Our review compares cat food on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which cat food they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 495 Australians for their feedback on food they have purchased for their pet in the last three months.
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Not sure which cat food to buy? Check out our buying guide below.
Friskies has taken out the top spot for cat food achieving five star ratings for overall satisfaction, pet enjoyment, variety & range and packaging. Friskies also received four star ratings for value for money and ingredients.
Friskies is the dry cat food range under the parent brand Purina that offers a number of cat foods for kittens up to mature aged cats. Flavours include chicken, beef, salmon, cheese and garden greens to name a few, all of which are rich in protein. Other benefits include antioxidants to support immune health, dental protection for healthy teeth and gums, taurine for clear vision and the new no added artificial colours.
Felix received a four star rating across the board for all categories including overall satisfaction, pet enjoyment, value for money, variety & range, packaging and ingredients.
Felix is another cat food range under the Purina parent company that includes wet food and snacks. The range of cat food includes wet food in a jelly composition for kittens and mature cats and dried biscuit treats and ‘play tubes’ for a playful way for your cat to eat. All Felix cat food is rich in protein with flavours like seafood, chicken, beef lamb and more. The full range includes FELIX As Good as it Looks, FELIX As Good as it Looks Doubly Delicious packs, FELIX Sensation Jellies and FELIX Sensation Sauce.
Fancy Feast received a mixed bag of star ratings with five stars for variety & range, four stars for overall satisfaction, pet enjoyment, packaging and ingredients, and a three star rating for value for money.
Fancy Feast, as the name suggests, is the more upmarket cat food also under the Purina parent company name. You can expect gourmet style cat food such as pate with a gravy centre, broths and medleys. Flavours include chicken, turkey, seafood, meat florentine and Tuscan in tinned, sachet or treat sachets. Fancy Feast cat food is rich in protein, taurine, omega 6 and vitamins A and E so your cat gets a balanced diet.
Royal Canin achieved a five star rating for ingredients, four star ratings for overall satisfaction, pet enjoyment, variety & range and packaging, with a three star rating for value for money.
Royal Canin has been providing nutritionally balanced pet food for over 50 years, focussing on well balanced food for cats and dogs. Its cat food range covers almost all possible needs for food, from breed to weight management and oral hygiene. Its wet food range focuses on meeting your cat’s specific feeding needs and stimulating the necessary senses for health as well as digestive health and more.
Smitten cat food achieved a five star rating for value for money, a four star rating for packaging and three star ratings for overall satisfaction, pet enjoyment, variety & range and ingredients.
Smitten is Woolworths name brand of cat food that comes in both wet and dry ranges. You can find flavours like mince beef, chicken mine, seafood basket and tuna mince in the tinned wet food range and similar flavours for the dry biscuits. Smitten also offers other products like cat milk, cat litter and cat and kitten treats.
Dine received mixed reviews with four star ratings for pet enjoyment, variety & range and ingredients, with three star ratings for overall satisfaction, value for money and packaging.
The Dine cat food brand is dedicated to sustainability with its initiative Hope Grows and through its cat food packaging. Dine’s full ranges of cat food include the Classic Collection, Luxury, Delight and Treats. Within these collections they have flavours like chicken, carrot and spinach, tuna and chicken melting soup and more. You can purchase tins and sachets of wet food for kittens and mature aged cats.
Whiskas received four star ratings for pet enjoyment and packaging, with a three star rating for overall satisfaction, value for money, variety & range and ingredients.
Whiskas has been offering wet food, dry food and cat milk since 1958 and has been dedicated to developing delicious products since then. The full range of Whiskas food includes the subrands of Favourites, So Fishy and So Meaty which include ingredients like chicken, rabbit, lamb, beef and seafoods like prawn and sardines. Rich in omega 3 and 6 and high in protein, the Whiskas ingredients create a balanced meal for your cat.
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are several more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
There are two types of cat food: wet cat food and dry cat food. ‘Wet’ cat food refers to all soft food types that usually come in tin cans, packets and sachets. Both wet and dry cat foods are nutritionally complete, provided they meet the Australian Standard. Dry cat food is generally considered to be good for teeth, while wet is considered good for bone and muscle development. However, it’s not a huge difference between the two. In the end, the choice comes down to personal preference (of both you and the cat) and your vet’s advice. 83% of respondents chose wet or tinned cat food and 78% chose dry, so there isn’t too much of a difference in popularity between the two for cat owners.
While the answer isn’t a direct no, it isn’t ideal for dogs to eat cat food on a consistent basis. Cat food is much higher in protein and contains much more fat contents than dog food, so can affect dog’s bodies negatively. Always consult with your vet if you have concerns about diet before you make any changes in your cat or dog’s eating habits.
What’s good for us isn’t always safe for our furry friends. Cats can only eat particular plants and meats that suit their digestive system, with others potentially toxic. Here are some human foods cats can eat:
While these all may be generally safe for your cat to eat, it’s best to consult your vet about portion sizes and frequency of eating to be certain, as you don’t want to accidentally make your cat sick through feeding them things they shouldn’t be having.
Cat food will vary in price depending on the type of cat food, added ingredients and the brand. Prices can start at around $15 and can reach up to $130 for value packs of bulk food. Wet food will generally cost a little more because it will have added ingredients, whereas dry food like biscuits and kibble will be cheaper and you are able to buy it in bulk more regularly.
You want the best for your cat and so choosing the right cat food is important. There are a number of factors to take into consideration when choosing which type of cat food to buy. For cats, a blended diet of wet and dry food can be good because it gives them the balanced nutrients they need.
An important factor to consider for buying cat food is the added ingredients and how they will benefit your cat, if they will at all. Added vitamins, omega 6, high protein and taurine are all positives in cat food that helps with your pet’s health. Being able to choose from a variety of different flavours or recipes is important too so you can introduce your cat to a range of foods and satisfy their appetite. You’ll also have to take into account your cat’s health and age, as they may require additional nutrients for optimal health. Discussing with your vet will ensure that your cat is getting the most from its food intake.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Producer Kate King. Kate holds a Bachelor of Creative Industries from QUT majoring in Journalism and Media and Communications, and has written for a number of publications over the past five years.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Here are the past winners of Canstar Blue’s cat food ratings:
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