Nature’s Variety Instinct (Grain Free)
Rating: 
| Price: $$$$ | Website
Natures Variety Instinct Grain Free
The Nature’s Variety website states that a “pets instinctive nature is to eat more meat, poultry, and fish, and less grain”. This is especially true for cats who’re carnivores through and through. From looking at most products in this range they certainly hold true to that statement, with masses of meat content.
This review is for the Instinct Originals Rabbit Meal Formula, but other formulas (Chicken, Duck and Turkey, and Salmon) are on par.
The first four ingredients in this food are meat products. What makes this food really stand out is all four of these meat products are in their meal form. That’s fantastic! We have rabbit meal and chicken meal which is great, backed up by salmon and herring meal which is fantastic. The latter will be a great source of nutrients and omega fats as well as protein. The protein content of this food sits at 40% which is really good.
Next in line we find tapioca. This is often used as a substitute for grains as a source of carbohydrates. It also helps bind a kibble. An upside of tapioca is it’s biochemical simplicity, as unlike many grains it’s not known to cause any allergies in dogs or cats. On the other hand, the carbohydrate content in tapioca contains a high proportion of sugar, second only to sugar cane (read this excellent article by Wysong). I think it works as a good ingredient in this food, with so much protein and nutrients provided from other ingredients.
We find some excellent ingredients throughout the list, such as pumpkin seeds and alfalfa. The food seems well thought out and I can’t really fault it.
Where to buy?
What’s good about this food….
Excellent range of meat meals in the top four ingredients, with well thought out vitamins and minerals throughout.
….and what’s not so good.
Nothing worth mentioning, but be aware tapioca has a high sugar content.
Ingredients:
Rabbit Meal, Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Pumpkinseeds, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Tomato Pomace, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Pork Flavor, Sunflower Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Blueberries, Cranberries, Peas, Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite), Inulin, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae), Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract, Freeze Dried Rabbit (including Freeze Dried Ground Rabbit Bone), Freeze Dried Pork Liver, Freeze Dried Pork Heart, Rosemary Extract.
Other products in this range:
- Instinct Originals Chicken
- Instinct Originals Duck & Turkey
- Instinct Originals Salmon
