Royal Canin cat food: reviews and composition analysis

Royal Canin Cat Food Review

Royal Canin dry and wet cat food is produced in France, Poland and Russia (you need to look at the specific packaging, but most often there will be a code RU - Russia).
The official website is, it contains information (compositions, feeding rates, etc.) about almost the entire line of food. This food belongs to the premium class. The Royal Canin brand is owned by MARS Corporation, which also produces other dog and cat foods. For example, Whiskas, KiteKat, Perfect Fit, Pedigree, Chappi, Sheba, Cesar.

Royal Canin food composition

Let's get acquainted with the composition of Royal Canin food using the example of the Adult British Shorthair option (for adult cats of the British shorthair breed). You can see it in the image below, we recommend clicking on the images to enlarge:

On the right is a photo of the composition indicated on the package, on the left is a screen shot from the official website.

The first two ingredients are plant protein isolate and dehydrated animal proteins (poultry). It is clear that these components are sources of proteins. Unfortunately, the percentage of these ingredients is not specified. Further, the food also contains “hydrolyzed animal proteins,” also a source of proteins, plus it is a natural flavoring additive.

In the considered option, vegetable proteins, which are less useful than animal proteins, come first. However, in many other food options, the main source of protein is still meat ingredients.

The sources of carbohydrates in the feed are rice, wheat, and flour from grain crops (which are not specified). Sources of fatty acids include animal fats, fish oil and soybean oil. The source of fiber is “plant fiber” (which plants are not known).

Minerals - a dietary supplement containing the minerals listed in the supplements. Yeast and fermentation by-products are, in theory, a source of B vitamins. Fructooligosaccharides and yeast hydrolysate are sources of beneficial prebiotics. The remaining ingredients of the composition are sources of certain beneficial substances (as indicated in the composition itself).

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of the food:

• very wide range, there is wet food (pouches, canned food);
• widespread, available in almost any pet store;
• Quite rich in vitamins and minerals.

Among the disadvantages:

• there is wheat, corn (typical for premium class), a lot of vegetable protein;
• unknown quality of the raw materials from which “dehydrogenated proteins” are obtained;
• it is not specified what preservatives and antioxidants are used;
• relatively high price (some super-premiums cost no more).

Recommended daily feeding allowance

Royal Canin urinary for small breed dogs

When feeding your dog only dry or wet food, the manufacturer recommends following the following dosage:

When a combined dry and liquid diet is included in the animal’s diet, the dosage at a moderate level of activity is:

• for animals weighing 1 kg - 17 g + 1/8 tbsp;
• weight 3 kg - 40 g + 3/8 tbsp;
• weight 6 kg - 80 g + 6/8 tbsp;
• dosage for an animal weighing 10 kg - 146 g + 1 and 3/8 tbsp.

Royal Canin cat food reviews

In Russia, Royal Canin cat food has been sold for a long time, and it is actively advertised. As a result, many pet owners bought them, which is why there are a lot of reviews. Below we have published some of the newest ones.

Reviews from veterinarians

Writes:

The Internet is full of reviews from cat and dog owners who note that they bought Royal Canin on the recommendation of a veterinarian. However, after searching on veterinary forums, we were unable to find direct opinions on the answer. doctors regarding this food.

Customer Reviews

Daria writes:

The food is not the cheapest, but apart from it my cat doesn’t recognize many other foods. Most of the ones I've tried eat very poorly, so I usually buy formulas for picky cats. But this time, for a change, I took a 2 kg bag of Royal Canin for British shorthair cats, my cat is of this breed.

Now about the food itself. It is made in the form of fairly large croquettes, light brown in color, with a typical buttery sheen. The smell, like most cat food, is peculiar. The cat eats well, it seems no worse than the formula for picky eaters. A 2 kg package is enough for 2 weeks.

There are no problems after feeding and there have never been any. If you read the ingredients, the food is very good, it contains everything an adult cat needs - proteins, fats, vitamins. Since my cat liked the Royal Canin Adult British Shorthair food, I recommend that everyone who has British hair try it.

Karina writes:

Today's review will be about the Royal Canin Sensible 33 food, which I feed my two cats and one female cat. In order to save money, I tried to switch to other foods, but in the end, either it was not suitable for someone, or the feeding standards were much higher and all the savings were reduced to nothing.

All three pets eat this food well, there are no problems with digestion. The food pellets are of different shapes, but this does not interfere with chewing them. The composition looks good compared to cheap food. By the way, I have a friend who is a veterinarian and recommended that I always look at the ingredients to make sure there is more than just wheat in there. And she also said it’s better not to mess with economy class food, then you can spend more on treatment than you save.

I saw reviews from other cat lovers, they manage to find French-made Royal Canin (FR marking), but in my area there are only our Russian-made ones. In conclusion, I will also say that my pet’s diet consists not only of dry food, I try to feed it with meat products and canned food. Something like that, thank you for your attention to my review!

Lyudmila writes:

When a Scottish kitten appeared in my house, I immediately started looking for the best way to feed him. In the end, I decided to try Royal Canin dry food. I gradually switched from natural purees, soaking the granules a little. So he ate normally, but when I tried to give him completely dry food, without mixing or soaking, he began to eat poorly.

I came to the conclusion that he probably doesn’t like to chew hard food... Then I thought again and finally tried another food, took Hills for kittens. The result is the same. Apparently the problem is not with the manufacturers, but with the kitten’s preferences.

Advantages and disadvantages

Royal Canin ready-made diets for kittens generally have a balanced composition, contain the ingredients necessary for a small organism, and have a unique recipe.

Benefits of Royal Canin kitten products:

• large selection of flavors;
• balanced composition;
• availability of packages of various sizes, feed for different age groups;
• good digestibility, high nutritional value.

Royal Canin for kittens activates the immune system, increases the body's resistance, improves the quality of the coat, strengthens the bones, and saturates the body with useful substances.

Disadvantages of feed:

• low fiber content;
• the presence of yeast, soy, wheat gluten, corn;
• synthetic components;
• a large number of grain components, vegetable fats.

Some substances that are used to make products cheaper can cause allergies in small pets. For example, yeast, soybeans, soybean oil, by-products.

Conclusions about Royal Canin food

There are both positive and negative reviews about Royal Canin cat food. Although there are much more of the former than the latter, the composition of the feed as a whole can be called complete. In principle, such food can be used as a permanent diet.

It should be noted that there are super-premium foods, for example, Czech-made Brit Care or Italian-made Monge, the price of which is not much different from Royal Canin. However, they are much less common and often it will be difficult to buy them.

• Mars
• Premium food for cats

Cellulose

Royal Canin Kitten diet (for kittens up to 12 months) contains so-called “plant fiber” (No. 6 in the list of ingredients) and psyllium husks and seeds. Plant fiber was probably called cellulose - a cheap ballast filler of unknown origin. It is not nutritious for cats and should be avoided in the diet.

The shell and seeds of plantain consist of 70% soluble fiber, which is beneficial for intestinal microflora and normalization of stool. Unfortunately, there is very little of this ingredient in the food - how much it can help animals remains open.

Plant products are difficult for predators to digest, and a large amount of fiber in the food increases the volume of the food bolus and gives cats a deceptive feeling of fullness.

Diets for different ages

The brand’s assortment offers balanced diets that take into account the needs of the cat’s body at different ages:

• For kittens, young individuals up to one year. Here are milk replacers, separate diets up to 4 months of age (also suitable for pregnant and lactating cats), pates, wet food in sauce and jelly, “drying” with small granules for kittens of different breeds (British, Maine Coon, Persian ), and also separately for sterilized pets. Special formulas help strengthen the immune system, normal growth and development of small pets.
• For healthy adult animals, taking into account their breed and other characteristics: with long hair, normal or overweight, sensitive digestive system, active or domestic lifestyle, intolerant of strong tastes and aromas in food, for castrated animals.

Here you can also select diets to solve specific problems: maintaining healthy skin and coat, caring for the oral cavity, or removing hairballs from the stomach.

• For individuals over 7 (including sterilized) and over 12 years old in the form of dry granules, wet diets with jelly or sauce.

Advantages and disadvantages

The undoubted advantage of Royal Canin is the huge selection that its developers offer:

• the presence of a regular and therapeutic diet;
• a variety of textures: from pates to dry pads, differing in shape and size;
• Availability and accessibility: food can be purchased anywhere;
• balanced and individually selected food for the needs of each cat.

The well-known Royal Canin food also has disadvantages:

• when purchasing, you can make a mistake with quality: not all manufacturers are conscientious;
• the presence of preservatives, yeast, cereal derivatives and corn;
• quite high cost with unpredictable quality.

Dosage per day

A dog owner who prefers commercially produced food should carefully study the procedure and feeding standards. The serving size is calculated based on the height, weight, and physical activity of the animal. The features of its content are taken into account. For example, during the cold season, a lot of calories are spent on heating the body, so food should be nutritious and the portions should be larger.

The dosages and daily consumption rates are prescribed on the packages; the owner just needs to pay attention to the details.

• Do not exceed the recommended dose; overfeeding leads to obesity and serious health problems for your pet;
• premium or holistic food is more economical than usual, since these categories have a more nutritious composition;
• If the dog is hungry and does not eat enough, it means there is not enough protein in the food. It is worth adding an additional complex of vitamins and minerals to your diet.

Puppies eat at least 5 times a day in small portions. At the age of 4 to 6 months, they are fed a little less often, gradually reducing the number of meals to two times. The nutrition of sick animals is adjusted by the treating veterinarian, and pregnant and lactating females need to increase the portions.

Daily value for an adult dog:

For puppies of small breeds, the recommended daily dose of dry food is 180-450 g. Medium-sized babies will need 400-600 g, and large animals from 600 g to 1 kg.

The better than others

No premium pet food has such a wide range as Royal Canin. Sixteen types of dry and canned food for puppies, more than 20 for adult dogs, plus a separate therapeutic and preventive line. It is possible to meet the needs of representatives of any breed with different characteristics. With this choice, food has a relatively low price and is freely available.

Manufacturer

The French one has been operating since 1967. The first production in the city of Emargue specialized in the production of dry food for German shepherds. A few years later, the range was expanded, and a whole line of special packaging appeared for purebred dogs and cats, puppies, large pets, and animals with digestive problems.

Over time, factories appeared in other countries: Germany, Finland, Argentina, USA, Brazil. Domestic production works according to the standards of the French company, preserving the original composition. Despite this, many dog ​​owners are convinced of the low quality of food produced in the Russian Federation.