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Rating
- Meat is the first ingredient – 1 Star
- Uses some unnamed meats – 1 Star
- Above average protein content – 0 Star
- Less than 4 controversial ingredients – 0.5 Star
- Catological Discretionary Rating – 0 Star
Here’s a few important points to consider for this particular line:
- Meat is the first ingredient
- Includes multiple fillers, like rice and barley
- Contains vitamins and quality, proteinate versions of minerals
- Contains probiotics
- Not the worst formulation, but a lot is left to be desired
The American Journey product line includes 1 dry recipe/flavor.
Each recipe below includes its related AAFCO nutrient profile when available on the product’s official webpage or packaging: Growth (G), Maintenance (M), All Life Stages (A), Supplemental (S) or Unspecified (U).
The star rating is a rough average of all of the flavors in a single line of food. If an individual recipe scored lower or higher, we will mark that below, next to the flavor.
American Natural Premium
Dry Cat Food
| Estimated Nutrient Content |
| Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed Analysis | 34% | 14% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 38% | 16% | 34% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 35% | 35% | 31% |
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Fiber (guaranteed analysis)
3.5%
Calories/100g
382
Is real, named meat the first ingredient?
Yes
Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Poultry Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Pearled Barley, Tomato Pomace, Whole Dried Egg, Carrots, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Cranberries, Dl-Methionine, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Sodium Selenite, Vitamins [Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin], Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Magnesium Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate], Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Pediococcus Acidilactici Fermentation Product.
Ingredients in red are controversial or of questionable quality.
Ingredient Breakdown
The first ingredient in this cat food is chicken meal. Good.
Chicken is a very good protein source for cats.
Chicken meal is a concentrated form of chicken, and is considered a high quality ingredient.
In short, much of the moisture of the chicken is taken away, and you are left with a very high-protein, low-moisture powder-like substance.
The inclusion of chicken meal helps to ensure a very high protein level.
The second and third ingredients are brown rice and white rice. Bad.
It may be slightly better than corn in some areas, but rice is simply not biologically appropriate for cats.
It is a filler ingredient.
Studies hypothesize that rice may decrease taurine absorption in cats, leading to taurine deficiency, a dangerous ailment.
The fourth ingredient is poultry fat. Bad.
Named fat is actually a good ingredient (chicken fat, for example), because we know where it comes from and the fat is usually a healthy addition to the food.
However, when the word “poultry” is used, we have no idea if it’s from chicken, turkey, or any other type of poultry.
Knowing what we know about the rendering industry, it could also very well contain 4-D animals…Dead (from reasons other than slaughter), Dying, Diseased, and Disabled.
Basically, if you can’t name the meat ingredient, including fat, it’s a risky proposition and you really have no idea what you’re feeding your kitty.
The fifth ingredient is pearled barley. Bad.
While it is a useful grain in most senses, and better than many alternatives, it is still a grain.
And cats do not require grain. Therefore it is not biologically appropriate.
Barley is high in fiber, and has an average amount of protein for a grain.
The sixth ingredient is tomato pomace. OK, but with reservations.
It is basically a by-product of tomatoes after they have been used for sauces, ketchup, and the likes.
Some say it’s a useful form of fiber, while some say it’s a pointless, cheap, filler ingredient.
Whatever the case, there’s probably not enough to make much of a difference here.
The seventh ingredient is whole dried egg. 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
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.
There are also many probiotic strains which help introduce enzymes into the gut to break down the food better and make it more digestible and bioavailable. These are generally considered high quality ingredients.
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 Natural Premium Dry Cat Food
From top to bottom, this is an average dry product.
Meat is the first ingredient, but we assume that if you combine the white and brown rice into one ingredient, it would be the first one listed. That means there’s probably not a lot of actual meat.
It does contain a lot of extra vitamins and minerals, and even probiotics.
This is not a good example of a dry food you should be feeding to your cat.
Meat is the first ingredient, but with so many grains and other carbs added, there’s probably not enough meat to call it a meat-based food.
We can assume that this is a plant-based cat food, which is not biologically appropriate for your kitty’s body.
To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 38% protein, 16% fat, and 34% carbs.
Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:
- Below average protein.
- Average fat.
- Above average carbs.
Because it contains just one meat ingredient and is full of fillers, our average rating for this brand is 2.5 stars.
Not recommended.
American Natural Premium 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 Natural Premium brand in the past:
- We could find no instances of a recall in American Natural Premium’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 Natural Premium 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.
Plus, they offer 20% off and free shipping on lots of orders.
