Wysong Cat Food Review 2024

Wysong is a family-run company offering innovative and holistic pet foods manufactured in the U.S. One unique feature of Wysong is that some of its recipes meet nutritional guidelines for both cats and dogs.

We rate Wysong 3.5 out 5 paws up due to the overall quality of its ingredients and its recipes catering to specific health needs. However, as its recipes are for cats and dogs, Wysong loses points for including ingredients that offer little to no nutritional value to cats.

So, is Wysong right for your feline friend? Keep scrolling for our comprehensive Wysong cat food review, where we examine individual product lines, considerations, recalls, and much more!

Searching for an alternative to Wysong? Check out our round-ups of the best dry cat foods and wet cat foods in 2024!

Wysong produces 34 wet, dry, raw cat foods, and a selection of treats and toppers to spice up your feline's mealtimes.

All Wysong dry and raw 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). Toppers, treats, and Epigen wet cat food recipes are for supplemental feeding only.

Wysong’s website claims that a “100% complete and balanced” diet as defined by AAFCO is a myth. But Wag! considers AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines to be important in confirming a pet food’s overall nutritional quality.

Wysong Original Diets dry cat food

Original Diets is Wysong's flagship dry food range, consisting of standard pet food and several recipes for specific health needs. For example, Original Diets Uretic formula is higher in quality protein than other recipes to put less stress on your cat's kidneys. Wysong adds probiotics, prebiotics, and omega-3 fatty acids to its Original Diets recipes for a nutrient boost.  

Many Wysong Original Diets formulas list meat meals as the top ingredient, making Wysong a lower-quality cat food than its premium cat food rivals. Common top five ingredients like pea protein and potato protein have little nutritional value. 

Wysong's Vegan recipe lists brown rice, corn, extruded soybeans, and pea protein as top ingredients. These ingredients have little nutritional value to cats. Cats are obligate carnivores and should be fed a meat-inclusive diet unless they have a meat allergy.  

Most recipes use the same flavor blend of chicken and turkey, which isn't ideal if your cat has a poultry allergy or is a picky eater. That said, the Anergen recipe uses only lamb, which is a novel protein and rare food allergen for cats.  

Wysong Original Diets recipes contain an average of 40.6% protein as dry matter, which is above average for dry cat food.

Wysong Original Diets dry cat food flavors:

• Vitality
• Uretic
• Geriatrx
• Nurture
• Nurture with Quail
• Fundamentals
• Anergen
• Vegan

Wysong Optimal Line and Epigen dry cat food

Wysong has two other dry cat food ranges: Optimal and Epigen. Wysong's Optimal range focuses on being low in carbs and high in protein.

Wysong Restore is the best Optimal recipe for cats. It's made without carbs and with a single meat protein source. It lists two quality cuts of meat as the top ingredient and no meat meals.

By comparison, Optimal Vitality lists turkey meal, pea protein, and potato protein within its top five ingredients. Pea protein and potato protein are of low nutritional value. Both recipes have a low glycemic index, making them great for diabetic cats.

Epigen is Wysong's starch-free range, made with less than 10% carbohydrates. Epigen 90 is the better choice for cats, as it doesn't list pea protein and potato protein in the top five ingredients.

However, Epigen 90 lists a meat meal as the top ingredient, while the standard Epigen lists a cut of meat. Wysong adds essential nutrients like taurine, iron, zinc, and calcium to each recipe.

Wysong Optimal and Epigen dry food recipes contain 63.8% and 68.3% protein as dry matter, respectively, which is very high for dry cat food.

Wysong Optimal Line and Epigen dry cat food flavors:

• Epigen
• Epigen 90
• Wysong Restore
• Optimal Vitality

Wysong wet cat food

Wysongs makes a range of wet canned cat food, almost exclusively part of its Epigen range.

Wysong offers one Uretic wet food, which is high in quality protein with ingredients like blueberries and cranberries to boost immunity and aid urinary tract infections. 

Wysong Epigen wet cat foods are not "complete and balanced"—you should feed them to your feline as a topper or supplement. Like its Epigen dry food, Epigen wet food is starch-free and uses no fillers or artificial preservatives.

Each Epigen wet food recipe only has five ingredients: meat, water sufficient for processing, natural flavor, organic guar gum, and mixed tocopherols. Overall, they are good-quality protein-rich food toppers for cats.

Wysong Uretic with Organic Chicken contains 40% protein as dry matter, which is above average for wet cat food.

Wysong wet cat food flavors:

• Uretic with Organic Chicken
• Epigen Beef
• Epigen Chicken
• Epigen Duck
• Epigen Rabbit
• Epigen Salmon
• Epigen Turkey

Wysong raw cat food

Wysong Archetype raw cat food is biologically appropriate for adult cats as it meets the AAFCO nutrient guidelines for adults. These recipes are freeze-dried for shelf stability. They’re heated to a maximum of 118° Fahrenheit, which isn’t considered hot enough to kill pathogens like Salmonella. 

Wysong raw recipes are its highest-quality foods. Each recipe lists several quality cuts of muscle or organ meat as the top ingredients. These recipes also use real produce like carrots, broccoli, and blueberries. Carrots are high in vitamin C and fiber, while broccoli is rich in folic acid and potassium. 

Plus, Wysong offers an Archetype in burger patty form, which you can break into pieces and feed to your feline dry or rehydrated. Archetype Burgers consist of similar ingredients to those in Wysong's other raw recipes.

Wysong raw cat food recipes contain an average of 48.2% protein as dry matter, which is around the average for raw cat food.

Wysong raw cat food flavors:

• Archetype Chicken
• Archetype Quail
• Archetype Rabbit
• Archetype Burgers

Wysong cat food toppers

Wysong produces several products under the Optimize, Pure Meats, and UnCanny ranges, which can be used as food toppers.

Let's start with the Optimize sub-range. These toppers are suitable for cats, dogs, and even ferrets and are designed to boost the amount of protein in your pet's diet. They contain quality cuts of meat, no meat meals, and unusual yet tasty ingredients like green-lipped mussels, shiitake mushrooms, and cheddar cheese.

Pure Meats recipes are exactly what you'd expect—they consist of 100% freeze-dried diced meat and nothing else. Pure Meats are a good protein option if you're making homemade cat food.

Wysong UnCanny Blend is meant to partner with Archetype raw recipes to make them more palatable to canines and felines. Meat protein isolate is the top ingredient, which is safe for cats to eat and provides a protein boost.

Wysong cat food topper flavors:

• Optimize Beef Heart & Liver
• Optimize Chicken
• Optimize Wild Caught Salmon
• Pure Meats Beef Heart & Liver
• Pure Meats Chicken
• Pure Meats Salmon
• Pure Meats Pollock
• UnCanny Blend

Wysong cat treats

Wysong Dream Treats are starch-free, freeze-dried raw treats that are similar in composition to Wysong's Archetype raw foods. Each recipe contains quality cuts of meat and no meat meals.

Common secondary ingredients in Wysong Dream Treats include chia seeds, barley grass, blueberries, and plums. All treats come in burger patty form, which you should break up into smaller pieces. 

Wysong cat treat flavors:

• Dream Treats Chicken
• Dream Treats Quail
• Dream Treats Rabbit

Keep scrolling for a few reasons why we give Wysong cat food a respectable 3.5 out of 5 paws up!

Quality meat cuts as top ingredients

While many of Wysong's recipes contain meat meal, most recipes use a quality cut of meat as a primary protein source. Using quality cuts of meat improves digestibility and ensures your fur-baby gets the best possible nutrients from their food.

High protein levels

Wysong's cat foods significantly exceed the minimum amount of dry protein matter recommended by the AAFCO nutrient profile. For example, on average, Wyson Epigen dry food contains 68.3% dry protein matter, which is over 42% more than the minimum recommended for adults.

As obligate carnivores, cats thrive on protein-rich diets. Protein provides energy, promotes muscle growth, supports organ health, and a whole lot more. 

Recipes for specific health needs

Wysong manufactures several non-prescription recipes for cats with specific health needs. Whether your cat is diabetic, has urinary tract issues, or needs extra dietary support in their twilight years, Wysong has options that can benefit their health.

Weighing up whether Wysong is suitable for your purring pal? Here are a few things to consider before purchasing Wysong for your cat.

Filler and controversial ingredients

As they're formulated for cats and dogs, Wysong's recipes include ingredients that are controversial or have little nutritional value for cats.

Many recipes include brown rice—grains are not essential to a cat's diet and are considered filler ingredients. Wysong also uses fruits and vegetables in many recipes. Fruits and vegetables can provide nutritional benefits like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but aren't a necessary part of their diet.

One controversial ingredient is dried beet pulp, which is high in beneficial soluble fiber. However, it's also high in carbs, which can be bad for your cat's health. Another controversial ingredient is dried tomato pomace, a manufacturing by-product high in fiber but generally considered a filler. 

Limited flavor variety

Wysong recipes have a limited flavor and protein variety. Most of its dry food recipes are made with chicken and turkey, which makes them unsuitable for cats with poultry allergies or sensitivities. Wysong's wet foods have a greater protein variety; however, they're for supplemental feeding only.

Limited recipes for kittens

Wysong's entire product line has only one dry food that meets AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines for kittens: Original Diets Nurture. As a result, you'll need to change your kitten to a different recipe as they age, and you won't have much choice if they don't like Wysong's Original Diets Nurture dry food.

"Excellent, healthy food. My cats love it"

"Trying to find a diet for a finicky diabetic. It's been months of struggling to get her to eat anything consistently but she loves this. Hated the normal Epigen though, not sure what's in 90 but she absolutely cleans her plate." 

Read more reviews on Chewy. 

Wysong has been in business for over 40 years. Dr. Randy Wysong, a former veterinarian, founded the Wysong Corporation in 1979. Wysong’s website states it aims to "expose the myth of 100% complete and balanced" pet foods. Instead, the company claims to use science to formulate holistic recipes for cats, dogs, and ferrets. 

Wysong is a family-owned and operated business, allowing it to control all manufacturing processes and quality checks. Wysong's head office is located in Midland, MI.

Wysong cat food has never been recalled as of July 2024.