All cat owners know that it’s their feline friend who rules the roost. That’s why it’s important to choose the right wet cat food to stay on your kitty’s good side. A high-quality food will help keep your cat healthy, though it must also be palatable to please picky eaters.
This guide will help you find the best wet food for your cat. Our top wet cat food is Ziwi Peak’s Venison Recipe Canned Cat Food. Although it’s pricey, you really can’t do better for your cat. It contains the best-quality ingredients and is highly palatable.
Considerations when choosing wet cat foods
Types of wet cat food
You’ll find a range of wet cat food types on the market. It’s important to learn the difference between them and which one your cat likes best, particularly if you have a fussy feline on your hands who will refuse to eat anything but bisque.
Popular types include shreds (which consist of long shreds in either gravy, broth, or geleé), cubes (large cubes of meat, usually in geleé or gravy), flakes (small flat flakes or meat in gravy, geleé, or broth), bisque (which is completely smooth and quite wet), and pate (firmer than bisque but mostly smooth).
Dry-matter basis
When you check the percentage of nutrients contained in wet cat food, it can look very low, but this is only because wet cat food is generally between 75% and 80% water due to the high-moisture content of fresh meat. To accurately discover the percentage of protein, fat, etc. in your wet cat food, you need to figure out the dry-matter basis. Your cat food must list the moisture percentage on the label. Subtract this from 100 to find out what percentage of the food is dry matter. So, a food with an 80% moisture content is 20% dry matter.
To find the percentage of each nutrient in the dry matter, you must divide the percentage of the nutrient in the wet matter by the dry-matter percentage, then multiply the result by 100. For example, if your cat food has 20% dry matter and 10% protein, divide 10 by 20 to get 0.5. Then, multiply 0.5 by 100 to get 50. This means your cat food contains 50% protein.
Features
Grain-free
Although recent studies show grain-free food isn’t good for dogs, cats are obligate carnivores, rather than omnivores, so a diet free from grains and other starches (such as potatoes) is still ideal for cats.
Organic
You can find some wet cat food made with organic ingredients only. However, the term “organic” has no legal definition, so look for a USDA organic certification.
Price
Comparing packs of the same size, you can spend anywhere between $10 and $90 for a case of 24 three-ounce servings of wet cat food. You generally get what you pay for, with lower-quality foods being inexpensive and top-quality foods costing the most, though you can find some excellent mid-range options.
FAQ
Q. Why feed my cat wet food instead of dry?
A. Wet cat food has a high moisture content, so if your cat is a reluctant drinker, as many kitties are, he can meet most of his water requirements simply by eating wet food. This can also help avoid kidney stones and other urinary tract issues. What’s more, wet food is better suited to the needs of a carnivorous animal, since it’s predominantly made of meat, whereas dry food often contains grains and other fillers. You may also find picky cats more likely to eat wet food than dry.
Q. Does my cat need a special wet food formula?
A. You can find various wet food formulas, such as senior formulas, weight control formulas, and indoor cat formulas. Most adult cats will thrive on a standard wet cat food, but you can experiment with special formulas if you believe your cat needs one.
Wet cat foods we recommend
Best of the best: Ziwi Peak’s Venison Recipe Canned Cat Food
Our take: This high-quality cat food contains a whopping 92% meat, which is perfect for your little carnivore.
What we like: High-quality meat from animals raised in New Zealand without growth hormones. No grains, starches, or sugars added. High protein content.
What we dislike: Expensive.
Best bang for your buck: IAMS’ Perfect Portions Healthy Adult Multipack
Our take: An affordable cat food multipack that contains both chicken-recipe and tuna-recipe options.
What we like: Grain-free formula. Decent protein content. The choice of two flavors for picky eaters who get bored of eating the same thing every day.
What we dislike: Ingredient quality leaves something to be desired.
Choice 3: BFF’s OMG Rainbow A Gogo Variety Pack
Our take: Six flavors are included in this variety pack, all with gravy that many cats find irresistible.
What we like: Uses dolphin-safe tuna. Grain-free. No BPA in the packaging. Reasonably priced considering the quality.
What we dislike: Consistency can be a little watery, making them messy to feed.
Lauren Corona is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money. BestReviews never accepts free products from manufacturers and purchases every product it reviews with its own funds.
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