Importance of a Good Cat Food
Many cats enjoy a mixture of wet and dry food, but how do you choose the best canned cat food on the market? Your cat’s food fuels their daily activity. Not only is their food an important daily choice, but it also impacts their overall health throughout their life.
If you don’t provide your cat with all the key nutrients that they need, their health can suffer. Cats with malnutrition or improper diets can be prone to allergies, illness, irritation, digestive distress, and more.
While searching for the best canned cat food, you should prioritize a few important factors. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means the vast majority of their diet should consist of protein. If your cat suffers from urinary tract issues or diabetes, you should also look for high moisture content as well.
Five Best Canned Cat Foods
As a certified animal trainer, I have experienced a wide range of pet foods and brands with my clients. I’ve used that experience to provide you with an all-encompassing guide to the best canned cat food choices on the market today.
Each of these foods has a certain scenario or feature that sets it apart from the rest: taste, all-around use, value, etc. It is difficult to provide an all-encompassing choice of which is the best canned cat food, but we have ranked them in terms of quality, price, versatility, and more.
Here is our unbiased review of the top 5 best canned cat food choices available!
All-Around Favorite
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Review Highlights:
“… This food is their favorite by far. They lap it up as soon as its set down and they beg for more. The chicken is easily recognizable and looks high quality. Great cat food! …”
“… My cats love this. I’ve tried other Wellness brand food, but they prefer the shredded which has extra gravy …”
“… My 1yr old male cat loves this. He can be full off his dry food and still will treat this up within minutes… If he loves it, I love it …”
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This product is a great all-around cat food choice. It provides your cat with high moisture, high protein, and no junky fillers that can irritate their digestive system. With boneless chicken and chicken liver, you know your cat is getting high-quality protein.
Feature Highlights:
- Contains a respectable 8% protein and 85% moisture!
- Real boneless chicken is the first ingredient.
- Contains no artificial flavors, colors, or by-products.
You can see the real shreds of chicken in this cat food, no mushy mass of questionable meats here! This food provides your cat with real, quality protein and plenty of moisture to aid in digestion and circulation. With 8% protein, each can packs a good amount of protein into your pet’s meals.
I like this food as an all-around favorite because your pet gets great nutrition that you can see. It contains real, high-quality protein sources without any questionable by-products, fillers, or artificial colors or flavors. Recommended for: Cats!
Favorite All-Natural Food
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Review Highlights:
“… MY CATS LOVED IT!!! I can’t belive I found a nutritious food that my cats actually like… this food is awesome, it is nutritional and tastes like a treat (to them). I have three happy, well-fed kitties at home! …”
“… From the first can of Avoderm Tuna & Crab I opened, my cat went nuts over it… he cries for it come dinner time and quickly devours it …”
“… Both of my cats practically knock me over to get to this… they are so excited… the cats wolf it down. Lick the bowls clean, every time …”
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If you are in the market for an all-natural choice for your pet, this wet cat food is the way to go. AvoDerm uses high-quality ingredients in their food, in addition to providing your cat with the essential moisture that they need in a good wet food.
Feature Highlights:
- Comes in tuna and crab, tuna and chicken, and tuna and prawns flavor.
- Natural ingredients promote healthy skin and coat.
- Never contains any artificial flavors, preservatives, or by-products.
This product is a great all-natural wet food for your cat. It has a natural formula that contains no crummy filters or artificial by-products, flavors, or preservatives that might irritate your cat. You can also choose between three great flavors for even the pickiest of cats.
In addition to its high-quality ingredients, this food also provides your cat with many different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Additionally, the omega fatty acid content helps bolster your cat’s coat and skin health. Overall, it is a great all-natural choice for your pet. Recommended for: Cats!
Best Value Canned Food
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Review Highlights:
“… The cats are fussy about their ideal food. [This is] scarfed down quickly by both cats. You know it’s good when they follow up by checking each others’ bowls to see if anything is left! (Not a bit, all gone) …”
“… [My cat’s] poop didn’t stink as much. My kittens both love the stuff and look forward to eating it. I would recommend to others …”
“… in terms of grain-free wet food options, this is one of the cheaper options… the ingredient list is pretty good, the nutrion is up there. No super strong odor from the food …”
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Drop that can of low-quality Fancy Feast and Friskies, because your cat deserves better and you can get it at a great price! This food is great because you can still feed your cat a high-quality food with a low price. It provides a great source of moisture and nutrition for your cat.
Feature Highlights:
- Comes in salmon, beef, chicken, whitefish, and more.
- Real protein is the first ingredient.
- Grain-free formula provides your cat with high-quality nutrition.
One of the best parts about this food is that you can read the ingredients and know you’re giving your cat something good. The first three ingredients contain a protein source. They are real, high-quality protein sources, and fish broth is added for moisture.
Competitors in the same price point as this food often fill their product with fillers, by-products, and “mystery” protein sources. With this product, you know your cat is getting plenty of hydration, and some added protein, without taking in a bunch of other junk! Recommended for: Cats!
Best High Protein Canned Cat Food
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Review Highlights:
“… Anyway I swapped my cheap crap for this and [my cat] absolutely loves it. I honestly can’t say enough about how nice it is to see his improvements… he also loves this stuff… you’ve got my business …”
“… [This food] is ranked very high on the best cat food list. I will feed him whatever I can to make his life better. I never realized that the supermarket canned pet food was like giving him junk food. My cat and I recommend this product …”
“… My cat is a VERY picky eater but she thankfully loves this protein formula! … after switching to this brand she put on an entire pound in 3 weeks and her coat is looking shiny and healthy again. Highly recommended! …”
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Earlier, we discussed how important protein is to cats. As obligate carnivores, they need high amounts of protein in their diets, higher even than dogs! Thus, you need a canned cat food with as much protein packed into each bite as possible.
Feature Highlights:
- Choose between a 12 pack and 24 pack to save on shopping trips.
- Real chicken is the first ingredient.
- All-natural grain-free formula for your cat.
This cat food uses a grain-free formula that is incredibly high in protein. It boasts a whopping 11% protein content! With this food, the very first ingredient is real, cage-free chicken, so your cat gets only the very best and ethically sustainable food sources.
One of the most important factors when boosting your cat’s protein levels is making sure that the food doesn’t use any dangerous fillers to do so. This food never contains any grains, carrageenan, artificial flavors, colors, or anything else that might harm your pet. Recommended for: Cats!
Best Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
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Review Highlights:
“… [My cat] loves this food!! … this product is easily stored in a tupper ware or ziploc bag… she will happily eat all the leftovers… this salmon flavor is my absolute go to choice …”
“… [My cats] loved it! This is my favorite brand of cat food now. My cats devour it and they’ve been so much healthier since they started eating it… I’m very happy with the quality of this product …”
“… My cat loves this stuff. She’s nine years old and is back to playing like a kitten again! Would definitely recommend this stuff! …”
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This product is a great grain-free choice for your cat. Some pets suffer from allergies or dietary sensitivity, and added fillers, grains, and by-products can exacerbate these symptoms. This grain-free wet food is wonderful because it provides your pet with a high protein source, without any unnecessary fillers and junk.
Feature Highlights:
- You can choose from a wide range of flavors to best fit your cat.
- Real protein is the #1 ingredient.
- Contains small amounts of wholesome vegetables instead of grains.
You can take a look at the ingredients to see that this food contains all the important things first! With water for hydration, followed by not one, not two, not three, but four protein sources, you know that your cat is getting only the best.
In addition to a respectable protein percentage of 9%, your cat also has the benefit of choosing between many different flavors. Lots of cat owners know how picky their pet can be, so choices mean everything! Recommended for: Cats!