The 11 Best Cat Foods in 2023

After hours of research, purchasing cat food, and testing both with our own cats and in a lab, we've chosen the top 11 best cat foods of the year.

Video Navigation:

0:00 Introduction
0:11 How We Chose the Best Cat Food
1:06 Smalls Fresh Cat Food
2:41 Rawz Wet Cat Food
4:10 Nulo Freestyle/Medalseries Wet Cat Food
5:00 Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein™ Dry Cat Food
6:30 Open Farm RawMix Dry Cat Food
7:48 Open Farm Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Food
8:46 Caru Classics Stew for Cats
9:57 KOHA Pet LID Wet Cat Food
11:28 Tiki Cat Succulent Chicken in Chicken Consomme
12:23 Weruva Truluxe Steak Frites Wet Cat Food
13:27 Wellness CORE Turkey & Chicken Liver Wet Kitten Food

Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links.

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[rachelcrossen]

It should not be this difficult to find good quality cat food

[cdwarden]

Thank you very much for these reviews, including sending the samples for independent lab tests! I am not sure if I am using the best link to view the lab reports - for example, I am not sure if you ever have repeated measurements (after getting reports that include things like cyanide for the Kirkland Signature Maintenance report), or if the different years in one printed report mean that the same result can appear in multiple rows if re-tested?

[skateata]

EDIT: she ate the nulo! So relieved she's eating.❤ thank you!

I'm preparing to adopt a senior cat. Trying to get all the essentials together.

[Mikangelovillalopez]

I officially recognize you have the most throughly tested channel on youtube, for cats. You’re my number 1 cat source now 😅

[recycledfelines]

Nulo literally has saved so many cats here at my rescue. I can't even begin to count them. When a kiddo doesn't want to eat, I reach for nulo. We are a rescue of about 60, And we absolutely make sure we budget in to make sure Nulo is our main go to. We also have to supplement with dry, because we are a rescue and it's a shoestring budget, but another contender that I would like to add would be the mosse, amazing!

[wielandsmith]

My cat is so picky and changes his mind every day. We tried smalls, he wouldn't eat it. He won't eat Tiki cat anymore. Nothing shredded. No pate's. He was eating Darwin's raw but decided he was sick of it. All he wants is kibble, and I really would prefer him to have a diet with more variety. I'm going to try some of your other recommendations and hopefully get him on a healthy path.

[lindaflores]

You have helped me more than you know! Thank you. I have been making myself crazy looking for the best food that I can afford. I finally found a food I could afford and hits all the good buttons including him loving the food, which was Nulo.

Seeing your assessment of the foods couldn't have made me happier. Thank you for investigating and being so thoroughly. I appreciate it!
Linda

[howellomaha]

Thank you for making this video.
There is a lot of negativity in the comments about these prices, or the prices in general. I don't know why they are taking it out on you. You are showing us nutrition levels in food and I appreciate it.

[helloHRT]

i can't explain how grateful i am for you and the love, dedication and hard work you put into researching and compiling information like this. i am such a neurotic and anxious cat mom (and have a poultry-allergy cat which is DIFFICULTtttt) and i'm CONSTANTLY trying to make sure my boys are getting the healthiest and safest food, treats, toys, litter-- everything! and the internet is soooo fraught with not only useless but wrong (or mysteriously funded by definitely not sketchy huge corporate pet food distributors) information, so it's SUCH a relief to have your well-researched, lab-tested and articulated videos to take some of the burden of that endless investigation off of my plate. <3 you rock.

[kittybeck]

I'm glad you showed Nulo, as I just switched to that, although I got Indoor Dry. My cat loves it! I feed dry with a little wet each day & I monitor her weight. She used to like Blue Buffalo dry, but not anymore - they got taken over by General Mills & it's not the same. I was giving a frozen raw (forgot which kind) as a treat, but they changed the ingredients & she rejected it. The vet said if I give her just pate all the time that I would have to have her teeth cleaned regularly - I don't like that idea & that's why I give both. :)

[leoandujar]

I have been feeding my cat Rawz for the past three years and anyone that wants to feed this brand should know that all pate recipes include ground bone. This is roughly ground bone so you may have to pick out the larger bone shards from the food before you feed. Nulo, Tiki, CORE, and KOHA also have bone as well. Cat with CKD may have a problem with this food as they are higher in Phosphorus.

[stelas]

For whatever reason my rescue cat only eats wet food (teeth are fine - vet checked) . But now I add fresh cat grass cut in tiny pieces on top for his fiber, and he loves it. Cats intuitively know what they need

[jter]

It would be nice to see the analysis done on foods that contain fish. I worry about the mercury levels in cat food with fish in it and it's hard to find affordable cat foods that my cats like that don't contain fish.

[rachaelmiller]

I tried different canned foods. However, the litter box smell was horrible. I did some research and came across Smalls, I gave it a try. I am happy to say all 3 of my babies love it, and there is absolutely no litter box smell. I highly recommend Small. The only thing is there is no phone call. Everything is handled via email, hoping this changes in the future

[trinketsphinx]

11:28 I'm surprised you didnt mention Tiki Kat After Dark. It's the only wet food I've ever found with genuine hearts and other organ meats that you can actually see and discern in the food. Complex organ meats are a great source of natural taurine and other vitamins and minerals, so food like this is really good. Also, while Tiki Kat wet food is on par with none as I have found no other wet foods with genuine complex organ meats in them, their dry food often contains "meal" which isn't great. So, cat lovers out there, remember that just because a company excels in one area doesn't mean they excel in all areas. And don't forget to SQUISH THAT CAT!

[OnlyJalenPhd]

My Savannah has eaten Orijen for a couple of years, and she suddenly started throwing it up. The vet can’t find anything wrong w/ her, so she suspects a sensitivity. (She also gets wet.) Quality cat food is expensive, but owning any pet is, if you’re concerned about their health. I understand there are people who can’t afford these, but Nulo is a good option. Even if that’s the cat’s wet food, it’s a good option for those who love their cat, but are on a tight budget.
It shouldn’t be this difficult to find good food for your pet!! Thank you for going down this rabbit hole!

[Dubsteppah]

The info on cat food you've given us has helped our cats so much. Thank you for giving us more time with them. We love our cats so much.

[sojourner]

At 5:00 you note Dr. Elsey's as a good dry (for those who want dry kibble, though wet is better) and the changes in it according to comments this year. I agree the ingredients have been the best for dry kibble. But right now (September 2023) the food is out of stock at both Amazon and Chewy. Dr. Elsey's is changing the formula, taking out the eggs and adding in hydrolyzed pork and pork plasma. I am concerned. I am wondering if you have any thoughts about those pork ingredients and the claims about them. I am thinking the research is too funded by the pork industry to trust it. Dr. Elsey's has excelled at having no plants, low phosphorus and carbs and high protein. But I trusted the egg formula better. Any thoughts?

[Dmtmindset]

Thanks! Plz do one on and the food wet&dry! + tiki baby

[Kimthecatlady]

I was feeding my cat the expensive Royal Canin PR diet for inflammatory bowel disease and for some reason the fur fell out on her ears. The vet said it could be genetic pattern balding but once we switched to Nulo, her hair grew back. We now feed her the wet food with a little hard food on top and she can't get enough! She refuses to eat anything else. We fed it to her on out vet's recommendation because she quit eating her royal canin food for a while. Nulo is amazing!