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*** Unfortunately, the Holistic Select Feline Cat Food Line is being discontinued. This review is left here for reference. ***
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 – 1 Star
- Catological Discretionary Rating – 0.5 Star
Holistic Select Feline Turkey & Salmon is one of our top 2 choices for best cat food for seniors.
Here’s a few important points:
- Packed with meat, including organ meat
- Utilizes fish for important fatty acids
- Uses powdered versions of fruits and vegetables, not whole foods
- Minimal carbs, so very little filler ingredients
- Proteinate versions of some minerals for easier digestion and absorption
The Holistic Select Feline product line includes 6 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.
- Holistic Select Feline Chicken (A)
- Holistic Select Feline Turkey (A)
- Holistic Select Feline Tuna (A) 3 stars
- Holistic Select Feline Chicken Liver & Lamb (A)
- Holistic Select Feline Turkey & Salmon (A) 4.5 stars
- Holistic Select Feline Salmon & Shrimp (A)
Holistic Select Feline Turkey & Salmon was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Holistic Select Feline Turkey & Salmon
Wet Cat Food
| Estimated Nutrient Content |
| Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed Analysis | 12% | 6% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 55% | 27% | 2% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 44% | 54% | 2% |
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Fiber (guaranteed analysis)
1%
Calories/100g
122
Is real, named meat the first ingredient?
Yes
Ingredients
Turkey, Chicken Liver, Turkey Broth, Whitefish, Salmon, Ground Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Apple Powder, Cranberry Powder, Pumpkin Powder, Chicory Root Extract, Taurine, Cassia Gum, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Choline Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Blueberry Powder, Papaya Powder, Pomegranate Powder, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Stearate, Vitamin E Supplement, Peppermint Leaf Powder, Cinnamon, Fennel Powder, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid.
Ingredients in red are controversial or of questionable quality.
Ingredient Breakdown
The first ingredient in this cat food is turkey. Good.
While quality of the individual ingredient can vary, turkey is a 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 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 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 fourth ingredient is whitefish. OK, but with reservations.
“Whitefish” is a bit of a difficult term in the cat food industry, because it may mean any number of fish.
However, it seems that most whitefish labels mean tilefish, a small, commercially fished ingredient, that is high in protein and fat.
Fish are not often eaten in the wild by cats, and this particular fish may pose a high risk of mercury poisoning.
If this is, indeed, tilefish, the FDA has warned pregnant women not to consume it due to high mercury levels.
It is likely not present in high enough quantities to worry, but the risk remains.
The fifth ingredient is salmon. Good.
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.
The sixth ingredient is ground 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, so ground ensures that it is digestible and bioavailable.
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 about.
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 Holistic Select Feline Wet Cat Food
From top to bottom, this is an above average wet product.
From the abundance of meats, including organs, to the limited fillers, to the addition of important minerals and vitamins, this ticks many important boxes.
This is a good example of the type of food you should be feeding your older cat.
Since meat shows up frequently, and right at the top of the ingredient list, we can assume that this is a meat-based cat food, with enough meat to make it biologically appropriate for a cat’s dietary needs.
To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 55% protein, 27% fat, and 2% carbs.
As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 47%, and average fat content of 30%, and an average carb content of 6%.
Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:
- Average protein.
- Above average fat.
- Below average carbs.
Because it is made of quality meat products and minimal filler ingredients, our average rating for this brand is 4 stars.
Recommended.
Holistic Select Feline 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 Select brand in the past:
- We could not find any evidence of a recall in Holistic Select’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 Select Feline 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.
