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- Cats need lots of protein and fat in their diets to be healthy, so it's important that you feed them the best cat food you can buy: ZiwiPeak's wet food.
- Packed with premium ingredients that are ethically farmed and locally sourced, ZiwiPeak sets a new standard for quality when it comes to nutrient-rich cat food.
Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they have a biological need for meat. Your cat may be able to digest certain plant products in limited amounts, but protein should be the focus of his diet and it needs to come from premium animal sources. A high-quality cat food will always list a source of animal protein as the first ingredient with plenty of healthy animal fats and limited carbohydrates. Never purchase a cat food that is made with corn, wheat, or soy ingredients, or one that uses artificial additives like colors, flavors, and artificial preservatives.
Shopping for cat food can be a challenge because there are so many options to choose from. Unless you have a thorough understanding of your cat’s nutritional needs and knowledge of how to read a pet food label, you might find the task a bit overwhelming. You’ll be glad to know, then, that we’re done the hard work for you. We’ve scoured the reviews and taken a deeper look into the best pet food brands on the market to bring you our top five picks for high-quality cat food brands.
Here are the best cat foods you can buy in 2019:
Updated on 03/14/2019 by Malarie Gokey: Updated prices, added links to Chewy and Petco, added related cat gear guides, and updated formatting.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
The best cat food overall
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Why you'll love it: ZiwiPeak is setting a new standard for cat food with its moisture-rich canned foods and nutrient-dense kibble.
A premium pet food company will not only use high-quality ingredients, but its manufacturing processes will be safe as well. ZiwiPeak is our top choice for cat food brands because it is a trustworthy company that makes every effort to produce the best cat food products on the market.
The company's formulas are made with 95% fresh meat, organs, bone, and seafood ingredients that are 100% sourced from New Zealand using ethical farming practices. Furthermore, ZiwiPeak's products are all-natural, grain-free, and made without fillers and artificial additives.
The ZiwiPeak brand makes it onto the top ten cat food lists for Reviews.com and Heavy. It also receives excellent ratings from independent pet food review sites. Although this company may be based in New Zealand, all of its ingredients are of the highest quality for both its wet and dry food. Its kibble is air-dried to retain the maximum nutritional quality while still offering pet owners the convenience of dry food. ZiwiPeak canned foods are moisture-rich, packed with protein, and full of natural flavor.
The Conscious Cat describes ZiwiPeak cat food as, “the equivalent of a wild prey diet,” which is exactly why this brand is our top choice. Not only is ZiwiPeak cat food made with more than 95% raw meat and organs, but it is carbohydrate limited and free from grains, by-products, fillers, and artificial additives. This brand offers excellent digestibility as well as complete and balanced nutrition without the need for a long list of synthetic supplements. Simply put, ZiwiPeak cat food contains all of the healthy nutrients your cat needs with nothing he doesn’t.
Not only is the quality of the ZiwiPeak brand undeniable, but its products are made with novel proteins like venison, mackerel, and lamb to minimize the risk for triggering food allergies or sensitivities. Every recipe is naturally grain-free and the air-dried recipes are so nutrient-dense that you can actually feed your cat less without compromising his nutrition.
Pros: Air-dried recipes are similar in nutritional quality to raw food, many recipes feature novel proteins, all formulas are grain-free and carbohydrate-limited, recipes are made with at least 95% meat ingredients, formulas are designed to mimic a wild prey diet for cats, no carrageenan in canned foods
Cons: Limited selection of product choices, very expensive, not readily available in all locations, some cats may not like the air-dried texture
The best dry cat food
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Why you'll love it: Protein-rich and limited in carbohydrates, Acana dry cat food features lots of real meat ingredients in formulas designed to mimic the natural evolutionary diet of wild cats.
Some cat food brands offer a wide variety of products for every need, which can make it difficult to choose. The Acana brand of cat food offers just four dry cat food recipes, but all of them are made with fresh, regional ingredients and formulated to meet the nutritional needs of cats in all life stages. If you’re in the market for a premium dry cat food product that is loaded with real meat ingredients and limited in carbohydrates to mimic your cat’s natural diet, we recommend Acana.
The Acana brand creates what they call “biologically appropriate diets” for dogs and cats. These are protein-rich formulas made with high inclusions of fresh meat, including nutrient-rich organ meats, designed to nourish your cat’s body through the use of fresh, wholesome ingredients. Acana doesn’t rely on synthetic supplements as heavily as many cat food manufacturers, though every recipe contains probiotics to support your cat’s healthy digestion.
Named among their top 10 best dry cat food brands, The Cat Digest makes note of Acana’s use of high-quality ingredients which include premium animal proteins and digestible grain-free carbohydrates. This brand also topped the list of dry cat food brands as rated by Heavy— reviews mention the brand’s excellent reputation for quality as well as their focus on real meat ingredients. They also comment on the fact that the brand is made entirely in the US using regional ingredients. The brand also receives the approval of The Pet Health & Nutrition Center.
Choose from four dry cat food recipes in the Acana Regionals line of products — Meadowland, Wild Atlantic, Grasslands, and Appalachian Ranch. These recipes feature premium proteins like free-run chicken, nest-laid eggs, and wild-caught fish.
Pros: All recipes are protein-rich and carbohydrate-limited, ingredients are sourced regionally from trusted suppliers, all products made in company-owned kitchens in the United States, recipes designed to mimic the natural evolutionary diet of wild cats, all formulas supplemented with probiotics
Cons: Costs around $5 per pound, only four recipes to choose from, no kitten-specific formulas available, no canned food options for cats, some recipes contain common proteins that may trigger food allergies in some cats (like chicken and fish)
The best wet cat food
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Why you'll love it: Made with 95% meat ingredients, Nature’s Variety Instinct Grain-Free Wet Food offers the nutritional benefits of a raw food diet with the convenience of more traditional wet cat food.
Wet cat food is moisture-rich to keep your cat hydrated. It also tends to be lower in carbohydrates than dry food and richer in flavor. The texture may also be more appealing to finicky eaters. If you’re looking for a premium brand of wet cat food that uses only the highest quality ingredients, we recommend Nature’s Variety, specifically the Instinct line of products. A privately-held, natural pet food company, Nature’s Variety has mastered the art of crafting nutritious and delicious wet foods for cats.
The Instinct line of products from Nature’s Variety is designed to provide the nutritional benefits of raw food with the convenience of traditional cat food. This brand seeks to make each recipe as pure and simple as possible, using only real meats, digestible carbohydrates, and healthy supplements to ensure complete and balanced nutrition. Every recipe is also packed with natural flavor to satisfy your cat’s cravings for meat.
Nature’s Variety tops the list of recommended cat food brands offered by Purrfect Cat Diet and it is listed among the top ten wet food brands by The Cat Digest. Reviews for this brand speak to the simplicity of each recipe as well as the use of high-quality ingredients including real animal proteins, grain-free carbohydrates, and healthy supplements. A favorable review from Kitty Catter also notes that Nature’s Variety canned foods offer similar nutritional quality to a raw food diet but with the convenience of canned food.
When it comes to wet cat food, Nature’s Variety offers selections in three product lines — Instinct Originals, Instinct Ultimate Protein, and Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets. The Ultimate Protein line includes one formula made with 95% chicken and the Originals line features three 95% protein options — chicken, duck, and lamb. The Limited Ingredient Diets line includes three protein options as well and all of Nature’s Variety’s canned foods are grain-free.
Pros: Made with premium ingredients to mimic the quality of raw food, recipes made with 95% meat ingredients, recipes are complete and balanced for all life stages, all formulas are grain-free for digestibility, plenty of omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, high moisture levels
Cons: Limited number of protein options to choose from, some recipes contain common proteins that may trigger food allergies in some cats (like chicken and fish), expensive compared to other brands
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