15 Best Wet Foods for Cats – Ranked 2022

To ensure complete nutrition for cats, the main types of food are produced - dry and wet. But, unlike dry food, which contains about 10-15% moisture, wet food contains 70-80% moisture and is more similar in consistency to natural food. For convenience, the food is available in pouches or canned food and in appearance resembles jelly or pieces in sauce.

The advantages of wet food are convenient dosage, natural consistency and long shelf life when sealed. The disadvantages include a fairly high cost, lack of protection against the formation of tartar and a short shelf life after opening the container.

To understand which wet food is best to feed your pet, we have compiled a rating of popular brands by class: economy, premium, super-premium and holistic.

What is the rating based on?

For ease of ranking, wet food is divided into categories - classes, the most affordable of which are economy and premium. The food is much more expensive - super-premium, and the most refined - holistic.

The latter are recognized by veterinarians as the most suitable in terms of balance and nutritional value for feeding cats; food in the economy and premium categories is inferior in price and quality, but their advertising is shown daily on TV, which increases consumer demand.

Veterinarian advice! It is recommended to focus on who is indicated in the manufacturer's column on the food packaging. The fact is that many brands are manufactured in Russia, so it is not always worth believing in the declared “French” quality.

The basis for the rating of wet cat food is the following parameters: quality characteristics of the product, balanced composition and purchasing activity.

The significance of each of the parameters in compiling the rating in descending order (the first positions have more weight):

1. Product quality: what raw materials the manufacturer uses - freshly prepared meat and offal or meat and bone meal; balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, the presence of dyes, preservatives and flavors.
2. Breadth of the line: does the brand have breed, dietary, medicinal food, food for kittens.
3. Cost: a significant parameter when purchasing food. Does the price of the feed correspond to its composition?
4. The opinions of veterinarians and reviews of owners make the final contribution.

All of the following brands are present on the Russian feed market and can be purchased in pet stores or online stores.

Roskachestvo effect

In 2022, Roskachestvo sent proposals to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture to establish mandatory requirements for food and other products. In particular, a proposal to include in the draft technical regulation “On the safety of feed and feed additives” being developed, requirements for the reliability of labeling for the content of individual components and requirements for their range in pet food.

It was proposed to include the relevant provisions in a separate section of the draft regulation “Requirements for pet food”, in which it was planned to establish permissible deviations from the declared values ​​of complete nutrition indicators, indicators of nutritional value and safety of food for cats and dogs.

Subsequently, in 2022, the Russian side supported the proposal to exclude feed for non-productive animals from the draft regulations and the advisability of developing a separate technical regulation of the EEC “On the safety of feed for non-productive animals.”

We remind you that the project is currently under development: the Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, in response to a request from Roskachestvo, reports that the draft regulations, finalized by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan (project developer), have not yet been submitted to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture for consideration.

On February 19, 2022, the Russian side offered itself as a responsible developer, which was supported by all member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, except the Republic of Kazakhstan.

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Wet food rating

Table to jump to a specific food review at the end of the article.

Economy class

Economy class food is not included in our rating!

The greatest demand is for food of this particular class, and all thanks to their availability and hyperactive advertising. Such foods contain excessive amounts of grains, cellulose, bone meal, they also contain too much preservatives and flavorings, and the meat content does not exceed 5%. The food also contains a considerable amount of thickeners and dyes that are not allowed to be contained in food products (which cat food is not).

Attention! In Russia, supervisory authorities do not exercise strict control over economy-class food producers, which gives a free hand to some unscrupulous producers.

1. Whiskas . The most popular wet food is Whiskas, which created a sensation in the early 2000s with its appearance. At the beginning of its existence, Whiskas food was sold out at lightning speed - the pets had an excellent appetite, and the price was quite suitable for the owners. Only after a while, with the help of veterinarians, did the breeders learn the real truth about the composition of the feed and the negative consequences of its use.

Ingredients: meat and offal (including chicken at least 4%), cereals, taurine, vitamins, minerals.

Advantages:

• Prevalence.
• Product recognition, which is successfully supported by advertising.
• Affordable price.
• High nutritional value.

Flaws:

• The origin of the components is questionable.
• Almost complete absence of meat.
• High wheat content (allergen).

2. Wellkiss. Economy class food

Ingredients: meat and meat by-products 37% (chicken 4%), vegetable protein extract, minerals, sugar.

Advantages:

• The smell and taste are attractive to cats due to the addition of sugar.
• The presence of vital taurine, as well as zinc, vitamins B, E and D.

Minuses:

• Insufficient content of natural meat.
• Unspecified quality of meat and its origin: 4% is chicken, but what then is in the remaining 33%?
• High content of vegetable protein.
• Presence of flavoring additives and preservatives.

3. PRO PLAN is the most common food produced by PURINA. Presented in sufficient variety, the brand has a line for kittens, active adult pets, sterilized individuals and for cats with health problems. It has a wide range of flavors - turkey, liver, salmon, chicken and duck. Previously, this food was classified in the premium segment, but in terms of composition it is objectively an economy class food.

Ingredients: Meat and meat products, vegetable protein extracts, fish and fish products (including ocean fish 4%), plant products, minerals, vegetable oils and animal fats, various sugars, cellulose, dyes, vitamins.

Positive sides:

• Content of vitamins and minerals.
• Availability of a treatment line.
• A varied assortment (canned food, pouches, pates).
• The amino acids in the composition most likely mean taurine.

Negative sides:

• Increased content of grain crops.
• Cellulose included. An absolutely useless additive that allows you to increase the volume of the product.
• Thickeners, dyes and sugars in the composition.
• Allergen content.

Premium class

Often the difference between economy and premium class food is almost invisible, only the volume of meat has been increased (most often it varies from 10% to 20%). Due to this, the content of cereals in premium is reduced and animal protein is increased, but only slightly.

The basis of premium feed is still cereal crops, such as wheat, rice, corn. Meat in premium feeds usually still has unclear quality.

“Fresh boneless chicken meat” and “chicken” are not identical to each other. Just “chicken” can include skin, bones, heads and necks, and all the offal.

When choosing wet food for a cat of this class, it is recommended to carefully read the labels, because they also contain dyes, thickeners and preservatives. Premium feed should contain vitamins and taurine.

16th place. Our Brand (NM). Food from domestic producers.

Ingredients: meat and animal products (chicken 10%, beef 4% and liver 4%), plant components (vegetable protein extract and natural fiber), vegetables (carrots 4%), mineral supplements, probiotic (whey protein), thickeners and vitamins (taurine).

Advantages:

• Affordable price.
• The content of meat products is slightly higher than in other economy feeds.
• The food contains taurine.
• There are probiotics that will reduce the risk of digestive disorders.
• Wide range of tastes.

Flaws:

• The food as a whole has an opaque composition.
• The first ingredient in the composition consists of meat and meat products combined together. This means that the basis of such food may not be high-quality sirloin, but skin, beaks, meat trimmings and other animal derivatives.
• It is unclear whether the food contains corn, wheat or other grains.
• Partial list of mineral and vitamin supplements.

15th place. Hill's is a food produced by Hill's Pet Nutrition. The medicinal food of this brand, in contrast to the daily nutrition series, belongs to the super premium category.

Ingredients: meat and animal derivatives, plant derivatives, vegetables, various sugars, egg and its derivatives, cereals, vegetable protein extracts, minerals, oils and fats.

pros:

• Extensive assortment: canned food and pouches.
• Hills products are available in many pet stores.
• Reasonable price.
• Medical series of higher quality.
• Meat components come first in the composition.

Minuses:

• Opaque composition of the feed.
• Large percentage of plant proteins.
• Pouches and canned food are inferior in quality to dry food from the same manufacturer.
• The manufacturer added sugar to the food to enhance the taste and give the food a rich color.

14th place. Happy Cat is a fairly well-known German-made food . Sometimes food is classified as super-premium.

Ingredients: Meat and meat products (lamb – 4.0%, veal – 4.0%), vegetables (green beans – 4.0%), minerals, inulin (0.1%). Vitamins: D3, E, biotin. Microelements: copper, manganese, zinc. Antioxidants: taurine.

Advantages:

• Rich in minerals and vitamins.
• Wide range of flavors: lamb, duck, sea fish, beef, venison.
• Affordable price.

Minuses:

• Insufficient percentage of meat – only 8%.
• Unpopular brand.

13th place. Royal Canin is a French-made food that began its history in 1967. Five to six years ago it was especially popular among cat owners in Russia.

Ingredients: meat and meat by-products, cereals, vegetable by-products, vegetable protein extracts, minerals, sources of carbohydrates. Additives: vitamin D3, iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc.

Advantages:

• Meat and meat by-products are in first place in the composition.
• Balanced veterinary line.
• Financial inclusion.
• Available in almost any store.
• There are vitamins and microelements.

Flaws:

• There are no percentages for any product.
• Everyday food from this brand is of lower quality.
• Most of the feed sold is now of Russian origin, which has led to a deterioration in quality.
• The composition does not contain taurine.

Spices and seasonings: why do cats need salt and seasonings?

Many feeds contain spicy and aromatic additives; they were identified during histological analysis of wet feeds. Note that no research has been carried out on this indicator in dry food, since dry food is finely ground and compressed. Therefore, there are no histological methods for such a research object. But wet food provides the opportunity to conduct a histological examination.

Only Friskies, Brit, Gourmet and Schesir did not contain additives. Such additives are used to make the animal's food more attractive. However, these are not flavor enhancers, but ordinary spices such as dill or pepper. Why are they added, says Sergei Kolomiets

:

– Cats have a very developed sensitivity to aromatic oils. Therefore, spices have a significant impact on the attractiveness of food. In addition, spices are phytobiotics that prevent diseases of the intestinal tract.

In addition to spices, spices - salt - are added to the food. If the food is too salty, then it is better not to give it to the animals.

According to GOST, sodium in food for adult animals (not kittens or pregnant cats) must be at least 0.2%. However, there is no upper limit. The food can be as salty as you like. And this can lead to problems. Cats with kidney problems, or animals of specific breeds, or neuters should not eat food containing excess sodium.

From the reference book “Feeding Dogs and Cats”:

Table salt contains sodium, and cats are very sensitive to NaCl (salt), which contains about 0.3 g of sodium per gram. A dose of 3.5–4 g of salt per kilogram of live body weight is lethal (Khokhrin S.N. Feeding dogs and cats. Handbook. - M.: KolosS, 2006, p. 47).

STO Roskachestvo limits the upper limit. Sodium in the feed should be 1–15 g/kg (or 1000–15000 mg/kg dry matter). Found in the studied feeds from 6000 to 13070 mg/kg, which is within the recommended range.

No sodium was detected in the feeds of the three HMs (below the detection limit, less than 1000 mg/kg).

Sergei Kolomiets

explains why sodium-free food is bad.

– Sodium is necessary to maintain osmotic pressure and constant fluid volume in the body. Sodium takes part in the transport of amino acids, sugar and potassium into the cells of the body. When sodium is deficient, nutrient absorption is reduced and nutritional deficiencies may occur.

Super premium class

Nutrition of this class should be considered practically the best among industrial feeds: it contains natural meat and a small content of cereals, offal and other additives for balance. Super-premium food should not contain sources of protein, carbohydrates and fiber.

• Sources of proteins are meat and meat ingredients, seafood, eggs.
• Sources of carbohydrates are rice, vegetables.
• Sources of fats are fish and vegetable fats.

The content of harmful substances in food of this class should raise suspicions, so you should carefully read the entire composition indicated on the packaging.

Important! If a super premium food contains meat, there must be an explanation of this component.

12th place. Animonda is a German food product from Animonda, whose priority is to maintain the high quality of its products.

Ingredients: meat and meat products 63% (pork, turkey 25%, rabbit 8%), broth, minerals.

Positive sides:

• Wide range of flavors (turkey, trout, chicken, duck, salmon, shrimp, beef, rabbit, etc.).
• Fats and proteins of natural origin.
• The line is designed taking into account the age division.
• The food is highly nutritious.

Negative sides:

• High carbohydrate content, which promotes weight gain.
• The price of the product is above average.
• Not available in all stores.

11th place. Leonardo. Its balance will be the envy of many canteens, because good meat products are used for production and high-quality meat is selected. The food is almost always based on chicken (about 70-90%), the rest consists of additives (seafood, offal, fish oil and fish). According to the recommendations of veterinarians and breeders, Leonardo wet food is best combined with dry food from its series.

Ingredients: salmon (30%), salmon, herring and shrimp broth (29.3%), herring (18%), shrimp (12%), poultry liver (10%), minerals (0.5%), fish oil (0.2%).

Pros:

• Natural composition.
• High meat content.
• Excellent price-quality ratio.
• Enriched with vitamins and minerals.

Minuses:

• A scarce product, difficult to find in regular stores.
• Suitable only as an additional diet (treat) due to the unbalanced composition.
• May cause allergies in cats with sensitive digestion.

Important! A pet that has a mixed diet (dry + wet food) must have the same food class. When combining two different classes, for example, economy and super premium economy, the pet will give preference to the economy class due to the content of special flavors and flavor enhancers, thereby not receiving the norm for animal protein and minerals.

10th place. 1st Choice is produced by the Canadian company PLB International.

Ingredients: tuna (45.5%), squid (4%), pineapple (4%), yucca, sunflower oil, vegetable broth. Vitamins: A, D3, E. Microelements: iron, calcium, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium. Unsaturated fatty acids: Omega-3.

Advantages:

• Decent meat content.
• Optimal composition of fats and proteins.
• The presence of probiotics facilitates digestion in cats with minor gastrointestinal problems.
• The food is approved by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).
• A large number of microelements and vitamins in the composition.

Minuses:

• High price.
• Controversial fruit and berry additives: pineapple, papaya, kiwi, cranberry. These ingredients sound beautiful to people accustomed to culinary delights, but in cats such exotic ingredients can cause allergies and temporary intestinal irritation.
• Not common in regular pet stores.
• To save money, the manufacturer added vegetable broth instead of meat broth, but it is still better than just water.

9th place. Bozita - made in Sweden. The food undergoes state control, which can guarantee the absence of substances hazardous to the cat’s health.

Ingredients: chicken, rabbit (min. 7.2% per piece), beef, pork, calcium carbonate, yeast, vitamins and additives.

Main advantages:

• Natural meat and fish in different flavors of the line.
• Saturation with useful elements, minerals and vitamins.
• No dyes in the composition.
• Probiotics for digestion.

Minuses:

• High price.
• A combination of a large number of animal proteins of different origins in one formula. For example, chicken + beef + pork + rabbit.
• They began to include pork in the feed, which is a controversial decision.
• Calcium carbonate reduces stomach acid, which can lead to stomach upset due to a high-protein diet.

8th place. Schesir is an Italian pet food brand that pays great attention to the quality of its products. Fish and meat suitable for human consumption are steamed and processed by hand. Therefore, the price of such spiders is slightly higher than the average super-premium class.

Ingredients: chicken fillet 36%, tuna 27%, vegetable gelatin. Vitamins: A, D3, E. Taurine.

Main advantages:

• The chicken was raised without the use of hormones.
• Natural meat and fish in the composition, no by-products.
• The food is supplemented with vitamins.
• No dyes or flavors.

Minuses:

• High price.
• Vegetable gelatin was added to give the food the desired consistency, but it is of no use to cats.
• Sold only in large pet stores or online.

7th place. Grandin – production of canned food is located in Germany.

Ingredients: meat and meat by-products (turkey 70%), minerals, flaxseed oil. Vitamin and mineral supplements.

Pros:

• The food contains the necessary vitamins, minerals and amino acids: taurine, B vitamins, zinc, calcium.
• Monoprotein food that is suitable for cats with allergies or gastrointestinal disorders to certain types of meat.
• Grain-free formula.
• Sufficient fat content - 6.1%, which is suitable for feeding neutered pets.
• Availability of lines for sterilized and elderly cats, as well as kittens.

Minuses:

• Due to the lack of transparency of the composition of Grandin food, we included it in the super-premium category.
• Low prevalence in pet stores.
• Flaxseed oil is a source of fat, although the best solution would be to add oil of animal rather than vegetable origin.

How to choose the best food for a kitten

First of all, kitten food should be complete. This means that it contains all the necessary vitamins, amino acids and minerals: tocopherol, unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6, taurine, methionine, etc. Ideally, they should be presented in their natural form, i.e. as meat, vegetables, fruits and herbal supplements, however, in the production of wet food many ingredients cannot be used. As a result, it is necessary to introduce vitamin-mineral complexes into the composition. If there is a deficiency of nutrients, the kitten may have problems at the stage of development of the musculoskeletal system and the formation of immunity. There is a risk of pathologies of internal organs.

Rickets and deformation of the limbs are the result of a lack of calcium in the menu

It is strongly recommended to avoid feeds that contain dyes, thickeners and sugars. They help give the product a pleasant consistency and color, but for cats these parameters have no meaning. Supplements can be dangerous for pets, especially when they are young. Some dyes can cause irritation to the internal lining of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system. This leads to blood flow, inflammation and poor digestion.

Manufacturers are forced to add preservatives to keep the food fresh as long as possible. Vitamin E (tocopherol) can act as an antioxidant, but it alone is not enough for reliable preservation. The absence of preservatives in the ingredient list is a warning sign. This may indicate that the manufacturer is trying to hide some information about the composition from the buyer. It is recommended to give preference to wet food whose list of ingredients specifies the type of preservatives. The substance must be safe.

Canned mango pieces are visible to the naked eye; the fruit is used to enrich feed with vitamins and fiber

The presence of grains in wet food is not allowed. They are practically not absorbed by the cat’s body and are used as an inexpensive filler that allows you to save money. A good quality wet food may contain small amounts of vegetables, fruits or beans. They are necessary to improve digestion and normal removal of hair from the gastrointestinal tract. Such ingredients should not be placed above the meat components.

Meat is the basis of the diet of predators. Ideally, animal products are high on the ingredient list. This can be one variety or several, as well as offal. Most often, the composition includes the liver, kidneys, lungs and hearts. These are good sources of cartilage, proteins and vitamins. It is welcome to indicate the specific type of offal and type of meat. It is advisable to avoid feed that contains such generic names as “poultry”, “chicken”, “fish”, etc.

It is advisable to prefer products that contain animal fats. They are better absorbed by cats. Pets also need vegetable oils, because the balance of unsaturated fatty acids in them is different, but their proportion should be lower. The most valuable ingredients for cats are turkey fat and salmon oil.

Denser wet foods prevent indigestion when switching to solid natural foods and dry diets

The choice of consistency depends on the kitten’s preferences. In some cases it is wise to use pate. This applies to animals with difficulty digesting and small kittens (3-5 weeks). Unless you have special needs, it is recommended to choose fibrous pieces that are closest in texture to meat.

Holistics

Developed specifically for small predators, holistic foods are considered a new generation of food. They contain the highest quality products approved for human consumption. They do not contain harmful additives, dyes or flavor enhancers, GMO products, or plant proteins.

6th place. Applaws - made in Great Britain. Some classify this brand as holistic.

Ingredients: chicken breast 75%, chicken broth 24%, rice 1%.

pros

:

• High meat content.
• No by-products, dyes or preservatives.
• Monoprotein formula suitable for cats with gastrointestinal problems.
• Variety of tastes.

Minuses:

• Since this is not a complete food, we recommend giving your cat vitamins along with this meal.
• Not suitable for allergy sufferers with reactions to rice.
• High price.
• Not available in all stores.

5th place. Grandorf - produced in Italy (MONGE & C. SpA) and Belgium (United Petfood Producers NV).

Ingredients: 75% chicken breast, 25% own juice.

Advantages:

• Using natural meat.
• There are flavors without the addition of chicken protein (some cats are allergic to it).
• Hypoallergenic grain-free composition: does not contain soy, rice, corn and other grains.
• Natural preservatives.

Flaws:

• Not suitable for mono nutrition or complementary feeding of kittens due to the lack of minerals and vitamins.
• Grandorf wet food is considered a complementary diet to the dry food base.
• It is best to supplement the food with vitamins and taurine.
• High price.

4th place. Berkley - German canned food.

Ingredients: beef 51%, rabbit 15%, broth 29%, zucchini 4%, minerals 1%, taurine 0.15%.

Pros:

• Good meat content – ​​66%.
• Contains no grains.
• Dense texture of the food, reminiscent of stew. The cat will chew the food rather than swallow it in chunks.
• Large list of vitamin and mineral supplements included.

Minuses:

• Low prevalence in stores.

3rd place. Almo Nature is an Italian-made food made from meat and fish intended for human nutrition.

Ingredients: chicken 55%, shrimp 20%, chicken broth 24%, rice 1%

Pros:

• High content of animal protein in the composition.
• Quality ingredients.
• No dyes, preservatives or flavor enhancers.
• Wide range (the best lines are Rouge Label, Green Label, Legend, Classic).

Minuses:

• Not all lines contain vitamins and minerals; for example, the Almo Nature Alternative line with 95% meat content is more likely to be an additional diet.

2nd place. GO! -holistic food from a Canadian manufacturer. An excellent combination for dry food of the same brand. The meat is grown without the use of growth hormone, and the feed does not contain by-products.

Ingredients: chicken 70%, vegetable broth, sunflower oil, Yucca schidigera extract.

Advantages:

• High quality ingredients.
• No dyes, preservatives or flavoring additives.
• Canned food does not contain corn, rice or peas.

Flaws:

• High price.
• Not available in all stores.

1 place. AATU (AATU) - wet food made in Great Britain. They completely cover the cat's need for animal protein and do not contain preservatives or dyes.

Ingredients: 97% chicken and quail (includes 57% chicken, 30% chicken broth, 10% quail), minerals, sweet potato, carrots, peas, apple, alfalfa, chickpeas, tomato, tapioca, pear, cranberry, blueberry, mulberry , orange, blueberry, lingonberry, glucosamine, chondroitin, parsley, peppermint, spirulina, seaweed, oregano, sage, marjoram, thyme, chamomile, rose hips, yucca, chicory, aniseed, nettle, calendula, fenugreek, cinnamon.

Pros:

• The best varieties of meat and fish are used for production.
• Protein exclusively of animal origin.
• No allergens, flavors or preservatives.
• High nutritional value.
• Natural sources of minerals, vitamins and trace elements. Their total weight in the feed does not exceed 3%, so there is no need to worry about the nutritional value of the feed.

Minuses:

• High price.
• Most likely not suitable for cats with allergies due to the large number of different additives.
• Order only through online pet stores.

There is starch, but no flour and soy

Another fear of animal owners is that wet food contains starch, soy, and thickeners. There is indeed starch in food, but not all (details in product cards). There is no starch in Purina, Royal Canin, Sheba, Nature's table, Brit and Schesir foods.

All feeds do not contain, judging by the examination data, the thickener carrageenan and guar and carob gum, peas, soy concentrate, textured soy protein product, fermented rice, flour, isolated soy protein.

Useful video

Grandorf wet food in the video below:

To choose the best food for your pet, it is important to understand what it will be used for: as a main or supplementary diet. Wet food should not be used as a cat's only meal, despite its good composition and high meat content.

A cat needs fiber, vitamins and mineral supplements in small quantities, the high content of which is contained in the line of dry food. In addition, the high moisture content in canned food and spiders reduces the nutritional value of the product. Therefore, we recommend using canned food and pouches in combination with dry food.