We have a Cavalier who is allergic to just about everything. Our vet recommended a grain-free diet, and that did help. Then came apoquil which helped even more. So, while it may be true that grain allergies in dogs is rare, it does happen. Your vet can be your best guide. Going grain-free 'just because' is like humans going 'gluten free'. The vast majority of folks are not allergic to gluten and giving it up does nothing for them.

is pet food whose first listed ingredient is corn gluten meal. Some dog foods (maybe cat foods, too) are made by taking corn gluten pellets and soaking them in a meat-based slurry so they taste like meat, but there's hardly any actual meat in them at all.

and balanced for that particular animal, along with vitamins and minerals.

Honestly, if there's no digestive issue or allergy, the pet will do well on it.

most of their lives and were very heavy. Both have lost a considerable amount of weight after being on a diet of Blue plus 1/2 can of wet cat food. The older cat, who is 18 yrs. is crippled from walking around in an overweight body for most of her life. None of my cats have ever been over weight. I free feed Blue and give them a 4:00 pm supper of 1/2 can wet cat food.

There are many kinds of Blue. Thanks.

healthy weight. I pour a bowl in the morning for my 4 cats and add a bit more if it gets emptied during the day. They seem very satisfied with their diets. The greatest thing is that my Maine Coon wild child hardly ever gets mats or tangles in her coat, even during shedding season. In the past, my cats that had long hair would get very matted. It is cheaper at Tractor Supply than at the pet stores and I think it's even cheaper with a "subscription" at online sources like Chewy.

https://bluebuffalo.com/natural-cat-food/blue-for-cats/dry-food/blue-indoor-health-adult-chicken-and-brown-rice-recipe/

Intestinal problems- messy smelly uncomfortable ones- for more than a year and a half. I can't give her much grain without causing trouble, but she tries. I give her pumpkin instead.

freeze-dried food made from rabbit or duck mixed with water.

with taurine replacement in foods for cats (early cat foods didn't have it and non hunting cats got sick and died young), balanced vitamins and minerals, and flavors that appeal to our furry family members. Grains sprayed with amino acids are giving the critters the nutrition they need, so it's a textural thing and an owner thing.

I say this because I've had extremely elderly cats who stated a distinct preference for cheap kibble over any of the fancier brands of food, even the all meat ones. One had breed based lousy teeth and the other never needed any sort of dental care.

I know cat people who feed their cats meat diets and in fact make all the food the cats eat. My own feline overlords would have been unimpressed and the few times I'd get them some chicken livers, they'd growl at them for half an hour before they realized they were edible.

People with money are making entirely too much of a fuss over the pet's diet, along with buying Fido a rhinestone collar and little boots for rainy days. I doubt Fido is impressed, just like my cats were unimpressed when I got a bonus at work and bought them "good" food.

So if all you can afford is kibble, don't feel guilty, it will work. If you're driving yourself nuts and turning your kitchen into a pet food factory, have at it, I won't stop you.

Just know that there are a lot of ways to keep our furry family members active and healthy and no one way is the absolutely right way that everybody should do.

Work for our boys. Shiny fur, no vomiting, "good" poops. Charlie weighed in at 16 lbs last checkup so they're both on portion control (1 cup per day per cat) instead of free feeding. Bonus is both foods are found at Giant so extra trip to a pet store.

and got diarrhea from most canned food. They both lived to ripe old ages for cats (17 and 21). If I had it to do all over again, this time with money, I'd still let the cats decide since any commercial food will work in the absence of digestive issues or allergy.

Glad to find a kindred spirit.

They were always very picky about their dry food. Cheapo or deluxe brands didn't matter, sometimes even tried to bury it. They also did a lot of vomiting with their kibble, and one was starting to look underweight to my eye, and their coats also looked dry, tatty and dull.

I reached the simple conclusion that cats are carnivores. Their bodies are designed to eat meat, not grain. The second part of that equation is the manufacturers of dry cat food are in business to make a profit... the bigger, the better. To do that they need to cut costs by using cheaper proteins and bulking up on useless fillers, so we end up with cat kibble loaded with soy products and grain meal. That's just wrong.

Anyway, I switched to two different brands of grain-free kibble, and my little darlings seem to love the new menu, and even come running when I refill their bowls. They have stopped vomiting, and even seem more energetic. Its been a few months and now their coats look more smooth and lustrous.

Things like wheat gluten boost the protein percentage, but actual animal proteins are better assimilated by cats.

I feed half wet food calories and half dry and feed dry kibble that has rice as its base--better digested than the other fillers. And even at that I only give my cats 3 T. a day because of the carbs. Cats don't need carbs.

So per day, each cat gets: 1/2 can of Fancy Feast, and not the kind with wheat corn or soy, about 1/3 of a 5.5 oz can wet food, and 3 T. dry--mainly because they love it and are used to it.

for MY health. He's happy with both the kibble and the wet food, but the gluten-free treats just don't meet his standard for treats.

Hunde-n-Flocken and Katze-n-Flocken. They were very expensive and I got to a point where I could not afford them anymore. So I went to Blue. I never have had problems with grains though. I have met many people who's animals had grain problems.

What is really odd about my older cat who was getting fed high quality food kept barfing and I kept trying different types and they still made her barf. One day I did not have food and did not have money for food so my friend lgave me some of her Friskies and my cat quit barfing.

I came to the conclusion that the higher qualities food was to rich for her.

I never thought I would feed that brand to her but I am. It does bug me that I feed my kitten the same food but they are free feeders and I can not feed one one kind and the other a different kind. However he is doing fine.

My late Maine Coon, Ricky, barfed a lot and Purina One for Sensitive Systems helped a lot. My current boys are doing great on Purina One Indoor Advantage.
The home I adopted them from only fed them dry food (Kitten Chow) and they are the only cats I've ever had who had to be persuaded to eat canned food. Tried all different kinds including the expensive pet-store brands and the only one they will eat is Fancy Feast in the blue cans. Even those they rarely finish one a day but will eagerly gobble down the kibble.

That is the one my cats go for the most too! Tuna and shrimp are the alleged ingredients in it.

It looks like tuna and yes, you can see the shrimp!

I've found if I feed it too often it just sets and goes to waste so I try to alternate if I can.

I'll have to look into Purina One Indoor Advantage.

I know they sure liked Purina One Tuna & Salmon (which was rather secretly replaced wit "Salmon Tender Bites" which they will not eat -- same exact bag to confuse you too!).

Thanks for the info. & I am thinking that Fancy Feast in the blue can is a winner for not just you and me not to forget the cats.

I bought a bag of this and am trying to switch all three of them over to this food. It was on sale for $10 for a 5-lb. bag of it. The youngest of the them likes it a lot but the others are slow to come around to it.

It is grain free and supposed to be good for cats.

The one that is eating a lot of it has a very shiny black coat now and looks great!

I am slowly adding this food to what I have left of the Purina One Tuna and Salmon flavored food which is no longer made by Purina.

The new food has more fat and less protein. Not huge differences, but differences that I did notice nonetheless.