Go! Sensitivity + Shine Cat Food (Wet) Review And Nutritional Analysis

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Here’s a few important points:

• Meat is the first ingredient
• A variety of meats are used, including organ meat in one recipe
• Some fillers are used, and while they’re not extensive, they do push the protein levels down and the carbohydrate levels slightly up
• Decent protein, good fat amounts, but the carbohydrate level is a bit high for a wet food

Go!’s Sensitivity + Shine product line includes 2 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.

• Go! Sensitivity + Shine Duck (A) 4 stars
• Go! Sensitivity + Shine Trout & Salmon (A) 3 stars

Go! Sensitivity + Shine Duck was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Ingredient Breakdown

The first ingredient in this cat food 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 second ingredient is duck broth. Good.

Instead of using water for processing, duck broth is added for moisture.

Broth may contain vitamins and nutrients from the original animal (duck, in this case), that water would lack.

This is usually a sign of a high quality food.

The third ingredient is turkey 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 fourth 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 fifth ingredient is potatoes. Bad.

These are typically used as filler in grain-free recipes.

They are not biologically appropriate and may cause digestive upset.

The sixth 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.

The seventh ingredient is sweet potatoes. Bad.

Normally sweet potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates and fiber, with less sugar than beets.

However, cats do not require carbohydrates like this, and while it won’t necessarily hurt the cat, it is not biologically appropriate.

It may be hard to digest, and is unnecessary.

The eighth ingredient is carrots. Good.

The beta carotene in carrots turns into vitamin A, which is a useful antioxidant compound.

However, cats can’t turn much beta carotene into vitamin A like we can, so much of it is stored for growth or cell reprouction.

Therefore, carrots are most useful for kittens or senior cats.

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 still a few things you should know.

This recipe utilizes chelated minerals, which may be easier to digest and more bioavailable for your cat. This is usually a sign of a high quality cat food.

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.

It contains cassia gum, which is another 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.

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 Go! Sensitivity + Shine Wet Cat Food

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

Meat is the first ingredient, and a variety of cuts are used. Organ meat is a useful addition to the Duck recipe.

There are, however, too many carbohydrate fillers, like potato, sweet potato, and peas. These are unnecessary and not appropriate for a feline diet.

The duck recipe is our choice if you choose this food, as the other one is fish-based, and we don’t recommend feeding your cat a fish-based diet.

Protein and fat levels are reasonably good, and carbohydrate levels are slightly lower than average compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, but with a wet food, we would like to have seen even fewer carbs.

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

Since meat makes up the first few ingredients, and the carbohydrate level remains under 10% on a Dry Matter Basis, we can safely assume this is a meat-based food, which is ideal for your carnivorous feline’s dietary needs.

To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 50% protein, 29% fat, and 10% carbs.

As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 46%, and average fat content of 32%, 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 the first ingredient is meat, multiple types of quality meat are used, but the fish recipe and the added carbohydrates are not quite appropriate for a feline diet, our rating for this brand is 3.5 stars.

Somewhat recommended.

Go!’s 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 Go! brand in the past:

• November 2003 – Reports of liver failure and disease – All products manufactured in Texas 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 Go! Wet 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. 

Not Convinced?

Check out our ratings and reviews of the best cat foods in our comprehensive, data-backed guide right here.