5 Best Cat Food Without By Products for Peace of Mind

Disclaimer: As a Chewy and Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not impact our reviews and comparisons.

By-products are the leftover parts of food not used for human consumption. They include a variety of animal sources and can increase the risk of allergies.

Whilst needed in a cats diet, it’s preferable to know the exact source of ingredients and amount.

Here’s our top 5 cat foods without by-products for peace of mind:

1. Feline Natural Feast | Best Overall
2. Tiki Baby Cat | Best for Kittens
3. Ziwi Peak Air-Dried | Best Dry
4. Wellness Core Tiny Tasters | Best for Picky Cats
5. Sheba Perfect Portions | Best Affordable Choice

Cats can suffer allergies to different protein sources. Research find some cat foods have meats not listed on the ingredients.

Whilst cats need a range of organs and bones for a range of nutrients, it’s best to know what you’re getting.

In this article I’ll help you find the best cat food without by products. I’ll include a buying guide and answer some frequently asked questions on the topic.

So, are meat by-products really that bad?

Let’s find out…

I am not a veterinarian and I recommend seeking the advice of a vet for any further questions. The advice in this article is not intended as medical advice.

Buying Guide

Check the ingredients.

This is usually on the back label. Look for the following terms:

• Meat by products
• Poultry by products
• Chicken by products
• Animal plasma
• Poultry by product meal
• Poultry liver

You’ll tend to find more by-products in cheaper cat food.

Be careful if you’re after budget cat food, to double check.

Another thing you want to be mindful of is how high the ingredient is listed. The higher the ingredient on the list, the higher in weight that ingredient.

If meat by-products are a first ingredient, that means this is the highest weight ingredient in the food.

As the source of food is vague in by products, an ingredient higher on the list is less desirable.

5 Best Cat Food Without By-Products

1. Best Overall

2. Best for Kittens

3. Best Dry Cat Food

4. Best for Picky Cats

5. Best Affordable Choice

How Did I Choose These Products?

I have a database of over 50 popular cat foods (US based). For this article I filtered out cat food with any by-product ingredient.

I filtered out cat foods that are over 12% carbs on a dry matter basis. When given a choice, cats prefer food around this amount. Low carb diets are the best choice for cats, as carnivores.

I tend to suggest products I’ve had ‘hands on’ experience with in my recommendations, so you might see some other great cat foods worth a look.

Here’s a full list of the best cat foods without by products:

Best cat food without by products	Type	Texture	Lifestage	Cost	Protein*	Carb	Calcium: Phosphate	Cal/kg	Rating#
Hound & Gatos Duck & Liver	Wet	Pate	All	$$	45.5%	0.0%	2.3	1,222	88
Tiki Baby Cat Chicken & Egg	Wet	Shreds	All	$$$	62.5%	0.0%	1.2	1175	93
Fussie Cat Tuna With Salmon Formula	Wet	Aspic	Adult	$$$	64.7%	0.0%	N/A	612	84
Tiki Cat After Dark Chicken	Wet	Shreds	All	$$$	77.7%	0.1%	0.9	751	89
Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein Chicken	Dry	Dry	All	$$	67.0%	0.3%	1.9	4,030	82
Meat Mates Lamb Dinner	Wet	Pate	All	$$$	41.7%	1.7%	2.4	1,084	88
Feline Natural Chicken & Lamb Feast	Wet	Pate	All	$$$	51.5%	2.1%	1.3	895	88
Tiki Baby Cat Chicken & Salmon	Wet	Shreds	All	$$$	62.5%	2.1%	1.2	1175	92
Wellness Smooth Loaf Chicken	Wet	Pate	Adult	$$	47.7%	2.6%	0.9	1,116	78
Instinct Original Grain-free Real Rabbit	Wet	Pate	All	$$	59.1%	3.2%	N/A	944	87
Wellness Core Tiny Tasters Duck	Wet	Pate	Adult	$$$	46.7%	3.7%	1.7	1,291	81
Dave’s Naturally Healthy Turkey & Giblets	Wet	Pate	Adult	$	48.4%	3.7%	1.1	1245	89
Ziwi Peak Otago Valley	Wet	Pate	All	$$$	44.9%	4.1%	1.6	1,250	88
Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb	Dry	Dry	All	$$$$	40.7%	4.7%	1.3	5,600	78
Applaws Chicken Breast in Broth	Wet	Broth	Supplement	$$	75.0%	5.0%	N/A	N/A	82
Nulo Freestyle Duck & Tuna	Wet	Pate	All	$	51.4%	5.8%	1.5	1,225	85
Sheba Perfect Portions Roasted Turkey	Wet	Pate	All	$	45.0%	7.5%	N/A	1,112	87
Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medleys Tuna & Mackerel	Wet	Shreds	Adult	$$	60.0%	7.5%	N/A	N/A	78
Weruva Mideast Feast With Grilled Tilapia	Wet	Gravy	Adult	$$	64.9%	7.6%	1.3	746	80
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Duck & Pea	Wet	Pate	Adult	$	40.9%	7.7%	N/A	1,220	71
Halo Chicken Stew	Wet	Stew	Adult	$	43.9%	7.8%	N/A	1,025	76
Avo Derm Tuna & Crab	Wet	Gravy	All	$	55.6%	11.1%	1.2	829	76
Blue Buffalo Freedom Indoor Cat Chicken	Wet	Pate	Adult	$	40.9%	11.8%	N/A	1,179	75

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Meat by Product in Canned Cat Food?

A meat by-product is a secondary product leftover from a primary product. This usually means the leftover body parts from meat used for human food supply.

Some parts of the animal carcass aren’t considered attractive or human friendly for profit. Those parts tend to find their way into cat food.

Whilst this doesn’t sound pleasant, cats are carnivores. They rely on eating the carcass of prey in the wild to meet their nutritional needs.

It’s also better for the economy to not put those parts to waste.

What Are Examples of Animal by Products?

Meat by-products can include the following sources:

• Lungs
• Spleen
• Kidney
• Brain
• Liver
• Blood
• Bone
• Fatty tissue
• Intestines (without contents)
• Stomachs
• Heads
• Chicken feet

Meat by-products don’t include the following:

• Hair
• Horns
• Teeth
• Hoofs

Pet food regulations don’t include animals that died outside of slaughter. Manufacturers can’t pick up dead animals laying around and toss them in the food unless rendered and heat treated.

Many dry cat foods use rendered meat, so if you’ll want to stick to wet food to avoid rendered meat for the most part.

If the pet food label says ‘meat by-products’, this means any leftover meat sources from cattle, pigs, sheep, and/or goats. If the meat source is something other than this, the source must be named.

What’s Wrong With by Products in Cat Food?

There isn’t anything wrong with meat by-products in cat food. They are safe for your cat to eat and provide a source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

In fact, your cat needs organs and bones. They provide essential nutrients not find in the proper amounts in ‘attractive’ meat sources like muscle meat.

A diet of only cooked muscle meat will result in health problems related to calcium deficiency.

What is problematic about by products is the ratio of different meat sources and the fact they aren’t named.

There’s little to say how much of the by-product is intestine, brains and some egg shells for example.

It’s possible that meat by-products may result in more food rejection. Cats tend to avoid eating the intestine part of the animal when eating prey in the wild.

The ratio of amino acids in different parts also influence taste. Cat’s prefer sweet tasting amino acids, and ignore non-essential amino acids. This makes sense since cat’s must get 10 essential amino acids for a variety of body functions.

The collagen rich parts of meat don’t tend to contain as much essential amino acids. This can influence how your cat enjoys the food.

At the end of the day, cats use their senses to figure out what they need to eat to meet their needs. They aren’t relying on Instagram gurus to tell them what to eat.

If they don’t perceive the food to line up with something tasty and nutritious, then they’ll give it a miss.

Finally, there’s no way to know if the product changes over time. It is a common problem that customers report their cat rejecting their usual food.

Is Chicken Meal Better Than Chicken By-Product?

No. Chicken meal is heat treated and rendered. Compared to raw animal meats, by products are less digestible and contain fewer essential amino acids per gram of weight.

The difference isn’t major, and only amounts to around 10% difference.

This is important in senior cats as they experience a decline in the digestion of protein. They need higher protein diets to maintain their muscle mass.

Conclusion

Meat by-products are the parts of animals not used for human consumption. This includes things like kidneys, brains, hearts, and bones.

The main problem with by-products is you don’t know what or where you getting the meat from. This can affect taste, product reliability, nutrition, and increase the risk of allergies.

Whilst cats can eat by-products, it’s best to know where the ingredient is coming from. This helps you choose a cat food perfect for your needs.

>> Best Cat Food Without By-Products Overall: Feline Natural Feast