Published Jul 6, 2024
Megan Swinney / Cats.com
Atta Cat! food is a single-formula, highly affordable cat food that hails from a 40-year-old pet food manufacturer, American Nutrition, Inc. The company’s slogan is “Doing is better,” but is it really the best food for your cat? Before heading out to your nearest bargain grocery store, take a look at our review to see if Atta Cat! measures up to your, and our, standards.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Atta Cat! Food on What Matters
We’ve analyzed Atta Cat! food and graded it according to the Cats.com standard, evaluating the brand on species-appropriateness, ingredient quality, product variety, customer experience, and recall history. Here’s how it rates in each of these five key areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 2/5
- Ingredient Quality – 2/5
- Product Variety – 1/5
- Customer Experience – 3/5
- Recall History – 5/5
Overall Score: 2.6/5
We gave Atta Cat! food a 13 out of 25 or an F grade.
Why Trust Cats.com
To see just how well Atta Cat! food holds up against the Cats.com standards, I purchased and reviewed the food, along with the help of my cat, Bandit. On top of the paws-on testing, I researched the brand’s history, recalls, customer experience, and ingredients.
About Atta Cat!
Atta Cat! is owned by American Pet Nutrition, a pet food company that has existed since 1972. The company was founded by Jack Behnken, who ran the family-owned company out of Ogden, Utah, where the company headquarters is still. The company runs on the slogan “Do it better,” creating products with pets’ nutrition in mind. In 2020, American Pet Nutrition, Inc. joined with CJ Foods to form Alphia, a large pet food manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Denver.
In August 2023, Alphia was acquired by the private equity firm PAI Partners. Alphia continues to manufacture more than 1 billion pounds of dry pet food and treats annually across its brands, which include Better Choice, Halo, and Supreme Source.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Atta Cat! food is sourced and manufactured in the United States, with food coming from the Ogden plant.
Recall History
To this date, Atta Cat! food has never been recalled.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does Atta Cat! Food Offer?
Megan Swinney / Cats.com
Atta Cat! offers only one food selection: Chicken and Salmon dried cat food. Formulated for cats of all ages, the food comes in 16-pound bags sold on Chewy.com and in various grocery stores throughout the United States. Currently, no kitten-specific or wet cat food is available from the brand.
The dry food is grain-heavy, featuring chicken-by-product meal and salmon meal as the primary proteins. It does include added omega-3s and omega-6s, plus added vitamins and minerals. Cat owners might be disappointed that the food includes multiple grains within the first five ingredients, including corn meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and ground wheat. It also contains caramel coloring. However, the food is free from artificial flavors and dyes.
What Did Our Test Cats Think of Atta Cat! Food?
My 8-year-old tortoiseshell tabby, Bandit, sampled the food while I researched Atta Cat! ingredients and background. Bandit might be opinionated, but she is not a picky eater. She was initially slightly wary of the new food but happily tried it after a few sniffs around her bowl. She took a few bites of the food, followed by a long drink of water, and decided that her attention was needed elsewhere: her favorite cat toy was calling her name. But, when I checked her food bowl a couple of hours later, it was empty. Furthermore, she readily came back for her dinner and ate that, too.
While Bandit may have taken to the new food, I’m not thrilled about the high amount of carbohydrates, especially since they come from grains. Typically, cats do not need a lot of grains or carbohydrates in their diet. The protein is salmon meal, which provides necessary nutrients and protein for your cat.
If she continued eating this food, I would likely supplement it with wet cat food from a brand like Tikki Cat or Kirkland to ensure my cat gets more high-quality protein in her diet as well as enough moisture.
Atta Cat! Food Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Main Source of Protein | Calories | Price Per Ounce | Our Grade |
| Atta Cat! | Dry Kibble | Chicken by-product meal, Salmon meal | 349 kcal/cup | $0.07 an ounce | F |
#1 Atta Cat Chicken & Salmon Flavor Dry Cat Food
Megan Swinney / Cats.com
Available in a 16-pound bag, Atta Cat! Chicken and Salmon, dry cat food, is a small, three-quarter inch, three-armed kibble. It blends corn meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and ground wheat with chicken by-product meal, salmon meal, and non-specified animal fat. Vitamins and minerals are added to the mix to ensure your cat has all the added nutrients they need.
Size was not a problem for my cat, as the kibble was the same size as her normal dry food. Although her normal food is round, the specialized shape of the Atta Cat! didn’t deter her from trying it. She approached the food almost immediately, checking it out. In true tortie fashion, she had quite a bit to say about the new menu, but it didn’t stop her from trying the food. She tried a few bites, drank quite a bit of water, and went about her day.
My cat is a bit of a grazer, so the food was gone when I checked back later. Bandit didn’t hesitate to eat her dinner, this time without as much chatter. She enjoyed her food during her test week, leaving little behind after her meals.
Ingredients
Corn Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Animal Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Salmon Meal, Natural Flavor, Canola Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Sodium Bisulfate, Caramel Color, Brewers Dried Yeast, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [Source of Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Inositol, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Flaxseed Meal, Choline Chloride, Red Iron Oxide Color, Yellow Tron Oxide Color, Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Rosemary Extract.
Ingredients We Liked: Salmon meal, omega fatty acids, 21+ vitamins and minerals
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Corn meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, animal fat, caramel color
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros:
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Added omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
- No artificial flavors
- Affordable food option
Cons:
- High carbohydrate content
- Low fat content
- Large amount of grains
- Caramel coloring
What Do Customers Think of Atta Cat! Food?
Reviews on Atta Cat! Food are mixed, with some customers saying their cats won’t eat the food while others reports that their cats like the food and they are getting healthy nutrition from it.
Positive Review
“We started out feeding this to feral kitties. Now a lot of them are in our house and our pets, altho there are still a couple of holdouts. The food is nutritionally complete. We do give them a spoonful of wet with it just for dessert but they are getting along fine on it. The indoor cats love it also. (We also mix in a tiny bit of various wet foods for the indoor kitties).”—Laura, Chewy.com, reviewing Atta Cat Chicken & Salmon Flavor Dry Cat Food on Dec. 4, 2021
Negative Review
“Cat’s won’t eat it, they snub their nose up at it-must not taste good.”—Peggyb, Chewy.com, reviewing Atta Cat Chicken & Salmon Flavor Dry Cat Food on Dec. 6, 2022
How Much Does Atta Cat! Food Cost?
Atta Cat! food is a fairly affordable bag of cat food, depending on where you purchase it from. It ranges from $16.99 in grocery stores to $29.92 on Chewy.com for a 16-pound bag. The brand is an affordable cat food option for most pet owners. I picked up my bag of food from my local Grocery Outlet store for $16.99, which works out to $1.06 a pound, or $0.07 an ounce; Chewy’s price is $1.87 a pound, or $0.12 an ounce.
Where Is Atta Cat! Food Sold?
Atta Cat! is available for purchase in grocery stores such as Safeway, Albertsons, Grocery Outlet, and Kroger. To locate a store near you, use Instacart.com. The brand is also available for purchase online through Chewy.com.
Similar Brands
Looking for other cat food brands similar to Atta Cat! Food? Check out some of our other brand reviews.
