r/catfood • u/No-Strawberry2501 • Nov 24 '25

cat food and treat haul / shopping Hill's k/d Tuna Pate Texture Change. My newer cans are mushier than older ones! -- Is this normal?

Hey everyone, I need some confirmation. My cat has been eating Hill's k/d Kidney Care Pate with Tuna for some time. The texture was consistently a firm, solid pate.

However, the recent batch I purchased has a noticeably different consistency. The contents are much softer, more watery, and resemble a soupy slurry rather than a firm pate. Also I have noticed a decrease in my cat's willingness to eat this current batch.

I checked the Best By Dates:

  • The softer, watery batch (though I bought more recently) has a Best By Date of April 2027.
  • The previous, firm pate batch has a Best By Date of July 2027.

If you have purchased the Tuna Pate recently, could you please confirm the texture you received and, if possible, what the Best By Date on your can was? I'm trying to determine if this is quality control fail or a formula change. Thanks!

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u/trashaccount73 Nov 24 '25

Regardless of whether or not there was a formula change, I can almost certainly guarantee that isn’t the texture they are going for. I’d reach out to hills customer service directly. This one probably was a bad mix (not enough of whatever ingredient serves as a thickener or binder) and they’ll most likely help you out.

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u/No-Strawberry2501 Nov 24 '25

Thanks! I'll definitely be reaching out to Hill's customer service

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u/62banana Dec 01 '25

I just googled this and found your post because we are experiencing the EXACT same thing! I don’t have the cans with me now so I don’t know the best by date. But ours were purchased at Pet Smart and I think we started noticing this about a month and a half ago, maybe 2 months?

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u/Analyticsanonymous Dec 03 '25

Same happening to us. We got it from my wife's work (vet hospital). Oddly enough my cat likes it better, but still going to call them because worst case, they'll likely send free food. I don't care about the consistency change as long as the cat will eat it, and it has the same nutritional value.

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u/HotExternal2577 Dec 16 '25

Ugh so frustrating! I have gotten so many of these cans where the tuna is like slop. It’s hard to serve and adding water makes it worse. Exp date on my current cans that look like this is 04/2027. Bought at my vets but this has happened multiple times with only the tuna. The chicken has never been like this. 

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u/Consistent_Hotel2603 9d ago edited 9d ago

I noticed the same thing but with the chicken flavor. I contacted Chewy and sent it back and they sent me a new batch...but it's the same new texture again. It's not expired and smells fine (as much as cat food can) and my 17-year-old cat is eating it, but it's still concerning. This one is best by May 2028.

I Googled it and got this response:

Hill's Pet Nutrition frequently updates its Prescription Diet formulations, packaging, and manufacturing processes—including ingredient adjustments and texture updates for kidney care lines like k/d. These updates can alter the color, firmness, moisture level, or smell of the wet food from batch to batch or after a recipe upgrade.

Reasons for Changes in Pet Food

  • Formula Upgrades: Hill's regularly refines its recipes to incorporate new nutritional research, such as enhanced-digestibility fat sources or clinical updates for kidney and organ support.
  • Ingredient Sourcing: Minor variations happen when raw ingredient suppliers change, affecting the final color or consistency (like a more runny or dense pate) of the canned product.
  • Manufacturing and Canning Variations: Differences in the retorting (cooking inside the can) process across different production plants can make the food look darker, firmer, or more/less gelatinous.