• Cats need lots of protein and fat in their diets to be healthy, so it’s important that you feed them the best nutritionally balanced cat food.
  • Whether you’re shopping for wet cat food or dry cat food, we’ve researched many brands to give you high-quality options.
  • Packed with ingredients that are ethically farmed and locally sourced, Ziwi Peak is our top pick.

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they have a biological need for meat. Your cat may be able to digest certain plant products in limited amounts, but protein should be the focus of its diet, and it needs to come from quality animal sources. A nutritious cat food will always list a source of animal protein as the first ingredient with plenty of healthy animal fats and limited carbohydrates.

Shopping for cat and kitten food can be a challenge because there are so many options to choose from. Unless you have a thorough understanding of your cat’s nutritional needs and knowledge of how to read a pet food label, you might find the task a bit overwhelming. You’ll be glad to know, then, that we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve scoured the reviews and taken a deeper look into the best pet food brands on the market to bring you our top five picks for high-quality cat food brands.

Here are the best cat foods you can buy:

Prices and links are current as of 02/13/2020.

The best cat food overall

Ziwi Peak is setting a new standard for cat food with its moisture-rich canned foods and nutrient-dense kibble.

A great pet food company will not only use high-quality ingredients, but its manufacturing processes will be safe as well. Ziwi Peak is our top choice for cat food brands because it is a trustworthy company that makes every effort to produce the best cat food products on the market.

The company’s formulas are made with 95% fresh meat, organs, bone, and seafood ingredients that are 100% sourced from New Zealand using ethical farming practices. Furthermore, Ziwi Peak’s products are all-natural, grain-free, and made without fillers and artificial additives.

The Ziwi Peak brand makes it onto the top 10 cat food lists for Reviews.com and Heavy. Although this company may be based in New Zealand, all of its ingredients are of the highest quality for both its wet and dry food. Its kibble is air-dried to retain the maximum nutritional quality while still offering pet owners the convenience of dry food. Ziwi Peak canned foods are moisture-rich, packed with protein, and full of natural flavor.

Not only is Ziwi Peak cat food made with more than 95% raw meat and organs, but it is carbohydrate limited and free from grains, by-products, fillers, and artificial additives. This brand offers excellent digestibility as well as complete and balanced nutrition without the need for a long list of synthetic supplements. Simply put, Ziwi Peak cat food contains all of the healthy nutrients your cat needs with nothing he doesn't.

Not only is the quality of the Ziwi Peak brand undeniable, but its products are made with novel proteins like venison, mackerel, and lamb to minimize the risk for triggering food allergies or sensitivities. Every recipe is naturally grain-free and the air-dried recipes are so nutrient-dense that you can actually feed your cat less without compromising his nutrition.

Pros: Air-dried recipes are similar in nutritional quality to raw food, many recipes feature novel proteins, all formulas are grain-free and carbohydrate-limited, recipes are made with at least 95% meat ingredients, formulas are designed to mimic a wild prey diet for cats, no carrageenan in canned foods

Cons: Limited selection of product choices, very expensive, not readily available in all locations, some cats may not like the air-dried texture

The best dry cat food

Foto: sourceAcana

Protein-rich and limited in carbohydrates, Acana dry cat food features lots of real meat ingredients in formulas designed to mimic the natural evolutionary diet of wild cats.

Some cat food brands offer a wide variety of products for every need, which can make it difficult to choose. The Acana brand of cat food offers just four dry cat food recipes, but all of them are made with fresh, regional ingredients and formulated to meet the nutritional needs of cats in all life stages. If you're in the market for a premium dry cat food product that is loaded with real meat ingredients and limited in carbohydrates to mimic your cat's natural diet, we recommend Acana.

The Acana brand creates what they call "biologically appropriate diets" for dogs and cats. These are protein-rich formulas made with high inclusions of fresh meat, including nutrient-rich organ meats, designed to nourish your cat's body through the use of fresh, wholesome ingredients. Acana doesn't rely on synthetic supplements as heavily as many cat food manufacturers, though every recipe contains probiotics to support your cat's healthy digestion.

This brand topped the list of dry cat food brands as rated by Heavy. Reviews mention the brand's excellent reputation for quality as well as their focus on real meat ingredients. They also comment on the fact that the brand is made entirely in the US using regional ingredients. The brand also receives the approval of The Pet Health & Nutrition Center.

Choose from four dry cat food recipes in the Acana Regionals line of products - Meadowland, Wild Atlantic, Grasslands, and Appalachian Ranch. These recipes feature premium proteins like free-run chicken, nest-laid eggs, and wild-caught fish.

Pros: All recipes are protein-rich and carbohydrate-limited, ingredients are sourced regionally from trusted suppliers, all products made in company-owned kitchens in the United States, recipes designed to mimic the natural evolutionary diet of wild cats, all formulas supplemented with probiotics

Cons: Pricey, only four recipes to choose from, no kitten-specific formulas available, no canned food options for cats, some recipes contain common proteins that may trigger food allergies in some cats (like chicken and fish)

The best wet cat food

Foto: sourceNature's Variety

Made with 95% meat ingredients, Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Wet Food offers the nutritional benefits of a raw food diet with the convenience of more traditional wet cat food.

Wet cat food is moisture-rich to keep your cat hydrated. It also tends to be lower in carbohydrates than dry food and richer in flavor. The texture may also be more appealing to finicky eaters. If you're looking for a premium brand of wet cat food that uses only the highest quality ingredients, we recommend Nature's Variety, specifically the Instinct line of products. A privately-held, natural pet food company, Nature's Variety has mastered the art of crafting nutritious and delicious wet foods for cats.

The Instinct line of products from Nature's Variety is designed to provide the nutritional benefits of raw food with the convenience of traditional cat food. This brand seeks to make each recipe as pure and simple as possible, using only real meats, digestible carbohydrates, and healthy supplements to ensure complete and balanced nutrition. Every recipe is also packed with natural flavor to satisfy your cat's cravings for meat.

Reviews for this brand speak to the simplicity of each recipe as well as the use of high-quality ingredients including real animal proteins, grain-free carbohydrates, and healthy supplements.

When it comes to wet cat food, Nature's Variety offers selections in three product lines: Instinct Originals, Instinct Ultimate Protein, and Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets. The Ultimate Protein line includes one formula made with 95% chicken and the Originals line features three 95% protein options - chicken, duck, and lamb. The Limited Ingredient Diets line includes three protein options as well and all of Nature's Variety's canned foods are grain-free.

Pros: Made with premium ingredients to mimic the quality of raw food, recipes made with 95% meat ingredients, recipes are complete and balanced for all life stages, all formulas are grain-free for digestibility, plenty of omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, high moisture levels

Cons: Limited number of protein options to choose from, some recipes contain common proteins that may trigger food allergies in some cats (like chicken and fish), expensive compared to other brands

The best grain-free cat food

Foto: sourceWellness

Naturally grain-free and packed with premium proteins, the Wellness CORE line of products is our top pick for grain-free cat food.

Though some cats can tolerate grains, the ideal diet for cats is one that is rich in animal proteins, limited in carbohydrates, and grain-free. Grain-free carbohydrates offer better digestibility for cats while still meeting their needs for energy and dietary fiber. If you are looking for a reputable cat food brand that offers a variety of grain-free options for both dry food and wet food, we recommend the CORE line of products produced by Wellness.

The Wellness brand is one of several made by WellPet, LLC, though all of its products are designed to follow a holistic and natural approach to pet nutrition. Wellness cat foods are formulated by animal nutritionists and veterinarians to provide the ideal balance of carefully selected, high-quality ingredients to nourish your cat's body for health and longevity. The CORE line of products is specifically designed without the use of grains and every recipe is focused on premium proteins like chicken, turkey, duck, salmon, venison, and lamb.

Expert reviews for the Wellness brand from Heavy and Love to Know speak to the fact that this brand doesn't use any artificial additives or by-products and every recipe is supplemented with probiotics for improved digestion and essential fatty acids for healthy skin and coat. Some pet owners note that even their most finicky eaters enjoy Wellness CORE grain-free foods. The Cat Digest names Wellness as one of the top 10 brands, as do many other pet food review sites.

The CORE line of grain-free cat foods by Wellness includes a large selection of dry food and wet food products. Choose from four dry food recipes for kittens, adults, and indoor cats as well as one original recipe formulated for all life stages. There are five product lines for wet food including patés, shredded entrees, chunky recipes, and dual-meat duos.

Pros: All recipes are naturally grain-free, formulas made with premium proteins including novel proteins like venison and duck, recipes are supplemented with probiotics for healthy digestion, decent selection of products to choose from, no artificial additives or by-products, rich in nutrition and natural flavor

Cons: Fairly expensive, some recipes contain common proteins that may trigger food allergies in some cats (like chicken and fish), some dry foods contain plant proteins (like pea protein)

The best organic cat food brand

For premium-quality, organic dry and wet food for cats, you can't beat Castor & Pollux's handcrafted recipes.

Even some of the top pet food brands on the market don't use organic ingredients, but if you want to feed your cat the best of the best, an organic cat food brand may be the way to go. Our top pick for organic cat food is Castor & Pollux, a company that was founded more than twenty years ago but still remains a leader in the organic and natural pet food industry. In fact, Castor & Pollux was the first company to offer a complete line of organic pet foods.

Handcrafted in small batches to ensure nutritional quality and integrity, Castor & Pollux's organic cat foods are made with real chicken, lamb, or salmon as the first ingredient. Every recipe offers uncompromised quality for 100% complete and balanced nutrition. This brand supplements each formula with organic flaxseed to provide omega fatty acids for skin and coat health as well as fiber to support your cat's digestion and plenty of protein for lean muscle mass.

Certified organic, free-range chicken is the first ingredient in every one of Castor & Pollux's dry foods, which remains true, except for the new Healthy Kitten recipe, which features organic turkey as the main protein.

Not only does Castor & Pollux offer organic cat food, but it offers a wide variety of products including dry food and wet food options. In fact, this brand offers two complete product lines: Organix and Organix Grain-Free. Both are made with the same premium-quality animal proteins and other organic ingredients, though the grain-free line features alternative carbohydrates like potatoes and tapioca.

Pros: Made with premium-quality certified-organic ingredients, both original and grain-free recipes available, recipes for adults as well as kittens and seniors, non-GMO ingredients, produced in certified organic kitchens, no low-quality fillers or by-products, high in protein

Cons: Kibbles at the bottom of the bag may break up, limited selection of products, some recipes contain common proteins that may trigger food allergies in some cats (like chicken and fish)

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