10 Best High-Protein Cat Foods in Canada in 2024 — Reviews & Top Picks

Cats are picky creatures, so it can be tough to find nutritious cat food that meets your pet’s dietary needs but that your cat also likes to eat. Cats are biologically required to consume meat in their food, and food with too little protein is likely to cause health concerns in the long term. This is partly why many cats can benefit from a high-protein diet. Active cats need more protein to maintain muscle mass, cats with diabetes often require a high-protein diet, and sometimes, vets recommend high-protein food for cats struggling to maintain a healthy weight.

Whatever the reason, if your cat needs high-protein cat food, we’re here to help you find one. These reviews provide you with an overview of the best high-protein cat foods in Canada to give your cat the best nutrition possible while providing them with the extra protein that they need to thrive.

A Glance at Our Top Picks (2024 Update)

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein	Made with real meat ingredients Replicates a wild carnivore diet Added vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants	Check Price
Best Value		IAMS ProActive Health High Protein	Less expensive than most other brands High fibre and high protein Offers hairball control	Check Price
Premium Choice		CRAVE Grain Free Indoor Adult High Protein	Three flavors Three package sizes Lower in calories than many other options	Check Price
Best for Kittens		Wellness CORE Nature Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate	High-protein food designed for kittens High caloric density DHA added for eye and brain health	Check Price
Vet’s Choice		Farmina Natural and Delicious Lamb and Blueberry	Limited-ingredient food Vet’s choice for high-protein cat food Lower price than prescription food	Check Price

The 10 Best High-Protein Cat Foods in Canada

We believe that Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein is the best overall high-protein cat food in Canada. This recipe is made to replicate what a cat’s diet would look like in the wild, so it’s packed with animal protein and healthy carbohydrates like peas and sweet potatoes. All the ingredients are whole food ingredients with no additives or preservatives. Blue Buffalo’s signature LifeSource bits provide your cat with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to protect its immune system function and maintain its overall health.

The only downside to Blue Buffalo Wilderness food is that it’s a little on the pricey side, but we think that it’s worth every penny for the high-quality nutrition that this food offers.

IAMS ProActive Health High Protein is a less expensive option for high-protein cat food. We believe that it’s the best high-protein cat food in Canada for the money. It’s not just a high-protein food, it’s high in fiber too, so it helps your kitty maintain a healthy weight. It also offers hairball control for indoor cats. This food is fortified with extra calcium, so it’s suitable for indoor and outdoor cats. It also contains added omega-3 and -6 fatty acids to promote the health of your cat’s skin and coat. With this food, you won’t sacrifice nutrition for price. The recipe has no filler ingredients and is 100% nutritionally balanced for adult cats.

The only downside to this IAMS high-protein cat food is that it’s only available in one flavor. If you have a picky cat that doesn’t like chicken, you will have to use a different brand.

CRAVE adult cat food offers three different flavors of high-protein food in three different package sizes. This makes it ideal for multi-cat households. CRAVE recipes are all high protein; they don’t make specific high-protein recipes, so it’s not suitable for cats that need lower protein content in their diet. This food is grain free and contains chicken and salmon as the primary protein sources.

CRAVE’s recipes are lower in calories than most other high-protein options, so they are a good choice for indoor cats that have trouble with weight control. However, they are not appropriate for outdoor cats that need extra calories to support their energy requirements or for cats that have difficulty keeping weight on. There is also slight concern with the vitamin profile of this food. It doesn’t include vitamin A, which is a vital component of a healthy feline diet. CRAVE cat food is more expensive than the other high-protein foods on this list, making it our premium choice recommendation.

While it might not seem necessary to seek out high-protein kitten food, kittens must eat much more nutrient-dense food than adult cats. There’s a reason that they need kitten food for the first year of their life, as their little bodies put a great deal of energy into growth and development. Wellness CORE Nature Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate is a high-protein cat food designed specifically to meet the needs of kittens under one year. It has DHA added for healthy cognitive development and vision support, and the soft texture is easy for young kittens to chew.

Wet food is a great option to help keep busy kittens hydrated and give them quality nutrition, but there are a few downsides. Wet food has a higher price per serving than dry kibble, so it’s less cost-effective. If price is a concern, Wellness CORE also makes this same recipe in dry food. It’s still high in protein but less expensive than the wet food version. Wet food also has a disadvantage for dental health. Since there isn’t much chewing involved at mealtime, there is a risk that tartar could build up on your kitten’s teeth and lead to gum disease.

Farmina Natural and Delicious is an all-life stage food with limited ingredients. This quality makes it a perfect high-protein cat food for cats with food sensitivities or allergies. It also contains a novel protein, rather than traditional chicken or fish. If your cat needs this to avoid a reaction but also needs high-protein food, Farmina is an excellent choice. It’s also our vet’s choice recommendation, meaning it meets all the nutrition standards of prescription cat food without the prescription food price.

This recipe contains 97% animal-sourced protein from grass-fed animals. It’s not just full of quality ingredients; the ingredients are also ethically sourced, so you can feel good about what you’re buying.

While Farmina Natural and Delicious are nutritionally appropriate for kittens, the kibble is too large for them to chew, so it may be a better choice for adult cats.

Purina ONE True Instinct offers a high-protein cat food with real whitefish as the first ingredient. This recipe does contain chicken, so it’s not suitable for cats with sensitivities to chicken, but it is ideal for those that are picky about their food flavor. Fish is extra tasty to finicky kitties and has an attractive smell for cats that are disinclined to eat their food.

This recipe is heavily supplemented with the vitamins and minerals that your cat needs and even has a 12% moisture content to promote adequate hydration. It’s easily digested by cats with sensitive tummies and is grain free if that’s something that your cat needs.

Purina ONE uses canola meals and preserved beef fat in its recipes. This takes away from its claim that the True Instinct line of foods is “all natural.” While this may be a turn-off for some customers, there is no harm in feeding either of these ingredients to your cat. The concern is more about false advertising than anything to do with cat nutrition. It should also be noted that the True Instinct High Protein line of foods doesn’t boost its protein content with extra meat ingredients but uses high-protein plants to do so.

Finding a high-protein food for your senior cat can be more difficult than finding one for an adult. Senior cats need less calorie-dense food than adults. Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging has deboned chicken as the first ingredient, which means it has a high protein level to support lean muscle mass and a lower calorie content for aging felines. This food is made for cats over the age of 7. It contains extra amino acids to promote a senior cat’s health and meets AAFCO nutritional profiles for this age group.

If your cat has dental disease or missing teeth, it may find the kibble in this recipe to be too large. This can be mitigated by wetting down the kibble before feeding, but it does mean doing extra work. The texture is also slightly different than other Blue Buffalo foods, so some cats are finicky about eating it.

Orijen Original is one of the best options if you need high-protein cat food for an extra-picky eater. This cat food is made with 90% animal ingredients. The first seven ingredients are all meat, so no doubt will satisfy your cat’s carnivorous tastes. It’s also freeze-dried raw coated, so it has significantly more flavor than traditional dry kibble. Added nutrients support healthy digestion, skin, coat, and heart health, while prebiotics promotes immune function. Another plus is that this recipe is suitable for all life stages, so you won’t have to switch cat foods as your pet ages.

The only real downside to Orijen Original is the price, as the manufacturer uses expensive ingredients in its cat food recipes.

Purina Pro Plan cat foods are full of probiotics, vitamins, and minerals to support your cat’s immune and digestive systems. It’s Prime Plus recipe is high in protein and made for senior cats. It’s lower in calories than many other high-protein recipes to prevent weight gain but still has enough protein to support the maintenance of lean muscle mass. To support your cat’s vision longevity, there is extra taurine and vitamin A.

Some cats find this recipe from Purina Pro Plan to be too rich and cause stomach upset. Most of them adjust to the food over time, but it’s recommended to gradually switch to a new food to prevent this from happening. If your cat is prone to having a sensitive tummy, it’s best to change out their meals slowly to help them adjust to the higher protein value in this food.

Whiskas High-Protein is an easy-to-find, economical option for high-protein cat food in Canada. It’s made with real meat and is 100% nutritionally balanced for your cat’s health. Whiskas offer good flavor and are usually a hit with picky cats. The high-protein recipe has 20% more protein than regular Whiskas cat food. The plus side of the Whiskas brand is that you can pick it up just about anywhere. It’s a staple cat food at most grocery stores and big-box retail outlets.

The biggest complaint with Whiskas food is the ingredients list. It does contain meat as the first ingredient, but it is a meat by-product. Subsequent inclusions are corn dominant. While this isn’t unhealthy for your cat, it may be considered a filler ingredient, making for lower-quality nutrition than many other recipes.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Pick the Best High-Protein Cat Foods in Canada

How Do Cats Benefit From High-Protein Food?

How Much Protein Do Cats Need?

Adult cats should have a minimum of 26% protein in their food, while kittens should have a minimum of 30%. Senior cats often require higher protein amounts due to the natural loss of muscle as they age. Cats are obligate carnivores, so they need meat protein to survive. Unlike many other animals (including humans), protein isn’t optional for cats; they must maintain vital body functions.

What Makes a Cat Food High Protein?

Cat food nutrition is based on the minimum requirements outlined by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Any food that is over 30% protein is labeled as a high-protein food, but this doesn’t mean the protein content is “high” for cats. Most foods only meet the minimum requirement. High-protein cat food contains protein content above the minimum requirement.

What to Look For in High-Protein Cat Food

It shouldn’t be difficult to choose the right food for your cat. Here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for high-protein food:

Pros and Cons of High-Protein Cat Food

There are benefits and drawbacks to choosing a high-protein food for your cat.

Before switching your cat to high-protein cat food, you should speak to your veterinarian to ensure that it is safe for your cat.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a high-protein cat food shouldn’t be rocket science. To recap this list, the best overall high-protein cat food in Canada is Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein. This food replicates a wild cat’s carnivorous diet and contains quality nutrition for your cat’s overall health. The best high-protein cat food in Canada for the money is IAMS Proactive Health High Protein. This food offers a nutritionally complete high-protein diet at a lower price tag than many other brands. Our premium choice is CRAVE Grain Free Indoor Adult High Protein. This recipe is specifically designed for indoor cats that may struggle with weight control.

For kittens, we recommend Wellness CORE Nature Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate. This wet food provides the nutrients that your growing kitten needs to thrive and maintain its energy levels. Our vet’s choice of high-protein cat food is Farmina Natural and Delicious Lamb and Blueberry. This recipe offers prescription food quality without the prescription price tag. It’s also a limited-ingredient food that’s safe for cats with food sensitivities or allergies.

Featured Image Crediting: Laura Chouette, Unsplash