Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,
A few weeks ago we tried another CARU product (CARU Classics Chicken & Crab Stew) so this week we thought we’d try the next flavour that was sent to us and see if Kalista likes it! I personally think it’s super important to try different brands and flavours out so you never get stuck not knowing what to feed if your kitty sticks up their little nose and refuses to eat.
We thought Kalista may like the Turkey Stew since most cats that eat chicken will also eat turkey. I would prefer her on Turkey as it tends to spark fewer allergies and since Kalista seems to be a farty little critter, there may be a chance that it’s the chicken that’s upsetting her (although we’d have to do more tests to figure out what the main reason is.) I do hope to get her to eat some freeze dried raw one day like primal just because of the benefits that raw provides, but she didn’t seem interested at all, at least not compared to how interested Beau was. But now the main reason we’re here… CARU!
I apologize in advance if any of this seems repetitive to the other review. I will be covering some of the same topics, but giving some more information regarding the second chance experience and obviously, there are some major differences between the products!
Presentation & Container
I’m still not a huge fan of these types of containers. I will say that it was a lot easier to take the Turkey Stew out of the container since it seemed a bit wetter than the chicken. It could just have to do with the batch, but the Turkey Stew just slid out of the container and didn’t need any extra assistance from a spoon. So yay! I also still immediately put this batch into a container that could be sealed since Kalista is a kitty who likes to frequently walk away from her food/not finish batches.
The Smell
I will admit the Turkey Stew doesn’t smell as good as the chicken to me. It kind of smells like Chicken Soup, which is actually a smell I hate. The hubby was a fan of the smell and I agree that it smells better and fresher than most pet foods. Kalista seemed to like the smell too, although she did a lot more walking away with this food, even though it was past her feeding time. (We came home a bit late that day.)
The Consistency
This mix is definitely wetter than the chicken & crab stew. Again, this could be purely based on the batch, but with this mix, I didn’t really have to add any more water. Kalista was ready to chow down as soo%n as it was out of the container, which is good to see and a good thing to keep in mind when your cat isn’t a big drinker like both of ours are.
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 11.0%
Crude Fat (min) 5.5%
Crude Fiber (max) 1.0%
Moisture (max) 82.0%
Taurine 0.08%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min) 0.50%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min) 0.05%
Comparison from Chicken & Crab Stew:
I’m actually quite surprised to see the fat so high on this Turkey Mix. A lot of times Turkey is the more slimming of the meats in pet foods and is often given to pets as a “diet food” when not fed fish. 5.5% is comparable to a lot of kitten food, but I wonder if it has anything to do with the crab that’s mixed into the chicken. Just something to ponder, and not really anything to be concerned about (unless you have an overweight kitty like our dear Beau!)
Ingredients
Turkey, Turkey Broth, Tapioca Starch, Egg Whites, Sweet Potato, Carrots, Apples, Natural Flavor, Tricalcium Phosphate, Choline Bitartrate, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Dandelion Greens, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate, Iodine Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite).
My Thoughts on the Ingredients
Off the bat, I’m not a huge fan of this mix. The fact that Tapioca Starch is the 3rd ingredient listed and it has shown signs of leading to diabetes and other health problems in cats. It’s commonly used as a binder for kibble and is actually something that cats cannot digest, so I’m actually really confused why it’s used in this wet food as well as the chicken recipe. I guess the fact that it was one ingredient lower in the Chicken Recipe made me feel a bit better, but since it seems to be climbing the chart it triggered my “spidey-senses” and got me a bit concerned. The thing is, you can never really tell how much a product has of an ingredient from lists because they do not have the amount the ingredient is used, but when there are a few ingredients before it does give more of a chance of less of it being used. Wet Foods are usually also marketed as the starch free alternative, so for it to be starch filled makes me hesitate a bit. It actually makes me want to re-review my old post and question how I feel about it. (Funny how comparing products from the same line make you do that.) Otherwise, things are pretty similar and nothing really sparks my radar. I do want to give CARU a shout and see why they use the tapioca in their recipes? It’s obviously as a thickener, but maybe there’s something I’m missing…
As always, I will not claim to be the most proficient animal nutritionist, however, I will say I have received some great training/lectures on animal foods and have done ample personal research.
Extra Perks of the Product
All ingredients are human grade
They are Gluten-Free, Grain-Free & GMO-Free
The turkey has been USDA-Inspected
It has high-quality protein
It has loads of Omega 3 & 6
It has no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours
There is extra taurine for eye health
There are no ingredients from China
It is slow-cooked and smells/tastes like it is homemade
Kalista’s Final Say
Kalista enjoyed this mix, although not as much as the chicken. Sadly this time around as soon as the food was refrigerated she wanted nothing to do with it. We mixed a bunch of kibble inside of it to get her to eat it, which something I hate resorting to, especially because it just feeds into her pickiness. I rate this product a 4/5. I would still say it’s a pretty quality food compared to a lot of the other foods out there, minus the weirdness of the tapioca. It’s better than having a lot of salts but definitely worries me about the sugars.
What are your thoughts about CARU pet parents? Also, has anyone ever had to do a double take on the food that they’re feeding? I wish there was a straightforward answer other than “feed raw”, which I definitely agree with but sadly haven’t had the opportunity/funds to do yet, especially with Beau’s scares with urinary health.