It’s the end of the line for Natura pet products.
In a very under-reported development, Mars Petcare has decided to discontinue the Natura lines of Evo and California Natural pet foods. The news follows last year’s announcement of the discontinuation of a selection of California Natural and Evo formulas, along with the entire line of Innova foods.
Changes to the Natura line began with the 2010 when Procter & Gamble purchased the company. At that time, Natura had established itself with a growing line of high-quality and well-respected dog and cat foods.
In 2014, Procter and Gamble sold the Natura brand, along with its other pet food businesses, to Mars, Inc. One year later, more changes were seen with reformulations and targeted product discontinuations.
If you are currently feeding and California Natural or Evo formulas, we encourage you to stock up while the food is still available. This will give you some time to begin the search for an alternative once the current supply is exhausted.
For those in our service area, feel free to contact us for some guidance on available options for any discontinued California Natural or Evo products.
I was told that CRAVE Is what they are recommending now instead of EVO.
Thanks, Anthony-
Yes, Crave is the new grain-free line from Mars which is now their closest alternative to Evo. Some of the Crave formulas may be available in your area, while others are “Coming Soon.” If you compare ingredients, you’ll find Crave to be quite different from what it is replacing.
As a result, Crave will likely be less expensive than Evo &/ or California Natural.
Although Crave is recommended as the replacement for EVO, it is not as high in quality. The ingredient list contains potatoes, which is a starch and only the first two ingredients are a protein. I would highly recommend switching to Orijen. It is a bit pricier, but feeding amounts are smaller due to the high amount of protein content and it contains no starches. The last batch of EVO I bought gave my dog bad digestive problems and as soon as I switched her to Orijen, everything went back to normal. I would stress reading ingredient labels and comparing before buying!
My diabetic older cat has done great on evo. I also have 3 other cats so they all eat the same food. We are trying blue buffalo but our diabetic cat is throwing up everyday. Help!
This is a very upsetting development, because it means I’ll have to find a new food and won’t be able to slowly transition my two poodles to it as I’m almost out of EVO.I see upset tummies in our future. I called Chewy’s and they confirmed your news, and kindly provided three alternative, good quality foods that we shall be trying next. You would have thought that a feed company would care enough about its customers to provide this information early enough so we could be prepared. Since they don’t care, I won’t be trying their substitutions..
and I would have hoped that a company that ‘supposedly’ cares for the animals that it makes money on, would have had enough decency to
Thanks Dolores-
You’re not alone in being taken by surprise by this development. Glad you have some decent options to consider. It has been disappointing to watch the decline and disappearance of Natura foods since their very impressive beginnings as a private, independently owned company. Once they sold to Procter & Gamble and then to Mars the fears of many were unfortunately proven true.
What foods did the recommend as alternative.i have diabetic cat and EVO dry has 50%protein which is unheard of in dry cat food. Plus its the only non fish flavored food she’ll eat.
Danielle, try Orijen. I had both my dog and cats on EVO with good results, but once I couldn’t find it anymore I had to search for a replacement. Orijen is very high in quality and protein and I haven’t had any issues switching them over.
Another fine example of what happens when a chocolate company invades the dog food world! I fed Purina for years to all my dogs – quite successfully – until they were sold to Nestle. It then became a battle of constant formula changes with no warnings, digestive problems, and being told by them that “you should never change your dog’s food all at once.” (My response to this was ” I DIDN’T YOU DID!” – BUT, of course, they really don’t care. After finally finding California Natural for my current dog and having him FINALLY gain and maintain a healthy weight – now the “other” chocolate guys strike with this trick. To make matters worse, there is NOTHING on the market that is the same nutritional values/content as the California Natural. I am not looking forward to trying to deal with changing food on a 10 year old dog. Maybe we will all have to go back to boiling our own hamburger or chicken and rice! THIS IS REALLY NOT FAIR TO OUR ANIMALS.
I totally agree! I just got an email from Chewy.com with this news. I called and they confirmed. My seven year old dog has been on this food after trying various others that did not work. My younger dog is still on the puppy version. This is extremely upsetting to me and my canine Family!
I agree. My cat is diabetic. She needs high protein,low carb food. 50% protein is unheard of in a non veterinarian special diet food. My cat eats mostly can, but she is super finicky , so when she won’t eat the wet food,EVO was a lifesaver. I’m going to try Dr Elsey(i think that’s how is spelled) his food if actually higher in protein than EVO , is low carb and is made to not cause calcium oxalate and bladder stones.
Danielle-
If high protein, low carb is what you’re after, you may want to consider some of the frozen raw or freeze-dried/ dehydrated mixes available in your area.
These foods are minimally processed and use much higher quality ingredients than the discontinued Evo foods.
I ditched Evo when P&G because quality took a dive. I found d a great food called Lotus. I like them because it is human grade meats, grain free and they have their own cannery, which should stop many of the recalls and cross contamination. My fur kids love it and they help with special diets.
Thanks DeAnn-
Lotus is a great food if it’s available in your area. Their availability of mixed protein formulas is limited to a single formula, but if that is not important their single-source protein formulas can be excellent alternatives.
I am very saddened by this news. My black lab has seizures and has been on CA Natural for 8 years with no seizures. This is the only dog food he can eat. Now I have to find a replacement in hopes he doesn’t have seizures again as a result. We have referred many of friends to CA Natural, one having a dog that had seizures as well. Seizures stopped in their dog from feeding CA Natural as well. It’s pathetic that these companies are taking over and discontinuing healthy dog food, to make food full of fillers and crap to save a buck. KIn the end it kis our pets that suffer.
Grocery Outlet stores, not only carry Evo and CA Nat temporarily; its also $40, for the $75 Evo bag etc. So y’all should go there and stock up. In the store I just left, they had a mixture of 40+ bags (in different sizes and flavors). G. O. is known to buy discontinued products, and selling them much cheaper. Good luck!
Thanks, Torben!
Here’s hoping at least a few folks will see this and be able to find the last of the remaining supply at a local G.O.
I got a 15.4 bag of Evo for cats, herring and salmon flavors ,at Grocery Outlet today.
If the cashier @ the store I buy California Natural from hadn’t told me, I probably wouldn’t know about this line being discontinued. I am not happy to switch and have yet to find a suitable replacement. Has anyone found a food they’re willing to try instead?
I have been using a couple Orijen / Acana products that I like…for several years…in combination with Evo dry(s) for both my cats and dogs. I get them online at PetFlow. They (Orijen/Acana) pulled themselves out of Chewy in favor of smaller “specialty” retailers after PetSmart bought Chewy out.
Orijen and Acana are excellent foods if they are available in your area. Orijen and Acana are two of a growing number of foods that are no longer being sold through online retailers. While this is an inconvenience for some, it offers some relief to local independent shops who are disappearing as a result of online competition.
What is your opinion of this trend? Is it worth slightly more to have the benefit of a local independent retailer’s experience and knowledge, or would you rather just pay a lower price and do your own research as questions/ problems arise?
I would rather buy local. If there is an issue (as occurred with CN a few years back, a retailer will tell you, and help resolve the issue!
Yes, they will, as long as their staff has been properly trained. As for the Taste of the Wild, it’s a decent food, but not as digestible as Evo so you’ll feed more. They are also mixed protein formulas. That makes them a possible alternative for Evo but not a good alternative for California Natural.
For everyone who is scrambling to find a replacement for your discontinued Evo or California Natural foods… if you are in the Seattle area, feel free to contact us for some options which may work for you. If you live outside our service area, check with a local independent shop for their recommendations.
Not all foods are available in all areas of the country. Your local independent shop should be willing to spend the time to talk to you about available alternatives. They’re far more likely to be familiar enough with what you’re after and will know what is available to special order if necessary.
Our local pet supply store recommended Zignature brand as a replacement for the California Natural Lamb Meal that we’ve been purchasing for years. So disappointed in this news. Good luck pet mamas & dadas! Hope all our 4 legged kids don’t get too upset of a stomach through all of this.
The zignature is giving very lose stool for my pup as I stated to switch over from CN fish formula. To much fiber for my dog. So sad to have to keep looking and hoping my dog does not have tummy issues. CN was so good for her allergies!
This is the pits. I can’t remember how many dog foods I had to go through to find one my German Shepherd would eat. Ended up with EVO which she loved. Have added another gsd and he also loves it. It is all for all ages. So, we feed raw once a day and they have EVO all the time. Never been over weight, stools never runny, and what other dog food has a minimum of 42% PROTEIN. Its the pits.
If high protein above 40% is your only criteria, there are other options if they are available in your area. Have a look at some of the Nature’s Variety Instinct, Wysong (Epigen and Fundamentals) and Solid Gold Barking at the Moon formulas. There are also some excellent options in the 35%+ Protein content as well.
Just back from pet store and learned the news. How very disappointed I am to learn this. I too, received a recommendation for Zignature Lamb. I hope it is as good as California Naturals. I have noticed a decline in the product once Mars took over. For this, I will not purchase another Mars product- dog/cat/chocolate.
I was sad to hear this news! My dog has severe allergies and CN was the only thing that has worked (no peas or canola oil). My pet store recommend Earthborn Venture. Similar ingredients so I’m going to give it a try.
PETSMART OWNS CHEWY…one and the same. The parent company is a British Corporation. Mars is notorious for doing this. A number of years they bought Buckeye for their horse feed to gain market share. They strip the company and did away with their dog food and cat food production which was originally owned buy Purina Mills not to be confused with the current Purina. They made a food call Buckeye super bits that we would use for all of our champion Labradors it was superb many breeders were using it. And you know the rest boom gone just like this food. As I say business is business. I also noticed they’ve changed or tweaked the formula for Eukanuba 30 / 2 0 performance. And saw the changes after 30 years. I am using Victor now for all the dogs we’re getting excellent results the change in their coats over 4 weeks is amazing. It’s excellent food needs to be transition slowly. I would call them and ask them which would be the best for your purposes there to customer service reps are excellent the price point is superb and this dog food is Major League on the rise it’s one of chewys best sellers. One of the bags that I’m using as a professional with glucosamine and chondroitin for some seniors. The results have been amazing for our seniors. They’re running around like crazy and they’re actually doing steps which they have not done in years. Hope this is helpful all the best to everyone here.
The Zignature Lamb looks like it has way more fiber, as has been mentioned. Does anyone have any thoughts about Taste Of The Wild?
We migrated from Taste of the Wild to CA Naturals. It’s definitely more available in my area, but I did end up switching for a reason. 1) the store that sold it closed earlier than I got off work, so I needed a way to actually get them food (jet.com was my go-to). 2) while the food was grain free, my dogs still had some issues with digestion and the runs periodically. Sometimes they would get outright sick. I don’t know if it was the food 100%, but along with the food change, they seemed to stop getting sick as often… could be just me though. I inevitably will be going back to the brand as a result of this… crossing my fingers.
Tied Zignature and my dog developed a rash- either allergy to chickpea or pea flour. Still searching for a replacement.
I never let my “shar pei” run low on food but was sick and almost ran out. Just learned I cannot get their evo fish. They have done so good on this food. Great energy and costs that are so healthy. Shame on the makers of this food for not giving fair warning.
Well this answers the question as to why Evo Chicken & Turkey suddenly got impossible to find. Shame. Was a very good food and at a reasonable price. Been spending last few months trying to find a replacement food for my car and she’s hated pretty much everything. Thankfully she has taken to eating Crave without a problem, but it’s certainly not as good as the Evo it’s replacing. For one thing she now poops more than she ever did with Evo. Wish more companies had sample sizes for testing.
I am so disappointed that EVO turkey and chicken cat formula is gone. I have checked everywhere (websites/stores in the area to get my hands on some if they have any left and they didn’t). My Maine coon has been eating EVO for almost 5 years (she’s turning 5 on 4/25). So sad but yesterday I took her to the vet bc she has been losing weight and started foaming from the mouth. She was diagnosed with fatty liver disease bc she’s starving herself. Breaks my heart because I have bought 3 different kinds of dry foods and she will not eat. She stopped eating her treats, and won’t drink water now. I just wish I could get my hands on some EVO to save her. She’s hooked up to IV’s and getting medicine. Im praying she makes it! If anyone has any suggestions on what food to buy please let me know. I have tried some holistic brand from Hollywood Feed, Orijen, and Royal Canin.
Hi Arijana, I’m very sorry to hear about your cat 🙁 You can still buy the Evo Herring & Salmon cat food on amazon, although it will probably quickly sell out since it’s not being made any more. Here’s the link, I hope you can save your cat:
https://www.amazon.com/EVO-Herring-Salmon-Formula-Kitten/dp/B003SEB1WG/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1523138461&sr=1-1&keywords=evo+cat+food
Local shops in your area may also have some of the last remaining stock. If not, they may have good suggestions for a replacement. It’s always worth a few phone calls to check.
Thank you so much for the reply Juan! I already bought it. Cats don’t like it. 🙁 My Maine coon is very sick and won’t go anywhere near food. She’s diagnosed with Hepatic Lipidosis starving herself due to food change. She’s getting a feeding tube put in tomorrow. I’ve been syringe feeding her baby food after she got out of being hospitalized for 3 days. It’s been the most emotional week. I’m praying everything goes well and she starts eating soon.
Thanks Smiley for the reply. I already tried all the stores around me petco, petsmart, pet supply plus, Hollywood feed, chewys.com, and many online store but everything is out of stock. Hollywood Feed recommend the holistic brand and Orijen. Those didn’t work for my Maine Coon. But my boy cat, Arabian Mau transitioned to Orijen just fine.
Arijana,
I was able to sucessfully transition my cats over to the Turkey and Chicken American Journey dry when the Evo Turkey and chicken was discontinued. I needed to find something that was high in protein and potato free and the American Journey seems to fit the bill. The people at Chewy suggested it for us. I have an 18 lb cat so it was also important for us to not have an issue where he would not eat and have the problems that your poor furbaby is going through. No digestive upsets either. I tried multiple brands before this one and like you, was met with turned up noses. The people at Chewy.com are awesome and I am sure if you reach out to them on your Maine Coon’s health crisis they would be able to expedite it out to you.
Thought and prayers to you and your furbaby.
Thank you so much! Will definitely try it out. My Maine coon, Lucky is doing a little better. She’s been on the feeding tube for almost 2 weeks. She was vomiting for days after the tube was put in because she couldn’t keep anything down, but things are looking on the brighter side now. She’s gained 0.5lb and looks very happy. We are getting where we need to be slowly. Hopefully she starts to eat soon on her own. Can’t wait for that day!
I don’t know what made me think to do a search to find out what happened to Natura, but here I am reading all of your comments and recommendations. I understand and feel the same disappointment, frustration, and betrayal and although its not my fault I wish to extend a comment in good faith and remind myself that when one door closes another one opens and for most a much brighter, more beautiful and well constructed door.
You see I was a devoted, loyal, Natura loving happy sales rep. I thought I would retire from the Privately held company Natura Pet Products. It was an amazing company, filled with innovative thinkers, visionary medical and science staff. Each and everyone employed directly by Natura took great pride in the products we made and our impeccable record for making such quality nutritional food for our furry family members. For me I never dreaded getting up and doing my job. Didn’t feel like a job. It was a passion like the one we are always told….Do what you love.
The greatest reward was doing events and educating whoever was interested the 411 about pet foods. Helping them to understand why different formulas might be an alternative for their current diet. Giving samples and literature and Then seeing those people later at other events and they shared with me the results and updates on their pets. Filled my heart with overflowing satisfaction because we were helping bridge those problem areas that without taking the time to listen or someone to inform honestly….. Thats a tall order to fill. And its what the original privately owned company from the janitor to the owner prided ourselves on.
The owner had owned and operated the company for 17 successful, hard dedicated blood, sweat and tears. Turning 70 and wanting to enjoy now committing time with each other the owner couple decided to sell the business. Story says that they demanded who ever buy the company stay true to the brand, keep original employees who want to stay treat them with respect and responsibility as well as our independent retailers, clients and of course the furry ones we love.
Unfortunately not everyone understood the Natura business success model. I left the company in 2012, 2 years after the P&G buyout of Natura. I miss everything that very special company and job.
From California to New York, way way north and all the way south the employees of Natura were loving dedicated truly caring pet lovers and owners working hard with our vendors and happy to see and talk with our end users.
Its just incomprehensible that anyone could take a product so beneficial for so many, great success because each measure was carefully developed and quality control would always say if they heard, felt or saw anything not in line with our standards they’d be blowing the whistle.
We never saw the chess move that would destroy the brother/sisterhood and entire kingdom of Natura. That was the start to learning whats really happening in the world.
I too was a user of the evo, cal natural and innova lines of food because I had pets that had problems with the friskies, purina’s, and other grocery and big box brands who still looked at our pets as farm yard service animals not our furry children.
To see them suffer makes us suffer not just from their misery but also our wallets not to mention the extra time and mess we’d have to experience because of poor quality food. I know there are good foods out their.
We held top of the list for a very long time, I hope that soon someone with heart, compassion, education, devotion, vision love and desire creates a new amazing pet food line so we can again know we are truly doing the very best we can for our pets.
A thank you to all of my peers/co-workers in the industry, that share this commendatory and pursue best in practice, quality, realness.
Cheers, and remember ” And in the end, the love you take… is equal to the love you make”… “The Beatles”
Thanks for sharing your experience, C-
Yes, it has been a very unfortunate decline to watch. Sadly, it was not surprising to see given the emphasis on profit over quality.
Natura set a standard that other foods rarely meet, although there have been some very welcome improvements in the industry. If nothing else, it helped raise awareness of the benefits of feeding better quality food. That in itself is a legacy to look back at in pride.
does anyone now of a replacement for the herring and sweet potato my dog has a lamb an beef allergy
Nikki, your best bet is to check with the folks in your local independent shop if one is near you. They will likely know what alternatives are available in your area. Your independent shop employees are much more likely to be better trained to address your needs than the folks at Petsmart or Petco.
If they are available in your area, have a look at the fish-based formulas from Open Farm, Farmina and Petcurean. They all have herring-based foods which may work for you. Also ask about foods which use Menhaden Fish meal as a primary protein source. This could be a good alternative for you as well.
If you are in the Seattle area, you’re welcome to get in touch with us and we can talk you through the options available in this area.