# Aldi Cat Food - Vitacat



## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

Hi all,

My 2 kittens are currently on applaws cat food for kittens, 80% chicken and 20% vegetables and natural extracts. I have recently been picking up the following for my cats and they seem to like it:
-vitacat filled pockets
-vitacat select tender pate [turkey, beef and chicken]
-vitacat select gourmet mousse [turkey, beef, fish and chicken]
-aldi cat soup

The problem is that when I look at the ingredients for e.g. the vitacat select gourmet mousse turkey, it only has 4% of actual turkey in it. So are these products bad for my cat and should I stick to cat food with a high meat content in it? I'm confused as there seems to be a lot of good reviews on their cat food and i was planning to switch my kittens onto their dry food.

Does a low meat content mean its not good?


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## ChaosCat (Dec 7, 2017)

Channn said:


> Hi all,
> 
> My 2 kittens are currently on applaws cat food for kittens, 80% chicken and 20% vegetables and natural extracts. I have recently been picking up the following for my cats and they seem to like it:
> -vitacat filled pockets
> ...


It's 4% turkey as that is the legally required amount for saying that a cat food has a certain flavour. The all in all meat content is a lot higher. But if it is not declared on the can what it consists of exactly it won't be of too high a quality.

In this thread you will find a list of good quality cat foods that are available on zooplus.co.uk but also elsewhere. You will see what you shoukd look for in the list of ingredients.
https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads...-just-the-good-stuff-work-in-progress.440844/


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

ChaosCat said:


> It's 4% turkey as that is the legally required amount for saying that a cat food has a certain flavour. The all in all meat content is a lot higher. But if it is not declared on the can what it consists of exactly it won't be of too high a quality.
> 
> In this thread you will find a list of good quality cat foods that are available on zooplus.co.uk but also elsewhere. You will see what you shoukd look for in the list of ingredients.


Thanks for clearing that up for me. And thanks for the link. I know where to look when I occasionally give them wet food. They prefer dry food to wet. The link were options for wet food. I've done my research before I purchased Applaws since its 80% chicken - well research on the meat content. I'll be keeping them on applaws. I was thinking about switching them to an aldi brand since it was cheaper and they had good reviews but I'd rather keep them on applaws now xxxxxxxx I love my kittens to much than to put them on s**t food. I'll be taking them off their treats as it only had 4% meat content and instead, I'll make my own at home. xxxxx


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## Orla (Sep 16, 2015)

Wet food will be better for them than dry, even the cheaper end of the spectrum. I won’t go over the reasoning as a quick search on here on wet vs dry will turn up hundreds of discussions on the subject complete with lots of links but if you can get them onto any wet food then you can look at switching to better quality wet after that. Seems like they are already keen! Good luck. And share pix of the kitties. We love pictures here!


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## ChaosCat (Dec 7, 2017)

Sorry, I missed that part. Dry food is altogether bad for cats. The worst wet food is better than any dry food.
Cats don’t drink enough to make up for the lack of moisture.


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

Orla said:


> Wet food will be better for them than dry, even the cheaper end of the spectrum. I won't go over the reasoning as a quick search on here on wet vs dry will turn up hundreds of discussions on the subject complete with lots of links but if you can get them onto any wet food then you can look at switching to better quality wet after that. Seems like they are already keen! Good luck. And share pix of the kitties. We love pictures here!


I'll have to get them to finish their dry food first before I make the switch or mix it up abit beforehand. Their instagram handle is: @booandbear

Here are some of my fav pics of them.

Thank you xxx


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

ChaosCat said:


> Sorry, I missed that part. Dry food is altogether bad for cats. The worst wet food is better than any dry food.
> Cats don't drink enough to make up for the lack of moisture.


I just googles this dry food vs wet food debate and found no definite answer as there are pros and cons to each. I think I'm going to mix it up and give them both wet and dry. Thanks xxxxx


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## Arny (Jul 29, 2017)

Agree with everything said. There aren't any advantages to feeding dry, the 'it cleans teeth' is complete fiction you only have to see a cat throw up dry to see that as it comes up whole.

Mainly just wanted to add that many of the applaws wet are supplementary so don't have all the ingredients for a complete diet and so should be used more as a treat. You'll need to look on the tins/pouches to see if it says complete or not.

Edited to add, very cute cats!


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

Arny said:


> Agree with everything said. There aren't any advantages to feeding dry, the 'it cleans teeth' is complete fiction you only have to see a cat throw up dry to see that as it comes up whole.
> 
> Mainly just wanted to add that many of the applaws wet are supplementary so don't have all the ingredients for a complete diet and so should be used more as a treat. You'll need to look on the tins/pouches to see if it says complete or not.
> 
> Edited to add, very cute cats!


Aww thanks and thanks for the tip. I had no idea about looking out for cat food that stated it was 'complete'. I'll be purchasing some wet food that was listed on link ChaosCat posted. I won't be purchasing any food for Aldi again. I just thought Aldi pet food would have been good quality since there non-pet food is good. I think I'll be giving them both wet and dry from now on but I'm going to ask the vet just to confirm.


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## TriTri (Oct 31, 2017)

Kittens/ cats wearing jumpers and quilted jackets? They have their own fancy fur coats, far more beautiful than any items of clothing! Why hide their beautiful coats? They must overheat wearing clothing as well? No offence meant, but it is not good for your cats to be put in these items. They are very beautiful cats though, you must be very proud of them.


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

TriTri said:


> Kittens/ cats wearing jumpers and quilted jackets? They have their own fancy fur coats, far more beautiful than any items of clothing! Why hide their beautiful coats? They must overheat wearing clothing as well? No offence meant, but it is not good for your cats to be put in these items. They are very beautiful cats though, you must be very proud of them.


Yes my kittens are dressed up. They wear their jumpers and quilted jackets when I take them out and about in the cold. They aren't in there clothes for the entire day, only for a little while. Yes I know their natural coat is beautiful and that is why I chose black cats because I think they are beautiful. Despite your opinion, I'm still going to dress them up. They can walk and behave perfectly fine in their clothes and it isn't restricting them in any way. They aren't overheating in their clothes as their clothes are only on for a little while inside of the house and when I take them out.


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## bluecordelia (Jan 5, 2014)

It’s always owners choice what to feed. Cats eat meat not cereal (carb)
They also are rubbish at drinking water. 

I personally do not feed dry kibble. Most cats love dry kibble. Think of Pringles and humans. Kibble for me is the same for cats. It tastes good as it’s sprayed to be attractive. I also add warm water to wet food. I feed a bit of raw too. 

Everyone needs to have a look at research and make an educated decision what suits them, I find feeding high protein wet cheaper as they are healthier and ultimately less likely to need a vet. You also need a complete food not a complimentary one. Once you read the labels, most cat foods are rejected by me for not being good enough. 


Hope this helps and you are what you eat rings true for feline too.


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

bluecordelia said:


> It's always owners choice what to feed. Cats eat meat not cereal (carb)
> They also are rubbish at drinking water.
> 
> I personally do not feed dry kibble. Most cats love dry kibble. Think of Pringles and humans. Kibble for me is the same for cats. It tastes good as it's sprayed to be attractive. I also add warm water to wet food. I feed a bit of raw too.
> ...


I've realised most cat food is quite questionable. I'm going to incorporate more wet food into their diet. I left a bowl of dry cat food and wet cat food for my kitties but they haven't touched the wet. They ate the dry instead. Btw what brand of wet food do you feed your cat? I tried to give my cats raw meat but it went right into the bin. I bought 2 lamb livers for my cat. I boiled one and blended it and I cut up the other raw liver into little pieces. They didn't eat any raw or cooked. The raw kept slipping out of their mouths and they couldn't chew it properly and they didn't even try to eat the cooked liver. What raw meat do you think I should start with since they didn't eat the lamb liver? they are 7 months so I'm thinking maybe they are too young.


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## Orla (Sep 16, 2015)

They shouldn’t be eating just liver anyway due to its nutrient profile. As part of a balanced home made raw recipe secreting organs should make up no more then 10% (?) of the overall mix so it wouldn’t be advisable to feed a complete food with just liver on top of that as it would tip the overall balance. You could try them on raw chicken wings, maybe start with the wing tips only. Or most cats are happy to have a spoon of raw minced beef if you cooking some yourself. Better to have frozen it then defrosted it first though. 

They are very cute x


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## Summercat (Oct 8, 2017)

@Channn 
I love black cats as well:Cat

Applaws has pates that are complete food. 
Another good brand is Lily's Kitchen. My cats also like the Meowing Heads pouches not so much the tins.
You can feed food not marketed for kittens, if it is good quality wet food.


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## bluecordelia (Jan 5, 2014)

I feed a complete wet food such as Grau, Feringa , macs , thrive, granatapet. Have a look for online sellers . A lot of people use Zooplus and it’s s good place to look due to variety. Remember you need a complete not complimentary food. 

I feed my two raw thigh meat ie chicken or turkey. They probably would not touch liver. 
They never got into raw thighs or wings unfortunately. The cheaper cuts ie wings and thighs contain muscle which is great for cats diet and added cleaner healthier teeth. They have this s few times a week. 

You are spot on about much commercial cat food being junk food. Butchers cat food in supermarkets is ok but my two won’t touch it. Also work out what texture your cat likes ie pate, chunks, gravy or jelly. Jelly is better but again some cats like something’s and not others! It can be an expensive journey getting them on a great diet but well worth it and then you can become a cat food spanner like me!


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

Orla said:


> They shouldn't be eating just liver anyway due to its nutrient profile. As part of a balanced home made raw recipe secreting organs should make up no more then 10% (?) of the overall mix so it wouldn't be advisable to feed a complete food with just liver on top of that as it would tip the overall balance. You could try them on raw chicken wings, maybe start with the wing tips only. Or most cats are happy to have a spoon of raw minced beef if you cooking some yourself. Better to have frozen it then defrosted it first though.
> 
> They are very cute x


AWW thank you. Yes I realised they shouldn't just be eating liver after googling when they wouldn't eat it. I saw a video of a cat eating chunks of liver so I thought it would have been a nice treat for my kitties on Christmas. I've just become a vegetarian so I'm not going to be eating any of the meat I buy for my cats. I think I will just get some minced beef and freeze it and then give it to them in little portions. Thanks for the suggestion. I will try chicken wings later on because they get confused by the texture of chicken skin. They try to eat it but it just slips out of their mouth. They don't know how to chew it.


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

Summercat said:


> @Channn
> I love black cats as well:Cat
> 
> Applaws has pates that are complete food.
> ...


Me tooo X. I wasn't really a cat person until I saw black kitties. Now I'm attached to them. :Kiss I'm going to be purchasing some wet food from that link. I just need it to come back in stock. Thanks for the suggestions. I will be sure to try everything out. Since they like dry. I will be giving them wet in the morning and then dry in the afternoon. Throw in some raw into their diet too. I'll have to slowly get them off raw or at least reduce it.

Btw your cat in that dog blanket [at-least i think it is] is very cute. Where is it from?


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## Channn (Jan 8, 2019)

bluecordelia said:


> I feed a complete wet food such as Grau, Feringa , macs , thrive, granatapet. Have a look for online sellers . A lot of people use Zooplus and it's s good place to look due to variety. Remember you need a complete not complimentary food.
> 
> I feed my two raw thigh meat ie chicken or turkey. They probably would not touch liver.
> They never got into raw thighs or wings unfortunately. The cheaper cuts ie wings and thighs contain muscle which is great for cats diet and added cleaner healthier teeth. They have this s few times a week.
> ...


Yes I'll be ordering from Zooplus soon. I'm just waiting for it to come back in stock. I'll try to get them on wings and thighs in the future. Regarding texture, Im just tying to find out what sort of raw food they will eat. They will eat any texture in dry but jelly is probably their favourite.

A final question, If I feed my cat a mixture of raw, dry and wet, do they need salmon oil? I used to give them a pump of salmon oil in there dry food everyday. I've finished the bottle and was wondering whether I should repurchase?


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## Summercat (Oct 8, 2017)

@Channn 
Hi,
That's Jack, he is a kitten and I also have a three year old black kitty.

I tried to put Jack in a stocking for a Christmas photo but only got up to his waist, so just layed the stocking over him like a blanket. :CatThey were selling the stockings in the pet section of TKmaxx, this Christmas and last.


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## bluecordelia (Jan 5, 2014)

Re salmon oil

You are aiming for minimum dry.
You probably don’t need to add it. I still buy it from Zooplus and give them a bit. They do an easy use pump one.

Have a look on the forum for a raw feeding thread in health and nutrition . You will learn loads

Hope this helps


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Many (or most) dry foods have salmon oil added (check the packet ingredients). Too much Omega 3 is as bad as too little, so I wouldn't add extra if you are going to feed 50% dry.

Dry food is very high in carb content which cats do not need, and thus is potentially fattening (even for kittens). Cats need protein to build strong muscles and fats for energy. If you want to persevere with the dry I recommend feeding a low carb make, such as Thrive Premium Plus which is low in carbs and high in meat protein. Buy it from Zooplus, Fetch, Ocado, Amazon or Holland and Barrett.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrive-Premium-Plus-Food-Chicken/dp/B00TYJVE62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547207190&sr=8-1&keywords=thrive+premium+plus+cat+food+chicken,+1.5+kg

As dry food is very high in calories I advise not free-feeding it but weighing out the exact recommended amount per meal, according to the instructions on the packet, and substituting the measured amount for one of their daily wet meals, and not feeding it alongside wet food.


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