The 6 Best Organic Cat Food
This page contains affiliate links. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post through our independently chosen links, which earn us a commission. Learn More
The best organic cat food would be worth buying whether it was organic or not.
That’s why we recommend Natural Planet Organics Turkey Dinner as the best organic cat food on the market. It’s USDA Organic certified and made with your cat’s carnivorous needs in mind. With a meat-first ingredient list, no carrageenan or other potentially-harmful additives, and plenty of moisture to keep your cat hydrated, it’s an all-around outstanding food.
Keep reading to learn more about this Natural Planet Organics food and our other top 6 recommendations. Before we jump into the reviews, though, we should talk about the makings of the best organic cat food.
At a Glance: Best Organic Cat Food To Buy
We highly recommend looking at the comparison table we have below where we highlighted the features of each product. You’ll also find more detailed information about each product later in the article.
Compare Best Organic Cat Food
|
Best For Budget
3. Castor & Pollux Organix Grain-Free Organic Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe |
Best Dry Food
4. Tender & True Organic Chicken & Liver Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food |
Best For Kittens
5. Castor & Pollux Organix Grain-Free Organic Kitten Recipe Canned Cat Food |
Best For Sensitive Stomach
6. Primal Turkey Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food |
||
|
Protein
10% Min |
Protein
7% Min |
Protein
9.0% Min |
Protein
30% Min |
Protein
9.0% Min |
Protein
57% Min |
|
Fat
8.0% Min |
Fat
6% Min |
Fat
5.0% Min |
Fat
18% Min |
Fat
7.0% Min |
Fat
23% Min |
|
Fiber
1.5% Max |
Fiber
2% Max |
Fiber
1.0% Max |
Fiber
6.5% Max |
Fiber
1.0% Max |
Fiber
2.0% Max |
|
Life Stage
All Life Stages |
Life Stage
Maintenance |
Life Stage
All Life Stages |
Life Stage
Adult |
Life Stage
Growth |
Life Stage
Adult |
|
Type
Wet/Canned |
Type
Wet |
Type
Wet/Canned |
Type
Dry |
Type
Wet/Canned |
Type
Freeze-Dried |
|
Made In
United States |
Made In
Canada |
Made In
United States |
Made In
United States |
Made In
United States |
Made In
United States |
How Do You Choose The Best Organic Cat Food?
The best organic cat food is, well, organic.
Only a few cat food producers use organic ingredients. Even fewer meet any standardized definition of being an organic food.
Some companies claim that their food is “made with organic ingredients”, indicating that the food is at least 70% organic. Just a handful are USDA certified organic. That distinction is exclusive to foods that are at least 95% organic.
When choosing the top 6 foods for this list, I looked for products that contained primarily organic ingredients and gave preference to those that had earned the USDA’s organic seal.
But that little green seal of approval doesn’t guarantee a great cat food.
Even if you assume that organic ingredients are better than non-organic ingredients—an assumption that isn’t always accurate—ingredient quality still isn’t enough. When choosing a food for your cat, nutritional composition is paramount.
Organic ingredients don’t make up for species-inappropriate nutrients. An organic sweet potato is still a bundle of carbohydrates that your cat doesn’t need.
That’s why the best organic cat food is made with carnivores in mind.
The best foods are more organic meat than organic veggies. They have plenty of protein, moderate levels of fat, and only the scarcest amount of carbohydrate matter.
From its moisture content to its fatty acid spectrum, every aspect of the best organic cat food is informed by your cat’s needs as a carnivore. That’s why all of the following foods are more than just organic products. They’re meaty and have minimal plant content. Most of them contain plenty of moisture to keep your cat hydrated in spite of his low thirst drive.
Our Top Picks For The Best Organic Cat Food
Natural Planet Organics Turkey Dinner Canned Cat Food
Product Info
- Protein: 10% Min
- Fat: 8.0% Min
- Fiber: 1.5% Max
- Life Stage: All Life Stages
- Type: Wet/Canned
- Made In: United States
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
- Features protein-rich turkey and liver as primary ingredients
- Doesn’t contain any common irritants or allergens
- A USDA-certified organic food
- Free of carrageenan, a potentially harmful additive common among organic cat foods
- Relies on multiple plant-based fat sources instead of animal fat
- Lacks a large body of customer reviews to vouch for its quality
This Natural Planet recipe has virtually every quality we look for in cat food. It’s one of the few products that successfully combines organic ingredients with nutritional fundamentals. It delivers plenty of protein, avoids excessive plant ingredients, and doesn’t contain carrageenan or other potentially harmful additives.
With turkey muscle meat and liver as primary ingredients and nothing starchy, this is a meat-based, carnivore-appropriate recipe appropriate for cats of all shapes, sizes, and ages.
Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend Wet Cat Food
Product Info
- Protein: 7% Min
- Fat: 6% Min
- Fiber: 2% Max
- Life Stage: Maintenance
- Type: Wet
- Made In: Canada
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
- 100% human grade ingredients
- No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
- 100% traceable ingredients
- Not a certified organic food
- Some customers don’t like the packaging
We felt this brand was worth noting for its ethical sourcing practices—this company only purchases ingredients from suppliers that comply with several agencies verifying ethical management and harvesting standards—and commitment to traceability. The company allows you to trace the ingredients used in each bag to their source, allowing you to get an in-depth look at where each meal began.
On top of this, all of their wet foods are certified human-grade, meaning they’re made from the same kind of ingredients you might put on your own plate and manufactured in facilities that meet human safety standards.
The company offers their wet cat food in several formulas: Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend, Homestead Turkey Rustic Blend, Chicken & Salmon Rustic Blend, Wild-Caught Salmon Rustic Blend, Grass-Fed Beef Rustic Blend, and Herring & Mackerel Rustic Blend. The foods can be fed as an easy-to-eat topper or as a complete meal.
These foods are formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance.
Castor & Pollux Organix Grain-Free Organic Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
Product Info
- Protein: 9.0% Min
- Fat: 5.0% Min
- Fiber: 1.0% Max
- Life Stage: All Life Stages
- Type: Wet/Canned
- Made In: United States
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
- Primarily made from organic chicken and liver
- Certified organic by the USDA
- Low carbohydrate content
- Doesn’t contain carrageenan or other thickening gums
- A popular, well-loved food
- Contains numerous plant ingredients
This particular recipe is a paté-style canned food that bears both the USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project seals. Like so many foods targeting the premium niche, this food is loaded with a variety of organic plant ingredients like peas, coconut flour, and pea protein. None of these ingredients are necessary or particularly beneficial for cats.
The food’s carbohydrate content remains under 10% on a dry matter basis and meat heads up the ingredient list. All things considered, this is a moisture-rich, species-appropriate organic food option for cats.
Tender & True Organic Chicken & Liver Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Product Info
- Protein: 30% Min
- Fat: 18% Min
- Fiber: 6.5% Max
- Life Stage: Adult
- Type: Dry
- Made In: United States
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
- Contains multiple sources of nourishing animal fat
- Has guaranteed levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
- Primarily made from nourishing organic chicken
- USDA certified organic
- Low moisture content may contribute to urinary tract disease, particularly in male cats
- High carbohydrate content
If you’re set on feeding organic dry cat food, consider this recipe from Tender & True. This company is focused on racking up certifications that validate its quality—certifications like the Global Animal Partnership’s Step 3 certification for humanely-raised chicken and the USDA’s organic certification.
The food is a grain-free product that features organic chicken and chicken meal as primary ingredients, served up alongside a variety of starches and legumes. Like most dry foods, it’s high in carbohydrate content and is not a particularly species-appropriate diet for your obligate carnivore.
Castor & Pollux Organix Grain-Free Organic Kitten Recipe Canned Cat Food
Product Info
- Protein: 9.0% Min
- Fat: 7.0% Min
- Fiber: 1.0% Max
- Life Stage: Growth
- Type: Wet/Canned
- Made In: United States
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
- Formulated for growing kittens
- USDA certified organic
- Contains salmon oil as a source of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA
- Low carbohydrate content
- Contains several plant ingredients
This food is USDA certified organic and certified by the Non-GMO Project. Each batch is cooked in an organically certified US kitchen.
As a kitten food, it has slightly more fat than other foods from Organix. It places an emphasis on DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid essential for brain and eye development.
Though it’s ultimately a meat-based food, the recipe contains some plant ingredients. These include pea protein, coconut flour, and peas, none of which are nutritionally necessary for your tiny carnivore.
Primal Turkey Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food
Product Info
- Protein: 57% Min
- Fat: 23% Min
- Fiber: 2.0% Max
- Life Stage: Adult
- Type: Freeze-Dried
- Made In: United States
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
- Contains only organic fruits and vegetables
- Made with USDA edible-grade meat and produced in USDA-certified facilities
- A meat-based food with plenty of nourishing animal protein
- Contains multiple sources of anti-inflammatory fatty acids
- Uses a single protein source, making it ideal for cats with digestive issues
- Not a certified organic food according to the USDA’s standards
- Primal foods have been recalled several times
Like all Primal foods, this recipe contains only certified organic produce. The ingredient list includes organic collard greens, organic squash, organic pumpkin seeds, organic kelp, and more. Primal products don’t contain synthetic supplements. Instead, they rely on this array of organic fruits, vegetables, and other plant ingredients as food-based nutrient sources.
Though the food’s poultry ingredients aren’t organic according to the USDA’s standards, they come free of antibiotics, hormones, and steroids. Primal adds that the meat, organs, and bones are taken from vegetarian-fed animals raised on ethical, sustainable ranches.
Click here to learn more about Primal’s quality standards. Though the food contains a colorful variety of organic fruits and vegetables, it’s far from a plant-heavy food. It’s made with turkey muscle meat, necks with bone, hearts or gizzards, and liver as its primary ingredients. For cats with food sensitivities and potential food allergies, this single-protein recipe may help to identify or resolve intolerances.
The Best Organic Cat Food Is Great, But So Is The Best Non-organic Cat Food.
Limiting yourself to organic cat food is a great way to miss out on a world of excellent products. There’s no guarantee that organic food is any more responsibly-sourced than non-organic food, nor is it any more nutritious. In most cases, organic cat foods are even more veggie-packed than their non-organic counterparts.
Some of the best cat food on the planet is not organic—at least according to the official definitions established by the USDA and other organizations. Many of those non-organic foods feature high-quality ingredients that were humanely and sustainably harvested. From ingredient quality to nutritional value, there’s a wealth of non-organic foods that just might be worthy of your cat’s bowl.
Want to go beyond organic cat food? Explore our recommendations.
