Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet, Natural Wet Cat Food, Grain Free Recipe - Real Rabbit, 3 Ounce (Pack of 24)

Talk to your vet, but this is a decent alternative to some of the prescription-only single-protein cat foods used for cats that develop protein sensitivities. The ingredient list for the rabbit variety stands up well in a side-by-side comparison with the Royal Canin rabbit-based cat food. It's not quite as pricey as the prescription foods, but still more than double the price of some of the more traidtional cat foods. But you'll rest with comfort knowing it has high-quality and, more importantly, consistent ingredients. There's no generic "animal by-products." That's the catch-all for basically random animal proteins in other cat foods, which can lead to a cat being healthy with one batch, and unhealthy with the next.

I went on the Natural Cat care blog and researched the healthiest foods to feed my kitten. We first tried Tiki cat canned chicken and at first she would eat it but then decided, "nope, not gonna eat this". I wrote to another brand on the list of best foods and they wouldn't send me a sample. I wanted something I could buy locally and just try before ordering a case! Petco had this food by single cans. I bought 1 each of the duck, lamb and turkey. My now 7 month old kitten liked all of them but will eat an entire 3.5 oz can of the turkey in one sitting! The turkey is also considerably cheaper than the duck or lamb. Our local Pet Supplies Plus will price match if I order a case from them but the amazon price for the turkey was the best I found and easy enough to order this when I need something else to qualify for the free shipping with a $35 order. There is controversy about the special clay in the ingredients but with all the research I did it seems not harmful and possibly beneficial in removing toxins. Bottom-line she is actually eating it more than her beloved Origen kibble (on the best dry foods list) and a predominantly wet food diet is healthier for cats.

Buffy was diagnosed with atopic dermatitis and placed on a prescription diet. The prescription is too expensive for my limited income. I found a replacement for it and this is it! The 3 oz. can is perfect for Buffy and no food is wasted. I also treat him to the pouch that accompanies this particular recipe. I use it as his dinner meal and, again, he loves it. We have not had any outbreaks of the dermatitis condition since switching him to the Instinct Limited Ingredient (Rabbit) and I can afford it. He is a happy camper and so am I.

My cat loves this food! We are currently working through an elimination diet for food allergies and she can only eat rabbit for animal protein. My vet and I agreed to try limited ingredient rabbit foods that I could purchase at the store rather than prescription due to the cost and lack of quality ingredients in the prescription pet food space. While this is not cheap, I really appreciate that fit the needs of being limited ingredient and only having one animal protein. The options for this are limited - many have fish oils or New Zealand green mussels which make them NOT a limited ingredient food so I'm grateful to have this one as an option. My cat is also currently eating foods by Rawz and Koha which are higher end, but she likes this one best. I appreciate that the Instinct cans always have the correct amount of food (by weight in grams) - the Koha and Rawz cans are always slightly short. My only complaint about this food is that it has pea protein. I personally don't think pea protein is a healthy choice for cat food; however, I will still buy this for her food rotation since it meets the most important standard of being limited ingredient and my cat enjoys it so much. For me this is a big enough complaint that I'm taking a star off just for this. I've had no issues with texture or dryness - the overall quality of each can seems consistent. Overall this is a really good choice for a LI diet food for a cat with allergies, especially considering the options are so limited.

WARNING: Contains VOLCANIC ASH, recognized carcinogen, heavy-metal-laced toxic material given GRAS status in 1977 for use in FOOD CONTAINERS ONLY, not allowed for human consumption. This is the same review I have posted for the other verified purchases of this brand's products, applying to both the dog and cat food containing Volcanic Ash, also commonly called Montmorillonite and Bentonite Clay. I found this food brand on Dog Food Advisor, a site I love and trust, even today, and began using the Instinct Rabbit, Duck and Lamb for dogs and cats, the canned varieties, with my cat and dogs. We first used the food over a year ago, with health consequences we are still attempting to figure out. However, after a few months of dedicated, exclusive dietary use for our cat, she went into liver failure. The dogs became ill and are recovering after withdrawing the food. The cat's condition is difficult and, unfortunately, we don't know how that is going to play out but our vet is hopeful. Years ago, we had an incident with a different cat and a different food, garlic causing Heinz Anemia. We thought that was irresponsible, using garlic with dogs and cats when they are not human and cannot ingest the same chemicals. This makes that look like nothing. Montmorillonite Clay, also called Bentonite Clay and, most commonly, called Volcanic Ash, is a substance comprised of various minerals and toxic metals. The circulating folk wisdom is that this substance has an ionic charge that makes it impossible for the high levels of toxic metals and radioactive isotopes found within to leach from the ash into your system. Basic chemistry throws this out the window. What is worse, ionic charge is not the issue. Acid leaching is the issue. In the same way that acid in Orange Juice will leach lead from a leaded crystal goblet and that tomato sauce will leach lead and other metals from clay cookware and clay utensils, the human stomach, with a pH of around 3, will leach from Clay/Ash. A dog has a pH of 1.5 to 2. A cat has a pH of 1. Again, this chemical soup is not allowed in human food, with our less acidic stomachs, because our less acidic stomachs will leach lead and aluminum and arsenic and mercury from this toxic substance. Our bodies, in response, will sweat metal, excrete metal in our waste, store metal in our fat, all in an attempt to rid ourselves of what we have ingested from a less acidic stomach leaching less of the heavy metals in this than our dogs and cats will leach. When we went to our Veterinarian and then to our Internal Medicine Specialist, they each had us discuss all possible issues, all supplements and foods, as we are very into holistic medicine. Both honed in on the same issue almost immediately. The Instinct brand of food uses Montmorillonite Clay (Bentonite Clay, Kaolin, Ash, what have you) and this is poison, simply and plainly, an active poison. This substance was last evaluated by the FDA in 1977. As stated earlier, it was declared to be GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) for use in packaging (in the cardboard itself, as a drying agent and in silica packets) but was not declared safe for use in food. In other words, it is not technically legal to use this in food. In 2016, the FDA warned a company that had started selling this clay for human ingestion to stop doing so and warned consumers that it is not safe, due, primarily, to lead contamination and the high likelihood of lead poisoning. No research was done into the effects of the clay, whether or not anyone got sick, and I have been informed that none will be, as the warning was given and the consumer has access to all the information they need in the GRAS database. Basically, the FDA leaves it up to you and me to look up this chemical and be smart enough not to ingest it. And, still, here it is, in cat and dog food. Ash or Clay is made up of Silica, Aluminum, Lead, Uranium, Mercury, Arsenic, etc. It contains radioactive isotopes, lending to the ionic charge that some people cite as the magic that will stop your body from absorbing these and other chemicals upon ingestion of this toxic substance. There is a belief that the ionic charge of clay makes it safe, keeping the lead and aluminum from being absorbed by the body binding them. This is, forgive the expression, bunk. Ionic charge is unrelated to acid-leaching. In Mexico, during a tragic time when children were dying without explanation, it was discovered that clay cookware was poisoning them. Ionic charge did not stop leaching of metals into acidic foods and it will not stop this from leaching into your baby's body. The worst part of the issue with this additive, not including what is happening in our family, is that we all have different tolerances and our bodies will react differently to this toxic substance. Some can ingest this for years before developing cancer or liver failure. Some, with weak livers or weak immune systems, will get sick immediately. Animals with sensitive livers will often turn up their noses at this food brand, from what I was told, because they learn the taste of metals, the substances that make them feel ill. The radioactive isotopes weaken the immune system, as does lead, as do many elements in the clay, such that cancer and immune reactivity syndromes can occur, along with unexplained illness and repeated infection. Liver failure is only one possible consequence of ingesting Volcanic Ash and it can occur months or years later, as exposure is cumulative. The way that the body purges itself of metals is complex and involves multiple organ systems, including the skin. Our bodies will even resort to storing metals in our fat cells when the metals can't be purged safely. We end up with metal deposits in the brain. In studies, Montmorillonite Clay was found to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause cell lysis (cell death) but, oddly, not in cancer cells, which don't seem to mind the substance one bit. Had our girl not had this reaction so early in our use of Instinct pet food, we could have poisoned all of our dogs right along with her, over the course of who knows how many months or years. Our vet said that "idiopathic liver failure" is often attributed to food additives years after animals have died, by owners who remember using a product that contained a substance the industry no longer uses. Most companies stopped using Ash after it was found to cause cancer and liver failure. Instinct changed the name and assumed that none of us would figure it out. The FDA, notorious for allowing dangerous substances in food and cosmetics, does not allow Volcanic Ash, Montmorillonite Clay, Bentonite Clay, Kaolin, etc., in food, for the obvious toxic danger it poses, an issue we have known about for decades. If this substance is unsafe for human consumption, with our less efficient acid-leaching stomachs, then this substance is more unsafe for dogs and still less safe cats than even their beautiful siblings. Please understand, you shouldn't be giving this additive to any animal, ever. I rarely say, in the absolute, that you should never use a product. However, this entire pet food company should be off limits until they remove Ash/Clay from their products, remove, not rename.

Glad I got it

My cat has been eating Instinct LID turkey 5.5oz cans for more than half a year. It helped her get recover from itchy skin. When we presented her these smaller 3oz cans, she refused to take it. Not a single lick. We noticed that the cans had some dents (as like the big cans), but there was no leak, so we presume the contents are not compromised. The contents smelled a little different from the bigger cans; smelled more like pork ?! Other than that, the consistency of the pate was fine. Very disappointed that my cat wouldn’t eat these smaller cans at all. It’s such a waste of food to throw it away night after night.