Aussie Cat Food

August 16, 2011 5:35 AM

Calling all Aussie (and Aussie savvy) cat lovers. Looking for information on Nature's Gift.

I live in Korea. Korea is not a cat country (aside from the strays). I have two choices of wet food in my local grocery. Whiskas (which I thought I had heard bad things about) and Nature's gift. Nature's Gift is an Aussie brand. I couldn't find anything about ingredients on their website. And when imported into Korea they put a sticker on the back (with that information in Korean). My Korean isn't good enough to make out an ingredient list and we're too busy at work to ask a Korean to take the time to translate.

So, if anyone has any information on the "Chicken with Pilchards" and/or the "Kangaroo" (why do I find it slightly disturbing to be feeding my cats kangaroo?) I'd greatly appreciate it. The other flavors have been deemed eight paws, two tails and two noses down.

Previously I had been feeding exclusively kibble (Royal Canin Hairball) which is all my vet carries (aside from Rx food) but The Princess aka Gidgette decided to have random puking episodes (everything looks normal but a borderline low/normal BUN and a lowish ALT. The vet grinds up the meds and I mix it into wet food. The Queen aka Ivory won't go without what the Princess gets. So they split a can of food and get a tiny bit of kibble to munch on during the day.

posted by kathrynm to pets & animals (8 answers total)

I'm confused. Do this and this not have enough information for you? If memory serves, that's the same info that is printed on the tins, though I don't have one in the house right now to check.

(Also, they sell kangaroo in the supermarkets here... for people to eat. That really threw me when I first moved here. So I don't blame you on the being disturbed. Poor Skippy!)
posted by lwb at 5:46 AM on August 16, 2011

I'm sorry, I know nothing about this brand of food. That said, I have two cats that survive very well on kangaroo (well, Scruff won't eat it until it has warmed to room temp, and Bee won't eat it if Scruff is watching).

So, don't worry about feeding them roo. (for people: it's too bloody lean, imho)
posted by pompomtom at 5:49 AM on August 16, 2011

Sorry to waste your time. I swear I looked their site all up and down and didn't see that. I'm a mefi failure. Thanks lwb for your prompt response.

Still kangaroo... I guess I can't talk given some of the stuff we eat here in Korea. Roasted silk worm larvae anyone? (it tastes like what I image chewing on a tree branch would taste like)
posted by kathrynm at 5:59 AM on August 16, 2011

Sorry to waste your time. I swear I looked their site all up and down and didn't see that

Rereading my response, I swear there was no snark intended! I just wasn't sure if you were wanting more detail (like perhaps exactly what the 'gelling agents' were, or something.)
posted by lwb at 6:05 AM on August 16, 2011

No snark taken. I feel foolish because I must have missed what was in front of my face. :-)

Can I blame my migraine?
posted by kathrynm at 6:10 AM on August 16, 2011

Don't be surprised about Australia exporting Kangeroo meat. The quota for commercial kangeroo kills was 4,023,798 in 2010, almost 15% of the wild population of the four harvestable species.
posted by joannemullen at 6:21 AM on August 16, 2011

If you wouldn't think twice about feeding your can venison in the US don't think twice about feeding them roo. Its a similar lean meat, very healthy and tasty if cooked right.

The roo used in commercial products are harvested by licensed shooters in accordance with a strict code of practice, not to say that we don't have people that roo hunt for fun, but the ones you buy commercially will have been quickly and probably much more kindly than animals in a slaughterhouse. One minute eating grass one evening, they get spotlighted for a second and freeze going hey whats that light and then its over.

Honestly think of kangaroos as you would deer in the USA. They fill the same ecological sort of niche, and have huge expanded numbers because of human encroachment, they just breed a lot faster because they can have 3 babies on the go at once at different stages of development and are much more drought tolerant.

Ok I didn't mean that to be so long. Also in answer to your question, when I lived in Australia I fed my cats both brands of cat food over the years and never had any problem with either. If you are worried there are lots of good sites only with recipes to make your own cat food, which is very easy as long as you make sure they get enough taurine (I think that's how you spell it) in their food.
posted by wwax at 8:11 AM on August 16, 2011

Cats love Kangaroo meat ... seriously ... it is really gamey and lean.

Dogs too.

And it is cheap.

(smells terrible though)
posted by jannw at 8:51 AM on August 16, 2011