Dave’s Cat Food Review 2024 – Is Dave’s a Good Cat Food?
Quick Guide
If you’re looking for grain-free, natural food for your kitties, look no further than Dave’s Pet Food. One of the longest-standing pet food companies in the country, Dave’s Pet Food specializes in species-appropriate, nutritious diets for cats and dogs. Cats are complete carnivores, unlike dogs who are omnivores. Cats need meat not only to survive but also to be fit and strong. The optimal cat diet is raw, home-cooked food or a grain-free canned diet.
Dave’s Pet Food understands this and manufactures grain-free, protein-rich diet for cats. All the meals made by Dave’s Pet Food consist of real, human-grade ingredients like chicken, turkey, tuna, and salmon. Not only do they provide nutrition, but are also tasty enough for your fur babies to lick clean!
All of the ingredients in these grain-free diets, except the tuna, are sourced in the USA. The tuna is from Thailand. The products are manufactured at the company’s plants in South Dakota, New Jersey, Canada, and Thailand.
Dave’s Pet Food was started by Dave Ratner, who first used to sell soda. He later decided to get into the pet food business and turned his shop into Dave’s Soda & Pet City. Dave’s has seven stores around the country today, and besides selling every brand of soda and pet food available out there, they also make their own line of dog and cat food.
Dave’s has won the Advocate “Best of the Valley” Pet Shop Award for a number of years in a row, besides the Springfield Republican Reader Raves Award and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award.
Dave’s Pet Food offers premium cat food for less than many other products on the market. On the website, Dave says that he manages to keep costs low by not running expensive promotions and running a “low overhead operation.” Even though the products are affordable, it doesn’t mean quality is sacrificed. All products are made with completely natural and high quality sourced ingredients and pass through stringent quality checks and safety standards to make sure they are absolutely safe and healthy for your pet.
Besides manufacturing pet food, Dave’s Pet Food also contributes to the community by supporting animal charities and small businesses. In 2012, Dave’s donated more than $20,000 to shelters. The company also regularly donates cases of food to shelters and organizations in need. In 2013, Dave’s pet food family participated in the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life to raise money to support canine caregivers and contribute to the American Cancer Society’s mission to fight cancer.
Types of cat food
Dave’s Pet Food has three lines of cat food: Naturally Healthy Grain Free, 95% Premium Meat, and Restricted Diet.
Naturally Healthy Grain Free
Most of the variants of cat diets from Dave’s belong to the Naturally Healthy Grain Free line. They come in either dry or wet form. This line of cat food is made from protein-rich ingredients like salmon, chicken, and tuna, along with wholesome brown rice. Every bite is packed with omega fatty acids for a lustrous coat, along with vitamins, minerals, and taurine to keep your fur baby looking and feeling her best. There is no use of wheat, soy, artificial additives or preservatives, so even sensitive kitties can safely consume these.
Some of the recipes in this line are:
- Tuna & Salmon
- Tuna & Duck
- Tuna & Chicken
- Tuna & Beef
- Tuna & Shrimp
- Beef & Chicken
- Turkey & Giblets
- Shredded Salmon
- Shredded Chicken
95% Premium Meat
For cat owners looking for a high protein diet for their babies, the 95% Premium Meat is a good choice, because this line contains more protein than other formulas. Sometimes, overweight or too energetic cats need more protein than anything else. This line of Dave’s cat food contains 95 percent of protein – be it chicken, turkey, or beef – and no vegetables, fruits, grains, cereal or soy. The first ingredient is always 100 percent meat, so you know your kitty is getting a protein-rich diet minus all kinds of fluff. It helps keep weight under control while providing the necessary nutrients.
Some of the recipes in this line are:
- Chicken & Chicken Liver Pâté
- Tuna & Chicken Pâté
- Turkey & Turkey Liver Pâté
- Salmon Pâté Formula
- Beef & Beef Liver Pâté Formula
Restricted Diet
Does your kitty suffer from kidney problems? If so, then a high-protein diet isn’t what she should be eating. Such kitties need a diet low in protein and rich in other nutrients, so it’s both healthy and easy to digest. Dave’s Pet Food has a specially formulated Restricted Diet range for your special babies. The recipes in this line are meant to minimize stress on kidneys while optimizing their health with low levels of protein and phosphorus. The low levels of sodium help support normal blood pressure, and omega-3 fatty acids give a shiny coat and skin. Besides completely natural ingredients, these meals are enriched with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and taurine.
There are only two recipes in this line, and they are:
- Magnesium Phosphorus Pork Dinner
- Protein Phosphorus Chicken Dinner
Even though all of these meals are supposed to be free from artificial ingredients and safe to consume even for sensitive kitties, before switching over to a new diet always consult a vet. If your cat has any health condition, never switch to a new food without consulting a veterinarian.
What makes Dave’s different?
The differentiating factor here is the cost. The products from Dave’s Pet Food are far more affordable than other brands offering the same quality and ingredients. Dave Ratner says that he is the owner, the sales guy, and the marketing guy all rolled into one, which is how he saves cost and sells the products for a budget-friendly price. Aside from that, these meals are gluten free, grain free, and cater to cats with different needs– low protein, high protein, and normal protein are some of the different variations.
Recall History
Although the cat food lines have not had any recall so far, there was one voluntary recall of one batch of dog food in 2015. This recall was made after a consumer complaint reporting an unpleasant odor. The company withdrew 300 bags of Simply the Best dog food from the market following the complaint. The product contained rice bran, which could have been the cause of the odor. It could also have been caused by a high peroxide value.
Where to Buy?
The meals are available on the website of Dave’s Pet Food, and on other online stores like Amazon, Chewy, Pet360, PetFoodDirect, major supermarkets like Walmart and Target, and some pet shops.
What Customers Think?
Dave’s is known to be a high quality budget friendly pet food brand that manufactures healthy meals for dogs and cats. On Chewy.com, the Naturally Healthy Grain-Free Chicken Formula Canned Cat Food scores 4.3 out of 5, with 89 percent of the reviewers recommending the product. Some of the reviews are as follows.
“All my cats love Dave’s cat food. They love both chicken and turkey even when I add more water to it.” – KayK
“My cats love this! I have one cat who has intestinal issues, and on top of that, she is extremely picky. I have to feed her six tiny meals a day. She loves this food. I have to put hers in a small blender with a little water and puree it and she is good to go. The food for a normal cat is a great consistency. Very moist and smells good enough for human consumption. I love Dave’s canned food!” – Jenn
“We tried this brand a few years ago at a pricey pet store. We were happy to find it sold here on Chewy, so ordered more flavors and our cats couldn’t be happier! They love all of the Pate flavors, we only buy Turkey or Chicken formulas. It’s nice and juicy, kind of like PetGuard or Wellness brands, but, more affordable! We will continue to buy this brand and mix the variety in these two main protein types.” – Lynnie59
Although this is a healthy product, some kinds may not like it for reasons known only to them.
Dave’s Naturally Healthy Grain-Free Chicken Formula Canned Cat Food Review
Rating: 4.3 out of 5
First five ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Turkey, Guar Gum
This protein-rich, grain-free, gluten-free cat food is packed with essential vitamins and minerals that keep the digestive system, urinary tract, immune system, and coat and skin healthy. It can be used as a complete meal, or as topping for other cat food. The meal is recommended for all adult cats, including the sensitive ones.
