Best and worst cat food reviewed by pet nutritionist

Want to know what the best and worst cat food is?

I got you.

I’ve been studying nutrition and AAFCO guidelines since 2017. And since then, I’ve become a Clinical Pet Nutritionist. I’ve also worked with hundreds of cats as a sitter and here in this business. So I’ve tested a lot of cat foods.

Most importantly, I always put our cats first! My mission is to help you find the absolute best diet for your cat so your cat can live a happy and healthy life.

This page includes the best and worst cat food within each category.

collage of cats eating raw

Disclaimer: I earn a commission if you make a purchase through affiliate links below. No additional cost to you.

Best and worst raw cat food

The BEST raw cat food is balanced DIY raw cat food.

cat eating homemade raw cat food

Why?

Because you control the ingredients and how it’s made! That means you have more control over the quality and the cost. You don’t have to rely on someone else to make the food for you.

When I first started feeding raw, our favorite raw brand was RadCat. They had lots of protein variety and used whole food ingredients. Plus I could get it at my local pet food store. It was great… Until the FDA forced a recall, and they went out of business.

Cat food companies can change the ingredients, how they make the food, or they could get bought out altogether.

So the best way to have complete control over your cat’s diet is DIY raw.

Check out my full guide on how to make homemade raw cat food. This guide includes raw food premixes and complete recipes that I formulated.

If DIY doesn’t work for you, the best complete raw that I use and recommend is Quest Cat Food. You may be able to find this locally. Or you can get 25% off if you order online with my link.

Check out best brands at local pet stores for more options.

The WORST raw cat food is unbalanced raw cat food.

Many people comment on my videos, “I just feed my cat chicken, peas, and carrots”.

This is not complete and balanced! The cat’s natural diet is WHOLE prey. A mouse is much more than just muscle meat and predigested plant matter in the stomach.

cat sniffing whole prey mouse jess caticles

Whole mice include:

  • Muscle meat
  • Connective tissue
  • Cartilage
  • Bones
  • Eyes
  • Brain
  • Tongue
  • Thymus
  • Kidneys
  • Liver
  • Spleen
  • Stomach and its contents
  • Intestines
  • Heart
  • Reproductive organs
  • Fur
  • Skin

Just to name the obvious parts!

Every part of the mouse is important and delivers a specific balance of nutrients. Plus, cats eat a variety of whole prey in nature. And those prey live in their natural habitat. Fresh air, full sun, exercise, grounding, and a natural diet.

Chicken, peas, and carrots severely lack so many essential nutrients.

Even 80 10 10 ratio diets are missing essential nutrients like iodine, manganese, vitamin D, B vitamins, iron, copper, and zinc.

Most people who are against raw and homemade diets blame nutrient deficiencies. So let’s feed raw correctly!

Best and worst wet cat food

The BEST wet cat food is Smalls.

smalls wet cat food

Why?

Because Smalls is lightly cooked, has lots of protein variety, is low-carb, has different textures, and is formulated by a veterinary nutritionist.

Now there are a lot of synthetic supplements. But at least they use specifically named meat and liver. Their food is also cooked in USDA kitchens which means their food is made with human-grade ingredients.

This is the best option if you want home-cooked food without having to make it yourself. You will pay more than if you made it yourself. But you save a lot of time. That’s the trade-off when you buy commercially made food.

Get $10 off your first trial purchase of Smalls with my link.

The WORST wet cat food is 9Lives

9lives wet cat food

Why?

Because all but one of their product names include “with” in the name.

The word “with” means the minimum requirement of the named ingredient is only 3%. And it’s less than 25%.

One of their wet food products includes the word “platter”.

This is the only product that would include at least 25% of the named meat ingredient.

Additionally, they include mystery meat ingredients.

For example, “meat by-products” could literally mean any type of meat.

By-products are “In the case of animal feeds, including pet foods, it’s often the excess materials left over after processing human foods” (AAFCO’s definition).

I can buy turkey tails, pig feet, cow tongue, a whole lamb head, liver, kidney, heart, etc. at my local grocery store.

So what kind of leftovers are going into cat food?

Additionally, a CRS Report for Congress on the animal rendering industry states that meat by-products can include dead animals from animal shelters.

Other mystery meats include “fish”. What type of fish?

How can you feel comfortable feeding this to your cat? The company doesn’t even know what ingredients they are putting in the food!

Please read my full cat food labels guide to learn how to properly read labels. This is the most important thing you can do if you want to feed commercial food.

However, please know that even the worst wet cat food is still better than ALL types of dry food.

Simply because cats rely on food for moisture.

Dry food is too low in moisture. It essentially dehydrates your cat from the inside out. This can lead to urinary and kidney issues. Just think of all the cats who have kidney disease and get sent home with a bag of fluids. Moisture (aka water) is THE most important nutrient.

So if your only option is between the worst wet cat food and the “best” dry food… Wet food wins every time.

Best and worst dry cat food

The best dry cat food is Ziwi Peak.

ziwi peak air dried food and bag

Again, “best” dry doesn’t really exist. Because cats need moisture from food. But technically, this is air-dried and not as processed as dry kibble.

I would suggest Ziwi Peak air-dried food if your cat is currently eating dry food and you want to switch to healthier food. Maybe you’ve had issues trying to switch to wet and raw and need a tinier upgrade before you can go to wet or raw.

Why?

Ziwi Peak doesn’t use any mystery meats and has a lot of protein variety. There are synthetic supplements. But that’s pretty much necessary in all processed foods.

This is a huge step up from kibble. But, again, please know that feeding dry food only (aka low moisture food) to cats is not recommended. No matter how good the ingredients are.

I only recommend this as a step up on your way to wet or raw.

Buy Ziwi Peak on Chewy and Amazon.

The worst dry cat food is Meow Mix.

Why?

Their dry foods fit under the “flavor” rule. This means the minimum requirement of the named ingredients is 0%.

And it’s less than 3%. Otherwise, the product name would say “with”.

They include mystery meats, high amounts of carbohydrates and inappropriate ingredients, and chemical preservatives and colors that are known carcinogens.

Mystery meats include by-products, animal digest, animal fat, fish, etc.

Soy, corn, wheat flour, etc. are all carbohydrates and inappropriate for cats.

Ethoxyquin and BHA preservatives plus colors Yellow 5, Blue 40, etc. are known carcinogens.

Basically, Meow Mix is the worst because it contains so many cat food ingredients to avoid.

But my cat is too picky to eat healthy food.

This is the #1 comment I get. So you are not alone! Your cat isn’t “the pickiest cat in the world” because everyone says this to me.

cat eating homemade raw food
My mom’s cat Gracie used to beg for kibble and now prefers raw over wet food!

I prefer to say that cats are cautious (not picky!) about food because this is a survival instinct that all cats have. They aren’t going to take a chance on something new that they’ve never seen, smelled, or eaten before.

On top of that, especially for kibble eaters, cats get addicted to flavor enhancers that are added to the food.

Cat food companies know that cats wouldn’t eat kibble and most canned foods in nature. These foods are high in carbs and don’t have a lot of meat in them.

So cat food companies add flavor enhancers to make the cat eat more of the food. Cats get addicted to these flavor enhancers and then turn their nose up at everything else.

But this is a good thing! “Picky” eating isn’t a permanent personality trait that your cat has. Instead, we just need to work with our cats’ natural instincts and gradually upgrade their food.

Use my complete plan how to switch from kibble to wet and raw.

Best and Worst Cat Food Reviewed by Pet Nutritionist jess and jericho caticles.com