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Rating
- Meat is the first ingredient – 1 Star
- Uses some unnamed meats – 1 Star
- Above average protein content – 0 Star
- Less than 4 controversial ingredients – 1 Star
- Catological Discretionary Rating – 0 Star
Here’s a few important points:
- Meat is the first ingredient in all recipes
- While the amount of each filler ingredient is fairly high, the number of controversial filler ingredients is low
- Protein is fairly low and carbohydrates are fairly high
- While the grain-free option is better, it’s still not better than average
- Includes added vitamins and high quality, proteinate versions of some minerals for easier digestion and absorption
The Holistic Blend product line includes 4 dry 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.
- Holistic Blend Grain-Free Blend Turkey & Chicken (A) 3.5 stars
- Holistic Blend Grain-Free Blend Marine 5 Fish (A)
- Holistic Blend Perfect Blend Chicken & Ocean Fish (A)
- Holistic Blend My Healthy Pet Chicken & Salmon (A)
Holistic Blend Perfect Blend Chicken & Ocean Fish was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Holistic Blend Perfect Blend Chicken & Ocean Fish
Dry Cat Food
| Estimated Nutrient Content |
| Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed Analysis | 32% | 21% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 36% | 23% | 40% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 27% | 43% | 30% |
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Fiber (guaranteed analysis)
4%
Calories/100g
382
Is real, named meat the first ingredient?
Yes
Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Dehulled Oats, Whole Barley, Chicken Liver Flavouring, Dried Whole Egg, Flax Meal, Yeast Culture, Herring Fish Oil, Kelp Meal, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Sodium Chloride, Chicory Root (FOS), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Alfalfa, Lecithin, Calcium Propionate, Calcium Sulfate, Rosemary Extract, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Folic Acid Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate.
Ingredients in red are controversial or of questionable quality.
Ingredient Breakdown
The first ingredient in this cat food is chicken meal. Good.
Chicken is a very good protein source for cats.
Chicken meal is a concentrated form of chicken, and is considered a high quality ingredient
The second ingredient is ground 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.
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 dehulled oats. Bad.
Oats are 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.
There are better options for fiber, like pumpkin or coconut.
The fifth ingredient is whole barley. Bad.
While it is a useful grain in most senses, and better than many alternatives, it is still a grain.
And cats do not require grain. Therefore it is not biologically appropriate.
Barley is high in fiber, and has an average amount of protein for a grain.
After flavor, the sixth ingredient is dried whole egg. 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.
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 Holistic Blend Dry Cat Food
From top to bottom, this is an average dry product.
The grain-free chicken recipe is slightly better than the others, as it offers more protein and slightly lower carbohydrates.
Meat is the first ingredient, though fillers are clearly a main ingredient as well. The grain-free versions offer mostly peas and potatoes, whereas the grain versions offer mostly rice and barley.
Each of these sets of fillers are biologically inappropriate for your cat, and neither is necessarily all that much better than the other.
This is an OK, but not great, example of the type of food you should be feeding your cat, if you choose a dry diet.
Since meat is the first ingredient, but protein remains very low, and carbohydrate fillers are clearly present, we can assume that this is a mostly plant-based cat food, which is not quite biologically appropriate for your feline’s dietary needs.
To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 36% protein, 23% fat, and 40% carbs.
As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 37%, and average fat content of 21%, and an average carb content of 33%.
Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:
- Below average protein.
- Average fat.
- Above average carbs.
Because it meat is the first ingredient, not many controversial ingredients are used, but fillers clearly take up a lot of space in the recipe, our average rating for this brand is 3 stars.
Not recommended.
Holistic Blend 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 Holistic Blend brand in the past:
- We could not find any evidence of a recall in Holistic Blend’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 Holistic Blend 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.
