Halo Spot's Stew Natural Dry Cat Food, Indoor Cat, Wholesome Chicken Recipe, 6-Pound Bag

I have fed this to y two cats for several years now but something changed (besides just the packaging) with my recent order. The product looked different and my cats dont want to eat it. Bad as that is when they DO eat it, they soon throw it all up which is totally new behavior for either of them. Incredibly disappointed as I have had this happen with two other Mfgs. They change their drying process or what the food is coated with in drying and this is the results. HATE having to locate another quality product!

After a year on this food, we discovered that the last shipment was quite different from the last 10 bags or so. It’s much darker, and denser (more weight in the same volume) and our almost 2 year old Siberian apparently loves it. When the difference was discovered, I gave him half a bowl of the old remaining from the last bag, and the other half the new: he ate every morsel of the new and didn’t even touch the old. So at least he didn’t reject the unexpected change. The worry is that he will like it too much and, for the first time since he left his mom, not be able to self-regulate (free feed without over eating). Time will tell…Update:It’s now March 2023, and the formula has changed 3 times— and the next appears to be a 4th. There have certainly been formulations he has been more thrilled about than others so I’m really hoping he likes this next one and that it’s the last change for a while. The density of the food (specifically) has been all over the place from bag to bag, and that really becomes a concern as to whether he’s eating the right amount or not. Fortunately, Sheldon is not our picky eater. God forbid Solid Gold ever changes their formula, cause Uncle Fred just might quit eating if it does…

The short version: This the only food my young cats eat. Oddly, they won't touch wet food and it just turns nasty in the bowl. This stuff they eat with gusto and at their one-year check-up the vet pronounced them fit and at their ideal weights. Also, as a human, it smells good, like real food. (Disclosure: I tasted it (just two nuggets) myself. I thought it could use some salt but it tasted, well, kind of good, like chicken. I realize that people and cats have different needs and tastes but I was relieved that it didn't seem horrible.) Anyway, if they are healthy and eating well, I'm happy. Their coats are luscious and their poops don't stink--much!The long version: I thought I was a dog person. I was pining for a puppy but my misguided landlord wouldn't allow it. Instead I started fostering kittens for the SPCA. Turns out that cats are wonderful creatures too and now I'm both a dog person and a cat person! And my life is better because I learned this.Anyway, I fostered several litters of kittens, raising them from tiny little things until they were big enough to be "fixed" and adopted. Every kitten I fostered was adopted within just a few days of their return to the shelter. Except the last two. They were far and away my favorite litter but I dutifully returned them on time and then went on vacation for two weeks. When I came back, they still hadn't been adopted so I went to visit them: they were dispirited, ill, vomiting copiously, and scarcely eating. Of course, I took them home with me.After a week on Spot's Stew, and in a calm environment, they had completely perked up, were eating well, and the vomiting stopped. I tried to introduce wet food but they just weren't interested. In another week, they were back to gaining weight and engaging in adorable mischief. For the last year, this is all they've had to eat and they are thriving. No vomiting, no tummy trouble, no urinary issues.Of course, most young cats thrive once they make it past their delicate kittenhoods. And I don't have enough experience to compare the effects of this food with others, especially in older cats, but so far, so good. So very good!I make sure my cats have plenty of fresh water to drink (and they seem to drink plenty) so I don't worry too much that they don't eat wet food. If this is the only food they will get, it seems to be doing them good. I hope your experience is as positive as mine.

When I switched, I put it out beside their old food to see if they liked Halo first, they never touched their old food again! They loved it!

It’s not easy to review something you haven’t personally tried. Cat food is no exception. Even cats don’t know what they like half the time. So I’ll say this - I’m halfway into the bag and I still haven’t had to sneak any of it into my wife’s cereal, so I’m gonna read that as a “she likes it.” Thus, five stars. I will say too that I like the ingredients, as I stay away from rendered meat products (chicken meal, etc.). As for freshness, I’m not sure how to check for that. The car’s not talking and I’ve never been able to bring myself to tasting it. One more thing, I read that feeding a cat all dry food isn’t a real natural thing. So I feed her dry food in the morning and canned food for dinner. She hasn’t horked any of it up so I’m assuming she likes that plan. I’m also assuming that it’s fresh. Again, assuming…