Nutro Dry Cat Food: How NUTRitious is This Food?

Nutro dry cat food used to be a brand synonymous with bad quality. However, due to the recent surge in holistic brands and consumer awareness, Nutro is one of the few brands that changed their colors and instead focused on providing optimal nutrition to both cats and dogs with their various formulas.

Even with these changes, can Nutro cat food compete against healthier competitors? Or does it fall short?

We’ll find that out in this honest Nutro dry cat food review!

For this review, I will be focusing on Wholesome Essentials Indoor Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Formulas.

*This post contains affiliate links.*

My Honest Nutro Dry Cat Food Review

 

Name: Nutro

Website URL: www.nutro.com

Flavors Available: Chicken & Whole Brown Rice, Salmon & Whole Brown Rice, Whitefish & Whole Brown Rice and Duck & Potato

Formulas Available: Kitten, Adult, Indoor Adult, Senior, Weight Management, Hairball Control, and Grain-Free

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 14 pounds

Price: Varies

Overall Rating:

 

Pros. vs. Cons.

Pros:

• Chicken is the first ingredient
• Affordable price 
• Various formulas and flavors available for variety

Cons:

• Too many filler ingredients
• Mixed cat owner reviews

 

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (min.)	33.00%
Crude Fat (min.)	14.00%
Crude Fiber (max.)	7.00%
Moisture (max.)	10.00%
Calcium (min.)	0.90%
Vitamin E (min.)	250 IU/kg
Taurine (min.)	0.18%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (min.)*	3.00%

 

Ingredients

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Pea Protein, Whole Brown Rice, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potato Protein, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Flaxseed, Soybean Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Oat Fiber, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid (preservatives), Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract

 

Ingredient Breakdown

Chicken

This is a high-quality protein source. Keep in mind after the cooking process, the amount of chicken left is reduced by half.

Chicken Meal

This is a high-quality protein source that can contain as much as 300% more protein than chicken contains by itself.

Brewers Rice

This is an ingredient that is commonly used as a source of carbohydrates. However, it is just fragments of rice leftover once it has been processed. It is seen as having little to no nutritional value for cats.

Pea Protein

This ingredient is a plant-based source of additional protein. It is a by-product of processed peas. It is typically only used to boost the protein content on the label.

Whole Brown Rice

This ingredient is a nutritional source of carbohydrates. It is a digestible carbohydrate and contains essential minerals and B vitamins.

Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal

This ingredient is a source of essential micronutrients. It can contain as much as 18% plant-based protein and 25% dietary fiber to aid in healthy digestion.

Chicken Fat

This ingredient is a healthy fat source that can contain additional protein and essential Omega 3 fatty acids.

Potato Protein

This starchy ingredient is used as an added source of protein. It is typically used to increase the protein content on the label.

Dried Plain Beet Pulp

This ingredient is used as a source of dietary fiber, which can help in supporting healthy digestion.

Flaxseed

This ingredient is rich in essential nutrients including fiber, additional protein, and essential Omega 3 fatty acids.

Soybean Oil

This ingredient is cholesterol-free and is used as a low-quality fat source.

Oat Fiber

This is an ingredient that is used as a source of dietary fiber. It can help aid in healthy digestion.

Natural Flavor

Just as the name implies, this ingredient is used as a flavoring agent. It is made using a variety of meat, fruit, and vegetable sources.

Potassium Chloride

This ingredient is used as a potassium supplement.

Choline Chloride

This ingredient is used as a Vitamin B4 supplement.

DL-Methionine

This ingredient is used to reduce the acid level in the urine of cats.

Salt

This ingredient is essential in the normal function of cells. However, an excess of salt can lead to obesity and heart disease in cats.

 

Formulas, Sizes, and Price

Indoor Adult

This formula by Nutro Essential is made with real chicken and brown rice for optimal nutrition. It contains all of the flavor cats need to be satisfied.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 14 pounds

 

Kitten Chicken

This formula by Nutro is specially formulated to help aging kittens grow and thrive. It is made with ample amounts of calcium to help build strong bones in kittens. It is also loaded with rich antioxidants to boost a kitten’s immune system.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds and 5 pounds

 

Indoor Chicken Sensitive Stomach

Just as the name implies, this is the perfect formula for cats who suffer from a notorious sensitive stomach. It is made with easily digestible ingredients designed to help cats digest food as easily as possible.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds and 5 pounds

 

Hairball Control Adult

If you have a cat who hacks up hairballs like it’s their job, then this is the perfect formula for you. It is made with natural fiber to help minimize hairball production in adult cats.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 14 pounds

 

Adult Salmon

This is the perfect formula for cats who love the taste of salmon. It is made with 100% real salmon as the first ingredient and is loaded with all of the nutrients adult cats need in order to thrive.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 14 pounds

 

Weight Management Chicken

This is the perfect formula for cats who need to lose a little extra weight. It is made with reduced calories and up to 28% less fat to help cats keep those extra pounds off.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 6.5 pounds, and 14 pounds

 

Senior Chicken

This is the perfect formula for aging cats. It is made with 100% real chicken as the first ingredient and fortified with essential nutrients senior cats need for a healthy immune system.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 14 pounds

 

Grain-Free Adult

If you are looking for a formula that is free from grains, then look no further. It is specially crafted without the use of grains or glutens for cats who suffer from food sensitivities.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 6.5 pounds, and 14 pounds

 

Indoor Adult Whitefish

This formula by Nutro is packed full of the delicious seafood flavor most cats can’t get enough of. It is specially formulated with the ideal number of calories to help maintain a healthy weight for indoor cats.

Sizes Available: 3 pounds, 6.5 pounds, and 14 pounds

 

Nutro Dry Cat Food Reviews by Real Cat Owners

When you look for Nutro dry cat food reviews left by actual cat owners, what you will find are reviews that tend to be pretty mixed. While some cat owners seem pretty happy with this brand, there are some that aren’t quite as happy. Let’s take a closer look at what cat owners are saying about this food right now!

“Cat tested, cat parent approved. My cats have been eating this food for most of their adult lives. Never once have either of them voiced a complaint and they are cats who complain about pretty much everything else. I highly recommend it.” -BobbyDart, July 20th

“My kitties love it. They just don’t like the hairball control formula. My cats tend to prefer the Indoor formula out of any of them.” -Omar Siddique, October 6th

“My cats love it and so do I. My household is a Nutro household. My cats are on the Hairball and weight control formula. Over the past 6 months, both of my cats have really thrived on this food.” -Heather K, March 30th

“I used to feed my cats Iams, but switched to Nutro and couldn’t be happier about it. My cats run to me whenever they hear me opening the bag. This has been going on for about 7 months. It isn’t too expensive and my cats love it.” -Jameson & Deirdre Buchanan, July 1st

“My cats love this stuff! All three of my cats have been on Nutro cat food for their entire lives and have never had any health issues because of it. Their coats are super shiny and soft. It’s worth paying for in my opinion.” -Rowan, January 1st

“It’s easy on my cat’s stomach and doesn’t leave him vomiting afterward. It took a couple of days to transition him but it was well worth the effort. I definitely recommend this food.” -MaeBerry, April 13th

 

Nutro Dry Cat Food: The Bottomline

After looking into what is in a bag of Nutro dry cat food by taking a look at its ingredients, affordability, and looking at what real cat owners are saying about this food, this actually isn’t a food I have a problem recommending. It actually contains pretty healthy ingredients. Sure, some of the ingredients in this food can be questionable at best, but with mostly nutritious ingredients, affordable price, and positive pet owner reviews, this is a quality cat food cats can benefit from.

Final Verdict:

Recommended

 

Have you fed your cats Nutro dry cat food? If so, what did you think of my review? Did you agree with it? Did you disagree with it? Regardless, let me know in the comments section below!