There is little in this life that is as rewarding as being a pet owner – especially a cat owner. Cats have a way of comforting you when you need it most, but they do have quite the personality to match!
As a fur parent, you’re going to want to choose the best cat food for them, right? Of course you do! Unfortunately, many people struggle with what food to go for. Instead of grabbing any old bag, why not try the best grain free cat food, as it is the closest semblance to what your cat would have eaten if it wasn’t domesticated.
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Product Name | Our Raitng | Check Price |
|---|---|---|
Best Dry Grain Free Cat Food | ||
Best Wet Grain Free Cat Food | ||
Why Choose Grain Free Cat Food?
There are many people going grain free for their pets because it is closest to what they would eat if they were in the wild. However, what is wrong with grains? Well, some cats have an allergy to grains and other cats simply have a hard time digesting them.
This is because cats lack an enzyme in the saliva called amylase which is tasked with helping break down carbohydrates like wheat, rice, and corn, before it hits the stomach.
Is every cat better off going grain free? Not necessarily.. Some cats are perfectly fine and healthy eating the regular cat food. Some will even react poorly to grain free cat food. It’s always a good idea to talk to your vet for their recommendation on whether or not your cat should go grain free
Best Dry Grain Free Cat Food
If you have gone to your vet and they recommend that you should try grain free, here are five mini grain free cat food reviews that we think will help you choose the best grain free cat food for your furry friend.
Winner – Taste Of The Wild Cat Food
Taste of the Wild Cat Food has been creating grain free cat food for more than 40 years and they strive to create food that is going to help your cats stay in peak health. The first ingredient in the trout and salmon flavored cat food is farm raised trout.
This ingredient is 61 percent protein, 38 percent fat, and 1 percent carbohydrate, which is pretty good. The farm raised trout is a great source of vitamin B6, phosphorus, selenium, niacin, and vitamin B12, but also a good source of essential omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
source: chewy.com
The second ingredient in this is ocean fish meal, which contains a variety of ocean fish like whitefish, for example. The following ingredients (listed in descending order of weight) include: sweet potatoes, potatoes and pea protein.
The sweet potato and potato provide dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C and potassium. The pea protein increases the amount of protein in the food.
Notable features of the Taste of the Wild Cat Food include:
When looking at what people had to say about the Taste of the Wild Cat Food, they had great things to say. Several customers reported that they decided to give their cat this food because they noticed their cats were losing weight due to increased activity.
When the cats ate this food, they gained weight, but they also noted their cat’s fur and skin felt so much better than before. Other customers reported that they switched their cats from regular food due to grain allergies to this and they noticed a vast improvement in their cat’s health relatively quickly.
Unfortunately, there were a small group of people who were not as impressed with this food. These customers reported that their cats didn’t like the food and would refuse to eat it.
One customer stated that their cat would eat the food, but they contracted a fungus, which caused the cat to lose some of the hair on their head – from their eyebrows to their ears! Another customer reported their cat would get UTIs or vomit when eating the food.
Runner Up - Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Cat Food
Whole Earth Farms is a child company of the Merrick Pet Care line, which also creates a variety of Merrick cat food. This is a US-based brand that prides themselves on creating nutritious food for your cat.
In the formula, you will not find any additional additives, by-products, or other ingredients from China. Whole Earth Farms proudly guarantees the quality of the food and we can see that just in the first few ingredients.
For this review, we are going to review the salmon flavored food. The first ingredient is salmon meal. Salmon meal is a higher concentrate of protein, as nearly 90 percent of the moisture from the salmon has been removed.
source: feedgoodness.com
The next ingredient, turkey meal, is another high quality protein that bolsters the protein count in this food. Other ingredients such as dried potatoes and peas are going to aid in your cat’s digestion and provide the necessary energy your cat will need to live a happy and healthy life.
Notable features of the Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Cat Food include:
When looking at what people had to say about the Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Cat Food, they had great things to say. Customers remarked that their once finicky cats enjoyed the food and they had no problems switching to the new grain free food.
Customers liked that the food itself was small and manageable for the cat to eat, and that it seemed to clear up any digestive problems the cat may have had. Some also commented that their cat’s fur was shiny and their skin was much healthier after eating this food.
Unfortunately, there were a group of customers who reported to have some complaints about this food. The most common thing customers complained about was that their cat’s didn’t continue to eat the food after a few days.
One customer reported that they tried mixing it with another food, and their cat would leave the Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Cat Food behind. A few other people reported that their cat began vomiting after eating the food.
Alternative - BLUE Freedom Grain Free Adult Dry Cat Food
The Blue Buffalo company has created a line of grain free cat food called BLUE Freedom Grain Free Adult Dry Cat Food. This cat food is formulated to be 100% grain free and begins with real meat.
All of the food in this line of cat food use a unique two-part food that consists of high quality natural ingredients that are enhanced with essential vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that your pet needs to live a healthy life.
source: bluebuffalo.com
For this review, we will look at the indoor chicken formula. The first ingredient is chicken meat, which includes the meat, skin, and even bone. Although chicken has 70% moisture, when it is cooked down, much of that moisture is removed.
To supplement the loss of moisture and to bolster the protein, the second and third ingredients are chicken broth and chicken liver. Carrots and sweet potatoes are the next ingredients and they aid in supporting your cat’s digestive health while promoting healthy skin and a shinier coat.
Notable features of the BLUE Freedom Grain Free Adult Dry Cat Food include:
When looking at what people had to say about the BLUE Freedom Grain Free Adult Dry Cat Food, they had great things to say. Customers reported that only after a few days of switching to this food, they were able to see a drastic improvement in their cat’s coat and skin.
Several customers also reported that the food was able to regulate their cat’s weight. One customer even reported that their adopted cat was ill and when they fed them this food, the cat was playful and it no longer had a respiratory infection.
There were some people who weren’t as impressed with this food and voiced their concerns in the reviews. Many people commented that the formula has changed and their cats no longer like this food. Some have said that even when it is mixed with another food, the cat will leave this food behind.
One customer reported their cat started vomiting after eating the food, while another said their cat was so allergic to the food, the cat would scratch their head so much, it began to bleed.
Alternative - Merrick Before Grain Meat Dry Cat Food
We’ve already covered one brand of Merrick cat food, but Merrick Before Grain Meat Dry Cat Food is another one that is worth mentioning. This cat food is formulated to reflect a cat’s natural diet before they became domesticated – meaning more protein and no grains. For the purpose of this grain free cat food review, we are going to look at the chicken formula.
The first ingredient in this food is deboned chicken, which is between 60 to 80 percent protein and between 20 to 40 percent fat. The deboned chicken is a great source of vitamin B6 and phosphorous, as well as niacin and selenium.
source: merrickpetcare.com
Other meat proteins in this food is chicken meal (second ingredient), turkey meal (fourth ingredient) and chicken fat (fifth ingredient). There is dehydrated potatoes in this formula, but it offers a good amount of thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin C and is a good source of dietary fiber.
Notable features of the Merrick Before Grain Meat Dry Cat Food include:
When looking at what people had to say about the Merrick Before Grain Meat Dry Cat Food, they had great things to say. Most customers felt that this cat food was among the best grain free cat food for the price that you’re paying.
People report that when they feed this food to their cat, the cat seems quite happy (one stating the cat was praised as being ‘bright eyed and bushy tailed’) and playful, while others have commented that the food has made their cat’s healthier and their trips to the litter box are no longer stinky.
Of the few critical reviews there were, customers commented that their cats wouldn’t touch this food. One customer reported that after switching to this food from a regular brand, their cat got extremely ill, stating the cat had watery, red eyes and they ended up needing vet attention, which resulted in the cat being diagnosed with a food allergy.
Best Wet Grain Free Cat Food
Also, here is our recommendation for the best wet grain free cat food:
Muse By Purina Natural Grain Free Pate Wet Cat Food
The Purina grain free cat food is called Muse and it is an all-natural line that uses fresh, high quality ingredients. There are six different flavors in this cat food line and they include: chicken and carrot, chicken, ocean white fish and mackerel, salmon, salmon and shrimp, and a turkey and spinach flavor. For the purpose of this review, we will take a look at the chicken recipe.
In this cat food, the first ingredient is going to be fresh chicken. Chicken is a high quality source of protein and it is a great ingredient for providing your cat with the nutrition it needs. Not to mention that cats enjoy the flavor!
There could be a better source of fat in this food, such as an animal based fat, because the main source of fat is sunflower seed oil. To add a little moisture to the pate, you will find chicken broth, which also enhances the flavor.
source: petco.com
Notable features of the Muse by Purina Natural Grain Free Pate Wet Cat Food include:
When looking at what people had to say about the Muse by Purina Natural Grain Free Pate Wet Cat Food, they had great things to say. Customers were pleasantly surprised by how well their cats took to the food when they first presented it to them.
They reported that their normally picky cats would be reluctant to try new food, but they devoured the food. Other customers were impressed that this food doesn’t look like your average pate and it has a decent amount of gravy to accompany the food.
Adversely, there were some customers who left critical reviews because their cats didn’t enjoy the food at all. Of these critical reviews, some customers reported that not only did their cat’s not want to eat the food, but neither did stray and feral cats.
This was surprising because normally stray and feral cats will eat anything, unless there is something wrong with the food. There were a few people who stated that they thought there was an issue with the quality control with the food, as one person opened two different cans and the cat would eat the food from one can and not the other.
Another person said they looked at the expiration date and noticed it was a year past the expiry date.
What To Look For When Shopping For The Best Grain Free Cat Food
When you’re trying to find the best food for your cat, you’re going to want to take into consideration what kind of food they like. It’s a good idea that you have a dry food as well as a wet food.
The wet food will give your cat the moisture it needs, where as a small plate of dry food can be something the cat can graze on if they are light eaters, plus it can help their oral health.
Not only do you want to decide if you want to give them dry food or wet, you also want to take into consideration the flavors they typically eat. Some cats only care for one flavor while others aren’t nearly as choosy. Look for a brand that has your cats preferred flavor.
Next, look at the ingredients. The good thing about grain free cat food is that you don’t have to worry about grains such as corn, soy, or wheat. These ingredients could trigger an allergic reaction in your cat, which is never pleasant to deal with – both for you and your kitty.
How To Read The Label
It is important that when you’re shopping for the best grain free cat food (or any cat food for that matter) that you look closely at the food’s label. The label will tell you what is in the food. The label for cat food isn’t going to be like reading your cereal label though.
To read the label, you will want to:
Our Recommendation
Shopping for the best grain free cat food may feel like a daunting task, but we hope that this guide shed a little light on why you may want to consider going grain free and what to look for when shopping for grain free (or even regular food).
We have covered five highly recommended choices for grain free cat food and we believe all of them would be good choices. However, in our opinion, we have to say that Taste of the Wild Cat Food is our top choice, in terms of dry food. It is an affordable option, it provides your cat with all the nutrients that they need to be healthy, and customers who have given it to their cat rave about it.
Leave us a comment below and tell us what flavor food your cat enjoys the most and whether they prefer dry or wet food! We’d love to hear from you!
