Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula

Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula costs a little less than other super-premium cat foods, but without sacrificing quality, experts say. Several top sources recommend Felidae as one of the best canned cat foods you can buy.

Ingredient quality

Lots of different meats -- but brown rice and carrageenan are controversial. Unlike most other top-rated canned cat foods, Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula contains grain (ground brown rice). Some experts, like veterinarian Lisa Pierson, point out that cats didn't evolve to digest grains -- they're strict carnivores, which would ordinarily only eat little bits of predigested grain in the stomachs of their prey.

However, Pierson still recommends Felidae as a top-quality canned cat food -- as does Tracie Hotchner, author of "The Cat Bible" and host of the syndicated radio show "Cat Chat." Brown rice is the seventh ingredient, after five different kinds of meat and chicken broth. And Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula is still relatively low-carb, according to a chart linked to Pierson's website.

Another top expert awards Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula the highest possible rating, pointing out that it packs a wide variety of protein sources into one food (chicken, turkey, liver, lamb, egg, fish) and includes chelated minerals, which are easy for cats to absorb. This expert doesn't mind the brown rice, but does object to the carrageenan in the food. Carrageenan, a thickener made from seaweed, is a controversial ingredient because some animal studies have linked it to intestinal problems.

Only a few cat owners have reviewed Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula at OnlyNaturalPet.com. One points out that the food actually cleared up his cat's intestinal problems. Two say it has been good for their cats' urinary problems, and two say their cats stopped shedding and their coats grew glossier after switching to Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula.

Product safety

A clean track record for Felidae cat food. Felidae cat food hasn't been involved in any recalls, according to the Food and Drug Administration's online recall database (which goes back to 2007). The company's Canidae dry dog food was recalled in May 2012 because some other pet foods manufactured at the same Diamond Pet Food plant were contaminated with salmonella. Canidae did not test positive for salmonella -- the recall was just a precaution -- and Felidae cat food is made in a different plant by a different company.

One expert reviewer, who likes to know where cat food companies get their ingredients from, notes that Felidae "stated most ingredients are sourced from the U.S. and nothing is sourced from China." On the plus side, Felidae's small 5.5-ounce cans (not the bigger cans) are bisphenol A (BPA)-free. BPA is a chemical that studies have linked to reproductive problems, cancers and other diseases.

Value

Costs a bit less than other super-premium cat foods. Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula costs 10 to 30 cents less per can than top-rated, grain-free cat foods like Evo Cat and Kitten Food (*Est. $1.40 for a 5.5-oz. can), Merrick Cowboy Cookout (*Est. $1.40 for a 5.5-oz. can), Wellness Chicken Formula (*Est. $1.50 for a 5.5-oz. can), Wysong Au Jus Chicken (*Est. $1.60 for a 5.5-oz. can) and the top-rated Halo Spot's Stew Wholesome Chicken Recipe (*Est. $1.60 for a 5.5-oz. can).

Natural Balance Indoor Cat Formula (*Est. $1.20 for a 6-oz. can) includes grains higher up on its ingredient list. It costs a bit less than Felidae but still earns nods from some top experts, making it a good value choice.

The bottom line

Felidae Cat and Kitten Formula contains a couple of ingredients that some experts aren't crazy about (brown rice and carrageenan), but overall, they say it's a high-quality canned cat food. It's a good alternative to some pricier but slightly better regarded foods, such as those from Halo.