Pros & Cons of California Natural Dry Cat Food

California Natural dry cat food is a premium cat food containing many healthful ingredients. Like most cat food products, it has advantages and drawbacks. Some studies indicate that canned or raw food is better for cats than dry kibble. When compared with other dry cat foods, however, California Natural products fare well.

  1. Formulas

    • California Natural dry cat food formulas include California Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Cat and Kitten Dry Cat Food and Herring &Sweet Potato Adult Dry Cat Food. If you choose to feed the California Natural brand to your adult cat, the two formulas should be rotated regularly to prevent skin allergies.

    Ingredients

    • Each California Natural dry cat food formula has a limited ingredient list with minimal additives.
      The ingredients of California Natural Chicken &Brown Rice Dry Cat and Kitten Food are Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Rice, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavors, Sunflower Oil, Flaxseed, Vitamins, Potassium Chloride, Minerals, Taurine, DL-Methionine and Rosemary Extract.
      The ingredients in California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato Dry Cat Food are Herring, Barley, Oatmeal, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavors, Sweet Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Herring Oil, Vitamins, DL-Methionine, Minerals, Taurine and Rosemary Extract.

    Benefits

    • Both California Natural dry cat food formulas include mostly high quality and healthful ingredients. In both formulas, the first ingredient is meat. The Herring and Sweet Potato formula's second ingredient is a grain, while the Chicken and Brown Rice formula includes meat as its second ingredient and a grain as its third. Neither formula contains corn, wheat or soy, which are potent allergens and indigestible for cats.
      California Natural dry cat food is preserved with Rosemary Extract. This natural preservative is effective and safe.
      Both formulas use fairly digestible grains. Cats are obligate carnivores and do not need any vegetable matter in their diets. However, dry cat food must contain some carbohydrates. Without a carbohydrate source, the kibble couldn't be cooked into the small, hard pieces characteristic of dry cat food.

    Drawbacks

    • California Naturals dry cat food contains more grains and carbohydrates than are necessary and beneficial. Brown rice is a highly digestible grain, but white rice, also included in the Chicken and Brown Rice formula, is less digestible and provides less dietary fiber. Barley is a less beneficial grain than oatmeal, but appears higher than oatmeal in the list of ingredients for the Herring and Sweet Potato formula.
      Sunflower oil is also an undesirable cat food ingredient. It is an inexpensive oil that has few beneficial effects for obligate carnivores like cats. It may also disturb the balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids in a cat's diet.
      Another drawback is that both formulas contain chicken. The California Natural brand doesn't make any formula appropriate for cats allergic to chicken.

    Alternatives

    • Many healthful premium cat foods are available. Some particularly good brands to try as an alternative to or in rotation with California Natural cat food include: Innova, Innova Evo, Wellness, Flint River Ranch, Serengeti and Eagle Pack.
      California Natural also makes canned foods. These are a good choice if you like the brand but are wary of the risks of feeding a dry kibble. Some nutritionists believe that dry food causes dehydration and may contribute to kidney disease in cats.
      Another alternative is a raw diet. Many cats thrive on whole prey model raw diets using meat, bones and organs to simulate as closely as possible the natural diet of a small feline. No vegetable matter is necessary for cats to stay healthy. Brave owners can even buy whole mice and baby quail (frozen, of course) to feed to their cats.