As cat owners and lovers of our friendly and sassy felines, we want to be sure they’re getting the best care possible. Right down to what they’re putting in their bellies. Read about the cat food review and find out which brands passed and which ones failed.
1,800 Cat Formulas Analyzed
Close to 1,800 cat food formulas from over 100 different brands were closely analyzed by the team at Reviews.com to help cat owners pick the right food for their furry friends. With over 300 hours of research in the cat food industry, they consulted with Veterinarians and cat owners just like you to find the best cat foods on the market. Below is an overview from wet foods, to dry foods, and everything in-between.
4 Reasons Why Cat Food Brands Failed The Test
- First being they removed any formulas that didn’t contain meat as the first ingredient, as cats require a diet that is high in protein. Because of this, if they could not locate meat such as salmon or chicken, they removed it from their list.
- Second, they cut out any foods that contained artificial ingredients, preservatives, and/or dyes. What you may not know is that any foods that contain these ingredients can have a terrible effect on your cat and typically come with dangerous side effects without fail. Some contain Vitamin K3 which is toxic to the kidneys, lungs, and mucous membranes. Even in small doses, this ingredient alone is harming your cat.
- Thirdly, they eliminated foods that contain rendered fat, meat by-products, sugar, garlic, and other questionable ingredients. Some brands use generic terms such as “meat meal.” One could not possibly know exactly what that is, but it is safe to assume it’s not something you would want your cat to be putting into his or her body. If the ingredients are not disclosed, you as the owner should shy away from it completely. In addition to meat by-products, they discovered that brewers rice, carrageenan, carrageenan gum, garlic, gluten, rendered fat, soybean, sugar, and xanthan gum also fall under the list of unhealthy ingredients. Another 78 brands had at least one of those ingredients and were removed from the list of healthy foods as a result.
- Lastly, they removed any formulas that were previously recalled, and had a history of customer dissatisfaction and/or untrustworthy manufacturers. They only kept brands on the list that were manufactured in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. Also, if they ran into a situation where they could not locate or find any information on the manufacturer, they removed them from the list, as it’s a little sketchy to not let consumers know where the food they’re purchasing is from. They also took a look at customer reviews, if customers had complaints about the food making their cat sick, they removed it from the list. Most importantly, they removed any formulas that had any recalls within the last five years.
Only 38 Brands Made The “Recommended List”
As mentioned above, more than 100 brands were analyzed. Out of that high number, only 38 made the cut by having at least one approved formula. The chart below contains the name of the brand only. Please read their full review for which brand’s specific formula(s) made the recommended list.
| Acana | Feline Caviar | Natural Planet Organics | Spring Naturals |
| Addiction | Feline Natural | Nature’s Logic | Stella & Chewys |
| Adirondack | FirstMate | Now Fresh | The Honest Kitchen |
| Annamaet | Fromm | NutriSource | The Real Meat Company |
| Blackwood | Grandma Lucy’s | Orijen | Triumph |
| By Nature | Great Life | Precise Holistic Complete | VeRUS |
| Dr. Tim’s | Holistic Select | Precise | Wysong |
| Eagle Pack | Horizon | Primal | ZiwiPeak |
| Earthborn Holistic | Hound & Gatos | PureVita | |
| Evolve | Lotus | Red Barn |
Please visit http://www.reviews.com/cat-food/ for the list of the brands that did not make the recommendation list and the reasons why.
Choosing A Brand
In closing, they’ve learned quite a bit during their thorough research. Cats have complicated dietary needs and it’s important to find the best fit for your pet. Once you narrow down exactly what your cat needs, it’ll be much easier to narrow down your choices. You must remember that foods with low-quality ingredients will most certainly lead to health problems down the road. There is not one particular food that they recommend for your cat, however they have weeded out the bad ones.
Now may not be a bad time to pull out your bag of cat food and check out the ingredients, and don’t forget to take this information along with you the next time you stop at the pet store.
You can read their full research article here: http://www.reviews.com/cat-food/