Which cat food brands are healthiest?
The 5 healthiest cat food brands are:
- Feline Natural
- Tiki Cat
- Ziwi Peak
- Smalls
- Meat Mates
These cat foods are all grain-free and low carb.
The options are also suitable for cats of any lifestage, meaning they can go any cats plate.
In the rest of this article, I’ll go through more info on each brand and why they are healthy. Then I’ll answer frequently asked questions on the topic.
Let’s go:
Which Cat Food Brands Are Healthiest?
The 5 healthiest cat food brands are:
- Feline Natural
- Tiki Cat
- Ziwi Peak
- Smalls
- Meat Mates
All are complete meals balanced for cats of any age.
Here’s more info on each:
Feline Natural
A New Zealand based brand that offers a range of wet cat foods.
Why is Feline Natural healthy?
- Grass-fed meat
- Suitable to all life stages
- Grain-free
- Low carb
- No added legumes
- Carrageenan and gum free
This brand is for any cat young or old, but suits senior cats most with added omega 3 and chondroitin for joint health.
Learn more:
Tiki Cat
Tiki Cat is Thai made in human grade facilities.
In particular, their After Dark range is a great low calorie and high protein choice. This is the healthiest choice for indoor cats and/or weight loss.
They also offer their Baby Cat line for growing kittens.
Other benefits:
- Variety packs
- Chicken rich
- Low carb
- Grain-free
- Carrageenan and gum free
- No added legumes
Our cat Oscar gave Tiki Cat After Dark the meow of approval.
Learn more:
Ziwi Peak
Another New Zealand brand that offers grass-fed cat food.
Ziwi Peak also offer air-dried cat food, which is great for getting your cat off grain-loaded dry fare.
Other benefits:
- Novel protein options (venison and lamb)
- Low carb
- Grain-free
- Carrageenan and gum free
Ziwi Peak do add chickpeas to some of their wet food range, which I’m not a fan of. Still, it’s about the only knock on an otherwise good quality cat food.
Learn more:
Smalls
Smalls offer a subscription based online cat food service.
Simply follow along the process to get the right food for your needs.
All their offerings are carnivore friendly. Whilst we haven’t tested this one yet, the quality looks good.
Learn more:
Meat Mates
Yet another New Zealand based cat food brand (notice a trend?).
They offer single protein wet cat food in the following flavors:
- Chicken
- Beef
- Lamb
All the good stuff too. No grains, fillers, or other nasties to deal with.
Suitable for cats of any age.
Only issue? Can’t find it much and seems to get negative reviews online (despite our cats enjoying it).
Learn more:
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Healthiest Cat Food for Cats?
Meats and organs.
Cats are carnivores. They hunt, kill, and eat prey including mice and birds.
That gives cats the nutrition they need. Cats have no need for carbohydrate and don’t digest fibrous foods like legumes well.
Read more:
Is Fancy Feast Healthy for Cats?
Yes.
Their wet cat food is all low in carbohydrate and meat rich. Great stuff for a carnivorous cat.
On the other hand, their dry cat food offerings are carb rich. Be weary.
Learn more:
Why Do Vets Not Like Grain Free Cat Food?
Not sure.
Some suggest taurine isn’t found in grain-free food. That’s wrong, since taurine (essential amino acid cats need) is high in meat and fish.
Canned food decreases taurine absorption, which may be due to gums.
AAFCO’s nutrition guidelines account for this, by setting a target double that of dry cat food.
Are Fish Based Foods Bad for Cats?
Depends.
Tuna is not recommended. It’s high in mercury, and it doesn’t take much to reach toxic levels in a cats diet.
Salmon is high in omega 3 which researchers suggest could benefit inflammatory bowel diseases.
Some fish is oily and high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). Fatty fish is high in PUFA which increases risk of feline pansteatitis.
Symptoms include:
- Lethargy
- Inappetence
- Less activity
Learn more:
Which Foods Should You Never Feed Your Pet Cat?
Avoid:
- Garlic
- Onion
- Leek
- Avocado
- Raw vegetables
I compiled some articles on the topic of what not to feed your cat below.
Read more:
- 17 Foods Poisonous to Cats
- What Vegetables Can Cats Eat (And What They Can’t)?
- 10 Cat Food Ingredients to Avoid (or Not)
What to Avoid When Buying Cat Food?
Stick to meats.
The easiest and quickest way to see the quality of cat food is to go through the ingredients from top to bottom.
Meats and organs offer the most nutrition to cats. Plant based foods are lower quality.
In general, I like to see at least 3 of the first 5 ingredients be meat based. This quickly helps me see if the food is worth looking at further.
Read more:
Conclusion
The 5 healthiest cat food brands are:
- Feline Natural
- Tiki Cat
- Ziwi Peak
- Smalls
- Meat Mates
Stick to high protein and low carb cat food. This best suits their dietary needs as carnivores.
A quick way to check if a cat food is healthy is to see if at least 3 of the first 5 ingredients are meat based. This usually is a sign of a quality cat food.
What’s best depends on your cats needs. Check our search bar to find guides for specific problems.
