Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula

Unlike most other dry cat foods, Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula is grain-free and packed with high-quality meat. That's great for cats, which are strict carnivores -- although some experts say they don't approve of any dry food for cats.

Ingredient quality

High-quality meat and zero grain. One top expert gives Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula a perfect rating. All of the top ingredients are great protein sources -- turkey, chicken meal, chicken, herring meal (Evo's chicken meal includes no byproducts, and its fish meal uses only natural preservatives). Evo adds proteinated minerals (easy for cats to absorb) and probiotics (friendly bacteria) to boost digestion and immunity.

This food contains lots of fruits and veggies, too -- peas, apples, carrots, cranberries, tomatoes, pumpkin, alfalfa sprouts. Veterinarian Lisa Pierson says these aren't necessary; cats are strict carnivores that have "no dietary need for vegetables."

Despite the produce, Evo is grain-free and very low-carb -- a terrific thing in Pierson's book, as too many carbs can cause health problems in cats -- but she never recommends dry food for cats. Some veterinarians, including Pierson, argue that cats have a low thirst drive and must eat wet food, or risk painful, potentially life-threatening urinary problems.

However, plenty of vets say cats can do fine on dry food. Franny Syufy, About.com's guide to cats, says she used to feed her cats dry food but has since switched to canned -- except for one adopted stray who had known only dry food and resisted attempts to switch.

"Evo cat food is closer than other commercial dry cat foods in matching the nutritional quality of a raw food diet," Syufy writes, naming it her top dry food choice. Like many cat owners at OnlyNaturalPet.com, Syufy says her cats love the taste.

Product safety

No recalls for Evo or Natura. After Procter & Gamble bought Natura (Evo's parent company) in 2010, some reviewers worried that the quality would go down. But on its website, Evo says that its ingredients haven't changed, that it "will continue to use whole, real fruits and vegetables and high-quality proteins without compromise," and that all Natura dry foods will continue to be made in Natura's own Nebraska factory.

Natura says it tests ingredients and finished products to make sure they're free of melamine and cyanuric acid -- two contaminants that killed many pets during the giant pet food recall of 2007.

A search of the Food and Drug Administration's pet food recall database (which goes back to 2007) shows no recalls for Evo pet foods.

One source notes that Evo sources all of its meats, fruits and vegetables from the United States, and vitamins from Europe.

Value

Grain-free dry cat food is pricey -- but Evo is one of the most affordable. Pound for pound, Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula costs less than rivals with very similar ingredient lists: Wellness Core Grain Free Original Formula (*Est. $24 for a 5.9-lb. bag) and Orijen Cat and Kitten Formula (*Est. $23 for a 5.5-lb. bag). All three dry cat foods are grain-free and natural, and experts rate them all equally high.

Most dry cat foods substitute grain -- which experts say isn't as nutritious for cats -- for some of the meat. This makes them far cheaper than grain-free dry cat foods like Evo. Natural Balance Original Ultra (*Est. $16 for a 6-lb. bag) and California Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Formula (*Est. $15 for a 5-lb. bag) both contain grain, but they're still premium cat foods that get high marks from some experts.

The bottom line

Experts disagree about whether dry food is good for cats. But they do agree that Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula is one of the most nutritious -- and tasty -- dry cat foods you can buy. It's easily among the best-rated dry cat foods in reviews.