Many popular cat food brands aren’t as high-quality as they claim to be. Often, their protein sources include low-quality meat, feathers, hooves, and other animal by-products, and they tend to be high in carbs.
That’s why I decided to compile my own list of cat food brands that people recommend. Let’s start by learning how to spot a good cat food brand.
How to Choose the Right Cat Food
To comply with current regulations, cat food must disclose certain information on the label, including its ingredients, portion size, and whether it’s “complete and balanced.” To make the best dietary decisions for your cat, here’s what to know:
- Canned cat food should be 50% protein, 10% carbohydrates, and 30% fat.
- Dry food should be 40% protein, 10% carbohydrates, and 40% fat.
- The first five ingredients listed should be protein-based, not by-products, like liver or kidneys.
- Keep carbs low—ideally, no more than 10% of calories should come from grains or potatoes.
Wet food is usually better for cats than dry food, as dry food is often processed, high in carbs, and low in water. However, it’s okay to mix wet and dry food if that’s what your cat prefers. If your cat drinks less than eight to 10 ounces of water daily, try switching to wet food because cats often get their water from their food, and dehydration in cats is common. Also, adjust your cat’s food intake based on their age, activity levels, and health.
1. Smalls Is a Food Subscription Service
Smalls delivers fresh and freeze-dried cat food directly to your door. The food is made with high-quality, human-grade ingredients, and it follows strict nutritional standards.
Smalls offers various fresh recipes like chicken, turkey, fish, and pork. The food has a soft, meaty texture, and each meal is nutritionally balanced.
The fresh food is cooked, frozen, and shipped in five-ounce packages. The only downside is that Smalls is only available by subscription through its website.
2. Open Farm Uses Ethically Sourced Ingredients
Open Farm uses high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients, including non-GMO fruits and veggies. The meat comes from animals raised without antibiotics or hormones.
This brand offers dry and wet cat food, plus bone broths. The dry food is high in animal protein and low in carbs. The wet food is made with human-grade ingredients. The bone broths come in chicken, turkey, and beef, adding flavor and nutrition.
Open Farm is based in Canada, but it makes its products in the U.S. to ensure local sourcing. Many owners like that Open Farm is transparent about sourcing ingredients and how the food is made.
3. Feline Natural Uses New Zealand Ingredients
Feline Natural is made in New Zealand. Most ingredients come from New Zealand, including sustainably harvested, free-range, and grass-fed sources.
It offers both wet and dry cat food, and its recipes use real meat cuts (no by-products and artificial additives). The wet food has a looser texture because it doesn’t contain thickeners, while the dry food locks in nutrients through a special process.
4. Tiki Cat Has 40+ Flavors
Tiki Cat is made in Thailand at high-quality facilities that meet international standards for human food. It sources ingredients close to its manufacturing plant, including fish from local waters.
Tiki Cat mainly offers wet food, with over 40 flavors and textures, and a small range of dry food. Its recipes focus on real meat, avoiding grains, animal by-products, and artificial additives. Tiki Cat also provides moisture-rich treats and food toppers with a natural flavor.
5. Dr. Elsey’s Offers a Meat-based Diet
Dr. Elsey’s cat food is made in the U.S. using ingredients from around the world, like proteins from the U.S. and others from Europe and Canada.
Its dry food is 93% animal protein and low in carbs, with no grains. The dry food lineup includes five recipes, with chicken as the only single-protein option. Other recipes mix proteins like turkey, duck, salmon, rabbit, and pork.
Dr. Elsey’s wet food is simple and meat-focused, with low carbs. They offer various single-protein and mixed-protein recipes, without by-products or artificial additives.
6. Nulo Freestyle Emphasizes Performance
Nulo is for pet owners who want top-quality, high-protein food. Based in Austin, Texas, Nulo sources ingredients from around the world. Most of its food is made in the U.S., while some items come from Thailand.
Nulo offers grain-free dry and wet cat food, all high in meat. It also offers treats and pouches of shredded meat. All Nulo dry foods include a special probiotic that supports gut health.
7. Weruva Offers Protein-rich Wet Food
Weruva makes moist cat food with high-quality meat and little plant content. Its food avoids artificial ingredients and meat by-products.
Made in a top-rated facility in Thailand, Weruva uses local chicken and duck, beef and lamb from Australia and New Zealand, and turkey from the U.S. Its seafood is from the Pacific Ocean. While its foods meet human food standards, they’re not labeled as “human grade.”
Weruva only offers wet food, home-cooked-style meals available in cans and pouches, and premium foods with high-end meats.
8. Dave’s Pet Food Is an Economical Choice
Dave’s Pet Food offers affordable, quality food, with most products made in the U.S. However, its tuna-based foods come from Thailand. They’re made with ingredients sourced mainly from the U.S., with some from Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, while their vitamins come from China.
Dave’s has a wide range of canned cat foods and one dry formula, as well as functional diets (recipes for kidney and urinary health). Its foods feature chicken and tuna, with options for turkey, salmon, beef, and lamb.
9. Caru Uses High-quality Ingredients
Caru focuses on using USDA-inspected meat and fresh vegetables in its recipes. It makes high-quality, human-grade pet food for cats and dogs in small batches in the U.S.
Caru’s meals include natural stews made with human-grade ingredients. They’re moist and suitable for cats with allergies or picky eating habits. It also offers treats like squeezable options in chicken and tuna flavors, along with single-protein treats such as chicken, salmon, and tuna, and bone broths for pets.
10. Ziwi Peak Features a Unique Air-drying Process
Ziwi Peak developed a unique air-drying process, which sets the company apart. It sources its ingredients from New Zealand farms and fisheries. It also makes its dry food in New Zealand and partners with a local company for canned foods.
Ziwi Peak offers dry and canned cat food. Its air-dried food has 96% meat, organs, and seafood and is low in carbs.
Its canned foods include the Originals line, with 92% meat and seafood, and the Provenance line, with 97% meat from specific New Zealand regions. They’re all grain-free and contain no artificial additives.
Final Thoughts About Choosing Cat Food
Cats are carnivores, and without adequate nutrition, they could suffer serious feline health issues. To give your cat the best chance at a healthy life, avoid the following ingredients:
- Cheap fillers: Corn, corn meal, and corn gluten don’t benefit pets. The same goes for soy, a potential allergy trigger.
- By-products: Animal by-products, such as intestines or feet, can cause gastrointestinal distress.
- Chemical preservatives: These chemicals can cause cancer.
- Artificial additives: Stay away from artificial flavors and colorings.
In addition to offering a well-balanced diet, make sure you brush your cat’s teeth properly to keep them happy and healthy.
