One of our Facebook fans, Sandra King Abernathy from Auburn, California, bought Halo for her three cats and here’s what she had to say:

“I finally found Halo pet food for my cats, and all three of them LOVE it!!! I put two bowls down. One bowl of the old cat food they loved, and a bowl of the Halo. And they all chose the HALO!! It makes me happy too, knowing they are eating cat food that is good for them without all the garbage!!”

The orange cat is a male named “Tiggee”. The female is the white cat with black named “Baby Girl”. Sandra raised Tiggee and Baby Girl since they were only 5 days old. Their mother was abandoned, and she gave birth to these kittens. She was almost starving and so she didn’t have milk.

Sandra began to feed her, and took the kittens to the vet. Then she bottle fed Tiggee and Baby Girl every 3 hours, night and day, and burped them, etc. They just turned 4 on July 16th this year. They are still referred to as “The Babies.”

The gray cat is “Sherwood”. Sandra only had him a month. The man who lived in the apartment next door to her was put in a home and they abandoned Sherwood. So she took him in to be with her other cats.

“We love our Cats! And they love Halo! Thank you for such a quality product,” continues Sandra.

Thank you Sandra for sharing your story!

Question: Hello, not sure if anyone reads these, but I thought I would give it a try. My 16 year old cat, Max, is developing early kidney disease. I was wondering if you could tell me what would be your most appropriate formula of canned food for his condition. Thank you very much for your time.

Answer: Thanks for writing in. I want to be clear that Halo does not make medical or prescription diets and you should ask your veterinarian about our diets as every cat with kidney disease is slightly different in their dietary requirements or restrictions. Cats with kidney disease often benefit from additional water for hydration and lower protein levels to decrease the work-load of the kidneys.

Our canned formulations are very high in moisture and can be quite good at maintaining adequate hydration. Our lowest protein cat foods are the canned lamb formula followed by the canned turkey formula and can be used successfully in some cats with kidney problems.

Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.

Dave Gray comments to “Halo Spot’s Stew Natural Dry Cat Food, Indoor Cat, Wild Salmon Recipe, 3-Pound Bag” on Horsemusic weblog:

When Pet Promise, a safe and healthy pet food, went out of business, I was desperately looking for another healthy food that had no by-products, rendered fats, meat meals, or outsourced ingredients. (You might want to check out what these types of ingredients can include – if your stomach can take it – but avoid commercial manufacturers’ “spins” on this). Good books to get in this regard are “Foods Pets Die For” and “Protect Your Pet”:

Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food

Protect Your Pet: More Shocking Facts

My cats were completely unaffected by the melamine contamination tragedy of 2007 – which killed many pets, especially cats – because their Pet Promise food was one of the few brands in America that didn’t use outsourced ingredients (and was never on the recall list – unlike some of the very expensive “premium brands”). I felt so lucky that I had already switched to Pet Promise, a petfood company that bought ingredients only from North American farmers using sustainable agriculture and free-range livestock.

I finally discovered Halo’s products, and was encouraged by the fact that Ellen DeGeneres, a devout animal lover herself, not only endorses it but also has become part-owner of the company. Their website also included a specific message written to us former Pet Promise users. So I went to my health-food store and bought some.

I was delighted to see that it had no by-products, no rendered meats, no meat meals, and that the label stated that all its ingredients are “Made in the USA”, except the pea protein from Canada. Furthermore, the salmon in Halo is wild Alaskan, not farmed salmon (aka, pharmed salmon, full of antibiotics, etc.). Moreover, it is low in carbohydrates and even includes probiotics in the mix! Making it even more promising than Pet Promise!

But the ultimate test was whether my cats would eat it or not. Unlike my dachshunds, who would eat just about anything that hit the floor (they’re really low to the ground, you know), cats are notorious for their persnickety eating habits. BUT THEY LOVE IT!!! Can’t get enough! So I have to dole it out so they don’t overeat! And after five months, their health and energy seem to be great.

Oh, and hi, Ellen – and many thanks!

I admit that before I came to Halo, I always assumed that “chicken meal” in my dog’s food was a great ingredient, and one that I wouldn’t hesitate to feed to my family. Hey, we have chicken meals once or twice a week at home!

So why won’t Halo use chicken meal, beef meal, fish meal, or any other rendered meat, rendered fish or rendered poultry products?

I was pretty shocked to learn what “chicken meal” in pet food really is. First, it’s absolutely not fit for human consumption (by law). Second, the safety and quality control standards for chicken meal are far inferior to human-grade ingredients.

But what really surprised me is what chicken meal may contain (and usually does).

Click over to www.halopets.com/chickenmeal to get the whole scoop!

Question: I have a 10 month old Siamese male kitten that all of a sudden does not want to use the toilet to urinate. He also seems like he has a hard time pooping, he strains. I feed him Eagle Pack Holistic Select Chicken formula for Cats and Kittens. One of my students recommended Halo chicken dry food for indoor cats. I tried wet food but he does not like it much. He seems like he is drinking enough water though the day. Any suggestions?

Answer: Thanks for writing in. The reason your cat may not want to use the litterbox to urinate may be one of a few reasons. Many cats that experience painful defecation or constipation will shy away from the box for urination as well because they recall it as a “bad” or painful place. The Halo dry food can be an excellent choice for pets with constipation as it contains fiber-rich vegetables, prebiotics and probiotics to support intestinal health. See my article about natural remedies for constipation in cats, Natural Remedies for Constipation.

The other very common urinary ailment of cats is a condition called interstitial cystitis. This is a sterile inflammation of the bladder that causes pain and avoidance of the litter box. Increasing water intake (try fountain waterers, etc) and enriching their home environment (see www.indoorcat.org) can help with the condition dramatically. You should see your veterinarian to make sure he doesn’t have issues like stones or other bladder problems.

Good luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

Answers provided to pet owners by Dr. Donna Spector should be considered information and not specific advice. Answers are to be used for general information purposes only and not as a substitute for in-person evaluation or specific professional advice from your veterinarian. Communications on this site are very limited and should never be used in possible cases of emergency. Halo, Purely for Pets will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any information or content contained in a blog or article post.