Meow Mix is easily one of the most popular cat food brands. Being manufactured in Alabama and Thailand, cats all over the world love it. As their jingle states, cats ask for it by name. Because of its tasty flavor, affordability, and ease of access, Meow Mix is a favorite among cat owners and cats alike.
Still, Meow Mix isn’t necessarily the best option for all cats. Because Meow Mix does not contain the healthiest of ingredients, cats with known health conditions ought to select healthier brands that are tailored to their health needs. Nevertheless, many cats have lived long and healthy lives on Meow Mix, making it a great go-to option for healthy cats and homes on a budget.
To learn more about Meow Mix, read on. This comprehensive review tells you everything you need to know about Meow Mix, like its ingredients, recall history, recipes, and more.
At a Glance: The Best Meow Mix Cat Food Recipes:
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Product
Details
Best Overall
Meow Mix Tender Favorites with Real Tuna & Whole Shrimp in Sauce
Overall, Meow Mix is a reliable and affordable cat food brand loved by cats all over the world. Although cats love this food, it often contains unhealthy ingredients and plant-based protein, making it a less than ideal choice for cats with known health conditions. Healthy cats, however, will be more than happy with this food and likely live a long life!
Meow Mix has a very long history, dating back to 1974. Initially, it was owned by the Ralston Purina Company, which is now called Nestle-Purina. Since then, the brand has been sold to and from a variety of owners, such as Del Monte Foods.
In 2015, Meow Mix was bought by J.M. Smucker, who integrated it as part of the J.M. Smucker Big Heart Pet Brand line. This brand line also produces a number of other cat and dog foods, such as Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance and Rachael Ray Nutrish.
Today, all Meow Mix dry food is produced in Decatur, Alabama, which is also the company’s head facility location. The wet cat food, however, is produced in Thailand. Unfortunately, the company does not release information relating to sourcing practices.
Which Type of Cats Is Meow Mix Best Suited For?
Meow Mix is best for healthy housecats with no known health concerns. As we will discuss later, Meow Mix doesn’t necessarily have the best ingredients, but generations of cats have been raised on Meow Mix to live long, healthy lives. If your cat has no known health concerns, they will likely love Meow Mix.
Which Types of Cats Might Do Better with a Different Brand?
Because Meow Mix’s ingredients aren’t the healthiest, cats with known health conditions ought to eat another brand. Health conditions include anything like cancer, obesity, allergens, or sensitive stomach. For example, cats with sensitive stomachs ought to try Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Natural Adult Dry Cat Food instead.
It’s a great idea to talk to your vet if your cat has known conditions. Your vet will direct you towards a healthier brand that targets your cat’s exact needs.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients
The exact ingredients will depend on the food recipe you select. Nonetheless, most Meow Mix foods have some key ingredients that are found in all their recipes. Let’s take a look at the ingredients of both dry and wet Meow Mix cat foods.
Dry Food
Meow Mix is most known for their dry food varieties. Cats seem to love the mix, and it is super affordable and easy to find at the grocery store. Despite these benefits, the ingredients are not the best. The mix is very carb heavy and the ingredients are low-quality.
In many of the dry mixes, corn gluten meal is the primary protein source. Though this is a high-protein ingredient, it is a plant protein, which is not naturally consumed by cats. Another plant protein used frequently is soybean meal. Soybean meal comes with more health concerns than corn gluten meal because it is associated with health problems in cats for its phytoestrogen content.
In addition to plant proteins, meat by-products (like chicken or beef) are used for protein and nutrition. Though meat by-products are cat-safe and better than plant protein, meat by-products are not good quality meat. Some of the more “animal-based proteins” actually only contain animal fat, not protein.
Dry cat food contains ingredients not related to protein as well. For example, the number one ingredient in many dry mixes is ground whole corn. This ingredient is very carbohydrate dense, which is not suitable for cats. Still, the ingredient is added because it gives the kibble a crunch that cats love.
Finally, Meow Mix dry foods come with flavor additives and additional minerals and vitamins. The vitamins and minerals are healthy for your cat, but artificial colors and flavorings can be harmful.
Wet Food
Though the Meow Mix dry cat food is easier for us to serve, cats tend to love the wet food the most. These dishes will include a protein base that is mixed in with gravy and other ingredients. Like with the dry cat food, the wet food comes in many flavors, though the ingredients are lacking.
As for the protein source, the wet foods tend to rely more on animal protein (like chicken or tuna), which is a good thing. These food options rarely come with plant protein. As a result, the protein source is much more cat-friendly than the wet food options.
The animal protein will then be in some sort of oil for the gravy or wetness of the can. For example, many of the fish-based options are placed in soil-bean oil, which provides fat and a boost of flavor.
The entire can of food will be stabilized in different stabilizer ingredients, like guar gum. These ingredients are rarely cat-friendly and are often associated with cancer and other serious health conditions, especially when the ingredients are degraded.
A Flavor for Every Feline
One thing we, and cats, love about Meow Mix is that it offers a flavor for every feline. Because Meow Mix has such a long-standing consumer base, they have just about every flavor imaginable. Whether your cat likes tuna or chicken, Meow Mix has an option that will please even the pickiest of eaters.
Part of the reason cats love Meow Mix so much is that it has such a high carb and fat content. On one hand, carbs are addictive and make cats feel full. On the other hand, fat tastes super delicious, making your cat come back for more.
Poor Ingredient Quality
Even though cats love Meow Mix, that does not mean you need to feed it to them often. As we already mentioned, cats love Meow Mix because of the high carb and fat content. In any cat diet, protein should be the star of the show, not carbohydrates or fat. Both can make your cat fat and lead to other health issues.
Additionally, much of the protein in Meow Mix food is of poor quality. For starters, cats should not eat plant protein. Additionally, animal by-products are very low quality and not fresh. Though animal by-products are a better protein source than plant protein, it still isn’t as good as healthy animal protein.
Even when the recipes use animal protein, however, most of the ingredients are plant-based. This isn’t necessarily a critique to Meow Mix alone. Almost all dry cat food varieties are primarily made from plants to get that crunchy texture cats know and love.
To date, Meow Mix has never been recalled, but that does not mean their food is completely safe. In 2015, Meow Mix was found to have the highest mycotoxin mold contamination. These results were found in a study that was crowdfunded by a consumer advocacy group.
In case you were unaware, mycotoxins are created by either mold or fungus, and they typically grow on grains, wheat, and corn. Consuming mycotoxins can lead to acute or chronic illnesses. Small ingestion of mycotoxins over time, for example, can lead to cancer, kidney failure, and liver toxicity.
Reviews of the 3 Best Meow Mix Cat Food Recipes
Here is a look at the top 3 Meow Mix Cat Food Recipes:
1. Meow Mix Tender Favorites with Real Tuna & Whole Shrimp in Sauce
Finally, the last recipe on our list is the Meow Mix Tender Favorites with Real Tuna & Whole Shrimp in Sauce, and it is by far our favorite. This flavor is something that cats absolutely love. Even incredibly picky eaters love this food and the taste of real tuna and shrimp in a cup.
We really love this recipe because it contains more animal-based protein and fat than the dry food varieties. In fact, this recipe is about 78% protein, whereas the other two were only about 39% protein. Plus, this protein is actually based in animals, not plants.
The biggest downside about this recipe is that cats shouldn’t have fish every single day. Though it is suitable on occasion, recipes made with chicken or turkey are much more cat-friendly on the regular. Still, this is a much more manageable downside since you can simply limit how much you feed your cat this recipe.
The Meow Mix Tender Centers Salmon & White Meat Chicken Dry Cat Food has a flavor that cats go crazy for. It combines salmon and chicken with a crunchy outer layer but meaty center. This recipe is high in protein, though cats love it most for its delicious flavor and dual texture.
As for the ingredients, it does contain animal-sourced fat. The primary protein source is also chicken by-product meal. Although chicken by-product meal is not great quality, it still is better than plant-based protein, which cats have not evolved to eat.
Much like the other dry food variety, this one contains a number of unhealthy ingredients. For example, it offers corn syrup, dye, and other harmful ingredients. All these ingredients are linked to obesity and other health concerns common in cats.
The Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food is easily the most popular recipe they offer. Using delicious flavors of turkey, salmon, and fish, this original recipe has been loved by cats for generations. It provides a flavor that cats can’t get enough of.
At the same time, the Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food is fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, ensuring your cat gets all of the nutrition it needs. Plus, it contains animal-sourced fats, which is something cats need in a healthy diet.
The main downside of this mix is that it isn’t made with the best ingredients. Most of the protein is based in corn gluten meal. As we learned above, this is a plant-based protein, not an animal-based protein. Additionally, the fact that it offers the flavors of meat is deceiving. It doesn’t actually contain a lot of animal protein, though it does have animal by-products.
Calorie Breakdown:
Pros
Affordable
Easy to find at the store
Cats love it
Fortified with vitamins and minerals
Contains animal-sourced fat
Cons
Contains plant protein
Contains animal by-products
What Other Users are Saying
It’s important to do your research before buying any food for your friendly feline. In addition to reading our review, you can read what other users are saying below.
Petmom – “My finicky 15-year-old kitty has decided that this is the only food he will eat. I love the bigger size cups and the convenience of the tear off lid. It has the consistency of tuna and it’s very juicy, which is great for kitties who don’t like to drink water.”
Kirsten – “Love this food, as it’s the only brand/flavor my picky cat really seems to like.”
Amazon – As cat owners, it’s up to us to feed our cats delicious and nutritious food. To ensure that you always feed your feline the best food on the market, always read customer reviews first. You can read some by clicking here.
Conclusion
Meow Mix is an affordable and convenient brand cats tend to love. Though it does not contain the healthiest or cat-friendly of ingredients, most healthy cats can live long and healthy lives on this food. If your cat has health conditions, however, we recommend talking to your vet about a cat food specific for your cat’s needs.
If you are sold on Meow Mix, try the Tender Favorites with Real Tuna & Whole Shrimp in Sauce. Of the recipes we looked at, this one had the most protein, and animal protein at that. Just be sure to alternate food days since cats should not eat seafood every day.
Christian is the Editor-in-Chief of Excited Cats and one of its original and primary contributors. A lifelong cat lover, now based in South East Asia, Christian and his wife are the proud parents of an 11-year-old son and four rescue cats: Trixie, Chloe, Sparky, and Chopper.
