My Experience Feeding a Bengal Kitten with Grandorf: 2 Downsides to Consider

My Experience Feeding a Bengal Kitten with Grandorf: 2 Downsides to Consider

Hello everyone! 🐾 I'm excited to share my thoughts on the Grandorf Holistic & Hypoallergenic for Kittens with Lamb, a super-premium and holistic class of food that I stumbled upon after posting a video with my cat. Apparently, this is one of the best and highest quality super-premium foods for those who truly care about their pets and aren't willing to compromise their health for the sake of saving a buck.

I used to feed my cat Purina Pro Plan, which is a decent premium class food, but I've been looking into holistic options for a while now. My cat is a Bengal, which I've had since last summer, and she's now 1 year and 2 months old. We transitioned her to this food about 6 months ago, and after a year, we switched her to the adult food from the same brand, Grandorf Lamb and Duck.

Design:

The packaging of Grandorf Holistic & Hypoallergenic for Kittens with Lamb is identical to the larger 2kg pack, with the same color scheme, materials, and even the same information on the front label, including the type and flavor of the food, as well as the net weight. The packaging is beautiful and premium, just like the food itself.

Details:

Grandorf food is made in Italy and Belgium and belongs to the holistic class. The Grandorf line stands out for its high content of natural meat, with a mass fraction of up to 70%, which is close to the natural diet of animals. The protein sources are lamb, duck, fish, or rabbit, depending on the type of food.

Manufacturer Claims:

These foods are hypoallergenic due to the absence of potentially allergenic ingredients in both dry and wet rations – all the ingredients that could cause an allergy have been completely excluded from these foods, including grains, offal, chicken, and chicken fat. Prebiotics have been added to strengthen the immune system and improve digestion. Minimal thermal processing is used in the recipe, with the raw material heated to no more than 80 degrees, allowing the maximum amount of nutrients to be preserved.

Manufacturer Promises:

Lamb/Rice dry food for kittens (GRANDORF Lamb/Rice) is a complete food for kittens, pregnant, and lactating cats. The form of release is granules 0.5 cm. It is suitable for animals prone to allergies and kittens with digestive problems. The food contains 70% high-quality lamb and duck meat. It consists of Holistic-class components, selected according to the diet of predators. The food contains vitamins, nutrients, micro- and macronutrients, taking into account all the needs of a growing animal organism. The complex of ingredients improves the life, health, and increases the vitality of kittens. Contains protein – 34%, fat – 22%. The nutritional value is 4490 kcal/kg. The hypoallergenic composition guarantees optimal energy value for healthy growth and development of kittens, improves digestion, and has a prophylactic effect on urinary tract infections. Does not contain GMOs, soy, wheat, corn, beets, eggs, chicken, chicken fat, salt, sugar, offal, dyes, artificial flavorings, and fillers.

Ingredients:

Dried lamb meat (23%), Dried duck meat (22%), Wholemeal brown rice, Fresh lamb meat (8%), Fresh duck meat (8%), Duck fat (7%), Powdered roots of chicory (natural source of prebiotics: FOS and inulin), Fresh salmon oil (1%), Dried Antarctic krill (natural source of EPA and DHA, 1%), Brewer's yeast (natural source of MOS), Plant fiber, Dried cranberries, Agave Mojave yucca.

The nutritional breakdown is impressive: 34% protein, 2.5% raw fiber, 22% raw fat, 7.5% raw ash, 6% moisture, 1.2% calcium, 1% phosphorus, 0.09% magnesium, and 3.7% omega 6 fatty acids, along with 0.8% omega 3 fatty acids. The metabolizable energy is a whopping 4490 kcal/kg.

Usage:

We started with a small, 400g trial pack, which had the same design and packaging as the larger 2kg pack. The packaging is convenient, with a sticky seal that closes quickly and tightly. We don't really use the feeding chart on the bottom of the packaging - we've got a free-feeding system going on, and the food is always accessible in my cat's bowl. She eats in small portions, but frequently.

General Information:

Manufacturer: GrandorfCountry of origin: BelgiumCategory: pregnant cats and kittens under one yearWeight: 400g, 2kgPrice: from 900 rubles for 400g, and from 2900 rubles for 2kgYou can buy it in various pet stores - I usually get it in 4 Paws or a children's store, where it's often cheaper.My Experience:

Talk about a major downside - the grain size of this food is ridiculously small. I mean, what's the point of making it so tiny, especially when the brand claims it's suitable for kittens, pregnant cats, and beyond? It's honestly the smallest grain size I've ever come across, and it's a real problem. Our kitten would swallow it whole instead of chewing, which led to digestive issues and dental problems. It was a nightmare to get her to chew it, and even then, she'd still swallow some of it.

Another major issue I had was the lack of appetite in our cat. We transitioned her from Pro Plan to this food, and she just wouldn't eat it. I thought it might be because of the holistic formula, but even after a full year, she still wouldn't touch it. We eventually switched her to an adult food, and that solved the problem. Interestingly, besides these two major issues, I didn't notice any other problems with this food. It smelled just as bad as any other cat food, but at least our cat's litter box habits were stable - she'd go every day without fail.

Activity-wise, our cat remained the same - super energetic and curious. Her coat and skin quality also didn't change, which was a relief. She's a natural shedder, but we'd already gotten used to regular grooming sessions.

One thing that did surprise me was the relatively small amount of food our cat needed. We'd buy a 2 kg pack every 1.5-2 months, but once she hit a year old, her appetite increased, and she'd devour the food in no time. I guess that's a good thing, but it's still a bit concerning when you're paying top dollar for a food that's supposed to be nutrient-rich.

My Verdict:

I've gotta say, the quality of this food is top-notch, and the brand reputation is solid. My cat wasn't exactly thrilled about it at first, but she ate it without any issues, thank goodness. After writing this review, I checked out other reviews for similar products from the same manufacturer, and I was blown away - I'm actually a bit nervous about trying other flavors now. We'll stick with what we know and love, plus our cat's a bit of a finicky eater sometimes. All in all, the downsides aren't deal-breakers, but the small kibble size does bug me, and my cat just wasn't that into it.

A trusted brandGood ingredientsFor kittens and pregnant catsConvenient packagingBalanced nutritionNot too stinkyNo issues with litter boxCons:

Extremely small kibbleLack of enthusiasm from my cat