Review Summary

Canidae truly started as a labor of love. The company’s two founders, Scott Whipple and John Gordon, met in a pet food store owned by Whipple. The two men bonded over their love of animals and their dissatisfaction with the state of the pet food industry.

Rather than gripe about it, they decided to enact change themselves. With the help of a few pet nutritionists and veterinarians, the duo founded Canidae in 1996. The idea was to create the kind of healthy foods pet owners wanted to feed their animals, even if it meant paying a bit more.

In 2012, the company opened Ethos Pet Nutrition in Brownwood, TX. While many companies brag about having the biggest facilities in the world, Canidae takes the opposite approach; Ethos Pet Nutrition is the smallest pet food facility in the United States. This allows it to make small batches of its foods, each of which is made with the utmost care.

Not all of its foods are made there, however. Outside manufacturers produce some formulas, but Canidae won’t specify which foods those are or where they’re made. This obfuscation is enough to throw the idea that they’re committed to improving the pet food industry into question.

Most of Canidae’s foods are designed for owners who care about their cat’s health but don’t want to go bankrupt feeding them. As a result, many Canidae brands occupy the gap between the mass-produced junk you’ll find in most pet food stores and the high-quality premium foods only sold in specialty boutiques.

This makes Canidae a slightly above-average food across the board.

At a Glance: The Best Canidae Cat Food Recipes

 Canidae Cat Food Reviewed

Who Makes Canidae Cat Food and Where Is It Produced?

Canidae is an independently owned pet food company that’s still under the control of its original owners. It’s been around since 1996, which gave it a jump on many of its competitors when the healthy pet food craze began.

Some of its food is made at the Ethos Pet Nutrition facility in Brownwood, Texas, using natural ingredients that the company raised or grew. However, a good portion of its foods is made by outside manufacturing plants. We don’t know what percentage of its food manufacturing is outsourced or where those outsourced foods are made.

Which Types of Pets Is Canidae Cat Food Best Suited For?

Many of Canidae’s foods are aimed at cats with diet issues or sensitivities. Canidae produces multiple grain-free and limited-ingredient recipes, which are good for cats with stomach problems.

Generally speaking, Canidae is the next step up from mass-produced commercial cat food. It uses healthier foods with almost no fillers or other problematic ingredients, but it can’t quite match the nutrition in high-end formulas.

Which Types of Pets Might Do Better With a Different Brand?

Many of Canidae’s foods are incredibly high in carbohydrates, which can be problematic for cats with weight issues. Overweight cats will do better on a diet high in protein and fat since the nutrients will give them plenty of energy without adding to their waistline.

Those with an overweight cat at home may want to feed them something like Tuscan Natural Carne Grain-Free Dry Cat Food, as it’s high in protein and fat. If you’re careful about the portion sizes and give your cat enough exercise, it should help them shave off any excess weight.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients

With a few exceptions, most of Canidae’s foods start with protein as the first ingredient. Many formulas are grain-free, so you don’t have to worry about finding low-quality fillers like corn, wheat, or soy. Instead, there will often be potatoes or peas in their place. They are better ingredients, but they’re not necessary, so it’s unfortunate that they crowd out the proteins.

That often reduces the overall protein levels, usually in the 30% range. That’s not terrible, but it’s not great either. Canidae uses a variety of protein sources in its foods, so your cat will get a wider assortment of essential amino acids than they would if they were eating a food featuring a single animal. This better mimics their natural diet.

However, some of Canidae’s limited-ingredient foods only have a single protein source. This is likely a trade that you’ll be willing to make if you have a cat with a sensitive stomach, but otherwise, you should default to a food with an assortment of protein sources inside it.

All of Canidae’s Dry Foods Contain HealthPlus Solutions

Canidae uses HealthPlus Solutions in all its dry cat foods, which are a mixture of important vitamins and nutrients essential to a cat’s overall health. HealthPlus Solutions also contains an assortment of probiotics and antioxidants, ensuring that your cat will have a healthy digestive system and a powerful immune system.

Although we may have issues with Canidae’s foods overall, there’s little to complain about in theHealthPlus Solutions.

Canidae Offers Foods Useful for Transitioning to Raw Diets

The raw diet craze has taken off in the past few years, and many people swear by it. However, it can be expensive and difficult to follow, so Canidae’s Pure Ancestral Diet line allows pet owners to dip their toes in before committing to the diet completely.

The kibble in this line is coated with freeze-dried raw meat. This gives your cat some benefits of eating raw without requiring you to prepare it for them, and it’s much easier on your budget.

It’s not the same as feeding a completely raw diet, but it will allow you to see how your cat tolerates eating raw meat so you can make an informed decision about switching sometime down the line.

Canidae Never Uses Cheap Fillers

The use of cheap fillers like corn, wheat, and soy is one of the most reliable ways to tell a low-quality food from one that’s at least above average. Manufacturers use the fillers to add inexpensive bulk to the food, but they offer no nutritional value, and many cats have difficulty processing them.

Canidae doesn’t use any of those ingredients in its foods. That’s not enough to make it a premium product, but it elevates the food over some of its competitors.

Many of Canidae’s Kibbles Rely Heavily on Animal Meals

There’s nothing wrong with animal meals. They can be quite healthy since they’re full of amino acids that aren’t found in lean cuts of meat. However, you still need lean cuts of meat.

Many of Canidae’s foods use animal meals exclusively. This helps the company keep costs down, but your cat will miss out on a few essential nutrients as a result.

A Quick Look at Canidae Cat Food

Calorie Breakdown:

Canidae Cat Food Recall History

Canidae has a largely positive recall history, with one notable exception.

In 2012, the company recalled several of its formulas due to salmonella contamination. The affected foods were all made by one of the companies that Canidae outsources production to, but it’s unknown whether Canidae continues to use the company to manufacture food.

• Related read:  WholeHearted Cat Food Review: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Reviews of the 3 Best Canidae Cat Food Recipes

1. Canidae Grain-Free PURE Elements with Chicken Limited Ingredient Diet Dry Cat Food

Since it’s designed for cats with sensitive stomachs, Canidae Grain-Free PURE Elements only contain eight ingredients. The ingredients are heavy on protein, with chicken, turkey meal, and fish meal featured. The overall protein levels are still on the low side at 35%, but it’s nice that they include various animal sources.

The fat levels could also use a boost, as they sit at just 18%. However, the formula makes up for that by being high in omega fatty acids, which are important for coat health, immune function, and brain development. The probiotics help maintain a healthy digestive system, and the formula is grain- and gluten-free, so most cats should tolerate it.

---

2. Canidae Adore Tuna, Chicken, & Mackerel in Broth Canned Cat Food

Canidae Adore is a wet food loaded with seafood like tuna and mackerel. There’s also chicken inside for an added protein boost. The first ingredient is water, which is good and bad. It’s great for cats that don’t drink enough, as it will help stave off dehydration by giving them plenty of moisture.

However, it also cuts down on the protein levels, which sit at 11% in this case. That’s decent for wet food, but it could be higher if there were more room for meat inside the can. Fish is already high in omega fatty acids, and the formula also uses sunflower oil to add even more antioxidants. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a food that has more.

Canidae Adore is pricey, and you may be tempted to go with a cheaper option or just stick with dry kibble. Still, that’s the price you pay for a food that uses high-quality ingredients.

---

3. Canidae Grain-Free PURE Ancestral Diet Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Multi-Protein Formula with Turkey & Salmon Dry Cat Food

Canidae PURE Ancestral Diet is based on the idea that cats do best when eating a diet similar to what they’d find in the wild. As a result, it’s grain-free and coated with freeze-dried raw meat. The raw meat adds vital amino acids that get lost during cooking, and many cats love the taste, so it’s good for finicky eaters.

It’s filled with protein at 40%, but the fat levels leave something to be desired at 16%. The protein comes from a variety of animals like turkey, salmon, duck, pheasant, turkey, and lamb. However, it also includes dried eggs, which is an allergen for many cats. Your cat may not process it as well as some other foods.

Overall, the Canidae PURE Ancestral Diet is a good choice for anyone who wants to test the raw food craze on their cat.

---

What Other Users Are Saying

Conclusion

If you want to transition your cat from cheap, mass-produced foods to something healthier, Canidae is ideal. Its recipes are fairly high-quality, with no cheap fillers or chemicals, but their nutritional levels leave something to be desired.

It’s also more affordable than most premium foods, so it’s a good way for owners on a budget to give their cats a decent meal. Ultimately, Canidae is an above-average food, but little more than that. You can find much better brands if you’re willing to pay more.

---

Featured Image Credit: Canidae, Chewy/ Freepik by Terdpongvector