dry cat food

Question
Do you know of any dry cat food that is healthy, easy to find (Target, PetSmart, Petco, Walmart etc.) and won't cost an outrageous amount of money? Any opinions on the newish Naturals Cat Chow from Purina?

Answer
Hi.  That's a good question.  However, sadly, I think that the majority of 'big name' foods contain the worst ingredients.  They make the most money by buying the cheapest by-products and fillers.  Not all by-products are bad, in fact quite a lot of animal (and plant) by-products are good...it's just the quality and from where they originate that is the problem.  It's all about the profit to the vast majority of them...and they cheaply buy wood fillers (with added chemicals) from pulp/paper mills, the worst of the worst slaughter house waste including diseased animals that cannot be used for human consumption, and the most revolting to me are the 'rendered' products which contain the processed remains of euthanized animals (vets take euthanized animals to such plants to dispose of them and many farms use similar companies).  I had previously assumed that this was an urban legend.  However, research has shown that many commercial pet foods contain varying levels of sodium pentabarbital...the drug used to euthanize animals.  There is no possible explanation as to why commercial pet foods from so many big companies would contain this unless they were in fact using animals which were either pets or livestock which had been euthanized.  ...not to mention the other drugs and chemicals that many of those animals contain.  It's no wonder that so many pets now suffer from kidney and liver disease, among other disorders.  In my opinion, the "Natural's" line of food from Purina is merely a marketing gimic and most people thing it is healthier...and more people are wanting better foods after the recent food recall.  Look for a company that states that it uses human grade ingredients, few grains, and no fillers.  Most of your big chain stores like Target, Walmart, Petco, etc. all go with the huge companies who make the worst food...it's strictly because the profit margin is so high.  I think you'll find that if you do go with a higher grade, premium food, your animals will eat less of it and you will have fewer vet costs in the long run.  Some of the top by-product free and human grade brands like Nature's Variety, Wellness, Innova, etc. do cost more but your pet will eat considerably less...and you only need to feed twice per day.  Those brands cost about the same as Science Diet and Eukanuba, which although advertised as being premium foods are totally not.  Check out   https://www.onlynaturalpet.com/account/Login.aspx
I have found that they sell most of the super premium and best brands.  You can compare their prices to local ones, etc.  If you see any brand on that site that one of your local stores carry, chances are, that brand is good.  They seem to do a great job of selecting good quality brands to sell.  ...hope this answers your question.