Hi-Tor Felo Cat Food (Dry) Review And Nutritional Analysis

Here’s a few important points:

• Meat is the first ingredient, but it’s low quality, unnamed “poultry by-product meal”
• Significant amounts of fillers are used, from rice to corn
• Poor macronutrient profile with low protein, high carbohydrates
• Includes added vitamins minerals

Hi-Tor’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.

• HI-TOR Veterinary Select Felo (M)

Ingredient Breakdown

The first ingredient in this cat food is poultry by-product meal. Bad.

According to the AAFCO, poultry by-product meal “consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, viscera, and whole carcasses, exclusive of added feathers.”

This is then rendered and concentrated into a protein-rich meal.

Any animal product that is not fully named (i.e., chicken, turkey, or beef), is considered low quality.

It may be chicken, but it might be turkey or any other kind of poultry.

By-products, as you can see above, is basically everything left over after the main cut of meat is taken away (usually for human consumption).

Low quality meat product.

The second ingredient is brewers rice. Bad.

These are the small fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice.

It is basically a waste product from breweries.

It’s a cheap, non-nutritive filler that can be rough on the intestines, and potentially lead to diabetes.

Rice may also decrease taurine digestion. Taurine is a vital amino acid that cats need to stay healthy, but that they can’t produce themselves. Decreased digestion can be dangerous to cats.

The third ingredient is chicken fat. Good.

Named animal fats in cat food is usually a good thing. Cats do need a fair amount of fat.

Chicken fat is a great source of healthy fats and omega fatty acids.

It is preferred to canola oil or unnamed animal fats.

The fourth ingredient is corn meal. Bad.

Corn is not a biologically appropriate food for cats.

This is a processed version of corn that is concentrated into a meal, typically to increase protein quantities by removing moisture.

The ingredient used is usually an inexpensive feed-grade corn. There are reports of it including moldy grains and fungus.

It’s not as digestible as meat, it’s not meat protein, which means it isn’t a complete protein that your cat needs, and it’s typically only included as a cheap filler.

Low quality ingredient.

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 brewers dried yeast. Bad.

This is a by-product of brewing beer. It is used for flavoring and for protein and B-vitamins.

However, some reports suggest that it can become very toxic to the liver, causing allergies and arthritis, in large doses.

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 Hi-Tor Felo Dry Cat Food

From top to bottom, this is a below average food.

Meat is the first ingredient, but it is an unnamed (“poultry”, rather than chicken or turkey) by-product meal. This is not a quality meat product.

It uses rice and corn, which are biologically inappropriate for cats.

By the look of the macronutrient profiles, which are low in protein and high in carbohydrate content, fillers are used extensively. 

This is NOT a good example of a dry food you should be feeding your cat.

Since it’s clear that plant products make up a lot of this food, we can assume that this is mostly a plant-based food, which is not ideal for your carnivorous feline’s dietary needs.

To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 33% protein, 22% fat, and 32% carbs.

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

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

Because meat it uses unnamed meat ingredients and is full of fillers, our rating for this brand is 1.5 stars.

Not recommended.

Hi-Tor 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 Hi-Tor brand in the past:

• We could find no record of a recall in Hi-Tor’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 Hi-Tor 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.

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