When you’re looking for great cat food at an economical price, the choice of brands is almost overwhelming. On one hand, you want quality nutritional value for you pet, but you also want value without busting your wallet. The brand, 4health, offers nutritional food at a price low enough to please. Let’s look at some background on 4health and then how it stacks up to other national brands.
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About 4health
It’s known by the nickname, TSC, which stand for Tractor Supply Company. Tractor Supply Company had its origins in 1938 selling tractor parts and supplies by mail order. Today, it’s based in Tennessee and in 2004 was named in the list of Fortune magazine’s 100 up and coming business’ with fast growth. They’ve branched out since the early days and no longer just sell tractor parts or supplies. Today pet and farm animal foods, as well as supplies are a top seller at Tractor Supply. In fact, by 2017, the company reported products for pets and livestock added up to 47% in total sales.
One of those brands is 4 health – the store’s brand of pet food. It offers quality ingredients at an economical price. As the brand tagline goes, “Premium Ingredients at a Great Value.”
Sourcing and Manufacturing
The source of 4health is Diamond Pet Food. Diamond is a US-based manufacturer of pet foods. They manufacture other brands such as Canidae, Taste of the Wild, as well as 4health and other common brands. They own five facilities to manufacture pet food across the US.
Where do the 4health ingredients come from? While most ingredients are obtained from the United States, they are other ingredients that are sourced from other countries. New Zealand, France and Belgium provide a small amount of ingredients. A few other ingredients, such as taurine and folic acid, and other key but small ingredients are obtained from China.
Has 4health cat food been recalled?
This is something I always wonder about when trying a new brand of cat food. Yes, 4health foods have been recalled in recent years. While various Diamond brands of pet food have been recalled many times in recent history, 4health has only been recalled two times.
4heath as well as other Diamond brands of cat food, were recalled in 2013. The reason? Thiamine levels that were insufficient to meet current standards.
The second time 4health was recalled, was in 2012. At that time, Diamond brands manufactured in Gaston, South Carolina, including 4heath were recalled. The reason? A possible salmonella contamination outbreak.
So in looking at 4heath’s history, they have less recall issues than other major brands.
What kinds of cat food does 4health offer?
When it comes to cat food there are two types – wet and dry. Happily, 4health cat food gives pet owners a variety of wet and dry choices. They also stress that in both the wet and dry recipes, 4health foods are made with meat listed as the first ingredient. The meat varieties are enhanced with vegetables and fruits to complement the flavor. Their recipes don’t use fillers such as soy, wheat or corn in any of their cat foods.
As well as being made with quality ingredients, 4health food also feature vitamins, minerals and amino acids in each recipe to make the food nutritionally perfect. To further enhance their foods, 4health adds probiotics – which are specific to each species, antioxidants and omega fatty acids. A perfect blend of nutritional needs are met with every meal.
Here are 4health lines:
Untamed® is the grain-free option which includes two recipes of dry cat food.
Grain-Free – 4health’s line of cat food includes thirteen choices – nine recipes of canned food flavors and four choices of dry cat food.
Special Care – this choice is for cats with health conditions. There are two choices of dry food and four choices of canned food to address issues such as: cats with sensitive stomachs or skin issues, or weight managing options.
Original – 4health’s basic dry cat food option – good for all the life stages of your cat.
4health Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
4health Grain Free Indoor Adult Cat Food Review
Ingredients We Liked: Real Chicken, Chicken Fat, Tomatoes, Blueberries for antioxidants
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Powdered Cellulose – wood pulp – Lentils, Garbanzo Beans, Peas
Common Allergens: Some cats may be allergic to chicken
Pros
- Chicken as the first ingredient and other natural ingredients used
- No artificial colors, preservatives – although not sure where wood pulp fits in
- Vitamins, Minerals, amino acids added for a nutritionally balanced food choice
- The only ingredient which might be suspect is powdered cellulose or wood pulp. Many dry cat foods for indoor cats is ‘filled’ out with wood pulp. The reasoning behind this is to help with hairballs and to make the cat feel satisfied and filled while eating. Still this is a chicken based dry cat food which could be helpful in maintaining an indoor cat’s weight while satisfying their nutritional needs.
Cons
- Low in moisture content
- Made from more plant ingredients than animal sources
- Fat content is low – might not make the animal feel full
4health Grain-Free Whitefish, Pea & Potato with Real Turkey
Ingredients We Liked: Whitefish,Turkey, Chicken Fat
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Too little potato despite the name, Pea Protein, Dried Beet Pulp, Tapioca
Common Allergens: Some cats may be allergic to fish.
Pros
- Good balance of food sourced from animals such as fish, chicken, turkey
- There are no added preservatives, colors or flavorings
- Most ingredients are naturally sourced
Cons
- Whitefish – not named to type of fish. Whitefish is a fishery
- Fish meal – what is it
- Cats need more moisture – this dry food doesn’t deliver enough
- Carbohydrate content is too high
4health Grain-Free Chicken Recipe in Broth for Cats Review
The primary protein source in this canned wet food appears to be chicken.
Chicken is a great source of protein and nutrients for cats, making this canned wet food extremely species-appropriate. It is comprised of fresh chicken and includes chicken liver as well as muscle meat. Dried egg is also an ingredient and is another source of animal protein contained in this food. It is unclear whether these eggs are derived from egg processing wastage or from high-quality eggs that are suitable for human consumption. There is potato starch added to this food in order to thicken the gravy.
An additive which is made from hydrolyzed animal tissue is added as a source of ‘natural flavor’. Guar gum is used to stabilize the food, while guar gum is not exactly suitable for cats, in the small quantity found here it shouldn’t cause any negative health issues for your feline.
Ground flaxseed and cranberries are used as a supplement within this food, while fish oil is also added to provide your cat with necessary fatty acids, notably omega-3. Sunflower oil is another source of fat within this food.
This is a complete food thanks to the addition of a multitude of minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
Animal protein is the majority component of this food, along with a moderate amount of fat and a low amount of carbohydrates.
Each 3-ounce can contain a total of 78 calories.
Ingredients We Liked Best: Fish oils, Chicken, Chicken Liver
Ingredients We Disliked: Potato Starch
Common Allergens: Chicken
Pros
- This food is free from any preservatives, artificial colors, and artificial flavors
- It is low in carbohydrates
- Carrageenan is not used as a thickener
- Named meats are used rather than any by-products or meats that are labelled vaguely
Cons
- There are some plant-based ingredients found in this food
What do customers think of 4health cat food?
4health is unique in that it receives almost exclusively positive reviews from its customers. Customers love 4health because as a brand it is fairly priced considering it meets all their nutritional standards. Any negative reviews tend to come from customers whose felines unfortunately experienced gastrointestinal problems after making the switch to this food or whose felines just didn’t like the food.
Positive Reviews
“My cats love this food and seem to be doing extremely well on it. It’s so nice to finally find a high-quality grain free food that is actually affordable”
“Both my Maine Coons absolutely adore this food, while I adore how much healthier it is for them. It’s also great for my pocket at such a reasonable price. Highly recommended!”
Negative Reviews
“I have a multi-cat household and fed them all on the 4Health Grain Free Indoor Cat Dry in the teal and brown bag for 2 years. I have cats aged from 10 all the way to kittens who are under 1 and it initially worked great for all of them, even our 9-year-old cat who suffers with an extremely sensitive stomach. Recently, the packaging changed and it also because very difficult to find this food in stock. I didn’t realize that the formula of this food changed alongside the packaging. My cat with the sensitive stomach started to have issues again and no longer could take to this food. I found that this was due to the addition of potassium chloride to the recipe which is a disaster for any cats who suffer from any digestive issues. I tried to give her a simple adjustment time to see if she could adjust over time to the food again but her symptoms only proceeded to get worse and worse. I have resorted to tracking down small bags of the original recipe where I can and then feeding her separately to the rest of the cats. We spent so much time and money tracking down a food to suit her and get her digestion issues under control so this recipe change has been disastrous for our household”
“While my cats absolutely adored the taste of this food and couldn’t get enough of it, it didn’t agree with their stomachs at all. I originally gave it a try after receiving a voucher from my vet for a free bag. After several days on it they had a lot of gas as well as very loose stools which had never been an issue for either of them previously. I have since switched back to their original food and these problems disappeared again.”
How much does 4health cat food cost?
The cost will vary depending on whether you decide to feed your cat the wet canned food or the dry kibble. The wet canned food is more expensive. If you are feeding an average size cat of about 10 pounds, the dry kibble will set you back at about 24 cents a day, while the wet canned food will set you back about 1.62 a day.
The average economy brands of cat food on the market often contain animal by-products as well as artificial colors and preservatives which you won’t find in 4healths food. The recipe used is 4health is extremely similar to many premium brands but at only a fraction of the price
Verdict: Is 4health a good choice?
If you are looking for an affordable grain free food, 4health is a great choice. While the recipe isn’t 100% flawless, they dodge the biggest issues found in nearly all economy food brands.
There wet food is full of high-quality protein as opposed to animal by-products and also contain no carrageenan. While the dry foods are a little less impressive compared to the wet food, they still have a lot of good qualities and also contain named meats as opposed to by-products, they also don’t rely as heavily on plants as other brands tend to do.
4health is absolutely worth a try if you want to try a meat-based food without breaking the bank.
