Temptations Cat Food Review 2025

Temptations is one of the most famous cat treat brands on the market—but did you know it makes cat foods? Temptations produces a small range of wet and dry cat foods that are a budget-friendly option for pet parents. But is Temptations cat food a good option for your cat?

We rate Temptations cat foods 2 out of 5 paws up. These foods are inexpensive for a reason—they're made primarily from animal by-product meals and filler ingredients like grains. Like most brands, Temptations wet foods are better quality than its kibble but still contain several low-quality ingredients.

Keep reading for our in-depth Temptations cat food review, where we'll look at its product ranges, treat offerings, recall history, and more!

Temptation produces eight wet and dry cat food varieties, as well as an extensive range of wet and dry cat treats.

All Temptations wet and dry cat foods are "complete and balanced," meeting the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profile guidelines for maintenance (adults).

Temptations dry cat food

Temptations dry cat food is grain-inclusive and low quality. The top ingredient in each recipe is chicken by-product meal, made up of parts of the chicken unsuitable for human consumption, like organs, blood, and bones. It's likely less nutritionally valuable and harder to digest than quality meat cuts.

Many of the top ingredients in each recipe are filler ingredients with little nutritional value to cats, like wheat, whole-grain corn, and brewers rice.

Another downside to Temptations is its dry foods contain artificial colors, like red #40 and blue #2. While deemed safe by the FDA, certain dyes contain carcinogens that can contribute to diseases like cancer.

In general, we recommend giving Temptations cat food a miss—there are much better budget-friendly cat foods on the market.

Temptations cat foods contain slightly below average protein levels (33.3% as dry matter) and average fat levels (15.5% as dry matter) compared to your average dry cat food.

Temptations dry cat food flavors:

• Block Party BBQ Flavor
• Tasty Chicken Flavor
• Tempting Tuna & Chicken
• Seafood Medley

Temptations wet cat food

Temptations wet cat foods come in two flavors in two consistencies. They're better quality than Temptations kibble, as they list a quality cut of chicken as the primary protein source. However, chicken by-product is one of the top three ingredients in each recipe, suggesting these aren't premium quality wet foods.

One unusual secondary ingredient is animal plasma, a blood by-product that can aid digestion and is a protein and vitamin source. Other common ingredients in these recipes, like wheat flour and guar gum, have low nutritional value.

Temptations wet cat foods contain average protein (44.7% as dry matter) and average fat (22.3% as dry matter) compared to standard wet cat foods.

Temptations wet dry food flavors:

• Seafood Medley Paté
• Seafood Medley Food Bites
• Tasty Chicken Paté
• Tasty Chicken Food Bites

Temptations offers an extensive treat range with nearly half a dozen sub-ranges, from traditional hard treats to irresistible purees.

Let's briefly examine each cat food range, excluding seasonal and limited edition varieties.

Temptations dry cat treats

Temptations Classics are Temptations flagship cat treats, consisting of traditional kibble-style pieces with a soft filling. These treats are grain-inclusive, with chicken by-product meal as the top ingredient. Each treat is under two calories, making them a good low-value training treat. Temptations Classic aren't the best quality, but they work well as inexpensive treats cats seem to love.

Temptations JUMBO Stuff are basically giant versions of Temptations' Classics. They contain pretty much the same ingredients and have the same protein and fat levels. They're best suited to large cat breeds, like Maine Coons.

Temptations Meaty Bites are soft treats ideal for cats with dental issues. They're better quality than the Classics range, with the first four ingredients being meat or meat by-products. They're also higher in protein (48.5% as dry matter) if you're looking to provide your purring pal with a protein boost.

Temptations MixUps and Temptations ShakeUps are essentially variety packs of Classics treats, with a mix of three different flavors in each bag. They're identical to Classics ingredients and macronutrients.

Temptations Tender Fills are rounded, cream-filled treats. Animal fat is the top ingredient in these treats, which means they're high in fat (31.4% as dry matter). They also contain several filler ingredients like corn flour, wheat, and soy flour.

Temptations Kitten are also fairly similar to Temptations Classics in terms of ingredients, but they're slightly higher in protein to support health and development.

Temptations wet cat treats

Temptations Creamy Purées are liquid cat treats that come in tubes, and are excellent for preventing dehydration, with 89% moisture content. Water and chicken liver are the two ingredients, with meat by-products and real cuts of meat as secondary ingredients.

Temptations Lickable Spoons are similar to Creamy Purées but come in a convenient spoon-shaped container for a mess-free snack time. One big difference is these recipes contain carrageenan, a natural thickener made from seaweed. Anecdotal evidence suggests carrageenan can upset a cat's stomach.

Here are a couple of reasons to consider purchasing Temptations cat food for your feline friend.

Pricing

Temptations may not be the best quality cat food, but it's a complete adult cat food that's incredibly cost-effective. For example, a 13.5-lb bag of Temptations Tasty Chicken Dry Cat Food has a list price of $15.99 on Chewy, which works out to just $1.18 per lb.

By comparison, a 15-lb bag of Purina Cat Chow Complete with Chicken & Vitamins Dry Cat Food

https://chewy.prf.hn/click/camref:1100l4apD/pubref:wag_web_food_purina-brand_chewy_purina-cat-chow/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chewy.com%2Fcat-chow-complete-chicken-vitamins%2Fdp%2F200465

Wide treat variety

Temptations offers a huge range of cat treats if you want to give your cat a special snack. With a wide variety of sub-ranges in a bunch of different textures, you're certain to find a cat treat your purring pal will adore.

Keep reading for a few concerns we have about Temptations cat foods, and some things to bear in mind before you buy!

Low-quality ingredients

Temptations cat foods aren't made with the highest quality ingredients, which affects their nutritional value. Corn, wheat, and soybean meal are among the top ingredients in Temptations dry cat foods, which have low nutritional value to cats and are considered fillers. Wheat flour is also a top ingredient in Temptations wet foods.

The main protein source in Temptations wet and dry foods is a meat by-product or by-product meal. These by-products are rendered animal parts that aren't fit for human consumption and are among the lowest-quality meats found in pet foods. They're generally considered less nutritionally complete and harder to digest than real, unprocessed cuts of meat.

Mediocre protein contents

The protein levels in Temptations cat foods aren't anything to write home about—they're around or below average across the range.

It's worth noting that many Temptations cat foods contain plant-based proteins, which aren't complete proteins for cats as they don't contain all essential amino acids. As a result, the protein percentages in these cat foods could be misleading.

All recipes contain chicken

Despite having various flavors, Temptations includes chicken in all its recipes. This isn't an issue for most cats, but it's worth considering if you have a fussy feline or a cat with a chicken allergy or sensitivity.

Only suitable for adult cats

All Temptations cat food recipes meet the nutrient profile guidelines for adult cats only. This means you shouldn't feed Temptations cat foods to a kitten or pregnant cat.

"I like the amount of moistness in the pate and that it’s not so compacted into a little can. It feels lighter and is easier to break apart when I scoop it out into dishes. Cats love it and can’t get enough. One has a sensitive stomach and will have blood in her poops if she eats the wrong thing. Not with this wet food, it’s been a life saver."

"This product has become the only cat food my old boy will eat and actually enjoy. I give him half a container for a serving. He really loves both and can easily eat the pate even with his missing teeth."

Mars Petcare established Temptations over 20 years ago, quickly becoming one of the most popular cat treat brands on the market. However, Temptations is relatively new to the cat food game, launching its first dry cat food formula on March 7th, 2023.

Mars Petcare is a subsidiary of Mars Incorporated, one of the largest companies in the US. Mars Inc. owns over 30 pet food and pet-related companies, including Royal Canin, Acana, Iams, and Sheba.

Mars Inc.'s headquarters is in McLean, Virginia. Temptations are manufactured in the US and Canada.

Temptations cat food has never been recalled at the time of writing.

Temptations isn't the best cat food brand around, and many better, budget-friendly alternatives are available. Here are a few of our top picks worth checking out:

• The Honest Kitchen is a little pricey but made with 100% human-grade ingredients. It's one of our favorite pet food brands on the market.
• Weruva has a slightly above-average price, but it's vet-recommended by one of Wag!'s licensed veterinary consultants, Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, and contains human-grade ingredients.
• Iams is comparable in price to Temptations but is higher quality, with a real cut of meat as the top ingredient in most recipes.