Limited Ingredient Diet Kibble

I have an 8 year old cat who has been having some pretty serious GI issues. We always struggled to keep him under 14 lbs, but during his last episode he registered as 11.5 with no change in appetite/cat feeder changes. This has been very concerning. We’ve had labs and imaging, with no real answers. While we’re still trying to figure out exactly what’s wrong, our vet suggested Instinct rabbit based food in case chicken sensitivity is an issue. We gradually changed/mixed in as directed. And all 3 cats seem to really like the new food. The cat in question has had some more interesting litter box deposits than the other 2, but that’s likely just due to whatever is going on, not just because of the diet change. They’ve been on this for about a month now, and I think we’ll stick with Instinct for the time being. PROS: -limited ingredient list -cats are just as excited about this as their previous food -higher quality -notably softer coats CONS: -Price -Largest size of rabbit protein food is 10lbs and I’d personally like a 22lb bag -stinky food- smells like fish food -foul feces odor (I literally have to take it right out after the sensitive one goes number 2. He’s always had smellier BM’s than the other two. I still don’t notice the smell of theirs even on this food.) I’ll take a happy healthy cat and a stinky litter box over constant vomiting and pain. All the cats have softer shinier coats since switching. And sensitive kitty’s stools are a little firmer with time, but still notably softer than with the other food. The other cats’ BM’s haven’t changed outside of color, but that’s likely because of the color of the food. Other observation: the kibble in the bigger bag is smaller than the kibble in the smaller bag we used as a trial. I prefer the smaller size so I will continue to purchase the larger bag.

One of my two cats started itching her neck nonstop about 4 months ago. I took her in to the vet and they treated as a hot spot, then later ran tests and bloodwork when she wouldn't let it heal. They suggested I book an appointment for a dermatology specialist, who was booking 3 months out with a $400 exam fee. Knowing they likely would put her on an elimination diet, I decided to start the work on my own while waiting for the appointment. I gave her ONLY this food and between weeks 3 and 4 she was back to normal! I was able to cancel the appointment, get my deposit back, and my girl is happy and comfortable again! I've determined that she developed a chicken allergy at 2.5 years old. Luckily she isn't a picky eater and has no problems trying new foods. The bad: this stuff (specifically the Rabbit) smells FOUL coming out of her. Living in a small city apartment, it really takes a toll on how the home smells. I am going to transition her to the salmon version in hopes that keeps her skin happy and my home smelling nicer.

Finally a food that works with my cat's IBD. He vomits on everything, including Ultamino, Hydrolyzed food from the 3 major Rx Food companies, and Novel Proten diet. I'm an RVT and these diets usually work. So, I did months of research of clinical trials and discovered that some cats stomachs and bowels become inflammed in the presence of carbohydrates. Cats do not need more than 13% carbs, ideally much less. Cat food (wet and dry) is packed with carbs. With prescription dry foods over 50% carbs. I would get the cat who's sensitive to carbs... and poultry. This food is one of the kibbles with the lowest carbs on the market (aside from Tiki Cat), plus they really only use one source of protein. My cat had never had rabbit before, so I chose this one. Almost an immediate improvement in vomiting, and after a few weeks, he didn't vomit anymore. The Royal Canin wet food with rabbit has less carbs than this brand of wet food, though. The only negative is that it's really expensive. However, I think it's worth it for cats with special requirements. He developed small cell lymphoma (usually happens with cats w/ IBD), and was on chemotherapy and steroids for a year... and this food. He is a year off the meds and cancer free. He's 16yrs old and still kicking butt and taking names.

Love the quality and ingredients of this brand. But man, my wallet does not 😭 My cats do love this kibble so I will continue to pay for it. My older cat has a protein intolerance to chicken so it has been the only dry food she can tolerate. Also, I don't like how small the kibble is. Neither one of my cats chew it well and I really wanted to give them kibble for the dental "benefits" (I guess that's how kibble works. So much mixed info out there. But I digress). So it sorta defeats the purpose. But I do think this is a good quality dry food and especially for my older girl (12 y/o) who needs the extra calories.

BUYER BEWARE!! I purchased this item 2 weeks ago. Upon feeding it to my cat, I immediately noticed a darkening of my cat's stool (black). Plus her stool was EXTREMELY STINKY! I passed it off as her digestive system adjusting to a new product. I also noticed she would burp after consuming the product. Again, I thought her system was just adjusting. However, over the course of several more days she went from pooping just once per day to anywhere between 2-4 times in a 12 hour period. In the latest incident this morning, which by the way was the "last straw", she pooped 5 times in an 8-9 hour period. The first was firm, 30 min later it was soft . 7-8 hours after that she had flat out diarrhea (2X), accompanied by excessive howling and finally vomiting. I then began reading some of the negative product reviews and discovered others have been experiencing the same issues. I wish I had read them before purchasing this product! My guess is that the product must be contaminated with some toxins, pesticides, antibiotics, or growth hormones depending on where the ingredients are being sourced. I believe Instinct needs to step up and have their product tested by an independent lab and issue a recall before someone loses their cat because of this "so called" cat food. Sadly, I have to issue a "1 star" rating, because Amazon's system won't permit me to issue anything less. However, my TRUE rating of this product is "0 stars". This is the response I received from Instinct today (10/8/18): Hi Stacy, Thank you for reaching out to us. The first thing that you mention is darker stool, this is actually very normal for the LID Rabbit kibble as it is a very dark meal and will often turn the stool an extremely dark color; this is safe and normal. When introducing a new food we recommend doing a slow transition to avoid any stomach upset or loose stool. We recommend slowly increasing the amount of new food being added to the present food over a period of 3-4 weeks. This normally looks like 1/4 of the new food with 3/4 of the old for the first week and then increasing to 1/2 and 1/2 the next week and so forth until after about 3-4 weeks, your pet is fully transitioned to the new food. If any digestive upset or loose stool occurs, make the transition more gradual. With all of our products, we utilize robust systems to ensure the quality and safety of our foods. Our quality control and quality assurance programs include but are not limited to: Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP’s), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s), A Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) Program, Lot Segregation, other human food industry best practices, and High Pressure Processing (HPP). At every point in the process – from raw material receiving to finished product – there are quality steps and check points. Raw materials and finished products are routinely tested. The manufacturing plant and any warehouses where the product is stored are also inspected on a routine basis. We are confident that we produce high quality, safe products. All of our rabbit is antibiotic-free with no added growth hormones. MISSY | Consumer Engagement Specialist

I have a cat with an autoimmune disease. Not just plastic, she’s also allergic to fish. I dare you to find a cat food that has no fish. Or fish oils. Or fish omegas.

This is the food Phoebe Buffay was referring to in her Hit single "Smelly Cat". I have never smelt poo so rancid in my entire life. And that's coming from someone who's been in the medical field for nearly 15 years and a lifetime of over 30 years of being a cat Mom. My 3 were on this food for due to 1 of them having food allergies. I know it takes a while for tummies to adjust, but after over 3 months eating it there was no relief on the smell or the bad gas it gave them. Not all foods are for every animal, so take this review as you'd like. Instinct is a great brand, just not fit for my kitties with this recipe.

My cat is older and has tummy problems- so far seems to like it

Been feeding both the Rabbit and the Turkey flavours for the past 2 years, and the cats still look forward to this food everyday.

家の猫ちゃんはアレルギーが あって何を食べさせたら良いのか？ 試している所です。 ウサギフードはそんな中でも アレルギーがないとの事で食べさせてみたら、美味しそうに食べてくれます。少し便も緩めになります。 便もとても臭いますが 美味しく食べれてくれるので 嬉しいです

アレルギーを持つ猫のために購入しました。何種類かのアレルギー専用の餌を並べても、この餌だけ完食します。食いつきがよく、お通じもバッチリです。もちろん定期便を使ってます。

70.00 for a 4.5 pound bag is ridiculous. I would like to send this back please.

ほとんど食べない。