Cat food has come a long way in recent decades. While cats used to be fed table scraps, now we can choose from options for different life stages, breeds, limited ingredients, specially formulated foods for allergies, and more.
As owners take more of an interest in their cat’s nutrition, there’s an influx of commercial food brands offering healthy, holistic food options. But what does holistic mean?
In nutrition, holistic refers to eating healthy food that is as close to its natural state as possible.1 Think unrefined, unprocessed, organic, locally sourced, whole foods. Unfortunately, there’s currently nothing that regulates food as being “holistic” on the market. Each brand defines holistic differently, so you have to be a conscious shopper to find the best quality cat food.
Here are the ten best holistic cat food options, based on reviews from cat owners like you!
A Quick Comparison of Our Winners (2024)
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Best Overall
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Smalls Fresh Cat Food Subscription |
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Budget Buy
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Purina Beyond Grain-Free Cat Food |
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Tiki Cat Canned Cat Food |
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Instinct Original Grain-Free Cat Food |
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Earthborn Holistic Canned Cat Food |
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The 10 Best Holistic Cat Foods
1. Smalls Fresh Cat Food Subscription – Best Overall
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| Type: | Human-Grade Fresh Wet |
| Lifestage: | All Life Stages |
| Specialties: | All Natural, No Additives, Ultra High Protein |
For the overall best holistic cat food, our choice is Smalls. The Smalls brand uses natural ingredients such as chicken breast, kale, peas, lean ground beef, green beans, and more in each of their recipes. Smalls offers a wholesome eating experience your cat will love. Plus, all their recipes are high in protein, an essential part of a cat’s diet, whether they are indoor or outdoor pets. Your cat’s nutritional needs will be met no matter which Smalls recipe you purchase.
With a balance of real meat and unprocessed veggies, Smalls cat food offers fresh wet food. All the wet food is of human-grade quality, meaning you could theoretically eat this food yourself.
Smalls is a subscription service, so you will have to sign up to order. Smalls is considered pricey to those who are on a budget, but it will be well worth it.
2. Purina Beyond Simply Dry Cat Food – Budget Buy
| Type: | Dry |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, gluten-free |
We think that Purina Beyond Simply Grain-Free Wild Caught Whitefish & Egg Recipe is a good budget holistic cat food. Made with real ocean whitefish as the first ingredient, followed by eggs and sweet potato for protein, vitamins, and minerals. The food also has probiotics to promote digestive health.
This recipe is completely free from grain and gluten, making it a great choice for natural nutrition and cats with sensitive stomachs. The food also has no corn, wheat, soy, poultry by-products, artificial flavors, or preservatives. Manufactured in the United States using renewable energy sources and minimal waste, this food is also good for the environment.
3. Tiki Cat Grain-Free Wet Cat Food
| Type: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, no corn, wheat, or soy |
Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Grain-Free Wet Cat Food comes in as our third choice for its combination of flavors and high-quality nutrition. The top ingredients are dolphin-safe, wild-caught tuna, tilapia, and shrimp, followed by Hawaiian pumpkin. Your cat will get lots of protein from animal sources, fiber, and antioxidants from the pumpkin for excellent nutrition. The food is simmered in a broth, adding extra hydration to minimize urinary issues.
The food is packed with vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids, but free from gluten, grains, GMOs, wheat, corn, and soy. In addition, the mixture of different wild seafood will be appetizing for even the pickiest of eaters, although a few managed to still turn their noses up at it.
4. Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Chicken Wet Cat Food
| Type: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, gluten-free, no corn, wheat, or soy |
The Instinct Original Grain-Free Pate Real Chicken Recipe Wet Canned Cat Food is a high-protein food option with raw, wholesome ingredients. The food contains everything your cat needs for balanced nutrition, including real meat and raw fruits and vegetables in an appetizing pate formula. The food also has natural sources of omega fatty acids for a healthy skin and coat.
The first ingredient is cage-free chicken, followed by chicken, turkey, and chicken liver meat. You will find no grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, meat by-products, or artificial colors and preservatives. The food is made in the United States with globally sourced ingredients.
The only downside is that some cat owners complained of the texture being off-putting to their cats. A few said it was more like a soup and less like a pate.
5. Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medley Cat Food
| Type: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Kitten, adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, gluten-free, pea-free |
Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medley Grain-Free Natural Canned Cat & Kitten Food is perfect for all life stages. The formula includes real skipjack tuna and mackerel as the top ingredients, perfect for a growing kitten. It also has a mix of fruits and vegetables to support your kitten’s health with essential vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids.
This food is made with no grains, gluten, peas, or artificial ingredients, making it less likely to upset cats and kittens with food sensitivities and food allergies. Each can is complete and balanced nutrition, but it can be added to dry food as a topper.
Naysayers mentioned issues like smellier poop and a deterioration in the quality of this product over the years.
6. ORIJEN Original Fresh Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
| Type: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, no corn, wheat, or soy |
ORIJEN Original Grain-Free Dry Cat Food is a top-quality dry cat food that focuses on a biologically appropriate diet. Raw, free-range chicken and turkey are the first ingredients, followed by wild-caught fish and cage-free eggs. The food uses a “whole prey” model, which means the raw organs and bones are included, just like your cat would’ve eaten in the wild.
ORIJEN food needs to be refrigerated to preserve the freeze-dried, raw ingredients and ensure food safety. Each freeze-dried piece is coated for a full flavor that’ll whet a picky cat’s appetite. The food is made in the US with globally sourced ingredients.
7. Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals Beef Pate Cat Food
| Type: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free |
Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals Beef Recipe Pate Canned Cat Food features real, whole ingredients with the vitamins and minerals your cat needs for optimal nutrition. Real beef is the first ingredient for high-quality animal protein for all life stages.
The food is made without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and free from grains. Though the food is 100% complete and balanced nutrition, it’s not the most holistic choice on the market and has some vague ingredients. Still, this food is free from unhealthy fillers like artificial preservatives and corn or soy, so it is a healthy overall choice and a “natural” food option for your cat.
8. Farmina Natural & Delicious Chicken Formula Dry Cat Food
| Type: | Dry |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, gluten-free, non-GMO |
Farmina Natural & Delicious Chicken Grain-Free Formula Dry Cat Food is made with 70% animal ingredients for high-quality protein and a good balance of fats and carbohydrates for vitamins and minerals. All ingredients are fresh and never frozen. Along with vitamins and minerals, the food contains natural sources of omega fatty acids to promote skin and coat health and berries for antioxidants.
One of the highlights of this food is that it has a low-glycemic formula to avoid spiking blood sugar. If you have a diabetic cat, this can help manage blood sugar levels, but be sure to speak to your veterinarian about the appropriate diet for your cat’s needs. This food also contains no peas, lentils, chickpeas, plant oils, or GMOs. Some reviewers complained of consistency issues from bag to bag, however.
9. Weruva Mideast Feast with Grilled Tilapia Canned Cat Food
| Type: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, no corn, wheat, or soy |
If your cat is sensitive to chicken and other poultry, the Weruva Mideast Feast with Grilled Tilapia in Gravy Grain-Free Canned Cat Food is a great choice. Made with tuna and tilapia as the top ingredients, this food offers high-quality animal protein for balanced nutrition. You’ll also get essential amino acids, omegas, vitamins, and minerals for complete health.
The food is free of grains, carrageenan, hormones, GMOs, MSG, BPA, and antibiotics. All food is manufactured in a human-grade facility. Most picky eaters enjoy this broth-based recipe with fish ingredients, but not all cats. Some reviewers complained about the consistency from bag to bag, which could indicate poor quality control between batches.
10. Fussie Cat Premium Tuna With Prawns in Aspic Cat Food
| Type: | Wet |
| Lifestage: | Adult |
| Specialties: | Grain-free, pea-free |
Fussie Cat Premium Tuna with Prawns Formula in Aspic Grain-Free Canned Cat Food is a premium food option with tuna and prawns for high-quality protein. A mix of fruits and vegetables offers vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids that support complete health.
This food contains no grains, peas, or potatoes, so it’s less likely to upset cats with food sensitivities or allergies. While some reviewers had great luck with this food, some had cats that wouldn’t touch it. It’s also not as holistic as the rest of this list.
A few feline parents mentioned that they found shards of fishbones in this food, which they didn’t like one bit.
Buyers Guide: Selecting the Best Holistic Cat Food
What Is Holistic Cat Food?
Whether we’re referring to cat or human nutrition, holistic is a vague term that isn’t well-regulated. Really, any company can claim its food is holistic if they choose, which can complicate things for you, the cat owner.
The best way to choose holistic cat food is by checking the ingredient list, rather than just picking up a bag that says “holistic” on it. Here’s what you should look for:
High-quality cat food is an important part of fostering a long and healthy life for your cat but the right cat food and water dish will promote good posture, offer whisker relief, and aid in good digestion. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite bowl since it offers all of the above and is beautifully crafted to meet modern home stylings. The wide tray design catches any food and water spills and the entire setup is dishwasher safe. Learn more about the Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl here.
At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Conclusion
You can find all types of cat food claiming to be holistic and natural, but there’s nothing to regulate that word on a label. It is important to check ingredient lists on your own. We recommend Smalls Human-Grade Cat Food as our best overall holistic cat food because of its all-natural and predominantly meat ingredients. If your budget is smaller, Purina Beyond Simply Grain-Free Wild-Caught Whitefish & Egg Recipe Dry Cat Food is a good option.
- Related Read: 5 Holistic Treatments for Cats You Should Know About
Featured Image Credit: AlexanderDubrovsky, Shutterstock
