10 Best Cat Foods in Canada in 2024: Reviews & Top Picks

As cat owners, we want to provide the very best for our cats. They need the sturdiest scratching posts, the most fun toys, and, of course, the most nutritious food. If your cat’s current diet isn’t cutting it anymore, it might be time to change things up.

Choosing the right food can be a challenge considering all the options out there. This process is made even more difficult if you’re Canadian and don’t have access to the same types of food that are available in the United States.

We’ve taken the guesswork out of the food selection process by gathering a list of the best options available for Canadians right now. Keep reading our reviews below to find the food that best suits your cat’s nutritional needs and life stage.

A Quick Look at Our Favorites in 2024

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight	Meat is the first ingredient No artificial colors or preservatives Helps with weight loss and maintenance	Check Price
Best Value		Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials	Fortified with live probiotics Real meat as the first food ingredient Boosts digestive health	Check Price
Premium Choice		Wellness Complete	Comes in over 20 different recipes Different texture options High protein recipes	Check Price
Best for Kittens		Royal Canin	Provides immune support Special kibble texture for emerging teeth Antioxidants help build kitten’s natural defenses	Check Price
		Merrick Purrfect Bistro	Protein-rich recipe Provides a balanced diet for adults and kittens Antioxidants for immunity	Check Price

The 10 Best Cat Foods in Canada

If you’re looking for the best overall cat food in Canada, Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight is the answer. This dry food comes in 3-, 7-, or 15-pound bags, so you can choose the size that suits your cat’s needs and diet the best.

This hard food is designed specifically for cats that need a little assistance with weight loss. It can promote healthy weight maintenance thanks to its proprietary blend of wholesome ingredients and its tasty and nourishing formula.

Hill’s Science Diet is backed by veterinarians, and this formula has been proven to provide antioxidants your cat needs to promote a healthy immune system.

Purina’s Pro Plan Complete Essentials provides the best cat food in Canada for the money. This affordable wet food is high in protein and is made with real chicken and rice. It has a tasty gravy sauce for additional moisture that most cats enjoy.

This formula is made with antioxidants to improve your cat’s immune system as well as fatty acids and vitamins to boost your cat’s skin and coat health. It has natural prebiotic fiber to boost digestive health and vitamin A to support healthy vision.

Purina’s Pro Plan Complete Essentials food comes in several different flavors so you can find one that best suits your cats’ specific tastes.

Next up we bring you Wellness Complete’s wet food line for cat owners for whom money is no object. While this food is on the pricey side, it’s worth the cost for owners looking to provide their cats with a high-protein and nutrient-dense meal. This recipe is made with natural meat and its first four ingredients are all protein-based to ensure your cat is getting a sufficient amount of protein in his diet.

This food is full of antioxidant-rich ingredients like cranberries, carrots, and omega fatty acids to boost your kitty’s immunity as well as his overall health. Its pate texture provides a hefty dose of hydration to keep your cat’s water levels up.

Kittens need a specific diet that has the vitamins and minerals they need for proper development. They also need antioxidants to boost their natural defenses and healthy fats for optimal brain development. Royal Canin’s kitten dry food is designed to provide your growing kitten with just that. This food is meant to be given in the second growth stage of your kitten’s life – when they’re between 4 and 12 months.

This recipe features easily digestible ingredients and probiotics that are easy on your kitty’s still-sensitive digestive system.

Royal Canin also has a Mother & Babycat soft food formula that is recommended for lactating queens and kittens between 1 and 4 months.

This high-protein and grain-free food is great for pet owners looking to provide their kitties with nutritious food for their sensitive tummies. While grains are an uncommon cause of food allergies in cats, some may have a harder time digesting them.

Merrick’s Purrfect Bistro line is chock full of antioxidants to help support your cat’s immune system as well as omega fatty acids to make their skin and coat soft and shiny. There are no artificial colorings, flavorings, or preservatives in this food so you can feed it to your kitty without worry.

This recipe has real deboned meat as the first ingredient, providing a healthy dose of protein in every can.

Does your cat struggle a lot with hairballs? If so, you might consider a hairball formula cat food to help reduce the incidences of hairballs they have. These formulas are higher in fiber and are made with specific ingredients to improve your cat’s coat health and minimize how much they shed. The goal is to encourage the hairballs to go through the digestive tract instead of coming back out of their mouths.

Iams’ hairball formula is made with high-quality proteins to ensure your kitty is getting a healthy and balanced diet. The unique fiber blend of prebiotics, cellulose, and beet pulp gets to work immediately to help control your cat’s hairballs.

Friskies can be found in grocery and department stores as well as online, making it one of the most easily accessible brands on our list. Their Gravy Pleasers kit provides 24 cans in three different flavors. Each flavor is formulated to be 100% complete to provide balanced nutrition for your adult cats. Each recipe comes in a different texture to cater to cats that need a little variety in their diet.

This mega pack is very cost-effective for pet parents on a budget who still want to provide their kitties with a tasty and healthy diet.

Just as kittens need a special diet to support their growing bodies, senior cats need appropriate nutrition for their aging bodies.

The Healthy Aging line from Blue Buffalo is chock full of ingredients to ensure your senior cat enjoys healthy golden years. The formula is made with the perfect balance of protein and carbohydrates to give your kitty the energy he needs to stay active. It has the amino acid taurine included to boost eye and heart health as well as essential vitamins and minerals your senior cat needs for a healthy immune system. The formula is made with real meat as the first ingredient to help your senior feline maintain strong muscles.

Whiskas knows that busy cat owners love convenience, and that’s why they’ve created their Perfect Portions line. This food comes in an easy-to-serve package that takes the guesswork out of determining how much to feed your cat.

This food has an appealing pate texture and comes in a wide variety of flavors that cats love.

Don’t let the “animal plasma” ingredient scare you away. Some companies use animal plasma as a binder as it provides a hefty dose of protein and is easily digestible.

Fancy Feast provides a tasty variety pack with flavors that cats love, like tuna, chicken, and salmon. Each recipe is made with real meat that’s been slow-cooked in a savory gravy sauce. This gravy is designed to entice your kitties to their wet food and will provide them with the moisture they need to stay hydrated.

These recipes provide 100% complete and balanced nutrition for adult cats and a host of vitamins and minerals they need to support their health.

With real meats listed as the first few ingredients, Fancy Feast’s food is something you can feel good putting in your cat’s bowl every day.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Cat Food in Canada

Now that you’re aware of some of the best cat food available in Canada, you’re well on your way to knowing which will be the best for your cat. There are still some things you should learn before buying any new cat food, though.

Life Stage

How old your kitty is will determine the type of nutrition he needs to thrive.

Kittens need specially formulated kitten food until they’re 12 months old. During this critical growth stage, they have higher requirements for protein, amino acids, and vitamins. Kittens should have some wet food in their diet as their small teeth make chewing dry food difficult.

Older cats need their diets to be easy to digest and complete and balanced in nutrition. Nutrients like EPA, DHA, and glucosamine can help boost mobility and reduce pain in aging cats. They need highly digestible proteins to support their digestion and nutrients like fatty acids to boost their digestive health.

A senior cat’s nutritional needs will be influenced by any health conditions they may have. If your kitty has developed diabetes or heart disease in their old age, they’ll need a diet that can support them.

Nutrition

The whole reason you’re here reading this right now is so you can find out which cat food will be the healthiest for your pet.

A good place to start is by determining if the food in question meets the AAFCO standards. The Association of American Feed Control Officials’ statement on pet food packaging will tell you that the food contains the essential nutrients your pet needs and what life stage the food is appropriate for.

AAFCO has specific nutrition requirements for cats based on which life stage they are in. Cats in the Growth and Reproduction stage (kittens and pregnant or lactating moms) need 30% protein, 9% fat, minerals like calcium and iron, and vitamins like A, D, and E. Cats in the Adult Maintenance stage need 26% protein, 9% fat, and similar vitamins and minerals.

You can rest assured that when you choose a food that meets AAFCO standards, you’re feeding your cat food that will meet all their nutrient requirements.

The Great Debate: Wet vs Dry Food

Many pet owners are curious about whether wet or dry food is better for their cats. Is dry food a better choice because it’s great for your cat’s teeth or is wet food better since it has higher moisture content?

Let’s take a look at a few more of the differences between wet and dry cat food.

The Benefits & Drawbacks of Dry Food

Dry cat food is more affordable and convenient because it won’t spoil as fast. It has roughly 10% moisture content and is better than wet food at preventing dental diseases.

It is the best pick for people who free-feed their cats or those who use automatic feeders or puzzle toys. Since there’s less of a risk for bacterial growth, you can leave a bowl of dry food out all day for your kitty without worrying about what could be growing in his food bowl.

Some studies suggest that cats fed predominantly dry food are more at risk for obesity. This could be due in part to the fact that many cats that are fed a dry food diet are free-fed, and it’s difficult for owners to control how much their pet is eating.

Older cats, those with dental disease, or those that have had teeth removed often have a difficult time chewing dry food.

The Benefits & Drawbacks of Wet Food

Wet food has a very high water content, which is great for cats that have health conditions that require a higher water intake. Cats with kidney disease or diabetes will especially benefit from having additional water.

Wet food tends to be more palatable than dry food as it has textures and ingredients that cats can sniff out.

The price of wet foods adds up fast if that’s all you’re feeding your cat. It spoils faster and also will take up space in your fridge as you’ll need to refrigerate the food after you’ve opened it. If you leave canned food out in the open air for longer than a few hours, bacteria could begin to grow and contaminate the food.

Which Is Better?

We know you’re looking for a cut-and-dry answer here, but there just isn’t one. Whether your cat eats wet or dry food will depend on his health status, life stage, and personal tastes.

Some cat owners choose to feed a combination of both wet and dry foods to their cats. This gives your pets the benefits of both diets—the high moisture content and palatability of wet food and the dental benefits of dry food. Plus, the variety will keep your kitty from getting bored of one type of food.

If you’re not sure which diet to feed your cat, talk with your veterinarian. They can provide insight into what type of food will be best for your cat based on his specific needs.

How to Introduce New Food

So, we’ve convinced you to switch to one of the foods you’ve read about above. All that’s left to do now is buy it, wait for it to arrive, and then fill your cat’s bowl with it, right?

Wrong.

New foods must be introduced slowly to prevent gastrointestinal upset like diarrhea and vomiting.

In a perfect world, you would need at least a week to transition your kitty to his new food. If your cat isn’t super picky, you can start by adding a small amount of the new food in with the older food at every meal. You’ll then gradually increase the amount of new food you’re putting in his bowl while simultaneously reducing how much of the older food you’re putting in.

Here is a one-week schedule you can follow to try when transitioning to the new food:

Days One & Two: 75% old food + 25% new food

Days Three & Four: 50% old food + 50% new food

Days Five & Six: 25% old food + 75% new food

Day 7: 100% new food

Of course, you’ll need to pay close attention to how your kitty is reacting to his new food. If you notice any gastrointestinal upset, scale back a bit and add less of the new food until his stomach can handle it.

Unfortunately, many cats can be extremely picky when it comes to their food. Some will resign themselves to only eating one particular brand or flavor and will try to starve themselves when new foods are introduced. Usually, though, with a bit of patience and time, even the most finicky of cats will come around to a new food.

Conclusion

For the best overall cat food available in Canada, Hill’s Science Diet combines weight loss assistance and support for lean muscles in flavors your cat will love. The best budget pick is Purina Pro Plan’s Complete Essentials for its affordable price and 25 essential vitamins and minerals. Our premium pick is Wellness Completes’ wet food for its natural formula and high-quality protein sources.

We hope our reviews have helped you determine which cat food will be best for your pet.

Featured Image Credit: Seattle Cat Photo, Shutterstock