Founded by celebrity chef Rachael Ray, Rachael Ray Nutrish has produced wet and dry pet food for over 15 years. It's quickly grown into one of the U.S.'s most popular premium pet food brands. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish is also well-known for its charitable work. The Rachael Ray Foundation receives a portion of the profits from Rachael Ray Nutrish — it raises over $7 million a year for animals in need. 

We highly rate Rachael Ray Nutrish due to its use of quality cuts of meats, reasonable pricing, and charitable work. However, it misses out being top-rated for including some filler and controversial ingredients in its recipes. 

Interested in feeding your feline friend Rachael Ray Nutrish? Keep reading for our comprehensive 2024 Rachael Ray Nutrish cat food review, where we examine individual product lines, recalls, considerations, and more!

Rachael Ray Nutrish produces 23 wet and dry cat foods, toppers, and treats. 

All Rachael Ray Nutish cat foods are “complete and balanced,” meeting the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO) nutrient profile guidelines for all life stages, maintenance (adults), or growth (kittens). Treats and toppers are for supplemental feeding only. 

Read on to learn more about each sub-range.

Rachael Ray Nutrish's standard cat food range is grain-inclusive, with recipes for indoor cats, digestive health, and heart support. All recipes list a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. Meat meals are listed as secondary ingredients.

Whole flaxseed used in each recipe is rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which support skin and coat health. Recipes for specific needs contain different ingredients. For example, Rachael Ray Nutrish's indoor dry food recipe contains cranberries, a source of vitamins C, E, and K.

While brown rice is one of the most nutritionally rich grains in cat foods, many recipes also include brewers rice, which is considered lower quality. Each recipe includes dried plain beet pulp, an excellent fiber source but a manufacturing by-product often considered a filler ingredient. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish dry cat foods contain 37.3% protein as dry matter, which is above average for dry cat food. 

Savory Bites are Rachael Ray Nutrish's premium dry cat foods. They contain no poultry by-product meal, wheat, or soy. That said, this sub-range still uses meat meals. Both recipes list a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. 

Carrots and peas are the primary vegetables included in Savory Bites recipes. Carrots are rich in vitamin C and thiamine, while peas are a good source of fiber and potassium. 

Like Rachael Ray Nutrich's standard dry food, Savory Bites include brown and brewers rice. Ingredients with lower nutritional value that could be considered fillers include beet pulp and malted barley flour. 

Both recipes comprise 37.3% protein as dry matter on average, the same as Rachael Ray Nutrish's standard dry cat food. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish's main wet cat food range contains no meat meals, grains, or soy. The top ingredient in all recipes is a quality cut of meat.

Rachael Ray Nutrish adds taurine to its wet cat foods. Taurine is a key amino acid for cats that aids digestion, maintains heart health, and supports the immune system. Vegetable oil is a top ingredient that's not necessary for a cat's diet and can cause gastrointestinal issues in large quantities. 

Another controversial ingredient is carrageenan, a thickener and stabilizer derived from seaweed. The FDA considers carrageenan safe, but there's some debate about whether it causes digestive issues in humans and animals.

Rachael Ray Nutrish wet cat food contains an average of 42.8% protein as dry matter, which is above the average for wet cat food. 

Purrfect Entrées are Rachael Ray Nutrish's premium wet food offerings. Each grain-free entree comes in a creamy sauce and contains no meat meal or animal by-products. A quality cut of meat is one of the top two ingredients in all recipes. 

One of the biggest differences between Purrfect Entrées and the standard wet food range is the inclusion of nutritionally rich vegetables like carrots, spinach, and pumpkin. Pumpkin is high in fiber, while spinach is a source of vitamin A, magnesium, and calcium. 

As Rachael Ray Nutrish makes its Purrfect Entrées with either chicken or fish, they may not be suitable for cats with specific food allergies. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish Purrfect Entrées contain 50% protein as dry matter on average, which is higher than Rachael Ray Nutrish's standard wet food. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish food toppers are broth-based supplements that add flavor and moisture to cat food. They encourage fussy fur babies to eat their dinner and help prevent dehydration. These food toppers are not complete meals. 

Each recipe consists of only a handful of ingredients, including broth, a quality cut of meat, and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, and spinach. They're grain-free and contain no meat meals. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish cat treats come in three varieties: Wheelies, Soft Spots and Love Bites. 

Wheelies are crunchy grain-inclusive small treats made primarily of a quality meat cut, brewers rice, corn flour, and meat meal. Brewers rice is considered lower quality than many alternative grains. Corn flour offers little to no nutritional value to cats. 

Love Bites have a hard shell with a soft center and are made from largely the same ingredients, including a quality meat cut, corn flour, and meat meal. Dried peas are added as a source of dietary fiber. 

Let's look at a few reasons why Wag! rates Rachael Ray Nutrish cat food 4 out of 5 paws up!

Rachael Ray Nutrish lists a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient in most of its cat foods. 

Quality cuts of meat tend to be leaner and, therefore, lower in fat. Plus, quality meat is rich in amino acids and minimally processed, which makes it easier to digest. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish adds meat meals to its recipes. While lower quality and highly processed, meat meals are 300% higher in protein than standard meat, helping to provide your feline with a protein-rich diet. 

Generally, Rachael Ray Nutrish cat foods have good protein-to-fat ratios. 

For example, Rachael Ray Nutrish's standard dry cat food has 37.3% protein as dry matter, which is above average. They also consist of 14.2% fat as dry matter, which is average for dry cat food. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish is reasonably priced, considering its quality. At the time of writing, a 14-lb bag of Rachael Ray Nutrish Natural Chicken & Brown Rice dry cat food costs $26.52 on Chewy, which works out to $1.90 per lb.

By comparison, Purina Cat Chow Complete with Chicken & Vitamins dry cat food, a popular but low-quality cat food that lists chicken by-product meal as the top ingredient, has a list price of $19.49 for a 15-lb bag on Chewy, which works out at $1.25 per lb.

Here are a couple of considerations and concerns to bear in mind before purchasing Rachael Ray Nutrish for your cat. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish uses several controversial or filler ingredients in its recipes, including carrageenan, dried plain beet pulp, brewers rice, and corn flour. These ingredients offer little to no nutritional value, and there's debate about whether they cause digestive issues like diarrhea. 

In addition, some Rachael Ray Nutrish cat food recipes use natural flavors. According to the AAFCO, natural flavor is a term that's not well-defined by the FDA concerning pet food. While natural flavors are safe for pets to eat, there's a lack of transparency over their content. 

Rachael Ray Nutrish recipes contain a limited protein variety, with fish and chicken used in every recipe. As a result, Rachael Ray Nutrish is unsuitable for cats with chicken or fish allergies and sensitivities.

"I have relied on Rachael Ray Nutrish Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe dry cat food for years and my cats are all healthy with this as a staple. They get wet food too. If short on canned food I’ve added warm water to soften this and they love it. I recommend this for anyone feeding their multi cat family."

"I love to spoil my Teddy and nutrish tuna is one of the ways I do it. He absolutely loves it! Thank you Rachael Ray!!"

Read more reviews on Chewy.

Celebrity chef Rachael Ray founded Rachael Ray Nutrish in 2008. The brand originally only produced dog foods based on Ray's homemade recipes for her Pit Bull named Isaboo. She worked with pet nutrition experts at Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to produce nutritionally balanced dog foods. 

At the same time, Rachael Ray founded Rachael’s Rescue, a charity supporting no-kill shelters. Ray donated all her personal proceeds to Rachael's from Rachael Ray Nutrish to Rachael's Rescue. Rachael's Rescue was eventually renamed the Rachael Ray Foundation. 

In 2014, Rachael Ray Nutrish launched its cat food range. In 2018, J.M. Smucker Co. acquired Rachael Ray Nutrish. In 2023, Post Holdings, Inc. bought several pet food brands from J.M. Smucker Co., including Rachael Ray Nutrish and Nature’s Recipe.

There has been one recall of Rachael Ray Nutrish cat food recorded by the FDA as of March 2025.

On June 4, 2015, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition issued a voluntary recall of five Rachael Ray Nutrish wet cat food varieties due to potentially elevated vitamin D levels.