Cat Food Reviews
2024 - Brands & Ratings

For meals, cats will enjoy eating commercial food. If given the choosing the right cat food , felines prefer high-protein, low-carbohydrate meals that contribute the most to their diet.

Cats are known to be finicky eaters, so there is no exact list of foods that all cats enjoy. It may take a few different tries before your cat settles on something that they like to eat.

If you’re unsure of where to begin, You can find all of our reviews of cat food brands below!

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Cat Food Ratings - Top 10 Brands

Cat Food Reviews By Category

You can find the full list in our Cat Food section, and here are a few of them below:

Kitten Food Reviews By Category

You can find the full list in our Kitten Food section, and here are a few of them below:

What Do Cats Eat?

Cats are picky eaters. They know what they like and certainly don’t mind letting us know their preferences!

If you tend to buy bags or cans of cat food from your local store how many times have you got home to feed the cat and they decide that it is just ‘not right’ for them’? So, what do cats eat? What is their ‘ideal’ food?

As we all know, just because a cat shows interest in a particular food does not mean that it’s the best for them, either. I always recommend checking the labels on your cat’s food! Be cautious about what you give them (levels of carbohydrates, fat, etc.), because just like humans

What a cat enjoys eating is likely to be very different from what is the healthiest option for them. Cats need food packed with protein, vitamins, and nutrients in order for them to maintain their delicate metabolism.

Finding a food with the right mix of healthiness and tastefulness can be difficult be, but your cat will only benefit from meals they love if they are also good for them.

What Should Cats Eat?

Since cats are carnivores, every cat’s diet requires some form of meat. They require protein from meat to maintain their heart, vision, reproductive systems, and overall health.

Along with protein comes taurine, a key amino acid for cats. While some mammals’ bodies can produce taurine, cats cannot, and they can only get it by consuming animal-based protein. A taurine deficiency can result in severe health problems for your feline friend, including blindness or tooth decay.

Before buying any food, make sure it exceeds the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials to ensure that your cat is getting much more than the minimal nutritional needs set.

Watch out and don’t be tricked by subjective terms that cat food companies use like “premium” or “gourmet”. They don’t mean anything when it comes to your cat’s underlying health.

These companies use these words to describe anything and everything that they’re trying to sell. Labels marked “complete and balanced” do actually meet AAFCO regulations.

Different Kinds Of Cat Food

Commercial cat food comes in three forms: dry, moist, or wet.

Dry food, often called kibble, is unfortunately the most popular (and cheapest!) cat food available. Some dry foods are designed to promote good health for your cat’s teeth and gums, but generally, it provides the least amount of nutrition. Moist food is much better for hydration and has a lot more nutrients than dry food.

Wet food is usually the healthiest and most palatable for cats, but it’s often the most expensive choice. Wet food provides a good dietary source of water, but some brands of canned food may be lacking in nutrients. As always, check the label if you’re unsure.

Some people choose to create their own cat food at home, but it can be difficult/time-consuming to track whether or not your cat is getting exactly what it needs. Cats require a specific amount of vitamins and nutrients, which may be harder to figure out if you make your own cat food.

Satisfying Your Cat’s Appetite

Many brands offer a variety of flavors with both dry and wet cat food, including fish, poultry, and beef, among others. Those are simply just recreated flavors, as the nutrients cats need are in the food itself.

As mentioned, even after you find food that seems both nutritious and tasty, there’s a chance that your cat may not like it. The only way to tell is by offering some as a taste test. If your cat enjoys the food and doesn’t show signs of diarrhea or other gastrointestinal issues, you may have found your feline’s new food.

If not, you can only try again with different options. There’s no way to force your cat to eat the food you have chosen, and they are known to even go on hunger strikes if you don’t provide a worthy substitute.

The Danger Of Hunger Strikes

Serious conditions could arise if your cat goes too long without eating.

Fatty liver disease, or hepatic lipidosis (HL), is a condition caused by starvation. When a cat goes hungry, the body reacts by sending fat to its liver for processing. Other animals and humans can handle that, but for a cat, it means they aren’t receiving the necessary proteins. The fat accumulates over time and can eventually cause serious damage.

Cats can also develop anemia if they don’t eat. Anemia in cats comes from a lack of folic acid they get from their food, and it can result in reduced energy for your feline. Anemia is often a sign of other underlying illnesses, as well.

How Cats Prefer To Eat

If given the option, cats will often choose the food that is most nutritious for them. That isn’t always the case though, since a cats’ diet is determined by us (the owner!)

Domestic cats inherited the traits displayed by their ancestors in the wild. Food supply was never guaranteed, so they ate whenever they could. If cats are given unrestricted access to food, though, they tend to eat frequent small meals instead of everything at once.

Cats inherently know what’s best for them, but it’s up to us to find the foods that meet their very high standards.

Foods To Avoid Giving Your Cat

Even though cats know what they need, they can still be tempted with treats or other unhealthy foods. Sometimes we may be tempted to share our human snacks with our cats for a cute and fun bonding experience Lots of people ‘treat’ their cat human foods - some are fine, others are REALLY NOT.

Some common consumables to avoid giving your cat include:

• Onions or garlic
• Grapes or raisins
• Sugary treats
• Salt
• Chocolate
• Cow’s milk
• Caffeinated drinks
• Yeast or dough

What Do Cats Eat?

For meals, cats will enjoy eating commercial food. If given the choice, felines prefer high-protein, low-carbohydrate meals that contribute the most to their diet.

Cats are known to be finicky eaters, so there is no exact list of foods that all cats enjoy. It may take a few different tries before your cat settles on something that they like to eat.

If you’re unsure of where to begin, your veterinarian should be able to make a recommendation that meets your cat’s nutritional needs, and you can go from there.

What does your cat like to eat?

How Much To Feed A Cat A Day?

“How much should cats eat?” is a question I get asked an awful lot, especially by first-time cat owners. My response will vary on a cat by cat basis…

Even if you have owned cats for years, you may sometimes wonder whether you are overfeeding or underfeeding your cat, I know I do with Giles - this is completely normal and worth seeking advice on.

Fed up of reading cat food ingredient labels? Pick a cat food product from our best cat food list.

The good news – figuring out the amount that you should be feeding your cat isn’t overly complicated. It is based on a number of variables, including your cat’s age and weight, whether your cat eats dry or wet food, whether the cat is pregnant as well as your cat’s general activity level.

There are dozens of varieties of cat food available in supermarkets. If you feed your cat the wrong kind of food, she/he won’t maintain good health. A dense, high-quality cat food will contain more nutrients/protein, and your cat is likely to require less as a result.

Should I Follow the Recommendations on the Container?

All commercial cat foods come with feeding guidelines. However, these are only guidelines - each cat will have a different rate of metabolism and different level of activity

Do not be surprised if a 14-pound cat requires less food than a 10-pound cat - this is often the case. We have detailed our own feeding guidelines, which can be found here.

How Much to Feed a Cat a Day - Average

The ‘acceptable’ calorie intake per pound (of cat!) varies greatly. Whilst the guidelines range, the following serves as a good starting point/indicator:

• 50 calories per pound for an outdoor and extremely active cat.
• 35 calories per pound of body weight for active cats.
• 15 calories per pound of body weight for inactive indoor cats.

The average cat requires about 20 calories per pound. But remember, dry foods normally have 300 to 500 calories per cup while canned foods have a lot less (180 to 220 calories per 5.5 ounces can). An average adult cat, therefore, requires one 5.5 ounces can of cat food per day.

Not All Calories Provide the Same Nutritional Content

All of the guidelines above are based on the fact that you are feeding your cat a good-quality cat food that has the right balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Like humans, cats use fats and proteins far more efficiently than carbohydrates.

Dry cat food has high levels of carbohydrates, which translates to lots of “empty calories”. Cats were not designed to digest carbohydrates - the less the better.

In an ideal world, you should feed your cat wet food/or a raw cat food diet (more about that here!) But, if you have to feed your cat dry food for convenience – make sure that you strike the right balance between wet and dry.

Age Makes a Difference

Kittens require more food per pound of body weight than adult cats. Why? They need to support their growth and should, therefore, be fed more often throughout the day.

Kittens that are up to 6 months old require at least three meals a day. From 7 months to maturity, most cats will do very well with just two meals per day.

Once a cat gets to 1 year, you can reduce feeding to once or twice a day. Senior cats (age 7 and above should maintain the same feeding regime.

Dr. Francis Kallfelz, of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, said that it is okay to feed a cat once a day when it reaches adulthood as long as it is healthy and has no disease that calls for a specialized feeding program.

The Health of Your Cat Matters

It goes without saying and is a sad fact of life - cats fall ill. Cats can suffer from serious conditions such as urinary tract disease, osteoarthritis, heart disease and diabetes. If your cat, for instance, suffers from diabetes, you may need to have your veterinarian prescribe it insulin.

Cats can also suffer from hyperthyroidism, meaning they will want to eat all the time. If your cat experiences this symptom – take your cat to a veterinarian. It is a treatable problem.

When a cat ages, she/he may develop gum disease and her teeth may go bad, making it difficult to chew dry food. If this is the case, you should offer your cat canned food, or small nugget sized food. Mash up dry food and mix it with some water to make it easier to chew.

Best Type of Cat Food

Many cat owners feed their cat’s dry food, which we don’t 100% advocate. Dry food is less expensive than canned food and is not fresh in any sense.

However, if you feed your cat dry food, please make sure that you provide it with lots of fresh water to prevent the development of urinary tract blockages. Follow our best cat food guide, for more information.

Canned cat food is usually 70% – 80% water – much better for cats. Cats are all different, but in my experience cats find canned food more palatable and often overindulge if allowed free access.

The most important thing is that your cat’s calorie intake is met in the freshest and most natural way. Wet food is high in protein, low in carbohydrates and can be low on fat.

How Much To Feed A Cat A Day: Conclusion

You will need to modify your cat’s diet throughout his/her life to accommodate changing dietary and metabolism needs. Feel your cat’s ribs and backbone.

If the backbone and ribs show through the skin, then he/she is too thin. If you can’t feel her backbone or her ribs, then it is likely that she is overweight.

I tend to work out how much to feed my cat a day, then ensure they are fed that amount by using an automatic cat feeder - they are extremely useful and I’d highly recommend this one.

Remember, keeping your cat fit and is far much easier than forcing an obese cat to cut their portion size or stay on a diet. Regularly take your cat to the veterinarian as they will also advise you on any issues relating to the weight of your cat.

Thanks for reading!