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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 – 1 Star
Here’s a few important points:
- Meat is the first ingredient, with many recipes including high-quality organ meats
- No fillers, no added carbohydrates
- Almost perfect, but fat content is a bit too high in most recipes
- Includes added vitamins and high-quality, proteinate versions of some minerals
The Hound & Gatos product line includes 13 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.
- Hound & Gatos Chicken & Chicken Liver (A)
- Hound & Gatos Lamb & Lamb Liver (A)
- Hound & Gatos Turkey & Turkey Liver (A)
- Hound & Gatos Pork (A)
- Hound & Gatos Duck (A)
- Hound & Gatos Lamb, Chicken & Salmon (A)
- Hound & Gatos Gamebird (A)
- Hound & Gatos Rabbit (A)
- Hound & Gatos Trout & Duck Liver (A) 4 stars
- Hound & Gatos Beef (A)
- Hound & Gatos Salmon (A) 4 stars
- Hound & Gatos Salmon, Mackerel & Sardine (A) 4 stars
- Hound & Gatos Original Paleolithic Diet (A) 4 stars
Hound & Gatos Rabbit was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
Hound & Gatos Rabbit
Wet Cat Food
| Estimated Nutrient Content |
| Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed Analysis | 11% | 7% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 50% | 32% | 2% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 39% | 60% | 2% |
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Fiber (guaranteed analysis)
1%
Calories/100g
117
Is real, named meat the first ingredient?
Yes
Ingredients
Rabbit, Water, Agar-Agar, Salmon Oil, Choline Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Taurine, Salt, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Magnesium Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Calcium Pantotenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.
Ingredients in red are controversial or of questionable quality.
Ingredient Breakdown
The first ingredient in this cat food is rabbit. Good.
Rabbit is an excellent food that is one of the most common foods eaten by wild and feral cats.
It is very lean, very high in protein, and full of vitamins and minerals.
Very biologically-appropriate – one of the best proteins available.
After water, the second ingredient is agar-agar. Good.
Agar-agar is derived from a red seaweed, but is different from carrageenan (which is a controversial red seaweed ingredient).
It is used as a “gelling” substance, which helps keep food together.
Although they are both red seaweeds, it seems agar-agar does not suffer from the same potentially carcinogenic qualities as carrageenan.
Until we find research to prove that they are the same just because they both come from red seaweeds, we believe agar is a better gelling agent than most others used.
The third ingredient is salmon oil. Good.
A good source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
Fish oils, like this salmon oil, support the health of the skin, coat, joint, kidneys, heart, and immune system, and may even help with serious illnesses such as cancer.
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 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 Hound & Gatos Wet Cat Food
From top to bottom, this is an above average wet food.
In fact, it is one of the best foods we have rated.
Meat is the first ingredient, and most recipes include a high quality organ meat.
None of the recipes include any fillers or added carbohydrates.
We did not find a single controversial or low quality ingredient used.
This is an excellent example of a wet food you should be feeding your cat.
Since it’s clear that only meat is used in these recipes, (they’re 98% meat, 2% vitamins, minerals, gelling agents), we can assume that this is a meat-based cat food, which is ideal for your carnivorous feline’s dietary needs.
To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 50% protein, 32% fat, and 2% carbs.
As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 48%, and average fat content of 39%, and an average carb content of 1%.
Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:
- Average protein.
- Above average fat.
- Below average carbs.
Because meat is the first ingredient, quality cuts and organs are used, no fillers are used, and it has a very good macronutrient profile, our rating for this brand is 4.5 stars.
Highly recommended.
Hound & Gatos 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 Hound & Gatos brand in the past:
- We could not find any evidence of a recall in Hound & Gatos’ 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 Hound & Gatos Select 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.
