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Cat Food: Ratings of Sources
Total of 21 Sources
1. About.com
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Top Canned Cat Food
by Franny Syufy
Our Assessment

This is by far the best all-around cat information site we found. In terms of food, the site features listings of the top dry and canned cat foods, written by About.com cat guide Franny Syufy, along with choices among kitten foods (canned and dry), weight-control foods, foods for cats with allergies, raw commercial cat foods and more. The site also addresses almost every imaginable question about cat food, and the background information articles are helpful. This listing includes 12 foods that Syufy says "would form a fine basis for your cat's diet," ordered in the preference of her own cats. Natural Balance leads the list, with Syufy complimenting the company on its testing program. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

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2. About.com
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Premium Dry Cat Foods for Adult Cats
by Franny Syufy
Our Assessment Franny Syufy's list of premium dry foods is a little less helpful than her listing of canned foods because it is both more extensive and not ranked. However, she adds that she would feed any of them to her cats and rotates through several of the named foods. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
3. CatInfo.org
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Quality Commercial Foods
by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
Our Assessment

Although Dr. Pierson is a proponent of feeding cats a raw-meat diet, her site includes a list of what are called high-quality commercial canned cat foods. The foods listed contain meat as the primary ingredient, minimize or eliminate the use of grains and don't contain preservatives. This list is based on nutritional information provided by the manufacturer rather than testing, but the accompanying discussion explains the rationale for their inclusion in extensive detail. The list is broken down by foods without grains and those with grains, but without corn, wheat or soy. A commercial raw-food recommendation is also made.

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4. PetFoodRatings.net
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Cat Food Reviews
by Christopher Eng
Our Assessment

This website analyzes dry cat foods based on their ingredients, and provides ratings for quality and price. Each food is discussed, and the author identifies which he feeds to his own cats -- Wellness CORE (Fish & Fowl). Natural Balance Ultra Premium scores just below the top choices, but is identified as one of the better foods available at large pet food stores. Cat foods are listed alphabetically rather than by score, making it a little harder than it needs to be to zero in on the best choices.

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5. Ask Susan Peters
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Wet and Canned Pet Food Ratings
by Susan Peters
Our Assessment

This website rates cat foods on a point scale based on the absence of undesirable ingredients, such as wheat gluten, and the presence of desirable ingredients, such as meat instead of meat by-products. Site owner Susan Peters occasionally adds some additional comments, and readers can comment or ask questions. There's a lot of information here on cat food safety, recalls, lawsuits, etc., but it can be hard to find as site navigation isn't great. Ratings reflect the importance of reading labels, as different varieties of the same brand can have widely different scores. Top-scoring cat foods include certain varieties of well-known brands as well as some lesser-known brands. However, no consideration is given to the relative amounts of undesirable ingredients, and foods that list, for example, meat by-products as the first ingredient are penalized equally with those where it appears considerably further down the ingredient list. Several different and sometimes contradictory rating scales are used, complicating comparisons. Few dry foods score well.

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6. Tipped Ear Clan
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Hey, What's That in My Food Dish??
by "Calsifer"
Our Assessment

This cat-centric blog includes a fun-to-read page on cat nutrition and cat food. Among the information presented are some pointers on what to look for on cat food labels and specific brands to avoid. Specific cat food recommendations are made among economical, mid-range, high-end and premium cat foods. The anonymous author admits that she hasn't tried all of the recommended brands -- several are included solely based on their ingredients list -- but does say which ones have been tried, and which provided the best results overall. A recent update states that the author is now using varieties of Wellness brand cat foods.

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7. Catster.com
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Food & Nutrition Forum
by Contributors to Catster.com
Our Assessment

This active community of cat owners includes a forum dedicated to food and nutrition. Lots of discussion can be found here about general feeding topics, as well as specific cat food recommendations and information. Other forums on the site are dedicated to owners feeding a raw food diet as well as home-prepared food and recipes. This is also a good resource for general cat information, including a basic online care guide, details about cat breeds, a question and answer page and more.

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Cat Food Experiences By Brand
by Contributors to Itchmo Forums for Cats & Dogs
Our Assessment This active pet-lovers community includes several forums with good user feedback on lots of different cat foods. Many popular cat foods have their own threads here, and users are not shy about helping out when a question is asked. There's also a separate forum for pet food problems. Postings can be viewed by date, or sorted alphabetically by brand.
9. Max's House
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Feline Nutrition
by Editors of Max's House
Our Assessment Although no specific recommendations are made, there's an enormous amount of information here on cat nutrition, including detailed information on exact amounts of the nutrients, water, vitamins and minerals cats need, along with caloric intake. There's an especially excellent discussion on wet food versus dry food.
10. CatNutrition.org
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Foodmaking
by "Anne"
Our Assessment

This site has an excellent overview on raw food diets for pets. The anonymous author has really done her homework in terms of understanding the natural feeding habits of dogs and cats, developing recipes and recommendations for feeding according to natural guidelines. A nutritional breakdown of the recommended raw recipe is provided. If you are looking for an alternative to commercial cat foods, this is an excellent place to start your research.

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11. ZooToo.com
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Top Rated Cat Foods by Zootooers
by Contributors to Zootoo.com
Our Assessment

Zootoo.com is among the best places to read owner feedback on cat food. You sort the listings by canned and dried, and the number of reviews and the ratings are displayed on the main page. Many of the most popular foods have garnered enough feedback to show definite trends, but lots of foods have similar grades. A pop-up provides the distribution of ratings, how ratings have changed over time, and how owners rate factors like taste, additives, digestibility and more. Some budget offerings, such as Meow Mix Wholesome Goodness Red Snapper do as well as premium choices such as Halo Spot's Stew: Wholesome Lamb Recipe.

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12. Only Natural Pet Store
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Natural Cat Food
by Contributors to Only Natural Pet Store
Our Assessment

This online pet food and supplies retailer gives readers the opportunity to provide feedback and reviews on the cat foods they have tried. Ratings are provided right on the main page, but that would be more useful if the number of ratings were provided there as well, as is done at Zootoo.com. Some brands and foods get lots of feedback, while others get a handful of reports, or none at all. Reviews list pros and cons and a bottom-line opinion of whether or not the reviewer would recommend a product to a friend, along with a brief write-up. Reviewer identities are verified prior to their reviews being posted.

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13. Petco.com
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Food Center
by Contributors to Petco.com
Our Assessment

This is the website of the giant pet store chain. It has a couple of advantages as a destination for user reviews compared with the sites above, but also some limitations that place it a notch behind. On the plus side, navigation is easy since the number of reviews a product has received is listed right on the main page. In addition, several more popular supermarket brands are listed. On the down side, many products get no more than one or two reviews, and the reviews themselves are less structured. Several brands that score poorly with professional reviewers and cat enthusiasts -- such as Hill's Science Diet -- do well.

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Feeding Your Cat
by Editors at the Cornell Feline Health Center
Our Assessment

This is an easy-to-read article about cat feeding in general, with a simple overview of dietary recommendations, food types and common feeding errors. Prepared by a veterinary school, it's impartial in terms of specific products. In fact, it makes no product recommendations at all. Unlike some other resources, Cornell advises against homemade diets in most cases and instead recommends using a commercial and nutritionally balanced commercial food.

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15. LittleBigCat.com
Apr. 1, 2007
Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food
by Jean Hofve, DVM
Our Assessment Though this article makes no specific brand recommendations, it's a good primer on what to look for on cat food labels. Much of the article is dedicated to ingredients to avoid. Veterinarian Jean Hofve also recommends avoiding "special formula" foods and generic store brands.
16. AllExperts.com
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Cat Food
by Contributors to AllExperts.com
Our Assessment

AllExperts.com, a service of About.com, features volunteer experts who answer questions about a wide range of subjects, including cat food. The volunteers state their background and expertise, so the responses are more useful than those posted on an open forum. Many of the questions and answers deal with specific issues, and specific cat food recommendations are made on occasion. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

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17. Suite 101
Mar. 17, 2007
Cat Food Review
by Darlene Cheek
Our Assessment This article, written by a cat breeder, explores some low- to mid-priced dry cat foods. The article isn't very comprehensive, but does touch upon ingredients and nutrition. The author singles out Purina Pro Plan and says she feeds it to her breeding cats. A companion article touches on some more expensive alternatives.
Dog and Cat Food Rating
by Dr. Michael Lemmon
Our Assessment This rating scale, developed by Dr. Michael Lemmon of the Highlands Veterinary Hospital in Renton, Wash., rates foods from 10 (most nutritious) to zero (least nutritious). Most commercial pet foods don't score very well, but Lemmon says that "health food" brands, such as AvoDerm, Nature's Recipe and Wysong, are "not a bad compromise."
19. PetLovers.com
Mar. 2004
Dog and Cat Nutrition – Some Basics
by Laurencia Bourget
Our Assessment

Laurencia Bourget explains the differences between premium brands and lower-priced brands, mostly focusing on manufacturing differences. Her writing style is rambling and difficult to read, but her overview is quite thorough in terms of how pet food is manufactured. The article is a bit dated, but the information isn't the kind that would require frequent updates. In general, the article suggests that more expensive foods are higher in protein and lower in fat, and therefore more beneficial to pets. Bourget states that her article is based on an interview with a representative from a premium cat food company, so the information may be skewed toward premium food. She advises readers to check with their veterinarians and make informed choices based on their own research.

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Nutrient Requirements of Cats and Dogs
by Donald C. Beitz, Ph.D., et al.
Our Assessment

This site offers downloadable pamphlets based on a 600-page report on dog and cat nutrition (available to purchase for $265). The pamphlet on cat nutrition provides useful information, such as how many calories cats need based on their weight. There's also a section on vitamins and minerals cats need and their recommended daily allowances, along with information on what happens if they get too little or too much.

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21. RateItAll.com
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Cat Food Brands
by Contributors to RateItAll.com
Our Assessment RateItAll.com is a consumer opinion site. Like most such sites, the quality of the reviews varies greatly, and most are not very long. Many well-known and specialty brands receive ratings, but none currently have more than four reviews, limiting usefulness.

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