What Is Organic Cat Food?
Despite the rise in popularity of organic food for human consumption, organic cat food is lagging behind, and there are very few organic recipes on the market.
To be classed as Organic, the ingredients found in the recipe must meet strict guidelines established by the United States Department of Agriculture or equivalent.
While many brands utilize high-quality or human-grade ingredients, meeting these organic guidelines is still a significant challenge.
Organic cat food recipes can be classified into two distinct buckets. The first is 100% certified organic cat food which is where all of the major ingredients in a recipe are certified organic, including the meat ingredients and the vegetable content.
The other variety of organic cat food is partially organic. Partially organic recipes are, as you would imagine, made up of some organic and non-organic ingredients. It is more common to see organic plant-based ingredients in these recipes compared to organic meat ingredients.
Is Organic Cat Food Worth It?
It will come as a surprise to no one that Organic cat food is significantly more expensive than non-organic food. This is due to the higher cost of ingredients that have to conform to high standards.
From a nutritional point of view, Organic ingredients are unlikely to provide noticeably superior nutrition. For example, Organic Chicken is not a denser source of protein than non-organic Chicken.
However, where organic cat food can be advantageous is from an ethical standpoint. Animal welfare and the environment are hot topics, especially among younger generations.
Most animals that are raised on organic farms enjoy a better quality of life than on non-organic farms. Also, organic plant produce can often be less damaging to the local environment or use fewer chemicals.
Best Organic Cat Food
Castor & Pollux Organix Grain-Free Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Review
Castor & Pollux is a well-known pet food brand across the United States and is probably the biggest producer of organic pet food. All of the recipes within their Organix range are certified Organic.
In addition to being Organic, the meat and fish ingredients used in these Organix recipes are from responsible and sustainable sources. This type of ingredient-sourcing is a rarity in the pet food world industry and is an appealing trait.
Read more information about Castor & Pollux’s ingredient sourcing and their organic range in our Castor & Pollux Review.
Organic Chicken and Organic Chicken Meal are the recipe’s primary two ingredients and, as such, provide the bulk of the formula’s animal-based protein and fat.
Outside of this, the recipe uses a large range of organic plant-based ingredients, including Pea Protein, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Chickpeas, Tapioca, and more.
These plant-based ingredients provide a mix of plant-based protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and more.
Purina Beyond Organic Chicken, Egg & Sweet Potato Recipe Review
Purina Beyond’s recent adventure into the Organic pet food market is the only recipe from a mainstream brand to feature in this article.
Purina Beyond is a relatively new offshoot of the Purina mega-brand and, as such, has a relatively small product range.
You can read our in-depth review of Purina Beyond here.
While their dog food range has two Organic recipes, their cat food range only has a single recipe which is shown above.
The recipe utilizes a mix of Organic Chicken and Organic Chicken Meal as its primary ingredients. These Organic Chicken ingredients provide a portion of protein and fat that should be at the core of every cat’s diet.
Outside of this Chicken content, the recipe includes a number of Organic plant-based ingredients like Cassava Root, Peas, and Canola. These ingredients provide a mix of carbohydrates, fiber, and plant-based protein.
For many of these plant-based ingredients, it would likely be challenging to source them organically in large quantities, which is notable.
Tender & True Organic Chicken & Liver Recipe Review
Tender & True is a relative newcomer to the pet food industry as it was founded in 2014. Despite the young age of the brand, they have been producing some excellent recipes, including some that are certified Organic.
In particular, they are among a select club of pet food brands that utilize organic meat ingredients in their recipes.
The above Chicken & Liver recipe includes a large portion of Chicken ingredients like Organic Chicken, Organic Chicken Meal, and Organic Chicken Liver.
These Chicken ingredients will combine to provide a large portion of animal-based protein and fat. In addition, the Chicken Liver can greatly enhance the flavor of the recipe and boost levels of some beneficial vitamins and minerals.
All of the major plant-based ingredients present are Organic, and this includes Tapioca, Peas, Chickpeas, and Flaxseed.
These ingredients provide a consistent source of carbohydrates, fiber, and some beneficial micronutrients.
Free Acres Organic Free-Run Chicken For Cats Review
Gather is a smaller pet food brand that is owned by Petcurean, which also owns several other brands you may be more familiar with, such as Go! and Now Fresh.
Gather often garners attention, both negative and positive, for being one of a slim number of brands that produce vegan dog food. However, many gloss over the fact that they also produce Organic dog and cat food.
You can read more about the Gather brand here.
The above Free Acres recipe has a strong focus on Chicken, like many others in this article. This includes a portion of Organic Chicken and Organic Dehydrated Chicken. This Chicken acts as the recipe’s primary source of animal-based protein and fat.
Outside of this Chicken content, the recipe utilizes legume ingredients like Peas and Lentils. It is notable that while the Peas used in this recipe are Organic, the Lentils are not listed as Organic.
Wysong Uretic With Organic Chicken Review
Wysong is a unique pet food brand as they also produce food for animals other than dogs and cats. Despite this broad focus, they still produce high-quality dog and cat food recipes, including an organic wet cat food recipe which you can see above.
The Uretic with Organic Chicken recipe only includes three notable ingredients, which are Organic Chicken, Brown Rice, and Blueberries.
The Chicken makes up the bulk of the recipe and provides a reliable mix of protein and fat. The portion of Brown Rice is small and provides a modest proportion of carbohydrates and fiber.
Lastly, Blueberries are a regular addition to many pet food recipes, although usually in tiny quantities. Blueberries can provide several beneficial vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients.
Evangers Organic Beef Dinner Review
Evangers is a brand with a strong focus on wet/canned pet food recipes which is unusual in the industry. Most pet food brands tend to focus on dry food as this is the most popular variety due to its lower cost.
While most of Evanger’s product range is non-organic, they do have several organic recipes within their Organics range, and the above Beef Dinner is a prime example.
We are huge fans of the simplicity of this Beef Dinner recipe and its short ingredient list. The three primary ingredients are Organic Beef, Organic Liver, and Organic Beef Kidney.
This mix of Beef and organ meat is certain to provide an appealing flavor as well as a huge proportion of animal-based protein and fat.
Outside of this meat content, there are very few other ingredients. The only notable ones are Organic Guar Gum which is a common addition to wet pet food recipes. Guar Gum acts as a binding agent to hold the food together and give it a consistent texture.
The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain Free Chicken Recipe Review
Dehydrated pet food is The Honest Kitchen’s bread and butter, and they’ve almost perfected the subject.
They have what we believe to be the broadest product ranges of dehydrated food along with other smaller ranges of other varieties of food.
If you want to learn more about why The Honest Kitchen is a leader in this space, head over to our The Honest Kitchen Review.
The above Chicken recipe is a prime example of dehydrated cat food. Its primary two ingredients are Dehydrated Chicken and Dehydrated Eggs.
While we’ve discussed Chicken multiple times here, Eggs are worth discussing and are an excellent addition to any cat food recipe.
What makes Eggs a fantastic ingredient is the mix of nutrition they can provide (protein, fat, carbohydrates, and more) and the fact that they are extremely bioavailable. This means a cat’s digestive system can easily digest them and utilize their nutrients.
Outside of these two ingredients, the dehydrated recipe uses smaller portions of Dehydrated Potatoes, Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes to provide a modest proportion of carbohydrates and fiber.
Stella & Chewy’s Grain Free Chicken & Salmon Medley Pate Review
The Stella & Chewy brand is best known for its frozen and freeze-dried pet products, but they also produce traditional pet food such as dry cat food and wet cat food.
While Stella & Chewy’s meat and fish ingredients are not organic, all of their fruit and vegetable ingredients are 100% organic which makes their recipes partially organic.
You can read our detailed review of Stella & Chewy’s here.
The above Pate recipe from Stella & Chewy’s is one of our favorites and includes a large portion of Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, and Salmon.
This combination of meat, organ meat, and fish provides an impressive proportion of protein and fat and is bound to be flavorful.
While all of Stella & Chewy’s plant-based ingredients are organic, this recipe contains very little plant matter.
However, that certainly isn’t a negative trait, given that cats are obligate carnivores and do not need to consume plant material.
I have been trying to research a variety of cat foods that would be beneficial to their health and well being. I want my kittens and more mature cats to have the best. I am somewhat impressed with Dr. Marty’s freeze dried cat food and would like your opinion, as to whether or not, there may be another you would recommend as a better choice. I also am interested in your opinion on the dog food as well. I have a dog that has been eating dry dog food. Thank you very much, I will appreciate and value your opinion. I love my pets and want them to live a long, happy, healthy life.