Unknown: Hello everyone, it's
Mallory here with All About Cats and in this week's video, we're
going to be looking at our top 10 recommendations for the best
cat food on the market. So I think one of the biggest areas
of frustration and confusion for cat guardians is finding the
right food for their cat. This can go on for years, you can
find yourself switching to new foods looking for new foods for
the entirety of your cat's life. It's a really complex area and
there's a lot to learn about. The intention of this video is
to give you a little bit more confidence when searching for
your cat's food and also to give you a few specific
recommendations that you can use when searching for a food for
your cat. Now we've made a few other videos diving into
specific categories, like the best wet food, the best dry
food, best kitten food, that's budget friendly food. But this
video is going to be taking a look at cat food in general,
with recommendations from several different categories
including dry, wet and fresh and raw options. So you're going to
see a pretty broad variety of foods here and there should be
something here for just about everyone. If you have a specific
issue that you're really focused on, you can use the video
navigation below in order to jump to a recommendation that
will suit your needs. You can also find a lot more
recommendations on our website. So be sure to check out the link
in the description to visit AllAboutCats.com. With all that
being said, let's jump in to our top 10 recommendations for the
best cat foods you can buy. So my number one recommendation is
going to be Feline Naturals canned cat food. After having
looked at over 80 different cat food brands, hundreds of
recipes, many of which were canned recipes, I found that
Feline Natural really does stand out. So they're doing a few
things differently from the competition. One, this is a New
Zealand brand and New Zealand cat food brands are doing a few
things differently from foods made elsewhere around the world.
It's not a guarantee of quality, but New Zealand produced foods
do tend to use somewhat higher quality ingredients and be held
to somewhat higher standards than foods made elsewhere.
Feline Naturals canned foods are made primarily with clearly
named muscle meat, organs and bones. So they're not containing
hodgepodge of nameless meats and animal by-products. You know
exactly, for the most part, what is going into this food and
they're also interesting in what they don't contain. So Feline
Naturals canned foods don't contain any artificial colors or
flavors, which are things that a lot of people want to avoid. And
pretty interestingly, they also don't contain those thickening
gums that you're going to see in a lot of other cat foods. Now
the biggest downsides of Feline Natural are palatability and
price. So my cats are not huge fans are Feline Natural food,
they'll eat it, but they're not really enthusiastic about it.
And this seems to be a trend in the customer reviews that I've
seen. A lot of cats do like this food, but it can be hit or miss.
Secondly, Feline Natural food is going to be pretty expensive. So
at about 73 cents per ounce, this is one of the most
expensive canned foods on the market and it could certainly
add up to being quite pricey over time. My second
recommendation is pretty similar to Feline Natural, it is Ziwi
Peaks canned cat food. Again, this is a New Zealand brand, so
you're getting relatively high quality free range ingredients.
You're getting the promise of superior safety and quality
standards. And you're also getting a food that comes from a
company that's never been involved in a recall and seems
to have a pretty good history of producing high quality and
trustworthy products. Of course, anything could happen and
there's no guarantee that this is a perfect brand, but it does
seem to have a pretty good reputation. Now, Ziwi Peak foods
are available in a variety of recipes, but they're all a very
high in animal derived ingredients containing a nice
diverse array of muscle meat and organs along with New Zealand
greenlip mussel which is a good source of omega three fatty
acids. And similarly to Feline Natural, it doesn't contain
those thickening gums that you're going to see in so many
other canned foods. That being said they do contain chickpeas
as sort of a binding agent or stabilizer and this bumps up the
carbohydrate content of these foods. Besides the chickpea
issue, the biggest downside of Ziwi Peak is its price. At about
74 cents per ounce, Ziwi Peak is certainly one of the most
expensive canned food brands on the market. But don't worry, we
do have some recommendations if you're looking for something
more budget friendly. If your top priority is getting an
affordable food I would recommend Authority's pate' cat
foods. In particular I really like their Chicken Pate' recipe,
it's an economical food at about 16 cents per ounce, comparable
to Fancy Feast. And it's doing a lot of things differently than
other budget friendly foods. So it's Authority recipes are made
without animal byproducts. So while animal by-products aren't
necessarily bad, you are getting the promise of potentially
higher ingredient quality, potentially higher protein,
bioavailability and the foods are also made without artificial
colors, which are potentially problematic. Now the foods do
contain brewers rice, which bumps up the carbohydrate
content just a little bit. But overall, they still are able to
maintain a nice species appropriate, macronutrient
distribution with plenty of protein, moderate levels of fat
and low levels of carbohydrates. So again, if budget is your top
priority, I would recommend considering Authority's canned
cat food, specifically their pate' recipes, as the flaked and
shredded recipes tend to be a bit higher in carbohydrates. If
on the other hand, you're willing to spend quite a bit on
your cat food, you might want to consider Nom Nom's chicken
cuisine. So Nom Nom is quite a bit different from the other
brands on this list. So you're going to go to the Nom Nom
website and fill out this questionnaire about your cat,
and then they will develop a meal plan for your cat. So all
of the meals are custom portioned for your cat's calorie
needs. And then they're shipped out to your house according to a
custom schedule. So overall, this is a customized experience
that delivers a somewhat higher quality food as well. So Nom Nom
foods are made from human quality ingredients and they're
cooked a little bit differently than a typical cat food. So this
food looks just like table scraps or a kind of chicken that
you might eat for yourself. It has a very soft flaky
consistency that I find my cats absolutely love. Additionally,
the foods seem to have a pretty good nutrient balance, so
they're rich in protein with moderate levels of fat and
pretty low carbohydrate content. So overall, if you're looking
for customized top quality food delivered to your home, then I
would consider Nom Nom. The biggest downsides of it are, of
course, the fact that it is a subscription. So you're going to
have to get those regular deliveries you can cancel at any
time, but I still find this to be a little bit frustrating at
times. And then secondly, I've had some issues with
fulfillment. Sometimes my deliveries haven't shown up or
they've shown up with issues like the food was spoiled.
Perhaps this was a temporary issue that's been resolved, but
I've heard some other reports from customers who have
experienced something similar. So that's also something to
consider that this is kind of a newer brand, they're doing
something kind of different and that means that it seems to be a
less consistent and reliable option, the most of the other
recommendations here. So our next recommendation is going to
be a good option if you want to feed your cat a dry food. So if
dry cat food is your preference, then I would recommend Dr.
Elsey's clean protein. This brand is doing some things very
differently from the dry cat food competition. So a typical
dry cat food will contain either legumes or cereal grains,
something that is starchy and can hold the kibble together.
It's a little bit like baking a cookie, but it is possible to
make something like a cookie that is not high in starch. And
that's what Dr. Elsey's is doing. Instead of using those
starchy ingredients, they're using gelatin in order to bind
the kibble. So it's a kibble with a texture very, very
similar to any traditional kibble but with really low
carbohydrate content. Using this ingredient allows the company to
not only give a really low carbohydrate food, but a really
meat rich food. So Dr. Elsey's clean protein food offers plenty
of the protein that your cat needs. And as the name suggests,
it also appears to be a very bioavailable source of protein,
it's going to be really easy for your cat's body to process. Dr.
Elsey's clean protein is available in a couple of
different recipes and it's certainly worth a try. If you're
looking for a really top notch dry cat food. The biggest
downside of Dr. Elsey's clean protein is that it's relatively
expensive. It's still pretty cheap, you're going to probably
end up feeding your cat about two ounces per day, so maybe 86
cents per day. So that's a bit higher than a typical dry food
but again, way way cheaper than a typical canned food. Even the
most economical canned foods are typically going to cost a little
bit more than that. Now if you are looking for dry food and you
don't want to spend a lot, my top budget dry food
recommendation would be Kirkland Signatures and Daily Maintenance
food. Now this food isn't perfect, it's like most dry
foods, pretty high in carbohydrates, and it's overall
not the most species appropriate choice. That being said, it does
have some qualities that set it apart from other very economical
products, which are clearly named ingredients, the absence
of some artificial colors that you might see another dry foods
and the inclusion of prebiotics and probiotics, which could
potentially improve digestive health. Aside from the
carbohydrate issue, my biggest concern with this food would be
that it appears to be manufactured by Diamond pet
foods. We talk a bit about Diamond pet foods in our review
of Taste of the Wild. It does seem to be a manufacturer with a
history of recalls, and they're having some concerns about the
safety of foods manufactured by this company. So that would be
my biggest qualm when considering Kirkland cat food.
But at seven cents per ounce, this does appear to be one of
the best, low cost, dry cat foods on the market. Our next
recommendation is going to be a good one to consider if you have
a cat with sensitive digestion. If you have a cat, who for some
reason, is dealing with these types of sensitivities very,
very often, a highly digestible and simple diet is at least a
part of the solution. If you are in that situation, I would
recommend Hound & Gatos canned cat food. So this brand
specializes in what they call a Paleolithic diet for pets and
their canned foods are available in a wide variety of recipes,
all of which follow a very similar blueprint. So they
contain muscle meats, or muscle, meat and organs, along with
salmon oil, and guar gum as a thickener. And then of course,
they're fortified with all the synthetic amino acids, vitamins
and minerals that are needed to make the food nutritionally
complete. Because the foods have such incredibly simple
ingredient lists, they tend to be really easy to digest and
they can be a really good option for again, cats who have some
digestive sensitivities. So whether you're choosing one of
their recipes with just one protein source or multiple
protein sources, they're typically going to be pretty
easy to digest and for your cat's body to handle. Because
they're so simple. They're also really low in carbohydrates.
They don't contain a lot of plant ingredients and they can
be a good option for cats with diabetes, or really just anyone
who's trying to avoid high carbohydrate foods for their
cat. Like so many of the other recommendations here, the
biggest downsides of this food are price. So at 43 cents per
ounce, it's a little bit more expensive than your typical
canned cat food and Hound & Gatos food also tends to get
kind of mixed reviews when it comes to palatability. My cats
are not really big fans of this food. I've tried several recipes
on them, and they're just never really all that enthusiastic
about it. I think maybe there's something about the texture that
doesn't really appeal to them and I've seen similar reports in
customer reviews. Of course, not all cats dislike Hounds & Gatos,
some cats absolutely love it. But I've noticed that compared
to some other foods, the palatability ratings are not
quite so high. Our next recommendation is labeled as the
best cat food for urinary tract health. I also think that it's
going to be a good option if you want to help your cat lose
weight. So it is Tiki Cat's luau line. So these are very moisture
rich shredded foods, set in broth. They contain chicken and
or fish and they are very low fat, low calorie foods that
deliver plenty of moisture and plenty of protein without a lot
of fluff. Now again, while this food does deliver the moisture
and seems to have a species appropriate pH level, and seems
to overall be the kind of food that can help to support a
healthy urinary tract, it's not a prescription diet and it's not
intended to treat any condition. Overall, it's just a good option
if you're looking for a high moisture, low calorie food for
your cat. The biggest concerns with this food or that one, it's
pretty low in fiber, it doesn't contain any fiber additives. My
other concern is that it's kind of low in fat. And then thirdly,
it can get to be pretty expensive. At 54 cents per
ounce, it's not the most expensive on a per ounce basis,
on this list, but because it's so low in calories, you're going
to feed your cat more of it and so it can get to be quite
pricey. My second to last recommendation is going to be
the best raw cat food it's really a freeze dried raw food.
So this food has undergone a low heat processing method that
destroys any pathogens while allowing the food to retain its
nutrient value. So essentially this has all of the nutritional
merits of a raw diet. So Stella and Chewy's offers a nice
selection of freeze dried dinner morsels, which are little
morsels of freeze dried raw cat food that you're going to
rehydrate in warm water and serve to your cat. So these
foods are made with muscle meat, organs and bones. They also
contain added probiotics to potentially support digestive
health and overall well being. And with plenty of animal
derived protein, moderate levels of animal derived fat, and very
low levels of carbohydrate matter, these are pretty species
appropriate products. I've used a few different Stella and
Chewy's recipes and they seem to be quite appetizing and I know
that other customers agree that they're really appealing foods
that cats seem to like quite a bit. These foods can be a great
option if you're looking for something highly digestible,
especially if your cat has some food sensitivities, these can be
a really good option. At $3.75 this food does look pretty
expensive on a per ounce basis, but because your cat is going to
be eating less of it, it adds up to being pretty comparable on a
day by day basis to feeding one of the more expensive canned cat
foods here. So it's not really that expensive of an option,
especially if you're purchasing one of their cheaper recipes,
like the Chick Chick Chicken dinner morsels. And finally, we
need to have a recommendation for kittens. So if you have a
kitten, you're of course going to want to look for a recipe
that is formulated for growth and reproduction or all life
stages. Our top recommendation is Wellness Core's, kitten
pate'. So this is a very smooth pate' that's primarily made from
clearly named muscle meat and organs. So you're giving your
kitten a nice species appropriate diet without a lot
of carbohydrates or other ingredients that could
potentially lead to health issues later. This food does
contain some plant ingredients that don't seem like they're
quite necessary. So it does seem like it's a little bit on the
fluffier side, like it's including some ingredients that
look good, but aren't necessarily nutritious for your
cat. But overall, it does seem to be a pretty species
appropriate option for kittens. At 60 cents per ounce, this food
is a bit on the expensive side so you can certainly find some
more budget friendly options for kittens in our video on the best
cat food for kittens. So I think that about covers it for our
list of the best cat food you can buy. In summary, you're
going to want to look for foods that meet AAFCO, or American
Association of Feed Control Officials and Guidelines for
your cat's life stage. So whether that's growth and
reproduction, all life stages or adult maintenance, you're going
to want to make sure that the food meets those basic
guidelines, and are nutritionally complete and
balanced for your cat. And then beyond that, you're going to
want to think about the foods macronutrient distribution.
Ideally, you want to look for food that's pretty rich in
protein. Ideally, animal derived protein, moderate levels of fat
are good. So again, you're looking for animal derived fat
if you can, so things like salmon, oil, chicken, fat, B
fat, and then you're going to want to look for foods that are
lower in carbohydrates. So I would scan the ingredient list
and avoid foods that contain a lot of potatoes, grains,
legumes. All of these ingredients tend to bump up the
foods carbohydrate content. And then beyond that, you can think
about protein digestibility, looking for higher quality
proteins, clearly named meats, potentially avoiding plant
derived protein. You're overall looking for a food that honors
your cat's needs as a carnivore. And then once you've gotten
nutrition out of the way, I would think about the company
that's making the food. Is it a reputable company? Have they
been involved in a lot of recall? You want to get food
from a company you can trust. You also want to look at
customer reviews to determine if the food seems to be a hit with
cats or not. This can give you some insights into how your cat
might respond to the food. But I wouldn't worry too much about
what other people's cats think of the food. If you would like
more information on how to choose the best cat food as well
as more details on all of our top 10 recommendations, check
out the link in the description for the written version of this
guide. While you're in the description you'll also find
links to all of the products mentioned here so that you can
check them out for yourself. You'll also find a link to sign
up for our free recall alert program, which will allow you to
get the news every time there's a new recall on a cat food in
the United States. It's a really good way to stay informed and
help to keep your cat safe. I hope that you found this
helpful. If you did, please give the video a thumbs up and if
you're interested in more videos like this one, please subscribe
to the All About Cats channel for more buyers guides, cat
product reviews and information on all things cats. Thank you so
much for being here and I will see you in the next video. Bye
