Orijen Dry Cat And Kitten Food Reviews and Nutritional Analysis (Do They Have A Wet Food?)

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Orijen is a highly regarded cat food. They are also very pro-small retailers, and even pulled their stock from Chewy.com when Chewy was acquired by a larger pet food company.

Therefore, it can be hard to find every one of their foods in stock. We’ve tried to find the best options and linked to them below so you can find it online, which again, is not always easy.

Here are a few important points:

• Packed with high-quality meat ingredients, including organ meat
• Does contain a number of filler ingredients like beans and peas, though they’re not overbearing
• Utilizes whole fruits and vegetables for vitamin and mineral supplementation
• Includes a probiotic strain for better digestion

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.

• Orijen Cat & Kitten (A)
• Orijen Six Fish (A)
• Orijen Tundra(A)
• Orijen Regional Red(A)
• Orijen Fir & Trim (M)

Orijen Cat & Kitten was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Ingredient Breakdown

The first ingredient in this cat food is 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.

The second ingredient 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 third ingredient is 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

The fourth 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 fifth ingredient is flounder. Good.

While we don’t always condone fish as an ingredient in cat food, flounder is a safe option, especially if it’s not the first ingredient.

It does not have the mercury risks of many other fish, and does not contain thiaminase, an enzyme that breaks down thiamine (vitamin B1). 

The sixth ingredient is herring. Good.

Again, fish shouldn’t be major ingredients in cat food, contrary to popular belief.

However, this is another fairly safe fish. 

It does contain thiaminase, but likely not enough to do much harm.

It is full of protein and important omega 3 fatty acids.

The seventh ingredient is turkey 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 eighth ingredient is turkey heart. Good.

You may not love the sound of it, but your cat sure does.

Organ meat has vital nutrients your kitty needs.

It is pure muscle, which means it’s full of protein. It also has minerals and important vitamins that white meat does not have.

This is usually a sign of a high quality food.

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 food contains lentils, peas, chickpeas, and a number of other beans.

Orijen is known for claiming their food is biologically appropriate, and states that they use no grain, potato, tapioca, or plant protein concentrates.

The inclusion of beans and peas, however, is not something that comes from a cat’s natural, wild diet. 

They are usually better ingredients than corn, wheat, and starches, but they may still be hard to digest, and are filler 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 Orijen Cat Food

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

From the abundance of meats, including organs, to the use of whole foods for vitamins and minerals, this ticks many important boxes.

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

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 44% protein, 22% fat, and 21% carbs.

As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 46%, and average fat content of 21%, and an average carb content of 19%.

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

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

Because it is full of quality meat products, our average rating for this brand is 4 stars.

Recommended.

Orijen 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 Orijen brand in the past:

• November 2008 – Problems with an Australia-only legally required irradiation treatment – All cat foods in Australia 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 Orijen 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. 

However, Orijen has pulled their stock from Chewy because they don’t agree with the “big business” purchase of Chewy by PetSmart

Therefore, we recommend buying on Amazon.com, if you can find the products, in-stock. 

Does Orijen Have A Wet Cat Food Line?

As of this writing (3/7/2020), Orijen does not sell a wet cat food.  

What Is Orijen?

Orijen is a multi-award winning pet food brand. They manufacture foods for dogs and cats in Alberta, Canada, using fresh regional ingredients.

Orijen is currently available in more than 70 countries worldwide and it’s a top choice for pet parents.

The brand is notable for the fact that the foods are rich in animal products and are manufactured with local ingredients.

Should You Choose Orijen For Your Cat?

Orijen is a good option if you’re looking for a dry food. It’s made with quality ingredients, and has a fair amount of protein.

However, it does include too many carbs to come close to being what a cat might eat in the wild.

Orijen’s cat food items are well-balanced and suitable for active cats. They should be mixed with some wet canned food every now and then. You must give your cat a lot of fresh water on daily basis, and we recommend getting a cat water fountain to make sure kitty is getting enough.