Royal Canin cat food: reviews and composition analysis

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Royal Canin is one of the most popular brands of cat food. The brand has earned fame not only thanks to advertising, but also due to the presence of a wide veterinary line, including dietary diets for spayed and sterilized cats and female cats. According to the manufacturer, the specialized formula prevents the development of urolithiasis and weight gain. In reality, the quality of feed is far from ideal, but it has significant advantages.

• 2 Detailed characteristics of Royal Canin food for castrated and sterilized cats and female cats

  2.1 Table: Royal Canin food range for spayed and neutered animals

• 2.2 Cost and availability
• 2.3 Composition

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).

Which food should you choose for your pet?

And the plus and obvious “good” is that the brand produces both everyday food and veterinary lines.

Food for kittens every day

Please note that this line is graded by breed, age and baby's needs.

• Mother and Babycat food (kittens up to 4 months).

Let us be glad that pregnant and lactating cats will also enjoy this dish. Scientists have found that it is by the age of 4 months that a kitten’s natural immunity begins to weaken, and MOTHER & BABYCAT strengthens the baby’s natural defenses due to the presence of prebiotics, antioxidants (vitamins B and C) in the food, and enrichment of the food with taurine and lutein.

By the way, with this food it is very simple and easy to switch from a milk diet to solid food. Read more about feeding cats after birth.

• Mousse for kittens Babycat Instinctive (kittens up to 4 months)

And this position is suitable for pregnant and lactating cats. Not only does Babycat Instinctive make it easy to gradually wean off breast milk, but the nutrition also stimulates the production of antibodies.

• Food for Persian kittens up to 12 months of age “Persian”

The developers included special protection for hair and hair literally from the first days of a kitten’s life. The food contains special fiber (for example, Psyllium seeds not peeled from the shell) and prebiotics.

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.

What veterinarians say: expert reviews

Specialists, nutritionists and veterinarians have mixed opinions about ready-made food mixtures in general. However, almost everyone agrees that such food is the best alternative to natural food , since it is balanced and contains all the necessary microelements for different groups of animals, taking into account the characteristics of their health.
Veterinarians say that if you switch the animal to ready-made food, then the best option would be to use high-quality food from Royal Canin. This brand is very popular due to its wide range of products, high quality super premium food and good reviews from animal owners.

Leading veterinarians say that properly selected food from Royal Canin will help protect your pet from various diseases, including genetic ones, and strengthen the immune system. However, it was also noted that each organism has its own characteristics . Therefore, you should select food for your pet with special care, in accordance with the recommendations on the packaging and the advice of a specialist.

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

Pros and cons of products

Royal Canin is one of the most popular industrial cat foods, but it also has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. Among the advantages of this product it is worth highlighting:

• reasonable cost compared to other premium wet and dry food;
• high quality products;
• a huge range of food for cats of all ages;
• a line of therapeutic food for sick pets;
• prevalence of products (sold not only in pet stores, but also in large supermarkets, and is also available for order in online stores).

The main disadvantage of the products is that most of the food is produced in Russia and is of lower quality compared to food produced in Europe.

In addition, according to reviews from veterinarians, Royal Canin for healthy cats is somewhat inferior in quality to the medical line.

How to choose food

If the owner prefers industrial food for sterilized cats, reviews will help make the right choice. What do the professionals say?

You will have to spend a little more on feeding a neutered animal than an uncastrated animal. You should choose only the following classes - holistic, premium and superpremium. It is better to choose one manufacturer to observe the pet’s reaction. If he has a healthy, well-groomed appearance and maintains the necessary activity, then the food should not be changed. Having decided to use dry food, you should remember that it will not be possible to switch your pet to natural food in the future.

When choosing a manufacturer, you should pay attention to two points:

1. A balanced diet will only be available in a special line for sterilized animals. The package must be marked Sterilized.
2. The manufacturer must be known on the market and have its own research institute to conduct research.

So, which manufacturers should be worthy of attention according to professionals? We will not dwell on the holistic class, because the prices for food are so high that it is used by a limited circle of buyers. Let's consider those companies that produce premium and super-premium products.

Prevention of the genitourinary system

In the first five years of life, this disease usually does not bother your pet. But as the cat gets older, the risk increases greatly. To avoid long and complex treatment, use Royal Canin for cats. Reviews say that after 10 days of such a diet, tests return to normal, which means the risk of developing urolithiasis becomes several times lower.

The carefully balanced formula helps maintain your pet's health. At the same time, do not forget to supply fresh water. Only with sufficient fluid intake does the concentration of urine decrease, which means the risk of crystal formation. Thus, Urinary Care is a urinary tract health formula for the adult cat. This is especially important for cats, since the structure of their reproductive system is conducive to the development of cystitis and inflammatory processes.

Other dog food lines

So that you can choose the most optimal nutrition for your pet, there are other Royal Canin dog foods. Reviews from leading kennel clubs indicate that choosing the most suitable one is now very simple. Each type is intended for a specific breed and is differentiated by age. In addition, there are foods for problem dogs. This includes older animals, sterilized females and males, dogs with excess weight and various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Feeding features of such animals

Castration/sterilization leads to changes in the physiology and lifestyle of the pet. The subsidence of interest in the opposite sex occurs against the background of a hormonal imbalance, which makes the animal calmer. Marking of territory in cats, screaming and throwing in both sexes stop during the mating season. Having become less mobile and lazy, the animal does not lose interest in food. On the contrary, appetite develops so rapidly that without control, obesity can soon be identified. And this is the risk of diabetes and urolithiasis. What should be different about food for sterilized cats? Reviews from veterinarians indicate that the following principles must be observed:

• Reducing your diet. It is recommended to leave the meal schedule the same - twice a day, but reduce the serving size. At one time, a cat needs 30 g of dry food or 50 g of wet food.
• The animal should always have a bowl of clean water next to its food. If it eats dry food, then liquid intake should be 2; 2.5 times the amount of food eaten.
• There should be a minimum amount of phosphorus and magnesium in the diet to prevent the formation of bladder stones.
• Microelements, on the contrary, are necessary to maintain the animal’s activity.
• Food should be low in calories while maintaining significant physical activity.

Food for sterilized animals

This is the most problematic category, since this procedure greatly changes the metabolism, which affects the health of your pet. An excellent choice would be Royal Canin for neutered cats. Reviews from veterinarians and owners of sterilized animals indicate that it is precisely these specialized foods that help ensure normal well-being and high activity after surgery. Despite the abundance of different foods on the market today, there are undeniable leaders who are trusted. This food reduces the risk of obesity and prevents diseases of the genitourinary system. In addition, it contains a large amount of healthy protein. This is Neutered Young Male from the Royal Canin series for neutered cats. Feedback from owners suggests that even the most pampered animals eat it with pleasure.

Composition of dog food

The first ingredient in the composition is brewer's rice grains. It is essentially grain waste from rice milling that has some nutritional value. Further, the composition includes brown rice - it is a complex carbohydrate that is easily digested due to special processing. It is a source of energy and calories. The third product is chicken by-product flour. A source of protein and all necessary amino acids, but despite this, it is a cheap ingredient of low quality. Flour is made from slaughterhouse waste. These are internal organs, feathers and paws, beaks, undeveloped eggs, that is, everything except meat. However, this flour is a concentrate; it contains 300% more protein than fresh chicken. Additionally, the composition contains chicken fat, a source of Omega-6, wheat and corn gluten and nutritional supplements.