Protein is the most important nutrition component in a cat’s diet as it is used to build and repair their body, as well as being an important source of energy.
Since cats are obligate carnivores, their diet should primarily consist of animal meat which contains about 50% of dry matter protein.
It’s essential to ensure that a cat’s diet contains sufficient and high-quality protein to meet their nutritional needs.
Food colors are unnecessary and unwanted additions in cat food, although they are not as harmful as chemical preservatives.
Multiple sources of animal protein like meat, fish, eggs, etc. can be found in cat food when they are different from the main animal protein.
Dry matter values are used to compare different cat foods by accounting for differences in moisture content. The dry matter amount (A) in % is calculated according to the following formula:
A dry matter = A as fed / (100% – A moisture) * 100%
The resulting dry matter values can be compared directly for accurate evaluation and comparison.
Yes, in general, cats have a limited need for carbohydrates. Excessive carbohydrates can lead to obesity and other health issues. Our scoring system rewards foods with lower carbohydrate levels, aligning with the carnivorous dietary requirements of cats.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their diet must be rich in animal-based proteins to meet their nutritional needs. High-quality protein supports muscle maintenance, immune function, and overall health. Our scoring system emphasizes protein content to ensure the foods we recommend reflect a cat’s natural dietary needs.
The quality score is calculated using a sophisticated algorithm that considers multiple parameters.
To simplify the explanation, the calculation is based on three (3) main criteria: (1) amount of protein (more is better), (2) amount of carbohydrates (less is better), and (3) quality and source of ingredients.
Based on those 3 main criteria, 9 score calculation rules are used to compare the different foods:
(-) This rule deducts points
(+) This rule adds points
It is well known that the closer an ingredient is to the top of the ingredient list, the greater its relative weight and contribution to the food.
In general, dry cat food is composed of protein, fats, carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, and minerals:
Protein is the most important component in a cat’s diet, and cats primarily get their protein from animal meat. Please read our article about it.
Fat is a primary source of energy and essential fatty acids.
Carbohydrates are controversial in a cat’s diet, as cats are obligate carnivores and typically consume very few carbohydrates.
Fibers play an important role in digestion and food absorption, and vitamins and minerals are essential for different organism functions.
Dry matter values are used to compare the amount of nutrients in different cat foods. This means that moisture is excluded from the equation to provide a more accurate comparison.
Putting all of these and much more into a formula results in a product quality score.
The maximum score a cat food can receive is 100, and points are added or removed based on the score calculation rules.
The three criteria used in the evaluation method used in this site for dry cat food are the (1) amount of protein (the higher the better), (2) the amount of carbohydrates (the lower the better), and (3) the quality and source of ingredients based on their declaration.
Cats are obligate carnivores and their diet in the wild contains very few carbohydrates. Some studies talk about 5% carbohydrates that cats consume from chewing selected grass and plants and eating the stomach content of their prey. The energy value of carbohydrates is equal to protein.
No other factors like taste, price, availability, origin, or history are taken into consideration.
Some chemical additives to watch out for in cat food include BHT, BHA, and Ethoxyquin, which are very efficient chemical antioxidants but are suspected to be cancerogenic and cause other health issues. Instead, look for cat food that uses natural antioxidants like vitamin E, rosemary extract, or citric acid. Additionally, food colors are added to cat food to satisfy aesthetic needs, but these compounds are unnecessary and unwanted additions to the cat food.
“Hydrolyzed protein” and “hydrolyzed protein extract” are produced from by-product meat ingredients from the most uncertain sources. In many cases, their quality is inferior, and their origin is very suspicious.
Meat by-products are mostly internal organs and intestines and are considered a lower quality source of protein than meat. Mainly because the real content of such ingredients is not well defined, and their quality control is generally insufficient.
The quality of plant protein is significantly lower than the quality of animal protein due to a lack of some essential amino acids, improper balance of existing amino acids, and lower digestibility.
Protein is the most important nutrition component in a cat’s diet, and it should account for about 50% of dry matter protein.
Some pet food manufacturers use multiple sources of carbohydrates and other non-meat ingredients instead of one single source to bring the meat ingredient to the top of the list.
This works because they make a meat ingredient weigh more than every single non-meat ingredient. However, when combined, all these separately listed ingredients often outweigh the meat ingredient.
Dry cat food can contain carbohydrates from various sources, but the most common ones are corn, wheat, barley, rice, oatmeal, sorghum, potatoes, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and tapioca. However, it’s important to note that cats are obligate carnivores and their natural diet contains very little carbohydrates, so the amount and quality of carbohydrates in dry cat food should be carefully considered.
Non-meat proteins are plant-based proteins that are used in cat food as a cheap way to supplement the amount of protein in the food. Some examples of non-meat proteins include gluten, soy, and other plant proteins. While these ingredients can provide some protein, their quality is generally lower than that of animal protein due to a lack of some essential amino acids and lower digestibility. The contribution of non-meat proteins to the total amount of protein in the food depends on their relative locations in the ingredient list.
When it comes to meat and fat ingredients in cat food, it’s important to look for specific and well-defined sources. Meat by-products, for example, are less quality sources of protein than meats as their real content is not well-defined. Additionally, ingredients like “meats and meat derivatives”, “animal fats”, “vegetable oils”, and “oils and fats” are undefined and of unknown sources, making their quality difficult to evaluate. Ideally, cat food should clearly state the sources of their meat and fat ingredients.
Potatoes, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and tapioca are some examples of good non-grain sources of highly digestible carbohydrates in cat food.
The digestibility of carbohydrates in grains like corn and wheat is not very high. Furthermore, these products can cause food intolerance and allergies in cats.
Cats are obligate carnivores and their diet in the wild contains a minimal amount of carbohydrates. Therefore, their digestive system has not evolved to handle high amounts of carbohydrates.
A food’s guaranteed analysis typically includes:
These six elements together compose 100% of the food.
Fat is a primary source of energy and essential fatty acids that are used to build cell membranes and other body elements. It also plays a very important role in food palatability.
The term “Crude” will appear in the guaranteed analysis table (also known, for example, as the “Analytical components” table) next to protein, fats, fibers, and ash (i.e., “Crude Protein”).
The term “crude” indicates that this measurement does not differentiate between different types of proteins (or fibers, fats, etc) or their sources.
Ash is the residue left after “burning” a food at a high temperature. It can be said that ash is the minerals and trace elements in the food.
The maximum quality score a dry cat food can have is 100.
Cat Food Central is a platform that makes it easy to evaluate the quality of dry cat food products.
The platform covers more than 1000 dry cat foods from more than 280 brands/manufacturers across multiple product lines.
To show these scores, we use a sophisticated and advanced algorithm that incorporates 3 main criteria and 9 score calculation rules to assign a score to each product on a scale of 0-100.
The higher the score, the better the quality of the food.
Start by typing the product or brand name or using our advanced search page to browse and filter dry cat foods. Our database includes a comprehensive quality score for more than 1000 dry cat foods, each with additional product details, allowing you to compare options and choose the one that best meets your cat’s dietary needs and preferences.
We’re gradually adding product ratings (taken directly from Google Products’ reviews) and offerings from various sellers. These features are not applicable to all products as we’re adding coverage for more and more products over time.
Unlike other sites, our scoring system is grounded in a detailed, transparent methodology developed from extensive research. We focus exclusively on dry cat food and prioritize nutritional value and ingredient quality, offering cat owners a reliable, unbiased resource.
While taste is important for palatability, our scoring system focuses on nutritional aspects and ingredient quality. We believe that the health benefits of cat food are paramount, though we acknowledge that individual cats may have specific taste preferences.
Yes, our database includes foods tailored to various life stages, including kittens, adults, and senior cats. Each product’s score reflects its suitability for the specific nutritional requirements of these different life stages.
While we’ve already analyzed more than 1,000 dry cat foods from more than 280 brands and product lines, we continue to analyze and add new products on a monthly basis.
If you can’t find the food you’re using – we’d be more than grateful if you let us know so we can add it.
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Provide as many details as you can so we can analyze the missing product and add it.
The actual calculation of the score is based on sophisticated and advanced algorithm that takes into account multiple parameters.
To simplify the explanation, the calculation is based on three main criteria:
(1) Amount of protein (more is better)
(2) Amount of carbohydrates (less is better)
(3) Quality and source of ingredients.
Based on that 3 main criteria, 9 score calculation rules are used to compare the different foods.
One major assumption is that the closer an ingredient is to the top of the ingredient list, the greater its relative weight and contribution to the food.
In general, cat food is composed of protein, fats, carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, and minerals.
Protein is the most important component in a cat’s diet, and cats primarily get their protein from animal meat.
Fat is a primary source of energy and essential fatty acids.
Carbohydrates are controversial in a cat’s diet, as cats are obligate carnivores and typically consume very few carbohydrates.
Fibers play an important role in digestion and food absorption, and vitamins and minerals are essential for different organism functions.
Dry matter values are used to compare the amount of nutrients in different cat foods.
This means that moisture is excluded from the equation to provide a more accurate comparison.
Putting all of these and more into a formula results in a product score.
The maximum score a cat food can receive is 100.
Points are added or removed based on the score calculation rules.