Halo Holistic Dry Cat Food, Cage-Free Chicken Recipe, 6 lb

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.

I switched cat food a couple of years ago for my 2 "girls". Halo doesn't have all the fillers and non-essentials that other food has. The only problem I have is that my girls are getting pudgy (OK-very pudgy), but that's not Halo's fault, it's mine. I don't have a lot of resolve against 2 cute little faces sitting in front of their bowls, mewling. But the Halo food is good and there seems to be a lot less digestive problems (as cats will have from time to time). The girls just had their yearly checkup and they are in great health (except for the pudginess), so I will be sticking with the Halo. It's really nice to have it delivered. Halo is a little hard to find, especially since I live in a rural area and have to travel quite a distance to get it. So, being able to order from Amazon is a plus. I have started adding a little of the Halo wet food in with the dry food (just for one of their meals) to up the moisture content, although they do drink enough water. But, they don't prefer the wet food at room temp. - would rather have it after it's been refrigerated, strange, but it works. They love it, vegetables and all. And as I mentioned in another post, my cats go outside and they get a lot of their protein "on the hoof" :-} . Update 9/5/11: I forgot to order as I was running low and with the holiday slowing down delivery, I realized that I would run out. I bought some Purina kitten chow (thinking it might be easier on their stomachs) and slowly mixed it in with what I had left of the Halo, hoping to stretch it out till I received a new bag. It's only been 4 days (hope the Halo comes tomorrow) and one of my cats is already vomiting. She's not one that has a sensitive stomach, but this stuff is not doing her any good. I can't imagine not buying Halo for them. Even when the budget is tight, I buy Halo - the peace of mind is worth every penny and I know my "girls" won't get sick.

My 14 yr old cat has been eating Halo (previously Pet Promise) since we adopted her as a 6 week old and she is still beautiful, thriving and going strong. She loves both the dry Halo Spot's Stew and sometimes canned pate (which we add water to for increased hydration). In 14 yrs. she has never been sick and rarely goes to the vet (only for annual shots). On the Halo diet, she has no allergies, no itchy rashes or other skin issues, and no stomach/digestive issues; she has beautiful silky soft fur, clear eyes, and overall excellent health. I tell all my cat friends to buy Halo! Since the packaging recently changed I thought the formula had changed and I was a bit distressed but I had a nice chat with the Halo pet people who assured me the formula hasn't really changed except to make it even better and more easily digestible. They were very responsive to my inquiries and I am reassured that Halo is as wonderful as ever. Please don't ever stop making Halo, I don't know what we would do! Thank you for keeping our kitty in such good health as our low (almost non-existent) vet bills will attest to! I highly recommend every cat and dog owner try Halo pet food.

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…

My cats really do love this food and I love the ingredients and the smell, it really does smell good! I did so much research, trying to find a dry cat food that I could trust and feel good about giving to my cats. What a relief to have found a cat food that is actually good for cats! No easy task nowadays. My cats look incredible, shiny fur and so on and their litter boxes never smell awful after they leave a deposit in it, hardly any odor at all and no problems with loose stools, not even in the beginning. Now, they were on a higher quality cat food before I chose Halo Spot's Stew but if you were transitioning from a low quality brand I'd not go too fast, just in case. It takes time for their systems to adjust sometimes. My cats adjusted very quickly, no problems at all. But slow is better, just in case, and also to give the food a fair chance. My cats have been on Halo for almost three months now and I really am glad that I chose to try it. :-)

Based on my cats reaction, its too good. I have a small persian cat, she is very petite under all that fur. I was feeding her Wellness Core formula grain free cat food, and I would fill her bowl maybe once every two days or so. The bowl holds almost 2 cups I would estimate. I think because it was focused on protein, she ate just a little at a time and was satisfied. I fill up her bowl daily with this stuff. I'm positive she has put on weight, although her fur is growing after her last cut as well. She mewls at my bedroom door early in the morning if her bowl is even close to empty. She has become quite a fat little pig. I haven't noticed a new shine to her fur, but her stools are looser than with the other food. I may go back to the Wellness brand due to that fact alone, as cleaning her litter box is now doubly bad, as eating more=pooing more. However, price point considered, this is a better deal. We'll see.

This food was a godsend. My oldest has bad allergies, this food replaced his vet food and he has thrived. He was a runt, and the poor thing can't handle "regular" cat foods. Most regular cat foods are garbage, and not good for cats anyways due to the ingredients. So I refused to feed my other kitties trash food. I'm glad I found this food, as my oldest boy has gained weight, and his coat is gorgeous. Naturally I wanted to give my other three cats the same great quality food. They're all healthy, and lively with beautiful coats. If you haven't, get the halo wet food as well. It is well worth 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…