Want to know what the best and worst cat food is?
I got you.
I’ve been studying nutrition and AAFCO since 2017.
And I always put our cats first!
Additionally, I’ve purchased Susan Thixton’s 2023 list. So I know which cat food brands actually proved their quality.
This page includes the best and worst cat food within each category.
All products are suitable for all life stages unless noted otherwise.
Disclaimer: I earn a commission if you make a purchase through affiliate links below. No additional cost to you.
Check out the reviews today or pin the image below to your Cat Food board on Pinterest.
Best and worst raw cat food
The BEST raw cat food is balanced homemade cat food.
Why?
Because you control the ingredients and how it’s made!
The easiest option is to buy everything from Hare Today.
Buy meat, bones, and organs chubs PLUS Alnutrin for meat and bone and fish oil supplements.
Everything you need to make the best raw cat food is sold on Hare Today. Use my PDF toolkit for instructions, meal prep, and more.
Check out my page dedicated to homemade cat food if that option doesn’t work for you.
The WORST raw cat food is unbalanced homemade 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.
The mouse is much more than just muscle meat and predigested plant matter in the stomach.
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 crucial to delivering a specific balance of nutrients.
Chicken, peas, and carrots will severely lack so many essential nutrients.
Even 80/10/10 ratio diets can lack essential nutrients.
Best and worst wet cat food
The BEST wet cat food is Raised Right.
Why?
Because Raised Right uses specifically named meat ingredients and minimal synthetic supplements.
They also tell you the carb amount in their products. Less than 4% on a dry matter basis!
They use minimal synthetic supplements. That tells us most of their food’s nutrition comes from the meat ingredients.
Raised Right also provides lab safety test results on their website for everyone to see.
Additionally, their packaging is BPA-free!
Buy Raised Right on their website. Use code PETS20 for 20% off your first box. Suitable for adult cats only.
Runner-up option: Smalls. Their fresh wet food also made it on Susan Thixton’s 2023 list. And they have more protein variety compared to Raised Right. Use code CATICLES for $5 off your first box.
The WORST wet cat food is 9Lives
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, itβs 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 manufacturer doesn’t even know what ingredients they are putting in the food!
However, 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.
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 Open Farm.
Again, “best” dry doesn’t really exist.
Because cats need moisture from food.
But I would suggest using Open Farm dry cat food if you need to upgrade your cat’s current kibble before switching to wet or raw.
Why?
Their ingredients are of human-grade quality and humanely raised.
Open Farm is only 1 of 2 dry cat food brands that made it on Susan Thixton’s list.
This certainly isn’t the best cat food. But this is the best quality dry food option you will find.
Buy Open Farm on Amazon. Suitable for adult cats only.
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 good-quality food.
This is the #1 complaint I get. So you are not alone!
I created a FREE transition plan specifically formulated for picky cats.
Check out my transition plan how to feed your picky cat new better food.
