Although very young, Chewy’s house brand American Journey seems to be getting more popular by the minute. It’s no wonder why – the food is affordable, yet seems to be delicious and of excellent quality. Could this be the ideal cat food for your feline companion? Find out in our detailed American Journey cat food review, where we cover some of the brand’s most popular recipes, plus talk about the company itself and the main pros and cons of feeding this diet.
American Journey Cat Food Review
We’re starting with the brand’s most popular recipe – turkey and chicken dry food. This is a high-protein cat food that is packed to the brim with both high-quality animal protein sources as well as some plant protein sources. The first three ingredients are animal proteins – turkey, turkey meal and chicken meal – so there are plenty of essential amino acids necessary for feline health. Besides these, the formula also contains chicken, menhaden fish meal, egg product and pea protein, so it’s not surprising there is 40% of crude protein here. Other ingredients include fat sources like chicken fat and flaxseed, and antioxidant-rich carbohydrates such as spinach, blueberries, apples, carrots, pumpkin, cranberries and more. To provide a complete diet, the food is fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, including taurine for heart and eye health. As a big bonus, the food is free from both grains and artificial additives, so it’s perfect for sensitive cats.
Calorie content: 3,670 kcal/kg or 395 kcal/cup
Minimum protein: 40%
Minimum fat: 15%
Maximum fiber: 4%
Maximum moisture: 10%
With Taurine and antioxidants
First three ingredients: deboned turkey, turkey meal, chicken meal
- Brand: American Journey
- Model: 131581
- Weight: 12.0 pounds
With three different flavors, this variety pack by American Journey Pet Food is perfect for fussy eaters who crave novelty every day. Each recipe starts with real meat that is covered in delicious gravy and includes simple but nourishing ingredients such as blueberries, cranberries and flaxseed. As for concrete protein sources, they include chicken, chicken liver, turkey and turkey liver. There are also sunflower oil and fish oil for optimal ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids, which help support healthy skin and shiny coat. Of course, each formula is also enriched with essential vitamins and minerals, so they’re complete and balanced. Overall, these are nice, nutritious wet cat food recipes that can either be fed on their own or mixed with your kitty’s usual kibble of choice. And because they’re grain-free and contain zero artificial additives, they can be fed to sensitive felines with no issues.
Calorie content: 76 to 77 kcal/3oz can
Minimum protein: 9%
Minimum fat: 4%
Maximum fiber: 1%
Maximum moisture: 82%
With Taurine
Main ingredients depending on the variety: chicken and chicken broth, turkey and turkey broth
- Brand: American Journey
- Model: 133937
- Weight: 4.5 pounds
For fans of fish and crunchy pieces of kibble, this salmon recipe may be ideal cat food. It’s made with real, deboned salmon plus other fish and antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies, providing adult cats everything they need to thrive. The first two ingredients come from salmon and there are also menhaden fish meal, egg product and pea protein, so the formula is very rich in protein (40%), making it ideal for active cats. Because it contains only one fat source – canola oil – the recipe is low to moderate in fat. Despite this, it’s high in omega-3 fatty acids thanks to fish, so it’s good for skin and coat health. Free from grains, by-products and artificial additives, this American Journey cat food is ideal for felines with food sensitivities.
Calorie content: 3,815 kcal/kg or 410 kcal/cup
Minimum protein: 40%
Minimum fat: 15%
Maximum fiber: 4%
Maximum moisture: 10%
With Taurine and antioxidants
First three ingredients: deboned salmon, salmon meal, tapioca starch
- Brand: American Journey
- Model: 131588
- Weight: 12.0 pounds
Like previous dry cat food recipes by American Journey, this one too is rich in protein and relatively low in fat, making it a good choice for most adult cats. Made with real, deboned chicken, plus turkey and fish for extra protein, this is one tasty and nutritious cat food. Fat sources include chicken fat and flaxseed, while carbohydrates come in the form of spinach, apples, pumpkin, blueberries and more. The recipe is also enriched with all important vitamins, minerals and other supplements, including taurine for heart health and good vision. You may have noticed a grain-free trend here – like most American Journey cat foods, this kibble too is free from grains, making it a good choice for cats with grain sensitivities. There are no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors either, which is always a plus. It’s solid nutrition for adult felines, however, it may not be ideal for extremely active cats due to relatively low-fat content.
Calorie content: 3,760 kcal/kg or 405 kcal/cup
Minimum protein: 40%
Minimum fat: 15%
Maximum fiber: 4%
Maximum moisture: 10%
With Taurine and antioxidants
First three ingredients: deboned chicken, chicken meal, tapioca starch
- Brand: American Journey
- Model: 131578
- Weight: 12.0 pounds
If you’re looking for affordable wet cat food that is rich in both protein and fat, this Pate Poultry Variety Pack may be exactly what your cat needs. The pack comes with two different flavors, six of each: chicken recipe pate and turkey recipe pate. Both formulas boast quality animal protein as the star ingredient, as well as a few other simple and nutritious foods, such as blueberries and cranberries. There are also fish oil and sunflower oil, making the recipes higher in fat than is usual with American Journey cat foods. Of course, the food is supplemented with all essential vitamins and minerals, and is free from grains and artificial additives for gentle digestion. This means you can serve it either as a meal on its own, a topper, or mixed with your cat’s favorite kibble.
Calorie content: 400 to 407 kcla/12.5oz can
Minimum protein: 10%
Minimum fat: 6%
Maximum fiber: 1%
Maximum moisture: 78%
With Taurine
Main ingredients depending on the variety: chicken and chicken broth, turkey and turkey broth
- Brand: American Journey
- Model: 133927
- Weight: 9.375 pounds
American Journey Cat Food Buying Guide
If American Journey cat food has caught your eye and you’re considering purchasing it for your kitty, this buying guide is for you. Here, we talk about all the things you need to know about this young company, potential reasons why you may want to give the brand a try, and the main pros and cons of feeding this diet. We also analyze the ingredients commonly used in their recipes, so read on!
Company Information
American Journey, the house brand of an online pet food and products retailer called Chewy, is a relatively young pet food brand. Launched in 2017, it doesn’t have many years of experience in pet food manufacturing like most popular cat food brands do. Nevertheless, the company enjoys an overwhelmingly positive reputation, with thousands of positive reviews and only a handful of negative ones. Now, you could argue that not enough time has passed for pet parents to properly form their opinions about the brand, however, judging by the ingredient analysis (more on that later!) and Chewy’s good reputation, it’s safe to say that this is one promising pet food manufacturer.
Until recently, American Journey was sold only on Chewy but since the retailer was purchased by PetSmart last year, the products can now be found on PetSmart as well. That being said, PetSmart seems to sell only dogfood produced by American Journey – cat food seems to be missing as of the time of writing this.
Why Choose this Brand?
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly yet healthy cat food, American Journey is the brand to try. Although green in the pet food market, this brand has already established a positive reputation for itself as it seems to offer excellent value for money. The ingredients are natural and clean, recipes pretty tasty and nutritious, and the brand offers quite a few formulas to satisfy different feline needs. So, if you’re looking for reasons to try American Journey, here are some we appreciate the most.
- Excellent ingredients
American Journey uses only natural, quality ingredients in their recipes, including real meat, poultry and fish, which are always the primary ingredients. Typically, they also include wholesome carbohydrate sources as well but no grains – not a single recipe on the Chewy website offers a grain-inclusive cat food variety. While this may be a huge plus for some cats, it is not suitable for all felines, however, since the market is generally overwhelmed with pet foods packed with grains, we count their grain-free formulas as a plus. Fat sources are also always great, with either animal fat or healthy vegetable oil (or both) in the mix.
- Top quality and safety
Although young, the brand has a great reputation because all of their products are manufactured in the USA, using trusted and quality ingredients. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly for our feline companions, each recipe starts with real meat, poultry or fish, indicating that there is plenty of animal protein present. What about American Journey cat food recall? Unsurprisingly, the brand’s pet food products have never been recalled, which says a lot about their quality control. However, we should bear in mind that this is a relatively new pet food company, so no recalls is to be expected.
- Affordable price
All American Journey cat foods are more than reasonably priced. Despite the fact the brand uses only top-quality ingredients and no fillers or artificial additives, the foods are budget-friendly. In fact, it’s safe to say they’re currently one of the most affordable top-quality cat foods on the market!
- Well-balanced recipes
Supplemented and fortified with all essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids, all American Journey recipes are complete and balanced, which is crucial for a healthy cat diet. Also, most recipes are high in protein, low to moderate in fat and moderate in carbohydrates, offering a nice balance of macronutrients.
Ingredient Analysis
Despite having almost 30 different cat food recipes, American Journey’s formulas don’t differ considerably one from another. Here is why:
- Protein: for protein sources, the brand typically uses quality animal meat, poultry or fish, such as chicken, turkey and salmon. Most notably, they are always the first ingredients on the list. No unnamed (or even named) meat by-products can be found in any of their recipes.
- Fat: chicken fat, fish oil, sunflower oil and canola oil are usually used in formulas. Interestingly, most cat food recipes are either moderate or low in fat. Importantly, all animal fat sources are preserved naturally.
- Carbohydrates: American Journey always uses similar carbohydrate sources – natural, wholesome and rich in antioxidants. Typically, you’ll find vegetables and fruits in their formulas such as spinach, blueberries, cranberries and pumpkin. All cat food recipes are free from grains.
Pros & Cons
- High-quality ingredients in all recipes
- Packed with quality animal protein
- Crafted with antioxidant-rich carbohydrates
- Fortified with all essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids
- Free from artificial additives and byproducts
- Manufactured in the USA, with great quality control
- Top-quality cat food at affordable prices
- Some recipes contain more carbohydrates than what is ideal
- Fat content may be too low for some cats
