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Rating
- Meat is the first ingredient – 1 Star
- Uses some unnamed meats – 1 Star
- Above average protein content – 0.5 Star
- Less than 4 controversial ingredients – 1 Star
- Catological Discretionary Rating – 1 Star
Verdict: American Journey provides a quality food at an affordable price.
American Journey has many varieties. For this review, we have chosen Grain Free Minced Chicken & Turkey.
American Journey Grain Free Minced Chicken & Turkey
Wet Cat Food
| Estimated Nutrient Content |
| Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed Analysis | 9% | 4% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 50% | 22% | 8% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 45% | 48% | 7% |
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Fiber (guaranteed analysis)
1%
Calories/100g
90
Is real, named meat the first ingredient?
Yes
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Turkey Broth, Chicken Liver, Turkey, Dried Egg White, Peas, Natural Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Guar Gum, Flaxseed, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Fish Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Sunflower Oil, Cranberries, Blueberries, Choline Chloride, Inulin, DL-Methionine, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.
Ingredients in red are controversial or of questionable quality.
Ingredient Breakdown
The first ingredient in this cat food is chicken. Good.
While quality of the individual ingredient can vary, chicken is a good protein source for cats.
It’s also important to note that chicken contains about 70% water, so when it is processed and cooked for use in cat food, it will become a smaller part of the total recipe.
The second ingredient is chicken broth. Good.
Instead of using water for processing, chicken broth is added for moisture.
Broth may contain vitamins and nutrients from the original animal (chicken, in this case), that water would lack.
This is usually a sign of a high quality food.
The third ingredient is turkey broth. Good.
Instead of using water for processing, turkey broth is added for moisture.
Broth may contain vitamins and nutrients from the original animal (turkey, in this case), that water would lack.
This is usually a sign of a high quality food.
The fourth ingredient is turkey. Good.
While quality of the individual ingredient can vary, turkey is a good protein source for cats.
It’s also important to note that turkey contains about 70% water, so when it is processed and cooked for use in cat food, it will become a smaller part of the total recipe.
The fifth ingredient is dried egg white. Good.
Egg whites, without the yolk.
Even though eggs are not meat, they are a highly digestible form of protein.
In fact, they are one of the most complete, bioavailable forms of protein for both humans and cats.
As long as it is not the main protein ingredient, the addition of egg is a quality ingredient.
The sixth ingredient is peas. Bad.
Peas are a quality carbohydrate, but cats don’t need much in the way of carbohydrates.
They are full of fiber, but also contain a fair amount of protein, which we should keep in mind when judging the meat content of this food.
There probably aren’t many peas in here, but there really doesn’t need to be any.
After natural flavors, which are fine, the seventh ingredient is dried egg product. Good.
Even though eggs are not meat, they are a highly digestible form of protein.
In fact, they are one of the most complete, bioavailable forms of protein for both humans and cats.
As long as it is not the main protein ingredient, the addition of egg is a quality ingredient
The eighth ingredient is guar gum. OK, but with reservation.
Guar gum comes from guar beans, and is a thickening agent.
In small quantities, like those in cat food, it should be a harmless ingredient.
However, some research has shown that including guar gum in a commercial cat food “had a significant negative effect on apparent protein digestibility in many of the cats and tended to depress apparent fat and energy digestibilities.”
While not heavily substantiated beyond this study, it might mean your cat needs to eat more protein to make up for the lower digestibility.
The ninth ingredient is flaxseed. Good.
Flaxseed provides a quality omega-3 fatty acid source, and nutritive fiber to the recipe.
It can only be digested when the outer shell is removed or destroyed, but there is no information given in this ingredient to determine if it is made bioavailable by grinding or flaking.
This recipe includes a number of other ingredients, but once you get down this far, none of them will be in large enough quantities to make a real difference, except for the added vitamins and minerals.
However, there are a few things you should know about.
This recipe uses the proteinate form of minerals, which means that they should be easier to digest for your cat, and be more readily available for her body to use to maintain her health. This is usually a sign of a quality food.
To read a more in depth article about any of the ingredients listed here, check out our Cat Food Ingredient Wiki (currently under development).
The Catological Verdict on American Journey Wet Cat Food
From top to bottom, this is an above average wet product.
Meat is the first ingredient, and numerous different types of meat are used. It contains a lot of extra vitamins and minerals.
While it does contain peas, there are not many of them based on the macronutrient profile.
This is a great example of a wet food you should be feeding to your cat.
Meat is the main ingredient in each of the flavors, with minimal filler ingredients. We can assume that this is a meat-based cat food, and is biologically appropriate for your cat’s dietary needs.
To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 50% protein, 22% fat, and 8% carbs.
As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 48%, and average fat content of 24%, and an average carb content of 10%.
Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:
- Average protein.
- Average fat.
- Below average carbs.
Because it contains numerous meat ingredients and has a good macronutrient profile, our average rating for this brand is 4.5 stars.
It’s also reasonably priced.
Highly recommended.
American Journey Cat Food Recall History
We do not believe that a recall indicates a low quality food or company, and we respect the fact that sometimes things happen that cause a manufacturer to recall a food.
Usually these things are non-life-threatening, and we think it’s important to take a moment to be thankful about just how few recalls there really are in the industry, considering the enormous volume of food produced.
However, we do believe that a history of recalls may point to a larger issue with a company, and that discerning consumers want to know who they’re buying from, especially when it comes to something as important as the food you feed your beloved cat.
Here is a list of recalls that have affected the American Journey brand in the past:
- We could find no instances of a recall in American Journey’s history
If you want to stay up to date on the latest recall information affecting your cat’s food, sign up to our email list and receive an email every time a recall is announced. We’ll also let you know about any updated ratings, recipe changes, or new cat foods on the market. (Our alert system will be launched shortly, check back soon.)
Where To Buy American Journey Cat Food
We recommend purchasing your pet products from Chewy.com. They continually prove that they walk the walk while talking the talk, and I’ve never dealt with a more dedicated pet-parent base of people than those who work at Chewy.
