Not long ago, a new product for cats appeared in the line of Canadian Orijen food - Orijen Cat Fit & Trim Grain Free grain-free food (in literary translation - “slender and elegant”, in literal translation - “possessing optimal physical shape without excess weight”). As you might guess, this food is intended for cats prone to overweight. During the review, we will see what the pros and cons of the Orijen Cat Fit & Trim Grain Free diet are, and how the composition of the food differs from other cat products of the same brand.
The brand’s characteristic discreet packaging design with black and white images of nature is supported by a laconic logo with the silhouette of a running cat and the slogan: “Nourish as nature intended.”
Comparison of Orijen Cat Fit & Trim with Orijen Cat & Kitten and Orijen Six Fish Cat
As a rule, when describing a diet, we do not consider its guaranteed analysis, but in this case it would be useful to compare this special food with the traditional Orijen Cat & Kitten and Orijen Six Fish Cat.
It turned out that the diet intended for weight correction and maintenance contains more protein and less fat (44% and 15% compared to 42% and 20% in conventional feed). This makes sense, since reducing fat will help you lose and maintain weight, and increasing protein will help maintain muscle mass.
Like all Orijen brand diets, Cat Fit & Trim does not contain grain, which is welcome. The manufacturer calls its products Biologically Appropriate and rightly believes that no grains are needed in the diet of obligate carnivores.
Another important principle of Orijen diets, including this food, is the use of the Whole Prey ratio in the diet formula, the name of which can be translated as “whole prey.” When hunting in nature, cats eat not only the muscle meat of the prey, but also its entrails, as well as small bones and cartilage, thus receiving maximum nutrients, and it is difficult to argue with this.
Review of the Orijen line for cats
Most Orijen products are intended for daily feeding of cats of all breeds and age groups. The exception is Orijen Fit & Trim, a reduced-calorie food designed for overweight adult cats. In Russia you can buy four types of Orijen cat food; food called Orijen Regional Red is not supplied to the Russian Federation.
Orijen cat food is available in the following packaging sizes: 340 g, 1.8 and 5.4 kg. Cat & Kitten food is also available in 17 kg packaging.
If you compare the compositions of some Orijen cat foods presented on the American and Russian markets, you can find some differences. For example, the content of meat products in Six Fish and Cat & Kitten food in the American version reaches 90%. This is due to the fact that feed produced at a Canadian factory is sold in the Russian Federation, and feed produced at a factory in the American state of Kentucky is sold in the USA. By 2021, the manufacturer promises to complete the construction of a new plant in Canada and supply Orijen feed with 90% animal raw materials to Russia.
On our website you can compare Orijen cat food with food from other manufacturers. To do this, simply move the cursor over the image of the food in its card and click on the “add to comparison” that appears, then click on the “deferred food” tab in the bottom panel. On the deferred food page, check the box next to the products whose compositions you want to compare.
If you found our analysis of Orijen cat food helpful, and if your pet has ever tried this food, please share your opinion with us below or in the food selection card. Reviews from veterinarians about Orijen food will be especially useful for our readers.
Description of Orijen Cat Fit food by the manufacturer
The ratio of animal and plant ingredients in the food is clearly indicated on the label: 85% of the total volume of the product consists of derivatives of poultry, fish and eggs, and 15% - vegetables, fruits and herbs (85% poultry, fish, egg ingredients, 15% vegetables, fruits , botanicals).
The manufacturer did not forget to emphasize the quality of the raw materials, indicating on the front side of the package: free-run chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish and eggs laid in nests (Free-run chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish and nest-laid eggs).
Let's see if the encouraging description of Orijen Cat Fit & Trim Grain Free on the packaging corresponds to the true composition of the food.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of Orijen food include:
- natural ingredients in the composition;
- content of protein components is not less than 70%;
- vitamin components (fruits, vegetables, herbs);
- clear and completely transparent composition (even down to indicating the varieties of fruit used);
- availability (Orijen food is sold not only in veterinary pharmacies, but also in small pet stores within walking distance).
The disadvantage of the food is its price: any high-quality food, like most super-premium food, is not cheap. In addition, the line of food with this name does not contain wet food (canned food, spiders).
Almost just meat
The first ten ingredients in the composition list are fresh meat and fish (14% fresh chicken, 6% each fresh whole eggs, fresh whole herring, fresh turkey meat and fresh chicken liver and 4% each fresh whole flounder, fresh whole mackerel, fresh whole Pacific hake, fresh turkey liver and fresh chicken heart).
As an analysis of the composition of Orijen Cat Fit & Trim Grain Free shows, in addition to fresh, the diet also contains dried sources of animal protein (4% each of dehydrated chicken, turkey, whole mackerel, whole sardine, whole herring and pollock).
By age category
All Orijen brand products are universal and suitable for animals of any age group. However, it is best to use Orijen Catand Kitten food as a daily diet for kittens. It is based on the following meat components (%):
- chicken – 18;
- turkey – 7;
- flounder – 4;
- herring – 4.
Also added are chicken and turkey by-products, eggs, dehydrated fish fillets, and animal fats. There is a wide range of vegetables, fruits, berries and medicinal herbs. The food is completely balanced and can be used as a daily menu for pregnant and lactating cats.
Quality dehydrates
On the packaging you can find a special instruction regarding dried ingredients of animal origin - they are produced by the manufacturer directly at the factory, by drying fresh meat, fish and poultry at a temperature of 90 degrees from raw materials that are completely suitable for human food.
The manufacturer states that this is the fundamental difference between dehydrates and meat, fish and meat and bone meal purchased ready-made - rendering products. Agree, this characteristic of Orijen Cat Fit & Trim meat raw materials inspires respect, because the developer has the opportunity to control its quality from start to finish, and not just at the moment of adding food to the dough.
Feeding recommendations
The optimal dosage is calculated by the manufacturer and is indicated on the back of the package. According to these recommendations, the norms are as follows (g/day):
- cat weighing 2 kg – 30-35;
- 3 -5 kg –40-65;
- 6-8 kg – 80-100;
- 10 kg – 105-115.
If you are overweight, the amount of feed is reduced by 15-25 grams. Due to the slowdown in metabolic processes in the body, older pets require lower standards. A cat weighing 2-4 kg needs about 30-40 g/day. An animal weighing 5-6 kg needs 65 g, and an animal weighing 8-10 kg needs 85 g/day. The optimal feeding regimen is 2 times a day.
Orijen brand food is suitable for both adult cats and kittens, which is confirmed by reviews from veterinarians. The only thing that experts advise is to choose the right dosage necessary for feeding babies. The following option is optimal:
- age 5-20 weeks – 60 g/1 kg of weight;
- 20-52 weeks – 30g/1kg;
- starting from 52 weeks, they switch to feeding standards for adult animals.
Important! A container with clean water should always be in a place accessible to your pet.
The above standards are advisory in nature. Each cat is individual, so it is necessary to monitor the pet’s well-being and, if necessary, adjust the dosage taking into account the characteristics of the animal.
Animal and vegetable feed additives Orijen
In addition to those listed, the food contains several other components of animal origin, which serve rather as additives - this is 1% each of dried chicken cartilage, dried whole blue whiting and fresh turkey heart, as well as a small amount of natural flavoring ingredients - freeze-dried turkey liver and chicken liver .
Interestingly, the dosage of fat in Orijen Cat Fit & Trim is very small - only 0.5% of isolated chicken fat is added to the food. Apparently, animal fats are quite sufficient in the main ingredients.
As for plant ingredients, Orijen Cat Fit & Trim contains a fairly wide variety of legumes - red and green lentils, green peas, chickpeas, yellow peas, beans, navy beans, but a little bit of each. These ingredients are sources of plant protein, but their volume is not comparable to the quality and variety of animal ingredients.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages include the following factors:
- No grains in the composition. They provide little or no value to cats and are used as cheap litter to create an attractive balance of nutrients. Cereals often cause allergies.
- Optimal meat content (about 85%). Carnivores get more nutrients from animal products. No pure taurine has been added to the feed, which indirectly confirms the increased content of meat components.
- Safety. As a result of research by Roskachestvo, the feed did not reveal the presence of pests, pesticides, substances indicating the use of spoiled raw materials, etc.
- Compliance of the composition with the information stated in the description. No abnormalities were found during the study.
- Presence of therapeutic additives. The feed contains berries, cartilage, offal, etc.
- Availability of hypoallergenic formula. The composition is worked out in detail and selected so that the animal does not have to deal with already familiar ingredients.
The flat shape of the granules is an additional advantage of the food, since cats prefer flattened or grooved pieces
The only disadvantages include the high cost. Please note that Orijen food is not suitable for all animals. Most often, health problems arise when switching from foods that contain less meat. The lack of a wide range is a relative disadvantage, but in reality it is unnecessary for holistic-class lines.
What did you put in for digestion?
Fiber isolated from lentils and apples serves for proper digestion, as do very microscopic (less than 0.5% each) additions of table and butternut squash, carrots (both fresh and dried), as well as fresh zucchini, parsnips, collard greens, spinach, beet greens and turnip greens.
The diet also contains fruits and berries - fresh apples and pears, whole cranberries, blueberries and shadberry berries, and some herbs. There are so few of these ingredients in the food that you shouldn’t pay special attention to them; the main thing is that this is the basis of the diet.
Orijen Cat Fit & Trim also contains enterococci (probiotics, beneficial bacteria) and chicory root (a prebiotic that serves as food for friendly microorganisms). Both help optimize the balance of microflora in the intestines of cats.
It is very unusual for the industry that there are only three separately added mineral and vitamin supplements in this food - these are the most digestible chelated forms of copper and zinc, as well as choline chloride. The sources of all other essential substances, according to the manufacturer, are the main ingredients of the diet.
Manufacturer
Champion Petfoods, which manufactures and sells the Orijen line of food, was established more than 30 years ago. The founders set their goal to develop and promote to the masses an international guideline for pet nutrition that would be as close as possible to their natural needs and would not contradict the rules and regulations in nutrition that had been in effect for many years.
Orijen products are manufactured in compliance with all the principles of carnivore nutrition (and cats are carnivores, which some manufacturers seem to forget): meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, vegetables, spices and plants. All components are purchased from local farmers and undergo strict pre-selection.
Champion Petfoods produces another holistic food - Acana.
Rating Orijen Cat Fit & Trim Grain Free
A wide variety of animal protein sources makes the food rich in taste and amino acids. The only negative is that cats prone to food intolerance should introduce it into their diet with caution. Among the abundance of different sources of animal protein, there may be a component that will cause a negative reaction.
For the high content of high-quality sources of animal protein, this diet receives a special bonus of 5 points from us. The overall rating of Orijen Cat Fit & Trim Grain Free is very high.
The undoubted advantages of this grain-free diet are the maximum transparency of the composition list, the indication of the percentage of all key components, the complete absence of grain, a large proportion of a variety of fresh animal protein sources and a significant predominance of animal ingredients over plant ones.
Conclusion
Orijen is a cat food whose composition is close to natural. The high quality of the ingredients used in its production is beyond doubt.
The production technology, aimed at maximizing the preservation of all nutrients, is worthy of the highest ratings. But do not forget that each animal is individual. Even the highest quality food may not suit him. Consult your veterinarian and carefully monitor your pet's condition when you start giving him a new food.
We recommend the food for purchase.
