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Honest Meat Mates Cat Food Review

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

Meat Mates cat food review

Score: 8/10

Bottom Line

A single-source wet cat food, perfect for cats of all life stages.

PROS

  • Suitable for all ages
  • Grain-free
  • Our cats loved it

CONS

  • Limited availability
  • Mixed reviews
  • Lack of flavors

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.

Meat Mates wet cat food
Meat Mates wet cat food
Meat Mates review score
Meat Mates review score

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.

Let’s get into the article!

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):

Table 1: Meat Mates ingredientsLabel typeScoreIngredients
Meat Mates beef dinnerDinner 99% (99% grass fed beef with organs)10Beef, Water Sufficient For Processing, Beef Tripe, Beef Heart, Beef Kidney, Beef Spleen, Beef Liver, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Flakes, Dried Kelp, Dipotassium Phosphate, Salt, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Taurine, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid
Meat Mates lamb dinnerDinner 99% (99% grass fed lamb with organs)10Lamb, Water Sufficient For Processing, Lamb Tripe, Lamb Heart, Lamb Kidney, Lamb Spleen, Lamb Liver, Calcium Carbonate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Flakes, Dried Kelp, Salt, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Taurine, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid
Meat Mates chicken dinnerDinner 99% (99% cage free chicken with organs)10Chicken, Water Sufficient for Processing, Chicken Liver, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Flakes, Salt, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement
Ingredients list for Meat Mates wet cat food products

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

Taurine: >0.2% ME

Calcium to phosphate ratio: >1:1

See below for our Meat Mates nutrition scores:

Table 2: Meat Mates nutritionTypeTextureKcal/kgKcal/g (dry matter)ProteinFatCarbsFiberAshMoistureTaurineCalcium: phosphate ratio
Meat Mates Beef DinnerWetPate1,0665.442.3%*38.3%1.0%3.1%15.3%80.4%N/AN/A
Meat Mates Chicken DinnerWetPate1,0355.252.5%30.0%0.0%2.5%15.0%80.0%0.4%1.4
Meat Mates Lamb DinnerWetPate1,0846.041.7%41.7%1.7%3.9%11.1%82.0%N/AN/A
Average1,0625.545.5%36.7%0.9%3.2%13.8%80.8%0.4%1.4
*on a dry matter basis #estimated ash content

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:

Our cat Storm trying Meat Mates cat food.
Storm enjoys both tins of Meat Mates dinner cat food.
Our cat Misty trying Meat Mates cat food.
Misty enjoyed her Meat Mates chicken dinner serving of food. She doesn’t like the Meat Mates beef dinner option.

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.

Meat Mates chicken dinner, close up.
Meat Mates chicken dinner (close up presentation)

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:

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.

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