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Once upon a time, there was a cartoon posted on our refrigerator that depicted a cat owner standing with feline food can in hand and looking down on the pet, which was staring skeptically at the food dish. The caption read: "The words you're searching for are 'Thank you'."
I don't know what happened to the cartoon. Perhaps it fell to the floor and one of our cats ate it and later coughed it up as part of a hairball.
We have three of the wretched creatures: Amanda, Sissy, and Rags. They're finicky eaters, and, moreover, their individual preferences are out of sync. A fair amount of left over wet, i.e. canned, food goes down the garbage disposal. (Dry food is generally less problematic from the standpoint of acceptance, but that's another story for another time. If Amanda fills an empty stomach on dry, she often throws it up. Last week, it was on the window sill and into the groove into which the open, vertically sliding window would come to rest when closed.)
To date, our best luck and that's an overstatement has been with the canned brand that provides the cats with an opportunity for fancy feasting. But, even then, that's only with some of the varieties. For instance, they generally don't like "flaked" or "minced", or "sliced." What may work on a good day is the "classic", "grilled", or "chunky." It's a crapshoot.
Recently, we purchased a couple of cans of MAX CAT at a pet specialty store. Surprisingly, all three of the beggars chowed it down to the glaze on the dish.
Since then, we've tried various flavor permutations of the adult recipes: lamb, turkey, chicken, liver, seafood, venison, duck, and salmon. Even one kitten recipe that fell into the basket by mistake (Chicken & Oceanfish Formula). All of them have been consumed with enthusiasm. We stand amazed; it's a new paradigm for the moment.
Looking at the labeling on three random flavors (Salmon, Savory Duck, Turkey & Chicken Liver), the ingredients common to all (and presumably the other varieties) are: chicken, potato starch, wheat gluten, pork plasma, natural flavors, salt, guar gum, sodium phosphate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, DL-methionine, taurine xanthine gum, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, zinc oxide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), copper proteinate, manganous sulfate, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, potassium iodide, vitamin B12 supplement, sodium selenite, folic acid, and biotin. I should try one on a cracker. (Of course, each individual flavor also contains the ingredient that defines it, like duck in the "savory duck.")
The label further states that the food is "formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles ..."
In case you didn't know, the AAFCO is the Association of American Feed Control Officials. According to its website:
"Although AAFCO has no regulatory authority, the Association provides a forum for the membership and industry representation to achieve three main goals:
* Ensure consumer protection
* Safeguarding the health of animals and humans
* Providing a level playing field of orderly commerce for the animal feed industry.
These goals are achieved by developing and implementing uniform and equitable laws, regulations, standards, definitions and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, distribution and sale of animal feeds resulting in safe, effective and useful feeds by promoting uniformity amongst member agencies."
In other words, the Pet Food Police.
An MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) exists between the AAFCO and the Food and Drug Administration. I guess a warm and fuzzy exchange of cards at Christmas just isn't enough.
Why, the AAFCO even has an annual meeting. I'll bet that's a debauch.
MAX CAT is manufactured by Nutro Products, Inc. of Franklin, TN. I wonder if they have a squirrel flavor for consumption by kitties living in the back woods.
We aren't so naive as to believe that one or more of the unholy trio won't ultimately max out on MAX CAT. Why, it could happen as soon as this evening. But, in the meantime and until we're forced back to square one, gratitude is due Nutro and MAX CAT foods.
