Nov. 21, 2024
Top 5 Ingredients* |
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Artificial Ingredients | No |
Contains By-products | No |
Price Range | $$ |
*Newman's Own Organics Adult Cat Dry Formula was selected as the recipe for this ingredient list
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The reviews for Newman’s Own Organics Cat Food are overwhelmingly positive. Cats seem to love the taste of this food, and cannot wait to devour the moist chunks of organic human-grade meat. However, a few cats do not seem to like the rice and grains in the food and choose to eat around them. This is quite common for cats as they are carnivorous animals, and many prefer meat rather than grains and vegetables.
Many cat owners claim their cats have fluffier coats and shinier eyes after eating this food, and that their pets are more alert and active. A few people reported that their cats were urinating more after eating the canned wet food, which is a sign of a healthy urinary tract. Although Newman’s Own Organics Cat Food is slightly more expensive than other brands of cat food, cat owners do not seem to mind, as the ingredients are nutritious and healthy.
Newman’s Own Organics is an independently owned company that was founded in 1993 by Paul Newman’s daughter, Nell. It was originally a subsidiary of Newman’s Own, but then it became an independent company in late 2000. The motto of Newman’s Own Organics is “Great Tasting Products That Happen to Be Organic.”
Newman’s Own has not been involved in any recalls. Be sure to check the FDA’s pet food recall website for the most current information.
Newman’s Own Organic Dry Recipes:
Newman’s Own Organics Canned Recipes:
Where can I buy Newman’s Own Organics?
You may be wondering, “Where can I buy Newman’s Own Organics cat food?”. To assist you, here is the link (http://www.newmansownorganics.com/pet/stores/) to Newman’s Own Organics pages so that you can find out where to purchase Newman’s Own Organics cat food.
How much Newman’s Own Organics should I feed my cat?
A common question that many pet owners have, is “How much Newman’s Own Organics cat food should I feed my cat?”. Since the answer is dependent on several factors (such as your cat’s age, weight, activity level, etc) always follow the specific instructions on your formula’s packaging.
Have you fed your cat any of the Newman’s Own Organics cat food dry or canned formulas? Do you have feedback that could help other pet owners?
Please share your review of Newman’s Own Organics cat food!
Newman's Own Cat Food Ingredient List
thinking of switching my cats to this combo feeding wet/dry is the canned in a “pate” form? or is it more pieces of this and pieces of that? thanks
When my cat had blood in urine, I went to the vet to have fluid therapy, anibotics helps. I have changed to grain free Orijen cat chicken food.
My cat had crystal in the bladder also, I mainly fed her canned food for 4-6 months, she only eat Fancy feast chicken after try many. Your cat maybe different though. I only give her a little dry food (about 6 piece), since she easily had blood in urine with grain filled dry food, even with the doctor’s dry food prescription. She was 10 years old. Then I switch to Orijen cat chicken food, grain free. she is fine , 13 now. hope it helps the cats with similar problems.
Chandra,
I don’t know if you actually work for the company or if you just think you’re doing them a favor by defending Newman’s rather rudely to anyone with an opinion opposing yours, but the sad fact is that you are in fact only doing the company a huge disservice. People read comments to gather other people’s experiences of a product, both good and bad. They then use ALL of this information to make the best possible decision. That is the way research is performed. Your approach of first attacking the character of other commenters and then stating in absolutes that their problems were not caused by this product, (which, by the way, nothing is absolute, the cause of their pet’s illness could be this product, our science only goes so far), has the opposite effect on readers such as me. For one thing I don’t believe you are just a consumer like me. I think you have a stake in this, real or imagined. Your manner has in fact been so abrasive to me that on the very small chance you are an employee, I refuse to give my business to a company that would endorse such tactics. So instead of just taking in the good and the bad with a grain of salt I Will never purchase from this company. Job well done!
Don’t call someone out on attacking the character of other commenters and follow up by saying that based on one dummy’s comment you won’t buy your cat a food. And a good one at that. I don’t see how you’re any brighter than she is. She has a weirdly extreme stake in the cat food, and you’re even worse with your own obsession with her comment. And yes, refusing to buy from a band because you saw someone talk about it in a way you disagreed with is just as insane. Regular people just buy their cats the food they fucking want to. Not you two weirdos though.
Has anyone seen a difference in the 95% grain-free chicken? My cats used to love this but the last order (of 24 cans in January 2015) smells different (almost like it’s burnt) and my cats won’t even go near their plate. They still love the chicken/salmon, but I’m afraid to re-order the grain-free chicken.
Chandra …
you need to stop attacking everyone that has an opinion.
Face this cat food is over-priced and cats WONT eat it…what part of that DOn’t you understand???1!!!
You probably have a ghetto cat
Since my cats have been on this food they are the healthiest they have ever been and they are 15 years old…..the vet even noticed it…..this is a great food and their favorite is turkey vegetable.
Chandra
I like most of the Newman’s Own products (pets and human) but what I don’t like is a company spokes person promoting the products as if the are a consumer. Let real people comment and let us sort out the goo and bad comments.
jerry
My cats at first didn’t dig in to this wet food. They took it slow because they knew it wasn’t their usual wellness. But I decided to switch because of the USDA Organic label which Wellness does not have. They are not fond of any of the fish ones. Just turkey but that is no surprise to me, my cats have always loved turkey. They now love it. Took about a week but they do. What I have noticed is they don’t eat as much any more, which is good! I read on here that one woman’s cat was losing weight because she thought he wasn’t eating it at all. Maybe…. Or maybe he was losing weight because her cat was finally eating high quality food and not by-products. Interesting how a few people on here a saying this stuff is bad. It can’t be people, it has the label. Which means it has been inspected the most. By a third un-biased party. The government. Which is more than some of these brands on here. If you look at some of the other brand foods people mention they have been feeding their cats on here, it’s night and day!! One guy stopped feeding his cat Newmans to give him FRISKIES! Oh my! It’s like giving your cat cheese wiz instead of healthy veggies and turkey breasts. These consumers below fed their cats bad food for years then switch to healthy and medical problems popped up and they blame Newmans Own, uh, no people. It’s the years of bad food you fed them.
My adult female tortoiseshell loves Newman’s canned cat food. She’s not picky about the flavor but will only eat Newman’s. She and I are hooked!
Newman’s Own is a bad cat food choice. It contains harmful ingredients.
No it doesn’t. Have you read the label? What is it that is harmful??
With a USDA organic seal I don’t think so Alli.
Your post is a bad choice to read because it contains harmful opinion with an utter lack of facts!
My cat will not eat this food. Because I have multiple cats in my home, he lost a lot of weight before I realized he wasn’t eating. It could’ve killed him had I not noticed when I did. I think that the ingredients are high-quality, but if your cat won’t eat it, who cares? Disappointed with this product.
The food didn’t almost kill your cat, I would say the neglect from your cats owner almost did for not paying attention to your cat. True, if your cat doesn’t like it, then they don’t like it. That’s what we love about cats, they have their own personalities. There are plenty other high quality foods out there to try. I’m sure he will find one he will like. Maybe you have too many cats to keep up with?
I tried many high quality cat foods and finally bought the Newman’s Own Organics chicken flavor. My cats were crazy about this particular flavor from day one. Then, I purchase the chicken and salmon flavor and my cats hate it. I don’t know why. I will continue feed then the chicken flavor but I will never buy salmon again. I purchased the Weruva BFF cat food to give them some fish and Paw Lickin Chicken in gravy…. Both truly excellent products.
It’s actual chicken, not chicken flavor.
I bought some of this canned food. One of each flavor. I opened the chicken and salmon flavor, my cat wouldn’t eat it. Neither would the feral cat that I feed.(trying to tame and capture her, going really well)
I threw it away and tried to give them the turkey flavor. Neither cat would touch it. It’s really too bad because I like the “Newman’s Own” brand and company charity activities. I also like the ingredients in the cat food, seems very healthy. Just fyi. Maybe just buy a can or two first as it’s a little pricey. Your cat may not like it.
At first my cats were a little weirded out and did eat at first. What I have realized after researching. If you go from a low quality grade cat food to high, there might be some resistance. It’s like always feeding your child hamburgers and hot dogs and then going to vegetables and chicken breast. They aren’t going to want it at first. Hot dogs are by products and so is low quality cat food. Newman’s Own is one of the highest grade cat food. I gave my cats time. They eat it now and can’t wait for it. But they only fancy the turkey. Not any of the fish. Good luck
BEWARE! Please read Mark’s post. There is something very wrong with this cat food!
For one thing, SOYBEAN is not cat food, and is loaded with saponins, a plant toxin with a molecular structure very similar to snake venom. The only reason to be putting it into and cat or dog food is to raise the protein level on the label! Don’t be fooled by this one.
I’m surprised that this one got a high rating, irrespective of the organic label.
Here’s the definition to soybean, no indication
similar to any snake venom.
soybean
[ ˈsoiˌbēn ]
noun
a leguminous plant native to Asia, Glycine max, widely cultivated for its edible seeds.
the seed of the soybean plant, used in a variety of foods and fodder, especially as a replacement for animal protein.
I’ve had cats for 45 years.I do TNR and rescue cats. I have 20 cats of my own plus about 10 feral or stray cats that I feed. They all HATE this cat food. The just look at it like it is bird seed. I even mixed wet food into it and they ate around it. I loved Paul Newman,and I even have a cat named after him because of his beautiful blue eyes, but his cat food sucks. They seriously need to re-formulate this food so that cats will actually eat it. Maybe they would like the spaghetti sauce…
My cats walked around their bowl, of cat food from Friskies, looked at it, pawed at it, and then ate it. I think it was because I have always fed them dry cat food. It doesn’t matter the brand of food, some cats are finicky eaters.
I suppose you like cheap fast food yourself? Or if you were raised on that, would you like a salad and some Chinese vegetables? Taste does not equal quality!
WARNING STAY AWAY
I have 2 cats, one that is black and white, one that is a siamese, not related, that have developed severe crystals in their bladders after switching to this food.
Today I took them both to the vet, the bill came out to $1000 for both of them to receive x-rays, antibiotics, and to have their urine samples tested.
The black and white one is more severe than the siamese, and is peeing white crystals. He goes to the litter box and stands there, sometimes no droplets come out, sometimes there are a few. He peed on a dark blue towel at the vet’s office, and in the middle looked like there was a pile of salt, turns out these are the crystals in his bladder, visible with the naked eye.
The vet has prescribed a special diet to hopefully help break down and get rid of the crystals. I have had no problems on Science Diet, until I switched to this food.
Nothing else has changed in my pet’s environment.
BEWARE. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Watch your pet and make sure they do not start to have trouble urinating. I plan on writing and calling the company to inform them of this Monday morning.
Wish me and Bandit and Damien luck, hopefully they don’t get worse because of this, and come out of it unscathed.
– Mark
I just started feeding my two cats the canned chicken/salmon about one week ago. I am researching illnesses because it is 3:30 a.m. and I am very worried about my cats. I will call my vet in the morning but I just wanted to let everyone know that what you described sounds exactly like what is happening to my cats.
I hope all turns out well for Bandit and Damien. Thank you for posting this , Lynn
I had a simular problem. I was trying to get the best food I could afford for my cat. When I saw Newmans organic I thought, organic that should be best for my cat.
Then I noticed my cat running to the litter box meowing. and not being able to pee. I took him to his vet.
the vet said he had crystals in his bladder. He had to stay two days and a night at the vets. it cost me $300. the vet said cat food manufactures add magnesium to the dry food to make it more balanced. I ended up having to feed him precription Hills science diet urinary tract health. the vet said if I couldn’t afford the science I could feed him purina one urinary tract health formula. I fed him the science diet for about a year and did very well, but I had to find a cheaper food so I changed to the purina, and he’s been on it for about a year and is doing fine. I also feed him friskies can food for more than a year and his fur is black and shinny. The vet said to read the analyis label for magnesium look for less than 0.08.
I recently took him off the friskies because several time in the last two weeks he has thrown up while eating his can food.
can’t help but wonder if friskies is getting there ingriedients from china????????????
I hope this helps somebody.
The reason why this happened to your cat, because of years of receiving low quality cat food. Friskies is GARBAGE. Anything Purina is GARBAGE. It’s like feeding your child top Ramon for dinner every night. It’s all chemicals and by-products. It takes years of bad food to develop urinary tract infections. It was not an organic foods such as Wellness or Newmans that did this to your cat. If you feed your cat a healthy, organic diet of high quality food, you have a better chance of no health problems. All that you have been feeding your cat is junk. Plus, have you been feeding your cat dry or wet food? Dry food is harmful to cats over long periods of time. In the wild, cats are supposed to get their water from their food, the catch, things they hunt. They don’t get the bulk of their water from drinking water. Wet food is more beneficial to cats. So long periods of time of dry, low grade food equals urinary tract infection and soon, kidney problems. I would get your cat on a high quality wet food NOW!
Chandra,
How can one avoid crystals and blockages in cat urinary tract? Or how can one flush their cat urinary system to avoid this problem. I feed
my cat’s deli cat for a while now. I’m
searching for another brand health wise. Not sure what will happen when
the switch takes place. I just want to know just in case I run across a
problem from feeding them their now cat food.
I have learned that Rachel Ray has a cat food out called NuTrish. I think I will try this one for starters.
Mark- do you know how long it takes for a cat to develop blockage in their urinary tract? YEARS. It’s mainly from high levels of ash in food. Low quality grade foods over long periods of time. Science diet is a lower quality grade cat food. Just read the labels. It says “By-product” in Science diet, this is why I do not feed them this. Now if your vet put them on it, it’s because your cats have a problem where the formula in it will be more beneficial to them then the harm of the by-product. But it’s still putting a bandaid over another bandaid.
There is absolutely no way Newman’s Own cat food did this to your cat. All cat foods have some amount of ash but depending on the quality of the cat food depends on how much. Foods like Purina, Meow Mix, the foods you buy at Target or regular grocery stores are the low quality grade foods and they contain high levels of ash. Mark, it was the low quality grade cat food that you feed your cats before Newmans Own that built up blockage in your cats. The problem just presented it self when you happened to be feeding them Newmen’s. It was NOT this cat food. You can write the company and you will get no where. It wasn’t the food.
Mark…my best to Bandit, Damien and you. I’ve been thru that entire “crystals in the bladder” thing SEVERAL times over the years. A father and his three unplanned sons all had reconstructive surgery within months of each other. One Vet said the situation was heredity. Another said it was E-coli and unsanitary litter boxes. Another said not enough litter boxes. One said that the crystals were finally broken down and analyzed revealing a possible high ash content cause. That was years ago and the last of my cats have been female so I’m at a loss for the up to minute “cause”. Wish I could offer you more advice. I have to visit my Vet to pick up the ashes of my Jasmine…who recently passed away at the age of 21 from cancer of the jaw. I know that she peacefully glides with the angels now! The surgeries alone cost me over $5000. twenty-five years ago! Nothing to say about x-rays, blood tests and cultures antibiotics and post op visits and meds. I send you my prayers and best wishes. I will ask her the latest on the situation and pray remember to get back to you. She is very up to date with all of the gossip AND reality. Bye for now. Scratches and kisses to Bandit and Damien.
I have a formerly feral cat that eats ANYTHING
except Paul Newman’s cat food. I have come home and he will leave it in his bowl all day. I think the formula has probably been changed since Mr. Newman died and I am wondering if it is safe and
Nutritious.
I fear this is a DANGEROUS product. I gave some Grain Free Turkey/Liver flavor to my cat for the first time this afternoon, and she later developed severe diarrhea and was obviously uncomfortable. Although the food did not have a strange odor, I later noticed the bottom of the can seemed slightly bulged out after it had been opened. I have written the company for some kind of feedback, but I, of course, will never try any of these products again. It can’t get more scary than seeing your pet in distress, let alone after feeding her something you thought was safe. She’s trusting me to care for her. Not good, Newman’s!
When you are switching a pet to a new type of food it is important to do it gradually not all at once. This is to give your pets a chance to get used to the new food. Ever had traveler’s diarrhea? Same thing. Your body’s natural flora doesn’t know the best way to process the “foreign” stuff and it takes a bit of time to get used to. Next time you try a new food on your pet start with 90% old food 10% new for a couple days, then go to 70/30, for a couple days, 50/50 and so on.
My kitty loves this product. I’ve tried blue, but Newman’s has something extra besides taste. My kitty has a really soft, full coat (domestic short-hair). What a difference in just 3 weeks.
Tough on the wallet, but so worth the proper start for a cat health.
Tried 3 different types of food since my cat was a kitten and the organic newmans own caught my eye one day in Vons because he loves Salmon. I got the Salmon and Chicken and he fell in love with it and has never looked back. he wont eat anything else, or any other newmans own kind for that matter, he hates the liver. and the beef. The convenience of the availability at vons makes it easy to get, though it seems Vons is the only place that sells it along with wholefoods.
I have been feeding Urinary SO by Royal Canin to my male cat. However I was wondering if there is an alternative brand (without prescription needed)that would be compatible? I think the Urinary SO is low in ashes and that is why it is recommended for bladder problems…If I would feed a organic brand like “Newman’s own” would that be automatically low in ashes since it is organic?
Does anybody know?
I am going through the same thing. My cats is on Hills c/d. I do not like its lack of nutrtional values.
I have given my ctas Newmans own before…..
anyway , my thought is this,they need wet food. I am going to mix Friskies Special Diet canned with Newmans. I am mixing Blue buffalo dry with the Hills Diet. I am checking her urine at the vet for crystals and PH. So far everything is working.
My cats like Friskies,,,,but it isnt high on the nutritional scale either. Friskies does have a Special Diet canned food for urinary health which I will be mixing with the Newmans.
My cat came dopwn with a UTI again I had her on Hillc/d for 1 year and she refused to eat it.. I then switched her to nautral balance dry and it gave her a UTI again…My vet insited another script diet????This stuff is crap and she gained so much weight on it…She is on antibiotics and I am trying friskies special diet because it levels the ph in urine and also it’s low in carbs ,high in fat & protein and low in phosphorus…That’s what a cat prone to UTI”s NEED A WET CANNED DIET MADE FOR UTI problems…all this holistic stuff has grains & veggies not what cats’ need and also I am mixing in MERRICK no grain pate’ style she is liking this so far….My vet did say a good dry food only as a treat not as a daily diet is Wysong uretic got that too I am hoping this all helps her and makes her lose some lbs being on canned UTI food wish me luck !!!! Tara
Hi Diana, saw that your kitty has to be on prescription food (hills c/d) and I am in the same spot with my Sophie. I would be very careful with the Blue Buffalo. She just turned 2 and till 6 months ago, she only was given Blue Buffalo dry (purple/blue bag) food. I had to take her off of this completely and unfortunately she had to have bladder surgery to remove the crystals followed by 6 months of Hills S/D and now is on C/D. I don’t like this food at all due to poor nutritional value and she doesn’t like wet food. I’m going to look at alternatives to see if I can find another food that will sustain her. I’m also looking at holistic options including adding pumpkin (great at preventing crystals in male cats) and apple cider vinegar (added to wet food if I can get her to eat it). Royal Canin is also an option but really expensive. IF you find anything else pls share!
Melissa
I would check with a holistic vet and do a lot of research before switching from the nurtritional waste land of “perscription” cat food.
That being said I took both my calico cat Jessica and Greyhound Katie off of it. Both were diaognosed with renal failure.
Jessica died at 20 and Katie at the age of 15. Neither died of renal failure, they just wore out and died of old age.
Not a comment worthy of posting, just an fyi… you say you give Newmans 5 stars, but the image shows only 4. Thought you might want to correct that
I was ready to get the shovle out for the cat. I purchased Newman’s cat food and honestly I can not beleive how well she is doing. It’s true what thay say about the cat urination problems stopping.
The ‘ORGANICS’ line of products by “Newman’s Own” is NOT CERTIFIED ORGANIC, as it once was.
When Paul Newman died, big changes happened within the company and many products changed drastically.
The company now puts corn syrup in their cookies, for example.
Also, you will not see the “certified organic” emblem on the packages, because the foods are NOT ORGANICALLY CERTIFIABLE.
The term “Newman’s Own Organics” is used to make us ‘think’ the products are organic. The foods contain ingredients that one would NEVER FIND in a CERTIFIED ORGANIC PRODUCT.
Thank you
My cat loves the dry, but is pickey about the organic beef. Sometimes she eats it and sometimes she won’t.
While Newman’s Own Organic Liver for Cats is the preferred food of my cat (actually the only wet food he will eat), it’s quality is extremely variable. At its best it smells like liver, has a somewhat crumbly texture. At it’s worst it is a sticky paste, doesn’t have any liver smell, and my cat will not eat it. Recently, guar gum and carrageenan have been added to the formula, and the amnounts appear to be inconsistent, causing this pastiness, lack of liver smell. Sometimes pinsized globules of fat reside in the mix. I need to find an alternative because I have wasted so much money already on trying to get a batch that is edible.
Check out the following info. on carrageen and guar gum:
Carrageenan
If you or your pet has problems with acid reflux, you can bet the chances are you have carrageenan somewhere in the ingredient lists of the foods you eat. Acid reflux could happen if your cat throws up clear liquid or anything more concrete without a lot of heaving before it is expelled from the mouth. There were online resources on this a few years ago, that seem to be absent at the moment, but I am researching to find more. The big concern here, to my mind, is that with repeated exposure to acid reflux, the esophagus becomes vulnerable to disease because the tissues are weakened. There are definite online resources regarding the coating of the stomach by carrageenan, and this reference also looks into other serious problems for humans, and in particular, infants. A good site showing scientific concern around feeding carrageenan to pets is at Review of Harmful Gastrointestinal Effects of Carrageenan in Animal Experiments. You may find the information helpful to members of your human family as well. When reading through the above site, I noticed that IBS is also being attributed to the inclusion of carrageenan in pet foods, which is new for me. Carrageenan Induces Interleukin-8 Production through Distinct Bcl10 Pathway in Normal Human Colonic Epithelial Cells does tend to confirm this for humans, too. This study was just reinforced with information published in March 2008, Carrageenan Induces Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells in Vitro1. There is also a study regarding the effect upon mammary cancer, just to name a few cautions here.
Guar GumThe use of guar gum in canned foods has been shown to reduce the bioavailability of proteins, as in the following study:
“Guar gum, a soluble nonstarch polysaccharide (NSP) , is a common ingredient in canned cat foods and has been shown to decrease the digestibility of protein in diets for cats (Harper and Siever-Kelly, 1997).”
There are a lot of studies out there showing that guar gum is inappropriate for cats, which has me wondering why the pet food industry insists upon using it in their food………perhaps so the customer must purchase more product in order to fulfill nutritional needs? Actually, a more realistic assumption is that it provides the right consistancy to be pallatable for cats. Some cats are very picky about texture and consistancy.
“The apparent viscosities of stomach and small intestine contents from animals fed on diets containing 10 and 20 g guar gum/kg were increased relative to control animals, but large intestine contents were unchanged”
“The results suggest that the effects of guar gum and pectin on glucose tolerance and paracetamol absorption could be due simply to alteration in the rate of gastric emptying”
“It is concluded that materials which are classed as dietary fibre but which differ markedly in their physical properties may also differ in the functional changes to which they give rise in the small intestine. These changes may be at least partially mediated by effects on mucosal cell proliferation. ”
“Anthranoid-containing plants (including senna [Cassia senna] and cascara [Rhamnus purshiana]) and soluble fibres (including guar gum and psyllium) can decrease the absorption of drugs. ”
“Skin prick tests demonstrated an immediate skin reaction to guar gum. All three subjects had high levels of serum IgE antibodies to guar gum. Specific inhalation challenges in which the three subjects were exposed for short intervals (less than or equal to 4 minutes) to powder of guar gum elicited isolated immediate bronchospastic reactions in two subjects and a dual reaction in the other subject. ”
“The most common side effects are gastrointestinal (eg, flatulence, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea); may lower levels of vitamins A and E in patients with diabetes; exacerbation of asthma and allergic rhinitis has been reported.”
“Metformin blood levels showed that when given together with Guar there was a reduction in the absorption rate over the first 6 hours. These findings suggest that combination therapy may diminish the anti-hyperglycaemic action of metformin.”
Guar gum is a powder derived from the seed of a plant called cyamopsis tetragonolobus. It is sometime used as a laxative and is not as good of a substitute for gluten as xanthan gum.
Carrageenan
If you or your pet has problems with acid reflux, you can bet the chances are you have carrageenan somewhere in the ingredient lists of the foods you eat. Acid reflux could happen if your cat throws up clear liquid or anything more concrete without a lot of heaving before it is expelled from the mouth. There were online resources on this a few years ago, that seem to be absent at the moment, but I am researching to find more. The big concern here, to my mind, is that with repeated exposure to acid reflux, the esophagus becomes vulnerable to disease because the tissues are weakened. There are definite online resources regarding the coating of the stomach by carrageenan, and this reference also looks into other serious problems for humans, and in particular, infants. A good site showing scientific concern around feeding carrageenan to pets is at Review of Harmful Gastrointestinal Effects of Carrageenan in Animal Experiments. You may find the information helpful to members of your human family as well. When reading through the above site, I noticed that IBS is also being attributed to the inclusion of carrageenan in pet foods, which is new for me. Carrageenan Induces Interleukin-8 Production through Distinct Bcl10 Pathway in Normal Human Colonic Epithelial Cells does tend to confirm this for humans, too. This study was just reinforced with information published in March 2008, Carrageenan Induces Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells in Vitro1. There is also a study regarding the effect upon mammary cancer, just to name a few cautions here.
Guar GumThe use of guar gum in canned foods has been shown to reduce the bioavailability of proteins, as in the following study:
“Guar gum, a soluble nonstarch polysaccharide (NSP) , is a common ingredient in canned cat foods and has been shown to decrease the digestibility of protein in diets for cats (Harper and Siever-Kelly, 1997).”
There are a lot of studies out there showing that guar gum is inappropriate for cats, which has me wondering why the pet food industry insists upon using it in their food………perhaps so the customer must purchase more product in order to fulfill nutritional needs? Actually, a more realistic assumption is that it provides the right consistancy to be pallatable for cats. Some cats are very picky about texture and consistancy.
“The apparent viscosities of stomach and small intestine contents from animals fed on diets containing 10 and 20 g guar gum/kg were increased relative to control animals, but large intestine contents were unchanged”
“The results suggest that the effects of guar gum and pectin on glucose tolerance and paracetamol absorption could be due simply to alteration in the rate of gastric emptying”
“It is concluded that materials which are classed as dietary fibre but which differ markedly in their physical properties may also differ in the functional changes to which they give rise in the small intestine. These changes may be at least partially mediated by effects on mucosal cell proliferation. ”
“Anthranoid-containing plants (including senna [Cassia senna] and cascara [Rhamnus purshiana]) and soluble fibres (including guar gum and psyllium) can decrease the absorption of drugs. ”
“Skin prick tests demonstrated an immediate skin reaction to guar gum. All three subjects had high levels of serum IgE antibodies to guar gum. Specific inhalation challenges in which the three subjects were exposed for short intervals (less than or equal to 4 minutes) to powder of guar gum elicited isolated immediate bronchospastic reactions in two subjects and a dual reaction in the other subject. ”
“The most common side effects are gastrointestinal (eg, flatulence, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea); may lower levels of vitamins A and E in patients with diabetes; exacerbation of asthma and allergic rhinitis has been reported.”
“Metformin blood levels showed that when given together with Guar there was a reduction in the absorption rate over the first 6 hours. These findings suggest that combination therapy may diminish the anti-hyperglycaemic action of metformin.”
Guar gum is a powder derived from the seed of a plant called cyamopsis tetragonolobus. It is sometime used as a laxative and is not as good of a substitute for gluten as xanthan gum.
Thought I would try a can of the cat food so bought the chicken/salmon one and split it for my three cats to try… OMG, I have to go buy lots more because they loved it, and wanted more. Very impressed, and good to know this is a winner by all three of my cats – they gave it a paws-up!!!!
I have 3 cats all with health issues. My eldest cat has a history of bladder stones and UTI infections which was occurring on an almost regular basis. I began doing research on my own and discovered Newmans Own cat food as a last resort to help her. I began feeding my cats this cat food and for the past 5 years not one of my cats has needed to go to the vet for an illness. No UTIs, no bladder stones, no allergies to the food and my youngest has eye problems and it has also helped ease the irritation she often gets. LOVE this brand. I only wish I could buy it in a larger bag!
Hi Nicole, so glad to find someone with the same cat heath problem. We have 2 cats (Korat and Calico). So worried today. We first fed our cats science diet for a few years but then I read bad reviews about it and switched to royal canine. Our Petsmart vet suggested we change to royal canine (throwing up). Then, again, few months ago I discovered bad reviews about royal canine too. So, decided on switching to an organic food thinking it would be better for both cats. I first fed them Wellness (indoor health)..they didn’t think to highly of it. I thought maybe it was far to bland..so, switched to wellness, complete heath for a better taste. Shortly afterwards I discovered blood in our korats urine (she also needs to loose some weight). Vet diagnosed her with UTI (never happened before). vet gave her medication (clavamox) and gave us a supply of royal canine prescription, soft food (reluctant to feed her that). I continued to feed our other cat with the Wellness dry (complete health). I also mixed the complete health with the soft food for the sick cat (which the vet said to do) then continue for 3-6 months on the soft prescription food (because she was not getting enough water). Saturday morning I discovered small pinkish urine spots on our bathmat. Julie was touching the mat (trying to curl the end up) so I took it to be hers. Now Julie appears to have the same symptoms!. I thought juice was over it now (2 weeks) but, in the bathroom today she sat right in front of me and..small spots of pinkish urine again!. So worried and don’t know what to do now …MUST find a good food and maybe an outside vet!? have these gut feelings about Petsmart vets that has bothered me for a while now. I prefer to talk to our VET and NOT the nurse!…and the SAME vet and NOT a different one each time we go there. Worried to the point of tears (every day). We lost our last cat (calico) over 5 years ago to cancer and so I’m paranoid about their health. Before I tried Wellness I thought about trying Paul Newman’s brand. I now know that maybe it’s best I feed both wet and dry food. I also thought about buying a cat water fountain to encourage drinking more water. I check up on everything on the web…worried about the fountain malfunctioning and electric shock. Human, animal…everything seems to be tainted or whatever nowadays. What EXACTLY is going on!? it’s so scarey and disheartening. Worried about all the girls…we take care of our daughters dog. She eats Wellness too (complete health) and so………. ?
Responding to Jacqueline,
I’m not a 100% sure but I think that Wellness cat food is too high in protein. Too much protein is not good for UTIs. I mostly use blue buffalo or Natural Balance dry food but check the labels and pick the ones with lower protein levels. Too much salmon is also a no no. It can cause crystals in the bladder.
Also, one of my cats as a kitten was very sick and a UTI was suspected. As a result I added canned food to all my cats’ diets usually I buy Newman’s Own turkey w/vegetables. I go by the school of thought that vegetables ARE good for cats due to the liquid in them. I’ve also added (and I think this helps a lot,) small water bowls all over the house. My cats won’t touch water if it’s near their food but they love to find the small water bowls and drink from them throughout the day. I fill them once or even twice a day. Definitely choose a good vet. A vet at pet supermarket in Orlando told us that the stray cat that we took in was a male.The cat was actually a pregnant female. She gave it vaccinations, a flea pill that makes the cat sweat and deworming all very bad for a pregnant cat.
I replied to Jacqueline’s comment before but forgot to mention something else regarding UTIs. I only use unscented litter. I’ve read that the perfume in the scented ones can be irritating to them so I don’t take a chance.
This is a great product, sadly one of my cats refuses to eat it. I even mixed it in with the dry I was using before the Newmans and then he would not even go near the dish! I wish the manufacturers of cat foods would put out little tiny sample bags at the stores so we didn’t end up buying food the cats will not eat…..I know pet stores do this, but grocery stores do not.