Aldi Cat Food Review

We’ve rated Aldi Cat Food on ingredient quality, species-appropriateness, recalls, and more. Read our Aldi Cat Food review to learn how this brand stacks up.

The Cats.com Standard—Rating Aldi Cat Food On What Matters

We’ve rated the brand on six key criteria for quality. Here’s how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.

In total, we give Aldi cat food a 38 out of 60 rating or a C+ grade.

About Aldi Cat Food

Aldi is one of the fastest growing grocery stores in the United States. Originally from Germany and other parts of Europe, Aldi now has about 7,600 stores worldwide. When it comes to their pet food products, Aldi has their own in-store brand called Heart to Tail.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Distributed and sold exclusively by Aldi, Heart to Tail wet foods are a product of Canada while their dry pet food products are made in the U.S. We weren’t able to find any specific information about who manufactures Aldi’s cat foods or where they source their ingredients.

Recall History

To my knowledge, Aldi cat foods have never been recalled.

What Kinds of Cat Food Does Aldi Offer?

Aldi offers two different product lines for cat food. The original Heart to Tail line includes classic recipes for dry food and wet food while the Pure Being line focuses on higher quality ingredients. Overall, their product selection is somewhat limited compared to major pet food brands, but it offers a decent variety at an economical price point for budget-wary shoppers.

What Do Customers Think of Aldi Cat Food?

Aldi doesn’t post reviews of their products on their website and because Heart to Tail products aren’t sold anywhere else, I wasn’t able to find many customer reviews online.

I did, however, find one detailed review on a blog called Aldi Reviewer. Here, the blogger provides a detailed review of Aldi’s Heart to Tail cat foods, focusing primarily on the wet food products. She comments that her cats seemed to like both, though they preferred the wet to the dry food varieties.

Though I didn’t find much in the way of customer reviews online, I imagine the comments would be similar to other inexpensive and grocery store brands like 9 Lives and Fancy Feast. The quality of the ingredients leaves something to be desired, though it’s hard to beat the price and there will always be cats who simply love cheap cat food.

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

Bagel seemed to prefer the Pure Being dry food formula which was my preference as well, in terms of quality. Kate Barrington / Cats.com

Testing Aldi’s cat food was tricky because one of my cats is allergic to chicken. Though some of Aldi’s canned foods don’t list chicken as an ingredient, they do contain poultry by-products which could come from chicken. The two cats who were able to test these foods didn’t seem to take issue with them.

As for Aldi’s dry cat foods, all of those seem to contain chicken or chicken by-products as well. My cats were happy to eat them but they didn’t exhibit the same level of excitement they’ve had over some of the other brands we’ve tested.

Aldi Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

#1 Heart To Tail Special Medley Formula Premium Adult Cat Food

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One of Aldi’s classic dry cat food recipes is this Special Medley Formula. Priced under $0.10 per ounce, it is incredibly affordable. That being said, it doesn’t offer much in the way of nutritional quality.

The first problem with this cat food is that it starts with a plant ingredient: corn. In fact, three of the first five ingredients are plant-based. Ground corn is followed by soybean meal then corn gluten meal appears two ingredients later. This suggests the majority of the protein in the formula comes from plants, especially considering corn gluten meal is a concentrated source of plant protein.

For animal ingredients, this recipe lists meat and bone meal, chicken fat, and chicken by-product meal. Of these, chicken fat is the only one we really like. The list also includes fillers like wheat middlings and something called “corn distillers dried grains with solubles.”

About the only good thing we can say of this dry cat food is that it doesn’t seem to contain the artificial additives many cheap cat foods do, though there are some natural flavors.

Ingredients

Ground Corn, Soybean Meal, Meat And Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols, Wheat Middlings, Corn Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles, Chicken By-Product Meal, Natural Flavors (source Of Chicken, Liver, Turkey, And Tuna), Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Sulfate, Taurine, Vitamins (choline Chloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (potassium Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite).

Ingredients We Liked	Ingredients We Didn’t Like	Common Allergens
Chicken Fat	Ground Corn Soybean Meal Meat and Bone Meal Corn Gluten Meal Wheat Middlings Corn Distillers Dried Grains Chicken By-Product Meal	Chicken

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 28%

Crude Fat: 8%

Crude Fiber: 3%

Moisture: 12%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 31.82%

Fat: 9.09%

Fiber: 3.41%

Carbs: 55.68%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 29.04%

Fat: 20.15%

Carbs: 50.81%

Pros

• Contains a nutritious source of animal fat (chicken fat)
• Affordably priced under $0.10/ounce

Cons

• First ingredient is not an animal-based protein
• Contains fillers and low-value grain ingredients
• Packed with plant ingredients and high in carbs
• Doesn’t contain the moisture your cat needs

#2 Heart To Tail Pure Being Deboned Salmon, Rice & Sweet Potato Dry Food

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Though arguably better than the previous formula, this Pure Being recipe still has a number of drawbacks. I appreciate that it starts with a high-quality source of animal protein and even has two supplemental sources, chicken meal and turkey meal. Unfortunately, there are still too many plant ingredients for my liking and the total carbohydrate content is too high.

In addition to the animal proteins, this formula contains nutrient-rich chicken fat which is an excellent source of essential fatty acids. Flaxseed meal and fish oil provide supplemental sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for balance.

Compared to the previous formula, the plant ingredients in this recipe are of higher quality but they still aren’t species-appropriate for cats. Oatmeal and whole ground brown rice appear within the first 4 ingredients and there are plenty of others including barley, peas, and potatoes.

Ingredients

Deboned Salmon, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Turkey Meal, Whole Ground Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Peas, Potatoes, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Natural Salmon Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Dried Carrots, Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Flaxseed Meal, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Salt, Fish Oil, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-lysine, Dried Chicory Root, Beta Carotene, Vitamins: (choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals: (iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Sulfate), Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Reuteri Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Animalis Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product.

Ingredients We Liked	Ingredients We Didn’t Like	Common Allergens
Deboned Salmon Chicken Meal Turkey Meal Chicken Fat	Oatmeal Whole Ground Brown Rice Whole Ground Barley Peas Potatoes Whole Sweet Potatoes	Chicken Fish

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 32%

Crude Fat: 15%

Crude Fiber: 4.5%

Moisture: 10%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 35.56%

Fat: 16.67%

Fiber: 5%

Carbs: 42.78%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 29.93%

Fat: 34.07%

Carbs: 36.01%

Pros

• High-quality source of animal protein as first ingredient
• Nutrient-rich chicken fat as the primary added fat source
• No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives

Cons

• Packed with plant ingredients and high in carbs
• Doesn’t contain the moisture your cat needs

#3 Heart To Tail Salmon Entrée Canned Cat Food

Buy At Aldi

If Aldi’s dry cat food products have a few problems, their wet food products have a lot. Not only does this formula start with generically named “meat by-products,” but there are several vaguely named ingredients near the top of the list. The only ingredient I actually like is salmon which comes third.

In addition to being packed with by-products and other vaguely-named ingredients, this recipe contains unnecessary plant ingredients like brewers rice. I also hate to see controversial thickeners like carrageenan and guar gum used when there are safer alternatives. The fact that this recipe contains added color is the final nail in the coffin.

Ingredients

Meat By-Products, Water, Salmon, Poultry By-Products, Fish, Brewers Rice, Natural Flavors, Guar Gum, Added Color, Salt, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, Carrageenan, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Nitrate, Zinc Oxide, Red 3, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid.

Ingredients We Liked	Ingredients We Didn’t Like	Common Allergens
Salmon	Meat By-Products Poultry By-Products Fish Brewers Rice Guar Gum Carrageenan	Fish

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 10%

Crude Fat: 5%

Crude Fiber: 1.5%

Moisture: 78%

Ash: 3%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 45.45%

Fat: 22.73%

Fiber: 6.82%

Carbs: 11.36%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 40.58%

Fat: 49.28%

Carbs: 10.14%

Pros

• Rich in the moisture your cat needs for hydration
• Contains some high-quality animal protein
• Pate texture is easy to chew and palatable for cats

Cons

• First ingredient isn’t a quality source of animal protein
• Contains several vaguely named ingredients
• Thickened with guar gum and carrageenan
• Contains artificial color

How Much Does Aldi Cat Food Cost?

As a discount store brand, Aldi cat food is very economical. Prices may differ slightly in different areas, but you should expect to pay less than $0.50 per can for wet food. For a 3.15-pound bag of Heart to Tail dry food you’ll pay about $3.50 while a bag of Pure Being dry food costs about $6.50.

Overall, Is Aldi Cat Food a Good Choice?

The best thing I can say about Aldi cat food is that it is affordable. With dry foods priced under $0.15 per ounce and canned foods under $0.10 per ounce, Heart to Tail cat food is incredibly economical.

Before you fill your cart with Aldi cat food, however, I urge you to consider what you’re feeding your cat. None of the products I reviewed earned over a B- rating, and that really only because it started with a quality source of animal protein. For the most part, Aldi’s dry cat food is plant-based with low-quality animal or plant proteins and their wet food isn’t much better.

Overall, I’d say you can do much better than Aldi cat food, though you may have to spend a few cents more per ounce. If you’re shopping only by cost and convenience, reach for Pure Being dry foods or one of their canned foods that uses real animal protein rather than by-products as the first ingredient.

Where Is Aldi Cat Food Sold?

Aldi cat food from the Heart to Tail and Pure Being lines is sold exclusively in Aldi stores. You can also purchase Aldi products including their cat food online for delivery through Instacart.