydrate: 100 − 77.8 − 11.1 − 16.7 ≈ ~0-2% dry matter

This is an extremely low-carbohydrate food.

Calories

157 kcal per 5.5 oz can is a fairly moderate-calorie food. By comparison, many pate foods contain 150-220 kcal/5.5 oz can, and many "tuna in broth" style foods contain 80-120 kcal/can. So this is in the middle. Because the fat level is low, most calories are coming from protein.

Strengths

• Very short ingredient list.
• High animal protein.
• Extremely low carbohydrate.
• Excellent hydration.
• Rich natural marine omega-3 from mackerel.
• No carrageenan.
• No grain ingredients.
• No potatoes, peas, or other starches.
• No artificial colors or preservatives.

Potential Concerns

• Low fat: At about 11% dry matter fat, it is lean by cat-food standards. For overweight, diabetic, or less active indoor cats, this may be beneficial. For underweight cats, kittens, or very active cats, it may not provide enough fast density. However, the assumption is that even someone who wanted to stay within the Earthborn line, the cat wouldn't be fed a steady fish-recipe diet.
• Fish-based diet: Mackerel is nutritious, but feeding fish-heavy diets exclusively for years can have drawbacks, such as potential accumulation of heavy metals and lower levels of fat than cats need. Some cats become "fish addicts" and may refuse other proteins. Fish foods are best as part of a rotation rather than the sole diet.
• Ash content: The ash content is somewhat high, probably due to the tricalcium phosphate and mineral supplementation. This is not necessarily problematic, but feeding this as a steady diet could be a concern in managing urinary or kidney issues. Again, though, this should be part of a rotating diet plan, not a staple.

Overall

The ingredient quality is excellent. Any potential problems would not come about unless you fed your cat nothing else. It is available on Amazon as a standalone order or as part of a variety pack. I recommend the variety pack. Currently, it sells on Amazon for $0.57/oz.

This is a high-protein, very-low-carbohydrate, hydration-focused seafood formula.

Anecdotally, every cat I have offered it to liked it, and I can say that about any of the Earthborn recipes.

 

[Shirley Martin]

Ken, can you do a review of some dog foods and rate them as to how dogs like them? I hate to keep buying canned food for Niki and have her not eat them.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Ken, can you do a review of some dog foods and rate them as to how dogs like them? I hate to keep buying canned food for Niki and have her not eat them.

I can evaluate the ingredient lists for those ingredients that dogs should like, but while I have five cats to help me evaluate the tastes of cat foods, I don't have a dog, so I couldn't give personal experiences. We did have dogs when I was a kid, and I have known a lot of dogs, and get the sense that cats are far picker than dogs.

 

[Ken Anderson]

If anyone is looking at the moisture content of a cat food and feeling like they're being cheated, paying so much money for a can of something that is 80% water, keep in mind that a mouse is 75-80% water; much the same would be true of any other prey that a cat might eat in the wild, so wet cat foods are designed to mimic the moisture content of prey.

Buying dry content and adding water doesn't work because the moisture content is incorporated into the protein during the canning process, which is what gives it the taste that encourages the cat to eat it, thus getting the hydration that is so important to a cat. From personal experience, I will say that, although some manufacturers, including Blue Buffalo, market a kibble that is designed to be mixed with warm water, that doesn't work nearly as well as wet food. For me, it didn't work at all because neither Ella nor the outside cats would eat it. Cats need wet food because they are unlikely to drink enough water to be properly hydrated otherwise.

Dogs will drink enough water to properly hydrate, but most cats won't. For a dog, canned food might be more of a treat than anything else. Although canned dog food might be better for your dog than kibble, and raw foods might be better yet, that can get quite expensive, particularly if you have a large dog. Dogs don't have the same critical need for wet food that cats have.