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Grandma Lucy's Cat Food Review 2024
Written by Adam Lee-Smith
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 10/14/2024, edited: 10/14/2024
The Wag! team conducts independent research and consults pet experts to curate our recommendations. This content is supported by our affiliate pet partners and we may receive a commission on the links provided.
Overview
Grandma Lucy's is a family-owned human-grade pet food brand operating out of California. It produces freeze-dried cat food with no grains, corn, soy, or artificial ingredients. Grandma Lucy’s cat food range is limited, but overall, it's excellent quality and a great choice for your feline friend.
As a result, we give Grandma Lucy's a perfect 5 out of 5 paws up. All its ingredients are human-grade, and its foods are freeze-dried to preserve nutritional value. Plus, it's affordable compared to similar freeze-dried cat foods. One of the only drawbacks is its cat food recipe lists potatoes as a primary ingredient, which are high in carbohydrates.
Keep reading for Wag!'s comprehensive review of Grandma Lucy's cat food, where we examine different product lines, recalls, benefits, and more!
Grandma Lucy’s cat food product ranges and flavors
Grandma Lucy’s only offers one cat food variety alongside treats, supplements, and meal topper ranges.
Grandma Lucy's Artisan Chicken and Fish Cat Food is "complete and balanced," meeting the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profile guidelines for all life stages. Grandma Lucy's Top It, Singles, Pumpkin Pouches, and Simple Replacements are for supplemental feeding only.
Grandma Lucy's dry cat food
Grandma Lucy's Artisan Chicken and Fish Cat Food
Artisan Chicken and Fish is Grandma Lucy's only "complete and balanced" cat food recipe. Freeze-dried cat foods are shelf-stable, so you won't need to make space in your fridge or freezer.
Overall, Grandma Lucy's Artisan Chicken and Fish Cat Food is good quality. It's grain-free and consists of just eight human-grade ingredients besides vitamin and mineral supplements. The top two ingredients are real cuts of chicken and fish—no meat meals here! It's unclear what fish is in this recipe, which is problematic if your cat has a specific fish allergy.
Grandma Lucy's cat food contains nutritionally beneficial non-GMO fruits and vegetables like flax, carrots, apples, and cranberries. Flax is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which aid development and promote skin and coat health. Cranberries are high in antioxidants, which help fight inflammation.
One of the worst primary ingredients in Grandma Lucy's Artisan Chicken and Fish recipe is potato, which is the third most common ingredient. Potatoes are high in carbs, which shouldn't be a primary energy source for cats. Feeding your cat potatoes regularly can lead to obesity, meaning Grandma Lucy's cat food isn't the best choice if your feline has problems with weight gain. That said, potatoes are a fiber source and provide some nutritional value.
Grandma Lucy's Artisan Chicken and Fish Cat Food contains 42.5% protein as dry matter and 14.8% fat as dry matter, which are above average compared to typical cat food.
Grandma Lucy's Singles
Grandma Lucy's Singles
Singles are Grandma Lucy's line of treats suitable for your feline friend and canine compadre. These freeze-dried treats are great for pets with sensitive stomachs. They're made with just one ingredient—a quality whole cut of meat.
Grandma Lucy's Singles contain between 69% and 85% protein as dry matter, providing a protein boost to help support your cat's active lifestyle. All in all, Grandma Lucy's Singles are an excellent treat option for your feline.
Grandma Lucy's Singles varieties:
- Chicken
- Pollock
- Liver
- Shrimp
Grandma Lucy's Top It
Grandma Lucy's Top It
Top It is Grandma Lucy's food topper range, designed to add flavor and nutrients to your fur-baby's meals. Human-grade cuts of muscle and organ meat are the top ingredients in both recipes.
Grandma Lucy's boosts the nutritional value of its Top It recipes by incorporating pumpkin flakes, coconut, and probiotics. Pumpkin flakes are high in fiber, while coconut is rich in iron and manganese. That said, coconut is high in fat but is healthy as a minor ingredient in food toppers.
Both Grandma Lucy's Top It recipes are high in protein (over 40% as dry matter) and low in fat (6.3% as dry matter), making them a balanced and nutritious cat food topper.
Grandma Lucy's Top It varieties:
- Beef Stew
- Turkey Dinner
Grandma Lucy's Pumpkin Pouches
Grandma Lucy's Pumpkin Pouches
Pumpkin Pouches are supplemental additions to pet food to support cats and dogs with specific health needs.
For example, the Pumpkin Pouch Inflammation recipe contains turmeric, ginger, and blueberries, all of which are high in antioxidants that reduce inflammation. Pumpkin Pouch Skin & Coat contains sunflower seeds and flaxseeds. Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin A, while flaxseeds are omega-3 fatty acids — both of which help keep your kitty's coat glossy and skin healthy.
All recipes are meat-free, with pumpkin flakes as the number one ingredient.
Grandma Lucy's Pumpkin Pouches varieties:
- Inflammation
- Skin & Coat
- Digestive
- Bladder
Grandma Lucy's Simple Replacements
Grandma Lucy's Simple Replacements
If your feline friend is feeling under the weather, then Grandma Lucy's Simple Replacements are a bland meal replacement that'll help them get back on their feet. Simple Replacements are suitable for felines and canines.
Each recipe consists of freeze-dried human-grade cuts of meat and white rice, with no added extras that might upset a cat's stomach. The Simple Replacements Pork recipe also includes pumpkin.
It's worth noting that Simple Replacements are not complete pet foods. You should only feed your pet Simple Replacements for a short period in specific circumstances, for example after surgery or if you're transitioning your cat to a new food.
Grandma Lucy Simple Replacement varieties:
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Pork
Why Wag! likes Grandma Lucy’s cat food
Keep scrolling for some of the reasons we highly rate Grandma Lucy's cat food.
Human-grade ingredients
Grandma Lucy's cat food, treats, and toppers are premium quality, using only human-grade ingredients. You'll find no meat meals, animal by-products, or "feed grade" ingredients — just whole cuts of meat and produce like you'd find at your local grocery store.
Using whole ingredients that are minimally processed ensures your feline friend is getting a nutritionally rich meal that goes easy on their gut.
Transparent ingredient sourcing and manufacturing
Grandma Lucy's is transparent about its ingredient sourcing and manufacturing process compared to many standard cat food brands. Grandma Lucy's has worked with many of its partners and suppliers since 1999.
Grandma Lucy's requires all its vendors to sign an agreement stating where an ingredient is from, that it tests for pathogens like Salmonella, and that its ingredients are free from chemicals and preservatives.
Grandma Lucy's makes all its pet foods in small batches at its manufacturing facility based in California.
No fillers or artificial ingredients
Grandma Lucy's uses no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives and no filler ingredients in its recipes. All recipes are corn, soy, and grain-free.
The only ingredient in Grandma Lucy's cat food that you could consider a filler is a potato, which is high in carbs and not key to a cat's diet. Even so, potatoes offer some modest health benefits to cats — they contain fiber, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
Affordable compared to other freeze-dried cat options
While these foods rehydrate slightly differently (Stella & Chewy's uses roughly half as much water), Grandma Lucy's is still significantly cheaper than Stella & Chewy's. Both brands use similar quality ingredients.Despite using human-grade ingredients and no fillers, Grandma Lucy's cat food is less expensive than comparable brands.
At the time of writing, a 1-lb bag of Grandma Lucy's Artisan Chicken and Fish Cat Food costs $12.49 on Chewy at $12.49 per lb. By comparison, a 3.5-oz bag of Stella & Chewy's Chicken Dinner Morsels costs $10.99 on Chewy, at $50.24 per lb.
Concerns & considerations
Here are a few things to consider about Grandma Lucy's cat food before you buy.
Lack of flavor variety
Grandma Lucy's cat food offerings are extremely limited with just one "complete and balanced" cat food on the market. This recipe lists chicken and fish as protein sources. So, if your cat isn't a fan of fish or has a chicken allergy, you'll need to find an alternative brand to Grandma Lucy's.
Issues with food consistency
After rehydrating, many pet parents have commented on issues with the consistency of Grandma Lucy's cat food. They found Grandma Lucy's Artisan Chicken and Fish Cat Food was a soupy consistency after adding the recommended amount of water, which their feline found off-putting. We recommend slowly adding water to Grandma Lucy's cat food until it's the desired consistency.
What pet parents say about Grandma Lucy’s cat food
"I'm surprised that some people's cats won't eat this, but I'm especially baffled by people saying it has too little smell. I love that about this food!! Fresh meat doesn't smell either and cats don't need artificial flavors. My cats are used to wholesome foods and ate this right away. There isn't a perfect food out there, even if you're feeding raw."
"Following the directions this mashed potato looking cat food has horrible fish smell. No wonder why my 2 cats will not even touch it. It was a total waste of $. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone."
Read more reviews on Chewy.
Grandma Lucy’s history
Eric and Breann Shook co-founded Grandma Lucy's in 1999. They cam up with the idea for Grandma Lucy's after their 11-year-old English Cocker Spaniel, Lucy, became picky about what she'd eat. After some research, the Shooks were shocked that most dog foods included low-quality "feed grade" ingredients.
Soon, Eric and Breann bought their first of three freeze-dryers and launched their first dog foods made from human-grade ingredients. Following the widespread 2007 food recalls, Grandma Lucy's began producing its first complete and balanced pet foods as part of its Artisan range.
In 2017, Grandma Lucy's Macanna dog food won Pet Age Magazine's Reader's Choice Award. In 2022, Grandma Lucy's won the Pet Insight 2022 Vanguard Award in the freeze-dried food category.
Grandma Lucy's is a family-run business based in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. It manufactures all its pet foods, toppers, treats, and supplements in the United States.
Grandma Lucy’s cat food recalls
Grandma Lucy's cat food has never been recalled at the time of writing.
Product images sourced from Chewy. Copyright Grandma Lucy's.
FAQ
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