​Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food Review

Kit & Kaboodle cat food is a product line made by Purina in the United States. They offer dry food, wet food, and treats. Aimed at the budget consumer, Kit & Kaboodle is one of the least expensive cat foods in the market. It is also high in plant protein.

Learn more about Kit & Kaboodle cat food in our unbiased review.

The Cats.com Standard – Rating Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food on What Matters

We have analyzed Kit & Kaboodle 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 on the Cats.com website.

We give Kit & Kaboodle cat food a 35 out of 60 rating (58.33%) or a D grade.

About Kit & Kaboodle

We didn’t find much background about Kit & Kaboodle though the brand has been around for at least a couple of decades. It has always played second fiddle to Purina’s Cat Chow and their other more expensive cat food lines.

Purina, or more formally Nestle Purina Petcare, is an American subsidiary of the corporate giant Nestle which is based in Switzerland. Purina is based in St. Louis, Missouri. It is one of the largest pet food companies in the world.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

According to Purina, 99 percent of Purina pet food products sold in the U.S. are manufactured in their own facilities in the U.S. Purina has more than 20 pet food manufacturing facilities in the United States.

The company sources most of their ingredients for their American-made foods from the U.S. but they don’t give many details about the ingredients. The company does provide a source map to show where certain ingredients come from. Every ingredient used is traceable back to the source.

You can see a photo here of all of the proteins used in their foods, including things like soybean meal and corn gluten meal.

Purina states that it is likely that the grains used in their foods include genetically-modified grains since they make up a large portion of the grains grown in the United States. GMO grains are routinely combined with non-GMO grains.

Purina also has some of the most extensive quality checks in the pet food industry. They perform 100,000 quality checks per day from the time ingredients arrive, as the food is being made, until it is shipped.

Some pet lovers dislike Purina because of its size and the perception that it uses lower quality ingredients. In general, the company doesn’t make boutique-style foods. However, they do have subsidiary companies that make organic pet foods and use natural, highly sustainable ingredients. Some of their foods are very high in quality. Purina also invests in nutritional research for pets and uses board certified veterinary nutritionists on-staff to formulate their foods. They have a wide range of pet foods, some better than others.

Has Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food Been Recalled?

No, we didn’t find any recalls for Kit & Kaboodle. There are several pages online that state categorically Kit & Kaboodle has never had a recall.

However, Susan Thixton, on The Truth About Petfood website, reports that several consumers made complaints to ConsumerAffairs.com in 2014 that there were some 11 cats that died after eating Kit & Kaboodle. Caveats here: that was nearly 10 years ago, and feeding food is not proof that the food caused a death. That’s all we know about those complaints.

What Kinds of Food Does Kit & Kaboodle Offer?

Most of the Kit & Kaboodle food we found online and in local stores was dry kibble in very large bags. Purina has wet food and treats shown on their site but they appear to be less common at online retailers.

Dry Cat Food

• Kit & Kaboodle Original Dry Cat Food
• Kit & Kaboodle Indoor Dry Cat Food
• Kit & Kaboodle Outdoor Dry Cat Food

Wet Cat Food

• Kit & Kaboodle Bits and Bites with Turkey in Sauce Wet Cat Food
• Kit & Kaboodle Bits and Bites with Chicken in Sauce Wet Cat Food
• Kit & Kaboodle Pate with Liver and Chicken in Sauce Wet Cat Food
• Kit & Kaboodle Pate with Ocean Whitefish in Sauce Wet Cat Food

Treats

• Kit & Kaboodle Crunchy Chicken Cat Treats
• Kit & Kaboodle Crunchy Chicken and Cheddar Cat Treats
• Kit & Kaboodle Crunchy Salmon, Tuna & Shrimp Cat Treats

Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

#1 Kit & Kaboodle Original Dry Cat Food

$39.42 At Amazon

We’ll start by saying that Kit & Kaboodle Original Dry cat food is complete and balanced to meet the maintenance nutritional needs of adult cats. This is a budget cat food and it is lower in meat protein than many other foods. It will likely meet a cat’s nutritional needs for survival but cats may not thrive on it.

The first three ingredients are plant proteins – ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, and soybean meal. A small amount of one of these ingredients, lower in an ingredient list, wouldn’t be alarming. But as the first three ingredients, this tells you that this food is plant-based and lacking in meat protein. Since cats are obligate carnivores who need higher amounts of meat in their diet, this is concerning.

There is some meat in the food but it’s in the form of meat and bone meal (a low-quality ingredient) and ingredients lower in the list. Chicken by-product meal, midway in the list, maybe a good source of protein, depending on what it’s made from. Turkey by-product meal and ocean fish meal are near the bottom of the ingredient list so they may only be present in small amounts.

Additionally, this food contains artificial colors Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 2. There is no good reason to add coloring to pet foods. Your cat doesn’t care about the color of the food. Coloring is only added to appeal to the buyer.

Overall, this is a subsistence cat food. If you are feeding a colony of feral cats or barn cats; or looking for a very low cost food, Kit & Kaboodle Original Dry cat food could be an acceptable choice. Otherwise, we would recommend choosing a better food.

Purina Kit & Kaboodle Original is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for the maintenance of adult cats.

Calorie Content: 3534 kcal ME/kg, 382 kcal ME/cup

Ingredients

Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat
preserved with mixed-tocopherols, chicken by-product meal, animal liver flavor, phosphoric acid, salt, choline chloride, turkey by-product meal, ocean fish meal, taurine, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride

MINERALS [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite]

VITAMINS [Vitamin E supplement, niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A supplement, calcium
pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid (Vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (Vitamin K), biotin (Vitamin B-7)], DL-Methionine, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2.

We received an initial reply from Purina customer service when we requested the typical analysis for this food but they have not followed up with the information. The info provided here is the Guaranteed Analysis.

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken by-product meal, turkey by-product meal, ocean fish meal

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, meat and bone meal (especially as the first four ingredients)

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 28%

Crude Fat: 11%

Crude Fiber: 3%

Moisture: 12%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 31.82%

Fat: 12.5%

Fiber: 3.41%

Carbs: 52.27%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 27.8%

Fat: 26.52%

Carbs: 45.67%

Pros

• Nutritionally balanced for maintenance of adult cats
• Very affordable

Cons

• Low in meat protein
• Contains artificial colors
• Contains a high percentage of corn and plant protein
• Uses synthetic vitamin K – menadione sodium bisulfite complex

#2 Kit & Kaboodle Pate With Liver and Chicken in Sauce Wet Cat Food

Buy At Purina

We didn’t find Kit & Kaboodle wet cat food for sale online but Purina shows four flavors on their website. They have two pates and two bits and pieces of recipes. Kit & Kaboodle Pate with Liver and Chicken in Sauce Wet cat food is rated higher than some of the others.

Among the positives, this formula is made with real liver and chicken. The sauce adds moisture to your cat’s diet, which is often a concern. This food is also 100 percent complete and balanced for the maintenance of adult cats.

Looking at the ingredients, this wet food does not contain all of the plant protein found in Kit & Kaboodle Original Dry cat food. It contains poultry by-products, meat by-products, liver, and chicken as the first ingredients. While poultry by-products and meat by-products are a little vague and they may not be the best ingredients, at least they are meat protein.

The food does contain artificial flavors (and natural flavors), carrageenan, added color, and synthetic vitamin K. Artificial flavors is vague and it could be anything. Carrageenan is a controversial ingredient. It’s used in many foods (including human foods) but there is some suggestion that it may be linked to digestive problems. Added color is not necessary in pet foods. Synthetic vitamin K (menadione sodium bisulfate complex) is another controversial ingredient. Your cat would probably have to eat copious amounts of synthetic vitamin K to be harmed, but there is still the suggestion from some sources that the ingredient could be harmful. Some people will avoid foods that use this ingredient.

Taken all together, Kit & Kaboodle Pate with Liver and Chicken in Sauce Wet cat food appears to be a better food than the Kit & Kaboodle dry food but there are still some issues with it that you might want to avoid if you can buy better quality cat foods.

Kit & Kaboodle Paté With Liver and Chicken In Sauce is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance of adult cats.

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): 1020 kcal ME/kg, 155 kcal ME/can (5.35 ounce cans – 152 grams)

Ingredients

Water, poultry by-products, meat by-products, liver, chicken, oat flour, fish, artificial and
natural flavors, tricalcium phosphate, salt, guar gum

MINERALS [potassium chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide], added color, carrageenan, choline chloride, taurine

VITAMINS [thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin E supplement, niacin (Vitamin B-3), calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Vitamin A supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (Vitamin K), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin B-12 supplement, biotin (Vitamin B-7), folic acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin D-3 supplement].

We received an initial reply from Purina customer service when we requested the typical analysis for this food but they have not followed up with the information. The info provided here is the Guaranteed Analysis.

Ingredients We Liked: Liver, chicken, fish

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Carrageenan, added color, artificial flavors, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (a source of Vitamin K activity)

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 8%

Crude Fat: 5%

Crude Fiber: 1%

Moisture: 80%

Ash: 3.5%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 40%

Fat: 25%

Fiber: 5%

Carbs: 12.5%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 35.33%

Fat: 53.63%

Carbs: 11.04%

Pros

• The first four ingredients are meat proteins
• Complete and balanced for the maintenance of adult cats

Cons

• Contains added color
• Uses carrageenan
• Contains artificial flavors
• Contains the controversial ingredient Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (a source of Vitamin K activity)

#3 Kit & Kaboodle Crunchy Chicken Cat Treats

Buy At Purina

Kit & Kaboodle offers three cat treat recipes: crunchy chicken; crunchy salmon, tuna & shrimp; and crunchy chicken & cheddar. Crunchy Chicken has the highest ratings on the Purina page so we’ll look at it.

Chicken by-product meal is the first ingredient followed by brewer rice and corn gluten meal. The rest of the ingredients (and there are quite a few, including vitamins and some minerals) are things your cat would probably find tasty and things that would make the treats crunchy such as corn starch.

Despite the presence of some meat and fish protein, the treats also contain soybean hulls, artificial (and natural) flavors, artificial colors, the dangerous preservative BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), and synthetic vitamin K (menadione sodium bisulfite complex). BHT is known to cause liver and kidney damage in rats. While it is still used in some human foods in the United States, it is no longer used in many countries.

The presence of brewers dried yeast is also a concern. Brewers yeast is a good source of B vitamins but some cats can have a sensitivity or allergy to yeast products, including brewers yeast.

We suspect that these treats are probably tasty to cats but they contain a lot of potentially harmful ingredients. It also appears to contain a number of very low quality ingredients. We cannot recommend them.

This product is a treat and is not intended to be fed as a meal.

Calorie Content (ME Calculated): 3821 kcal ME/kg, 1.5 kcal per piece

Ingredients

Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, animal liver flavor, corn starch, powdered cellulose, fish, soybean hulls, malted barley extract, phosphoric acid, artificial and natural flavors, calcium carbonate, brewers dried yeast, salt, choline chloride, added color, taurine, Yellow 5, zinc sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Vitamin C), ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, Red 40, niacin, manganese sulfate, citric acid, Blue 2, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (Vitamin K), BHT (a preservative), sodium selenite.

We received an initial reply from Purina customer service when we requested the typical analysis for this food but they have not followed up with the information. The info provided here is the Guaranteed Analysis.

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken by-product meal, fish, malted barley extract

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Soybean hulls, artificial flavors, added color and artificial colors, BHT preservative

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 30%

Crude Fat: 13%

Crude Fiber: 6%

Moisture: 10%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 33.33%

Fat: 14.44%

Fiber: 6.67%

Carbs: 45.56%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 29.25%

Fat: 30.78%

Carbs: 39.97%

Pros

• Contains some meat and fish protein
• Cellulose and malted barley extract are sometimes used to help with hairballs

Cons

• Contains the artificial preservative BHT
• Uses synthetic vitamin K (menadione sodium bisulfite complex)
• Contains artificial colors
• Contains soybean hulls

What Do Customers Think of Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food?

We found a mix of reviews for Kit & Kaboodle.

Positive Reviews

“I moved in with my sister. She has been feeding the local feral cats for several years. I have picked up on feeding the cats. She has a dog and I go out early and feed the cats before the dog goes out. I fill up all the dishes with Kit-N-Kaboodle original. The cats clean up the dishes, sometimes by noon and other times by the next morning. They like it. We have a new kitten and when it hears the noise of the cat food it is right there now. The dish is just filled and the kitten is eating out of that dish.” – by Kindle Customer Pinkbillie reviewing Kit & Kaboodle Original Dry Cat Food on January 28, 2024

“You know I have cats and I have five and two of them have a sensitive belly so every time they ate they would throw it up and so I ended up buying this one and I’m so happy that they all can eat it. there isn’t a problem with the ones that get sick they they can tolerate it too so yeah I just keep buying the same one and they love it.” – by Dolores reviewing Purina Kit & Kaboodle Original on December 9, 2024

Negative Reviews

“Not the same! My cats used to love this food. It was small pieces just like other cat foods. Now the pieces are 3 times as big, more like dog food. My cats have problems chewing it and they won’t eat it. I gave this to the stray cats and had to buy something else. Three 30lb bags, huge waste of money!” – by Jay reviewing Purina Kit & Kaboodle Original on August 23, 2024

“My cat has just recently passed away. his cause of death was from having crystals (not actual crystals) in his blatter and he could not pee so his pee went back up into he blood system and kidney and causing him kidney failure. this is caused by dry food it’s caused by every dry food but this is the main producer. everything was going awesome with him before we gave him this horrible food.” – by chey1103 reviewing Purina Kit & Kaboodle Original 9 months ago

How Much Does Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food Cost?

Kit & Kaboodle cat foods are inexpensive compared to other brands in the United States.

Dry Kit & Kaboodle is available online in several different size bags. The 13-lb bag is $13.31 at Walmart; 16 lbs is $14.28; 22 lbs is $18.68; and the 30-lb bag is $25.28.

We couldn’t find the wet foods online at this time even though Purina still has them on their site. We found the treats for $3.99 for the 9-ounce package.

Overall, Is Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food a Good Choice?

Opinions online are mixed about Kit & Kaboodle. Some people like it and say that their cats love it. Many people buy it to feed to ferals. Other cat lovers say that their cats vomited after eating it.

Judging by the ingredients, the dry food might be okay to feed a cat colony if money is a concern. The wet foods (which we can’t find right now) appear to be a little better quality than the dry food.

As for the treats, we would recommend avoiding them. There are lots of safe preservatives and antioxidants that can be used in cat foods and treats. Purina doesn’t have to use BHT which could make your cat sick.

Overall, Kit & Kaboodle is a lower quality brand but it is very inexpensive. We would recommend choosing better food with better ingredients if you can afford it. This is not one of Purina’s better brands.

If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive cat food you might consider Friskies or Meow Mix. Both foods cost a little more than Kit & Kaboodle but they are also better quality.

How Do You Order Kit & Kaboodle Cat Food?

You can purchase Kit & Kaboodle dry foods and treats at many grocery stores and big box stores such as Walmart and Target. You can also order the food online from Amazon, Petflow, and other pet food retailers. Good luck finding the wet foods. Perhaps they will be back on the shelves soon.