Published Mar 21, 2019
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Earthborn on What Matters
We’ve analyzed Earthborn and graded it according to the Cats.com standard, evaluating the brand on species-appropriateness, ingredient quality, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. Here’s how it rates in each of these six key areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 6/10
- Ingredient Quality – 7/10
- Product Variety – 5/10
- Price – 6/10
- Customer Experience – 9/10
- Recall History – 10/10
Overall Score: 7.2/10
We give Earthborn cat food a 43 out of 60 rating or a B grade.
About Earthborn
Earthborn Holistic is owned by Midwestern Pet Foods, a US-based company that began as a milling operation in 1926 and, according to Petful, started making pet food in the 1940s.
Midwestern Pet Foods is now in its fourth generation of family ownership and operates as a subsidiary of Nunn Milling Company Inc. In addition to Earthborn Holistic, the company owns and manufactures several pet food brands including Pro Pac, Sportmix, and Wholesomes.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Earthborn cat food is primarily made from US-sourced ingredients. Exceptions to this rule include lamb meal from Australia or New Zealand, flaxseed grown in Canada, and potentially, some vitamins, minerals, or amino acids from China.
Earthborn Holistic dry foods are made in company-owned facilities in the United States. Midwestern Pet Foods owns and operates facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, and New York. These manufacturing facilities are approved for sales to the European Union, Russia, Israel, Australia, and other countries with stringent import regulations. They’re HACCP approved and FDA-inspected.
Earthborn Holistic’s wet food manufacturing is outsourced to US Pet Nutrition, a subsidiary of the Thai Union Group.
Has Earthborn Cat Food Been Recalled?
In March of 2021, the FDA announced that Midwestern Pet Foods was issuing a voluntary recall of numerous brands, including Earthborn Holistic. The recall was prompted by potential salmonella contamination of products produced at the company’s Monmouth, Illinois manufacturing facility.
This announcement came months after Midwestern Pet Foods issued a recall due to aflatoxin mold contamination in foods made at the company’s Oklahoma facility.
While it didn’t affect Earthborn Holistic, this aflatoxin mold contamination was a serious concern for consumers purchasing other brands manufactured by this company. As of a January 2021 report, the FDA was aware of 110 pets who’d died and more than 200 who got sick after eating affected foods.
What Kinds Of Cat Food Does Earthborn Offer?
The Earthborn Holistic cat food lineup includes both wet and dry food. Their dry food selection is limited to three products. All but Feline Vantage™ are grain-free.
The brand’s wet cat food selection is larger, including a variety of grain-free foods in cans or pouches.
Their meat-first recipes are made without corn, soy, wheat, or animal by-products. They’re free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
Earthborn Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Price | Our Grade |
| Earthborn Holistic Chicken Catcciatori Grain-Free Natural Adult Canned Cat Food | Wet | $0.47 per oz | B- |
| Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medley Grain-Free Natural Canned Cat & Kitten Food | Wet | $0.43 per oz | C |
| Earthborn Holistic Primitive Feline Grain-Free Natural Dry Cat & Kitten Food | Dry | $0.14 per lb | C |
#1 Earthborn Holistic Chicken Catcciatori Grain-Free Natural Adult Canned Cat Food Review
Chicken appears to be the primary protein source in this wet cat food.
This popular food is straightforward and simple. With the exception of Chicken Catcciatori’s potato content, it follows the same recipe blueprint used by brands like Weruva and Tiki Cat.
Chicken broth is the first ingredient, followed by shredded chicken meat. The third ingredient is potato, which increases the food’s carbohydrate content without adding significant nutritional value.
The food contains sunflower oil as its primary fat source. While it’s not harmful to cats, sunflower oil and other plant-sourced fats aren’t optimal for obligate carnivores. We’d rather see animal-sourced fats on the ingredient list.
The food is thickened with guar gum. While guar gum isn’t an essential ingredient in cat food and is certainly not species-appropriate, it doesn’t appear to be harmful.
After the primary ingredients, the recipe includes a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Overall, Earthborn Holistic Chicken Catcciatori is a meat-based food with high protein, low fat, and moderate carbohydrate content.
It has 70 calories in each 3-ounce can or 23 calories per ounce.
Ingredients
Chicken Broth, Chicken, Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Salt, Potassium, Chloride, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Rich in animal protein
- Virtually free of plant protein
- Low carbohydrate content
- Made with named meats rather than by-products
- Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
- Carrageenan-free
Cons
- Contains potatoes
- High carbohydrate content compared to other wet foods
#2 Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medley Grain-Free Natural Canned Cat & Kitten Food Review
Skipjack tuna appears to be the primary protein source in this wet cat food.
This canned food consists of chunky, flaky fish in a thickened fish broth.
Fish broth is the first ingredient, followed by skipjack tuna. This species is relatively small and is the variety you’ll find in the average can of tuna for people. Skipjack is followed by mackerel, a name applied to over 30 species of ocean fish. Though various fish species share the name, all mackerel have shared characteristics. As food, they’re quite oily and rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Potatoes appear as the fourth ingredient. Cats don’t naturally eat plants and high-glycemic vegetables like potatoes are a particularly species-inappropriate option.
The food contains sunflower oil as a fat source. Ideally, animal fat sources would predominate over plant-derived fats. It’s stabilized with guar gum, a natural thickener. Like potatoes and sunflower oil, guar gum isn’t species-appropriate, but it’s also not necessarily harmful.
The food contains a trace amount of “natural flavors”, an additive typically made from hydrolyzed animal tissue and added to lend flavor and increase the food’s palatability.
The ingredient list concludes with the standard array of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids necessary to make each meal nutritionally complete and balanced.
Overall, this food is high in protein, low in fat, and low in carbohydrates.
The food has 22 calories per ounce or 66 calories in each 3-ounce can.
Ingredients
Fish Broth, Skipjack Tuna, Mackerel, Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K), Potassium Iodide.
Ingredients We Liked: Skipjack Tuna
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Primarily made with animal protein sources
- Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
- No carrageenan
Cons
- Primarily made from fish, which isn’t ideal for cats
- Contains several species-inappropriate ingredients
#3 Earthborn Holistic Primitive Feline Grain-Free Natural Dry Cat & Kitten Food Review
Turkey meal and chicken meal appear to be the primary protein sources in this dry cat food.
Earthborn Holistic’s popular grain-free dry food is a meat-rich product that nixes the usual corn, soy, and wheat in favor of more on-trend peas, pea starch, and pea protein.
But is it better than the average dry food? Let’s take a closer look at the ingredient list.
The first ingredient is turkey meal, which is turkey with water and fat removed. It’s a concentrated source of animal protein. Turkey meal is followed by another protein concentrate—chicken meal.
After these meat ingredients, the food contains peas and a few pea derivatives, including pea starch, pea protein, and pea fiber. These ingredients help to bind the food while increasing its protein, fiber, and carbohydrate content.
Chicken fat is the food’s primary fat source. It’s good to see an animal-sourced fat featured prominently on the ingredient list. Animal fat has a rich fatty acid profile appropriate for carnivores.
Speaking of fatty acids, the food contains flaxseed. While flaxseed is a good source of omega-3s for people, cats require the fatty acids found in animal fat and can’t utilize the type found in flaxseed.
The food contains dried eggs and a small amount of Pacific whiting meal as additional sources of animal protein.
Before we reach a series of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, the ingredient list features small amounts of apples, blueberries, cranberries, carrots, and spinach. Earthborn Holistic says these ingredients provide antioxidants and other nutrients to support a healthy immune system.
Finally, the ingredient list includes a long series of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It concludes with probiotics to support digestive health and immune function.
Overall, this is a meat-rich food with high protein content, moderate fat, and moderate carbohydrate content. Compared to other dry foods, it’s low in carbohydrates and plant ingredients.
Each cup of the food contains 395 calories.
Ingredients
Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Chicken Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Pea Starch, Pea Protein, Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Pea Fiber, Dried Eggs, Pacific Whiting Meal, Apples, Blueberries, Cranberries, Carrots, Spinach, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, L-Lysine, DL-Methionine, Calcium Sulfate, L-Carnitine, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken Fat
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Peas, Pea Starch, Pea Protein
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Primarily made from named meats rather than vaguely-labeled meals and by-products
- Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
- Low carbohydrate content compared to other dry foods
Cons
- High carbohydrate content
What Do Customers Think of Earthborn Cat Food?
Most Earthborn cat food listings receive positive customer reviews, earning primarily four and five-star reviews.
Most complaints are related to the food’s palatability. Some cats just don’t like the way Earthborn Holistic foods taste and a few long-time customers complain that several formulas aren’t as good as they once were.
Here’s what a few customers have to say about Earthborn products:
Positive Reviews
“The food was popular with the cats and the bag closure was popular with me. It’s like a Velcro strip rather than those annoying zip-lock strips that never work.” – GmaCat, reviewing Earthborn Holistic Primitive Feline Grain-Free Natural Dry Cat & Kitten Food
“Consistency: This is mostly shredded fish meat with some medium-sized chunks of fish in a gravy. Palatability: My cats loved this! Four paws up from them. Nutrition: This is lower calorie (66 kcal/can) but higher carb than I’d prefer (10%). It’s not a huge deal because my cats aren’t diabetic, but I do try to keep carbs low because they have a tendency to get chunky. Value: This is a bit expensive, but I think it’s a great quality food. Packaging: I love the upside-down labeling on these cans. It’s super visually appealing (but doesn’t do much for the food itself). I do wish that they had variety packs of their food available.” – Jess, reviewing Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medley Grain-Free Natural Canned Cat & Kitten Food
Negative Reviews
“I agree with reviewer “Piwacket” from April 2016. I started buying Earthborn at the recommendation of a rep that was set up at the store where I get my boys food from (before chewy that is). I have been very happy with many of the varieties over the years, but the chicken has changed. It used to be loaded full with the shredded chicken, like a can fresh white meat. My boys loved it and licked the bowls clean. Now I open the can and it’s getting to be a dark, goopy, jelly, globby mess that was never there before. The chicken seems of a lower quality and I’m not overly fond of the goop it’s now soaking in. One brother won’t finish it the other walks away from it after a sniff and meows at me to give him something different. I still love the beef variety and the Harbor Harvest and so do the boys. I wish I knew I was writing this tonight I would have taken a photograph of a freshly opened can, I have good light in my kitchen for that to see the new appearance. It’s very different from what it used to be. I recommend the brand without reservation but not this particular variety any more. If you asked me when I first started buying the chicken I would have told you I would feed this and nothing else to my cats it was such great quality food.” – DiverHiker, reviewing Earthborn Holistic Chicken Catcciatori Grain-Free Natural Adult Canned Cat Food
“The potato should be taken out as it has not got a positive impact on the cats especially more dense breeds such as the British Shorthair which need more high protein foods with less fat and carbohydrates.” – Kaela, reviewing Earthborn Holistic Primitive Feline Grain-Free Natural Dry Cat & Kitten Food
How Much Does Earthborn Cat Food Cost?
Earthborn Holistic is priced similarly to other brands marketed as natural, holistic, or organic.
Based on the company’s feeding guidelines for the average 10-lb cat, Earthborn Holistic wet cat food would cost about $3.87 per day. Earthborn Holistic dry food would cost closer to $0.35 per day.
Overall, Is Earthborn A Good Choice?
Earthborn Holistic is one of the most trustworthy brands on the market. Their parent company has been making pet food for over 70 years without issuing a single recall. Their products receive largely positive reviews and most customers say their cats love it.
Their dry foods are made without a slurry of by-products and tend to have low carbohydrate content compared to other brands. Their wet food is less impressive. Most of their wet recipes are high in carbohydrates compared to other foods, particularly those at the same price point.
Earthborn Holistic foods don’t live up to the most stringent carnivorous standards, but they have an uncontested reputation for superior quality control and safety.
Where Is Earthborn Cat Food Sold?
Earthborn Holistic is sold in pet specialty retail stores and online. Online retailers include Heartypet, PetFlow, Chewy, and other stores that carry cat food.
It took me a long time to find a cat food that all my cats would eat and was at least healthier than average. I settled on Earthborn Holistic Chicken Catcciatori. I mixed that with homemade raw food quite awhile but now they just get the raw food and a small amount of dry food.
Charles, it’s always good to learn about how you’ve developed a diet that works for both you and your cats. Thanks for chiming in!
I should sue this website for misleading review!
They wrte “Sourcing and Manufacturing
Earthborn cat food is primarily made from US-sourced ingredients. Exceptions to this rule include lamb meal from Australia or New Zealand, flaxseed grown in Canada, and potentially, some vitamins, minerals, or amino acids from China.”
This is not true! All the wet food is made in Thailand. Not safe.
Hey there,
Sorry to hear that you feel misled by the article. To make sure that we have all the right information, I gave Earthborn Holistic a call and asked for more details on their sourcing practices. The person on the phone explained that while the wet foods are indeed made in Thailand, none of their ingredients are sourced there. Instead, she said, most of their ingredients are sourced from the United States with a few exceptions—but nothing from Thailand.
This statement is in conflict with information on their FAQ page, where they claim to source tapioca from Thailand. At any rate, it looks like Earthborn Holistic wet food is made in Thailand from primarily US-sourced ingredients.
Hope this helps to clarify the situation!
– Mallory
I feed this to my kitties. Never had an issue. All other brands caused vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, ect. Earthborn will always be in my kitties bowls. As for the canned, I buy redford as more varieties and rates way better.
My cat will only eat the harbor harvest. The can says distributed by midwestern cat food but when buying by the case the box says product of thailand. This has always disturbed me, buy now with the corona virus i am fearful of the contents. Any thoughts?
Hi Sandy,
Thanks for the question! According to my research, cat food from Thailand should be just as safe and nutritious as food manufactured in the United States or most other countries in the world. There are a few differences between the Thai Department of Livestock Development and the system of US agencies that oversee cat food safety, but overall, there aren’t any indications of safety or quality control issues specific to this country. Also note that while Earthborn Holistic wet foods are manufactured in Thailand, most of their ingredients are sourced from the United States and a couple of other countries.
I understand your concern about the coronavirus, but please know that food from Thailand should be as safe as anything else you can buy. To put things into perspective, Thailand appears to have been very proactive and vigilant since very early on in the outbreak. It currently has fewer cases per million people than does the United States. And given the amount of time the food takes to make its way from the manufacturer to the distributor to the retailer and, finally, your home, any infectious particles on the package are more likely to come from your postal carrier or other customers in the store than someone in Thailand.
As long as you practice good hygiene, it should be perfectly fine to continue feeding your cat the Harbor Harvest food.
Take care,
Mallory
Hello,
There are so many cat foods out there.
What DRY cat food do you recommend that is the healthiest?
thanks so much
Hi Lonnie, thanks for commenting. You’re right—there are a lot of options out there.
Here’s a link to our list of the healthiest dry cat food on the market: https://cats.com/best-dry-cat-food
Hope this helps!
Best,
Mallory
I need a canned food for early kidney disease. Any suggestions?
Hi Donna,
Thanks for stopping by! I’d recommend that you check out our guide to the best cat food for kidney disease, which lists several wet foods that can help cats in the early stages of renal disease.
Wishing you all the best!
My Male cat has developed a high alkaline urine. No crystals. He is eating Earthborn dry and wet food. Is there something that can help him with this urine problem?
Hi Anne, you may want to ask your vet for recommendations. Otherwise, a meat-based diet, preferably one containing DL-methionine, would generally be your best bet. Hope this helps! – Mallory
Hello, Mallory,
In your response to Sandy, written on March 31, 2020, you mentioned in a response to her query with regard to Harbor Harvest that ” . . . most of their ingredients are sourced from the U.S. and a couple of other countries.” I would like to know specifically which ingredients are sourced from “other countries,” and I would like you to identify these countries. I also feed my cats Harbor Harvest, and I would like to know what the ingredients are, in particular, what the thick whitish liquid is that covers the food? “DiverHiker,” in a review above, describes this as “goopy, jelly, globby mess.” My cats enjoy HH, but I have the concerns I mentioned. In your own review, you mention not liking the potato, which is not particularly good for the animals.
Thank you for your response. Ruth
Hey there, Ruth. Thank you for your question! I haven’t been able to get those specific details from the people at Earthborn, but I would encourage you to contact the company with your questions regarding specific countries of origin for each ingredient. I’d also bring your question about the specific components of that whitish liquid on the surface of the food. Here’s a link to Earthborn’s customer support page: https://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/contact-us
I have been using the Earthborn Holistic grain free dry cat food for 5 yrs. I had a cat that became diabetic and did not want to put him on insulin injections. I purchased his food from the vet. for awhile until a sales person at my pet store showed me this food. I gradually weaned him and my other 4 cats off of what I had been giving them and not only did all 5 like it but it completely reversed my diabetic cat to where his glucose levels were normal. This food literally saved his life. The pet store is going out of business in Dec. and I am beside myself because there is no other store anywhere here that carries it. I did find it on chewy and will order it from there. I wouldn’t give my cats anything else.
hey there! just wanted to say that you should probably update the recall history since Midwestern Pet Foods has recently recalled several of their food lines for salmonella contamination, as well as risk for aflatoxin poisoning. i just think that’s important to mention 🙂
Hi Katie, we are aware of this and will update the article shortly. Thank you!
I would expedite that recall update:
https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/midwestern-pet-foods-voluntarily-recall-due-possible-salmonella-health-risk
Mortality from Salmonella contamination can be as high as 70% in senior cats.
100+ pet deaths and 200+ pet illnesses linked to this recall,
Hi Mark, I just updated the review. Thank you.
Dry matter analysis of the wet food seems to be wrong, carbs is not 82% but less than 10%.
Thank you; I will pass this along to our dev team.
Ok… you give the dry food an overall C rating yet in your analysis you generally have good things to say. Can you explain why it has a C rating, which is lower than the wet food (one of them) when it seems you concluded at the end the dry food was better than the wet food. Based on what you said it sounds like the dry food should at least be a B.
Hi there. Thanks for the observations. All foods, whether wet or dry, are graded according to the same standards. Therefore, even a dry food that is better than the average kibble will likely get a lower grade than any wet food, simply because dry foods—even comparatively good ones—tend to be nutritionally inferior (by our standards) to wet ones. It is based on a combination of nutritional and product/brand quality standards that we give the brand an overall B grade. Let me know if you have any other observations—we’re more than open to adjusting the ratings and rating system. Thank you!
I have fed my cat Earthborn Chicken Catettori for years but recently when I got a new case he started vomiting. We have done blood work and X-rays and all look good. I have changed to a prescription diet and so far he is doing great. Has something changed in the ingredients?
Hey there! I haven’t seen any indication that the formulation has changed recently. It’s possible that your cat had developed a sensitivity to chicken over time—is the prescription diet made with hydrolyzed protein or chicken-free? That could help you rule out sensitivity as an underlying cause.
They prescription is rabbit . Thank you for checking on this. It appears that it’s like you said he must have developed sensitivity to chicken
Cool! Thanks for the update.