Instinct Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Tuna Wet Cat Food Cups, 3.5-oz, case of 12

My vet recommended this brand of wet food and my cats love it so much. They've had the chicken, but prefer the tuna. The tuna is in small bites, which they like, and not as runny as the chicken.

As I went to open the box it had a terrible smell and to my surprise the cans were infested with maggots.

I have really good eaters. This makes it easy for me when feeding them. However, I will not feed them junkie cat food. Instinct by Nature's Variety is quality cat food. They eat a variety of Instinct wet foods with Wysong Epigen wet mixed with Wysong kibble every day. They are exceedingly healthy and their fur is silky soft. Minimal scratching, except when they shed in Spring and Fall.

I had high hopes for this, as both of my cats like Tuna, but prefer it in Pate form. I've tried several times, but they just sniff and walk away. Not even a nibble after being there a while.

Tried this because the 3oz cans of Pride by Instinct are indefinitely out of stock. Not one of the cats will eat it. Donating to a shelter -maybe their cats are less picky.

Our 16 year old very picky cat loves this. He usually loses interest in any new food after 2or 3 times. This one seems to be a keeper.

My boys love this minced food. I was disappointed when the cans were discontinued and delighted to see it in this size. Perfect for a meal for my two boys and they love the Tuna flavor.

TWO stars is being rather generous to be honest. ALSO, apologies for what seems to be run on - ALL my spacing to make this more "readable" is removed during preview/posting. Same review for all 4 "flavors" currently offered. My cats have been eating Pride by Instinct, most of the "flavors" for years now (also Instinct raw - absolutely no dry food!) Due apparently to this line not being a big seller, it has been discontinued. Knowing very soon no Pride will be available, I ordered the chicken, tuna, salmon and rabbit offerings of THIS stuff (we were doing Pride lamb and duck as well before they disappeared, but these "flavors" are not offered in this line) to prepare for transition. Although TWO stars is being rather generous to be honest. ALSO, apologies for what seems to be run on - ALL my spacing to make this more "readable" is removed during preview/posting. Same review for all 4 "flavors" currently offered. My cats have been eating Pride by Instinct, most of the "flavors" for years now (also Instinct raw - absolutely no dry food!) Due apparently to this line not being a big seller, it has been discontinued. Knowing very soon no Pride will be available, I ordered the chicken, tuna, salmon and rabbit offerings of THIS stuff (we were doing Pride lamb and duck as well before they disappeared, but these "flavors" are not offered in this line) to prepare for transition. Although it does seem visually and texturally similar to the Pride minced (previously purchased the minced and flaked), I have to agree with some of the other comments - the smell of these is NOT like the Pride foods! The old smells would almost entice me to try it (never did), but these, yuck, they almost smell spoiled. If the cats would eat it, then fine, it isn't about what I like, but see below. The major problems I have with these besides the smell are: 1. It has NOT been well received by the cats (11). They would chow down on the Pride (a couple did not like the salmon), but this stuff? Not really. If they do not "perk" up eating this, then I will be forced to find some other food for them that all will like that isn't garbage food. :-( 2. The plastic cups/foil top could easily be damaged. One box arrived with one end of the box open. I have received a number of dented cans in the past, and these will not stand up to a lot of banging around! Damage can occur during processing (MFG), packing and shipping, both to and from Chewy (most of the dented cans showed NO damage to the shipping box or the cardboard tray they are in, so likely shipped from MFG this way.) 3. The foil tops can be challenging to open, especially for anyone with manual dexterity issues. Occasionally when the seal is finally, carefully broken, some gravy can "spit" out. 4. Previously only the 5.5 oz cans were ordered, due to the number of cats to feed here. These are only offered in a 3.5 oz cup, requiring ordering more AND the cost/ounce is higher (in general, larger quantity containers cost less per unit.) Example: Pride salmon 5.5oz autoship is $21.06, 12 cans results in about $0.32 per ounce. This salmon 3.5oz autoship is $20.41 for 12 cups, resulting in almost $0.49 per ounce. Just ordering 2 Pride vs 3 of this "new" improved stuff (total 132oz vs 126oz) is a little over $19 MORE for 6oz less food!!!!) Buying in the quantity I need is going to seriously impact the bottom line. :-( :-( :-( 5. I have to be careful that one cat in particular does not get ANYTHING other than what she is used to or we ALL pay for it later, after food processing is done... :-( This has already seemed to impact her. :-( :-( :-O Overall, not pleased with this offering. I will, for now, continue to "try" it, mainly because it is the closest thing to what they have been eating, but if the cats do not take to this better soon, it will be time to find something else. The only positive noted for this "replacement" for the Pride line is that it will reduce the amount of trash. Our recycling does not include cans, and even with a compactor, they DO fill up a trash bag quickly! These can be stacked, so it takes up much less space in the trash bag (I let cans and these cups dry before putting them into bags, to reduce any odors.) However, this does NOT outweigh the fact that the cats do not seem to like it and the other issues listed above. … more

Our 14 year old cat, loves this. she is very picky and gets sick of food quickly. We put a little spoonful on top of her regular wet food and she is a happy camper.

They aren't nutso over this, but at least they eat it!