Chicken Soup For The Soul Cat Food (Wet) Review And Nutritional Analysis

Our review process is unbiased and based on extensive research. If you buy through the links on our site, we may earn a commission.

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 – 0 Star
  • Catological Discretionary Rating – 0.5 Star

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

  • Meat is the first ingredient
  • There’s a good variety of meats in most recipes, in adequate, but not enormous, quantities
  • Includes extra vitamins, and high quality, proteinate versions of some minerals
  • Macronutrient profiles are quite good, with enough protein and fat, and decently low carbohydrates
  • Does use a variety of unnecessary filler ingredients

The Chicken Soup product line includes 4 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.

chicken soup wet

Chicken Soup Adult was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Chicken Soup Adult

Wet Cat Food

Estimated Nutrient Content
ProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis10%5.5%NA
Dry Matter Basis45%25%16%
Calorie Weighted Basis37%50%13%

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein

45%

Fat

-1%

Carbs

16%

Fiber (guaranteed analysis)

1%

Calories/100g

124

Is real, named meat the first ingredient?

Yes

Ingredients

Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Broth, Turkey Broth, Salmon, Turkey, Duck, Dried Egg Product, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Flaxseed, Oatmeal, Carrots, Peas, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Cassia GumXanthan Gum, Taurine, Apples, Cranberries, Dried Kelp, Vitamins (Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Inulin, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Choline Chloride Parsley.

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 very 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 liver. Good.

Liver is an important organ meat that your cat would eat in the wild to get extra protein, vitamins, and minerals.

This is usually a sign of a high quality food.

The third 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 fourth 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 fifth ingredient is salmon. OK, but with reservations.

A good source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

Fish oils support the health of the skin, coat, joint, kidneys, heart, and immune system, and may even help with serious illnesses such as cancer.

However, do we not believe cats should be fed a diet high in fish.

Cats may be allergic to fish, fish may contain toxins from contaminated waters, and in the wild, it is not common to find cats who eat fish, even if they live close to water.

The sixth ingredient is turkey. Good.

While quality of the individual ingredient can vary, turkey is a very 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 seventh ingredient is duck. Good.

While quality of the individual ingredient can vary, duck is a good protein source for cats.

It’s also important to note that duck 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 eighth 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 ninth ingredient is whole grain brown 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.

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.

Oatmeal is generally a good source of fiber and energy for humans and even other animals, but grains are not biologically appropriate for cats. We believe that oats of any kind have no place in a recipe that looks to mirror natural feline diets.

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.

This contains cassia gum, which is a thickening agent. In high quantities, this gum may be regarded as a skin and respiratory sensitiser and as a potential irritant to skin and eyes. There is likely not enough to cause problems, but it’s use is not necessary.

This recipe uses xanthan gum as a binding agent. While this is usually a harmless ingredient and is used in plenty of cat and human foods, some research suggests that cats with inflammatory bowel disease should not consume xanthan gum.

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 Chicken Soup Wet Cat Food

From top to bottom, this is an average wet product.

Meat is the first ingredient, and it includes a wide variety of different meats.

Unfortunately, it also includes a number of filler ingredients. However, we don’t believe that the filler ingredients are included in great quantities. 

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

Based on the ingredients and the macronutrient profiles, meat likely plays a major role in the recipe, regardless of how many types of fillers are included. We can therefore say that it is likely a meat-based cat food, which is appropriate for your carnivorous feline.

To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 45% protein, 25% fat, and 16% carbs.

As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 45%, and average fat content of 23%, and an average carb content of 14%.

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

  • Average protein.
  • Average fat.
  • Average carbs.

Because meat comes first, macronutrient profiles are pretty good, but it does have unnecessary fillers, our average rating for this brand is 3 stars.

Moderately recommended.

Chicken Soup 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 Chicken Soup brand in the past:

  • April 2007 – Possible melamine contamination – 2 recipes affected
  • May 2012 – Possible salmonella contamination – All 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 Chicken Soup 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?!