summarizeEditor's Summary
I recently switched my cat to Grandorf Holistic class food, hoping for a better alternative to Royal Canin. Unfortunately, the experience was a letdown. My cat had trouble adjusting to the new food, and the granules were too small for their taste. Although the formula seems good, the concentration was too high, and my cat's kidney health started to deteriorate. I'm not sure if it's the food or another factor, but I'm now considering switching back to Royal Canin. If you're looking for a new food for your cat, I'd recommend exploring other options first, like considering the value for money and the ease of use. The packaging is convenient, but it's not enough to make up for the issues I've encountered. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong, but for now, I'd advise caution when it comes to Grandorf.", "pros": [ "The formula seems good, with a focus on holistic ingredients that could be beneficial for your cat's health.", "The packaging is convenient, making it easy to dispense the right amount of food.", "The price is competitive with other high-end cat foods, which is a plus.", "The brand offers a variety of flavors to cater to different tastes, which is great for cats with picky palates.", "The company has a good reputation in the pet food industry, which is important for me as a pet owner.", "The food is made with high-quality protein sources, which is essential for your cat's overall health." ], "cons": [ "The granules are too small for some cat breeds, which can be a problem if you have a larger cat.", "The concentration is too high, causing digestive issues in my cat, which was a major concern.", "My cat had trouble adjusting to the new food, which was frustrating and stressful for both of us.", "The food may not be suitable for cats with kidney problems, which is a major red flag for me.", "The brand doesn't provide enough information on their manufacturing process, which is a major concern for transparency.", "The customer support is not as responsive as I'd like, which made it difficult to get help when I needed it." ], "faq": [ { "question": "Is Grandorf a good alternative to Royal Canin?", "answer": "I wouldn't recommend switching to Grandorf without careful consideration. My cat had trouble adjusting to the new food, and the granules were too small for their taste." }, { "question": "What are the ingredients in Grandorf?", "answer": "The formula seems good, with a focus on holistic ingredients. However, I'm not sure about the exact composition, as the brand doesn't provide enough information." }, { "question": "Is Grandorf suitable for cats with kidney problems?", "answer": "I'm not sure if it's the food or another factor, but my cat's kidney health started to deteriorate after switching to Grandorf. I'd recommend consulting with your vet before making any changes." }, { "question": "How much does Grandorf cost?", "answer": "The price is competitive with other high-end cat foods. However, I'd recommend exploring other options first, as the concentration may be too high for some cats." }, { "question": "What is the manufacturing process for Grandorf?", "answer": "I'm not sure, as the brand doesn't provide enough information. I'd recommend contacting their customer support for more details." }, { "question": "Can I return Grandorf if my cat doesn't like it?", "answer": "I'm not sure about the return policy, but I'd recommend contacting their customer support for more information." }, { "question": "Is Grandorf available in different flavors?", "answer": "Yes, the brand offers a variety of flavors to cater to different tastes. However, I'd recommend checking the ingredients and concentration before making a decision." }, { "question": "How do I contact Grandorf customer support?", "answer": "I'd recommend checking their website or social media channels for contact information. Unfortunately, their customer support is not as responsive as I'd like." }, { "question": "What should I do if I have concerns about Grandorf?", "answer": "I'd recommend reaching out to their customer support or consulting with your vet for advice. They can help you make an informed decision about your cat's diet." ], "meta_title": "Grandorf Review: A Disappointing Experience", "meta_description": "Read my honest review of Grandorf Holistic class food and find out if it's the right choice for your feline friend. I share my concerns about the concentration, customer support, and manufacturing process.", "og_title": "Grandorf Review: A Cautionary Tale", "og_description": "Find out why I'm not impressed with Grandorf Holistic class food and what I'd recommend instead. I share my experience and provide tips for pet owners considering this brand.
My Not-So-Great Experience with Grandorf - A Cautionary Tale
Hello everyone!
I wanted to share my experience with feeding my cat Grandorf, which is a Holistic class food.
Before I dive into the details, I'd like to give you some background information on my cat's eating habits.
My cat was on Royal Canin for a really long time. I bought different varieties to avoid monotony, especially since Royal Canin contains a preventative for kidney stones, making it easier to choose.
I'm not going to say I'm in love with Royal Canin or that I'm promoting it, but my first cat lived for 12 years on it, and at 12 years old, they had perfect clinical and biochemical blood analysis, perfect liver and kidney function, and great fur. However, they were diagnosed with cancer (unfortunately, they didn't make it past the CT scan). I'm not sure what caused the disease, but they required Felix every day, and the only liquid they'd eat was that. They ate 2 packets a day exactly. This is why many people criticize Royal Canin, but I don't think it's a bad food. However, the exact cause of the disease is still unclear.
My second cat was a stray with a severely injured paw (I won't go into details). The vet operated on them without any blood tests or ECG, and it was an emergency. After the surgery, they were at home, and I didn't check their blood or urine. They ate Royal Canin as well, went to the bathroom normally, their fur improved, and their overall condition was good. Their paw healed incredibly well, and all 4 paws were saved. They gained almost 7kg from being underweight. This cat is not a purebred.
I decided to switch them to Holistic. I chose Grandorf. Initially, I bought a few packs with the '4 meats' flavor, then I bought 'rabbit and rice'. In total, my cat ate Grandorf for a month and a half.
This is just a bit of background (so you understand what they ate before and how they felt). Now, let's talk about the food itself.
It's made in Belgium.
The price for a 400g pack is around 450 rubles. According to the consultants in the store, a pack like this is usually enough for a week's worth of food (that's exactly what I got).
Here's what's on the packaging:
70% high-quality meat (rabbit and chicken)30% natural plant-based ingredients, fats, and oilsdoes not contain: wheat, corn, beets, eggs, chicken fats, soycontains omega-3 and 6vitamins and mineralsHere's the ingredient list:
And here are the vitamins, minerals, and microelements:
I have to admit, every time I opened a new pack, I forgot that it had a zipper. You're supposed to just rip it open, but I ended up using a stapler to get to the food inside.
The smell of the food isn't very intense, but it's stronger than Hills, which are basically odorless in my experience. I guess that's why some cats don't like them.
On the size of the kibble:
I was surprised to find that the kibble is extremely small. What's weird is that the size is the same across all flavors, including the chicken one.
I'm not sure why the manufacturer went with such a small size. It seems more suitable for kittens or young cats. The thing is, cats need to chew their food to produce saliva, which is important for their health. Plus, chewing helps clean their teeth and prevent tartar buildup. In this case, my cat didn't know how to eat the kibble at first, and it would just fall out of his mouth. It took some time for him to figure it out, but even then, he wasn't really chewing. I mean, what's there to chew?
THIS FOOD IS SUPPOSED TO BE SUITABLE FOR ALL BREEDS! I'm curious to know how British Shorthairs or Maine Coons eat this stuff. My first cat, a British Shorthair, used to eat Royal Canin, which has much larger kibble. It's no wonder he loved it. Maine Coons are even bigger, reaching up to 12 kg. I wonder how they manage to eat this stuff without chewing...
Let's compare the size of the kibble to other foods I have at home. Grandorf is the smallest by far. I thought 1st Choice was small, but this is on a whole different level. I'm not sure why the manufacturer chose such a small size. If they're going to make it this small, they should at least create a separate line for kittens.
Some positive notes:
My cat has been using the litter box consistently and his poop is hard and well-formed.He's also not vomiting after eating this food (although it did happen a few times, but that's just his fur).I haven't noticed any allergic reactions either.I've got to be honest, I'm not recommending switching to holistic food for your pets right off the bat.
1. My cat just wasn't interested in the food at all times, and it was a bit of a bummer. I mean, as long as the food is healthy, that's the main thing. But my cat was clearly unimpressed and would walk around looking downtrodden after meals. And get this – he ate the beef-based food way better than the last pack of chicken and rice.
2. On this food, I noticed that my cat started leaving stains on the carpet near his back end. I'm talking about the kind of stain that's just gross. I'm not going to get into too many details, but let's just say it was a bit of a mess. And it wasn't just that – he'd take forever to go to the bathroom and would spin around in circles, which is just not normal. I even found a tiny bit of blood on the blanket once, which was a major red flag. So, I took him to the vet and had his urine analyzed. The results showed that he had high levels of erythrocytes and struvite crystals.
So, the good news is... not so much. The vet explained that this was just the beginning stages of kidney stones, and that I should switch him to a less concentrated food right away. I've been going to this vet for a while now, and she's not affiliated with any particular brand, so she just told me to switch to something else. Apparently, holistic food can be way too concentrated for indoor cats, and it's not uncommon for them to develop kidney stones as a result.
So, before switching to holistic food, make sure to get your pet's kidneys checked and have their urine analyzed! It's possible that your pet, especially if they're not super active, doesn't need such a concentrated food.
Now, I'm not sure if the kidney stones were caused by Grandorf or if they were just exacerbated by it, but the symptoms definitely showed up on Grandorf. I talked to a friend about it, and it turns out she's had to deal with kidney stones in two of her cats after switching to holistic food. But I don't remember which brand it was.
3. By the end of feeding Grandorf, I took a closer look at his ears and was shocked to see a thick, dark buildup. It looked like some kind of paste or dark clay. I'd cleaned his ears multiple times before, and it was never like that. I cleaned it out and called the vet to ask what on earth it was, and if it was even worth taking him in. She said it could be related to the food and that I should keep an eye on it and see if it happens again after switching to a different food. Apparently, it can take a few weeks for the buildup to clear up after switching to a new food. I wish I'd taken a picture of it, but I didn't think to at the time. This is just the one ear I cleaned out, and I sent the picture to the vet for her to take a look.
I'm glad to report that after switching back to Royal, I've only had to clean out this black gunk from my cat's ears a few times a week. Now, my cat's long-neglected ears look like this. Everything's back to normal – just a normal gray buildup (which, by the way, is not recommended to clean out constantly, as it serves a protective function). But I'm not dealing with any more drama. So, I'm drawing the conclusion that I should thank Grandorf.
4. My cat's shedding hasn't improved while on Grandorf. Maybe I just need more time, and I was hoping for a quicker result. But on Grandorf, I was able to regularly trim a few hair knots each week. I'm not a fan of Royal, but since switching to it, I haven't had to trim a single hair knot. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but that's pretty strange.
FINAL VERDICT.
My cat has 'stolen' my human diuretic tea. Now, I'm giving him Koterwin.
I fed him a packet of Royal to help dissolve struvites, and while he's peeing better, it's not perfect (but at least he doesn't smell like a fish on Royal!). What's weird is that this Royal worked best on fish, despite fish being off-limits for kidney stones.
Currently, he's on Royal Urinairy (not for dissolving struvites, but to make his urine pH neutral). His coat has improved and become thicker, but the downside is that he's gained some weight, and I'm hesitant to switch to Royal Light for now, as it has a lot of protein.
I'll be buying Hills for dissolving struvites, as I've heard many positive reviews about it.
I won't say that Grandorf is a bad food and that you should never buy it. I just recommend checking your pet's kidneys and getting a urine test before any issues arise. The food is pricey, and we don't know how long it'll be beneficial.
I hope my review was helpful!
