# Sticky  February 2021 Recommended Dry Cat Food List



## FinnickHog

*February 2021 Recommended Dry Cat Food List*

Again, this is not and will never be a complete list, but I've included as much reliable information as I could find. Take a look at https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html for basic hedgehog nutrition information, and https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/114530-advanced-nutrition-guide.html for some advanced info.

First I'll list some brands that produce consistently high-quality products. Feel free to dig deeper and select a food that meets your criteria from any of the brands on this list. Below, I'll include some specific, hand-picked foods from the broad list that work well in mixes. After that, I'll mention any recalls of note, and then there will be a short list of decent brands available in areas outside North America. Keep in mind that the ideal mix is 35% or lower protein, and 8-20% fat. It should contain named protein sources, quality vegetable (and grain, if included) products, and have had no recalls in the past 5 years.

Remember, individual hedgehog metabolisms vary, and you may need to tweak or adjust the fat content of your mix based on how active your hedgehog is.

The following cat food brands and companies are high-quality, hedgehog-safe choices. Check the fat and protein content before choosing a specific food, but be assured that you're getting a quality product.

Acana
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Fromm
Go!
Koha (Wet foods)
Merrick*
Nature's Variety Instinct
Now Fresh
Nulo
Orijen
Simply Nourish
Solid Gold
Stella and Chewy's (Freeze-dried)
Wysong
ZiwiPeak

*= One Recall in 2020 - unrelated product

*Individual foods that are 35% or lower protein, and 8-14% fat:*
Chicken Soup Classic Weight & Mature Care Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
Halo Holistic Healthy Weight (All 3 recipes)
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet (Tuna or Turkey)
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Line
Now Fresh Grain-Free Senior Weight Management
Simply Nourish Indoor Turkey & Oatmeal
Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken With Lamb & Brown Rice
Wellness Complete Health Grain Free Senior Deboned Chicken & Chicken Meal^
Wellness Complete Health Grain Free Indoor Healthy Weight Chicken^

*Individual foods that are 35% or lower protein, and 15-17% fat:*
Fromm Duck A La Veg, Salmon A La Veg, Game Bird
Halo Holistic Chicken And Chicken Liver, Wild Salmon
Solid Gold Let's Stay In (All Foods)
Wysong (Vitality, Nurture)

*Individual foods that are 35% or lower protein, and 18-20% fat:*
Acana (All Foods)
Chicken Soup For The Soul Classic Adult Cat Chicken & Brown Rice
Fromm Surf & Turf, Salmon Tunachovy
I And Love And You Surf 'n Chick, Poultry A Plenty

^= Ingredients are not as good as other foods on the list, but these foods will work in a mix.

*Notable Recalls (USA/Canada Only):*
In order from most recent to least recent:

Nature's Menu - Dog - salmonella (2020)
Natural Balance - Cat - Choline chloride (2020)
Sunseed - Multiple Species - Salmonella (2020)
Merrick - Dog - Elevated Beef Thyroid Hormone (2020)
Purina - Multiple Species - Elevated Vitamin D (2020)
Hill's - Dog - Elevated Vitamin D (2019)
Wellness - Dog - Elevated Beef Thyroid Hormone (2018)
Blue Wilderness - Dog - Elevated Beef Thyroid Hormone (2018)

*High(er) Quality Brands Available in Other Regions (Based on references from other owners):*

Australia:
Canidae
Taste of the Wild
Wellness

Western Europe:
Addiction
Bravo
Hound and Gatos
Soulistic

Eastern Europe: 
Hills
Wellness

South America:
Hills

References:
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/safety-health/recalls-withdrawals
http://catfooddb.com/
Individual Brand Websites


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## Spiky_Floof<3

What about Blue Buffalo Dry Adult Indoor Grain-Free Cat Food?


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## FinnickHog

Blue Buffalo products ranked in just barely below my quality cutoff. Comparing their old line to their new line wasn't a fun experience. Their quality has decreased since my last post. It's still much, much better than some other brands, but it didn't quite meet my high standards.


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## HenrysMom9117

Is there a particular one you recommend out of these the most?
I'm looking to purchase the "Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Tuna" Or should I purchase a better one?


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## FinnickHog

Anything on the list is great! I'll be feeding my new baby Merrick in a mix soon


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## HenrysMom9117

What do you mix it with?


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## HenrysMom9117

What about "Solid Gold Dry Dog Food; Hund-N-Flocken with Real Lamb, Brown Rice & Barley"? Is that any good for hedgehogs?


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## FinnickHog

Yep, all Solid Gold products are on the list!

I'm going to do the Merrick, along with Nula, and a brand the breeder is feeding.


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## Huffle-Buffy

Would you recommend Nature's Logic? More specifically, DISTINCTION™ CANINE PORK RECIPE and DISTINCTION™ CANINE LAND & SEA RECIPE?


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## Leria

I know it's off topic but since this is your most recent post i wanted to ask you for help in downloading your calculator in a mac. Thank you so much for all your posts they've helped me wonders


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## Faenyx

Been feeding my two "Whole Earth Farms Grain Free recipe with Real Chicken", it's what the breeder fed them on, and occasionally mixed it with "performatrin ultra limited chicken and sweet potato". Apparently whenever my supplier orders Whole Earth Farms they instead get "Merrick Purrfect Bistro Line Grain Free with chicken and sweet potato". We assumed they were the same but I weighed Taya (Been moving so slacking on that :|) I noticed she's gained 50g of weight. I looked and Whole Earth is 12% FAT, Merrick is 17% FAT. 

Do I switch it out? Do I buy a lower fat food to try and cut it? Not really sure what I should replace it with though. I'm at a loss here. Never expected I'd lose access to a kibble, let alone the main one they seem to enjoy.


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## HenrysMom9117

Would anyone recommend Fromm Family GOLD Kitten? it is 34% Protein, 20% Fat. The pet store I normally go to recommended this one to me.


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