Fancy Feast Cat Food Review

Whether you’re considering buying Fancy Feast cat food for your kitty for the first time, or you’re already a faithful customer who wants to learn more about the brand, this buying guide is for you. In this section, we cover company information you should know about, some possible reasons why you may want to give Fancy Feast a try, and we do a quick ingredient analysis of their popular recipes. To conclude, we provide major pros and cons of feeding this cat food, giving you a well-rounded insight into the Fancy Feast brand, and hopefully helping you decide if it is the right pick for your cat.

Company Information

Founded in 1982 as the world’s first “gourmet” cat food, Fancy Feast has decades of experience in crafting unique, fancy dishes that cats seem to love. Three years after its creation, Fancy Feast was purchased by Purina, which later became Nestlé Purina PetCare. Merging with this pet food manufacturing giant is what allowed the brand to become ultra-popular and widely available.

When it was first created, the brand was introduced in 3-ounce cans of wet food in only seven different tastes. Today, there are over 100 flavors and both wet and dry cat food recipes to choose from: tender bits, smooth pates, delicate broths, rich gravy formulas… if your cat can think of it, Fancy Feast has it! And this seems to be the reason for the brand’s great success – with so many flavors and varieties available, there is something for everyone here, including (and especially) the picky eaters.

Importantly, most of Fancy Feast products are made in the USA, with only a few product lines, including Fancy Feast Purely, Fancy Feast Broths and Fancy Feast Flaked Fish and Shrimp, being made in Thailand. But regardless of location, all products are manufactured in facilities owned by the company.

Why Choose This Brand?

If your cat is an extremely fussy eater that won’t deign to even smell anything less than “gourmet” food, Fancy Feast may be the brand you’re looking for. With more than 100 truly delicious recipes, this is the food for picky cats. Besides exceptional taste, many Fancy Feast formulas also offer great nutritional quality as most recipes are quite rich in protein and moderate to low in fat. Also, because most products are sourced and manufactured right here in the USA, you can be sure of their quality.

• Irresistible taste

This is the best-selling point of Fancy Feast: all of their recipes are, simply put, irresistible to cats. This is because many formulas use simple but rich, delicious ingredients such as real meat, meat broths and easy-to-digest meat byproducts that cats love. Also, many recipes include either added natural or artificial flavors which only enhance the taste of the food. Granted, artificial flavors are not exactly beneficial for cats, however, they’re not the devil either – most cats tolerate them perfectly well if they eat them in small quantities. Still, we would prefer if all recipes contained added natural flavors instead of artificial ones, but sometimes, that is the only thing that can entice extremely picky eaters.

• A wide variety of recipes

As mentioned, Fancy Feast offers more than 100 recipes to satisfy every cat’s taste. There are soft pates, rich gravy recipes, grilled chunky feasts, tender filets, marinated morsels, milk-infused meals, delicate broths… it’s practically a paradise of food for finicky cats!

• Well-balanced formulas

Most Fancy Feast foods contain a nice balance of macronutrients, with plenty of protein, moderate fat and moderate to low carbohydrate content. Also, all formulas are enriched with essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, making them 100% complete and balanced.

• Affordable price

Although marketed as a “gourmet” or “luxury” cat food brand, Fancy Feast remains one of the more affordable pet foods on the market. Pretty much all products are sensibly priced, including both wet and dry cat food, as well as treats.

• Safety and quality

Because most Fancy Feast products are sourced and manufactured in the USA, safety and quality are ensured. Even the product lines made in Thailand are still manufactured in company-owned facilities. The fact that Fancy Feast has never been recalled speaks to the brand’s safety.

Ingredient Analysis

Is Fancy Feast good for cats? Let’s take a look at the ingredients commonly used in their recipes to find out.

• Protein

Real chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, beef, milk… these are the typical protein sources in Fancy Feast recipes. Usually, formulas contain multiple animal protein sources, including meat by-products, which although not the best protein sources, can also be very nutritious. If you’re not a fan of meat by-products, we have good news: Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals line doesn’t contain any byproducts, only wholesome meats, seafood or poultry.

• Fat

When it comes to fat sources, Fancy Feast ingredients typically include animal fats like chicken or beef fat and fish oil, plus vegetable oils such as canola oil. Sometimes, a recipe will contain unnamed animal fat which we’re not huge fans of, but the good news is that they’re always naturally preserved with tocopherols (vitamin E).

• Carbohydrates

Most Fancy Feast formulas contain several carbohydrates, including grains like corn, barley and rice. That said, there are several grain-free recipes that you and your cat may prefer. While there are usually multiple carbohydrate sources, Fancy Feast recipes are typically low to moderate in carb content, depending on the formula.

So, what’s the conclusion? Is Fancy Feast bad for cats or is it good? Truthfully, it all depends on your cat and the recipe(s) you buy. For the most part, this is a solid-quality cat food that is a good choice for picky eaters and pet parents on a budget. In the end, it all depends on the recipe and what your cat likes.

Pros & Cons