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Almo Nature Pet Food, Complete Diet?

When consumers are misled by a pet food company, it doesn’t make me happy. I’ve found that Almo Nature Pet Food is providing very misleading information to consumers that could result in sick pets – especially cats. I’ve reported this to FDA, Florida Department of Agriculture, and now to all consumers.

When consumers are misled by a pet food company, it doesn’t make me happy. I’ve found that Almo Nature Pet Food is providing very misleading information to consumers that could result in sick pets – especially cats. I’ve reported this to FDA, Florida Department of Agriculture, and now to all consumers.

A pet food consumer alerted me to a possible problem with Almo Nature Pet Food’s recommended feeding (thank you!). The pet food’s website (cat food) tells consumers that 60% wet food + 40% dry food = 100% Balanced Nutrition.

The problem is that this pet food is only meat and moisture, it contains no supplements or no additional food ingredients that would provide the cat complete nutrition. It is puzzling how this company can state 60% of their wet food + 40% dry food would = 100% balanced nutrition. While meat only pet foods can be a wonderful supplement to a pet’s diet, meat only does not provide 100% balanced nutrition.

AlmoNaturewebsitecatfood

 

So, I asked the company if their foods were complete and balanced…

On August 27, 2015 I sent a second request for information to Almo Nature (first request sent a week earlier was ignored): “This is a second request. I would like to know if your pet foods meet AAFCO nutrient profile for a complete diet or if the foods are for supplemental feeding.”

On September 7, 2015 I received the following response…(bold added)…

“Hello Susan,
Thank you for your interest in our product.
Almo Nature products can be complete or complementary (supplemental feeding).
All the complete dry or wet foods comply with the FEDIAF guidelines. Currently we don’t sell complete dry or wet foods in US, but our nutrient profiles comply also with AAFCO requirements, since they are quite the same.
Feel free to contact us for further informations!

Regards,
Alessandro Gori
Almo Nature Pet Food”

(Note: FEDIAF is the European Pet Food Industry Federation)

Same day (September 7, 2015) I responded…

“Thank you for your response. Yes – I do have a few more questions. Your website states 60% wet food (your food) plus 40% dry food 100% equals balanced nutrition. Can you provide information of how you came to that calculation? My concern would be cats not getting enough nutrients using this system of feeding. So if you can provide your information of how this style of feeding would be complete and balanced it would be appreciated.”

Today (September 11, 2015) I received the following response…

“Dear Susan,

We take the chance to go a bit deeper in Almo Nature philosophy to explain it better !

Nutritional requirements may vary considerably from cat to cat, even among animals living in the same house and having similar habits. This wide variation among individual animals can be due to intrinsic factors (age, breed, body size, body condition, temperament, health status or activity), as well as external ones (ambient temperature, housing conditions, etc).

Complete products are adequately supplemented with vitamins and minerals, so that each recipe can meet all cats’ nutritional needs in a single meal. In terms of nutritional profile, complete recipes may be given every day, for the cat’s entire life span.

However, Almo Nature does not recommend this dietary approach as the unique source of nutrition, because it lacks the full nutrients variety which contributes to every cat’s wellbeing. We should not forget that each cat has different needs! Let’s just think of our cats behaviour and we’ll realize how much nutritional needs can change pretty frequently, for example in winter time, cats tend to stay at home and nap in a warm place, while they are more active in summer. Different behaviours mean different needs and the diet should be adjusted accordingly. This is why one recipe, even if complete, may not always be the most appropriate choice.

Complementary products – as per definition – are not enough to meet a cat’s nutritional needs in a single meal. But this is what actually happens also to us, humans: we are not concerned with every single meal to be complete, because we balance our diet and overall nutrition rotating among different foods and nutrients (meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, etc).

Almo Nature recommends a nutritional advice based on rotation to grant the cat a wide range of different nutrients, as it would have found in nature.

The percentage of wet (60%) and dry food(40%) originates from cats’ nature: cats are carnivores. Their natural prey and diet mostly consist of mice and small rodents.  Both have a body mass containing 70 to 80% water. This is why cats lack a natural instinct to drink water: they satisfy their water needs from their prey. And this is why we adjusted our nutritional advice accordingly, to respect and be in tune with their nature, with a diet « from their point of view ».

Almo Nature’s feeding advice allows each of us to adapt our cat’s diet to his lifestyle and habits ensuring hydration and a complete mix of all food sources. Furthermore. Almo Nature nutritional advice is based on FEDIAF and AAFCO feeding guidelines.

Best regards,
Alessandro Gori
Almo Nature Pet Food”

And finally I responded with…

“I still don’t understand how you can say that your product would provide a cat with a complete diet when fed with 40% dry food. I attend AAFCO meetings and hold advisory position to the Pet Food Committee and the Ingredient Definitions Committee of AAFCO. I am not aware of any AAFCO feeding guideline that suggests a supplemental food can be added to a balanced food (at a 60/40 ratio) and the diet be considered complete. If I’m missing something, please let me know. Please provide the AAFCO documentation that backs up your suggested 60/40 feeding recommendation is within regulatory feeding guidelines.

I am very concerned that pets eating a diet as you suggest would be missing required nutrients. Your advice to consumers is what I consider as reckless. The nutrient requirements established by AAFCO are based on research performed by the National Research Council. The nutrient requirements are not based on ‘satisfying moisture needs’ of a cat. Moisture needs and nutritional requirements are both important to cats – but your advise to pet food consumers is neglecting the nutritional requirements.

Your website and your suggested feeding recommendations on your labels should be changed immediately. I also suggest, if your company truly cares about the health of animals consuming your food, that your company issue a press release alerting consumers that the suggested 60/40 feeding ratio could result in health concerns in some pets due to lack of a balanced diet.

I will be reporting this issue to FDA and to my Florida Department of Agriculture (yes, I’m that concerned about your feeding recommendations).”

 

The Almo Nature website does not make the same feeding recommendations (60/40 = balanced diet) for dogs, only cats. If you are feeding your cat this pet food, please be aware that it does not include all the required nutrients. The pet food is meant for supplemental feeding – 60% of the diet does not = supplemental feeding. If you are feeding your cat this pet food as instructed by the manufacturer (60% Almo Nature + 40% dry food) and you have noticed any health concerns with your cat – please report the issue to FDA. You can do that here: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm.

 

I did report this concern to Florida Department of Agriculture and to FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine Office of Compliance. I hope that one of these authorities will take action.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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44 Comments

44 Comments

  1. Shannon Latzke

    September 11, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    I had quite literally just sent Almo Nature an email asking for a TNA on a DMB for their cat foods when this email came through. So glad I saw this article!

    • Grizelda

      April 4, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      All the vitamins, minerals, taurine etc added to cat foods would be found in a natural diet. The reasons for adding these supplements to commercial foods are because some foods contain cereals and other plant derivatives which are not part of a natural cat diet, and do not contain taurine etc, and also because a variety of animal-based food is required so as to include all the essential nutrients for cats. The Almo recommendations therefore seem entirely reasonable to me in that the dry food is supplemented, and a variety of animal-based complementary food is also recommended. My teenage cat does very well on this type of diet.

  2. Casey

    September 11, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    Wow. As a raw feeder, I understand their “philosophy”, but philosophy does not equal the science of the situation. And Almo knows that mice are not the same as canned food – there’s a lot more intact vitamins and amino acids in a raw mouse.

    Is there a legal definition of “supplemental”? Because sixty percent of the diet isn’t it.

    • Susan Thixton

      September 11, 2015 at 12:49 pm

      The AAFCO Official Publication (the rule book) does not include a definition of supplemental feeding, not sure if FDA has any specifics on exactly what supplemental feeding is either. But either way, I agree with you – 60% is not supplemental.

      • orfan

        September 12, 2015 at 2:40 am

        I don’t know, but it may be a state-by-state definition: “Under most state pet food regulations, there are four categories of pet foods: snacks & treats; intermittent or supplemental pet foods; complete & balanced pet foods and special purpose products.”

        http://petfood.aafco.org/Labeling-Labeling-Requirements#definitions

    • Trouble

      September 12, 2015 at 10:01 pm

      I believe that to be considered “supplemental” feeding, it can be no more than 10% (possibly 15%) of the pet’s diet…. But I’ll have to consult my resources on that. I’m pretty confident though that that’s what the general guideline is when it comes to supplemental feeding of anything.

  3. Diana Farrar

    September 11, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    After reading their ingredient panel, it’s a true concern as they have absolutely no taurine listed, nor any sources of taurine. If only used as a “topper” fine, but as 60% of a cat’s diet? I really hope they move quickly on this one – this is flat out dangerous!

    • Barbara Fellnermayr

      September 11, 2015 at 2:00 pm

      Hi Diana,

      Taurine only needs to be listed as an ingredient if it is synthetic. Taurine is naturally found in the heart, so if you add the appropriate amount of heart (as my company does) you don’t list taurine as an ingredient you list heart. 95% of the world’s supply of taurine comes from China. So for all you pet lovers, if your food contains synthetic vitamins and minerals the food is neither natural nor local.

      • orfan

        September 12, 2015 at 2:29 am

        1) From AAFCO’s website: “The minimum percent of crude protein and crude fat, and the maximum percent of crude fiber and moisture are always required….Guarantees for other nutrients may be required to support claims made in labeling (such as “High in calcium and vitamin A”), and you may include voluntary guarantees for other nutrients.”

        2) Even if AAFCO doesn’t require it, it makes sense to list taurine for cat foods especially so consumers can better assess what and how to feed.

        3) If you read the ingredients of the Almo foods (the Legend cat food, as shown in Susan’s photo, above), they just list “chicken”, “chicken breast”, or even “chicken drumstick”. Not a lot of chicken hearts (or other other animal organs, etc.) in the foods. So even if your company’s doing the right thing (and congrats if it is), Almo looks like it’s not.

  4. Lori S.

    September 11, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    Thank you for this! The “natural” label can be used to mislead consumers just as much as any other label. And a food “philosophy” is not the same as complete nutrition!

  5. Karen Jones

    September 11, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    My pets and I thank you for all you do.

  6. Sage

    September 11, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    While on the subject of ‘foods’ for cats and dogs that do NOT meet minimum standards –
    how can Evanger’s get away with selling this VEGETARIAN product – especially for Cats? Where’s the usable PROTEIN ?? http://www.evangersdogfood.com/?p=20101

    • Pacific Sun

      September 13, 2015 at 4:59 am

      Write to them and ask, they’re very good about answering questions. Unless there’s an instruction to supplement with a meat protein not sure how this recipe could be complete and balanced. By the way, there is the same amount of “protein” in THK’s Preference recipe (which is naturally occurring), but of course there are instructions all over the box saying that protein must be added.

  7. Sally Roberts

    September 11, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    Lord I am so very tired of these pet foods companies . Every time I see a commercial I wonder what percentage of it if not all they are lying about !! They do not care about what is good for the animals, it is about the $$$, shame on them but I am sure they all sleep really well in their huge mansions !

  8. Lisa

    September 11, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    I didn’t know what claims the website was making until now.

    I have used this food. if you READ the can itself, it does say for supplemental feeding only. It is just meat and water/moisture. Actually looking and smelling like what it is suppose to be, chicken/tuna. It is meant as a treat or topper for a balanced diet. That is what I took away from reading the labels over a year ago and use it for. If used in this way, I don’t see a problem.

    That’s what I learned from this website. Not to take any claims at face value and to read labels and research food.

    • orfan

      September 12, 2015 at 2:36 am

      And I think that’s the problem Susan’s point out – you read the labels and are able to use your common sense to realise this is a topper or a treat.

      The company’s website, however, says: “Almo Nature Legend contains 71 to 76% meat or fish cooked and preserved naturally in cooking water (24%) and nothing else.” And a few sentences later: “Almo Nature recommends to feed cats all types of meat and fish in moist and dry food (60% and 40% of the total volume, respectively) to guarantee the intake of all the necessary nutrients.”

      Further: “it is a modern food that is as close as possible to the natural foods eaten by wild cats.”

      These quotes, to me, make it seem like they’re recommending feeding this canned product as the majority (literally 60% by volume, as fed, I assume, on a wet-matter basis for the canned food) of your pet’s diet. The last statement doesn’t make a lot of sense when you imagine cats on ocean trawlers fishing for shrimp, salmon, or tuna; cats digging up and being able to access clams, or even wild cats stumbling across fortuitous plates of cheese to feast upon.

      If you get right down to it, even the “water sufficient for cooking” is a bit odd once you remember that wild cats aren’t typically in the habit of cooking their food, in water or otherwise.

    • Katy

      April 27, 2021 at 3:26 am

      I agree! I feed my coon cats raw, for the most part! They should never eat dry food!! All cats should ever eat is meat – no veggies at all…

      I use the meat only HFC Almo food as a tasty supplement to the evening raw meal, which goes down a treat. All I give the cats is the Sardines and the Chicken. They smell like real food because, I believe, they are. No grain. And plenty of liquid, which is also good.

  9. Tracie

    September 11, 2015 at 9:47 pm

    What’s astounding to me is this woman’s response to you – not only filled with grammatical and sentence structure errors, it doesn’t even answer any of your very direct questions.
    She basically states that her company’s cat food is not a complete food.
    Definitely a major concern for anyone feeding this food exclusively to their cat(s).
    It will be interesting to see how the FDA and FL Dept of Agriculture follow up on this.

    • Katie

      February 6, 2016 at 4:55 pm

      The response is from an Italian man. There are errors because English is not his first language.

    • Marina

      May 8, 2017 at 9:24 pm

      Also Nature is italian. It is interesting how Blue Buffalo and Nature’s Variety still sell their products after FDA found plastic in their food .. Looks like FDA can’t do anything… and somebody just gets bribed once a while??? http://www.petful.com/brands/blue-buffalo/ http://www.petful.com/brands/natures-variety/

  10. Penny

    September 11, 2015 at 11:43 pm

    I’d never heard of this product before this article popped up on my news feed. I checked out the website and for me there are red flags everywhere. Who ever writes their copy has some poor grammatical skills but more unnerving is the lack of coherent information on the products themselves. If you are cooking a product how are you preserving the natural nutrients? There doesn’t appear to be any organ meats and what about bone? So obviously not AAFCO compliant and only a supplemental food. this sounds like a foreign company masquerading as a US company. They state that they taste test the products on pets in Europe. They use a lot of big words and try to sound smart but all they accomplish is saying nothing of any importance about their products, the manufacturing processes or their quality controls. I wouldn’t fee this to my cats or my dogs.

    • Marina

      May 8, 2017 at 9:26 pm

      and what cat food brand do you use now?

    • Marina

      May 8, 2017 at 9:31 pm

      you know, US cat food is really far from being good. Nobody from Europe would masquerade to be a US company. Again I see an example of American arrogance. Take a look at scandalous recalls of BLUE buffalo, Nature’s Variety, or terrible Iams with their cruel tests, etc. So please think thoroughly before making such conclusions.

  11. Marijke

    September 13, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    As a professional cat sitter I always warn my clients that while this food is quite good to have as an addition to other (preferably wet food), it is not suitable if it amounts to more than about 20% of total calories. ‘Luckily’ it is quite expensive and it comes in 70 gram cans, so in my experience there are not many people that feed their cats 60% of the total amount of calories in this wet food.
    But how do they define 60% anyway?
    Do they mean 60 grams of dry food versus 40 grams of wet food; then the ratio in terms of total calories would amount to approx 10/90 wet/dry. Because most of their wet food is very low in fat (one of the reasons it is not suitable as complete food).
    So 60% of total calories, for an average cat that consumes 200 Kcal is about 210 grams of Almo wet food (3 cans).
    But 60% as in 60 grams of wet food, is about 10% of total calories, which is OK.
    Sometimes I feel they don’t really understand the basics, the amount of calories they list on the label is sometimes also very strange, different from my own calculations based on the label (European).
    However, this food is great as an aid in a weight loss plan and for adding some high quality protein to a diet, but you have to be quite savy to apply it in the right manner, and their own information is not always correct…

    • Marijke

      September 13, 2015 at 1:24 pm

      (sorry third paragraph I meant 60% WET food versus 40% DRY food, I switched them by accident).

  12. Margarat

    September 16, 2015 at 4:44 pm

    I met them several months ago when they were visiting to get our store interested in their food.

    They provided this same percentage spiel when they presented the food to us then, and I told them that didn’t add up and thus we wouldn’t be carrying their food. It’s too confusing for the average pet owner, and there’s really no excuse for presenting it in that way.

    For those of you questioning the grammar – they are Italian, English is not their first language.

  13. kat

    February 19, 2016 at 11:06 pm

    I’m from Europe, and I used to feed this food all the time! Yes, it is expensive but it is super high quality – human-grade and looks and smells good enough to eat. Cats love it and it contains plenty of moisture. However, it is, indeed, almost exclusively muscle meat, so not a complete diet. If someone had the kind of money to feed their cats exclusively on this, they would definitely have to supplement. I don’t remember this company advertising the 60% / 40% thing in Europe, I think this is probably aimed at the US market because there are so many kibble feeders here…
    I personally think it’s wrong to trash this food, though, as it is definitely one of the highest quality foods out there. I do believe the company is indeed Italian – I don’t see them trying to mask that and pretend to be American? Why would they, I think I would trust a food item from Italy over one from the US??

  14. Shayda

    July 18, 2016 at 2:04 am

    Susan,

    Thank you for everything you do.

    Would you mind making a recommendation for both cat and dog foods that in your opinion, do offer a complete balanced diet and meet all standard nutritional needs? I have done so much research and have yet to come to a decision that I feel comfortable sticking with for my cat and dog.

    I greatly appreciate your genuine care and concern for our pets.

    All the best!

  15. Fabienne Lawrence

    August 4, 2016 at 1:13 pm

    I was going to bring Almo cat canned food to my store. Now I am not going to.

    • Kat

      August 5, 2016 at 10:10 am

      That’s a shame because it is GREAT food! Plus, most people probably wouldn’t feed it exclusively due to its price anyway. Just educate your customers!

      • Fabienne Lawrence

        August 5, 2016 at 11:32 am

        The food is made in Thailand. The representative said that the chicken and the fish were free range. I do not believe it is so, and that is why I canceled my order with them.

        • Go H0

          June 9, 2018 at 11:37 pm

          it sounds like you were never going to bring it to your store in the first place….

  16. babrial

    September 20, 2016 at 2:45 pm

    Hello!
    Almo nature is the best natural all meat cat food I have ever fed my cat! She is 7 years old and in perfect health because of eating Almo nature as a
    complete food. She eats 2- 3 cans of Almo nature daily since almost 3 years now.
    Before Almo she ate dry food and slowly became very ill, off and on vet visits for allergies, ear mites, hotspots and urinary infections and 5 pounds overweight. Desparately trying to save my cat, I sought natural foods and found this wonderful Almo! It is the BEST!
    My cat lost her 5 pounds of excess weight and no longer has any of the before mentioned problems.
    Americans would be so happy is find Almo available. My English may not be perfect but I wish all cat foods, dry or wet were this good! Bravo Almo Nature and Thank you for saving my cats health!! This is the Truth about this petfood!! 🙂

    • Fabienne Lawrence

      September 20, 2016 at 3:57 pm

      Gabrial, your cat might be “okay” now, but in a few years, after feeding Almo, your cat’s health is going deteriorate and you are going to spend $$$$ in vet bills. Almo is NOT a balanced meal at all! There are no added supplements, not even Taurine.
      The claim that Almo is a balanced meal is unfunded. It is all a marketing technique that lures pet owners to buy their food.
      Check out the differences between Almo’s simple ingredients and this sample ingredient list of another brand:

      Chicken, Chicken Broth, Vegetable Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product, Porcine Plasma, Dehydrated Chicken Liver, Fenugreek Seeds, Chickpeas, Calcium Carbonate, Parsley, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Kale, Dandelion Greens, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Turmeric, Ginger, New Zealand Green Mussel, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Magnesium Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Folic Acid

      Check out catinfo.org and educated yourself about your cat’s health and nutritional needs.

  17. Fabienne Lawrence

    September 20, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Gabria, in addition to the comment I posted above, I highly suggest that you feed your cat Rad Cat, which is the best food on the market for cats. It is A BALANCED MEAL!
    Cats are 100% carnivores and as such they should be fed raw pet food.

    • Marisa

      June 30, 2018 at 2:43 pm

      I don’t agree at all and it is very dangerous to advise someone to do this when you know nothing about the cats being given the food. I had a cat who was in his final years and not very well as many cats are near the end of their lives. (And this was not through eating any specific food). I thought I would try him on a raw diet because I read a lot up about it and it seemed a good thing to try if all the writing is to be believed and I wanted to try and help improve his diet and hoped it was help prolong his comfort and health. There is a very strict hygiene code when using and feeding raw diet to animals. I followed the instructions to the book and my cat within days of eating this became very, very sick. I rushed him to the vet and they said t me that they had seen a number of animals, dogs and cats switched onto this diet and they were very sick with it and it is not recommended for many animals who are used to everyday cat food simply because they are not wild. As much as it is said that it’s how a cat should eat as that’s how they would eat naturally if they were outdoors living wild, cats who have been indoors and not used to this kind of food, even although I gradually introduced it in small amounts, can still not tolerate it and great care should be taken.

  18. babrial

    September 20, 2016 at 4:40 pm

    Americans no longer seem to have a natural take on foods. Most people never even take the time to identify all of the dangerous chemicals in their chewing gum. Check it out if you dare. My cat has never been healthier. The fact that I may select any additional ingredients is a plus for my cat. Your issue is getting rid of what yours doesn’t want or need. Here is to the health of our animals! Thank you for your input. Long live Almo Nature!

    • Reader

      September 20, 2016 at 5:49 pm

      I go absolutely crazy when (within 4 clicks) a PF manufacturer’s website doesn’t list the ingredients in a product. It makes it necessary to search all over their website.

      Almo doesn’t provide a technically clear “Ingredients List” (just their Recipe) which is all protein and water. To find more definitive information I usually go to Chewy.Com. Where a buyer is provided with a full description of most every PF product. On that site Almo admitted an “IMPORTANT NOTE: This [food] is intended for supplemental feeding only. It should be served DAILY along with a complete and balanced diet.” [I added the cap/bold to the word daily, but they capitalized Important Note].

      Nobody understands better a cat’s “complete and balanced” nutritional requirements (according to regulations) than Susan! She lives and breathes this information daily! So if she’s making a point about this food, it’s for a reason, and always for the good of the pet! She doesn’t want Consumers to be misled.

      Almo’s website refers to the natural wholesomeness of their foods. And that on a rotational basis provides a cat “with all the nutrition they need.” Further, that the wet diet 60% of the time PLUS the dry 40% of the time is sufficient. So you could feed (every other day) wet for 6 days, alternating with dry for 4 days but that wouldn’t be complete & balanced, because the wet is missing required supplements.

      What Almo should say in clear language, before Consumers get mixed up in all that text, is that the wet is intended to be a “topper” on their fully balanced dry product. [Of course we also know, cats shouldn’t be eating dry all the time either). So it’s kind of a problem, right.

      From the website:
      Almo Nature is simple: Real tuna. Real chicken. Real salmon. Real ingredients. Just using freshly prepared, high quality ingredients, with no additives, no colorings and no thickeners. A pure food that provides the cat with all the nutrition they need, as they would in nature. Naturally rich in taurine, vitamins and minerals, there is no need for artificial enhancement. Almo Nature’s nutritional advice to cat owners is twofold: 1. Alternating protein sources to ensure a balanced and varied diet for your cat. Different protein sources will offer different benefits and nutrition; therefore by varying the offering to your cat, you will be giving them the best possible combination.
      And alternating both dry and wet food (is sufficient) to provide a complete diet.

  19. Lisa Caplan

    September 22, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    I am wondering if this is chain is still active. It is my understanding that muscle meat has naturally occurring taurine. It is also my understanding that cats do not need to have much taurine to have enough taurine. Thus, is it really a stretch that feeding 60/40 would cover the taurine needed?

  20. Linda O.

    November 29, 2018 at 10:44 am

    Doctors will always tell you that vitamins naturally occurring in fresh foods are better absorbed and used by the body than synthetic chemicals from China. Technically, you could mix a Chinese vitamin pack with cement and meet the required nutritional profile of the AAFCO. It amazes me that people are impressed by added supplements when all it says is that there is no nutrition in the actual over-processed food, or they would have to balance each flavor with different amounts of the vitamins for fish or beef, etc., to avoid overdosing on Vitamin A or D for example. Almo, while lightly processed and not “fresh,” may offer lower vitamin amounts at intake, but if even 80% are absorbed, the pet gets more nutrition than from a “complete and balanced” diet ingested and excreted without utilization. That is why they say Almo, while supplemental, can be 60% of the diet based on required European feeding trails which are superior to U.S. nutritional analysis options. Try eating cardboard and taking a vitamin and see where that gets you. In any case, as of 2018, Almo is now offering a complete and balanced food for U.S. markets. All I know is that all my cats like Almo and eat Almo, and they get no nutrition from what they won’t even eat.

  21. Sibel

    December 3, 2020 at 12:56 am

    Hi there. I realize this article is a few years old and not to contradict, but perhaps to clarify and/or further the discussion, I’d like to mention that Almo Nature has two main canned cat food lines, the Natural line and the Complete line. We’re in 2020, and they’re saying the Natural line wouldn’t provide enough nutrition value for a cat but the Complete line would, therefore they recommend mixing up those two lines while feeding. I was wondering what your thoughts were on that. Thank you!

    • Susan Thixton

      December 3, 2020 at 7:55 am

      I’d have to wonder if mixing of the two foods would result in a balanced food. I’d suggest asking the company if they can provide analysis of nutrients of the two foods combined.

      • Sibel

        December 8, 2020 at 12:07 am

        Hey Susan, I might have used the wrong word (mixing). What I meant was more alternating, say feeding the “complete” foods 80 or 90 % of the time and complementing with the “natural line” for variety. But what you implied, the argument of whether or not that approach would result in a balanced diet still stands and even though they have the analyses of all their foods on the website, I agree with you that it would be unclear what ratio of Complete to Natural would result in a healthy cat. Personally, I stick to the Complete line and feed the Naturals extremely rarely, two or three a week.

      • Stephanie Bentivegna

        December 26, 2020 at 2:23 pm

        I know this is an old thread, but Im desperate and in need of a good turkey or duck canned cat food. Pate and shredded. My cat has a chicken beef and fish allergy and I’m at a loss on what to give her. Raw diets and dehydrated make her very sick, she will not eat home prepared food. She is very picky lol she likes shredded or minced more than pate. Can you give me any suggestions? I would very much appreciate any help. And so would my kitty.

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