Sunday, October 16, 2016

Enjoyed By All, Preferred By None: Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food!


The Good: Very nutritious, All three of my cats enjoy and consume it, Made with great ingredients
The Bad: Smelly, Expensive!
The Basics: Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food is one that all of my cats enjoy, but none have a strong preference for, which makes it a somewhat tougher sell for the expense.


One of the interesting aspects of being a pet product reviewer is that I often have multiple types of foods and treats around the house for reviewing. While my cats test each new product for at least a month before I ever review it, having stockpiles and various products around allows me to do some testing that I would not otherwise be able to do. In addition to checking my cats' reactions to a food, I have taken to having a test for the cat food where I give them the chance to choose among the various foods and I observe which foods they actually exhibit a preference for. Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe cat was doing remarkably well on every front, save the expense of the food, until I did that last test. All three of my cats consumed the Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Purina Beyond cat food eagerly when it was the only option put before them, but none of them chose it when there were other options. In fact, other flavors of Purina Beyond beat the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe cat food for all my cats. Given the expense of the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food, that made it a somewhat tougher sell than it ought to have been.

Basics

Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food is a cat food formulated for adult cats. The Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food regularly comes in a six pound reinforced paper bag that is priced in our local grocery store at about $15.99. As a cheapskate and poor person, this is a bit expensive for the volume of cat food and that's an important factor for me. While our cats enjoyed the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food, $16 for six pounds is a bit much for something the cats would choose anything else over!

The Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food comes in hard pieces that range slightly in shape and size. Most are little heart-shaped cat food pieces that are 1/2" x 3/8" and all are about 5/16" thick. This makes them very easy for even our youngest cat to eat.

Ease Of Preparation

Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food is a hard cat food that comes in a small bag, so preparation only involves opening the bag and measuring out the proper serving size for your cat, as determined by its weight. All three of our cats are supposed to get 1/4 - 2/3 cups each and we have noticed no problems with putting the full 2 1/3 cups in the cat's dishes and letting each one get their fill each day. Evie probably eats a little less, which is why the food dishes are never empty when we serve the cats the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food.

Elim, Evie And Timber’s Reactions

The Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food is very aromatic, but not for anything I could put my finger on. There is a noticeably meaty scent to the food, but not one that is so strong that it is clearly beef, chicken or lamb. Instead, there is a generic meaty smell to it and there are hints of cranberry to it the first time one opens the bag. The fruit hints in the bouquet disippated quickly.

When I first started feeding the cats the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food, Evie, Elim and Timber were all interested. They sniffed around it and consumed it eagerly. However, within less than a week of feeding them the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food, all three cats stopped gorging themselves on it and would consume it, then walk away. It's almost like they made a decision together - not to boycott the food, but to just eat what they needed and then move on. All three cats consume the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food, but none find it irresistable. When faced with other flavors of Purina Beyond Cat Food, all three chose other flavors before consuming this one. In fact, Elim and Timber both waited patiently for Evie to abandon a bowl of another food - despite having easy access to the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food - before fighting over the other food! It says something when cats will defer a fight rather than go for the food either one could easily take.

Nutrition

The Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Beyond Cat Food is a very nutritious cat food. The guaranteed analysis of it indicates that it has a minimum of 32% crude protein and 14% crude fat. With no more than 4% crude fiber and 12% moisture, this is a food that is well-balanced. This food also has notable amounts of Linoleic Acid (at least 1.3%), Calcium (at least 1%), Phosphorus, and Zinc. Always have adequate water near your cat’s feeding area!

As well, those who are concerned about what goes into their pets will be pleased by how this is a mostly natural cat food this is, despite the bulk of the ingredients being added vitamins and minerals. The main ingredients are turkey, chicken meal, and brewer's rice. Compared to other Purina Beyond foods, Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat might not be the most natural, but it is still quite a few steps above most cat foods!

Overview

Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food does not have an incredible shelf life and the expense of it is higher than many cat foods that, admittedly, have less-great nutrition. If any one of my cats showed a real preference for Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food, I might be more impressed by it. As it is, though, none do and as a result, the Purina Beyond Barley, Egg & Cranberry Recipe Cat Food gets a far more neutral rating than it otherwise might have.

For other Purina cat foods, please visit my reviews of:
Purina ONE Purposeful Nutrition Tender Selects Blend Cat Food
Cat Chow Healthy Weight Cat Food
Pro Plan Seafood Stew Entree cat food

6.5/10

For other cat products, please be sure to visit my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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