The Italian brand of ready-made food Trainer is divided into several lines. One of them is called Trainer Natural, which can be translated as “Natural from Trainer.” On the one hand, the word “natural” pleases the ear, but in fact, within the feed industry, the definition of this term is extremely general. The presence of this word on a bag of food does not mean its high quality.
To understand the features of this line, we reviewed Trainer Natural Adult Cat Tuna - dry food with tuna for adult cats. We invite you to familiarize yourself with our findings on the composition of the diet in order to better understand all its pros and cons.
Images and reality
Externally, the package of food looks quite attractive. Bright colors on a white background and a photo of a cat attract attention. We were interested in the image of the ingredients: we always compare these pictures with the actual composition of the diet.
In this product, as in most cases, the photos on the packaging do not correspond to the composition, but serve only as an advertising gimmick. Judge for yourself: a fresh, beautiful piece of tuna is just a symbol, since tuna flour (also a source of animal protein, but not of the same quality) was actually added to this food. She has place No. 5 in the composition, and takes up 10% of the diet.
The situation is approximately the same with the image of fresh cranberries on the packaging. The food contains cranberry extract (No. 19) - a special processed concentrate, but no fresh cranberries were added here. This is just an illustration and should not be taken literally.
Types of feed Trainer
There are dry and wet food, for castrated and unsterilized animals, everyday or specialized. Recipes have been developed for kittens, full-aged and elderly pets. They produce specialized foods:
- HAIRBALL – for removing swallowed hair;
- IDEAL WEIGHT – maintaining optimal weight;
- SENSITIVE – hypoallergenic;
- SENSI RENAL – for cats with chronic kidney disease;
- SENSI INTESTINAL – recommended for animals with sensitive digestion.
Composition of the first five ingredients
Let's look at the description of the remaining components of the first five Trainer Natural Adult Cat Tuna. The No. 1 spot is occupied by a 15% mixture of fresh chicken and turkey. Their percentage dosage is higher than tuna flour. It's good to have these quality, fresh sources of animal protein in your diet. Apparently, the comment With Fresh Meat on the front side of the package refers to them.
But we are not at all happy with ingredients No. 2, 3 and 4 - these are cereal derivatives. Rice is in second place on the list, followed by corn gluten (an isolated plant protein) and just corn. We are anti-grain in dog and cat food.
In addition, there is obviously a “split” of corn derivatives: as an analysis of the Trainer Natural label shows, in addition to the grain as such, they also added protein isolated from it, and this is a pure marketing ploy that allows you to bring ingredients of animal origin to the forefront places in the composition, and “spread” the cereals across the list.
Corn is also a fairly allergenic grain, and the presence of this grain in the feed is a clear disadvantage.
Range and features of “Trainer” feed
“Trainer” is available in the form of canned food (and spiders) and dry food (crickets). They are produced in two main lines: Solution and Natural. Previously, another type of food was produced - “Fitness”, but now it is not produced.
Everyday food "Trainer"
A classic everyday food for a cat can be dry food from the Solution series. This food can be given to cats and kittens of any age. Dry food "Solution" is available in packages of 1.5 and 3 kg:
- Sensi Intestinal (“Sensintestinal”) for cats with a delicate digestive system;
- Sensitive (“Sensitive”) for animals with allergic manifestations;
- Ideal Weight to control the weight of the animal;
- Hairball Control (“Hairball Control”) for long-haired cats and male cats.
Solution crickets are distinguished by taste:
- duck, chicken or turkey (monoprotein and combined);
- tuna or other ocean fish;
- veal or beef;
- poultry and veal.
Photo gallery: Trainer Solution food
Packages of different foods are marked with color stripes, “Hairball Control” - brown, “Sensitive” - lilac, etc.
Each package indicates the corresponding taste, content of a specific type of meat and purpose
The labels on the packaging are in Italian and English
The composition of the food is indicated only on the back of the package
Table: composition of daily food
| Dry food "Solution" | Compound | Guaranteed performance | Energy value |
| "Sensintestinal" |
|
| Not specified |
| "Sensitive" |
| ||
| "Ideal Wait" |
| ||
| "Hairball Control" |
|
Special feed "Trainer"
Special feeds include products from the Natural series. These foods are usually selected for feeding cats with physiological characteristics. There are several types of this product in the form of crickets or wet food:
- Kitten (“Kitten”) for kittens under six months of age (can be used as complementary food);
- Young Cat (“Young Cat”) for growing cats (from 7 to 12 months);
- Adult (“Adult”) for adult cats leading an active lifestyle;
- Adult Sterilized (“Adult Sterilized”) for adult cats and male cats after sterilization/castration;
- Mature for older cats (over 7 years old).
Photo gallery: Natural series food
Most stores offer Natural adult food only in 12.5 kg bags.
Some veterinarians classify Natural adult sterilized food as premium, even though it contains more than 36% animal protein
Dry food from the Natural line can be mixed with canned food from the same line
All dry food in the Natural line is presented in the form of small rounded crickets, and wet food in the form of mousse
Natural young cat food contains a complex of prebiotics as useful additives
Trainer Natural food is sold in several flavors:
- fresh chicken;
- beef;
- tuna fillet or salmon;
- white poultry meat;
- Italian shanka (dry-cured beef ham).
Table: composition of the Natural series feed
| Type of feed | Compound | Guaranteed composition | Energy value |
| natural kitten |
|
| Not specified |
| Natural young cat |
| ||
| Natural adult |
| ||
| Natural adult sterilized |
| ||
| Natural mature |
|
Some cat owners may misinterpret the product's stated ingredients. Thus, the specified salmon meat can be fish by-products (including meat and bone meal). The most unusual component of Trainer food is Italian shank. Of course, such a delicacy cannot be contained in cat food (if only because cats generally cannot eat smoked meats), and the declared ingredient may turn out to be meat by-products. The main task of these components is to saturate the product with animal protein.
The indicated composition may not mean that the food contains pieces of ocean fish or dry-cured beef hams
Does Trainer have treats for cats?
It does not produce separate treats, but some cat owners even buy everyday products from this brand as treats. For example, you can purchase canned food from the Natural series. The high meat content and variety of flavors will captivate your cat. But there are some subtleties - veterinarians do not recommend mixing food of different brands.
I try to feed my cats natural food (meat, red fish, offal, unleavened cereals, boiled vegetables, herbs, etc.). I buy individual treats, but rarely - the older cat does not like such treats, and the younger one often indulges (she can hide the tendon candy, for example, under the sofa). Occasionally I spoil both cats with canned food in mini-packages. My pets love wet food, and besides, they don’t need to drink canned food with water. Usually, the more expensive the pate, the tastier it smells, and the youngest “cat-daughter” is ready to give up even a ball for the sake of canned food.
“Trainer” in the form of canned food is produced within each series, so among the wet food there are all the same tastes. Available packaging: tin cans of 80 grams and foil bags of 85 grams. However, pates and mousses of this brand are more difficult to find in stores than crickets.
Wet food from the Trainer brand can be used as a treat
Table: composition of wet food
| Type of feed | Compound | Guaranteed performance | Energy value |
| Fitness Adult Horse |
|
| Not specified |
| Kitten Fresh Chicken |
| ||
| Natural Adult Fish |
| ||
| Natural Adult Lamb |
|
Availability of veterinary line
The Trainer brand does not have a veterinary line, but veterinarians sometimes prescribe Natural series food for cats with various pathologies. True, these are more likely preventive feeds than therapeutic ones.
Understanding dried meat
The composition contains two more components that are additional sources of animal protein. These are “freeze-dried chicken and turkey” (No. 7) and “freeze-dried veal” (No. 8). The names are in quotation marks because freeze drying (as opposed to the usual, more expensive and gentle procedure) is not mentioned anywhere in English. In the original we have Dehydrated Chicken and Turkey Meat and dehydrated Beef Meat.
Apparently, the mention of sublimates is a marketing trick, as is the replacement of the concept “beef” with “veal”, because not a word is said in the composition that this is the meat of young bulls. The food also contains hydrolyzed chicken protein - hydrolysates are usually used as flavor and aroma enhancers in finished diets.
Conclusions about this food
Mostly reviews about Trainer cat food are positive; it suits most cats and cats perfectly. There are no complaints about the composition of this food - although some lines contain corn (a source of carbohydrates, amino acids and many vitamins), its content is small (it is not in first place as in economy), so this is not a minus. In general, the Murlo website recommends this food - it is well suited to serve as the main food for your pet.
Trainer cat food price
- Dry cat food Trainer Natural 0.3 kg - about 260 rubles;
- Dry food Trainer Natural for cats 1.5 kg - about 1175 rubles;
- Dry food Trainer Natural for cats 12.5 kg - about 5,479 rubles;
- Dry food Trainer Solution for cats 0.3 kg - about 335 rub.
The prices indicated are approximate and may differ depending on the option, store and other factors.
Fats and healthy supplements
The source of fat is indicated here in a rather unusual way. The label simply says the word “fat,” while the English name for this component, Lard, translates as “pork fat.” For some reason this detail was missed in the translation. This ingredient ranks number 6 in the composition, and flaxseed serves as an additional vegetable source of fat.
Traditional sugar beet pulp and pea fiber are plant fibers that are beneficial for digestion. The source of mannan-oligosaccharides is brewer's yeast, inulin is dried chicory extract, fructo-oligosaccharides are added in isolated form. All these components are prebiotics that nourish the beneficial intestinal flora of cats and thus contribute to the normal functioning of their gastrointestinal tract.
Other additives are also present here - these are dry cranberry extract, propolis, and apple extract, as well as seaweed and dried mint extract. True, the proportion of each of these components in the composition is simply microscopic, and we cannot say with confidence that they have any effect on the health of cats.
The manufacturer has specified in detail the amount and composition of mineral compounds, as well as the dosage of each of them supplied with the food. We took the liberty of slightly adjusting the list of mineral supplements and first indicated the names of the minerals, and their sources in parentheses.
Trainer cat food - reviews
Adriana writes a review about Trainer food. One day my cat started itching, the vet said he had a food allergy. She recommended me different foods, both dry and canned. When I saw the prices for them at the pet store, I was shocked, but I felt sorry for the cat. I asked the seller if there were slightly cheaper analogues of those that the veterinarian wrote. The seller recommended the Fitness Trainer (it is hypoallergenic), and I bought it.
To my surprise, the cat immediately ate both dry and canned food (I tried Royal Canin before, but refused). I’ve been constantly buying Trainer food for two years now (I change the tastes from time to time, there are different ones), I’m happy with everything
