Customer Reviews

Evolution Cat Food 10lb Bag

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Unfortunately most people are ill informed about vegan cats, including most veterinarians.

Wild cats are in fact obligate carnivores. However, in domesticating the house cat and bringing it into our homes we have effectively removed the cat from its natural prey of mice, insects, birds, lizards, and other small creatures. During the past 100 years or so, as the human food industry was searching for a way to salvage and use all the waste materials from its processing lines, it came upon a wonderful solution. Lets boil it all up and dry it out and add it to the food we make for cats and dogs. As a result, the vast majority of commercial pet foods contain what are euphemistically referred to as the four D's, dead, dying, disabled, and diseased animals, along with other quite undesirable materials. Quite frankly, if you are feeding this junk to your pets, you are effectively poisoning them. We are seeing diseases in pets today that we have never seen before because of the wide variety of contaminated ingredients that are finding their way into the food we feed our companion animals. You know "garbage in, garbage out!"

Now the issue here is not meat; it is about providing all the essential and non-essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and vitamins and minerals that are bio-available to the particularly unique physiology of felids (cats). The quality, quantity, and availability of these nutrients can come from any source, and for those of us who are vegan, the best source is vegetable based.

Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of cats around the world live quite well on one of the several available vegan cat foods that are recognized as nutritionally complete. I personally have had 3 1/2 years of experience in feeding the Evolution kibble product that this review is addressing. It is a high quality product that is AAFCO certified as nutritionally complete for all life stages in cats. Not only is this product safe to feed your cat, but if you follow the recommended feeding procedures, you will find many benefits to both your cat's health and your wallet.

If you desire more detailed information, I invite you to do a google search on vegan cats. I would put my web page information about this issue on this review, but it is against the policy for writing reviews on Amazon.

Just for everyone's edification, I have researched this issue for well over 500 hours, read hundreds of technical papers, visited hundreds of web sites, and have made a commitment to specialize in feline nutrition as part of my Veterinary Technician studies. I probably know more about feline nutrition than 95% of all the vets in the world.

My feline son is a vegan and will remain so because I am absolutely certain that his quality of life will be enhanced by his diet and that this choice will not be a detriment to his health.

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Since writing this review in 2006 I have had a change in position about this particular product after 4 years of personal experience. The manufacturer of the Evolution foods was changing the formulation of the food on a regular basis and during that time I found that the Feline Kibble was not able to maintain the pH level in the urine of cats that was promised on the label and in their literature. At least that wasn't the case with my former feline son and my current feline son. As a result I can no longer recommend the use of Evolution Feline Kibble for male cats. Since urinary issues are different between male and female cats the Evolution Kibble MAY be satisfactory for feeding to female cats. Nutritionally the Evolution foods seem to be fine for nutrients but not necessarily adequate for maintaining the proper pH levels to avoid urinary issues for male cats.

Consequently I am now recommending male cats use the Vegecat pH diet provided by Harbingers of a New Age. My son has been eating this food supplement in a specially prepared gluten formulation I created called a vegan feline roast. It is 50% protein, 30% fat, and 20% carbs and has a moisture content of about 70%. Almost a perfect combination of ingredients to mimic natural prey. My son finds this product to be very palatable and his urinary pH has been consistently at 6.2 for the year that we have been producing and consuming this food. The drawback is that it takes about a half hour every 3 days to make the food and the cost is equivalent to a premium cat food. But on the other hand my son is trim, full of energy at 3 1/2 years, enjoys great health, no longer has urinary tract issues, and no other animal had to die in order to provide my son with life-giving nutrition.

The two little darlings at my home have been eating this particular cat food since we got them from the local shelter at the ripe young age of 6 months. We chose to switch them over to vegetarian cat food for two reasons: 1) both of us are ethical vegetarians, and 2) we could!

We switched them using the same methods vets have recommended when undergoing any change in diet for felines--slowly mixing them together in differing proportions until all that they eat is the new kind of food. In this way the cats do not undergo any kind of indigestion that might cause them to throw up (those with cats already will understand completely).

But what was the surest sign that we were doing the right thing for our cats? Even on the first day, and for everyday it was given to them after, they ignored the meat-based cat food, eating only the vegetable-based pieces from their bowl! Everyday when I went to feed them in the morning, they would be waiting next to a bowl with meat-food detritus, staring impatiently for the vegetable goodness.

As for their level of health, I have literally never known two cats to be sweeter or more active than these. And I don't mean chaotic, but playful, pouncy, and sweet. Is it all because of the food? I can't say to 100% certainty. But know this: when we got the kittens they were shy and scared, seemingly because both only have vision in their left eyes. Now they are more daring than even the most normal of cats.

All this and we don't have to participate in the inhumane practice of feeding waste animals to our companion friends!

My cat has been eating this food since he was a month old, and is now a sleek, highly active and brilliantly healthy 6 month-old. I have never seen a shinier coat on a cat. He is active, interested, talkative and very playful.

I checked carefully to ensure that my cat would be getting all the nutrients he requires from a vegan product, and Evolution's certifications were sound.

I feed him on demand, with a handful of the food as required. I am quite happy handling the food knowing that there are no questionable animal products and other undesirable ingredients that could also sicken me. The food smells great and he loves it.

I transitioned him from a standard dry kitten food, and he was initially reluctant. I had been feeding him the Evolution food after soaking it in a little water, but after I stopped wetting it, he immediately switched fully.

Even if you yourself are not a vegetarian, this food makes sense on all levels. You are guaranteed of high quality ingredients without the horrific waste meat and other byproducts in standard pet foods, Evolution itself is healthy to handle and keep in the house and of course, cats thrive on it!

I started feeding my 6 year old cat this food about a year ago. His energy level has increased and he is more affectionate. He seems like a new cat. His coat looks great and his weight is ideal. I highly recommend this product for every cat!

I was worried.. I have been feeding ferals as well as a princess cat.. she's a hard sell but the ferals gobbled it up (as did racoons and possum).

My cat and the next door neighbours cat enjoy eating this stuff. They were a bit unsure at the start but after a few days they gulp it down with gusto. If they want some fresh meat then they can always eat some hoppers or rodents. I mean what sense is it to continue rapping the oceans for food when we have enough in the plant world?

I know it sounds crazy but how about we stop using rodenticides and start feeding our cats vegan and if they are still hungry letting them supplement their diet with rodents lol!

As a vegan, I try to avoid harming and consuming animals to the fullest extent. For this reason, I fed my cat this product given the recommendation of a good friend. As a result of feeding my cat this food, my cat became sick. Initially, she avoided eating this food at all. I influenced her, however, by mixing this kibble with freeze-dried chicken flakes (I intended on weaning her off of the chicken flakes). While I succeeded in having her consume this cat food, her behavior was strange, as she began begging.

I completely gave up on this product after 2 weeks when my cat vomited after eating half of her meal that evening. While some cats vomit normally, my cat rarely vomits.

While I would love for my cat to become vegan, I believe this is a pipe dream. I am forced to take Peter Singer's position on owning cats, i.e., if a vegan feels wrong about feeding a cat meat, then a cat may be the wrong companion. So, I will sigh and feed my cat a meat based food. If you can recommend a more "ethical" cat kibble, please do, and I would truly appreciate it.

We have been feeding to our cats for a couple of months, and they seem to like it. (The dog also likes it.) We like the idea that it does not have any meat products in it.

This food is economical; because you can (and should) moisten it with water, one 10-pound bag makes 30 pounds of cat food. It's nutritionally complete, fortified with both taurine and carnitine (amino acids which occur naturally in meat, but are usually processed out in the making of meat-based animal foods and have to be added back.)

It is much "cleaner" than meat-based pet foods in which--regardless of what the customer is led to believe--a company can include all sorts of "meat by-products"--hair, beaks, feathers, and even ear tags. Considering that rates of heart disease and cancer among cats and dogs parallel those of their human companions, there must be a better way to feed them. Animals being fed Evolution are regularly living over 20 years now, and with far fewer geriatric problems such as arthritis and heart disease than their carnivore counterparts.

Best of all, cats like it; my young cat has been eating it for several months now and is thriving, with a glossy coat. For variety, I also give him Evolution canned food, which he loves.

My pets (1 Dog and 2 Cats) have been on Evolution Diet for years. Both my cats love the food and have been on it since they were 4 months old. My younger cat was very sick when I brought her home and I was nervous about putting her on a vegei diet until she was well. My Vet uses this product and recommended that I switch right away because it's such a high quality food. Once I put her on Evolution she had a speedy recovery. Everyone that has had contact with my pets have made comments on how beautiful their fur is.