Review: Castor & Pollux Organix and Pristine Wet Food

This post is sponsored by Castor & Pollux*

I try to eat mostly organic foods, especially when it comes to produce, and in an ideal world, I would feed Allegra and Ruby only organic food as well. Unfortunately, truly organic cat food is hard to find. The term “organic” is sometimes used interchangeably with “natural,” and while organic food is natural, not all natural food is organic. As with all food, be it human or pet food, consumers not only need to read labels, but also, understand what the language used on labels really means.

The “USDA Organic” or “Certified Organic” seal means that contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering.

Castor & Pollux makes two lines of natural food, Organix, which, to my knowledge, is the only line of USDA organically certified pet food currently on the market, and Pristine, a line of food made from responsibly sourced ingredients.

Organix

Since its debut in 2003, Organix has been a leader in organic pet food. This year, the company elevated all Organix recipes for cats (and dogs) to be USDA Organic, making it the only complete line of USDA organically certified pet food. The main ingredient in all formulas is always organic free-range chicken or turkey. Their organic ingredients are produced without chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, artificial preservatives, added growth hormones or antibiotics. The recipes contain no corn, wheat or soy. Organic is always non-GMO. Ten of Organix’ recipes are Non-GMO Project Verified. They are cooked in the USA in an organically certified kitchen.

Pristine

Pristine is a complete line of food made with responsibly sourced ingredients. The main ingredient in the meat and poultry recipes comes from animals that are responsibly raised with access to fresh air, natural light and space to roam like free-range, cage-free organic chicken and turkey and grass-fed lamb and beef. The main ingredient in the seafood recipes comes from responsibly caught fish, like wild-caught salmon, tuna and whitefish that have been raised in their natural habitat, including several MSC Certified seafood recipes. They use fruits and vegetables that are responsibly grown without synthetic fertilizers or chemical pesticides, on farms that care for the earth. The formulas do not contain artificial preservatives, flavors or color, are grain-free with no corn, soy, wheat or gluten ingredients, and are manufactured in the US.

Putting Organix and Pristine to the test

Allegra and Ruby tested Organix Chicken and Chicken Liver and Turkey recipes, and Pristine’s Free Range Chicken and Turkey recipes. The recipes come in a variety of other proteins, but the girls only eat poultry, so that’s what we asked for.

They both loved the Organix Turkey recipe – Allegra practically inhaled hers. They were a little less enthusiastic about the Organix Chicken and Chicken Liver recipe, but then, my two are confirmed turkey lovers, so this didn’t surprise me. They didn’t care for the Pristine Free-Range Turkey morsels in gravy recipe, which for them, is a texture thing: they have never liked any formulas that come as morsels or chunks in gravy.

My take on Organix and Pristine

I like the philosophy behind both lines of food. At an average of 9% protein (as fed,) the formulas are a bit lower in protein than I like to see (I prefer foods with at least 10% protein,) but given the overall quality of the ingredients (and the fact that Allegra and Ruby really liked their samples) I consider these foods a good choice to include in a rotation diet.

For more information about Organix and Pristine, please visit http://www.castorpolluxpet.com.

*FTC Disclosure: I received these products from Castor & Pollux at no charge. I also received a fee for writing this review. Receiving the free product and the fee did not influence my review. All reviews on The Conscious Cat will always reflect my honest and unbiased opinion. Or, as the case may be, Allegra and Ruby’s honest and unbiased opinion.

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