Pet Food Reviews

[Ken Anderson]

In this thread, I will be reviewing specific pet foods that I am feeding to my cats, given that I feed them a wide variety of wet foods, as well as others that I have used in the past, and some that I wouldn't use. Others may, of course, since this is not a personal blog, do the same. I will review them as I come across them, rather than in any particular order, and I'll focus on cat foods since I've never had a dog of my own, although dog food brands generally correspond with related cat food brands.

Iams Perfect Portions

Nearly two decades ago, while I was employed by Blue Buffalo, I considered Iams to be a lower mid-tier pet food, just a notch above the Purina brands (Friskies, Purina Cat Chow), Meow Mix, and some of the generic grocery brands. I don't remember the ingredients, but I think that was an accurate assessment of Iams cat food at that time.

However, I came across Iams on Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and what initially caught my attention was that it was awfully expensive. Why would such a mediocre brand cost more than some of the premium brands? So, I looked further and found that Iams had improved its ingredient list considerably. Thus far, I have looked only at their Iams Perfect Portions Healthy Adult Chicken Recipe.

Ingredients

Chicken, Water, Poultry Liver, Chicken Broth, Dried Egg Product, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Fish Oil, Magnesium Sulfate, Taurine, Tapioca Starch, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Oxide Color, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex.

These ingredients represent what is still an economy-to-midrange wet cat food formula, with the first ingredients providing the bulk of the nutrition and the later ingredients serving as supplements, thickeners, and preservatives.

Roughly 80% or more of what is in a pet food is found in the first four or five ingredients, so while the rest of the list may be long, they are usually supplements, minerals, or preservatives. Some of the best foods, however, don't have long lists, but rather let the proteins supply the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Pros:

• Meat is the primary ingredient.
• It contains named animal proteins.
• It includes poultry liver, which is highly nutritious.
• It contains fish oil for omega-3 fatty acids.
• It includes taurine, which is essential for cats (although a very high meat content would include sufficient natural taurine).
• It uses wet-food moisture content, beneficial for hydration.

Cons:

• It relies partly on "poultry liver" rather than a specific source, such as "chicken liver" or "turkey liver."
• It uses "dried egg product," which can vary in quality.
• It contains guar gum and tapioca starch as processing aids rather than nutrition.
• It uses sodium tripolyphosphate, which is controversial because it is a highly processed additive, though little evidence shows it causes health problems when used appropriately.
• It uses iron oxide color, which is unnecessary and intended to appeal to humans rather than cats.

Some people feel cheated when a cat food ingredient includes "water," and while I'd rather just have more "chicken broth," the difference is negligible, and cats need the liquid. In nature, cats would get most of their hydration from the food they eat rather than drinking pure water, and my experience has been that cats prefer the wetter mixes. Simply adding water to a recipe dilutes its taste and makes it less appealing.

It is important that the cat likes it too, since there's no point in spending money on foods that the cat won't eat.

My taste testers are Ella and four outdoor cats. While you might think that outdoor cats will eat anything, that's only true if they are near starvation. The feral cats that I feed have rejected some of the most expensive premium cat foods on the market.

This, of course, is a variable that can't be objectively tested in a review because your cat might feel differently.

Ella and all four of the outside cats that I feed seem to like this Iams recipe well enough.

I will probably buy it again, but it won't be a staple in my cats' diet because it's more expensive than some foods that have better ingredients and which the cats prefer, and because I hate the "perfect portions" part of it.

Rather than coming in a can, it comes in a double-tray plastic container, each section containing 3 oz. If Ella were the only cat I fed, this might work because she usually eats only about 3 oz or less at a time, but that's not nearly enough for any of the outside cats, so opening up both sides is just extra work for me. I'd rather have 3-oz or 6-oz cans.

However, my cats like variety in their wet food. If I fed them their favorite food every day, it would remain their favorite food for only a few days.

 

[Shirley Martin]

Miki doesn't like any of the canned dog foods. I have bought everything from the cheapest to the gourmet. They look and smell good enough for me to eat with delicious looking bits of meat and gravy. She sniffs them and walks away. Sometimes she will lick the gravy off and leave the bits of meat.

I feed her dry food in the morning. She will eat most any kind of that. I buy different kinds and different flavors so that she won't have to eat the same boring food all the time. I am feeding her Kibbles N bits and Purina Incredibites with farm raised beef as the # 1 ingredient right now. She will eat both of them, but she seems to prefer the Purina.

She gets some of whatever we are eating for supper with vegetables mixed in. She really likes tuna and I can buy that as cheap as I can dog food.

Ken, have you tried feeding tuna or salmon to the cats? That might be as cheap as the canned cat food.

 

[Tony Nathanson]

I asked my Vet why dog & cat food has so many ingredients & also how wild dogs & cats (Coyotes, Foxes, Wolves, Bobcats, Mountain Lions) survive without all those ingredients. She explained that a wild animal gets more nutrition by eating skin, organs, tendons & bones, & it's raw - unlike a pet that gets a cooked processed food with some of the nutrients that were destroyed by cooking & freeze drying added back in.

What a dog is meant to eat - pricey & inconvenient compared to kibble or canned pet food:

 

[Krystal Shay]

I have a very finicky cat! He doesn’t like any wet food, tuna, or treats. He will eat dry food but not very many. He use to like Orijen dry cat food, then one day he didn’t. I noticed that the Orijen he liked was manufactured in Canada. When a plant in Kentucky started to make it, he would not eat it. Too much fish was in it, or the wrong kind. The Canadian Orijen is not sold here anymore.

So after many dollars on every brand and flavor of cat food, I found one he likes really well. It came recommended by the cat that lives in the Pet Food store. Apparently, that kitty was a picky eater too. My cat now eats Fromm Purrsnickitty. He likes the gamebird flavor.They sell them in different size bags. I like the 6 ounce bags because I only have one cat and it will stay fresh longer. I noticed on Amazon a huge price gouge on the 6 ounce bag. They wanted 22.99 for it!! It costs 3.89 at the pet store and the same from Fromm directly.

 

[Connie Bennett]

When I had cats, both the house cats and the barn cats ate Taste of The Wild’s Rocky Mountain kibble.

My dogs have eaten Taste of The Wild’s Pacific Stream kibble ever since TOTW came on the market. My then Rottweiler and Lab/Sharpei stopped having digestive issues within a few days of going on this feed.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon Recipe

Ingredients:

Salmon, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Fish Broth, Potatoes, Natural Flavor, Guar Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Flaxseed, Carrageenan, Cassia Gum, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Salt, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B9).

This is a fairly typical grain-free wet cat food with animal ingredients first, relatively modest plant content, and the usual vitamin and mineral fortification.

It is a mid-to-high-level premium wet cat food today, but when Blue Buffalo introduced it several years ago, there weren't very many other cat foods on the market offering a high -protein food with no corn, soy, wheat, gluten, or byproducts. Cats don't digest grains well, and many cats have various degrees of allergy to corn, soy, or wheat.

Although Blue Buffalo has since been bought out by General Mills, and is now available in most grocery stores at a price significantly lower than most premium foods, the ingredients have remained the same, and the sourcing seems to have remained the same. While a subsidiary, it still operates separately.

Its ingredient list includes the stuff you should see near the top. Salmon provides protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Chicken liver is nutrient-dense and supplies vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, and other micronutrients. Chicken contributes additional animal protein, and fish broth adds moisture and palatability. For obligate carnivores like cats, having multiple animal-derived ingredients at the beginning of the list is great.

Potatoes contribute carbohydrate and texture. While not an essential ingredient in a cat food, they're not harmful.

Guar gum, Carrageenan, and Cassia gum are common in wet foods. Guar gum is a thickener derived from guar beans, cassia gum is another thickening agent, and carageenan comes from seaweed, and is somewhat controversial, although the controversy comes from studies involving degraded carrageenan, which is not the same substance used in pet foods.

Flaxseed supplies fiber and plant-based omega-3 fats, although cats aren't particularly efficient at converting plant omega-3 to the forms they use best, but it can contribute fiber and may aid in stool consistency.

Sodium acid pyrophosphate is added to reduce tartar formation and is fairly common.

Potassium chloride and salt are added to help with electrolyte balance and formulation consistency and are not included in amounts that would be harmful.

Taurine is essential for cats. While taurine is supplied naturally through meats, most cat foods contain supplemental taurine because cats have an absolute dietary requirement for it.

Choline chloride supports liver and nervous-system function, and mineral amino acid chelates are a higher-quality mineral source intended to improve absorption.

The rest of the list is largely the vitamin and mineral premix needed to make the food nutritionally complete.

Positives:

• Multiple named animal ingredients at the top.
• Organ meat (chicken liver).
• Taurine included.
• Chelated minerals.
• No filler grains.
• Moisture-rich formulation (fish broth).

Neutral:

• Potatoes.
• Flaxseed.
• Guar gum and cassia gum.

Potential concern for some cats:

• Carrageenan, depending on one's view of the literature and the individual cat's digestive tolerance.

Blue Buffalo's other Wilderness recipes are similar, only with different leading proteins.

Blue's Wilderness recipes may be more protein than an older or sedentary cat needs. They are primarily intended for active cats.

Ella seems to realize this. As an indoor cat who mostly lies around and sleeps, she has decided that the Wilderness recipes are more than she needs. She will eat it, but she eats very little. However, she has always been very good at self-regulation.

It's not the brand she dislikes, as she regularly eats Blue's other recipes.

Blue Buffalo's Wilderness recipes are excellent for the outdoor cats, however. It's affordable, they love it, and it gives them the protein they need to survive outdoors.

I used to work for Blue Buffalo, but that was a long time ago.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Dave's Limited Ingredient Diet

Advertised as 95% Chicken & Chicken Liver, Dave's would seem to be a pretty good choice in a cat food, and the price is pretty good for a premium at food, at $0.37 per ounce, when compared to the cost of Blue Buffalo's Basics recipe, which currently sells at $0.62 per ounce, or Koha Limited Ingredient Diet, at $0.60 per ounce.

The last time I bought Dave's, Ella wouldn't eat it, but that might not have been their chicken recipe. She did eat a usual amount of this. Mostly, however, I was looking for something a little cheaper than what I have been feeding the outdoor cats, who aren't as picky, but which would still be healthy for them, and if Ella will eat it as well, so much the better, although, for all of them, I am still going to rotate other foods into the feeding regimen.

Let's look at the ingredient list for Dave's Limited Ingredient Diet:

Chicken, Water (Sufficient For Processing), Chicken Liver, Guar Gum, Salt, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Agar Agar, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Natural Flavor, Taurine, and Sodium Carbonate.

A rule of thumb for ingredient lists is that 80-85% of the food is found in the first four or five ingredients. In this case, Dave's advertises that its recipe is 95% chicken and chicken liver, so that would push it into the first 3 ingredients.

Given that the second listed ingredient is water, that would seem to make a lie of the claim that 95% of the recipe is chicken and chicken liver, except the small print says "exclusive of water."

Still, that's not bad, and cats need water in their food because they tend not to drink enough of it.

The "95% chicken and chicken liver" statement is a marketing and regulatory statement, not necessarily the same as 95% protein. However, it does suggest that the vast majority of the recipe consists of chicken-derived ingredients and that there are very few plant ingredients, making it closer to a prey-based diet than most commercial cat foods.

Cats are obligate carnivores, so a recipe that is overwhelmingly chicken and chicken liver aligns well with their physiology. For many cats, especially overweight or diabetic cats, that's beneficial

Let's look at the ingredient list.

• Chicken, an excellent first ingredient, and being first on the list means that it's the primary ingredient by weight before processing. Cats are obligate carnivores, and chicken is highly digestible for most cats.
• Water (Sufficient for Processing); normal in cat food. It helps to create the pate or stew mixture and contributes moisture, which is beneficial for cats who do not drink enough water.
• Chicken Liver is also good, as it's a rich source of vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, copper, and amino acids, adding nutrients naturally rather than relying entirely on supplements.
• Guar Gum is used as a thickener and stabilizer. While common in canned cat foods, some sensitive cats might experience softer stools or digestive upset from larger amounts of gum. But this is usually not a problem.
• Salt is often frowned upon, but necessary in small amounts, although I'd like to see it lower in the list of ingredients.
• Brewers Dried Yeast offers B vitamins and can improve palatability, but some cats may be sensitive to it. Still, since it comes after salt, the amount is probably low.
• Potassium Chloride is a useful mineral supplement commonly used in complete diets.
• Agar Agar is a natural gelling agent derived from seaweed. It helps to create texture and is generally preferable to some gums.
• Chelated Minerals include iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, and manganese amino acid chelate. This is a nice feature as chelated minerals are generally easier to absorb than some cheaper mineral forms.
• Choline Chloride supports liver function, fat metabolism, and cell membranes.
• The Vitamin package includes all the expected vitamins.
• Natural Flavor, as an ingredient, is vague. Typically, it includes hydrolyzed animal tissues, animal digest, and concentrated flavor compounds. Cats generally respond well to it, and it is a common ingredient, but I'd rather not see it.
• Taurine is very important, as cats absolutely require it for heart health, vision, and reproductive health.
• Sodium Carbonate is used as a pH regulator, a processing aid, and as a source of sodium.

Positives:

I like that it uses named animal ingredients (chicken, chicken liver) rather than vague "meat byproducts." Chicken liver is particularly nutrient-rich. Taurine and chelated minerals are included, as additives, although its high chicken content will also contribute taurine.

It has a fairly short ingredient list, which is generally good as far as being more certain that it doesn't contain harmful ingredients.

As obligate carnivores, many experts will argue against the use of vegetable ingredients. The other side of that coin is that, on their own, cats will consume small amounts of vegetable matter, perhaps to aid in digestion, as well as undigested vegetables or grain from prey, so it's not entirely true that cats don't eat any vegetable matter in the wild. Also, many domesticated cats (in particular) prefer a diet that includes at least a small amount of sweet potatoes, carrots, and other vegetable foods, and will reject all-meat diets.

Negatives:

Because there is little or no organ or muscle variety in this recipe beyond chicken and chicken liver, I wouldn't feed that as the only food, particularly since there is no obvious omega-3 ingredient source, such as fish, fish oil, salmon oil, or sardine oil, which many cat foods include even in their chicken or turkey recipes. This isn't a concern for me because I feed a large variety of wet foods to Ella and to the outdoor cats that I feed, so they'll be getting this stuff in their next meal.

I prefer not seeing "natural flavor" as an ingredient because it lacks specificity and could include some disgusting stuff like animal digest, which may consist of hair, horns, teeth, beaks, hooves, or feathers. While approved as an ingredient in pet foods, I'd rather the other ingredients add the flavor.

I don't see an obvious calcium source, although this might be handled through the mineral premix. As with the lack of omega-3 fatty acids, this wouldn't be a problem unless this were the only food in the cat's diet.

Conclusion:

For the health of the cat and the economic concerns of the person who has to pay for it, Dave's Limited Ingredient Diet Chicken seems to be a solid value as long as your cat will eat it, although I'd recommend it not be the only thing you feed your cat.

It has a good combination of ingredient quality, meat content, moisture, simplicity, and price.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Hill's Science Diet Adult Wet Cat Food

Science Diet is the food that most, or at least many, veterinary clinics will recommend, largely because the company invests heavily in veterinary schools and promotions to veterinary services.

Before I learned to read the ingredient list, I thought this was the best I could do for my cats. To be fair, you can do a lot worse than Science Diet, but at the price, you can do a lot better too.

It's not necessarily bad, but it's noticeably less meat-focused and contains more plant-derived ingredients and additives.

Ingredients:

Water, Chicken, Turkey Giblets, Pork By-Products, Pork Liver, Corn Starch, Powdered Cellulose, Wheat Flour, Soybean Meal, Corn Protein Meal, Chicken Fat, Chicken Liver Flavor, Natural Flavor, Hydrolyzed Chicken Flavor, Dicalcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt, Taurine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Sulfate, minerals (Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate), DL-Methionine, Potassium Citrate.

The first few ingredients are reasonably good:

• Water
• Chicken
• Turkey Giblets
• Pork Byproducts
• Pork Liver

That's a decent animal-protein foundation, and the bulk of the food is found in the first four or five ingredients.

Chicken is a good ingredient to be near the top of the list, and turkey giblets and pork liver are nutritious ingredients.

Cats prefer to get their necessary hydration through wet foods rather than drinking water; while I'd prefer not to see it at the top of the list, I wouldn't object strongly to it.

Pork Byproducts can include organs and tissues that are perfectly acceptable for cats, but they can also include some stuff I'd rather not feed my cat. Byproducts are the non-meat materials collected during the slaughter of the animal, and are defined as all items of value produced during slaughter other than the carcass and edible offal.

Worse are some of the other ingredients.

• Corn Starch: Generally used as a thickener and to add texture, it is not especially nutritious for cats, who have difficulty digesting corn products.
• Powdered Cellulose: Essentially, this is purified plant fiber used to increase fiber, reduce calorie density, and improve stool quality. Nutritionally, it does very little for an obligate carnivore.
• Wheat Flour: This is a cheap carbohydrate source. Cats can digest it, but may have difficulty doing so, and some cats are allergic to corn, wheat, or soy.
• Soybean Meal: This is a plant protein used to boost protein levels, but it is less biologically appropriate for cats than animal protein, and some cats are allergic.
• Corn Protein Meal: Another concentrated plant protein source that cats don't digest well, and some are allergic to. Together with soybean meal, this suggests that part of the recipe's protein profile is being supplied by plants rather than meat, and may not be made available due to difficulty processing it.

Other ingredients:

• Chicken Fat: Provides energy, essential fatty acids, and palatability
• Fish Oil: Supplies EPA, DHA, and Omega-3 fatty acids, which aren't abundant in chicken-based diets, and is a good ingredient.
• Chicken Liver Flavor, Natural Flavor, and Hydrolyzed Chicken Flavor suggest that the manufacturer is working hard to make the food appealing.
• Gums and Thickeners: This formula contains Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, and Carageenan. The first two are common, but the use of Carageenan is more controversial; not necessarily harmful, but I'd rather not see it.

Good nutritional additives:

• Taurine: Critical and necessary for cats.
• DL-Methionine: May help support urinary-tract health.
• Potassium Citrate: Also used for urinary health.
• Fish Oil: A strong point to the recipe.

The minerals are standard: Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, and Copper Sulfate, which are perfectly acceptable, but not as impressive as the chelated minerals used in Dave's recipe. Chelated minerals are more bioavailable.

In conclusion:

You can certainly do worse than Science Diet, but it's not all it's made out to be. It contains all of the protein, vitamins, and minerals that a cat is supposed to have, but some of it comes from sources that the cat might not be able to digest. For the price, you can do better.