There's little agreement about which brand of cat food is truly the best, and no single manufactured food offers perfect nutrition. However, there are a few brands that do show up consistently in top reviews. Take a look at the criteria for a top-notch cat food, and then examine five brands that meet those standards. While you'll see fancy labels on many brands that claim to be organic, holistic, or superior in some other way, the truth about any cat food's quality is revealed in its ingredients list. The five cat foods listed below all meet some basic criteria that are supported by Vet Info and Doctors Foster and Smith. A truly top-quality cat food should: Since ingredients are listed by weight, a look at the first five ingredients in any brand will give you a good idea about its true quality. Keep that in mind as you examine the list of the top five brands. Orijen receives top ratings from Consumer Search for the quality of their meats, as well as the high ratio of meat to other ingredients.

This brand uses all fresh meats that have never been frozen, and they source them locally from the same region in Canada where the food is made. The formula is 80 percent protein, and 20 percent fruits and vegetables. Even though most cats are obligate carnivores and would probably not seek out fruits or vegetables, some of these foods would naturally be found in the stomachs of their prey if they were hunting in the wild. Asian Fishing Cats For SaleThe fruits and vegetables included in this diet provide an assortment of essential vitamins and minerals in a "bioavailable" form, which in plain language means they're highly digestible so your cat's body can extract the nutrients and make full use of them.6 Volt Automotive Led Light Bulbs The first five ingredients in this formula are:Diy Mirror Frame Crown Molding

The fact that two of the first five ingredients are meat meals is no cause for alarm. Meals are merely concentrated sources of ground meat, and these meals are named so you know exactly what they are. This food also contains no grains, by-products or artificial ingredients, and it's preservative free. Orijen cat food is sold by Pet Food Direct where you can order it in 5.5-pound or 15.4-pound bags. However, you can also find local distributors and other online sources by visiting the Orijen website. EVO Turkey & Chicken Dry Cat and Kitten Food was rated best dry cat food by Consumer Research. Pet Food Talk also gave this formula four out of five stars. Grain free and low in carbohydrates, EVO uses real named meats and meals to provide the protein in their formula, not less expensive by-products. The company designs their foods based on the way cats eat in the wild. The first five ingredients are: This product also contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives.

EVO Turkey and Chicken formula is manufactured by Natura Pet and sold online by retailers like Pet Flow, where you can purchase the food in 6.6-pound or 15.4-pound bags. You can find local retailers by entering your zip code into the company's retailers search. Pet Food Talk gives Wellness a rating of five out of five stars for its natural ingredients and high-quality protein sources. Customer reviews at Pet Care Rx also give this food five out of five stars based on how willing the cats were to eat it, as well as how their condition improved after being on this formula. This is a completely grain-free diet, with no artificial ingredients or preservatives. It also contains probiotics for improved digestion, as well as flaxseed and salmon oils, which contain essential fatty acids. In addition to purchasing the 12-pound bag of Wellness at Pet Care Rx, your local Petsmart, Petco, and Pet Supplies Plus also carry the brand. Check Wellness' store locator to find the retailer closest to you.

Canned cat food provides more moisture than dry, so it can be a healthier alternative to dry food for many cats. However, it's difficult to find wet food that doesn't contain the thickener carrageenan. Natures Variety is one of the few products that leave those thickeners out of their formulas. This formula is 95 percent chicken meat and liver, and five percent vegetables, fruits and other healthy ingredients. This food is also grain free and gluten free. Customer reviews at Pets 360 give this food an approval rating of 4.6 out of five for its natural ingredients and nutritional value. This formula also contains montmorillonite clay, an ingredient you may have never run across before. It's a natural anti-caking agent and source of minerals. You can find Nature's Variety at your local Petco or Pet Supplies Plus. Use the company's store locator to find retailers near you. Pet Food Talk gives a five star rating to the entire Blue Buffalo line, including canned and dry foods, because of the care they take to ensure only the healthiest ingredients go in.

Blue's Wild Delights is formulated to be as close as possible to a cat's natural diet if it were living in the wild. This formula is grain and gluten free, contains no by-products or fillers, and uses named, high-quality meat proteins. It's also free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, and contains no corn, wheat or soy. Blue is readily available at your local Petsmart and Petco, as well as many feed stores. Use their store locator to find a source nearest to you. It's the nature of the pet food business to change formulas and ingredients without any notice. This means that a food that meets the highest quality standards now may not meet it forever. So, it's up to cat owners to check the ingredients list each time they buy a new supply of food in order to be sure that their favorite brands are still the top foods available.Best canned cat food When experts list the top canned cat foods for cats, Halo's Spot's Stew usually earns a recommendation. High quality ingredients and a spotless safety record are why.

For example, Halo Spot's Stew Wholesome Chicken Recipe (Est. $1.50 for a 5.5-oz. can) packs chunks of chicken, chicken liver and turkey into a broth rich with vegetables -- carrots, zucchini, green peas, yellow squash, green beans and celery -- and no grains. That's key, experts say, because cats haven't evolved to digest grain. In addition, Spot's Stew flavors are free of any controversial ingredients, though another variety -- Halo's Spot's Pate -- does contain carrageenan. The cat food comes only in smaller-sized cans (3 and 5.5 ounces), but they are BPA-free. Plenty of cat owners say their cats are crazy about Halo Spot's Stew, but -- cats being cats -- some don't seem too keen on the vegetable content. Some experts say cats don't need vegetables; in the wild, cats basically eat nothing but other animals. But others like veggies as a natural source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Nature's Logic is another top choice, and gets even more expert recommendations. Nature's Logic canned cat food hasn't yet completed AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) feeding trials, so it can't advertise itself as a complete diet.

to fully disclose the quality and origins of all ingredients. Though it can be expensive from some retailers, if you shop carefully, Nature's Logic can be purchased for nearly the same price as Halo, especially Nature's Logic Feline Canned Food -- Chicken (Est. $1.52 per 5.5 ounce can), which is the least expensive variety. On the plus side, Nature's Logic is made from all-natural, high-grade ingredients -- no synthetic anything. All nutrients come from real foods like blueberries and eggshells (just as cats would encounter in the wild). However, while most cats seem to enjoy the food, we spotted more owner comments than with other top choices that say that their felines rejected it We found lots of other grain-free foods that rate well with experts as well. For example, Weruva cat foods, such as Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken (Est. $1.62 per 5.5-oz. can), are made with simple, high-quality ingredients in a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified factory in Thailand that also produces human food.

The company pledges that all varieties are grain, GMO, MSG and carrageenan free. The company, like Nature's Logic and Halo, has a spotless recall record. If there's a caveat with Weruva it's that its moisture content is higher than many other cat foods. That's great for hydration, but not so much for food costs as you'll need to feed more to get as many calories. Still, if your cat prefers its meals on the juicy side, they'll be sure to lap up Weruva. Even though some experts point out that cats haven't evolved to digest grains well, some premium cat foods do include better-quality grains. Such foods cost less than grain-free foods but are still top quality, making them a good choice when cost is a consideration. Though it's not grain-free, Newman's Own uses only USDA-graded meat and other human-quality ingredients, with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. But Newman's Own takes it a step further: Every flavor contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients, raised without chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.

It does contain carrageenan, however, so it's not the best choice for cats with sensitive digestive systems. 's Franny Syufy names Newman's Own Organics Chicken and Brown Rice (Est. $1.25 for a 5.5-oz. can) as one of the best canned cat foods you can buy -- and one of her cats' personal favorites. "These chickens are fed a 100% natural all-vegetable diet with NO antibiotics," she writes. Other pluses include the fact that the food has a spotless safety record, the cans are BPA free, and all profits go to charity. Natural Balance Original Ultra Formula (Est. $1.09 per 6 ounce can) isn't organic, but the company uses only high-grade meats, poultry and fish, with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. It's a bit less expensive than the cat foods listed above, but its safety record isn't quite as sterling. However, after being caught up in the 2007 pet food recalls, Natural Balance instituted a well-regarded in-house safety testing program that samples each lot of food for nine different contaminants (E. coli, salmonella and more) before releasing it to stores.

Although no Natural Balance varieties tested positive, it was also among the many cat food brands caught up in a 2012 recall over salmonella contamination at a Diamond Pet Food plant where some of the food is made. Natural Balance includes some grain, but it uses grains that are generally considered to be higher quality. For example, the Original Ultra Formula lists ground brown rice well down in the ingredient list after four named meats -- chicken, chicken liver, duck and salmon. However, like Newman's Own, Natural Balance does contain carrageenan. Still, many cat owners and some experts, such as Syufy, give it good grades. Natural Balance became part of Del Monte Foods in May 2013, and the brand was sold again, this time to J. M. Smucker Co., in February 2015. Though these changes have raised some concerns among pet owners, as of the time of this report the company's product-safety testing has not changed. It's tough to find a quality cat food at a lower price than either Newman's Own or Natural Balance, since cat food experts don't recommend cheaper supermarket cat food as a rule.

They say many of the cheaper brands are full of poor-quality fillers, not to mention "byproducts" -- a vague term that could mean nutritious organ meats such as kidney and liver, or offal like feathers and feet that have little nutritional value. There are exceptions, however. Trader Joe's Chicken, Turkey and Rice Dinner (Est. 79 cents for a 5.5-oz. can) does contain grain, but there are no byproducts and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. In fact, reviewers say Trader Joe's surprisingly high-quality ingredients -- like real chicken, turkey, fish and liver -- are pretty similar to what you'll find in some premium cat foods that cost twice as much. Cat owners say they trust Trader Joe's, too: The company has never had a pet food recall, but it pulled its food off of store shelves during the deadly 2007 melamine recall anyway, just to test it to make sure it was safe. Fancy Feast earns a few lukewarm recommendations, too -- but only certain flavors. Most Fancy Feast varieties contain wheat gluten, which experts call a low-quality, potentially allergenic filler.