Many cat owners think that all foods labeled Sterilized are equally optimal for their spayed or neutered pets. We have a different opinion: specialized diets for pets who are deprived of the opportunity to give birth are largely a marketing ploy to expand the product line and take up more space on shelves in pet stores, and not the true need of such cats. It should also be taken into account that the compositions of such formulas can be quite different in quality.
In order for our readers to have the tools to choose such foods, we have prepared a review of the Grandin Cat Sterilized Chicken Grain Free food, trying to explain in as much detail as possible all its pros and cons so that the comparison of this grain-free diet with other products for castrates is informative.
Characteristics of Grandin Cat Sterilized Chicken food
Grandin food is produced in the Czech Republic, but the brand itself belongs to a large Russian chain of pet stores. The manufacturer clearly indicated on the Grandin Sterilized package that the product should be used for adult cats from 1 to 7 years of age. The main colors in the design of this pack are black and yellow, and the pink tint helps to identify this food in the line by color marking. The package has a black and white photo of a cute, serious cat and a few meaningful notes.
As a rule, manufacturers of food called Sterilized insist that cats need less fat after castration, otherwise they will get fat. We agree that the percentage of cats whose bodies react in this way after this operation is indeed not that small, but this does not apply to every first sterilized pet. This formula contains 12% fat, which is significantly less than other Grandin diets, which can be found up to 19% fat.
The largest inscriptions here are Holistic and Grain Free. We recommend that all our readers study our article on “holistic” foods to more correctly understand this term. The absence of grain in the composition is, of course, a plus of the feed. However, you always need to evaluate the ratio of meat components to plant components - only this will give the correct idea of the product.
In this case, the manufacturer informs on the front of the package that the food is made using 68% meat ingredients: Made from 68% Meat Ingredients, and indicates that 27% of them are fresh chicken meat - 27% Fresh Chicken Meat. Does the ingredient list match this information? To answer this question, let's take a closer look at the composition of Grandin Cat Sterilized food, starting with an analysis of the base.
Flaws
Unfortunately, this type of feed is not without its drawbacks. The disadvantages of the product include the presence of a small amount of pesticides in it. This is due to the fact that plant raw materials are used in the production of food. The manufacturer assures that these substances are contained in very small quantities and cannot cause harm to health. However, cats prone to allergies and stomach upsets should not be given this food.
There are no medicinal foods in the Mnyams line. Many cat owners also consider this a disadvantage of this brand. The product is intended only for animals in good health. Special types of food are represented only by food for pregnant and lactating cats. Some types of dry and wet products are recommended for feeding sterilized animals.
Mnyams food is not yet widely used. Some of its varieties are rarely found on sale. They have to be ordered in pet stores or online in advance.
Grandin food base for sterilized cats
At first glance at the list of ingredients, it is immediately clear that the rule of indicating components in descending order has been violated. The first place is occupied by the complex combined under the name “meat ingredients”: “Meat ingredients (27.5% fresh chicken meat, 30.5% dried chicken meat, 6% dried turkey meat, 4% pork liver).” We are against such a free interpretation of the composition and believe that it is important that all ingredients are clearly indicated in descending order, in the appropriate places in the list.
In this case, the overall share of high-quality meat is quite decent (68%, that is, the composition of the Grandin food for castrated cats is confirmed by the large numbers on the front side of the package) and allows you to assign a bonus of 5 points to the food. This point should always be assessed biasedly, because in many other diets the volume of such complexes from various ingredients of animal origin is much less.
Instead of grain, potatoes (No. 2 on the list) and peas (No. 3) are added here - it’s a pity that their exact shares in the diet are not indicated. Beet pulp and chicken fat round out the top five.
Review
Gourmet cat food is wet food in a variety of packages. An analogue in purpose and appearance can be called Sheba from the Mars company. That is, Gourmets are positioned as very tasty diets prepared according to the best recipes. They also contain animal proteins, cereals (most often rice, corn), and supplements with vitamins and mineral complexes. Gurme has several episodes in total:
- Mont Petit - small portioned bags;
- Gold - a collection of ideal taste qualities in delicate pieces;
- Pearl - the softest pieces with sauce;
- A la Carte - assorted meat or fish combined with other products.
Before release, the manufacturing company is preparing a unique restaurant menu for cats. For example, in one of the diets there are meatballs and pasta, in the other there are pates with aromatic and nutritious filling. The flavors and main ingredients of Gourmet cat food are as follows:
- fish (salmon, tuna, trout);
- poultry (chicken, duck, turkey);
- rabbit;
- liver;
- lamb;
- beef.
Also in the description you can see vegetables and herbs: spinach, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, green beans and others. There are also dyes, natural and artificial preservatives, but in small quantities, like sugars contained in fruits.
Gourmet comes only wet - stew, pate with additives. It is produced in two forms:
- jars with a convenient key for opening;
- pouches - soft and flat bags.
Compound
composition of gourmet food
The weight of pieces in sauce or Gourmet pate in round jars is 85 g, in pouches - 85 g and 50 g. The feeding rate for an adult animal weighing about 4 kg is 350 g (4 large bags). For comparison: super-premium dry granules are calculated at 50-80 g per day for an individual over 1 year old.
Important: After opening, you can store wet Gourmet for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then it will spoil and become unfit for consumption. The daily norm is divided into several servings; it is optimal to give food to cats 3-4 times a day.
Advantages and disadvantages
It is difficult to classify Gourmet cat food into any class, since it is difficult to determine the percentage of animal proteins and natural meat in its composition. It can be assumed that some of the series are premium.
Also read about food: Gourmet for cats
There are few grains in it, as well as other fillers that are added for nutrition and volume in inexpensive products. This food is positioned as a complete replacement for natural nutrition.
Important: Gourmet cannot rely on flavors and match them with the predominant ingredients. For example: fish stew contains more meat products than trout and tuna.
Minuses
In addition to the insufficiently transparent description of the products in Gourmet cat food, additional disadvantages are noted:
- no separate episodes;
- no dry granules;
- only small packages;
- the presence of preservatives, sugars and dyes;
- high consumption.
Gourmet is suitable only for adult cats without any health problems. It is advisable to supplement soft food with solid products (special treats from the same manufacturer or beef cartilage, chicken throats or paws without claws) to prevent plaque and tartar from appearing. Therefore, in practice, Gourmet cannot be called a complete diet.
Also read about food: Sheba
pros
This line has positive qualities. It contains a minimum set of useful and nutritious substances to support the normal functioning of a cat, a minimum of grains and a predominance of meat - this is a good parameter. Other advantages of Gourmet:
- gram is designed for 1-2 servings;
- a lot of flavors and their combinations;
- various forms;
- interesting fillers;
- contains vegetables;
- includes minerals and vitamins;
- available in many stores.
Among the entire assortment, it is easy to choose the diet that your pet will like most. However, if you are allergic to beef or chicken, you need to take into account the meat contents that are in each pack.
Pate or fried slices with processed vegetables really resemble human food from a real restaurant, and cats like this best, especially when they are old.
Description of additives in Grandin food
In addition to the already mentioned beet pulp, the feed contains other sources of fiber - alfalfa, apples. We have already talked about the main source of fatty acids - chicken fat, but there are other fats here: the oil contained in flax seeds, as well as cold-pressed oil from Norwegian salmon.
For the digestive system, it contains fairly traditional supplements - the fiber noted above, prebiotics (from brewer's yeast, chicory root), and yucca schidigera.
Images of black currant and chamomile are displayed on the front of the package. You can learn more about these and other additives in Grandin Cat Sterilized Chicken Grain Free in the descriptions of the relevant components in our reference database, but we urge you to pay attention first of all to the main components of the finished feed.
The list of ingredients also includes a complex of various medicinal herbs - however, their amount in the feed does not exceed 1%, and we strongly doubt that these components can have any beneficial effect on the animal’s body.
The manufacturer took care to indicate in detail the mineral and vitamin additives in 1 kg of feed. A positive point: most of the mineral compounds here are in the proteinate format - such complexes are absorbed by the body better than simple mineral salts.
general information
The Grandin brand produces two types of wet food: in bags and in cans. The manufacturer classifies these products as “holistic” - this is indicated on the front side of the package. You should not focus on this characteristic, because there are no official standards that would strictly determine the status of the product; this is nothing more than a marketing ploy. We prefer to judge the quality of food based on the composition of the product - we will analyze the composition indicated on the official website of the brand.
Prices
In fact, the brand belongs to the same owner as the 4 Paws pet store chain, so you can buy Grandin food mainly in the stores of this chain. The price varies depending on the volume of packaging:
- 400 g - from 359 rub.
- 1.5 kg - from 1149 rub.
- 10 kg - from 5499 kg.
- Canned food (70 g) and pouches (85 g) - from 80 rubles.
You can now view the current price of the drug and buy it right here:
