Best Cat Food Brands 2024

Choosing the best cat food on this list was not an easy feat, and a LOT of consideration went into this choice. 

We knew we wanted to pick a veterinary-approved, all-natural, human-grade food that prioritized animal protein above all other ingredients, and Open Farm checks all those boxes. But there were several other factors that made Open Farm stand out above the rest. 

Every ingredient in every bag of Open Farm cat food can be sourced to the farm where it was produced; this ensures transparent manufacturing practices and helps with quality control and food safety. 

What's more, Open Farm abides by strict rules of ethics and only sources from farmers who use ethical and sustainable agricultural practices. 

Open Farm exclusively uses products from humanely raised livestock in their recipes, and even the bags that Open Farms foods come in are recyclable through tetracycle — but Open Farm still strives to do better! They have pledged to become a zero waste company, stating they are "Committed to Zero Waste to Landfill for our direct operations, products, and packaging by 2025."

Needless to say, we are big fans of Open Farm cat food.

Wag! Veterinary consultant Dr. Georgia sums it up best. "Open Farm offers grain-free, high-quality protein diets using human-grade wet ingredients. Their sourcing emphasizes ethical practices and humanely raised meats, whilst their non-GMO, antibiotic and hormone-free recipes with freeze-dried raw and wet options provide a tasty and nutritious alternative to most commercial diets."

Open Farm Dry Cat Food flavors

Open Farm has 22 different cat food recipes that are divided across 3 lines. Their Raw Mix dry food line has two flavors: Open Prairie (a chicken and turkey-based recipe) and Wild Ocean (which contains cod, white fish, salmon, and rockfish). 

There are 4 recipes in the freeze-dried raw line with flavors like chicken, salmon, and surf and turf (a blend of fish, beef, and liver).  The freeze-dried raw line differs from the semi-raw Raw Mix line, as it contains over 92% freeze-dried raw meat, whereas the Raw Mix line is a blend of raw and cooked products. 

The Good Bowl line has two recipes: a salmon-based formula and a chicken-based formula, both of which include fiber-rich whole grains like brown rice.

Rustic Blends is the third and final line that is currently available. This line contains 6 recipes, including their newest wet food recipe designed just for kittens, Kitten Chicken & Salmon Pâté.

Raised Right is the top dog when it comes to fresh cat food, and we are certain your kitty will agree. "Raised Right cat food offers a whole-food diet with real meat as the initial ingredient, ensuring a high-protein meal. Including organ meats for vital nutrients and antioxidants, their recipes often feature limited ingredients for simplicity and digestibility." says Dr. Georgia. 

Since their products are free of low-quality fillers and have a straightforward and easy-to-scan ingredients list, Raised Right is great for pet parents who have to be wary of hidden allergens. 

If the quality of ingredients wasn't enough of a selling point, they use traceable ingredients and make a point to test every batch of food they make before it leaves the factory. This ensures the safety of their fluffy consumers (and is probably a big reason why they've never experienced a recall!)

Raised Right Cat Food flavors

Raised Right has just 4 recipe flavors currently, all of which are formulated for adult cats. The two original recipes are a chunky-style, fresh food that comes in two flavors: Turkey and Chicken. They also have 2 pate-style recipes that are ground smooth and come in Turkey and pumpkin and chicken and pumpkin flavors.

Orijen is arguably the best high-protein dry cat food option on the market, as it each recipe is comprised of at least 80 to 90% animal products. This is a far cry from most of the budget cat food brands on the market, which are primarily grain or corn-based and have meat byproducts and meals in lieu of real meat.

This brand promises that the first 5 ingredients in all of their recipes are real animal products, usually a combination of meat, poultry, organ meats, and fish. 

We appreciate the labeling transparency since ingredient splitting is rampant in the pet food industry, and it is clear that Orijen prioritizes ingredient quality and animal protein sources in their products. 

What's more, "Recipes are made with fresh ingredients and avoids fillers, artificial additives, and grains. Additionally, they include a probiotic blend for digestive health." There is a downside to be expected with these recipes, though, "One potential drawback is that these diets are expensive, however, overall this is a high-quality, convenient diet option." explains Dr. Georgia.

Orijen Cat Food Flavors

The Orijen cat food line has 10 total recipes, 5 wet and 5 dry. The dry line includes a weight management recipe called "Fit and Trim" and 4 other recipes with names like Six Fish and Guardian 8, all of which contain at least 90% animal products. 

The wet food line has a single kitten recipe, which is chicken & salmon flavored, as well as other recipes like Regional Red Entree and Duck & Chicken Entree.

If your cat is no stranger to tummy troubles, the Solid Gold brand will be a lifesaver. 

Wag Vet Consultant Dr. Georgia Jeremiah says, "Solid Gold cat food offers high-protein options with superfoods, antioxidants, and added probiotics for optimal feline nutrition. It is affordably priced, providing grain-free and tailored recipes to cater to various dietary preferences and needs."

All Solid Gold products are made with quality ingredients, but the real shining star of their cat food line is Solid Gold Winged Tiger Sensitive Stomach with Quail & Pumpkin. 

Solid Gold Cat Food flavors

Solid Gold has 8 different dry cat food flavors and 16 different wet food recipes, including sensitive stomach, weight control, and kitten formulas. 

These recipes primarily center around a high-quality protein like chicken, wild fish, quail, or lamb combined with fruits and veggies like lentils, sweet potatoes, or apples, or whole grains like barley and brown rice (depending on whether the recipe is whole grain or grain-free.) 

We especially like the Solid Gold Winged Tiger with Quail & Pumpkin Grain-Free Sensitive Stomach Adult Dry Cat Food recipe because it uses novel protein quail, which is less likely to cause stomach upset in cats with protein allergies. Plus, pumpkin is known to be soothing to sensitive tummies and is rich in fiber to help form healthy stools and prevent constipation and diarrhea.

If you're in search of a quality raw diet for your little tiger, you can't get much better than Stella & Chewy's. From organic, humanely sourced ingredients to their safety standards and quality control measures to make sure your cat gets the best food paw-sible.

Feeding raw diets can be scary since raw foods are at higher risk for carrying food-borne pathogens. However, Stella & Chewys uses high-pressure processing for each batch of freeze-dried and frozen raw foods to kill harmful bacteria and keep your furbaby safe. 

This revolutionary process can successfully eliminate E.coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, which are three of the main culprits of food-borne illnesses. For this reason, Stella & Chewy's is paws down our favorite raw food on the market.

Stella and Chewy's Cat Food flavors

Stella & Chewy's has 52 different cat food offerings to choose from, 34 of these recipes being wet formulations. 

Wet foods come in three different textures, pates, shreds, and morsels, and have flavors like tuna & mackerel and cage-free chicken pate. 

The dry food lines are divided into two subranges: Raw Coated Kibble and Raw Coated Kibble + Raw Bits, which account for 6 recipes. 

They also offer 8 freeze-dried raw recipes and 4 frozen raw dinner morsels for cats that prefer their meals as fresh as paws-ible.

Weruva wins the top spot as our favorite wet cat food thanks to their thoughtful formulations, which omit common allergens and inflammatory ingredients like grains, gluten, and carrageenan. 

We also love their huge selection of recipes, which cater to a variety of health conditions and life stages. One of our favorite offerings from this brand is their Wx Phos Focused Cat Food Recipes, which is geared toward cats with renal disease. 

In the words of Dr. Georgia, "Weruva cat food [ensures] high-protein, real-meat ingredients [and] their formulations exclude antibiotics, hormones, and artificial additives, while also providing a low-phosphorus, high-protein prescription diet option with high moisture content to cater to specific medical needs."

Although it doesn't add to the nutritional value of these recipes, we have to shout out the adorable packaging and fun recipe names like "Funky Chunky Chicken Soup" and "Meow Luau." It is clear this brand truly appreciates its customers and really goes the extra mile to put out premium cat food.

Weruva Cat Food flavors

Weruva has a TON of recipes, as in over 150 different types! These recipes are spread across 12 different cat food lines and have fun names like Paw Lickin' Chicken and Green Eggs & Chicken. 

These lines have foods for just every diet imaginable, including high protein diets, kitten foods, hearty stews, pates, and even prescription and premium products.