World of cats and kittens » Nutrition » Food reviews
Not food, but a real paradise for your beloved purr. Despite the fact that cat food is super premium, the division is quite arbitrary. Different prices, not always comparable quality. Within the class there is an additional gradation of super premium holistic diets. Some brands, while classifying themselves as elite diets, do not rise above the premium class for cats in the ratings. Considering that the list is constantly changing, it is simply impossible to understand the diversity and choose quality food from a motley list of offers without help.
Features of dry super-premium food
Super premium food is the best food for cats in taste, nutrition and quality. Dry and wet food is prepared only from natural products, enriched with vitamins and nutrients, and does not contain preservatives. All luxury food manufacturers produce medicinal food that cats need for various serious illnesses.
The cat happily eats first-class food
One of the varieties of super premium products is holistic. This is food suitable for consumption not only by animals, but also by people.
For reference! Holistics are made from 100% natural, fresh ingredients. The name comes from the word Holistic or Holism, which means “whole.”
Premium dry cat food has a light natural smell that is extremely attractive to animals. Several features distinguish such food from lesser quality food:
- Natural protein of animal origin. The composition includes meat, fish, eggs, and offal.
- Does not contain corn gluten.
- The ash content does not exceed 6–7%.
- Rice, oats, potatoes, and barley are used as a source of carbohydrates.
- No flavorings, preservatives, dyes. Rosemary and tocopherol are used instead.
- The packaging indicates the ingredients and their quantity in grams or percentages.
- Vitamins, minerals and percentages of proteins, fats, carbohydrates are indicated.
In many soft foods you can see pieces of meat.
Important! Super-premium cat food should not be labeled “meat products” at all.
Premium feed
Eukanuba (Eukanuba), Canada - premium
Eukanuba is a premium dry food for cats, divided into two large groups: for daily feeding and medicinal (veterinary).
The presence of all the minerals and vitamins the animal needs, as well as their perfect balance, is a guarantee that your pet will be healthy and happy. The medicinal line of these foods implies the presence of special ingredients that are indicated for specific diseases.
Advantages:
- — high quality of used components
- - optimal granule size
- - high energy value allows the cat to eat a relatively small amount, which helps save
- - has a positive effect on the coat, which is important for animals participating in exhibitions
Flaws:
- - relatively high cost
- — low content of natural meat in food for adult cats (only 20%)
- - presence of vegetable fats
Cost: from 410 to 5700 rubles depending on the weight of the package.
What is the difference between kitten food and adult cat food?
The kitten should not be fed food intended for cats older than one year. This food does not meet the biological needs of the baby, which means it can cause harm. Food for adult animals differs from food produced for kittens in terms of processing technology, composition of vitamins and minerals, and the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
The energy value of food also varies, and the energy needs of a kitten are much greater than those of an adult cat. Baby food is higher in calories. The size of granules for adult animals is larger and harder. That is, it will be very difficult for the baby to chew them.
If you feed a kitten food that is not appropriate for its age, it can cause indigestion and other problems.
Bozita (Bozita), Sweden - premium
Bozita is premium wet (pouch) and dry food for cats, which is ideal for daily feeding of the animal, supplies its body with the necessary energy, and also contains a maximum of vitamins and minerals for good health. You should know that Bozita food is recommended exclusively for healthy cats and is contraindicated for animals with chronic diseases.
Advantages:
- — all components are subject to state control, which guarantees the absence of harmful substances
- — in addition to fresh meat and fish, there is taurine, proteins, and natural minerals
- - no dyes
- - excellent taste and pleasant smell
- - wide range of products
- - affordable price
Flaws:
- – the presence of corn flour, which can sometimes cause diarrhea
- - insufficient number of preventive supplements
- - lack of medicinal feed
Cost: from 113 to 6100 rubles depending on the weight of the package.
Rating of premium and super-premium food classes
Go cat food: dry natural holistic composition
Veterinarians and pet food manufacturers compile a professional rating of the best cat foods. It, of course, includes elite premium cat food. The list is constantly updated and expanded.
The top 10 best brands today looks something like this:
- 1st Choice;
- airi;
- Arden Grange;
- Bozita;
- Brit Care;
- Brooksfield;
- Dr Clauder's;
- Dukes Farm;
- Fitmin For Life;
- Guabi Natural.
The super-premium class includes brands such as Acana, Almo Nature, Golden Eagle (Eagle Pack), Now Natural Holistic, Orijen Cat, Frank's Pro Gold, Eukanuba, GRANDORF Natural & Healthy, Go Natural holistic, Hills, Happy Cat, N&D Natural and Delicious, Purina Pro Plan, Royal Canin.
A brief overview of super-premium foods with their comparative characteristics will help cat owners choose the best diet for their furry pet.
The cat should have several bowls of dry and wet food and a cup of water
Acana
Canadian premium Acana food contains 75% meat or fish. The composition includes kidneys, heart, liver, vegetables. The level of artificial components has been reduced to zero. The assortment includes three types, depending on the inclusion of meat or fish:
- Wild Prarie - chicken, turkey;
- Grasslands - lamb, duck, turkey;
- Pacifica - perch, herring, flounder, hake and sardine.
Acana does not contain grains, potatoes or other plant protein sources.
Acana
Brit Care
Excellent Czech-made food Brit Care and Brit Premium for cats contain about 40% meat. It is supplemented with rice, corn, beets, and brewer's yeast. These components are rich in B vitamins, fiber, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Vitamin E serves as a preservative. Brit Premium cat food is cheaper than many other super-foods. The lines include food for cats of different ages, as well as for active or lazy cats, for animals prone to obesity, for sterilized ones. There are dry and wet foods, and they are all hypoallergenic.
Brit Care
Almo Nature (Almo Nature), Italy - super premium
Italian holistic Almo Nature contains about 14% meat and offal. In addition to these ingredients, the composition includes cereals, rice, and an extensive vitamin and mineral supplement.
However, the composition is not indicated in too much detail on the packaging. The brand is quite common in pet stores, so it is easy to find.
Almo Nature
Golden Eagle or Eagle Pack (Eagle Pack), USA - holistic
American holistic Golden Eagle or Eagle Pack includes three lines:
- for kittens;
- for adults;
- for cats prone to allergies and digestive disorders.
There is little meat here, so the vegetable protein content is high. The composition includes meat flour, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, dried herbs and even spices.
For reference! The advantage of Golden Eagle is its high fiber content, but the disadvantage is its low meat content.
Golden Eagle or Eagle Pack
1st Choice Indoor (Fest Choice), Canada - super premium
The Canadian brand 1st Choice is famous for its quality and excellent taste. Meat and offal occupy a significant proportion of the composition. It also includes cereals, grains, and vegetables. Vitamin E plays the role of a preservative.
1st Choice food is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, essential for cats. It can be found on the shelves of pet stores.
1st Choice Indoor
Now Natural Holistic (Nau Natural Holistic), Canada - super premium
Another Canadian holistic product, Now Natural Holistic, consists of 100% meat, fish, vegetables, berries, and fruits. It contains no grains, cereals, or offal at all. The level of fats, proteins, carbohydrates is carefully balanced.
Now Natural Holistic
Orijen Cat, Canada - holistic
First-class holistic Orijen Cat consists of one third of whole pieces of meat, fish, and contains a lot of protein. In addition, it contains fruits and vegetables, so the food is rich in all vitamins and minerals.
Orijen Cat
Frank's Pro Gold (Franks Pro Gold), Holland - super-premium
Frank's Pro Gold is a complete meal with a high meat content. The composition also includes cereals and by-products.
There are food lines for small, adult and older cats. There is a selection of food with different meat and fish flavours.
Frank's Pro Gold
Arden Grange (Arden Grange), England - super premium
British Arden Grange can confidently be classified not only as a super-premium class, but also as a holistic one. It is made from natural meat or fish, supplemented with fruits and vegetables. This is a complete meal for your beloved pet.
Arden Grange
Eukanuba (Eukanuba), Canada - premium
Eukanuba produces dry food and canned food. Due to the high meat content, cats are easily satisfied and receive vital energy directly from their diet.
Eukanuba
GRANDORF Natural & Healthy
GRANDORF Natural & Healthy consists of almost 70% meat. It contains no allergens, so cats tolerate this food well and eat it with pleasure.
GRANDORF Natural & Healthy
Go Natural holistic
Go Natural holistic dry and wet food is made from whole pieces of natural meat, fish, and vegetables. Nutrition will provide cats with energy and improve their health.
Go Natural holistic
Hills (Hills), USA, Netherlands - premium
Hills is a famous brand that has proven itself well. There are dry, wet food and canned food. The composition includes natural meat enriched with vitamins and minerals.
This food is recommended by many veterinarians.
Hills
Happy Cat
Happy Cat offers a wide selection of different flavors. The spiders contain pieces of real meat. Thanks to variety, your cat's diet becomes complete and nutritious.
Happy Cat
Bozita (Bozita), Sweden - premium
Bozita premium Swedish food consists of meat, fish, and fish oil. It is rich in B vitamins, calcium, potassium, fiber, and fatty acids.
For reference! The company produces not only canned food, wet and dry food, but also liquid nutritional drinks that cats really like.
Bozita
N&D Natural and Delicious
N&D Natural and Delicious is made exclusively from natural ingredients: meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables (carrots, pomegranates, beets). In the composition you can see greens and medicinal herbs.
N&D Natural and Delicious
Purina Pro Plan (purina Proplan), France - premium
A wide range of food products includes canned food, dry and liquid food. Many medicinal foods have been developed for various severe chronic diseases of cats.
Proplan is very popular among Russian cat owners. It contains natural meat, vegetables, and grains. Kitten food includes colostrum, which is good for babies.
Additional Information! Any therapeutic food belongs to the super-premium class, but it cannot be given to healthy cats.
Purina Pro Plan
Royal Canin (Royal Canin), France - premium
Royal Canin is very popular in Russia. Its product lines are diverse and include food for cats of all ages, for pets with different hair types, etc. An important place is occupied by therapeutic diets for sick and weakened animals.
Many owners believe that Royal Canin is the best food for kittens. This is the most common and relatively inexpensive food among the super-premium class.
Royal Canin
Orijen Cat, Canada – holistic
Orijen Cat is a premium freeze-dried food for cats, consisting entirely of natural ingredients, there are no preservatives in its composition, and its taste and natural value are at the highest level. The meat content in these feeds is at least 70%, and the remaining ingredients are herbs, fruits and vegetables. The optimal combination of all useful substances makes this food one of the best in the world.
Advantages:
- - made exclusively from high quality natural products
- — maximum permissible meat content
- - balanced herbal vitamin formula
- — presence of Omega-3 – acids of marine origin, beneficial for coat and skin
- - antioxidant properties
- - excellent taste
- - prevalence in retail chains
Flaws:
- - relatively high cost compared to other feeds of this level
Cost: from 320 to 12,000 rubles, depending on the weight of the packaging.
Rating of the best domestic manufacturers
Holistic food for cats: what is it, rating of the best
The most popular brands, such as Royal Canin, are produced in Russia using foreign technologies or using imported equipment. But there is excellent food produced domestically:
- Blitz;
- Our Brand;
- ProTail;
- Meal;
- ProBalance;
- Faithful friends;
- Stout;
- Safari.
Important! If the owners decide to sterilize the cat, then they need to transfer it to a new diet in advance and gradually.
All medicinal food belongs to the super-premium class
Diets for kittens
Royal Canin Babycat – mousse
Royal Canin Mousse Pate is a rare example of a cat food approved before four months of age. Breeders often use it as the first complementary food when transitioning kittens from mother's milk to solid food. Thanks to its composition, the pate does not lead to digestive upset and is well absorbed. The food uses Macro Nutritional Profile for comprehensive and complete development of the body.
Pros:
- helps to form the kitten’s own immunity when weaned from the mother’s breast;
- contains nutrients necessary for growth - yeast, fiber, taurine, arginine and other amino acids;
- easy to eat - cat food has a light and delicate mousse texture.
Minuses:
- the composition of meat and carbohydrates is not detailed;
- contains milk and dairy products.
Royal Canin Kitten
Immediately after the mousse, Royal Canin recommends switching kittens to their Kitten diets - “baby” dry food for cats of different breeds (British Shorthair, Maine Coon, Sphynx and others). This is a common and affordable product that is suitable for pets from 4 to 12 months. A patented complex of antioxidants strengthens cats' immunity, and high-quality animal protein LIP increases the digestibility of food.
Pros:
- contains minerals that strengthen teeth and bones;
- fructooligosaccharides in the food help improve the kitten’s digestion, and taurine helps the heart function;
- high calorie content (404 kcal per 100 g of food) helps the kitten to always be full and active.
Minuses:
- the composition of animal fats and poultry protein is not detailed;
- contains wheat.
Berkley Fricassee Kitten Menu Chicken & Veal with Berries in Natural Jelly
Pauchi with veal, chicken and berries is suitable as a complete food for a kitten under 1 year of age. The product has a soft gel-like texture due to the high broth content (43.2%), so kids can easily eat it. This cat food contains plant-based unsaturated acids from grape seed oil.
Pros:
- good meat composition - 37.3% chicken, 16.35 veal;
- pleasant smell and taste that kittens like;
- The food contains vitamin-rich fruits and antioxidant blueberries.
Minuses:
- the composition of chicken and veal is not detailed - the feed may contain by-products;
- not always available in stores.
PRO PLAN Delicate with turkey
The Delicate line of hypoallergenic cat food includes diets for kittens up to one year of age. Dry turkey pellets are suitable for babies with sensitive digestion and allergies to chicken.
Pros:
- can be given from one to four months, accustoming them to dry food for cats;
- the food contains a lot of high-quality protein - 40% (turkey - 17%);
- Prebiotics help improve digestion when transitioning to solid foods.
Minuses:
- contains allergens - corn gluten and soy;
- Due to the content of chicory root and pea concentrate, a capricious kitten may not like it.
Meow
Mjau (Meow) feed production is located in one of the most beautiful places in Sweden. It is here that farmers use the least amount of chemicals than in other countries of the world, and Swedish livestock have been a guarantor of the quality and safety of agricultural production for many decades. And according to manufacturers, the raw materials used in Mjau (Meow) feed are of the highest quality, without chemical additives, hormones, dyes and antibiotics.
Reviews for this product are mixed. Some buyers compare it with Kitekat food, but cheaper. However, it is important to understand that Meow food is an economy class food. Its low cost matches its quality.
Advantages: very low price. The food does not have a strong odor, but rather has an appetizing aroma. Almost all the granules are intact, and the food does not feel greasy to the touch. Quite a lot of flavours.
Disadvantages: the composition is veiled. There are animal by-products and grains that are very harmful to the digestive system of cats. Contains preservatives and antioxidants. It is not advisable to use it as a permanent food. Cats become addicted to food.
Hills (Hills), USA, Netherlands - premium
Hills is a high-quality premium daily and medicinal food for cats, which has proven itself in many countries as a healthy and wholesome food for pets. It is important to note that regular Hills food is significantly inferior in quality to medicinal food, and therefore, after one or two weeks of feeding the animal with daily food, you should be tested and find out how well this food is absorbed by its body. But in general, the food meets all the quality requirements and the cats really like it.
Advantages:
- - relatively low cost
- - correct balance of magnesium, phosphorus, calcium
- - detailed indication of all ingredients on the packaging
- — a wide range of medicinal feeds
Flaws:
- - increased content of plant proteins
- - excessive concentration of carbohydrates
- - may cause allergies
- - sometimes enhances the smell of excrement
Cost: from 250 to 6000 rubles depending on the weight of the package.
Specialized feed
If your pet has specific problems, such as food allergies or a tendency to dermatitis, food must be chosen especially carefully. Retail and online pet stores offer a selection of specialty foods divided into separate categories.
For allergy sufferers
Special food for dogs who may be allergic to plant components of the food, such as wheat or corn. Therefore, hypoallergenic products do not contain these ingredients. From the variety of lines, take a closer look at these:
- Go! Limited Ingredient Diet Sensitivity;
- 1st Choice Dog Adult Hypoallergenic;
- Monge Specialty Adult Dog Salmon&Tuna Hypoallergenic.
As for holistic people, you can choose Blitz Holistic Adult Dog Beef&White Fish Hypoallergenic Grain Free.
For small breeds
These breeds conventionally include adult dogs whose weight does not exceed 2 kilograms. Among the brands considered, the following lines stand out:
- Brit Care Adult Small&Medium Salmon&Potato Grain Free;
- SAVARRA Adult Dog Small Breed Duck&Rice;
- 1st CHOICE Dog Adult Toy&Small Breeds.
It is noteworthy that some types of food for small breeds can be used to feed larger pets weighing up to 25 kilograms.
For large breeds
Large dogs need a lot of energy, so generic foods are not very suitable for them. Take a closer look at the special lines for large breeds:
- GO! Daily Defense Lamb Dog Recipe;
- Purina Pro Plan Large Robust Adult;
- Brit Lamb&Rice.
You can also find food on sale that is equally suitable for dogs of various breeds due to its special balanced composition.
For old dogs
Dogs over 8 years of age should consume the following senior pet foods:
- Monge Daily Line;
- Brit Premium my Nature Adult L.
Older dogs who are overweight should consume Brit Veterinary Diet food. From the Royal Canin brand you can choose food from such series as “Adult” and “Light Weight Care”.