Canidae Grain Free Cat Food (Wet) Review And Nutritional Analysis

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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 – 0.5 Star

Here’s a few important points to consider for this particular line:

  • Meat is the first ingredient
  • Very limited filler ingredients, minimal thickeners
  • Includes extra vitamins, and high quality, proteinate minerals
  • Most recipes have a great macronutrient profile with good protein and minimal carbohydrate content
  • There are a lot of fish-based recipes, but we recommend a non-fish option

The Grain Free product line includes 21 wet recipes/flavors.

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.

canidae grain free wet

CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Limited Ingredient Diet Chicken was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Limited Ingredient Diet Chicken

Wet Cat Food

Estimated Nutrient Content
ProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis9%8.5%NA
Dry Matter Basis41%39%4%
Calorie Weighted Basis29%67%3%

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein

41%

Fat

39%

Carbs

4%

Fiber (guaranteed analysis)

1.5%

Calories/100g

94

Is real, named meat the first ingredient?

Yes

Ingredients

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Vegetable Broth, Pea Flour, Natural Flavors, Dried Egg Product, Agar-Agar, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex.

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 vegetable broth. Good.

Instead of water, this recipe also uses vegetable broth. It may contain some vitamins and minerals from the vegetables.

The fourth ingredient is pea flour. Bad.

Pea flour is “the fraction remaining after removal of fiber from pulse seeds.”

Cat’s don’t need much in the way of carbs, and peas are often used as a filler in grain-free recipes.

After natural flavors, the fifth 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 sixth ingredient is agar-agar. Good.

Agar-agar is derived from a red seaweed, but is different from carrageenan, a controversial ingredient.

It is used as a “gelling” substance, which helps keep food together.

Although they are both red seaweeds, it seems agar-agar does not suffer from the same potentially carcinogenic qualities as carrageenan.

Until we find research to prove that they are the same just because they both come from red seaweeds, we believe agar is a better gelling agent than most others used.

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 Canidae Grain Free Wet Cat Food

From top to bottom, this is an above average dry product.

Meat is the first ingredient, few fillers are used, and the macronutrient profile is fairly good. It usually includes between 40 and 50% protein on a dry-matter basis, and most recipes include very few carbs (though some include 20%+ carbs, including most ocean whitefish recipes).

This is a good example of a wet food you should be feeding to your cat.

Based on the ingredients and the macronutrient profiles, meat is likely the main ingredient, so we can assume that this is a meat-based recipe, which is appropriate for your feline.

To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 41% protein, 39% fat, and 5% carbs.

As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 46%, and average fat content of 28%, and an average carb content of 9%.

Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:

  • Average protein.
  • Above average fat.
  • Below average carbs.

Because meat comes first, there are minimal fillers, and the macronutrient profiles are generally good, our average rating for this brand is 4 stars.

Recommended.

Canidae 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 Canidae brand in the past:

  • May 2012 – Potential salmonella – Dog food recipes affected

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 Canidae 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. 

Emily Parker

Emily Parker is the Content Manager at Catological. She's passionate about helping cat parents love their cats better by providing the best information and recommendations about everything you'll need to know about your cat, from kitten to senior years. She believes natural, biologically-appropriate products are best...why wouldn't you provide the best for a member of your family?!