If you’re on the hunt for premium cat food on a budget, you’ve probably bumped into Rachael Ray pet food at least a few times. After all, this is a popular, reputable brand that uses simple but quality ingredients and caters to various feline nutritional needs – it’s only natural to see it everywhere. On paper, at least, Rachael Ray cat food seems to have it all. But does it really? In this buying guide, we review seven of the most popular Rachael Ray Nutrish cat foods, plus cover everything you need to know about the brand, including important company information, ingredient analysis and pros and cons of feeding Rachael Ray cat food.
Rachael Ray Cat Food Review
We’re starting with one of Rachael Ray’s bestsellers: real chicken and brown rice dry cat food. It’s tasty, nutritious and rich in protein, so it offers everything adult cats need to thrive. The kibble contains animal products like chicken, chicken meal and fish meal, easily digestible grains such as brown rice, brewer’s rice and cornmeal and other plants like flaxseed, peas and dried beet pulp. Of course, the food is also enriched with vitamins and minerals, including taurine for heart and eye health, so it provides complete nutrition. Overall, it’s a simple but nicely balanced, nutritious cat food that comes in small-sized kibble that’s easy to chew and digest.
Calorie content: 3,635 kcal/kg; 386 kcal/cup
Crude protein: 34%
Crude fat: 14%
Crude fiber: 4%
Maximum moisture: 9%
With essential vitamins and minerals, taurine
First three ingredients: chicken, chicken meal, corn gluten meal
- Brand: Rachael Ray Nutrish
- Model: 71190006981
- Weight: 14 pounds
It’s no secret that indoor cats require different nutrition than outdoor cats. For one, they need fewer calories as they’re typically not as active, and two, they need more fiber to help with hairballs. Rachael Ray’s Indoor Complete dry cat food satisfies both of these criteria, making it a good choice for all indoor adult cats. The recipe is packed with antioxidant-rich ingredients as well, so it helps support a strong immune system. Besides chicken, lentils and salmon, the food contains pumpkin, brewer’s rice, peas, corn meal, cranberries, flaxseed and more. There are no artificial additives of any sort, and the kibble is fortified with all important supplements.
Take a look at our guide on Cat Food for Indoor Cats.
Calorie content: ,499 kcal/kg; 371 kcal/cup
Crude protein: 34%
Crude fat: 12%
Crude fiber: 8%
Maximum moisture: 9%
With essential vitamins and minerals, taurine
First three ingredients: chicken, chicken meal, brewer’s rice
- Brand: Rachael Ray Nutrish
- Model: 1826690300
- Weight: 14 pounds
If your cat is a picky eater who prefers eating wet food instead of dry kibble, Rachael Ray’s Purrfect Entrees recipes are all fine choices. This particular recipe is made with white meat chicken, a couple of fruit and veggies such as pumpkin and spinach, plus added vitamins and minerals for complete nutrition. There are no grains, fillers or artificial additives, so the food is suitable for sensitive cats. It’s a really simple but tasty formula that can be fed on its own or mixed with dry food. The pack comes with 24 2-ounces cups of wet food, so it should last quite a while, especially if you plan on mixing it with kibble.
Calorie content: 1220 kcal/kg; 69 kcal/cup
Crude protein: 9%
Crude fat: 5%
Crude fiber: 3.5%
Maximum moisture: 82%
With essential vitamins and minerals, taurine
First three ingredients: chicken broth, chicken, pumpkin
- Brand: Rachael Ray Nutrish
- Model: 10071190001761
- Weight: 4.1 pounds
Another popular wet cat food by Rachael Ray, Tuna Purrfection is made with super-simple, natural ingredients, making it a good choice for sensitive felines. The main and pretty much the only ingredient here is flaked tuna in a savory sauce. The rest are natural flavorings such as paprika powder and vitamins and minerals for balanced nutrition. Despite containing such a simple ingredient list, this wet food is quite rich in protein, which tells us there is plenty of tuna in the formula. Importantly for grain-sensitive cats, the food is free from corn, wheat and other grains, as well as soy and other unnecessary fillers.
Calorie content: 861 kcal/kg; 69 kcal/cup
Crude protein: 9%
Crude fat: 5%
Crude fiber: 3.5%
Maximum moisture: 79%
With essential vitamins and minerals, taurine
First three ingredients: tuna, water, vegetable oil
- Brand: Rachael Ray Nutrish
- Model: 071190007063
- Weight: 5.2 pounds
Looking for a way to spice up your cat’s everyday meals? Purrfect Broths Variety Pack by Rachael Ray may be exactly what you need. The pack comes with three different recipes – Classic Chicken, Tasty Tuna and Creamy Chicken Bisque – and there are eight of each, so 24 pouches total. All formulas contain very similar percentages of protein, fat and fiber so combining them with other foods is easy. Also, all three formulas are very simple – with just a handful of ingredients, this Rachael Ray cat food is best suited to felines with food sensitivities. Some of the ingredients include chicken, carrots, spinach, tuna, tomatoes and fish extract. There are no grains, poultry by-products or artificial additives, making the food natural, simple and nourishing. The only complaint we have? The addition of taurine would be nice.
Calorie content: Classic Chicken: 21 kcal/pouch; Tasty Tuna: 16 kcal/pouch; Creamy Chicken Bisque: 26 kcal/pouch
Crude protein: 8%
Crude fat: 0.5% -1 %
Crude fiber: 1%
Maximum moisture: 92%
First three ingredients: Classic Chicken: chicken broth, chicken, carrots; Tasty Tuna: fish broth, tuna, carrots; Creamy Chicken Bisque: chicken broth, chicken, coconut milk
- Brand: Rachael Ray Nutrish
- Model: 63050700
- Weight: 2.11 pounds
Rachael Ray Cat Food Buying Guide
To help you decide whether Rachael Ray cat food is the right fit for your pet, we’ve put together this buying guide in which we cover everything you need to know about the brand, including information about the company, why you may want to give the brand a shot, ingredient analysis, and finally the main pros and cons of Rachael Ray pet food.
Company Information
Rachael Ray is a celebrity cook and businesswoman best known for her quick and easy meals for busy families. Her warm and friendly persona, as well as her public love of animals, landed her a deal with Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, a family-owned and run company from Meadville, Pennsylvania in 2008.
Today, Rachael Ray Nutrish dry cat food is manufactured in Ainsworth Pet Food facilities located in Meadville and Frontenac. Most of their ingredients come from the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, however, most of their synthetic supplements, including vitamins, minerals and amino acids, come from China. While this may be a red flag in the eyes of some pet parents, it’s worth noting that over years of creating pet supplements, China has built a respectable presence and a strong safety record. There is really no need to doubt the quality of their supplements. That being said, Rachael Ray Nutrish wet cat food is not made in the U.S. but Thailand.
Besides making pet food, the Rachael Ray Nutrish brand is also involved in animal welfare. They regularly donate to animal shelters and charities, which speaks volumes about the company’s stance towards pets.
In 2018, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition was sold to J.M. Smucker, which is a huge conglomerate that, among other brands, owns Meow Mix, Milk-Bone, 9Lives, and Kibbles ‘n Bits.
Why Choose this Brand?
For over a decade, the Rachael Ray Nutrish brand has been marketed as premium pet food that’s affordable for the average consumer. And that’s true for the most part. Rachael Ray cat food recipes contain specially picked ingredients to help boost the feline health, including their immune system and skin and coat health. All of their formulas are also moderately rich to high in protein, which for obligate carnivores like our cats is a huge plus. As far as we’re concerned, this is a quality, nutritious cat food that’s well worth your money. The only complaint we have is the inconsistent labeling of certain recipes. For instance, some products claim to be corn-free but contain corn gluten meal. There’s nothing wrong with corn in cat food as long as it’s there in smaller amounts and animal protein is high on the percentage list, however, the product needs to true to its formulation: if it contains corn, it shouldn’t be able to claim it’s corn-free.
That all being said, there are many reasons to choose Rachael Ray cat food. The main ones include:
- Natural, wholesome ingredients: the brand prides itself on using only natural, wholesome ingredients in their pet food recipes. None of the formulas we reviewed contain artificial additives of any kind, which is always a plus, especially for cats with food sensitivities.
- High protein content: while there are many recipes to choose from, all Rachael Ray cat foods have high protein content. Importantly, real meat or fish is always the first ingredient in dry foods, and more often than not in wet foods as well, so quality protein is guaranteed.
- Good fats: most Rachael Ray cat foods contain plenty of healthy fats, which is great news for your cat’s fur and skin. The company typically uses chicken fat along with flaxseed and/or fish. This provides a nice balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
- A variety of recipes: the brand caters to pretty much all feline nutritional needs, so you can find both grain-free and grain-inclusive formulas, indoor specialty recipes, foods formulated for sensitive digestive systems, life stage specific foods and more.
- Added supplements: like all responsible commercial cat foods, the Rachael Ray brand enriches their recipes with vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Importantly for feline health, most of their formulas include taurine, which is essential for normal heart and eye function.
Ingredient Analysis
Rachael Ray cat food is made from natural and wholesome ingredients that support feline health and help boost the immune system. Most formulas are high in protein, moderately rich in fat and moderately low in carbohydrates. All dry recipes are also fortified with important supplements, so they provide complete and balanced nutrition.
Let’s break down each macronutrient group so you can decide for yourself if this is the brand for your pet.
- Protein
When it comes to the most important macronutrient for felines – protein – Rachael Ray Nutrish cat food is made from a variety of animal sources. These include chicken, which is the most commonly used protein source, turkey, duck, fish including salmon, trout, mackerel, and tuna, and red meat like beef. Typically, real meat, fish or poultry is the first ingredient which is followed by meat meal. This provides not only a good amount of protein but also all essential amino acids.
- Fat
To provide a good balance of essential fatty acids, the company usually uses a combination of the following ingredients: chicken or poultry fat, fish or fish meal and whole flaxseed. Chicken or poultry fat ensures there’s enough omega-6 fatty acids, while fish, fish meal and flaxseed are all great sources of omega-3 fatty acids, although flaxseed contains alpha-linolenic acid, which are plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. While not the absolute best sources of fat, these are more than decent fat sources that provide plenty of essential fatty acids necessary for feline health.
- Carbohydrates
Rachael Ray cat food is not low or super high in carbohydrates. Instead, it seems to be moderately rich to moderately low in carbs, depending on the recipe. The good thing is, the carbohydrates used in most formulas are wholesome and easy to digest, which is important for both proper levels of glucose in your cat’s blood, and gentle digestion. The most commonly used carbohydrate sources include peas, potatoes, dried beet pulp, brown rice and corn gluten meal. Pumpkin, lentils, carrots and cranberries can also be found in some recipes, which are all great sources of fiber and antioxidants.
- Supplements
Finally, let’s quickly talk about the added supplements the Rachael Ray brand uses in their cat food. All dry recipes and most wet formulas are enriched with all important vitamins and minerals needed for feline health, including taurine, so they offer a complete and balanced diet. Some wet foods are not fortified with supplements, however, these are not intended for stand-alone feeding – they’re meant to be mixed with dry kibble.
Pros and Cons
- All-natural ingredients: one of the biggest pros of the Rachael Ray pet food is their use of wholesome, natural ingredients. None of their recipes contain artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, which is a huge plus for sensitive felines.
- High protein content: all Rachael Ray cat foods contain plenty of quality animal protein, which is crucial for your cat’s health and longevity. Protein sources vary from recipe to recipe, but chicken, salmon, tuna and beef are most commonly used.
- Easily digestible: because they use natural ingredients, all Rachael Ray cat foods are easy to digest. While some recipes contain corn gluten meal that many pet parents are not fans of, the formulas are still gentle on the tummy thanks to a generous amount of fiber every recipe boasts.
- Reasonable price: despite being marketed as premium pet food, all foods are more than sensibly priced. This is true for both dry and wet formulas.
- Proper supplementation: almost all Rachael Ray cat foods (except for some wet formulas which are supposed to be mixed with kibble) are fortified with all important vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
- Misleading information: while most Rachael Ray’s foods come with true marketing claims (such as grain-free or by-products free), some recipes contain corn gluten meal despite having the “corn-free” label.
- Some recipes contain too many carbohydrates which can lead to weight gain, especially in indoor cats.
