Carnilove is an international pet food brand. The company has headquarters in the Czech Republic and exports dog and cat food to 70 countries around the world. Carnilove values a traditional meat/prey diet for animals. Learn more about Carnilove cat food in our unbiased review.
The Cats.com Standard – Rating Carnilove on What Matters
We have analyzed Carnilove cat food and rated it according to our standards here at Cats.com. Our grades are based on the species-appropriateness of the food, the quality of the ingredients, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. You can read more about our ratings here.
Here are our ratings for Carnilove in these key areas:
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 8/10
- Ingredient Quality – 8/10
- Product Variety – 8/10
- Price – 6/10
- Customer Experience – 6/10
- Recall History – 10/10
Overall Score: 7.7/10
We give Carnilove cat food a 46 out of 60 rating or a B+ grade.
About Carnilove
Carnilove cat food is made with respect for the natural origin of cats. Their dry cat food contains 70-75 percent wild-origin meat and their fresh dry food contains 80 percent meat (including fresh meat). Their canned wet food for cats and kittens contains 55 percent real meat together with forest fruits, vegetables and herbs. All of their cat foods are grain-free and potato-free.
Carnilove’s cat foods are complete formulas. They have all of the nutrition that cats and kittens need to thrive including vitamins, fats, natural antioxidants, and other essential nutrients. You don’t need to add anything else for your cat’s perfect physical condition and immune system support.
According to Carnilove, their formulas correspond to the composition of a cat’s natural prey.
Carnilove is owned by Vafo Group, one of the most successful pet food businesses in Europe. Vafo was founded in 1994. It includes brands such as Planet Pet, Christopherus, Nutrican, Profine, Brit, Primadog, Canvit, HauHau, Primacat, Sams Field, as well as Carnilove.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Carnilove is made in the Czech Republic by a family with 20+ years of pet business experience. The company makes dry and wet pet food and snacks at four modern production plants in the Czech Republic. Carnilove is exported around the world to 70 countries.
According to the company, they have extensive experience in the field of canine and feline nutrition. Their professionals are also devoted animal breeders.
While Carnilove values natural ingredients and wild-origin meats, their production is certified in compliance with exacting qualitative criteria such as ISO 9001 and HACCP.
Carnilove doesn’t specifically state where their ingredients are sourced. However, the Czech Republic is in the European Union. It’s likely that most of their ingredients are sourced in Europe. The European Union has some strict requirements regarding the manufacture of pet foods.
Carnilove uses what they describe as “wild-origin” meats such as reindeer, duck, pheasant, turkey, lamb, wild boar, and salmon. These meats, fowl, and fish correspond to the composition of natural prey for dogs and cats. They provide important amino acids.
The cat foods also include forest fruits, vegetables, wild berries, and herbs since these are natural sources of important vitamins, antioxidants, and essential nutrients.
All of Carnilove’s foods are grain-free and potato-free. They contain no artificial chemicals, preservatives or flavorings.
Has Carnilove Cat Food Been Recalled?
We didn’t find any recalls for Carnilove pet foods online but we cannot say definitively that they have never had a recall. Many countries have only recently begun keeping careful records of recall data. However, as far as we can tell, Carnilove cat food has not been recalled.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does Carnilove Offer?
Carnilove – Into The Wild cat food has been formulated for a cat’s natural dietary needs. Since cats are almost exclusively meat-eaters, their anatomy and metabolism are adapted to processing food from animal sources.
The company makes grain-free formulas that are rich in wild-origin meats such as salmon, turkey, duck, pheasant, lamb, reindeer, and wild boar. Other ingredients include forest fruits and herbs to provide essential proteins, fats, vitamins, and natural antioxidants for a cat’s perfect physical condition and immune system support.
Carnilove makes fresh dry cat food, dry food, wet canned food, pouches, and snacks for cats.
- Carnilove Fresh – Fresh Dry/Fresh Meat Formulas include: Fresh Chicken & Rabbit; Fresh Carp & Trout (recommended for sterilized cats).
- Carnilove Dry – Duck & Turkey (large breed cats); Lamb & Wild Boar (sterilized cats); Reindeer (outdoor cats); Salmon & Turkey (kitten formula); Salmon (adult cats with sensitive digestion; long-haired cats); Duck & Pheasant (hairball control).
- Carnilove Cans – Chicken & Lamb for adult cats; Turkey & Salmon for kittens; Chicken, Duck & Pheasant for adult cats; Turkey & Salmon for adult cats; Turkey & Reindeer for adult cats.
- Carnilove Pouches – Wild-origin Fillets in Gravy. Complete food or delicious topping for kibbles. Unique types of meat. No grains, no potatoes, no GMO, no soy, no preservatives, no colorants. High meat content 85 percent.
- Carnilove Cat Pouch Multipack – Rich in Rabbit enriched with Marigold; Rich in Trout enriched with Echinacea; Rich in Wild Boar enriched with Chamomile; Rich in Pheasant enriched with Raspberry Leaves; Rich in Duck enriched with Catnip; Rich in Quail enriched with Dandelion Leaves; Rich in Turkey enriched with Valerian.
- Carnilove Snacks – Crunchy Duck with Raspberries; Crunchy Salmon with Mint; Semi-Moist Chicken with Thyme; Semi-Moist Sardines enriched with Parsley
Carnilove Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
Product Name | Food Type | Primary Protein | Calories | Price | Our Grade |
Carnilove Turkey & Reindeer canned/wet food for adult cats | Wet | Turkey | 1050 kcal per kg | £7.48 per lb | A |
Carnilove Fresh Carp & Trout | Dry | Carp | 3630 kcal per kg | £4.07 per lb | A- |
Carnilove Duck & Pheasant (hairball control) for adult cats | Dry | Duck | 3800 kcal per kg | £5.89 per lb | B+ |
What Do Customers Think of Carnilove Cat Food?
We found lots of reviews for Carnilove online on various pet supply websites. The majority of reviews were positive about the food with occasional comments that some cats hated the food, as you would expect. Most websites reported that over 90 percent of customers would recommend the food to other buyers.
Positive Reviews
“My kittens really like this (6 months) and very fussy at the moment. They also really like the set food for one of them this is the only set food she will eat, and they love all the treats. I like the high protein content and that I’m not feeding them junk. Delivery was also much faster than I expected.” – by Trusted Customer reviewing CARNILOVE Salmon & Turkey Kitten Food on November 4, 2024
“Services is very good also the food my cat is a forest cat and you can see the difference the way it is good for him fur and health only one thing would like to know why I can not find any were to buy it near me good food top marks.” – by Trusted Customer reviewing Carnilove Fresh Chicken & Rabbit Cat Food on September 8, 2024
Negative Reviews
“My cats didn’t agree with it, I do have a pair of very fussy Maine coons and they just didn’t enjoy your wet food Although I must say they love your dry food, they really enjoy that, can’t get enough lol” – by Roy Williams reviewing Carnilove Cat Pouch Multipack (12 x 85g) on September 20, 2024
“Not a lot of meat in the pouches, also my cat who will literally try and eat an onion if given the chance has decided she doesn’t like this food (she did eat it for like a day or two then stopped, had to go back to the old food), including the dry boar and trout pouches, i dont know what it is but she just doesnt like it at all, my other cat hasn’t even bothered touching it and she loves dry food, whichever one i give her. I really wanted this food to work for the variety in their diets but they just hate it!” – by Melissa Boyle reviewing NEW Carnilove Cat Pouch Wild Boar with Chamomile (24 x 85g) on August 30, 2024
How Much Does Carnilove Cat Food Cost?
A 100-gram can of Carnilove cat food costs about £1.35 in the UK. There can be some variation depending on the formula and ingredients. A case of 12 cans is about £16.20.
For their dry/fresh meat formulas, a 400-gram bag costs about £4.99.
Carnilove’s dry cat foods in 400-gram packages usually cost between £3.95 and £4.15, depending on the ingredients. Their dry foods are available in 2 kg bags as well for about £13.45. Bags of 6 kg cost £35.95.
Overall, Is Carnilove Cat Food a Good Choice?
We think that Carnilove cat food is a very good choice for cats. Wild-origin meats, with added vitamins and minerals as necessary, can be a healthy diet for your cat. Your house cat might not eat reindeer in the wild but she will probably appreciate the meat.
As far as we can tell, the ingredients in the foods are good quality, meeting EU regulatory standards. The dry and dry/fresh formulas do contain peas and chickpeas which are not ideal for cats.
If you are buying one of these formulas for your cat, we suggest that you read the ingredients to make sure these plant sources of protein are not near the top of the ingredient list. In small amounts they shouldn’t be a problem for your cat.
The company that owns Carnilove has been in business for over 20 years, owns multiple pet food companies, and is still expanding which is usually a good sign.
How Do You Order Carnilove Cat Food?
Carnilove is exclusively imported and distributed in the UK by BSB Products.
We found Carnilove available on various pet supply web sites in the UK and other countries. The food is also sold through Petco in Asia. Carnilove is also available on Amazon.com.uk.
We did notice that many formulas (not all) were currently out of stock on Amazon.com.uk, whether because of Covid-19 or supply chain issues. You may need to search a little if you are looking for Carnilove cat food but the food is available on pet supply web sites.
You can also purchase it through BSB, the Carnilove distributor in the UK. Many recipes are currently sold out on the BSB site but they should be the first to restock when Carnilove ships the food to the UK.
Hello!
Thank you so much for the detailed review.
I have a question regarding #2 and #3 why is it that #2 ranked higher even though the dry matter basis in #3 looks better with higher protein and lower carbs content than #2
Thank you again for your hard work.
It’s due to the whole nutrient profile of the foods. Hope this helps
Yes i did see your article on best kibble in the uk, however all of those options are not avaible in my country and amazon doesnt ship it to my location. Only kibble from that list i can buy is n&d and their kitten food has potatos and is only avaible in chicken which also gives her diarrhea. I’d love to feed her vital essentials mini bits but i can’t get it anywhere, nothing ships it to middle europe not even amazon.
Hi thank you so much for your amazing reviews! I feed my cat carnilove wet kitten food and pouches (she’s 5 months old) and everythings good but i tried giving her some of their kibble in a puzzle feeder for enrichment and it gave her digestive issues and quite serious diarrhea, eventualy figured it was caused by the kibble so now our garden hedgehongs get it instead. Do you think you could recomend some high quality kibble without peas and legumes for sensitive tummies, avaible in central europe? Anything that i find based on your best reviews is american based and nonavaible here. I would feed her wet only but she very much so likes the enrichment she gets from “caching” her food from the puzzle feeder. Thank you so much for any future response!
Hi Klara,
Did you see our article here:
https://cats.com/best-dry-cat-foods-in-the-uk
I am very interested in your opinion on the line of Carnilove true fresh feed. I want to transfer my cat from Brit care, because the veterinarian said that it contains a lot of peas and chickpeas (about 25%). And the doctor suspects that due to the constant use of food with an increased content of these products, my cat may have digestive problems. I am also considering such feeds as Farmina, Almo Nature, Monge and Shesir.
I give a link to Carnilove – https://carnilove.com/en/products/cats/true-fresh/133564-carnilove-true-fresh-cat-turkey
Hi Andrii, I’m happy to help! It’s possible that the high concentration of peas and chickpeas is contributing to your cat’s digestive issues, but it could also be an issue with dry food in general. Have you tried including wet food in your cat’s diet? While Carnilove is rich in turkey, it also contains a lot of carbohydrates, including peas and lentils. One of Almo Nature’s complete wet food recipes would be a much stronger choice for your cat.
Thanks! My cat is already on diet what includes dry and wet food. But my cat on veterinary diet (gastrointestinal) yet. And now I and veterinarian think about ideal diet for my cat.
It can be tough to make a decision, with so many options out there. But you’re doing well by your cat in really putting some thought into the decision!
Hi Andrii, I’ve been feeding my furkids with Carnilove Chicken & rabbit + Farmina N&D Chicken adults and happy with the result (big, healthy and very less health issue) until recently one of them are not well and the vet said it might due to the high protein level in both foods. So now I’m looking for another option with lower protein level. Plus all of them are very picky/fussy eater and they will only stick to the same food for almost 4 years now. Quite hard to find those with small amount of peas & chickpeas & lentils etc..
Thank you for the reviews! Is it possible to have more informations about their kitten dry food (salmon and turkey)?
Best regards
Hello Meylia, thanks for the comment. Their salmon & turkey kitten food looks very similar to the adult foods recommended here, with a similar meat-to-plant ratio and inclusion of wholesome ingredients like salmon oil, crustacean shells for glucosamine, cartilage for chondroitin, and sources of prebiotic fiber. While I would ideally recommend a more meat-heavy—and preferably, wet—kitten food, this food looks like one of the better dry options out there.
Hello and thank you so much for the quick reply, that is good news! And yes usually i give my cats 50% wet food 50% dry food (because the price of wet food is so much higher). Again thank you!!
Thank you for the article.
I have a 2 years old British Short Hair. I was looking for dry food better than Royal Canine Indoor.
Most of the brands mentioned in other articles are not available in my country. But I’m tempted to give this one a try since it’s available(if you think it’s better).
Joseph, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve seen of Carnilove, and I think it could be a good option, especially since most of those alternatives aren’t available in your country.
If there has been no recalls then why is the recall history rating 7/10?
I’ve reviewed this rating again, and I think it can be a bit higher. Normally, the rating tends to be a bit lower for newer brands without much experience in the industry, but given that Carnilove has been in business for almost 30 years, we’ll bump it up to a 10/10. Thank you for the heads up.