By the end of the conversation, they were thinking about starting a pet food company. Herrick, then a drummer for The John Davidson Show, was interested in animal rescue, while Van Patten had always wanted to open up a pet shop. Natural Balance Pet Foods was created in 1989 by Dick Van Patten and Joey Herrick after a conversation about the two entertainers’ shared love of animals. Read on to learn more about Natural Balance and how we reached this conclusion. In total, we give Natural Balance cat food a 34 out of 60 rating or a C grade.