American Journey Cat Food Review 2024

Online pet product retailer Chewy's home brand, American Journey, is steadily gaining popularity as a pet food line. Since it was founded in 2017, it's also garnered plenty of critical attention — many critics (including ourselves!) rank American Journey among the best wet and dry cat foods. 

We highly rate American Journey cat food because of its ingredient quality, protein content, and reasonable pricing.  

But is American Journey right for your cat? Check our full American Journey cat food review below for information on product sub-ranges, considerations, recalls, and more!

American Journey offers various products and flavors for feline friends, including wet foods, kibbles, toppers, and treats. Over 35 American Journey cat food recipes and 12 toppers and treats are available. 

American Journey dry cat food

American Journey produces grain-free and grain-inclusive dry cat food recipes. You'll find recipes for felines with specific needs, including for sensitive stomachs and indoor cats. Sensitive stomach recipes include a single animal protein source, while indoor cat recipes are lower in calories to help with weight management. We rank American Journey as one of the best foods for indoor cats.

All recipes are high quality, with a named quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. American Journey dry cat food recipes include meat meals. While meat meals are a rich protein source, their inclusion means American Journey dry foods aren't human-grade. 

Each recipe contains no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors. Enriched with balanced omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, American Journey recipes support skin and coat health. Peas, carrots, and pumpkins are a few of the most common vegetables in American Journey dry cat foods. 

American Journey dry cat food recipes contain 39.8% protein as dry matter on average, which is considerably above average for dry cat food. 

American Journey dry cat food flavors

• Chicken
• Salmon
• Turkey & Chicken
• Duck
• Chicken & Brown Rice
• Salmon & Brown Rice 
• Duck & Pea 
• Salmon & Pea

American Journey wet cat food

American Journey wet food is the largest sub-range, with over 19 grain-free recipes available in paté and minced.

Recipes are available for indoor cats and felines with sensitive stomachs, as well as recipes specially formulated for seniors and kittens. Senior and kitten foods are enriched with DHA fatty acids to aid brain function and development. 

The top ingredient in all recipes is a quality cut of meat — you'll find no meat meals here! Many recipes contain several meat sources, so they may not be suitable for cats with food allergies or sensitivities.

Like its kibble, American Journey adds omega fatty acids and taurine to its wet recipes. Cranberries, blueberries, and peas are some of the most commonly used fruits and vegetables.

American Journey wet food recipes consist of 47% protein as dry matter on average, which is high for wet cat food. 

American Journey wet cat food flavors

• Chicken
• Turkey 
• Salmon
• Chicken & Turkey 
• Salmon & Tuna 
• Turkey & Salmon 
• Chicken & Tuna
• Chicken & Salmon 
• Chicken & Beef

American Journey Landmark cat food

Landmark is American Journey's gourmet wet cat food range. Recipes come in a tasty broth with shredded meat to help your fur-baby stay hydrated. American Journey uses only quality cuts of meat in Landmark recipes. 

One key feature of the American Journey Landmark range is its prey-driven approach to a cat's diet; all recipes are high in protein and loaded with meat. American Journey Landmark recipes contain an average of 66.6% protein as dry matter. 

Landmark recipes contain no fillers or artificial preservatives. Many recipes use only one meat source and a handful of main ingredients, making them a good option for dogs with allergies. 

American Journey Landmark flavors

• Chicken 
• Salmon 
• Tuna & Tilapia
• Chicken & Turkey 
• Mackerel & Tuna 
• Chicken & Vegetables

American Journey Landmark food toppers

American Journey makes two types of Landmark meal toppers: Broths and Filets. Broths add moisture, while Filets provide a protein boost. You can serve food toppers to your cat as a special treat or to encourage fussy fur-babies to chow down on their dinner. 

All meal toppers are made without wheat, soy, or corn. Plus, there are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Filet recipes contain only one ingredient — a quality cut of meat. Broth recipes only contain a handful of ingredients, with a quality cut of meat as one of the top three ingredients. 

American Journey Landmark food topper flavors

• Tuna Filets
• Chicken Filets
• Tuna, Anchovies, & Whitefish Broth
• Tuna, Shrimp, & Whitefish Broth
• Salmon, Tomatoes, & Kale Broth
• Chicken, Carrots & Pumpkin Broth

American Journey cat treats

American Journey cat treats are available in two varieties: Freeze-Dried and Soft & Chewy. Like Filets, Freeze Dried treats are made with a single ingredient — a quality cut of meat. Freeze-Dried treats contain four calories or less per treat.

American Journey Soft & Chewy Treats consist of only a few ingredients, with a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. These treats are only two calories a piece, making them great if you’re trying to train your cat with positive reinforcement. 

American Journey cat treat flavors

• Freeze-Dried Chicken 
• Freeze-Dried Salmon
• Soft & Chewy Chicken
• Soft & Chewy Salmon
• Soft & Chewy Duck

Here are a few reasons why we rate American Journey among the best cat foods available.  

Vet recommended

Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, pet nutrition expert and one of Wag!’s veterinary consultants, recommends American Journey cat food to her clients and their tiny tigers:

“American Journey cat food features high-quality, real meat as the primary ingredient, ensuring balanced nutrition with essential vitamins and minerals. It offers grain-free options, free from artificial additives or preservatives, in various flavors to suit individual preferences. Additionally, it includes added probiotics for digestive health and is known for its affordability.”

Real meat is the top ingredient

American Journey's dry and wet food recipes list a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. Many cat foods, especially kibbles, only use meat meals or include quality meat as a secondary ingredient. As a result, American Journey cat food can be considered a premium pet food. 

High in protein 

American Journey produces cat food that is high in protein, with average protein levels of over 39% in its dry food and 47% in its wet food. Protein is key to your feline's diet, from fuelling their energy levels to keeping their claws healthy. 

Recipes also have decent protein-to-fat ratios. For example, American Journey Chicken Grain-Free Dry Cat Food contains 44.4% dry protein matter, yet only 16.6% dry fat matter. Good protein-to-fat ratios help your cat build lean muscle mass without becoming overweight. 

Rich in vitamins and minerals

Most American Journey recipes cater to all life stages, with enough vitamins and minerals to support kittens and cats in their twilight years. For example, American Journey enriches its recipes with taurine, an essential amino acid that supports brain function and development. 

Some recipes incorporate different fruits and vegetables to give cats a nutrient boost. For example, cranberries are high in antioxidants, while pumpkin is rich in potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, C, and K. 

Reasonably priced 

Considering its quality, American Journey cat food is reasonably priced. At the time of writing, a 12-lb bag of American Journey Chicken Grain-Free Dry Cat Food costs $35.24, which works out to $2.94 per lb. 

By comparison, a 16-lb bag of Hill's Science Diet Adult Chicken Dry Cat Food costs $58.99 on Chewy, which works out to $3.69 per lb. Hill's Science Diet is pricier and contains fillers like wheat and corn as top ingredients. It's also lower in protein and higher in fat than American Journey Chicken Grain-Free Dry Cat Food.

Here are a few things to bear in mind before purchasing American Journey cat food. 

Not widely available

As American Journey is Chewy's home brand, it's only available through Chewy or the American Journey website. As a result, you won't be able to use in-store coupons or vouchers to buy American Journey products. It's also more difficult to restock if you prefer to purchase your pet food in person. 

Several lower-quality ingredients

While American Journey is high-quality, it isn't human-grade. American Journey's manufacturing process and its inclusion of ingredients like meat meal means it isn't fit for human consumption.

Plus, American Journey includes some lower-quality or ill-defined ingredients in its recipes. For example, natural flavor is a common ingredient. The term 'natural" is poorly defined by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning pet food, according to AAFCO. As a result, it's unclear precisely what is in "natural flavor."

Other examples include peas and pea protein, which are among the top five ingredients in several American Journey varieties. Peas are not a complete protein and aren't the best possible protein source for cats.

"Well, my 8 month old Ragdoll Milo loves this brand food. It is what he started with when he was able to eat solid food. So I will keep buying it for him until he shows me he is tired of it."

"From the time the cats food was switched to American Journey, the change has been a wonderful experience. The girls eyes and hair improved, energy is great, weight stabilized. It is the best Cat food! Chicken is preferred favorite. I also add a can of Tiny Tiger pate every other day. It's easy, mess free and both cats are doing great."

American Journey is a relatively new pet food brand, having first launched in 2017. Chewy founded American Journey and has owned the company since its inception. 

By manufacturing, distributing, and selling American Journey, Chewy has kept costs down while providing quality pet foods at affordable prices. American Journey is US-made at partner facilities in Kansas. American Journey sources its ingredients from around the world.

American Journey cat food has no recorded recalls as of April 2024.