Comments on: By Nature Dry Cat Food

By: Ekko

Ekko — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:22:49 +0000

Let me start off by saying, this food has worked better than any I have tried before. Here is my story:

I have 2 older cats (10 & 11 years old and adopted at 1 and 2 yrs old) and 4 now 10 month old kittens (I took in a pregnant stray someone dumped off in front of my house). My older cats have always had allergies, shed a ton, the female has always had sinus problems from an infection she had before I adopted her, and the male always had ear problems. I had been feeding them Purina One for sensitive systems, and the male (a long hair) would throw up usually at least twice a week. Then, the kitties came along. I was picking up barf every day, sometimes before AND after work. I tried them on Iams kitten food, which was marginally better. They always got Friskies canned food during this time. Then, after a bunch of research and reading, I decided to try them on By Nature kitten food. Everyone eats the same food, adults and kittens. They also get 1 can split 6 ways in the morning and 2 cans split 6 ways at night (so they don’t wake me up at 4am to eat! ha!) and always have dry food out during the day.

Within a week, I noticed NOONE was throwing up anymore, everyone really liked the dry food, and the wet food has grown on them. It is cake style, and they usually prefer chunks, so that has been a small and easy change for them. I started them out with mixing a little dry in with their wet food. They ate it all even though it was a bit different for them. Yes, the cans are much more $$ compared to Friskies, but two things I have noticed that make it VERY worth it. 1 – the By Nature wet food can is 1 ounce larger than the Friskies can. 2 – there is no added water in the By Nature canned food. Notice, the VERY FIRST ingredient in Friskies canned food is Water! I was feeding 3 cans in the morning and 3-6 cans at night of Friskies, and even at $0.44/can, that is nearly $4/day on canned food. Now, they eat 2-3 cans/day, and at $1.59/can it is $4.77; a less than $1 a day difference for a much better food. Now for the results!

I have had everyone on By Nature for about 2 months now. I had the kittens fixed at 6 months. One of the kittens never grew her belly hair back. That’s right, she had been bald for 2 months after her surgery. Within TWO WEEKS of switching them over, her belly hair is all but COMPLETELY grown back! She also had very coarse and dry hair before. Now she has very soft and shiny hair! The other kitties also have gotten much shinier coats, and are definitely much softer. They also shed much less, NEVER puke (unless my boyfriend over feeds them treats, ha!) and their litter boxes don’t stink up the house like they used to. I used to have to clear out of the kitchen when someone did naughty things in their litterboxes. Now, I am in there waiting and waiting and never smell a thing. That’s not to say they never have a stinky moment, but NOTHING like the did before. I also notice their urine is much less ammonia-y smelling. The older cats don’t have their allergies anymore, and my female hardly ever sneezes anymore. My male doesn’t mind his ears touched anymore, and no one sheds as bad as they used to.

I have to say the extra $$ is worth it! My cats and kittens are much better on this food. No more hair balls, no more bald bellies, no more allergies. They love the food and eat much less of this (wet and dry) than they used to of their food before. I am very happy with this product.

That being said, every animal is different. We had a dog live 17 years when I was younger who lived his whole life on purina-like food, with the meaty packet things. We also recently had a pup who lived only 10 years and had very good food his whole life. All animals are different, and food won’t solve every health problem your animal may have. If you have an animal with a special needs diet, by all means keep your pet on that. If you have cats, like I did, with general minor issues, hairballs, and the like, and want to try changing food before spending $350 to have their ears cleaned out while they are under anesthesia, by all means, try to easier solution first! I am glad I did. Not all pet food is for all pets. All foods have good and bad reviews. But as I wouldn’t raise a child on only fast food, I prefer not to raise my cats that way either. This food seems like a nice balance of good protein sources, and no allergy-producing corn, soy, etc. It has made a major difference in my house!

By: eddie smith

eddie smith — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:53:39 +0000

New to By Nature, not having any problems. I wonder about Catherine, whether she just fed her cats dry food or supplemented them with meat. you HAVE to feed them meat or they will get sicj anyways no matter what you give them. When they are inside cats, also, they dont get the greens they need that they get from outside. The other possibility is that they were chomping on pesticide laden grass. Lot to consider here. I have seen bad results for every cat food on the market, and honestly believe the mistake many of these people are making is just feeding them dry food. Cats are not vegetarians!!

By: Shelli

Shelli — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:45:18 +0000

I have two fosters that were on Prescription Science Diet z/d. The oldest is 17 and with the z/d was still getting sick at least once a week and still having rashes. After the price of Science Diet rose twice in two months ($25.00 for four lbs.) I decided to find a different food and one that was more holistic. I started the cats on by Nature Weight Management and they love it! They’ve been on it for almost four months and the older one is doing better than the prescription food! Plus, my vet (who is a holistic vet) said the food would be fine for him. His digestive system is so much better and his coat so soft and smooth. He no longer has rashes and only has the upset of the occasional hairball. I think that by Nature is a wonderful food for my cats and am so glad I found it!!

By: Sherry

Sherry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:41:25 +0000

What exactly did your vet say? Why did he think it was the food? We’re you also feeding your cats dry food, or just wet? I would like to hear because I just put my cat on by nature can food, he seems to love it compared to the others we have tried.

Thanks for the input.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 04:03:39 +0000

I have 7 cats and was looking for something everyone could digest well. At first By Natures Organic Chicken seemed the perfect product. After 3 months of feeding my cats, the two oldest became very sick. All of my cats started out a little chunky but the By Nature seemed to be thinning them down. I thought I had miracle food!
Two of my cats have now been hospitalized over the product and 3K+ later, all of my cats are now taking supplements for vitamin deficiencies that nearly killed two of them.
They didn’t throw up the food and ate it well but they couldn’t process it.

I expect to get “stuck” with the bill, my vet is also a microbiologist and said its the food. If your cat starts to loose weight quickly, its the food! CHANGE YOUR FOOD. Ours are on California Natural and doing much better.

THANKS By Nature for my 3K vet bill and sick cats!!!! (

If this has happened to you PLEASE CONTACT THE FDA! Let your vet know, save food samples and the bag, receipt if you have it so NO Cats die!

By: DJ 80's

DJ 80's — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:28:41 +0000

I have worked at 3 pet stores since I first started working, and I’ve been at my current store for 3 1/2 years, so I’ve learned a lot about pet foods, mainly since I started at the store I’m at now. When I decided it was time for me to get a pet of my own, I went about choosing food very carefully based on the ingredient quality and the price. This was the only food we carried at the time I chose that had an organic option in the adult food. It is also less expensive per ounce than 2 other foods I was considering that did not have an organic option.
I have 2 cats. My first I got at 8 weeks old and immediately started him on By Nature Kitten Food, and he did very well on it. When he turned a year old, I transitioned him to the By Nature Organic Cat Food with no problems. He hasn’t once yet gotten sick, never has hairballs, and his coat is very fine and shiny. My second cat was adopted from a rescue group that our store works with, so he was on Cat Chow when I got him earlier this year. He started eating the same food as my first cat with no transition time and no digestive upset. His fur started out reasonably corse from being a stray and not having very good quality food, but a few months after starting on By Nature, his coat has become noticably softer and thicker (even though it’s summertime now).
In short, I have been very pleased with By Nature Organic Cat Food and would like to say that quality does matter, and when you think about it, you only have to pay a few cents a day to get really good quality food for your pets. Don’t skimp on them, and they should be around and healthy for a much longer time!