MM--Consider this---Although FRomm uses fish in their formulas, the Salmon is WILD Salmon and iti s deboned. They do not use tile fish in their "ocean fish" --they use herring, haddock and halibut but no bottom feeders and these too are deboned. My point is this: we have to broaden our outlook somewhat. Wild Salmon is the only type of salmon that is safe now, for humans too. Very few companies use "Wild" Salmon--Fromm is a small business and I just wish they made more flavors.
Also, I have learned that kidney disease is not a death sentence. Our vet had a 12 year old female in stage 3. She is now 18 and still truckin along in stage 3 or 4!
With proper medication and diet and checkups every 6 months, a cat can live an otherwise normal quality long life. The trick is to catch it before it reaches stage 3 which makes it much easier. However, a cat with a certain disposition---say depressed---can pass away in stage 1, if the proper meds are not given to increase appetite. It's one pill or liquid every 3 days does the trick. The med is called Mirtzapine and it goes very well with Calcitriol. I take more meds than my cats do and so does my husband for his kidney disease and my daughter.
Also, Nutrience has a grain-free canned cat food---yes, at this point it is only available in Canada but the dry food is already available in the US and the wet food will be also, very soon FYI. It's not my favorite but it belongs on the list with (Canadian beside it). To be honest, it is not one of the favorites in our home but it does fit the requirements (white tin only)
Like you, I am not cynical about this situation. Sure, there are some bad companies out there. But there are also some great companies out there who care about their reputations. I know as a business person myself, it's not all about the money because without a great reputation, clientele diminishes, so it is in a company's best interest to maintain a great repuation. For example, we can complain about filler in Halo's Spot Stews but what about the fact that (ours & Others) cats love it, except for the peas and carrots. The meat in Halo is excellent quality and it's mushy but we're not eating it---our cats are the ones who need to enjoy the texture. I am happy to share my research with anyone who is interested, having spoken to two Nutritionists--the one from Petcurean was even complimenting other pet food companies---a true sign that what she cared about was the nutrition of our beloved Furkids.
Sorry to have written a book here!
But no doubt our Furkids mean the world to the majority of us.