Canadian Naturals Cat Food Review

#1 Canadian Naturals Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe

Depending on sources, cats are now the most popular pets in both the United States and in Canada. Dogs still eat more food, of course, because most of them are much bigger than cats. Perhaps that’s why pet food companies continue to make so many more brands of dog food compared to cat food. As a case in point, consider Canadian Naturals. The company has five product lines for dogs, as well as dog treats. They produce only four cat food recipes. Compared to dogs, cats have much more limited food choices.

At any rate, let’s look at one of Canadian Naturals’ foods for cats. Canadian Naturals Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe is formulated for cats and kittens. It’s made with regional ingredients. It contains antioxidants for better health. Plus, it’s grain-free and has non-GMO ingredients. It’s also gluten-free. It’s formulated for kittens and adult cats.

According to Canadian Naturals, their cat foods are made with fresh chicken, fresh turkey, and fresh fish including salmon, herring, trout, and whitefish. They also have lamb from New Zealand and fruits and vegetables from Fraser valley (local) such as potatoes, carrots, peas, blueberries, and apples.

A look at the ingredient list for Canadian Naturals Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe provides a little more information. Peas are the second ingredient meaning these are not likely to be a few garden peas added as a vegetable treat. These peas are more likely to be field peas or split peas which are frequently added to pet foods as a plant protein source. This is especially common in grain-free pet foods because the peas are used as a substitute for grains. (You can find many articles online about peas in pet foods.)

As most cat lovers know, cats are obligate carnivores meaning that they require animal protein in their diet. Substituting a large amount of plant protein can be a problem. There is a fair amount of meat (turkey meal) and fish (salmon meal) protein, along with eggs, in this recipe but it’s difficult to gauge how much.

The food appears to be high in protein (32 percent) based on the as-fed percentage but you need to factor in the fact that a large part of that percentage comes from peas/lentils.

We also notice that this recipe has a number of probiotics added such as dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product. These probiotics often appear in foods that contain a lot of peas to help with digestion and the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, the phytic acid in the peas/lentils can prevent your pet from getting all of the nutrients he requires.

Some people may object to the potatoes in the food but since this is a kibble, it has to have some kind of starch to hold the food together. If not potatoes, it would be something else.

If your cat has done well with grain-free foods before, this is a food that you might try. We like the local ingredients and fresh meat and fish. Otherwise, we would recommend that you use cat foods that use fewer peas/lentils (or no peas/lentils).

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): Kcal 449 kcal per cup (about 28 calories per ounce); 3958 kcal per kg

Pros

• Uses fresh, local ingredients
• High in protein
• Made in small batches
• The manufacturing facility has good certifications

Cons

• Peas as the second ingredient mean that a large percentage of the protein is plant-based

#2 Canadian Naturals Chicken & Rice Cat Recipe

If you like Canadian Naturals but you don’t like quite so many peas in your cat’s food, you might like Canadian Naturals Chicken & Rice Cat Recipe. This recipe is not grain-free but it is GMO-free. It is still made with regional ingredients and it has antioxidants. It’s formulated for indoor cats and kittens but it should be suitable for other cats as well.

In this formula, peas are the third ingredient instead of the second. That’s still quite high but it drops the protein percentage by 2 percent in the guaranteed analysis.

Chicken meal is the first ingredient. The chicken is locally-sourced. Oatmeal, also local, is the second ingredient. Oatmeal and brown rice (lower in the ingredient list) make this food grain-inclusive. While cats don’t eat these grains in the wild, they offer some fiber and other nutrients to your cat without some of the drawbacks that peas/lentils have.

This recipe also has fish meal which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is good for your cat’s skin, coat, and heart health.

This recipe contains many of the same ingredients as Canadian Naturals’ Turkey & Salmon recipe without as many peas or the digestive aids to help process them. We think it looks like a better food.

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): 444 kcal per cup (about 27.75 calories per ounce); 3908 kcal per kg

Pros

• Chicken meal is a good source of meat protein for cats
• Oatmeal and brown rice are healthy whole grains that provide some good fiber and nutrients
• This recipe uses locally-sourced ingredients and the manufacturing facility has good certifications

Cons

• Peas are still the third ingredient; some cats have difficulty digesting peas and plant-based protein

#3 Canadian Naturals Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe

When most of us think of a “limited ingredient diet,” we probably assume that it means the food only has a few ingredients. That’s probably what it should mean. However, if you look at most pet foods (for dogs and for cats), that’s not usually what you find. Pet food companies usually make limited ingredient diets that contain a lot of ingredients. They seem to define these foods as having one (more or less) kind of protein, one (more or less) kind of fat, and one (more or less) kind of carbohydrate.

That’s what we find with Canadian Naturals Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe. Canadian Naturals says that this food is a limited ingredient diet. It’s formulated for cats and kittens. It has regional ingredients, antioxidants, and it’s grain-free, and GMO- and gluten-free.

As far as being “limited ingredient,” we counted 41 ingredients, if you include all of the added vitamins, minerals, and probiotics (“fermentation products”) to help your cat digest the peas and lentils. Granted, the vitamins and minerals probably won’t bother your cat even if he has a delicate digestive system. However, if you are looking for a limited ingredient diet because your cat has allergies or food sensitivities, peas, lentils and fermentation products may not be the best ingredients to include in his diet.

There are some good ingredients in this food. The first two ingredients are deboned salmon and salmon meal. As long as your cat isn’t allergic or sensitive to fish, this is a great source of protein. This food also lacks most of the vegetables and fruits that other Canadian Naturals have which can be triggers for some cats with sensitive digestion. It contains salmon oil which is a terrific source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. They support your cat’s immune function, heart, proper vision, cognitive abilities, and skin and coat.

On the down side, this food contains peas as the third ingredient and lentils as the fourth ingredient. These are plant-based sources of protein and cats don’t always digest them very well. That’s why you see all of the Lactobacillus fermentation products added at the end of the ingredient list. These probiotics are added to try to help your cat digest the peas and lentils. Otherwise, the peas and lentils, which contain lots of phytic acid, can prevent your cat from properly absorbing nutrients. Foods that contain high amounts of grains can have the same problem if they are not processed properly.

Some people don’t seem to like canola oil in pet foods but it is often used in elimination diets (diets to help identify allergens since it is plant-based).

Overall, Canadian Naturals Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe probably isn’t what we would consider to be a limited ingredient diet but if your cat needs a food that is limited to fish/salmon, this might be a food to consider. It has more peas and lentils than we like along with the added fermentation products. But if they don’t bother your cat, this food could work for you and your cat.

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): 430 kcal per cup (about 27 calories per ounce); 3789 kcal per kg

Pros

• Salmon is an excellent source of protein for cats
• Uses fresh, regional ingredients
• The manufacturing facility has good certifications and a full-time quality assurance team

Cons

• Peas and lentils are the third and fourth ingredients
• Contains a lot of ingredients for a “limited ingredient diet”