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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 – 0 Star
- Catological Discretionary Rating – 0 Star
Here’s a few important points:
- Meat is the first ingredient
- Fillers are used extensively in most recipes
- The Nude Food lineup of dry cat food is superior to the others offered by I and Love and You
- The other lineups have low protein and high carbs, whereas the Nude Food lineup is reasonably low carb for a dry food (still not great)
- Includes added vitamins, high-quality, chelated versions of some minerals, and probiotics
The I and Love and You product line includes 5 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.
- I and Love and You Naked Essentials Salmon & Trout (A)
- I and Love and You Naked Essentials Chicken & Duck (A)
- I and Love and You Nude Food Surf ‘n Chick (A) 3 stars
- I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry A Plenty (A) 3 stars
- I and Love and You Lovingly Simple Salmon & Sweet Potato (A)
I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry A Plenty was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry A Plenty
Dry Cat Food
| Estimated Nutrient Content |
| Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed Analysis | 44% | 18% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 49% | 20% | 17% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 43% | 43% | 15% |
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Fiber (guaranteed analysis)
4%
Calories/100g
388
Is real, named meat the first ingredient?
Yes
Ingredients
Turkey, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid), Pea Starch, Garbanzo Beans, Red Lentils, Sweet Potatoes, Dried Carrots, Natural Flavors, Ground Miscanthus Grass, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Herring Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid), Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product, Calcium Carbonate, Zucchini Squash, Olive Oil, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Coconut Oil, Inulin, Taurine, Dl Methionine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Ferrous Sulfate, Salt, Turmeric, Niacin Supplement, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Yeast Culture, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract.
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 very 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 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.
In short, much of the moisture of the chicken is taken away, and you are left with a very high-protein, low-moisture powder-like substance.
The inclusion of chicken meal helps to ensure a very high protein level.
The third ingredient is turkey meal. Good.
Turkey is a very good protein source for cats.
Turkey meal is a concentrated form of turkey, and is considered a high quality ingredient.
The fourth ingredient is pea protein. Bad.
Peas are a quality carbohydrate, but cats don’t need much in the way of carbohydrates.
Peas are also rich in protein, and this ingredient is a concentrated form of that protein, which means the actual meat content of this food may be lower than the macronutrient profile suggests.
Peas are not the worst carbohydrate your cat can consume, but they’re simply not at all biologically appropriate.
The fifth 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 sixth ingredient is pea starch. Bad.
This part of the pea has no fiber or protein, and is usually used as a thickener and filler ingredient.
The seventh ingredient is garbanzo beans. Bad.
An obvious non-biologically appropriate carbohydrate filler, beans are at least potentially better than corn.
They are unlikely to do any damage to your cat.
However, some cats may have trouble digesting them.
They are also protein-rich, which means the actual meat content of this recipe may be lower than the macronutrient profile suggests.
The eighth ingredient is red lentils. Bad.
An obvious non-biologically appropriate carbohydrate filler, beans are at least potentially better than corn.
They are unlikely to do any damage to your cat.
However, some cats may have trouble digesting them.
They are also protein-rich, which means the actual meat content of this recipe may be lower than the macronutrient profile suggests.
They are usually used as a cheap protein source to cover up using only a little bit of meat in the recipe.
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.
Normally sweet potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates and fiber, with less sugar than beets.
However, cats do not require carbohydrates like this, and while it won’t necessarily hurt the cat, it is not biologically appropriate.
It may be hard to digest, and is unnecessary.
It also contains yeast culture, which is a form of flavoring and protein, but in large quantities may be toxic to the liver.
This recipe utilizes chelated minerals, which may be easier to digest and more bioavailable for your cat. This is usually a sign of a high quality cat food.
There are also many probiotic strains which help introduce enzymes into the gut to break down the food better and make it more digestible and bioavailable. These are generally considered high quality ingredients.
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 I and Love and You Dry Cat Food
From top to bottom, this is a below average dry food, although we would call the Nude Food line average.
The Nude Food line has a fairly high amount of protein and fairly low carbs for a dry food. It is still not ideal, but compared to many dry recipes, it’s alright.
The rest of the dry options from this brand are low protein, high carbohydrate, and fairly heavy on fillers.
The minerals in this are chelated, and there are probiotics added, so this certainly does offer some benefits that most average cat foods do not.
The Nude Food line is an OK, but not great example of a dry food you should be feeding your cat. The other lines are not great.
Since a fair number of carbohydrate fillers are used, we can assume that this is a mix of a plant- and meat-based cat food, which is not ideal for your carnivorous feline’s dietary needs.
To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 49% protein, 20% fat, and 17% carbs.
As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 43%, and average fat content of 18%, and an average carb content of 24%.
Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:
- Average protein.
- Average fat.
- Above average carbs.
Because meat is the first ingredient, some recipes are OK, but fillers are used fairly heavily, our rating for this brand is 2.5 stars.
Not recommended.
I and Love and You 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 I and Love and You brand in the past:
- July 2015 – Potential Salmonella – 1 dog treat recipe affected
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 I and Love and You 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.
