FAQs

A cat’s natural diet is one rich in meat or fish, because a cat is a true carnivore.  In order to replicate such a diet for domestic cats, cat food should contain natural sources of essential amino acids, such as taurine, and be free from artificial flavours or additives, and other such nasties.

The best natural wet cat food should mirror the freshly caught prey a cat would naturally enjoy in the wild. The cat will often leave behind the bits it does not want such as intestines, head and other derivatives. At Encore we remove the hard work for your cat by only using the finest cuts of meat in our wet foods. All our cuts of meat have come from animals which been veterinary inspected and passed fit for human consumption. So, when feeding Encore, you can be assured that you are feeding the best you can give to your cat.

Treats should not make up more than 20% of your cat’s daily diet. You can feed as many treats as you like as long as you do not exceed this ratio. Unlike many other treats that include additional sugars and additives, Encore Tuna loins contain only one ingredient- Tuna, making them a tasty and healthy treat for your cat.

The healthiest cat treats are natural treats which work alongside your cat’s regular diet. Beware – some cats will love the taste of lower quality cat treats which have clever chemically produced ingredients which your cat may crave. A healthier option is to feed all-natural cat treats such as Encore loins, which are made from natural human grade ingredients with absolutely nothing artificial.

There can be many symptoms that indicate your cat might have a food allergy. These symptoms can include:

• Restlessness
• Regular scratching
• Red eyes
• Excessive coat odour
• Hair loss
• Lack of energy

The best food for cats with allergies is one which is carefully put together to avoid the common triggers of a cat’s allergies. These triggers can include grains such as wheat or animal derivatives, therefore a high protein diet without grain and wheat is can be more suitable.

Complementary cat food contains many essential nutrients to keep your cat healthy, but it does not contain all the nutrients a cat requires as part of a complete and balanced diet. This means that one of your cat’s meals each day should be a complete food in order to balance the nutrients. When feeding Encore complementary wet food, we recommend that you also have a bowl of Encore dry food available for your cat to enjoy.

Indoor cats can often benefit from a special diet as their behaviour can be different to outdoor cats.  Indoor cats tend to exercise less and groom themselves more than their outdoor counterparts. Lack of exercise can lead to excessive weight gain, and over grooming can lead to hair balls developing in your cat’s stomach.  Encore complete dry food is an excellent diet to feed alongside any of our wet foods. The high meat content is easy to metabolise. This can also be better for a cat compared to a food which is high in cereals or grains, as these are high in carbohydrates which can cause weight gain. The special natural ingredients in Encore dry food also help to reduce the development of hair balls in cats.

No – we’re pleased to tell you that this is a myth. Pets that have kidney problems are more likely to be eating a diet based on cereal protein, which is poor in digestible protein. Vets often recommend a diet that is high in easy to digest protein, such as Encore. We hope that puts your mind at rest, however if you have any concerns, contact your vet.

No. Never. We refuse to use any battery farmed chicken or eggs in our food. Our chickens are well looked after so they can go on to look after your pets.

We do not use any GM ingredients in our complete Encore dry food range. Although it is not illegal to use GM ingredients in pet food, we believe natural food is simply better food for pets.

No. The antioxidants we use to preserve the freshness and taste of our Encore range are natural, and naturally more expensive. For example rosemary, marigold, vitamins C and E (declared as tocopherol rich extracts of natural origin).

No – in fact, it will help to do the opposite. After a month or two most pets will show an increase in lean muscle mass and, as Encore is low in carbohydrates, most overweight pets will actually lose weight.

Unthinkable – Encore refuses to use such ingredients and nothing artificial is added to our natural pet food range. That’s why you’ll find there’s never any food left in your pet’s bowl. Our products are kept fresh with more expensive, natural citrus and herb extracts.

Some manufactures use the chemical propylene glycol to preserve their pet food and treats. Yes, it’s a less-toxic version of car anti-freeze and to some it is considered ‘safe’ if used in small quantities. Look out for it hidden on labels that read, “Contains EEC Permitted antioxidant, colorants or preservatives”.

Encore complete is delicious, easy to digest and particularly suitable for cats that suffer from to gluten intolerance. Different types of cereal gluten can cause a problem in some pets. The allergy can result in excessive scratching, hair loss and excessive body odour – if your pet shows these symptoms, please consult your vet.

Fats don’t make your pet cuddlier. The correct level of fats in your pet’s diet is essential for the following three reasons
(i) Fats give your cat and dog a concentrated source of calories for energy.
(ii) Fats help your pet to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, like A and D.
(iii) Fats supply essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid for healthy skin and coat.

Encore complementary pet foods are perfectly safe to feed with Encore complete cat or dog food as part of a balanced diet. Like humans, cats and dogs have a recommended daily intake of vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins. Many other pet food brands add a vitamin pack to their food in order to meet the regulations for a complete food – these can affect the palatability of wet foods.

At Encore, we prefer your pets to receive 100% of the natural meat goodness of the high quality ingredients we use in our tins, pots and pouches. Why not try Encore complete dry foods, they are GRAIN FREE and contain up to 80% chicken as well as an active probiotic or prebiotic. Encore complete pate is made with fresh natural ingredients including beef, chicken and lamb. Encore complementary foods – can be fed with Encore complete cat or dog foods for a balanced diet. Please remember to check the feeding guide and adjust the level of dry food if you are feeding with wet food to avoid your pet gaining weight.

It is not possible for cats to have a carbohydrate-free diet. Cats and dogs get some carbohydrate from protein (gluconeogenesis) so that they have glucose and other sugars for important functions, such as energy for the brain. Carbohydrate in the form of fibre is also important for gut health – both for prebiotic functions (e.g. oligosaccharides and bulk volume) to allow gut contents to move and avoid constipation.

Encore pouches, pots and tins have a high meat content, which is why Encore is also rich in taurine. Taurine is an amino acid essential for the proper function of the heart and for eye health. It occurs naturally at high levels in muscle tissue in the chicken breasts, tuna, sardine and mackerel fillet that we use in our recipes.

In many other pet food brands, the level of natural taurine can be very low. They need to add synthetic taurine to their food to meet the minimum standard required by a cat. Independent scientific tests have shown that Encore Fish in broth varieties more than exceed the daily requirement of taurine for cats, and provide it in a natural form. Cats require a high level of taurine for healthy body functions, yet have limited enzymes which can produce it from other amino acids such as methionine and cysteine.

If taurine is deficient, retinal degeneration, reproductive failure, abnormal kitten development and a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy can occur. Cats need a balanced diet rich in taurine.

All of the flavours in our Encore tins range have been developed to complement our Encore dry range, so you can give your pet a healthy and balanced diet. If your pet suffers from a wheat allergy or beef allergy be very cautious in feeding any other tinned food brands.

Yes. We add just the right amount of salt to keep pets healthy. Our dry food has 1.134% – to be precise. Too much salt is bad for your cat but too little salt can lead to muscle cramps, dizziness, or even fatal, neurological problems.

Drinking too much water with insufficient salt intake can also put your cat at risk. Sodium is one of the key elements in salt and is one of the primary electrolytes in the body (the other two are potassium and calcium). Salt can also contain many beneficial minerals including magnesium, iodine, and over 21 essential and 30 accessory minerals beneficial to a cat health.

With the high animal protein, grain-free and hypoallergenic benefits of Encore complete range, you should see an improvement within 6-12 weeks. If your cat or dog has lost some fur as a result of an allergy it can take six months to grow back, although in some cases it may not grow back at all. It’s always best to consult with your vet.

Vets know their stuff. Problems like the formation of stones in the urinary tract can be caused by the high level of magnesium in pet food. That’s why we restricted the magnesium in Encore Complete – just enough to meet the body’s requirement and aid the prevention of urinary tract problems. However, there are many causes of urinary tract disorders. If you have any concerns please ask your vet for advice.

We have heard lots of positive results from many of our customers reporting improvements in their pets’ conditions including eczema, dermatitis, red meat allergy, and colitis. Encore natural pet food not only tastes as good as it looks, it helps pets feel good too. If you have any concerns please consult your vet.

Encore pate is made with fresh, offal as a base to which other ingredients are added to make the different recipes. For example, beef, lamb and chicken are mixed with delicious vegetables to create different varieties for your pet to enjoy . We created a pate style recipe following customer research. This was the best way to add a complete food to our wet range without compromising palatability or our commitment to use the best possible human-grade ingredients in our wet foods.

Cats are carnivores by nature and need a diet that contains animal protein to thrive and stay healthy. Us humans can metabolise protein from cereals, but cats find animal protein easier to digest. Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of health and development. They are vital for all aspects of growth, development and keeping the immune system healthy.

Cats need 22 amino acids only 11 of which they can synthesise themselves. The remaining essential amino acids must come from their food otherwise health problems can occur. That’s what Encore natural wet foods up to 75% real meat and Encore complete dry foods have 80% animal protein, to help you keep your pet healthy for longer.

It’s natural for cats and dogs to have a low amount of carbohydrates in their diets. We include potato in Encore natural pet food as they are a good source of nutrition and ensure good palatability throughout our complete range. They also help to balance the amino acids in meat protein and are rarely associated with dietary sensitivity.

Encore Complete is highly digestible and is concentrated goodness for your pet. So all of your pet’s nutritional needs will be met with less food. Another plus, they will produce smaller, firmer and darker stools with less offensive odour – much easier to pick up.

We make Encore dry food in small batches from fresh, local, natural ingredients. As the seasons change you will notice that the colour of our ingredients will turn our kibbles from a dark brown to a slightly lighter brown throughout the year, It’s all natural, with exactly the same recipe, nutrients, quality and flavour.

The term ‘Ash’ represents important minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, copper, manganese etc. We know this is a little confusing but we are required by law to display it as the measure of the total mineral content in our food.

Each Encore natural pet food recipe follows a strict quality specification and all of the ingredients can be traced from source through the manufacturing process. We partner with a number of specialist suppliers in the UK, France, Austria, Spain, Thailand, Australia and the USA.

Our partner in Thailand is one of the largest suppliers of canned tuna and prepared chicken in the world. Selected because it is a human food supplier which has been awarded grade A by the British Retail Food Consortium in Food Safety. This is acknowledged around the world as the gold standard in producing human food, and we are one of the very few companies which has this standard for our pet food.

Our chickens come from carefully selected farms which have been chosen for their high welfare standards. Raised in barns, they are allowed to grow for twice as long as standard UK chickens and have four times as much room to roam. All of our tuna is endorsed by the Earth Island Institute in the USA – we only catch sustainable species using dolphin-friendly fishing methods.
Encore is a natural pet food that exceeds the criteria for product inclusion and packaging declarations as outlined in the guidelines of both FEDIAF, AAFCO and PFIAA regulatory authorities for Europe, USA and Australia.

Encore is a complete food that has been produced to give your cat or dog everything they need for a long and healthy life – we’ve done the hard work so you can spend quality time with pet. Although homemade pet foods are made with love, they might not be tailored to the age, breed, size, and level of activity of your pet. They could also create some dietary problems.

• Raw foods carry a high risk of bacterial contamination as well as the possibility of transmitting diseases to humans.
• Too much calcium can result in growth problems, particularly for kittens. But too little calcium can cause weak bones that are susceptible to breaks.
• Mismanaged fat intake, can result in pancreatic problems.

According to the American College of Veterinary Nutritionists, many homemade recipes found on the web or elsewhere, even from well-meaning sources, may not be complete and balanced, creating the possibility of significant long-term harm to animals fed diets based on these recipes.

Diets that include high levels of grain such as wheat, sorghum, barley, rice and corn can be higher in carbohydrate and can be hard for cats to digest and to metabolise. High levels of carbohydrates can produce surges in blood sugar, which may lead to hyperactivity and could see your cat becoming overweight. They may also cause stress to the liver and kidneys and could lead to sensitivities or allergies. Encore Complete dry cat food is both high in animal protein and is grain free, to help your cat maintain a healthy weight.

Obesity is a common problem among felines and one that in a lot of cases is directly linked to overfeeding. 

You may be able to tell just by looking if your cat is overweight, however checking their physique regularly is a good way to see if they’re putting on too much weight. Run your hands across their back, If you can’t easily feel bones underneath a layer of fat, then they are carrying too much weight. Adjust their food intake accordingly, and ensure they are eating a diet that is complete, well-balanced and packed with essential nutrients. It’s advisable to always consult your vet before making any major changes to your cat’s diet.

Treats should not make up more than 20% of your cat’s daily diet. You can feed as many treats as you like as long as you do not exceed this ratio. Unlike many other treats that include additional sugars and additives, Encore Tuna loins contain only one ingredient- Tuna, making them a tasty and healthy treat for your cat.

There can be many symptoms that indicate your cat might have a food allergy. These symptoms can include:

• Restlessness
• Regular scratching
• Red eyes
• Excessive coat odour
• Hair loss
• Lack of energy

Indoor cats can often benefit from a special diet as their behaviour can be different to outdoor cats.  Indoor cats tend to exercise less and groom themselves more than their outdoor counterparts. Lack of exercise can lead to excessive weight gain, and over grooming can lead to hair balls developing in your cat’s stomach.  Encore complete dry food is an excellent diet to feed alongside any of our wet foods. The high meat content is easy to metabolise. This can also be better for a cat compared to a food which is high in cereals or grains, as these are high in carbohydrates which can cause weight gain. The special natural ingredients in Encore dry food also help to reduce the development of hair balls in cats.

Some cats may exhibit symptoms of depression, such as loss of appetite, lack of enthusiasm, increased sleep.

This can be brought on by changes in environment, a medical condition or emotional stress like boredom or loneliness.

All these things can certainly affect a cat’s mood.

However, to compare it outright to the clinical mood disorder suffered by humans is possibly too simplistic.

Moving house is comfortably one of life’s most stressful experiences for humans. It can be even worse for cats.

A lot of cats are very sensitive creatures, driven by routine. A sudden change in environment can leave them feeling uncomfortable, unsettled and unsafe. Keep their daily routine as similar as possible before, during and after the move. Give them time to settle in, and make their new home as welcoming as possible.

The healthiest cat treats are natural treats which work alongside your cat’s regular diet. Beware – some cats will love the taste of lower quality cat treats which have clever chemically produced ingredients which your cat may crave. A healthier option is to feed all-natural cat treats such as Encore loins, which are made from natural human grade ingredients with absolutely nothing artificial.

Complementary cat food contains many essential nutrients to keep your cat healthy, but it does not contain all the nutrients a cat requires as part of a complete and balanced diet. This means that one of your cat’s meals each day should be a complete food in order to balance the nutrients. When feeding Encore complementary wet food, we recommend that you also have a bowl of Encore dry food available for your cat to enjoy.

The best food for cats with allergies is one which is carefully put together to avoid the common triggers of a cat’s allergies. These triggers can include grains such as wheat or animal derivatives, therefore a high protein diet without grain and wheat is can be more suitable.

The best natural wet cat food should mirror the freshly caught prey a cat would naturally enjoy in the wild. The cat will often leave behind the bits it does not want such as intestines, head and other derivatives. At Encore we remove the hard work for your cat by only using the finest cuts of meat in our wet foods. All our cuts of meat have come from animals which been veterinary inspected and passed fit for human consumption. So, when feeding Encore, you can be assured that you are feeding the best you can give to your cat.