HiLife Cat Food Review

HiLife is a family-owned pet food business based in Leicestershire, UK. The company uses strict standards for food safety and quality. HiLife supports local partners where possible but also uses the highest quality facilities and ingredients in other parts of the world. Learn more about HiLife in our unbiased review.

The Cats.com Standard – Rating HiLife Cat Food on What Matters

We have analyzed HiLife 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 HiLife in these key areas:

We give HiLife cat food a 43 out of 60 rating (71.67) or a B grade.

About HiLife

The HiLife brand of pet food for dogs and cats is owned by Town & Country Petfoods, a family-run business based in Melton Mowbray, a market town in rural Leicestershire, UK. The HiLife range of products was launched over 35 years ago. Town and Country Petfoods operates in England and Wales.

In 2020, the business had a retail sales value of over £40 million. That’s around 80 million dishes and treats served up every year to Britain’s cats and dogs.

HiLife products are sold in all major UK supermarkets including ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose. Products are also available a Pets at Home, in local independent pet stores, and from other online sources.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

The company states that their products are sourced from the UK, Europe, and the Far East. They only use ingredients and factories that meet strict standards for food safety and quality. Products and factories must comply with all UK and European Union requirements. The factories they use are inspected annually by third-party independent auditors to ensure they meet internationally recognized standards. Town & Country also visits the factories regularly.

Town & Country Petfoods was the first UK pet food manufacturer to sign an agreement with the Earth Island Institute to purchase verified Dolphin Safe tuna. In addition, the company’s own Technical and Commercial teams regularly visit ingredient suppliers.

An increasing number of Town & Country’s products are made in the UK but the company tries to use the best ingredients and facilities for a product. Their fish products, for example, come from Thailand, because that area is known for having some of the best tuna in the world. Thailand also has food production facilities that meet EU standards.

Many recipes are hand-prepared using quality raw ingredients such as whole tuna fish, and whole chicken birds which are gently steamed in pouches to help maintain the goodness of the ingredients. The fish and meat are flaked off the bones before they are blended with the vegetables.

Has HiLife Cat Food Been Recalled?

We didn’t find any recalls for HiLife pet foods or for Town & Country pet food products. In fact, we found one source online which stated the company has never had a recall. However, it’s hard to be certain about any actions that might have taken place prior to stories being posted on the Internet in the early 2000s.

What Kinds of Food Does Hilife Offer?

Along with their line of dog products, HiLife makes wet cat food and cat treats. Wet foods are sold in both cans and pouches. They make food for kittens, adult cats (1-6 years), and mature cats (7+ years). Almost all of the foods appear to be grain-free. We found a total of 34 cat foods and treats on the HiLife website.

HiLife cat products include:

• HiLife it’s only natural – 25 products
• HiLife Treats – 4 products
• HiLife Perfection – 7 products
• HiLife Pets Pantry – 2 products

HiLife Cat Food– Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

#1 Hilife it’s only natural The Tuna One

$25.89 At Amazon

HiLife its only natural The Tuna One is one of the most popular cat foods made by HiLife. For starters, this is a complete cat food. Some of HiLife cat products are complementary foods. They are very high in meat or fish protein but they don’t provide all of the nutrients your cat needs. This food is a complete meal, though you will likely need to give an average-sized cat (8-9 pounds/4 kg) several pouches per day.

This tuna is made with 100 percent natural ingredients, it’s grain-free, and contains 50 percent fish. It has no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. HiLife only uses dolphin-safe tuna.

The food includes tuna flakes made with dolphin-safe tuna, sunflower oil, yeast extract, and cassava extract; and tuna with mackerel made with dolphin-safe tuna, mackerel, and a few other ingredients. So, your cat has food with a couple of different textures.

Tuna and mackerel are good sources of protein that most cats love.

Yeast extract is a good source of B vitamins. The food also contains chicory extract which is good for your cat’s digestion. Cassava has many uses, as long as it’s prepared properly. It can’t be eaten raw because of its toxicity. Prepared correctly, it is one of the food staples of the world, along with corn and rice. It is the source of tapioca. We sometimes see tapioca used in grain-free pet foods in place of grains. Cassava extract is less commonly used in pet foods but it could be used here for texture and to help stabilize the food.

The food also contains cassia gum which is used as a thickener and texturizer in pet foods. It is approved by the European Food Safety Authority as a feed additive for cats and dogs in certain small amounts.

Vitamins and minerals are added but, as HiLife points out, that can be necessary to ensure your cat gets all of the nutrients he needs in his diet.

HiLife points out that despite every precaution, this recipe may contain some small bones.

Overall, HiLife is only natural The Tuna One looks like a healthy food that cats should like. No, it’s not human-grade and it doesn’t contain organic ingredients, but it does sound like HiLife makes every effort to use good-quality ingredients and produce safe cat food from well-run facilities.

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): 84 kcal/100 grams

Ingredients

Tuna flakes: Dolphin-Safe Tuna (50%), Sunflower Oil, Yeast Extract, Cassava Extract, Minerals, chicory extract (50 mg/kg), Yucca Extract (50 mg/kg).

Tuna with mackerel: Dolphin-Safe Tuna (35%), Mackerel (15%), Sunflower Oil, Yeast Extract, Cassava Extract, Minerals, Chicory Extract (50 mg/kg), Yucca Extract (50 mg/kg).

Ingredients We Liked: Dolphin Safe Tuna, Mackerel, Yeast Extract, Chicory Extract

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Sunflower oil is not as desirable as an animal fat for cats

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 12.5%

Crude Fat: 3.5%

Crude Fiber: 0.1%

Moisture: 82%

Ash: 1.2%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 69.44%

Fat: 19.44%

Fiber: 0.56%

Carbs: 3.89%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 57.6%

Fat: 39.17%

Carbs: 3.23%

Pros

• Contains 50 percent fish (dolphin-safe tuna and mackerel)
• 100 percent natural ingredients
• Grain-free
• No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives

Cons

• Some people dislike added gums such as cassia gum
• Cassava extract is unusual

#2 Pets Pantry From Hilife Meaty Chunks

$50.14 At Amazon

Pets Pantry from HiLife Meaty Chunks is another of HiLife’s popular cat foods. The Pets Pantry foods are complete foods for adult cats. They are made with no artificial colors or flavors.

This particular product includes two pouches with chicken and two pouches with beef. Pets Pantry also makes a chicken & beef recipe and a salmon & trout recipe (sold together). Each pouch contains 100 grams and the pouches are sold with four per package.

This meat chunk in jelly pack is made using meat and animal derivatives (including 4 percent beef), vegetable protein extracts, derivatives of vegetable origin, minerals, and various sugars for the chunks with beef.

The chunks with chicken contain similar ingredients: meat and animal derivatives (including 4 percent chicken), vegetable protein extracts, derivatives of vegetable origin, minerals, and various sugars.

As you may know, better quality foods usually have named ingredients. It’s difficult to draw conclusions about vague ingredients. The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA), a trade body for the UK pet food industry, says that meat and animal derivatives are sourced from animals that have been inspected and passed as fit for human consumption and are the parts of the animal that are surplus to the requirements of the human food industry in the UK such as heart, lung, or muscle meat. These ingredients may be natural. They may be high in protein and even nutritious for your cat. However, it would be better if they were clearly identified in the ingredient list.

The use of vegetable protein extracts suggests that the food may contain added corn gluten or a similar source of vegetable protein. This should not be harmful to your cat in a small quantity but it does boost the protein percentage on the label.

We do have to wonder about the “various sugars” used in the food. Some prebiotics are natural sugars but there is no indication that there are prebiotics in this food. Sugars can also be used to make pet foods taste better. Ideally, pet food companies should identify the sugars used in a food.

PETS PANTRY from HiLife Meaty Chunks in Jelly (chicken and beef) is a popular food. Most of the ingredients may be nutritious but we would have to rate this food lower than the HiLife its only natural cat food. This food costs less than the HiLife it’s only natural foods but if you can afford the difference, we would recommend the other food.

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): Metabolisable Energy 70 kcal/100 grams

Ingredients

Chunks with Beef: Meat & Animal Derivatives (Including Beef 4%), Vegetable Protein Extracts, Derivatives Of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Various Sugars.

Chunks with Chicken: Meat & Animal Derivatives (Including Chicken 4%), Vegetable Protein Extracts, Derivatives Of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Various Sugars.

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Beef

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Vague ingredients like Meat & animal derivatives, vegetable protein extracts, derivatives of vegetable origin, various sugars

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 8%

Crude Fat: 4%

Crude Fiber: 0.8%

Moisture: 84%

Ash: 1.5%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 50%

Fat: 25%

Fiber: 5%

Carbs: 10.63%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 41.21%

Fat: 50.04%

Carbs: 8.76%

Pros

• Chicken and beef are good sources of protein for cats
• No artificial colors or flavors
• A complete food for adult cats

Cons

• Contains vague, unknown ingredients
• Unlike some other HiLife products, does not say it uses natural ingredients

#3 HiLife Perfection Flaked Tuna Loin

$26.63 At Amazon

We mentioned earlier that HiLife makes both complete cat foods and complementary foods. Many cats love complementary foods but they don’t contain all of the nutrients your cat needs in his diet. If you feed your cat a complementary food, you have to feed it in conjunction with complete meals so your cat will have a healthy diet.

HiLife PERFECTION Flaked Tuna Loin is, hands down, the most popular food item for cats sold by HiLife and it’s a complementary food. It’s made with 100 percent natural ingredients and contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

It is made with flaked tuna loin in a jelly recipe. Only human-grade ingredients are used in this food. It is available in 1 x 70 gram pouch or in a pack of 18.

There are very few ingredients in this food. It contains: dolphin-friendly tuna loin (45 percent), tapioca starch, and minerals. It has cassia gum as an additive. As mentioned in a previous HiLife review, cassia gum is often used to add texture and stability to pet food. It is approved by the European Food Safety Authority for this purpose in pet food.

This food may contain small bones.

According to HiLife, this food can be fed every day as a treat. Be sure to feed a complete diet when feeding your cat treats such as HiLife PERFECTION Flaked Tuna Loin and monitor your cat’s overall calorie intake.

HiLife PERFECTION Flaked Tuna Loin appears to be an excellent treat for cats.

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): Metabolisable Energy 57 kcal/100 grams

Ingredients

Dolphin-friendly Tuna Whole Loin (45%), Tapioca Starch, Minerals

Ingredients We Liked: Dolphin-friendly tuna whole loin (45%)

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 10%

Crude Fat: 1%

Crude Fiber: 0.1%

Moisture: 86%

Ash: 1%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 71.43%

Fat: 7.14%

Fiber: 0.71%

Carbs: 13.57%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 69.79%

Fat: 16.95%

Carbs: 13.26%

Pros

• Made with dolphin friend whole loin tuna
• Made with no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors
• Made with 100 percent natural, human-grade ingredients

Cons

• Some people may not like the cassia gum in the food
• Some people can confuse complementary foods with complete foods which can lead to poor nutrition for their cat

What Do Customers Think of HiLife Cat Food?

We found lots of positive comments for all of HiLife’s pet foods. There are far more comments about the company’s dog products than cat products but most cat lovers seemed happy with their selections. There were comments, especially recently, about the higher cost of the foods.

Positive Reviews

“It took me a long time to find the right food for my puppy. She was a very fussy eater and she didn’t want to eat small pieces of dried food, she struggled to eat the hard little pieces and would leave it no matter what we did. We tried a number of different companies and the food was always hard, even though they advertised it as being soft or moist. When we found Pets Pantry we were so happy. The puppy eats this food no problem and never leaves any, doesn’t have to be persuaded to eat it. As soon as we put it down she is happy to every single piece. These are a small ball of dried food, which are the right size and not hard, she can break them into pieces and is so happy to eat this food. Thank you so much for providing such a marvelous, nourishing and balanced diet dog food, I would definitely recommend this food for anyone’s dogs.” – by Trusted Customer reviewing PETS PANTRY Complete Meaty Chunks with Tasty Chicken on October 31, 2024

“My cat loves this. He doesn’t want variety, he turns his nose up at all other menu suggestions” – by Trusted Customer reviewing HiLife Adult Cat Tuna Recipes in Sauce on November 28, 2024

Negative Reviews

“The tuna cat food was completely gone off, despite being in date. As soon as I opened the box, the awful smell hit me. Some of the packets were full of air, a clear sign they were gone off. I complained to Amazon and got a refund because there was no way this was safe to feed to my cats.

The chicken flavour does not appear to be gone off, bit I am skeptical about the quality of it. Whenever we have bought HiLife from a supermaket, our cats have loved it. Even our cat who will eat anything won’t touch this stuff. This, combined with the situation with the tuna flavour, makes me very concerned about this product and I have therefore decided to bin this too.

I would not reccommend buying this. I don’t believe it is safe and think it should be investigated and taken off sale unless Amazon can be sure the issues have been resolved. My original review was also rejected by Amazon, which concerns me too” – by AmazonCustomer1 reviewing HiLife it’s only natural – Complete Wet Cat Food – The Big Tuna One in Jelly on November 4, 2024

“We ordered a box of this food but although not passed sell by date the food was spoilt and not edible for cat” – by Gavin Haynes reviewing HiLife it’s only natural – Complete Wet Cat Food – The Big Tuna One in Jelly on September 17, 2024

How Much Does HiLife Cat Food Cost?

HiLife cat foods and treats are typically available in different size packages so you can purchase eight or 32 pouches of the HiLife it’s only natural The Tuna One, for example. Eight pouches (70 grams per pouch) of this recipe costs £4.79 on the HiLife website. For a box of 32 pouches, the cost is £17.00. With a subscription service from HiLife, you can save five percent, making the cost £4.55 / £16.15.

PETS PANTRY from HiLife Meaty Chunks is available as four pouches (100 grams per pouch) costing £1.15. You can purchase 48 pouches for £13.50. With the subscription service, the costs are £1.09 / £12.83.

HiLife Perfection Flaked Tuna Loin is sold in packages of 18 pouches (70 grams per pouch). The price on the HiLife website for a one-time purchase is £12.05. The subscription price is £11.40.

With the subscription service, products are automatically delivered on your schedule. You can modify or cancel your subscription at any time. Delivery for orders over £30 is free for mainland UK. With the subscription service, the delivery cost for the Scottish Highlands and Islands is £6.50.

For more information about the subscription service, check HiLife’s FAQ page.

Overall, Is HiLife Cat Food a Good Choice?

Yes, we think that HiLife cat food is a good choice. Some foods or product lines are better than others. We are happy to recommend HiLife its only natural cat foods, HiLife Perfection (complementary foods), and HiLife Treats. We didn’t think that PETS PANTRY from HiLife Meaty Chunks was as high in quality as these other HiLife foods/treats.

Other cat foods that might be similar to HiLife would be Weruva and Tiki Cat which also use dolphin-safe or dolphin-friendly tuna. Weruva states on its website that its manufacturing facility in Thailand is certified by Earth Island Institute.

How Do You Order HiLife Cat Food?

You can buy HiLife cat food from the HiLife website with a single purchase or with their subscription service.

HiLife is also widely available in supermarkets throughout the UK as well as in pet specialty stores. It’s also available on amazon.co.uk and through other online retailers.

At this time the HiLife website does not ship the food overseas but some online retailers do sell to customers in other countries. This is just one food so I don’t know why they have separated the tuna flakes and the tuna with mackerel.