Honest Meat Mates Cat Food Review
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Score: 8/10
Bottom Line
A single-source wet cat food, perfect for cats of all life stages.
PROS
CONS
We’ve done this Meat Mates cat food review with the help of our cat taste testers.
Meat Mates may well be the most underrated cat food on the market. It’s a high quality New Zealand brand, specializing in wet cat food.
Review summary:
The good?
Great nutrition.
Chock full of animal protein, Meat Mates hits the spots cats need as carnivores. Suitable for all life stages.
All products (if available) are single source (e.g. beef contains only beef). Great for allergies.
The bad?
Mixed taste.
Whilst our cats seemed to love Meat Mates, online reviews are less favorable. Pricey too.
The ugly?
Low availability.
If your cat enjoys Meat Mates, good luck. It’s hard to find anywhere, and seems to have problems getting on shelves.
In short:
Great.
Meat Mates is the the perfect cat food for a cat of any age. Filler free and meat rich.
Just what cats need. But can you find it?
Best for:
- Allergies
- Food intolerance
- Senior cat health
>> Check out Meat Mates here.


Want to find out more about whether Meat Mates is best for your cat?
In this Meat Mates review I’ll test this product with a few of our cat testers to see if it gets the meow of approval.
I’ll also take a deep dive into the nutrition of this cat food to find which cats benefit most from this product.
I am not a veterinarian and I recommend seeking the advice of a vet for any further questions. This article is not intended as a replacement for medical advice.
Meat Mates Cat Food Review
We’ve tested the wet cat food from Meat Mates and looked at:
- Ingredients
- Nutrition
- Taste
- Value for money
Here’s our results:
Meat Mates Ingredients
Excellent.
Ingredients in Meat Mates match what cats need as carnivores.
Here’s a snapshot of the ingredients in Meat Mates canned cat food range:
- Named free-range meat sources (e.g. chicken liver)
- Grain-free
- Soy-free
- Pea-free
- Carrageenan-free
- Added flaxseed flakes (can help with constipation)
All Meat Mates use an amount listed label. All products are over 95% animal-based ingredients.
This is the best type of label as it means you’re getting all the good stuff, without crappy fillers.
Flaxseed is high in soluble and insoluble fiber. This mixture can help with constipation in some cats.
The lamb dinner option is also novel protein friendly. This makes it suitable for allergy relief.
The other choices (if available) are chicken and beef. Both are single-source, meaning if you want only that meat, you’ll get it.
Meat Mates does not contain any artificial colors and flavors.
Check out more about Meat Mates over at their website.
Ingredient Score: 10/10
See below for our Meat Mates ingredient analysis (animal-based ingredients are highlighted):
Meat Mates Nutrition
Awesome.
All Meat Mates wet cat foods are complete for all life stages.
It’s a sole feeding source. That means you can feed your cat only Meat Mates (although it’s a good idea to mix it up with different flavors).
The only gripe with Meat Mates is taurine information is missing for two products.
This amino acid is likely in high amounts due to the animal products used in Meat Mates, but it would be nice to know.
Here’s a snapshot of the nutrition in Meat Mates in terms of metabolizable energy (ME):
- High protein (45% ME*)
- Moderate fat (37% ME)
- Low carbohydrate (1% ME)
- Low fiber (3% ME)
- 1,062 kcal/kg average
*average on a dry matter basis
Nutrition Score: 9.5/10
NUTRITION SCORING EXPLAINED
To score a 10/10, we look for a cat food that hits the following targets. Targets are for dry matter basis or ME.
Protein: >40% ME
- Helps maintain muscle (especially older cats)
- Energy production
- Cats prefer high protein diets (~50% ME)
Fat: >25% ME
- High calorie for weight gain
- Helps improve taste for picky cats
- Fat soluble vitamin absorption
Carbs: <12% ME
- Cat’s have no requirement for carbohydrate
- Cat’s can’t downregulate gluconeogenesis (causing high blood sugar…not great!)
- Cats lack digestive enzymes for high carb diets (carbs can cause diarrhea)
Taurine: >0.2% ME
- A unique essential amino needed in a cats diet
- Deficiency causes heart and reproductive problems
- Higher amounts needed in wet food with added gums (reduces taurine digestion)
Calcium to phosphate ratio: >1:1
- Helps maintains healthy kidneys (bones prevent stones)
- Low calcium diets cause bone defects and depression
See below for our Meat Mates nutrition scores:
Table 2: Meat Mates nutrition | Type | Texture | Kcal/kg | Kcal/g (dry matter) | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Ash | Moisture | Taurine | Calcium: phosphate ratio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Meat Mates Beef Dinner | Wet | Pate | 1,066 | 5.4 | 42.3%* | 38.3% | 1.0% | 3.1% | 15.3% | 80.4% | N/A | N/A |
Meat Mates Chicken Dinner | Wet | Pate | 1,035 | 5.2 | 52.5% | 30.0% | 0.0% | 2.5% | 15.0% | 80.0% | 0.4% | 1.4 |
Meat Mates Lamb Dinner | Wet | Pate | 1,084 | 6.0 | 41.7% | 41.7% | 1.7% | 3.9% | 11.1% | 82.0% | N/A | N/A |
Average | 1,062 | 5.5 | 45.5% | 36.7% | 0.9% | 3.2% | 13.8% | 80.8% | 0.4% | 1.4 |
Meat Mates Taste
Cats loved it.
We offered Meat Meats chicken and beef dinner to 5 cats. Of 10 offerings we only got one rejection.
Reviews online are mixed however. Whilst there’s not many to look at, it’s concerning.
Here’s the results from our taste testing with Meat Mates:
5/5 cats enjoyed Meat Mates chicken dinner wet canned cat food.
4/5 cats enjoyed Meat Mates beef dinner wet canned cat food.
Here are some of the results below:


Here’s what Meat Mates chicken dinner cat food looks like out the tin.
The product has a lot of moisture and is a loaf texture. Meat Mates chicken dinner is strong smelling out the tin, but the beef dinner is pleasant.

Below is my grading for taste with Meat Mates. This factors in customer satisfaction from online retailers with our own results.
Taste Score: 9/10
Meat Mates Value for Money
Steep.
At the high end of price on the market you’ll expect premium quality. Meat Mates delivers on that.
But is it a trustworthy brand that your cat will love?
Hard to say.
Similar brands:
Value: 6.5/10
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Makes Meat Mates Cat Food?
Private company.
Meat Mates is a New Zealand based pet food company. They launched in 2018.
They source and manufacture all their food in New Zealand.
Is Meat Mates Good for Cats?
Yes.
Meat Mates is an excellent cat food option. Their products contain 99% animal based foods from named meat sources.
Meat Mates wet cat foods meet AAFCO’s nutrition guidelines for all life stages.
Related:
Does Meat Mates Contain Real Meat?
Yes.
Meat Mates canned cat food contains real meat products. There are no plant protein or grain based products in the foods.
Is Meat Mates Good for Picky Eaters?
Maybe.
Meat Mates is high in fat and animal based protein foods. Cats prefer meat.
Our cats loved Meat Mates for the most part, but has mixed reviews online.
It’s a coin toss here.
Learn More:
What Is the Healthiest Food Brand for Cats?
The healthiest cat foods we recommend are:
- Tiki Cat After Dark (see review)
- Tiki Baby Cat (see review)
- Ziwi Peak (see review)
- Feline Natural (see review)
- Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein
Learn More:
Conclusion
Meat Mates is great.
They offer wet cat food, suitable as a sole feeding option for all life stages. We scored it 8/10 overall.
It’s great for senior health, allergy relief, and sensitive stomachs.
The main issues with Meat Mates are the price and lack of availability.
Meat Mates is best for:
- Senior health
- Allergy relief
- Food intolerance
>> Check out Meat Mates here.