39 Responses to Natural Balance Cat Food

1. 

   Meagen April 21, 2015 at 3:58 pm #

   I have not had any problems with this brand but new feedback is troubling. It is the best priced higher quality cat food I could find, I am really sad that they sold. Does anyone have ideas for replacements? I want to switch to Wellness but I simply can’t afford that right now.
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     Lucy June 24, 2015 at 12:38 pm #

     Hi Meagen. Just read reviews on Wellness. Many people are not happy with Wellness. My cat developed bad skin allergy. I tried different brands of expensive cat food and did not found replacement jet…
2. 

   DeePhOUSeLuvR March 24, 2015 at 11:08 am #

   I have been feeding my domestic short-hair female cat Natural Balance for the last 9 years and she now has diabetes because of the HIGH CARBOHYDRATES. Stay away from this food. I feel soooo guilty. I did research when I first got her (a stray) and I THOUGHT I was feeding her healthy food. It may be better than some of the other brands, but it’s obviously not as healthy as I thought. I just hope it’s not too late. I have switched to Orijen (dry) and EVO (wet) and am now trying to get her to eat MOSTLY wet hoping to bring her sugars down and be able to stop the insulin. I have also switched her to freeze-dried treats. I can’t believe I was so ignorant. :**(
3. 

   Kate K February 5, 2015 at 5:22 pm #

   I tried Natural Balance to see if it would be as good as the pricey Acana. My two younger cats were fine, although they didn’t eat as much. My 16-year-old vomited the first two days and lay around the third without eating. I immediately bought a bag of Acana and he perked right up.
4. 

   Pat S January 17, 2015 at 10:56 pm #

   Natural Balance was a very good food, until they sold out to a large pet food manufacturer. We’ve seen this happen so very often in the past with good foods and once they change hands, the quality goes down and the animals no longer want to eat it. We are seeing it here, again. So sorry to say goodbye to a food that I relied on for years.
5. 

   DT November 30, 2014 at 11:40 am #

   I have been feeding my cat Natural Balance Original Ultra Dry food for the past couple years and he has always loved it and ate it like a pig. Recently (Oct. 2014), I noticed that they changed the dry food bags, so I chose the one that the store clerk and I thought was the replacement for the one my cat had been eating (Chicken Meal and Salmon Meal). When I opened the bag and put some dry food in his dish, he smelled it, ate a couple pieces, and walked away, and this went on for a couple days. So, I called the 800 number on the NB bag, and the clerk whom I spoke to said they did change the formula by adding some antioxidants and other stuff, which she said were healthier. She also said that they did not change the NB Ultra canned food. After a few days, my cat started eating the new dry food, but then I noticed him going in and out of the litter box every few minutes and kicking lots of litter out of the box. I also noticed that his urine was a reddish color. I stopped giving him the new dry food and spoke to my Vet’s office, who said that antioxidants can cause urinary problems in cats and that may be why he’s having this problem. Needless to say, I stopped giving him this dry food and am going to return the bag to Petco. After a week or so, my cat is now urinating more normally, but I’m going to take him to the Vet for a checkup anyway. I am very disappointed that NB has made this change and I am looking for a new dry food that I can trust to feed my cat.
6. 

   Name November 6, 2014 at 6:46 pm #

   I had been feeding NB Venison and Pea formula to my cat to check for possible food alergies. The last two cans had some kind of worm in them. The first one had a large white worm. The next can had white pieces in it. I’ll never use this brand again.
7. 

   myhsplace September 3, 2014 at 1:52 am #

   ingredients in review are incorrect! been feeding my cats this for like two years plus now and the chicken has been the second ingredient with chicken meal being the first.. recently however they changed the formula again and i just received four autoship bags of their suppose improved formula that has chicken meal as first formula, now followed by brown rice as second and chicken as third.. seems like a downgrade to me, not an improvement! guess its time to search for new kitty food for its not worth paying all that money on a food thats going to be mostly chicken meal and rice now!!
8. 

   Paul Allen July 18, 2014 at 1:10 am #

   This is a decent cat food, and it’s what I’ve been feeding my 3 cats. Apart from being an overall good food, their cans are not lined with BPA, and it’s not too expensive. One thing I do is I always add a splash of purified water, since this “wet” food seems kinda dry. The cats like it since water makes the food more palatable, and they stay well hydrated.
9. 

   Jennifer Rose June 18, 2014 at 10:45 pm #

   I tried this food in my household, hoping to seek out a food allergy that 2 of my cats may or may not have. The grain free and LID certainly seemed attractive!

   The result, after 6 weeks, was that 3/4 of our cats were sick!

   Cat 1 (female) had a UTI with blood in her urine and a bladder full of “sludge,” which the vet said meant that her bladder couldn’t process the food. She was placed on antibiotics.

   Cat 2 (female) had a UTI with both white and red blood cells, as well as high glucose. She was placed on antibiotics and had to run a full panel of bloodwork to make sure there wasn’t a further problem.

   Cat 3 (male) had pain and trouble urinating and was placed on anti-inflammatory medication.

   Cat 4 (female) showed no urinary distress.

   The consensus from 2 different vets was to stop feeding them this food IMMEDIATELY and throw it out. After spending over $400 on vet bills, I will NEVER AGAIN use this food!
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     stu January 29, 2015 at 6:23 pm #

     i had to take one male cat in to the emergency vet college because of a complete urinary blockage. cost me 1800 dollars, never again for this product
10. 

    Val June 18, 2014 at 10:09 pm #

    I used to feed my cats Natura Balance Ultra the VanPattens sold the company to Del Monte last year. I called them worried about changes in formula/quality, was assured there would be no changes. Purchased a new bag late last year, my 3 cats refused to eat it. Switched to Taste of The Wild(they love it) and Feds the Natural Balance to the neighborhood ferals. I am sure they altered the ingredients which is too bad it WAS a good product
11. 

    Ruth Ort June 14, 2014 at 1:56 pm #

    My cat has IBD and was able and accepted Natural Balance limited ingredients salmon with green pea. He has been eating this and doing well, in fact gaining some weight. Suddenly the contents changed. I contacted the company and they said there is some variation which I understand. But this was not variation and my cat refuses to eat it now and I have been able to find a substitute. Usually the can has some juice in it and the bottom of the can has moist pate smooth contents. Now when I open the can, it has no juice, no moisture, is dense, hard and the bottom of the can is dark brown as if the food was burnt or left to cook too long. The company said they cook the food after it is placed in the can. I have none of the good cans left and he is now refusing to eat, wanting his food. A day has passed and he is refusing any other food. Now Natural Ingredients has no quality control, or has changed their formula. One case came and the contents were green, probably due to too much green pea. My cat wouldn’t eat it. I have contacted the company and they have obviously not tried to do anything to provide an edible product. I read the original owner sold the company and obviously the owners now do not care about their product. Cats with illnesses must eat this kind of food and the company obviously are not concerned about the cats. This is shameful. I am angry and wish I had never found this food to begin with. If you sell a product, the company should make certain to provide a product that is edible and healthful for the cat. Please be warned about the product and the company. This to me is not ethical.
12. 

    George C. June 12, 2014 at 11:14 pm #

    I have been feeding my 2 male cats NB (Ultra formula or Indoor Formula-canned food) for 5 years now. The one thing I have noticed is that the consistency/texture of the food will sometimes change from case to case to the point that neither cat will eat it. I have had to return it or go to the other formula or find a new lot#. I have contacted NB, but have been told they have not made changes. But, it is often obvious how different the food looks, so something is certainly different in the process.
    Also, I have recently had to switch to canned food only since one of the boys has had UTI/Bladder issues. I used to do the dry in am and wet at night. It was more convenient, but the Vet recommends NO dry food since he is prone to these occurences .
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      Ruth Ort June 14, 2014 at 2:02 pm #

      I have had the same experience with this food. My cat has IBD and loved the food. I contacted them and they told me there was no change. But instead of some juice in the can and the contents moist (it is the Salmon with GreenPea), the can is now dense, no juice, no moisture, hard as a rock and the bottom of the can is a dark brown showing it is burnt and it smells as if it were burnt. This was the only food he would eat. It is now a day and he is refusing the eat anything. He wants his food and no matter where I go, I find that the can’s contents are totaly different. This is unethical practice since a limited ingredient is usually for a cat with a medical problem such as IBD.
13. 

    Maggie May 23, 2014 at 12:01 am #

    My cats love it – when the bag is first opened. After that – no way they will not touch it. So I ended up feeding 3 bags to the racoons. Have now swithed to Blue Basics because a young cat seemed to be throwing up a lot and Blue Basics (designed with minimal ingredients) has stopped that.
14. 

    Jen November 4, 2013 at 4:56 pm #

    I cannot say enough good things about Natural Balance! I started feeding my cat NB’s Limited Ingredient formula about a week ago. After searching for months for a food that would not give her diarrhea, THIS IS IT! I tried Orijen, Acana, Halo, but none of these would agree with my cat (even after very gradual transitions). I’ve also contacted the company with various questions and have had a good experience with that as well. Thank you Natural Balance! My cat is happy and healthy, and my search for the best food is complete.
15. 

    Lina Salazar June 9, 2013 at 10:41 pm #

    My cat loved natural balance, especially the chicken catatouille can food. However, this past month he stopped eating it. He acted as if the food was not fresh so I opened another can and then another and then yet another. I alternated with the other flavors which he also use to like, but nothing. He just wouldn’t eat any of them any more. I wasted several cans and out of hunger he eventually gave his food a few licks here and there, but ended throwing up several times for two days and had runny stool. Since then he wont even give it a try at all anymore. What is worse is that now he is afraid/refusing other brand wet foods as well and is only eating dry food. This is quite distressing. I don’t know if the food was bad or if they altered something, but something isn’t right.
16. 

    Jacqui May 16, 2013 at 2:50 pm #

    I’ve noticed in the last few cases of the calorie reduced small cans that there is a lot of water when I open it up. Not only that, the food itself is much more spongier due to the extra water. I was wondering if they are doing this to save costs? Unfortunately I didn’t keep any old cans to see if the labels show any change in the water content or the calorie content.
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      SH April 5, 2014 at 10:53 pm #

      I notice natural balance cans are more water than meat. It mushy not dense.
17. 

    Chris April 27, 2013 at 12:21 pm #

    I have had an issue with NB Indoor Ultra (NBIU). I have two cats, one was 2y and the other 4mo old at the time this happened (a few moths ago). They are both indoor cats. My older cat was receiving the NBIU formula, and my kitten another cat food that has more proteins and fat. One day, my 2y old cat started to cough, a dry cough, and I didn’t know what it was. 2-3 weeks later, my kitten started to cough after having eaten some dry food of my 2y old cat. Then I started to wonder if it was due to the dry food. I did notice their cough was starting a few minutes after eating it, did stop using it, changed to Instinct Chicken. Sure enough, the coughing did stop. I also need to say that the cats did not have runny nose, no upper respiratory infection. I went to the vet when this happened. Also, the coughing started after I started to use a new bag of NBIU. On the bag, there was the notice: new bag color but same great taste (or something like that). The bag was purchased at a local petco store, and I returned what was left there, telling the reason of the return. After switching my cats to Instinct, they gained weight, and I would prefer have them on NB. Please share your experience, and if you had coughing issues with this food.
18. 

    Kitty March 23, 2013 at 1:35 pm #

    I have two little rescue cats who are sisters and as different as night and day…including their weight. They have been on Natural Balance Indoor Ultra since they were kittens and absolutely love, love, love it. However, the one has a bit of a weight problem and I’m wondering if the high carb content may be contributing. I don’t want to take her off of the product completely but am wondering if there is another high quality ‘weight maintenance/reduction’ product that I could mix with it? Does anyone have any suggestions?
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      Deb December 27, 2013 at 11:10 am #

      NB has a fat cat formula that I just started using so don’t know about weight loss yet however my cat used to eat a lot. Now he seems satisfied after eating less. Also his fur was dry from other cat food can’t say enough how silky he is just after 2-3 months.
19. 

    CK March 3, 2013 at 12:52 am #

    I just wanted to comment on how expensive Natural Balance has become. Today I went to the pet store and found out that the canned Ultra and Turkey flavors [for cats] have increased by 25%!!!! And the “pea-based” formulas increased a few months ago, and then again this month by about the same. Honestly, not everyone can afford to spend $1.40 a can as my three Persians eat one can per day each. That’s more than $4 a day, just for wet food! Even my electrical bill isn’t that high! I don’t understand how a can of cat food [even great cat food!] can cost nearly as much as a can of tuna. Do they think pet owners have money growing on trees? I certainly don’t want to get rid of any of my kitties, but will be forced to limit my cats to one at a time in the future due to the extreme price of feeding them in a healthy way these days. Thank heaven I don’t have dogs! What is Natural Balance thinking? They are definitely taking advantage of those of us who want to do what is best for our pets. They know we have few options…
20. 

    Lee February 25, 2013 at 12:53 am #

    I can’t get over how many people are fooled by this and other brands putting vegetables in a cat’s diet. Cats are OBLIGATE carnivores -meat eaters. they can’t digest veggies and what is up with rice? Feed only wet foods with real meat and no added veggies. I got a pouch of this stuff and found peas and carrots inside. For a Cat? It is there to be appealing to you, not the animal. think people.
21. 

    cheryl December 31, 2012 at 2:18 pm #

    We recently discovered Natural balance at the Bosley pet store where we live. We have three cats, two who are very old (20) plus years, they can be very fussy and we only like to give them products that contain no by products. It is difficult to find good quality products that they like and the natural balance wet food
    “all kinds” remains one of their favorites. We also give them wellness which is quite good as well but a little more expensive.
    We find that feeding our cats quality food keeps them healthier with less trips to the vet.
    Thank you for making our job a bit easier by making this food, it even smells good by people standards!

    cheryl
22. 

    Linda F. March 19, 2012 at 3:19 pm #

    I start all my kittens off on Ultra and keep them on it their whole life. I’ve raised 5 healthy cats on Natural Balance and never had one complaint. This is a trusted brand with great ingredients and I can find it at a reasonable price online or at Petco. I switched to this natural cat food from a grocery store brand several years ago and will never go back – and I recommend this to everyone.
23. 

    SherrySez January 24, 2012 at 2:27 pm #

    As the owner of an adult cat who was suffering from allergies (red flaky skin, itching, scratching, trouble with his ears and some digestion issues) this food greatly improved the quality of his life and made this Momma happy too. Slippers was 7 when he started not being able to tolerate some of the ingredients in his food and at first I didn’t know what to do, but my friend suggested it might be something in his food. I learned pets can develop allergies just like people. We got him some Natural Balance L.I.D. Green Pea and Salmon dry cat food and the poor picky guy loved the stuff! The L.I.D. means there are “limited” ingredients in the food so you can eliminate possible things your pet may be allergic to. His symptoms went away and he is so healthy now. We love Natural Balance cat food – it really changed our lives!
24. 

    MEL September 19, 2011 at 7:41 pm #

    MY CAT HAD A SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTION TO NATURAL BALANCE CHANGE IN INGREDIENTS. I just wanted to let others know my experience with Natural Balance “original ultra” dry cat food. I had switched my cats over to this brand about a year ago and they ate it with no problems. When they changed the ingredients and added “DUCK MEAL” I didn’t think anything of it. My older cat of 11 years suddenly developed a terrible food allergy. He started itching all over so bad that he had lesions and was bleeding all over, losing hair, twitching, and hiding away. I thankfully put two and two together and switched back to another healthy brand we had used prior. Within a few days he improved greatly. I know that it takes a while for an allergy to get out of ones system. He is still recovering, but he is no longer itching as much, his sores are healing and he is not twitching. I don’t know what is in the “duck meal” or if it just consists of ground duck, but apparently it is possible for your cat to have a bad reaction to it. If your cat develops these symptoms and is not infested with fleas, be aware that this may be the reason.
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      linda January 19, 2012 at 5:55 pm #

      OMG! I am so thankful I came across your post. Because I wanted to change our older cat over to a more healthy food, I switched over to Natural Balance and she loved it. After about 3 weeks, she had developed all these “lesions, bumps etc. but never suspected the food. She’s continually getting more & we took her to the vet. She has NO fleas, was given prednisone to relieve the symptoms & the mission is to find out what’s causing it. When I read your post, I just couldn’t believe it! It MUST be it. I’m taking her off the food immediately & will have to look for another. She was eating the canned versions that have duck meal. Thank you for sharing your experience…you might have solved our problem that was getting so depressing.
25. 

    Asheley August 23, 2011 at 7:37 pm #

    This food is breaking my heart. We started to feed this in Feb 2011 when our new kitty wouldn’t eat Cal Natural or Innova canned. She and the older male LOVED the Venison/Pea formula, couldn’t get enough, and coats & health on both were great with the new food. Then, sometime after June 2011, the company changed the formula, although the spokesperson says otherwise. IT IS DIFFERENT. Neither cat will eat it anymore, and when we found a couple of cans from before June 2011 (the sell by date is 5-24-2014) they ate it right down. The new formula is a light color, not chunky at all, like a soft pate, and doesn’t even smell like meat. The store owner told us the pea protein was increased because of problems w/the venison, and it is more like a pea pate now instead of meat for cats. We are currently searching for a pre-june case or two of food, but we should probably just switch to another company without the inconsistencies this one seems to have.
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      Tll November 15, 2011 at 12:59 pm #

      I second that. My cat stopped eating the venison formula – the color, texture, etc. have all changed in this and she won’t go near it.

      I spoke to a representative who said the same thing, it wasn’t changed, something about the gum they use in it?

      I don’t know what they really did but why did they mess up a good thing.
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      Deb December 27, 2013 at 11:29 am #

      I tried all different kinds NB works for all the cats. Works wonders for their coats one was a stray with an extremely dry coat. They don’t want to eat too much since it satisfies them. One in particular gained 9 lbs plus, just started using it but since he doesn’t eat so much weight loss should occur

      Try the indoor or Fat cats I have 5 cats they all love it. Also from preious experience with NB venison was not a favorite. Salmon,indoor, ultra are their wet food favorites.
26. 

    Lai-Lai August 16, 2011 at 9:27 am #

    I used to intermittently give this to my cats with Wellness, but I think Before Grain, Acana, California Natural, & Insticnt sound healthier, so I will try those.
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      Sue May 25, 2013 at 12:11 pm #

      I’m currently trying to figure out which food to go to . . I decided to stay away from the P&G manufactured foods – Calif Natl is one of them. . the animals in their research facility are not treated very well at all if what i read is true. . . I won’t support that. Thought I’d share. .. so far I’m leaning toward Wellness.
27. 

    Wanda July 1, 2011 at 2:05 am #

    I am the owner of a dog and cat grooming business since 1987. I also have a kitty hotel and online store. I always recommend Natural Balance to all of my clients because of how pleased I have been with this product for my own cats. My older kitty had tummy issues for a long time. Natural Balance was recommended to me by an animal dietician. Ever since my older feline has been on Natural Balance foods, she no longer has tummy upsets. Natural Balance is also a diet recommended by many vet dermatoligists. This is a high quality line of pet food without the price tag. If you do your homework and compare ingredients on the high quality pet foods, you will find Natural Balance is superior. Then compare the price. You can not go wrong with this product.
28. 

    Olivia June 21, 2011 at 1:40 am #

    I am surprised you are not aware of the changes that Natural Balance made after the pet food scares of 2007. They made some major changes in their manufacturing and testing processes. Because of those changes,I believe Natural Balance is one of the safer foods we can feed our pets. Please go to their site and check that out before you make any decisions against this company. No, I am not involved in the company, nor do I own stock, nor do I personally know anyone connected with the company. I just believe you are not being fair by continuing to link Natural Balance with pet food recalls.

    Thanks
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      PAUX May 22, 2012 at 5:47 am #

      Hi, apparently you are not aware of the recalls since 2007. After the melamine/cyanuric acid event, they then had a July recall for botulism; then in 2010 a recall for Samonella…it doesn’t seem that their 151 tests are working very well. Now in 2012 more recalls and going up, due to the horrible manufacturing practices, dirty, broken,and contaminated machinery confirmed at one of their sub producers and now a recall from their other plant in Meta Missouri (again for salmonella) and for leaving the product out for two months before packaging. If they were so proactive, one would think that they inspected the plants where they have their product made. Plus they do use material/ ingredients from China, that sure does not make one feel safe about their foods (toxins).
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        Angelina May 27, 2013 at 12:20 am #

        I am grad to know that the meat of NB is from China. I was thinking to go back to NB but I can not give the meat made in China to my kitties. It is not safe to eat. Thanks for your comments