As with any change to a pet's diet, the possibility of a transition issue does exist. We recommend mixing half current canned food with half of the grain free (or food containing ground brown rice depending on what you are switching your cat to) for a period of 3 days.

The three varieties listed above that were previously grain free are now no longer grain free. There are two reasons for this:

1. We have heard from many consumers that these particular seafood varieties have been too mushy in their consistency. So to amend this issue, we added ground brown rice to the formulas to firm up the product and give them a better mouth feel and texture for cats to enjoy.
2. We would like to be able to offer our customers choices of foods that best suit their particular pet's needs. So, we now have options for our customers – you can now choose grain free varieties or varieties that contain ground brown rice.

Yes, six of our canned cat varieties have always been grain-free, though we have never called this out to our consumers. So, we are now calling this fact out on the can labels. At the store shelves you will see a burst on the applicable canned packaging that says "Grain-Free" on the following varieties:

• Chicken
• Beef & Chicken
• Turkey
• Turkey & Salmon
• Chicken & Herring
• Kitten
  

There are three seafood varieties that contain ground brown rice and those are:

• Chicken & Lobster
• Salmon & Trout
• Sardine, Shrimp & Crab

We chose to use only natural preservatives that come with benefits beyond preservation. Our combination of mixed tocopherols, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid on our panels per AAFCO) and Vitamin E preserve the food but also provide additional antioxidants that scavenge free radicals and prevent cell damage.

Transition is defined as the process of moving a cat from their current food to a new food over a period of several days. The change in diet may be made for many reasons including: age, life stage, special needs, or due to product enhancements.

Cats have very different digestive tracts than dogs. Cats have much longer digestion periods which allows them a greater tolerance to changes in their food. While Wellness is ideal for a cat's system and most cats switch diets seamlessly; however, some cats may have an adjustment period. It is important to gradually introduce a new food to your pet by mixing it with their current food. When changing your cat's diet, gradually mix food over a 5-7 day period, increasing the daily amount of the new food added, so that you are feeding 100% new food by day seven.

If for any reason you or your cat aren't satisfied with our food, just bring the unused portion, packaging and receipt back to the place of purchase for a full refund or exchange.

Rice serves two main purposes for these formulas.

Nutritionally, rice helps maintain proper magnesium levels. Magnesium Levels were one of our driving concerns when formulating this new recipe because of FLUTD, UTI, FUS concerns in cats. Magnesium comes from a variety of ingredients including grains and protein. We have made every effort to control magnesium by carefully controlling all possible contributors to magnesium! Of all the grains/carbohydrates rice is lowest in magnesium. This is why we selected white rice. It simply has the bran layer removed.

Taste-wise, rice improves palatability over any whole grain selection.

Chicken fat contains high amounts of the polyunsaturated fat, Arachidonic Acid (AA). AA is one of the essential fatty acids required by cats. Little or no AA is found in plant sources and must be derived from animal sources. Cats require AA but are not able to synthesize it on their own (vs. dogs that can synthesize AA when Linoleic acid is present in their diet). Cats must consume it from an outside source. This is one of the main factors that make a cat an obligate carnivore!

Because Chicken fat is from a meat source, it is also highly palatable to cats. These new formulas are 3 times more palatable than our previous Wellness and can now compete head to head with the premium engineered diets. Olive oil, although a plant source, is very healthy mono-unsaturated oil. Olive oil is used in combination with our other sources of fatty acids to support the proper Omega ratio for a healthy skin and coat.

The #1 concern in cats are FLUTD/UTI issues. Cranberries & blueberries are the only natural sources of a specific tannin (tannins are astringents found in plants) that prevent harmful bacteria from thriving in the urinary tract. An overgrowth of bacteria (aka infection) has been cited as the cause of UTI issues. There is extensive research validating the benefits of Cranberries (all forms and especially cranberry juice) and advocating that cranberries can decrease the incidence of UTI and prevent reoccurrence. Our Triple Cranberry System is made up of 1). Whole cranberries 2). Cranberry extract (super concentrated source) and 3). Cranberry fiber (also highly concentrated). These 3 sources of cranberries’ vital tannins are a powerful combination in our continued fight against UTI for cats. Some competitors may include cranberries in their ingredient listing, but not at a quantity that would have an impact on UTI as our Triple Cranberry System will.

We called it the Triple Cranberry System because cranberries are almost always associated with urinary tract health by the consumer. Urinary tract health claims are considered drug claims by regulators.

Tomato pomace was added to contribute fiber to the diets, where needed. Of course Healthy Weight and Indoor Health require fiber for specific purposes, where the Complete Health Chicken and Kitten Health formulas needed just a little more fiber. The Complete Health Salmon diet did not need tomato pomace since it had enough fiber in its recipe already. Every diet is different and is balanced based upon the specific ingredient matrix/recipe of ingredients.

Our diets may be good for cats with diabetes; however, insulin dosage is directly related to carbohydrate amounts in the food. An insulin prescription is determined by a veterinarian. If a cat is diagnosed with diabetes, veterinarian input is needed. Showing their veterinarian our Nutrition Facts - Typical Value will help them determine the best course of treatment for a cat.

No. The reason is that our flaxseed is cooked as part of the overall recipe. The common reaction to seeds is when they are consumed raw/whole and the outer hull/shell is attached. Since our flaxseed is cooked into the recipe and absorbing moisture it is more digestible than raw seeds.

If an owner starts with the given feeding instructions, the cat will lose weight gradually. Rapid weight lose is not healthy for cats. In our research studies, cats lost 2-3% weight over a 10 day period. If an overweight cat continues to feed Healthy Weight for weight loss, they will continue to trim down in a healthy manner. Please always note that results are dependant on each cat’s metabolism and activity level. At the point a cat reaches a healthy body weight, they can switch to the feeding program for weight maintenance, which is outlined on the bag.

Weight loss is achieved through a combination of feeding more fiber (since it is indigestible) and by lowering the fat (which contributes the greatest amount of calories). Our levels provide a formula that supports healthy weight loss for the cat.

Whitefish meal is a special protein source that is extremely low in magnesium. Whitefish meal helps balance the nutritional needs of a cat by optimizing minerals such as magnesium and calcium. Every diet is different and requires the right balance of ingredients to achieve the best nutritional solution. In the case of Healthy Weight, the ingredient matrix required a fish meal that was very low in magnesium and ash to meet our guaranteed analysis.

Carnitine, or L-carnitine, is a vitamin-like compound made in the body from the amino acids lysine and methionine. It is found in animal-based, not plant-based, sources of protein. It has been used to help with fat metabolism in other species and recent scientific work indicates that it helps reduce weight in overweight dogs and cats.

This water-soluble substance attaches to fatty acids, transporting them into cellular mitochondria (part of the cell that converts fat into a usable form of energy) where they are broken down through oxidation and converted to energy for all tissues including the heart, liver and skeletal muscles. Through this process, carnitine helps reduce storage of body fat and the amount of fat in the blood stream.

Just as important as losing weight is rebuilding cartilage in hips and joints that have been overburdened by excess weight for a period of time. The Wellflex System is a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin that are both proven to support and build healthy joint cartilage.

Indoor cats tend to be less active than cats that have access to the outdoors (even if access is limited). Our goal was to provide a diet that would help support a healthy body weight for a less active indoor cat, but not necessarily encourage great weight loss. For consumers that require a weight loss solution, they should be directed to our Healthy Weight product to reduce to their ideal body weight and then switch to our Indoor formula for maintenance of the ideal weight.

Although weight loss is not a goal of this formula, carnitine, or L-carnitine can be beneficial in supporting the indoor cat’s metabolism and the weight maintenance challenges of a less active cat.

Carnitine, or L-carnitine is a vitamin-like compound made in the body from the amino acids lysine and methionine. It is found in animal-based, not plant-based, sources of protein. It has been used to help with fat metabolism in other species and recent scientific work indicates that it helps reduce weight in overweight dogs and cats.

This water-soluble substance attaches to fatty acids, transporting them into cellular mitochondria (part of the cell that converts fat into a usable form of energy) where they are broken down through oxidation and converted to energy for all tissues including the heart, liver and skeletal muscles. Through this process, carnitine helps reduce storage of body fat and the amount of fat in the blood stream.

It is important to keep the level of fat low for this diet because fat delivers the calories. We chose not to include chicken fat to maintain the calories to facilitate weight loss. Cats on our Healthy Weight diet are still getting a substantial supplement of Arachidonic Acid from the fresh chicken and chicken meal, but not at the same level as the other formulas. This is a win-win for overweight cats!

Yes, kittens that did not have sufficient lysine experienced slower growth. In a 2004 study, found that oral lysine greatly reduced occurrence of feline herpes virus type 1, the main culprit in upper respiratory disease, common to kittens. We guarantee that our kitten diet supplies the right amount of lysine to mitigate the risk of abnormalities associated with lysine deficiency.

No. Kittens are much less sensitive to developing FLUTD. As reported in a research study, cats that were 1- 2 years of age were 67 times less likely to develop calcium crystals and 11 times less likely to develop magnesium crystals.

Even though this is not a concern for kittens, our new Kitten Health diet was formulated with the same urinary tract health benefits as the other formulas in the Wellness Dietary Solutions line.

The Indoor and Healthy Weight diets appear lighter in color than other formulas. This is due to the inherent lighter color of oat fiber in these diets.

Since cats are obligate carnivores that need protein to survive, there is no upper limit on the amount of protein they can consume. So, high protein diets are not threatening to the long-term health of the animal. However, what may be an issue are the excessive fat and mineral contents that come along with the higher protein, especially when fed in concentrated dry form on a daily basis. Since these new grain free, high fat, high protein diets have not been fed over the long term, we simply do not know how cat’s bodies will react over time.

This is why Wellness created CORE as more thoughtful balanced alternative in high-protein, grain-free nutrition. We have carefully managed fat and mineral levels through the quality and quality of ingredients we use, while still delivering the high meat content that certain cat parents are looking for.

In the animal kingdom, both cats and dogs are in the order Carnivora which includes Carnivores and Omnivores as well as limited examples of Herbivores. The term “obligate” in front of carnivore, simply means that cats need meat because their bodies are built to thrive on it and they do not do well without it. Cats physically require many nutrients that are naturally found in meat. Arginine, taurine, methionine and arachidonic acid. These nutrients are not found in plants or vegetables. Additionally, they can utilize protein and fat more efficiently than dogs, so higher levels of protein are not an issue for cats.

Yes. Our fat level runs about 4% less than the leading competitor cat. Less fat helps promote a lean, healthy lifestyle for the cat by delivering fewer calories from fat. We sought to deliver a diet that was high in protein without needing to drive up fat. Higher fat is sometimes used to help boost palatability; however, CORE is more palatable than the leading competitor, even with fewer calories.

We keep the fat level down by choosing lean protein sources (a.k.a. lean high quality meats). Additionally, the good news is that our CORE Cat is more palatable than the leading competitor without using unnecessary amounts of fat!

CORE’s protein is all from meat – 5 different sources to be exact. Over 80% of the diet is comprised of meat. This is the most meat possible in a dry cat food that can still be extruded.

There are no NRC/AAFCO guidelines on what level of carbs is appropriate for cats. Protein, fat, carbohydrates and other nutrients are presented on a percentage basis all adding up to 100%. When you lower the carbohydrate percentage, something has to take its place. In the case of CORE this is meat.

On a percentage basis CORE has 4% more carbs than the leading competitor because we use 4% less fat. So, in essence, the leading competitor is using their 4% higher fat percentage to replace their 4% lower carbs. We believe in the providing lower fat to the animal for long term health. Based on this nutritional information the inclusion levels of carbohydrates are actually the same, so our carbohydrates are comparable to the leading competitor.