Comments on: Orijen Dry Cat Food

By: Tamara

Tamara — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:39:00 +0000

My two cats were both overweight. One is a seven year old male and the other is a eight to ten year old female who we found as an adult. The male wouldn’t eat his portion all at once, so the female always finished his dish. When we found this out, we fed the male cat some additional food. We had also mixed different brands together. Six months ago both cats began to lose a large amount of fur. The vet did a number of tests and found that they were not fed well! I can’t describe my shame since I had thought I was feeding them okay. Since then I started to feed them Orijen food and now both cats are doing very well. Their fur is so shiny and thick.

On the other hand we fed our two yea old dog Nutra gold at first. Then we switched him to Taste of the Wild, but every three months he had very bad diarrhea, ending with blood after second day. We spent huge amounts of money for his treatments. The vet suggested Hill’s for him for the rest of his life, but I just couldn’t believe it. I spent some time on internet and found out this site: dogfoodanalysis.com – Take a look and see for yourselves what producers of pet foods put in our pets’ food! So I immediately ordered Orijen for my dog and of course for my cats. I’m so happy now because they are really doing good! And of course it is strongly recommended to feed the pets as instructed on the package.

By: Henry

Henry — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 10:56:59 +0000

My kittens have had diarrhea and we’ve tested feces but could not find anything. Now I am worried it is connected with Orijen as it corresponds with the time I started feeding it to them. One kitten is very bad and we are still fighting for him. I have now stopped feeding it to them. My adult cats had no problems, but sometimes their poos are a bit soft and very dark.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:28:53 +0000

I have fed my cats a variety of things in the past, from the lowest grade stuff you can get (whiskas, purina, Iams, etc) to more expensive stuff (Evo, Wysong, Call of the Wild, By Nature, and Evanger, etc) looking for the perfect dry cat food. Some, like Evanger and Evo, my cats really liked, but others did nothing for them. I still like Evanger, but wished it was made more locally. I also still like Evo, but with the recent change in ownership, I won’t go back to it. I really like Orijen for a variety of reasons, but Orijen is a little of both a good and bad food for my cats. They don’t seem to care for the green packaged one, and they do like the blue packaged one (I know this one is fish), but I don’t buy it anymore because it gave one of my cats diarrhea. (I think he is sensitive to fish and can only tolerate a tiny amount, so I cannot give him canned cat food with fish in it). However, they do love the yellow packaged one (poultry, fish, and egg), and I have never had an issue with it. I sometimes do a mix with the other Orijen foods or some Arcana (buying the biggest bag of the Yellow package, and the trial sizes of the others) to add variety, and I’ve never had an issue either. I also really like Orijen because it is a Canadian brand and made only a province away! It’s usually not hard to find, although many of the stores have it on back-order right now, so it has been a bit difficult to find right now. If I were to suggest brand of cat food to anyone, it would be Orijen. I would also suggest to give them a little bit of each (buy the trial packs first) and see how they react, since I know not all cats would like it, and some may have some issues with it.

By: Paula

Paula — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 04:09:33 +0000

I have switched my “fur-kids” to Orijen. Three cats and one Border Collie. My dog is a fussy eater (compared to my last one who would lick the kitchen clean after eating!) but she sticks her nose into her dish of Orijen Adult dog and comes up for air when the dish is empty. My cats were tougher to convince but they are on board now. They had previously been on EVO cat food, but after doing my reading I wanted to stay with a Canadian company, since Alberta is right next door to BC. My dog has a gorgeous coat and gets tons of compliments on how pretty she is when we are out, and way less poop to pick up! My vet always comments on how soft the cats’ coats are when we are there for check-ups. Finally a top quality food that is Canadian made and so good for our furry family members. But as far as cost, it is in line with EVO and Wellness. I would rather skimp on something for myself that give the kids something that is not 100% good for them. Great food, well done Champion!

By: schimdi

schimdi — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 13:04:28 +0000

correction: the vet prescribed Hill”s c/d (not b/c)
for more information on this special food for bladder disorders: http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-cd-multicare-feline-bladder-health-dry.html

By: schimdi

schimdi — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:51:57 +0000

I have been feeding my 14-year old female cat with Orijen for the last 6 months. At first, she absolutely went crazy for the taste and seemed to be more active than before. In the later months, she continued to eat it but was no more crazy about it.

In the past two weeks she had been acting a little different: Crying more often than normal, visiting her litter box often and not being able to urinate every time etc. We took her to the vet who diagnosed her with a bladder infection and warned us it may cause crystals to form. He immediately asked what we feed him. When he heard about Orijen, he said that must have been the cause although he gave me no solid reason. He prescribed antibiotics and the b/c formula of Hill’s for three months. He said occasional canned food is ok. When I insisted, I could get out of him that home-made recipes are the best for my cat.

In 20 days, we have another urine test. We will then see if the antibiotics and the new food are working.

I had started using Orijen after a lot of research and recommendation from cat owners, however, now i am worried and do not think I can continue using it anymore. I will feed my cat with the b/c formula for three months and hopefully, when she is better, I will switch to home made food.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 03:58:19 +0000

I have been feeding Orijen to my cats for the last few years. You only need to feed 1/4 of what any other food says. My Maine Coon’s each get 1/8 cup twice a day and one is at a perfect weight and stays there. The other started to gain weight and we could not not figure out why. We finaly found that she was helping our dog eat his food as well and he is so gentle he let her dig in. She is now losing weight slowly. If you want your cat to lose weight just give 1/8 cup twice a day and get them playing. Don’t let them sleep all day they need exercise. Our two mid sized dogs each get 3/4 cup twice a day and they maintain their weight beautifully. Orijen is the best food and I have researched a lot of cat foods. All of the ingredients in their foods are fresh. Fish caught one day are in the plant the same day. Nothing is ever frozen. All ingredients come from organic farms and orchards in BC and Alberta. We now feed the 6 fish for the cats and the new Red for dogs.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 08:03:27 +0000

Do NOT give this product to very young kittens. It’s too rich for them, and it will give them diarrhea and cause vomiting. However, I gave my kitties this product at around 8 months of age, and it no longer affects their digestion. They love it. I love the fact that it’s made in Alberta. Although after doing some research I have to admit I am rather concerned, but I will keep them on it for now because they do seem to be doing very well on it. They are gaining too much weight but I have to admit I have not yet read the feeding directions.

By: Serena

Serena — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:26:01 +0000

To Mel,

Orijen does have a high caloric content, which is made up mainly of protein and fats with few carbs. Therefore, it is more filling and nutritious so your cat won’t need to eat as much. Most foods have a lot of carbohydrates which turn to sugar which turns to fat if your kitty isnt active enough to burn it off…hense the over weight cat. Our bodies work the same way…protein makes us feel full longer and cutting down on carbs helps us shed body fat. If u eat a nice healthy balanced dinner that = 800 calories or ate 800 calories worth of potato chips and candy the body processes them differently. One turns to junk, the other to fuel. I feed my kitten 3 times a day, 1/4 cup of orijen am and pm and 1 oz. of a wellness Healthy Indulgence pouch for lunch. He eats most of the orijen at once but it is all gone by lunch and by bed time and he is begging less than when we were feeding him Wellness Core cat and kitten (which is a nice food too). He enjoys both foods and has never thrown up or had diarrhea in the month that we have had him. He is about 13 weeks old and is shiny, active, and lovey.

By: Mel

Mel — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:44:24 +0000

Does anyone know of a good DIET cat food? I was interested in trying Orijen until I found out they don’t make a diet line, and with over 4,000 kcal/kg, it is just not suitable for my 7 yrs old 17 lb kitty. I currently feed her a mixture of wellness less active (just under 2,500 kcal/kg) and Nutrience (it’s a lower grade food, by-product free but it does use some corn fillers, although it does have the lowest caloric content i could find at just over 1,900 kcal/kg). I couldn’t feed her just wellness as she loved it too much and gorched herself.

Some have suggested that since Orijen has less fillers animals will eat less to fill up, but I know my kitty (as you know yours) and she LOVES to eat GOOD FOOD, and LOTS of it. So feeding an overweight cat a food that has twice the caloric content of her current food just isn’t an option. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!