Dry cat food for multi-cat homes: Thrive PremiumPlus Salmon & Herring

I tried Thrive Salmon & Herring dry food in our multi-cat household, where the cats mainly eat dry food. The cats responded well, but the smell was a little overwhelming for me as the person pouring it out.

What made me switch foods?

It had been almost a month since I stopped giving the cats Churu treats to manage their weight. At first, they followed me around asking for treats, but over time they seemed to adjust. One cat also eats too quickly and sometimes throws up its food, so I had been trying different dry foods. This time, I chose Thrive Salmon & Herring.

What were the kibble shape and smell like?

Our cats tend to be a little wary of food with shapes such as hexagons or flowers. This food had a standard triangle shape, and watching them eat, it seemed they liked the texture of chewing it too.

The smell when I opened the bag and poured it out was a little unpleasant to me. On the other hand, as soon as I poured the food, the cats ran over and even jostled each other to claim a spot.

What did I look for in the product description?

In the product description, I looked at its 70% meat content, its use of dried and fresh meat, and the fact that it is grain-free. I also noticed that it contains salmon oil and is described as a complete food meeting FEDIAF nutritional guidelines. Their coat condition had been on my mind, so I was also interested in the information about omega fatty acids.

Did they eat it better than the chicken flavor?

I also fed them the chicken food, but in our home, they seemed to eat the salmon and herring flavor better. They buried their faces deep in the bowl and kept eating, so I even had to stop them.

They are not usually extremely picky eaters. Still, they tend to avoid foods if the scent feels like veterinary food to me, but this time they showed interest and even tried to tear open the package.

How did I adjust the serving amount?

Rather than continuing to pour more just because they ate it well, I adjusted the amount using the weight-based feeding guide on the product page. Since I was also cutting back on treats at the time, it is difficult to say what effect came from changing food alone. The clearest thing I noticed during this trial was how enthusiastically the cats responded to the salmon and herring flavor.