Do dental treats really work? What cat food products are recommended for cats with sensitive stomachs? Will my cat eat that? If any of these questions sound familiar, you’re in the right place!
The following cat food, cat treat, and cat food topper reviews are listed alphabetically and fall into three categories:
Products we purchased ourselves (P); Products that were sent to us for free, on a one-time basis, in return for our honest review (F); and Products from companies who we have affiliate agreements with (A).
We were able to try out many of the foods below because we are a Chewy.com affiliates and they send us free products every month in return for our honest opinion, which we post on Instagram. Since we only get the products on a one-time basis, we show them as (F) here. Chewy.com is reviewed separately on our general Cat Product Review Post.
When both the human and cat approve of the product, you will see the “Squish Delish Approved” seal of approval next to the product name:
The foundation of my cat’s diet is Weruva canned food and Savage Cat Raw, as I detail in my blog “A Quick Guide to Cat Nutrition and Tips for Choosing Cat Food Products.” I aslo feed Fergie a very small amount of dry food daily, because she loves it and I like the option of dry food in an emergency. I do not know the long-term effects of a diet based on most of the products below. What I can tell you is the guaranteed analysis of crude protein, whether my cats liked it and ate it, and if it caused any tummy troubles.
All of the cat food listed below are grain free and are appropriate for a cat who is sensitive to grain or has a grain allergy. It is entirely coincidental that they are grain free, as it is not something I specifically look for.
Ciao Cat Treats by Inuba: Purées and Fillets (A)
The Human: Me before Ciao treats, “My cats don’t eat treats.” Me after Ciao treats, “I can get my cats to do nearly anything by using the Ciao purées!” The purées are about 
7.5% crude protein and the fillets are a whopping 26.5% on average! Great news, even though I still only feed them a small amount of #meowforciao at a time.
The Cats: Ermergerd! Ermergerd! Ermergerd! She’s got the kitty crack out!!!!! (The purées in every flavor are by far the more popular, but they also love the fillets!)
Available through Amazon.com: Ciao Churu Cat Treat
Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food (F):
The Human: I have been looking for an alternative to the Premium Edge dry cat food I review below, as it has been discontinued. We were able to try this for free and I was quite impressed with crude protein guaranteed analysis of 59%. Chicken is the first ingredient followed by dried egg product and pork protein isolate. It is about twice as expensive as the Premium Edge, but appears to be made of higher quality products. As I only feed Fergie a tiny bit each day, this looks like a viable alternative!
Fergie (Duffy has just one tooth left): I like this as much as the Premium Edge and haven’t had any tummy troubles with the change in food.
Chewy.com has 2lb and 6.6lb bags available: https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-cleanprotein-chicken/dp/146269
Greenies Feline Oven Roasted Chicken Flavor Dental Cat Treats (P)
The Human: These were the second dental treats I bought from Amazon.com for Fergie, after her first cleaning. At the time I was going back and forth between whether dental treats actually work for cleaning tartar off teeth. Now I believe they do not. I don’t think cats chew cat treats (or dry food) enough to see any benefit, if there is indeed any dental benefit from eating dry food. I have yet to see research that confirms dental treats actually work this way. It does have a guaranteed analysis of 27% for crude protein, which is pretty good for a cat treat.
Fergie (Duffy has just one tooth left): I liked the Iams better, but still ate these.
Iams Dental Treats in Chicken and Salmon (P)
The Human: These were the first dental treats I bought from Amazon.com for Fergie, after her first cleaning. As I said above, I have yet to see research that confirms dental treats actually work to remove tartar. It does have a guaranteed analysis of 27% for crude protein, which is pretty good for a cat treat.
Fergie (Duffy has just one tooth left): I loved both the chicken and salmon flavors. But why waste time chewing?
I and love and You Canned Pate Cat Food – Chicken, Cod, Turkey, & Salmon (F)
The Human: I liked their slogan: “Real Meat and Nothing Weird.” The first ingredients on the chicken, cod, and turkey pate flavors included in the variety pack were chicken, turkey, and cod – thumbs up! The next two ingredients were liver and broth, not ideal but with a 10% crude protein guaranteed analysis, I’d say this looks like a pretty decent canned food option. I did have to look a couple of weird ingredients up that turned out to be vitamins or related to breaking down protein. I should really keep a list. Not the highest grade, but a solid medium.
The Cats: We have now tried all four varieties and love them all! No tummy troubles to report.
Instinct by Nature’s Variety Grain-Free Minced Recipe with Real Rabbit Wet Cat Food (F)
The Human: Instinct wasn’t a brand I had heard of when Chewy.com sent it to us and when I looked at the ingredient list I was a little put off by the variety of fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, it is made with rabbit, which both cats love raw, and crude protein is 10% of the guaranteed analysis. It also comes in easy to open and re-seal cups, which is a plus. It is not a pate, so I was worried my cats would just lick off the juice, per usual. The morsels must have been extra tasty, because they surprised me and ate most of what I put down for them. Zero tummy troubles from Duffy, so this is on my winner list!
The Cats: Get the hint human! We love rabbit. It’s two paws up from us!
Nutro Wild Frontier Real Chicken & Real Turkey and Duck Pâtés (F)
The Human: I was excited to try this product sent to us by Chewy.com. The guaranteed analysis for crude protein is 12.5% and it comes in the perfect portion size for my kitties. It’s also a pâté, which my cats prefer. There were a couple of ingredients I had to look up, but they made up a very small % of the total guaranteed analysis. The cats gobbled it up and had zero tummy problems, initially I was going to recommend it.*
The Cats: We loved both flavors, but Turkey and Duck were our favorite! YUM!
*I am adding this cautionary note After talking with a friend who has expertise in the cat food industry. According to my friend, Nutro was purchased by Mars some years ago and the quality of the food has deteriorated. My friend also said that people’s cats, including her own, were experiencing more tummy problems and urinary tract infections.
Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Canned Cat Food – Venison and Smoked Salmon (F)
The Human: This was another freebie from Chewy.com. Crude protein in the guaranteed analysis is 8%. It comes in small cans, which we appreciate, but were put off that the second and third ingredients were broths. Plus, the cats wouldn’t eat the morsels, which is pretty common for them.
The Cats: We liked the gravy and licked it all off. The morsels we kindly left for the human, because we are generous like that.
Premium Edge Finicky Adult Formula Dry Cat Food (F)
The Human: I feed a small amount of dry food to Fergie, because she likes it and I am a sucker and Duffy occasional harfs down the few kibbles Fergie leaves behind. As I say in my blog about at Nutrition, I don’t believe dry food should be the foundation of your cat’s diet, but is probably okay in small amounts. This brand has a crude protein guaranteed analysis of 34% and is a solid, medium grade cat food. Unfortunately, they have stopped selling this formula. Once I run out, I will try one the other adult formulas and let you know what the cats think.
The Cats: Even Duffy gulps this dry food down with only one tooth!
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Urinary SO Dry Cat Food (P)
The Human: I used this exclusively with Squish and then slowly weaned Fergie off of it. It is a food I bought before I knew much about cat nutrition and was recommended by my veterinarian after Squish was diagnosed with crystals in her urine. It is quite expensive, but if you look at the first three ingredients, Chicken-by Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, it is not made from high grade protein sources. Imagine my disappointment (and yes anger!) when I realize how much I had been paying for a low-grade animal food product! The guaranteed analysis for crude protein is 32.5% and Squish never had crystals again, but I can’t help but wonder how feeding her this food affected her overall health.
The Cats: We love it! Yes, we know it is probably the nutritional equivalent of McDonald’s. But we are cats, and leave the nutritional worries up to our human!
Savage Cat Food (A)
The Human: Savage Cat raw food was a life changer for me. When I first adopted Duffy he had loose stools for two months straight. After the vet ruled out any obvious medical reasons, I started experimenting with his diet. I saw immediate results after feeding Duffy Savage Cat raw food. Savage Cat is available in retail stores, but I get a box mailed to me monthly that contains individually wrapped, frozen servings. I alternate between rabbit and chicken and serve the cats at least one raw meal a day. This prevents any tummy troubles and keeps the litter box from smelling to high heaven. They are the first company I have reached to in order to become an affiliate. I really wanted to be able to offer a discount to encourage others to try it, so now you can use SQUISH10 to get 10% off Savage Cat food!
The Cats: FEED US MORE SAVAGE CAT RAW FOOD!!!! nom nom nom
You can try the chicken for $22 and the rabbit for $28 (less 10% using SQUISH10)
Solid Gold Blended Tuna Recipe in Gravy Canned Cat Food (F)
The Human: The first ingredient is tuna and the second ingredient is water, which had me concerned. However the guaranteed analysis is 13%, so I think it is an average canned cat food. I hate that they put xantham gum in cat food, but that is a personally thing based on my own stomach’s reactions to that ingredient.
The Cats: We like this okay. It is full of chunks and we prefer pate. Plus, we refused to eat refrigerated leftovers.
Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken Dinner Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Cat Food (P)
The Human: If you are looking for a good alternative to raw that is a little more affordable and easy to store, I highly recommend this product. You do have to soak it in hot water first and I would advise a thorough soaking, as urinary and kidney problems in cats are linked to a dry food diet. The ingredients and guaranteed analysis pass with flying colors and I have heard even finicky cats take to this cat food fairly quickly.
The Cats: Two paws up for us! We like it when the human mixes up our raw food diet. We have tried both chicken and rabbit now.
VetriScience Perio Plus Everyday Health Feline Bites Dental Cat Treats (F)
The Human: We don’t believe that dental treats do a great job of cleaning cat’s teeth and highly recommend getting your cat used to getting their teeth brushed. However, this dental treat contains ingredients that seem to show promise for mouth, gum and teeth health. The bites are rather large and I was afraid Fergie wouldn’t eat it, but she did without any problems. There is not a guaranteed analysis. I am guessing that’s because this is not considered a food but a supplement.
Fergie (Duffy has just one tooth left): I ate it and I will probably eat it again if you feed it to me!
Weruva – Cats in the Kitchen Canned Cat Food (P)
The Human: Weruva Cat’s in the Kitchen is a pâté based canned cat food I have been feeding Duffy and Fergie for the last few years. Some of the flavors have a few chunks of fish or shredded chicken, but my cats will eat most of it. The guaranteed analysis for crude protein ranges from 11% to 12.45%, depending on the flavor. Both cats like Weruva and it hasn’t caused any tummy problems for either. It also seems to benefit their overall health. Both are older cats and their annual elder blood and urine analyses have consistently looked good. Plus, they have plush, shiny coats. I suggest trying the starter pack (link below) or if you already know your cat’s love it, use my Amazon Associates link below to order the 6oz size!
The Cats: Lamb-burg-ini and Kitty Gone Wild are our favorite flavors, although in a pinch we will even eat the shredded Chicken Frick ‘A Zee.
Weruva – Cats in the Kitchen Cat Food Pouches (F)
The Human: Weruva Cat’s in the Kitchen cat food pouches are morsels in gravy, so I didn’t hold out hope my kitties would do anything but slurp the gravy and leave the morsels. Much to my surprise, they both licked their plates clean. They are a tad lower than the Weruva canned in their guaranteed analysis for crude protein at 9%, but definitely great for mixing things up if your cats get bored like mine do with the flavors. The pouches haven’t caused any tummy problems for either cat.
The Cats: We are fans and even eat the morsels!
Wilderness Toppers by Blue Buffalo- Duck Morsels in Savory Gravy (F) *warning*
When I am wrong I will own up to it and boy was I wrong to endorse this one! I have always warned people away from Blue Buffalo. They have had some serious recalls and pets have died from eating their food. I did not realize Blue Buffalo and Blue Wilderness were the same company. But now that I know, I would advise staying away from any of their products. Mea culpa!
The Human: I wasn’t holding out hope for this product, because of the morsels. However, the cats seem to really like it. I’d say they eat about 50% of the morsels when I use it. I don’t use it often and mostly put it on top of canned food that has been refrigerated overnight and the cats are being finicky about eating it. I have had some friends try it too, and it seems to appeal to most cats. No upset tummy from Duffy, but I do only use about a tablespoon. The guaranteed analysis for crude protein is 8%, which I think is okay for a topper.
The Cats: We are fans! We only wish it were all gravy. Those morsels slow us down.
Squish Delish welcomes your comments and feedback!