Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Cat Food (Freeze-Dried) Review And Nutritional Analysis

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Here’s a few important points:

• Meat is the first ingredient
• Fillers, from potatoes to a few whole food fruit and vegetable ingredients, give this a carbohydrate amount that is too high for cats
• Freeze drying the ingredients locks in many of the nutrients, so the food is minimally processed

Grandma Lucy’s 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.

• Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Chicken & Fish (A)

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 usually 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.

However, since these ingredients are freeze-dried first, the chicken should include more protein and nutrients per pound, since water is removed.

The second ingredient is pollock. OK, but with reservations.

We do not recommend feeding cats a diet high in fish ingredients.

Pollock is a strong flavored whitefish. It is high in protein, vitamin B12, and other nutrients. 

It is unlikely to be affected by high levels of mercury, and is generally fished sustainably.

The third 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 fourth ingredient is flax. 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 fifth 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.

The sixth ingredient is celery. Good.

Celery is high in vitamin K, folate, and vitamin A.

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. 

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 Grandma Lucy’s Dry Cat Food

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

Meat is the first and second ingredient, but we don’t love that it includes fish as a main protein source. 

And while it is fairly limited ingredient and not highly processed, there are a lot of fillers, as seen in both the ingredient list and the carbohydrate content.

There is not enough protein or fat to meet your cat’s natural dietary needs, and the carbohydrate levels are very high.

This is not an OK but not great example of a dry food you should be feeding your cat.

A combination of meat being the first ingredient and there being quite a lot of fillers have us believing that it’s not just a meat-based recipe. Therefore we can safely assume that this is a mixed meat- and plant-based cat food, which is not quite ideal for your carnivorous feline’s dietary needs.

To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 43% protein, 15% fat, and 29% carbs.

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

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

Because the first ingredient is meat, the limited ingredients are minimally processed, but there is way too much potato, our rating for this brand is 3.5 stars.

Not recommended.

Grandma Lucy’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 Grandma Lucy’s brand in the past:

• We could find no evidence of recalls affecting Grandma Lucy

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 Grandma Lucy’s Dry 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.