10 Cat Foods That Have Never Been Recalled 2023 Update

As a cat owner, you put faith in the pet food industry to provide your kitty with the nutrition it needs to live a long and healthy life. But what happens when the industry fails you? Pet food recalls happen more than we like to think and can be deadly.

What’s scarier is that many of the most beloved pet food companies are repeat offenders. For example, Purina has had three recalls in the last four months alone, yet they are one of the most popular pet food manufacturers.

If you want to put your money into the pockets of companies with a crystal-clear recall record, we can help. Keep reading to find our reviews of the ten best cat foods that have never been recalled.

A Quick Look at Our Favorites in 2023

The 10 Best Cat Foods That Have Never Been Recalled

1. Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend Wet Cat Food – Best Overall

Our pick as the best overall cat food that has never been recalled is the Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend Wet Cat Food. This omega-6-rich single-protein blend is made with wholesome ingredients like non-GMO cranberries, coconut oil, and spinach. The Open Farm website has a Transparency page allowing pet owners to input the lot code on their food bag so they can track everything in their cat’s food bowl to its source. The company is also very open with its safety test results, allowing consumers to view the reports for themselves.

The chicken used for this high-protein recipe is humanely raised on family farms and fed a healthy diet without antibiotics or growth hormones. The recipe includes healthy vegetables like carrots for beta-carotene and pumpkins for a dose of fiber for digestive health. No artificial preservatives or flavoring exist in any of the company’s recipes.

On the downside, this food’s texture may take cats stuck in their ways time to get used to. It’s also priced higher than what you may be used to paying for at your local pet store, but that is a trade-off to be expected when buying such a high-quality food.

2. Sheba Perfect Portions Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Trays – Best Value

Sheba Perfect Portions Grain-Free Tender Whitefish & Tuna Entree Wet Cat Food Trays provide cat owners with the best cat food that hasn’t been recalled for the money. This highly affordable wet cat food features high-quality whitefish as its first ingredient. It doesn’t contain grains, wheat, or soy, so it’s a good wet food option for cat owners concerned about allergies and digestibility. In addition, the trays are conveniently portioned to take the guesswork out of feeding your pet.

Though the Sheba brand has never been recalled, its parent company has had several recalls. In addition, the company is not transparent about where its ingredients are sourced from, saying on its website that the ingredients have been “carefully selected” to promote the health and well-being of the pets they feed.

3. Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Mackerel & Lamb Recipe Cat Food – Premium Choice

The Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Mackerel & Lamb Recipe Cat Food wins our premium choice pick for the best cat food that hasn’t been recalled. This air-dried cat food is manufactured so that it doesn’t need the starches and grains that most extruded pet foods do, allowing for a much lower carbohydrate formula. PetMD suggests cats get less than 10% of their daily calories from carbohydrates, making this recipe a great option. This food is nutrient dense and includes superfoods like New Zealand green mussels, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and anti-inflammatory nutrients. It’s made with real meat, including whole mackerel and lamb as the two main ingredients.

This recipe has a strong scent that can be off-putting for cat owners and a high price that may make it inaccessible to those on a budget. 

4. Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals Grain-Free Pate Kitten Canned Cat Food – Best for Kittens

Fancy Feast is a popular cat food that’s easy to find in most grocery stores and is available at a price accessible to cat owners on tight budgets. The Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals Natural Wild Alaskan Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Pate Kitten Canned Cat Food is a pate-style that most kittens take to immediately. It’s free of grain, soy, and corn and contains no artificial coloring or preservatives. In addition, the recipe contains added vitamins and minerals that your kitten needs to thrive, such as vitamin A for growth and muscle development.

This recipe contains cow’s milk which can be problematic for kittens with dairy sensitivities. It also has a strong scent that can be either enticing or off-putting to cats.

5. Cat Person Chicken Recipe Shreds in Broth

Cat Person provides cat owners with a high-quality pet food delivery service. The company’s Cat Person Chicken Recipe Shreds in Broth is one of their best-sellers as it contains a whopping amount of protein, 85% more than industry standards. This grain-free and low-carbohydrate recipe is made without potatoes, corn, or wheat and is designed to provide complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages. The formula features ingredients such as chicken broth for collagen and sunflower oil for a dose of omega-6 fatty acids. The company uses natural flavors to liven up the taste of its meals. If your kitty doesn’t like the shreds in broth texture, Cat Person also makes a pate version.

Unfortunately, Cat Person is pricier than the average cat food.

The company relies on co-packers in Thailand to make their wet food. Aside from that, they do not have much information about ingredient sourcing on their website. 

6. Feline Natural Chicken & Lamb Feast Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food

Feline Natural Chicken & Lamb Feast Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food is a grain-free, protein-rich food with just the right mix of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. In addition, it’s rich in taurine, an amino acid that cats need for eye health. The formula features 99% meat, including chicken as the main ingredient, followed by several types of lamb meat, including heart, kidney, and liver. In addition, it contains New Zealand green mussel, which includes a range of omega fatty acids your kitty needs for bone and joint maintenance. The ingredients are locally sourced from trusted New Zealand suppliers.

Unfortunately, this food comes in very small packages and is extremely expensive. It may be better suited as a treat than your cat’s entire diet.

7. Tiki Cat Wild Salmon in Salmon Consommé Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

Tiki Cat Hanalei Luau Wild Salmon in Salmon Consommé Grain-Free Canned Cat Food is a high protein recipe consisting mainly of wild-caught flaked Alaskan salmon. The consommé-based formula features real salmon broth, providing the moisture necessary to keep your pet hydrated. This texture is received well by picky kitties and those needing to add more hydration to their lives. There are no fillers, by-products, or artificial additives used in this recipe.

Unfortunately, fish is a common allergen for cats, so this recipe may not be suitable for those with sensitivities or allergies. 

8. Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein Turkey Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein Turkey Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food is a protein-packed kibble option featuring several protein sources such as turkey, chicken, and pork. This high-protein recipe is formulated to be low on the glycemic index, providing just 4% of energy from carbohydrates. In addition, it has no or low amounts of oxalate ingredients to help prevent calcium oxalate crystals from forming and is chock full of vitamins like vitamin E and  B12.

This recipe contains salmon oil as an animal-based source of omega-3 fatty acids. Unfortunately, including such oil makes it no longer a good option for cats with fish allergies. The formula also contains chickpeas; while they’re non-toxic, some cats may have difficulty digesting them. 

9. Nulo Freestyle Turkey & Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Cat & Kitten Food

Nulo Freestyle Turkey & Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat & Kitten Food is a complete and balanced wet food with a complementary chicken and turkey protein combination. It contains no grains, carrageenan, meat by-products, or artificial preservatives. The broth-based gravy adds moisture to your kitty’s diet and provides a texture most cats take to immediately. It contains ingredients the company claims to be superfoods, including cranberries, kelp, and pumpkin. The formula is fortified with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to promote a healthy and shiny coat. It is designed to meet the nutritional needs of kittens and adults.

This formula contains tuna and fish oil, making it inappropriate for cats with fish allergies. In addition, though it has several protein sources, this food isn’t particularly high in protein compared to other options on our list.

10. Lotus Just Juicy Chicken Stew Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

Lotus Just Juicy Chicken Stew Grain-Free Canned Cat Food features 95% meat and is crafted with real chicken as the first ingredient and chicken broth for moisture as the second. The recipe is made without guar gum, xanthan gum, or carrageenan, which are thickening agents that other companies use freely. Lotus’ recipes are cooked in small batches and hand-packed in their California cannery.

This recipe contains salmon oil, making it inappropriate for cats with seafood allergies. Some cans are filled with significant amounts of liquid, reducing the availability of chicken morsels and thus providing less nutrition than stated on the cans. Lotus’ food is extremely expensive and may not be accessible to all cat owners.

Buyer’s Guide: What to Know About Cat Food Recalls

Pet food recalls happen sometimes, and it can be terrifying as a cat owner to know you’ve fed your beloved pet food that may make them sick. It’s completely understandable if you’d like to switch to a recall-free company for peace of mind. But there’s more to recalls than you might think. Read on to learn more.

Should I Only Buy Food From Companies That Haven’t Ever Had a Recall?

There is no right or wrong answer here. Even with the best manufacturing processes, some of the best and healthiest pet food companies have had occasional recalls. On the other hand, some may have never had a recall because they simply aren’t looking for problems. Just because a company hasn’t had a recall doesn’t mean they don’t have issues that would be identified through rigorous testing.

Instead, focus on making an informed buying decision for your cat’s food. If you favor a particular company that isn’t on our list above, that doesn’t mean they don’t produce safe or healthy food for your pet. Research the recalls that involved the company to see how it was handled and the reason for the recall. Companies with several recalls under their belt should be looked at more in-depth.

The bottom line is that a recall doesn’t make a company bad, just like no recall history doesn’t make the company’s food healthy.

Why Do Cat Foods Get Recalled?

Pet foods can undergo recalls for a variety of reasons, including:

What Was the Largest Cat Food Recall?

The aforementioned melamine pet food recall of 2007 was the largest recall in history. This recall involved around 180 brands, some of which were the most prominent in the pet food industry at the time, including Hill’s PetNutrition, Nestle Purina PetCare Co., and The Iams Co. Dozens of big-name retailers were also involved, including Wal-Mart, Target, PetSmart, and Costco.

On March 15, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration learned that certain pet foods were making cats and dogs very ill and even killing them. These foods were contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid and linked to kidney failure reports in cats and dogs. By the end of March, veterinary organizations had reported over 100 pet deaths among the nearly 500 cases of kidney failure. The FDA received reports of 8,500 deaths, including 1,950 cats, but only 14 cases were officially confirmed linked to the recall. Unfortunately, for this reason, the full extent of the pet deaths related to the melamine recall may never be known.

Where Can I Get Up-to-Date Information About Pet Food Recalls?

Pet owners can check the FDA’s Recalls & Withdrawals website to learn about recalls in the pet food industry.

The American Veterinary Medical Associates (AVMA) Recalls & Safety Alerts website is also kept up to date about pet food recalls.

Conclusion

Now that you know more about cat food recalls and why they happen, you probably realize how essential it is to trust the company you’re buying your cat food from.

For the best overall cat food that hasn’t been recalled, give Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend Wet Cat Food a shot. This food is high in protein and manufactured by a company that cares about ingredient transparency. The best value option is Sheba’s Perfect Portions Tender Whitefish & Tuna Entrée for its accessible price point and convenient packaging.

We hope our reviews and buying guide have helped shed some light on the brands you should consider when hunting for a recall-free cat food brand.

Featured Image Credit: Pixel-Shot, Shutterstock