Wellness CORE (Fish & Fowl)
Rating: 
| Price: $$$$ | Website
* At the time of writing this review (circa 2008/2009) it was what I fed my cats. Personally I had a great result from feeding it. Over the years I’ve read of a few cases where cats have developed urinary crystals. I also hear a lot of positive feedback for the food, so it’s a mixed bag. I recommend reading the comments.
Wellness CORE
First, they eat less per meal because it is so much more nutritious than other foods that are mostly filler. Secondly, the cat that used to vomit a lot has nearly ceased vomiting, which makes me feel all the worse about feeding him bad food before. Lastly, they seem to have more energy than before. The night after we switched foods, I’ll never forget seeing them as energetic and playful as I ever had before.
The food itself is A-grade. It comes in at 50 percent protein, which is the most you’ll find in any cat dry food (tied with a couple others). The first 4 ingredients are meats, as is the 6th. Potatoes are used for carbs, and both salmon oil and flaxseed are used for fatty acids. It’s hard to go wrong with a food that utilizes the best ingredients for every nutritional need they are attempting to meet.
The vegetables and fruits are a bit low, but that’s forgivable in the grand scheme of things. Like Merrick Before Grain and Innova Evo, this is a completely grain-free food, which is really how nature intended cats to eat.
Where to buy?
What’s good about this food….
Very high protein content, many meat meals, potatoes, salmon oil, flaxseed, no grains.
….and what’s not so good.
Nothing at all.
Ingredients:
Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Potatoes, Salmon Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor. Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Tomato Pomace, Cranberries, Chicory Root Extract, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Rosemary Extract.
As much as I like the Wellness foods, feeding them both to my dogs & cats years back, one of my cats developed urinary issues, only when Wellness dry food was a part of his diet, and I subsequently had to switch. I still feed them Wellness canned food at supper time.
My cat just peed blood…I switched to wellness core for weight and excessive shedding problems, it has been about six months and have been giving her wet food and raw meat as well. Past two weeks I was bit lazy and was giving her mainly the dry food…and here we go 🙁 Will probably switch to a different brand..might be the ph, maybe?
That’s certainly not a good sign Lucy, and you definitely need to seek the advice of a vet. I’d also avoid feeding her dry food if possible. Is she an older cat and has she suffered any illness?
I was not aware of the urinary issues associated with Wellness when I started feeding it to my two adult cats and two kittens. I needed a good dry food for them as one of the kittens refuses to eat can food. The kittens did okay on the food but my two adult cats were severely constipated within days. Needless to say I started to transition them from it immediately. This seemingly minor problem can quickly become dangerous for cats I found out while researching remedies.
I’ve been feeding my cats Wellness wet and dry foods for close to 10 years now. I’ve had 2 females and 2 males on this food, with no bladder/UTI issues in any of them. I agree with Amy that water intake is pretty important when discussing cat food issues. I’m here researching another food that I accidentally ordered, to see if it’s OK to feed to my cats and I’m seeing a lot of the same comments across the two foods.
My cats are primarily fed wet food, with a tablespoon of dry food mixed in for their teeth. I switch up the flavors, but stick to Wellness grain-free for both wet and dry. I mix in a little extra water to offset the dry food. And they have a water fountain. They have always been a healthy bunch of kitties.
I think, when explaining whether or not your cat developed urinary problems on this or any given food, it’s imperative to consider the cat’s water intake. If all you are is feeding a cat dry food, you’re more likely to have a bad time. Cats do not have a strong thirst drive; they primarily get their water from the food they eat. Regardless of how nutritional any diet may or may not be, a strictly dry diet is asking for trouble.
I feed my cats wellness core, it’s the best I can find at my pet store with the least amount of plant material. I also do not free feed my cats. That’s another issue. My cats get fed 1/4 cup a day plus 2 cans of cat food a day (each meal is a half a can). They’ve been on Wellness since they were kittens and no trouble. I actually just started adding water to my cats’ wet food just to increase their water intake. So, if you are going to mention problems with a food, please consider whether the diet is strictly dry, free fed, and how much water they actually are consuming 🙂
my cats and kittens seem to really like this food and have had no medical problems. I have had cats since i was 15 years old. I’m 50 now always fed my cats purina they all lived over 12 years i have a cat right now who is 18 a couple years ago i started reading that these foods are bad and we neeed these no grains foods by these new companies which don’t use corn and by-products etc so i drive myself nuts trying to buy the best food then these companies who say they in it cause they want a better food for their pets end up selling out to purina and proctor and gamble anyway. My vet said a lot of animals are dying younger then they used to when our parents fed them table scraps so maybe we should be reconsidering all this hype and just feed our animals and take them to the vet and love them .
Hi Beth, animals were suffering ill health with the arrival of kibble. The reason for that was the poor quality of kibble produced historically. Thankfully now there’s a lot more awareness on pet nutrition which is constantly pushing up the standard of modern day kibbles.
I switched to wellness core cat food half year ago unfortunately 3 of my 4 cats developed urinary crystal. So sad about that…
Sorry to hear that George. Did they have regular access to fresh water?
I have never heard of these issues until I read the contents on this site. I’ve been feeding my 2 sibling female cats Wellness CORE dry food mixed with Wellness Signature wet food and neither have ever had any problems, and they’ve been fed this food for three years–which is their entire lives. With what I’m reading, it seems like when cats are fed solely dry food they are developing this issue which is likely due to lack of water. Feeding a mixture of wet and dry ensures they get enough water and the dry food simulates their gums, ensuring their teeth won’t rot.
I’m glad that all of these pet parents are concerned and looking for the best food for their babies, but I wouldn’t blame their issues on the food solely, make sure there aren’t any other environmental factors even if you switch the food. You never know!
I’ve been feeding my cats a 5 star rated dry cat food listed on this site. I would feed wet cat food a few times a week.They would both drink what seems like lots of water. They have a water fountain, a soup bowl, and of course a toilet bowl.
One of the male cats (3 years old) had a urinary track blockage this week.
I have a feeling the issue is not so much the specific brand of dry food but possibly the fact that I was feeding dry food. Maybe a mixture of wet and dry would have worked but I suspect now they both are going to be on wet food alone.
I have been a cat owner for many years and have learned over those years blockages and kidney infections in cats can be caused by a number of factors and not necessarily the food they are eating. Male cats are prone to blockages. My cat needed surgery to repair a blockage. Keeping your cats on a strictly dry food diet may increase the risk of blockages. Our vet had recommended adding canned food to their diets. Cats do not drink enough water, by adding the canned food you will be adding the water they need to help prevent crystals and blockages. Hope this information helps and good luck to everyone who has a cat dealing with crystals and blockages.
I switched to Wellness Core about a year and a half ago when one of my cats developed diabetes and required a low carb high protein diet. Finding the correct food took considerable research since cat foods don’t display the carbs on the bag anywhere. When I found Wellness Core it seemed like such an ideal food I put all of my cats on it. I have several cats. In the last 6 weeks 3 of my female cats got bloody urine with crystals in it but no infection. The only thing they all have in common is the food. One is nearly 16 years old-and she also receives canned food due to her age and some other issues. The other 2 cats are 4 and 6 years old respectively with no history of medical issues. I have found some postings online to suggest that other cats have also developed urinary crystals and blood in their urine on Wellness Core.
I thought I found the perfect food but something seems to be wrong.
After reviewing online sites such as this one I am thinking of switching to Orijen. While it is expensive, so is Wellness Core. I didn’t mind the cost thinking I was avoiding health issues and vet bills but I have already spent over $400 on this problem with my cats. If anyone has any better suggestions I would love to hear it.
I know ash and magnesium content play a role in urinary tract issues but I don’t know enough about how much of each of these should or should not be present in cat food.
Bernie
Our cat was on regular wellness food (not core) and developed crystals . I have read into it a lot, because I couldn’t afford the expensive prescription diet, that also caused a second blockage by the way. We have spent over 500 $ at the vet within 2 months .
I have switched him to the honest kitchen raw food. Sounds intimidating but it is basically just powder and you mix it with water and wait 3 minutes. Super easy. 2 lbs box makes 4 lbs of food. Cheaper than canned food . healthier than dry. They sell samples on their website.
My cat is currently at the vet for a urinary blockage (struvite crystals)
I had been feeding him Wellness COMPLETE for about 3-4 years, with no problems. However, I switched him to Wellness CORE a few months ago….both were dry foods btw…..but now he has his first urinary problem ever. I’ve been reading sites all day…..I see tons of complaints about cats developing urinary problems while their pets were on Wellness…
I’m sure I will never be able to prove it is related to the Wellness Core food, but I strongly suspect it is. I called the company to let them know my concerns…. but I was treated as though my concerns were un-warranted.
Hi Bernie,
Thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough comment, and it’s sorry to hear your cats have suffered. A lot of cats seem to do well on this food, but stories such as yours seem to occur fairly frequently in regard to Wellness CORE. I’ve added a note at the top of the review for people to read these comments and be aware of them.
As for Orijen, I rarely hear a bad word said about it. I couldn’t recommend it enough. The same goes for Acana, also made by Champion.
To roughly calculate carbohydrates in a food you can add up the protein, fat, moisture, and ash content (roughly 5% to 8%), and subtract from 100 to give you an estimated percentage. Not many people realise that dogs don’t need any carbohydrates in their diet!
I’ve seen several reports on Amazon of pets having urinary crystals after starting on this food. Is this an ongoing issue?
I want to try to food for my very picky cat who just started having issues eating Science Diet for years. I want to get him on a better food that won’t make him sick that he will actually eat. He’s a little too thin and has started trying to eat my dog’s food after I switched him over to Petcurean’s Go formula.
I’d love to try Wellness but I’m a little worried about it after reading the Amazon reviews.
I breed Siberian cats. Just this week, I have had reports of two of my males, a 3 year old and a 2 year old that have urinary blockages due to crystals and are currently hospitalized on catheters and IV’s. We are looking into other options.
Do not feed them wet alone. It does not stimulate their gums and their teeth will fall out without the need to chew their food.
I have a cat that never had a urinary problem, that is until I switched his food recently to the Wellness Core Food. He’s currently at the vet being treated for a urinary blockage due to struvite crystals.
I’ve seen post after post such as mine on various websites….hard to believe it’s all a coincidence….
My male was on Blue Buffalo, because my female did well with it for her hairballs. I had to put him to sleep after spending close to $4k on emergency visits, was considering the almost $4k surgery, but ended up letting him go. I had taken my female off BB when I got a new kitten, tried Royal Canin but her hairball issue became terrible so I put her on BB again because my male kitten was eating only wet food. Now my female has bladder crystals! Luckily she should have better outcome, I try to push wet foods, and less dry food, I am at a loss as to what is right thing to do.
Hi Denise, wet food is a better option than dry. Cats need water intake, especially for preventing crystals which are often caused by a poor diet and lack of moisture. Wet foods also tend to be fresher and they’re less processed than a kibble.
this was my experience too. Fed Core dry for a little over a year and my male cat developed crystals.
Both of my cats also developed Urinary Crystals with Wellness CORE. The female just had a little blood in her urine but the male developed a blockage and ended up a very unhappy cat and we ended up $1600 poorer after the surgery to remove the blockage. This was about a year ago, we have since switched to Orijen and they are crystal free.
You really might want to think about removing Wellness CORE from the list.
Wow! Talk about interesting reading. I’ve fed Wellness for a while, but now concerned about some of the comments. Might try something else, Nutrience looks really really good and cheap too – should I try transitioning from Wellness to Nutrience?
I agree, I just started all three of my kitties on wellness core dry food thinking it was for the better.
But now with reading all these concerns I feel like I need to switch foods ASAP . I was leaning towards Acana dry food??
I’m highly concerned and with so many foods out there to think that most of them aren’t as good as one might think..
Hi Justus, yes I definitely recommend the Nutrience products. They’re a small company but they really care about their foods (I talk to them regularly), and as far as price goes they’re good value for money too – cheaper than Wellness.
Hi Mike, this website primarily focusses on ingredients and nutrition analysis and as such Wellness CORE holds up. However, the amount of complaints with this food is alarming and I hope this is clearly apparent with the review and subsequent comments. Many people associate any illness with their pet to the food they feed, which isn’t necessarily based on fact. Many cats suffer kidney problems, which may be caused by their diet, lack of water, or anything else. Personally I’d be deterred from Wellness CORE by the comments on this page, but will leave it to the readers to decide for themselves. I certainly appreciate your feedback, and that of all the other people who’ve commented – raising awareness is the key. Thanks.
Is it possible problems like this will develop if you rely on any one food? To me, it seems to make sense to get as much variety as you can afford because why shouldn’t they? Bodies get used to things if they are taken over and over. I try to feed my cat wet and dry food as well as a high quality and cheaper (but both grain free) food. Is this possibly a better way to go?
Wellness Core Turkey, Turkey Meal & Duck is free of fish. My cat seems to do very well on this food.
I read reports such as that on a daily basis for many foods both good and bad, so it’s hard to say. Crystals (FLUTD) will more likely develop if a cat is fed dry food with cheap grains and fillers, especially corn. Wellness CORE is grain free so that’s a huge plus in that respect. It’s also worth ensuring your cat gets suitable water intake, so perhaps adding water to the dry food may help prevent crystals occurring, or feed a canned food with higher water content.
I’ve heard that if the protein of the food is very high it can be very haRd on their kidneys. Especially for indoor cats that aren’t very active. Is that true? And what is the highest percentage of protein you would recommend for an indoor cat?
Thank you,
Hi Eve, high carbohydrate foods are much more damaging to a cat than high protein foods. There’s very little evidence high protein diets are bad for a feline, with original evidence of protein on kidneys being conducted on rats almost 100 years ago. When it comes to pet foods, quality protein sources (meat) is a more expensive inclusion to carbohydrates (filler grains). Cats are obligate carnivores, so a food dense in meat (and meat protein) is much more in tune with a natural feline diet.