Cat Food: Reviews

Updated March 2011
Cat owners are particular about what they feed their beloved pets, and ConsumerSearch has found that the best information and reviews on cat food come from websites written and maintained by people who love cats. Based on our research, ConsumerSearch recommends both wet and dry cat food that has earned the approval of experts and owners alike.
 

Best canned cat food, but expensive

Wellness Chicken Formula *Est. $1.50 for a 5.5-oz. can Compare Prices

About.com: About.com guide to cats Franny Syufy calls Wellness Chicken Formula an enigma.

CatInfo.org: While the author, veterinarian Lisa Pierson, is a strong proponent of feeding cats a raw diet, Wellness's grain-free varieties (including Chicken Formula) are named in a short list of high-quality, grain-free commercial cat foods.

PetsumerReport.com: Wellness canned cat food earns the highest possible rating here.

Ask Susan Peters: Susan Peters tends to be hypercritical when it comes to cat foods, and few cat foods score very well here.

Tipped Ear Clan: This fun blog has lots of information about cat nutrition and cat foods.

ZooToo.com: Wellness Chicken Formula cat food scores relatively well here after more than 25 reviews.

Best-value canned cat food

Natural Balance Indoor Cat Formula *Est. $1.10 for a 6-oz. can Compare Prices

About.com: Franny Syufy, About.com's guide to cats, rates Natural Balance as the top canned cat food based on testing with her cats.

CatInfo.org: Veterinarian Lisa Pierson advocates a raw-meat diet for cats, and her recommendations reflect that she considers other foods inferior.

PetsumerReport.com: Natural Balance Indoor Cat Formula earns the highest possible rating here, though reviewer Susan Thixton notes that the minerals aren't the most easily absorbed.

OnlyNaturalPet.com: More than 50 owner reviews of Natural Balance canned foods, including the Indoor Cat Formula, are mostly positive, though this isn't one of the top-rated cat foods here.

Petco.com: The nearly 70 owners reviewing Natural Balance Ultra Premium varieties -- including Indoor Cat Formula -- give this cat food a nearly perfect average rating.

Supermarket canned cat food

Trader Joe's Chicken, Turkey & Rice Dinner *Est. 60 cents for a 5.5-oz. can Learn More

CatInfo.org: Trader Joe's cat food is called a "reasonable" choice among quality commercial cat foods with grain.

Catster.com: Trader Joe's cat food is discussed in several threads at this busy cat lovers' site, including this thread that explores budget choices among canned cat foods.

CatForum.com: Cat owners here discuss the pros and cons of Trader Joe's cat food.

Best dry cat food, but expensive

Wellness Core Fish & Fowl Recipe for Adult Cats & Kittens *Est. $24 for a 5.9-lb. bag Compare Prices

About.com: About.com's Franny Syufy rates Wellness Core highly and says it is a food that's "closely aligned with a raw diet." She reports she feeds Wellness Core to her own cats and that they enjoy it.

PetFoodRatings.net: The site owner at this pet food ratings page gives Wellness Core his highest rating, praising the high protein content and use of high-quality salmon and flaxseed oils.

PetsumerReport.com: This site is all about pet food. Susan Thixton gives this Wellness Core variety a perfect rating, significantly higher than the rating for the regular Wellness dry cat food.

Ask Susan Peters: Susan Peters takes issue with the inclusion of certain ingredients in Wellness Core dry cat food -- namely chicken fat, natural chicken flavor and potatoes (which she calls a cheap filler) -- and gives it a rating of just 4 out of 10.

Petco.com: More than 50 owners have weighed in on Wellness Core as of our last visit, and all seem happy with the food.

OnlyNaturalPet.com: More than two dozen owners give this dry cat food mostly positive ratings here, praising the nutritional value -- though some prefer Evo.

ZooToo.com: More than 20 user reviews here regarding Wellness Core show a general pattern of satisfaction.

GreenLittleCat.com: This cat lover evaluates Wellness, along with five other health-food[D3] cat food companies, with a focus on their environmental impact and practices.

Best value dry cat food

Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dry *Est. $13 for a 6-lb. bag Compare Prices

About.com: Franny Syufy, About.com's guide to cats, includes Natural Balance Ultra Premium cat food in her list of top dry food choices, but discussion is limited compared with some other foods.

PetFoodRatings.net: While Natural Balance Ultra Premium earns a rating that's just a bit below the top foods, Christopher Eng says it's a great choice for those on a budget, as it delivers quite a bit for its price.

PetsumerReport.com: Natural Balance Ultra Premium gets a high rating here despite its inclusion of canola oil, which Susan Thixton says has not been tested for safety with pet foods.

ZooToo.com: Nearly 150 users have weighed in at this independent pet lovers' community, and most seem quite pleased, giving Natural Balance Ultra Premium an overall rating of 4.4 on a five-point scale.

Petco.com: Almost 70 users have written reviews of Natural Balance Ultra Premium, giving it a high overall rating of 4.8 on a five-point scale.

OnlyNaturalPet.com: Fewer than a dozen owners review this cat food here.

GreenLittleCat.com: This cat lover evaluates Natural Balance, along with five other health-food[D4] cat food companies, with a focus on their environmental impact and practices.

Amazon.com: Most of the handful of owners reviewing this cat food here are delighted with it.

Organic cat food

Newman's Own Organics Chicken and Brown Rice *Est. $1.40 for a 5.5-oz. can Compare Prices

About.com: Franny Syufy, About.com's guide to cats, ranks Newman's Own Organics Chicken and Brown Rice seventh on her list of recommended canned cat foods; it's the only organic cat food on the list.

CatInfo.org: Veterinarian Lisa Pierson advocates a raw-meat diet, and her recommendations reflect that bias, favoring canned cat food that includes no grain at all.

PetsumerReport.com: Newman's Own Organics cat food gets the highest possible ratings here, and site owner Susan Thixton notes that it includes probiotics plus minerals in the form that is easiest for cats to digest.

OnlyNaturalPet.com: More than two dozen owners give Newman's Own canned cat food varieties an overall rating of 4.7 on a five-point scale.

Amazon.com: More than 50 owners review Newman's Own Organics cat food here, giving it an average rating of 3.8 on a five-point scale.

Ask Susan Peters: Susan Peters dings Newman's Own Organics Chicken and Brown Rice formula, but some of her criticism seems off base.

Frozen raw cat food

Feline's Pride Gourmet Chicken Dinner *Est. $95 for a 20-lb. box Learn More

CatInfo.org: Veterinarian Lisa Pierson advocates a raw-meat diet for cats, and her recommendations reflect this.

CatNutrition.org: This raw-food advocate recommends Feline's Pride as the best commercial raw cat food.

ItchmoForums.com: This discussion is very brief, but it includes tips on persuading a cat to switch from a dry commercial cat food to a Feline's Pride raw diet.

Cat Food Runners Up:

     
 
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Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
   
 
 
 
     
 
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Halo Purely For Pets Spot's Stew Wholesome Chicken -- 5.5 oz
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
 
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EVO Turkey and Chicken Formula Dry Cat Food
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
   
 
 
 
     
 
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Merrick Before Grain #2 Salmon Dry Cat Food, 6.6 Pound Bag
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 

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