Only Natural Pet PowerFood Cat Food (Dry) Review And Nutritional Analysis

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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 – 0.5 Star

Only Natural Pet PowerFood Poultry is one of our top 5 choices for best dry cat food overall.

Here’s a few important points:

  • Packed with high-quality meat ingredients
  • Added carbohydrate sources are not overly offensive
  • Utilizes easier-to-digest proteinate versions of minerals
  • Includes probiotics
  • Very good macronutrient profile for a dry food, though somewhat reliant on pea protein

The Only Natural Pet PowerFood 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.

only natural pet powerfood

Only Natural Pet PowerFood Poultry was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Only Natural Pet PowerFood Poultry

Dry Cat Food

Estimated Nutrient Content
ProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis47%18%NA
Dry Matter Basis52%20%11%
Calorie Weighted Basis47%43%10%

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein

52 %

Fat

20 %

Carbs

11 %

Fiber (guaranteed analysis)

6%

Calories/100g

363

Is real, named meat the first ingredient?

Yes

Ingredients

Deboned Chicken, Low Ash Turkey Meal, Low Ash Chicken Meal, Garbanzo Beans, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Pea ProteinPea FiberTapioca Starch, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil, Chicory Root Extract, Flaxseed Meal, Taurine, Dl-Methionine, Dried Green Lipped Mussels, Turmeric, Dried Pumpkin, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride, Dried Lactobacilus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Trichoderma Reesei Fermentation Product, Apergillus Oryzae, Fungal Protease, Lipase, Fungal Pancreatin, Fungal Amylase, Bromelain Enzeco.

Ingredients in red are controversial or of questionable quality.

Ingredient Breakdown

The first ingredient in this cat food is deboned chicken. Good.

While quality of the individual ingredient can vary, chicken is a good protein source for cats.

It’s also important to note that chicken 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.

Finely ground chicken bone can actually be a useful ingredient for cats, so specifically deboned chicken is not necessarily better than non-deboned.

The second ingredient is low ash 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.

Ash is the part of dog food that, when burnt away, is left. This is typically mineral content, and is completely normal. 

Low ash just means that they are focused on extracting the most protein content, rather than the mineral content of this ingredient.

The third ingredient is low ash 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 fourth ingredient is garbanzo beans. OK, but with reservations.

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 fifth ingredient is chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid). Good.

Mixed tocopherols are a natural preservative, and better than synthetic options.

Named animal fats in cat food is usually a good thing.

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 protein. OK, but with reservations.

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 may be lower than the macronutrient profile suggests.

The seventh ingredient is pea fiber. Bad.

Pea fiber is high in insoluble fiber.

It is not a biologically appropriate ingredient for cats, and is a filler ingredient to boost fiber content.

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. 

The recipe contains salmon oil, a good source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

It also uses dried green lipped mussels, which contain properties that help reduce inflammation, and support the repair of cartilage. 

Some of the minerals are present in their proteinate form, which means they are easier to digest and be utilized by your cats body.

There are also 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 Only Natural Pet PowerFood

From top to bottom, this is an above average dry product.

From the numerous meats, to the decent amount of carbohydrates, to the addition of important minerals, vitamins, and probiotics, this just ticks many of the boxes.

This is a good example of the type of food you should be feeding your cat if you choose to feed a dry diet.

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.

However, we must remember that pea protein and garbanzo beans are present, which will increase the stated protein content.

In this case, we don’t believe there is enough plant protein to warrant too much concern, and believe that there is enough meat to make it biologically appropriate for a cat’s dietary needs.

To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 52% protein, 20% fat, and 11% carbs.

As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 47%, and average fat content of 20%, and an average carb content of 17%.

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

  • Average protein.
  • Average fat.
  • Average carbs.

Because it contains quality meat products and a variety of helpful nutrients, our rating for this brand is 4 stars.

Recommended.

Only Natural Pet 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 Only Natural Pet brand in the past:

  • We could not find any recalls in Only Natural Pet’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 Only Natural Pet 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. 

Emily Parker

Emily Parker is the Content Manager at Catological. She's passionate about helping cat parents love their cats better by providing the best information and recommendations about everything you'll need to know about your cat, from kitten to senior years. She believes natural, biologically-appropriate products are best...why wouldn't you provide the best for a member of your family?!