How to Choose a Cat Food: Reading Labels and Ingredients

Pet food aisles are full of claims — "natural", "grain-free", "holistic", "human-grade". Most of them tell you very little about whether the food is good for your cat. Here's what actually matters, and how to read a label in under a minute.

Step 1: check it's complete

Look for a statement that the food is complete and balanced for your cat's life stage.

• US: an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement, e.g. "formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for growth" — or better, "animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that…", which means the food has been fed to cats in trials.
• Europe/UK: the word "complete", meaning it meets FEDIAF nutritional guidelines.

If it says "complementary", "supplemental", "for intermittent feeding" or is a treat, it's not a full diet.

Step 2: match the life stage

• Growth / kitten: for kittens and pregnant or nursing cats.
• Adult maintenance: for adult cats.
• All life stages: meets growth requirements, so it's suitable for kittens — but can be higher in calories than an adult cat needs.
• "Senior" has no legal definition in most places; formulas vary widely. Choose based on your older cat's health and body condition. See senior cat care.

Step 3: understand the ingredient list

Ingredients are listed by weight before cooking, so wet meats (which are mostly water) often appear first. A few tips:

• Named animal protein sources ("chicken", "salmon", "chicken meal") are informative. Generic "meat and animal derivatives" is legal and not necessarily poor quality, but tells you less.
• "Meal" (e.g. "chicken meal") is a concentrated, dried form of meat — not a bad thing.
• By-products such as organ meats are nutritious for cats; the term sounds unappetizing to people but is not a quality marker by itself.
• Grains are not inherently bad for cats; true grain allergies are uncommon. "Grain-free" foods often replace grains with other carbohydrates like potato or peas.

Step 4: look at the guaranteed analysis (or analytical constituents)

This lists minimum protein and fat and maximum fiber and moisture. To compare a wet food and a dry food fairly, convert to dry matter: divide the nutrient percentage by (100 − moisture %) and multiply by 100. For example, a wet food with 10% protein and 78% moisture contains about 45% protein on a dry matter basis.

Step 5: check calories

Calorie content (kcal per kg, per cup or per can) is essential for portioning. Many overweight cats are simply fed a calorie-dense food by volume. Use the figure in our cat food calculator.

Step 6: evaluate the manufacturer

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) suggests asking pet food companies questions such as:

• Do you employ a qualified pet nutritionist (PhD in animal nutrition or board-certified veterinary nutritionist)?
• Who formulates your diets, and what are their credentials?
• Do you own the plants where your food is made? What quality control measures do you use?
• Do you conduct feeding trials or research, and is it published?
• Can you provide the calorie content and full nutrient analysis for any food?

Companies that can't or won't answer are worth avoiding.

Marketing claims decoded

Price vs quality

You don't need the most expensive food. Many mid-priced foods from established manufacturers that invest in nutrition research are excellent. Compare the cost per day of feeding the correct portion, not the price per bag. See our cat food buying guide.

When to choose a special diet

If your cat has a medical condition — urinary crystals, kidney disease, food allergies, diabetes — your vet may prescribe a therapeutic diet. These are specifically formulated and should only be used under veterinary supervision. See special diets.