Pro Plan Turkey in Aspic Doesn't Fly With Curl Crew
Written: Mar 05 '02 (Updated Mar 05 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Made with real turkey, no grains or fillers
Cons: contains dextrose (a sugar), food starch,"natural flavor", meat by-products
The Bottom Line: Not only would the human be happier if they dropped the sugar, natural flavor, food starch and by-products, the cats might eat it.
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| patriciak's Full Review: Pro Plan Turkey Entrie Canned Food for Cats |
Pro Plan Turkey Entree in Aspic is made with "real turkey", but due to the flavor and possibly the shape of the food, it was poorly received by my taste-tester crew.
The turkey didn't fly out of the food bowl, and I had to hunt to find the cat in my house who would whip out its portable fork and knife and consume the whole bird (uhm, can).
What Does It Look Like to the Human?
Upon opening the can of Pro Plan Turkey Entree in Aspic, I expected to see shreds of real turkey, in a clear to opaque firm jelly (the aspic). Instead, I found diced cubes of tan meat in a thick, tannish gravy. The smell was fairly pleasant, the cubes are small and firm.
What Claims are listed on the can?
The can makes three claims:
1: That it is made with real turkey,
2: That the food is rich in omega fatty acids and taurine,
3:that "Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Pro Plan Turkey Entree in Aspic for Cats provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance of adult cats."
Were the Claims Met?
Based on the first 4 ingredients in the ingredients list, the majority of the food is made of turkey (as a broth, as meat, and with the use of turkey liver).
The Guaranteed Analysis does list Taurine as being present in a minimum of .05% (and 3 of the first 4 ingredients are rich sources of taurine, an amino acid which is found in muscle meats, shellfish and fish).
It is important to note that this food claims to be adequate per AAFCO standards for the "maintenance" of an adult cat - NOT for kittens, pregnant cats, nor senior "catizens".
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min) ...8.0%
Crude Fat (Min) ...4.0%
Crude Fiber (Max) ...1.0%
Moisture (Max) ...82.0%
Linoleic Acid (Min) ...0.25%
Taurine (Min) ...0.05%
Were My Cats Impressed - Did They Like Their Turkey?
1:My most senior taste-tester of the house, Patrick, who is 15 years wise in what he does and doesn't like, licked up all the gravy (carefully, he removed this from around each cube), and refused to actually eat a single cube.
2:Lyra, my gal with chronic cystitis who is treated in part with a wet-food diet, and is a known fuss-budget (er, that is as a "connisseur" of fine cat foods), ate one or two pieces, and pronounced the turkey "not to her taste".
3:Tyler, another senior "catizen" of the house, ate a fair amount of the can, but left some, meaning it was good enough, but nothing he'd growlingly protect for later consumption.
What the Human Who Provided the Turkey Thinks
Pro Plan Turkey Entree in Aspic is not a product I will buy again for my cats. Given the high price per can (75 cents at my local Petco), I expect a premium food for the premium price. Premium to me means not only a food whose ingredients list meets my requirements, it must be edible - as based on the response of my taste-testers.
Pro Plan Turkey Entree in Aspic flunks on both accounts. For a Pro Plan canned food that I do recommend, please read my review of Pro Plan Sardines With Tuna Canned Food for Cats" by cutting and pasting the following url.
http://www.epinions.com/content_55978069636
The Ingredients - A Human's Response
I was very pleased that there are no grains or fillers used in the product, and appreciate that the first 4 listed ingredients are actually turkey, some part of the turkey or at least poultry. However, I do not choose to purchase foods that contain by-products, and when I want to feed my crew a poultry food, I do not want Meat By-Products included as they are in this product. I see absolutely NO excuse or reason for the use of Dextrose (a sugar) in the food, and think that the food should be able to be appetizing and appealing without the use of "Natural Flavor", and that the gravy should be made without Food Starch, which to me, is a filler.
Ingredients: The List
Turkey Broth,Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Liver, Meat By-Products, Food Starch, Natural Flavor, Iodized Salt, Vegetable Gums (Guar, Carrageenan, Locust Bean),Dextrose, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin Supplements (E,A,D-3,B-12),Ferrous Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B12), Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Biotin.
Recommended:
No
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patriciak
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Reviews written: 170
Trusted by: 97 members
About Me:
I will always carry you in my heart, my sweetlings. I miss you so.
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