Last updated Apr 19, 2023
Canadian Naturals is a family-owned company based in British Columbia, Canada. The company relies on locally-sourced, fresh ingredients to make foods for dogs and cats. Learn more about Canadian Naturals in our unbiased review.
The Cats.com Standard – Rating Canadian Naturals Cat Food on What Matters
We have analyzed Canadian Naturals cat food and rated it according to our standards here at Cats.com. Our grades are based on the species-appropriateness of the food, the quality of the ingredients, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. You can read more about our ratings here.
Here are our ratings for Canadian Naturals in these key areas:
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 7/10
- Ingredient Quality – 7/10
- Product Variety – 6/10
- Price – 7/10
- Customer Experience – 8/10
- Recall History – 9/10
Overall Score: 7.33/10
We give Canadian Naturals cat food a 44 out of 60 rating (73.33) or a B grade.
About Canadian Naturals
Canadian Naturals is a family-owned pet food company with decades of experience in the pet industry. Their products are made in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. According to the company, their ingredients are locally-sourced. They use fresh, whole foods in every batch they make.
The company makes several different product lines for dogs. They currently only make four dry cat foods.
Along with using regional ingredients, Canadian Naturals’ ingredients are non-GMO, made in Canada, and they offer grain-free options.
Unlike many pet food companies, Canadian Naturals doesn’t provide a section “About Us” so we don’t have any real information about the family that owns the company or how they became involved in making pet food. Other than retail sites that sell the food, we didn’t find any PR stories about Canadian Naturals or stories about the company online.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Canadian Naturals states that it uses locally-sourced, Canadian-made ingredients in its foods. Their West Coast Kitchen is located in the heart of the Fraser bally in Abbotsford, British Columbia in Canada, a fertile agriculture and farming center. According to Canadian Naturals, their facilities use the most up-to-date small batch cooking equipment to produce their pet foods.
The company follows the most stringent certification in the pet food industry by cooking their products in a SQF3 and HACCP-certified kitchen.
All of their raw ingredients are tested with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to make sure they are safe and high quality.
Raw ingredients and samples of the pet food made are kept for 24 months in-house.
The company has a full-time quality assurance team.
As for exactly who makes Canadian Naturals, we found several pet food manufacturers in Abbotsford and the surrounding area. The largest of the manufacturers is OmniPET which is known for making private label dry pet foods for other companies. OmniPET also has their own laboratories.
Has Canadian Naturals Cat Food Been Recalled?
We didn’t find any recalls for Canadian Naturals after checking multiple sources in the United States and Canada. If the company has ever had a recall, it was before such records were being posted online.
What Kinds of Food Does Canadian Naturals Offer?
As mentioned earlier, Canadian Naturals only offers four cat foods and they are all dry kibbles. These are the four foods:
- Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe – Formulated for Cats & Kittens with Regional Ingredients, Antioxidants. Grain Free and GMO/Gluten Free.
- Chicken & Rice Cat Recipe – Formulated for Indoor Cats & Kittens with Regional Ingredients and antioxidants. GMO Free.
- Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe – Formulated for Cats & Kittens with Regional Ingredients, Antioxidants. Grain Free and GMO/Gluten Free.
- Grain Free Whitefish Cat Recipe – Formulated for Cats & Kittens with Regional Ingredients, Antioxidants. Grain Free and GMO/Gluten Free.
Canadian Naturals uses regional, farm-fresh meats such as deboned chicken and deboned turkey from Fraser valley. Salmon comes from the Pacific Ocean. They also say their herring, trout, cod, and halibut are fresh. Beef and pork are fresh from Alberta. Fruits and vegetables are fresh from the Fraser valley and the Okanagan valley. Peas and lentils are from Saskatchewan.
The lamb is from New Zealand. The company also uses herbs and supplements for good health.
Canadian Naturals Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Primary Protein | Calories | Price | Our Grade |
| Canadian Naturals Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe | Dry | Turkey | 3958 kcal per kg | $5.66 per lb | B |
| Canadian Naturals Chicken & Rice Cat Recipe | Dry | Chicken | 3908 kcal per kg | $5.39 per lb | B+ |
| Canadian Naturals Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe | Dry | Salmon | 3789 kcal per kg | $5.66 per lb | B |
#1 Canadian Naturals Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe
Depending on sources, cats are now the most popular pets in both the United States and in Canada. Dogs still eat more food, of course, because most of them are much bigger than cats. Perhaps that’s why pet food companies continue to make so many more brands of dog food compared to cat food. As a case in point, consider Canadian Naturals. The company has five product lines for dogs, as well as dog treats. They produce only four cat food recipes. Compared to dogs, cats have much more limited food choices.
At any rate, let’s look at one of Canadian Naturals’ foods for cats. Canadian Naturals Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe is formulated for cats and kittens. It’s made with regional ingredients. It contains antioxidants for better health. Plus, it’s grain-free and has non-GMO ingredients. It’s also gluten-free. It’s formulated for kittens and adult cats.
According to Canadian Naturals, their cat foods are made with fresh chicken, fresh turkey, and fresh fish including salmon, herring, trout, and whitefish. They also have lamb from New Zealand and fruits and vegetables from Fraser valley (local) such as potatoes, carrots, peas, blueberries, and apples.
A look at the ingredient list for Canadian Naturals Turkey & Salmon Cat Recipe provides a little more information. Peas are the second ingredient meaning these are not likely to be a few garden peas added as a vegetable treat. These peas are more likely to be field peas or split peas which are frequently added to pet foods as a plant protein source. This is especially common in grain-free pet foods because the peas are used as a substitute for grains. (You can find many articles online about peas in pet foods.)
As most cat lovers know, cats are obligate carnivores meaning that they require animal protein in their diet. Substituting a large amount of plant protein can be a problem. There is a fair amount of meat (turkey meal) and fish (salmon meal) protein, along with eggs, in this recipe but it’s difficult to gauge how much.
The food appears to be high in protein (32 percent) based on the as-fed percentage but you need to factor in the fact that a large part of that percentage comes from peas/lentils.
We also notice that this recipe has a number of probiotics added such as dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product. These probiotics often appear in foods that contain a lot of peas to help with digestion and the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, the phytic acid in the peas/lentils can prevent your pet from getting all of the nutrients he requires.
Some people may object to the potatoes in the food but since this is a kibble, it has to have some kind of starch to hold the food together. If not potatoes, it would be something else.
If your cat has done well with grain-free foods before, this is a food that you might try. We like the local ingredients and fresh meat and fish. Otherwise, we would recommend that you use cat foods that use fewer peas/lentils (or no peas/lentils).
Calorie Content (ME Calculated): Kcal 449 kcal per cup (about 28 calories per ounce); 3958 kcal per kg
Ingredients
Turkey Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (Stabilized With Mixed Tocopherols, A Natural Source Of Vitamin E), Salmon Meal, Natural Flavour, Tomato Pomace, Egg, Flaxseed, Choline Chloride, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Chloride, Dl-methionine, L-lysine, Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Spinach, Tomato, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Broccoli, Pumpkin, Bananas, Brewer’s Yeast, Sodium Chloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Rosemary Extract, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Peppermint, Garlic, Parsley, Green Tea Extract, Turmeric, Thyme, Rosemary, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Chamomile.
Ingredients We Liked: Turkey meal, chicken fat, salmon meal, egg, chelated minerals
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Peas as the second ingredients, natural flavor, spinach (promotes oxalates)
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Uses fresh, local ingredients
- High in protein
- Made in small batches
- The manufacturing facility has good certifications
Cons
- Peas as the second ingredient mean that a large percentage of the protein is plant-based
#2 Canadian Naturals Chicken & Rice Cat Recipe
If you like Canadian Naturals but you don’t like quite so many peas in your cat’s food, you might like Canadian Naturals Chicken & Rice Cat Recipe. This recipe is not grain-free but it is GMO-free. It is still made with regional ingredients and it has antioxidants. It’s formulated for indoor cats and kittens but it should be suitable for other cats as well.
In this formula, peas are the third ingredient instead of the second. That’s still quite high but it drops the protein percentage by 2 percent in the guaranteed analysis.
Chicken meal is the first ingredient. The chicken is locally-sourced. Oatmeal, also local, is the second ingredient. Oatmeal and brown rice (lower in the ingredient list) make this food grain-inclusive. While cats don’t eat these grains in the wild, they offer some fiber and other nutrients to your cat without some of the drawbacks that peas/lentils have.
This recipe also has fish meal which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is good for your cat’s skin, coat, and heart health.
This recipe contains many of the same ingredients as Canadian Naturals’ Turkey & Salmon recipe without as many peas or the digestive aids to help process them. We think it looks like a better food.
Calorie Content (ME Calculated): 444 kcal per cup (about 27.75 calories per ounce); 3908 kcal per kg
Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Peas, Chicken Fat ( Stabilized With Mixed Tocopherols, A Natural Source Of Vitamin E), Brown Rice, Fish Meal, Natural Flavour, Flaxseed, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Chloride, Apples, Blueberries, Carrots, Spinach, Tomato, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Broccoli, Pumpkin, Bananas, Sodium Chloride, Inc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Chicory Root, , Rosemary Extract, Dl Methionine, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken meal, oatmeal, chicken fat, brown rice, fish meal, blueberries, cranberries, pumpkin, chicory root, chelated minerals
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Peas as the third ingredient, natural flavor, spinach
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Chicken meal is a good source of meat protein for cats
- Oatmeal and brown rice are healthy whole grains that provide some good fiber and nutrients
- This recipe uses locally-sourced ingredients and the manufacturing facility has good certifications
Cons
- Peas are still the third ingredient; some cats have difficulty digesting peas and plant-based protein
#3 Canadian Naturals Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe
When most of us think of a “limited ingredient diet,” we probably assume that it means the food only has a few ingredients. That’s probably what it should mean. However, if you look at most pet foods (for dogs and for cats), that’s not usually what you find. Pet food companies usually make limited ingredient diets that contain a lot of ingredients. They seem to define these foods as having one (more or less) kind of protein, one (more or less) kind of fat, and one (more or less) kind of carbohydrate.
That’s what we find with Canadian Naturals Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe. Canadian Naturals says that this food is a limited ingredient diet. It’s formulated for cats and kittens. It has regional ingredients, antioxidants, and it’s grain-free, and GMO- and gluten-free.
As far as being “limited ingredient,” we counted 41 ingredients, if you include all of the added vitamins, minerals, and probiotics (“fermentation products”) to help your cat digest the peas and lentils. Granted, the vitamins and minerals probably won’t bother your cat even if he has a delicate digestive system. However, if you are looking for a limited ingredient diet because your cat has allergies or food sensitivities, peas, lentils and fermentation products may not be the best ingredients to include in his diet.
There are some good ingredients in this food. The first two ingredients are deboned salmon and salmon meal. As long as your cat isn’t allergic or sensitive to fish, this is a great source of protein. This food also lacks most of the vegetables and fruits that other Canadian Naturals have which can be triggers for some cats with sensitive digestion. It contains salmon oil which is a terrific source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. They support your cat’s immune function, heart, proper vision, cognitive abilities, and skin and coat.
On the down side, this food contains peas as the third ingredient and lentils as the fourth ingredient. These are plant-based sources of protein and cats don’t always digest them very well. That’s why you see all of the Lactobacillus fermentation products added at the end of the ingredient list. These probiotics are added to try to help your cat digest the peas and lentils. Otherwise, the peas and lentils, which contain lots of phytic acid, can prevent your cat from properly absorbing nutrients. Foods that contain high amounts of grains can have the same problem if they are not processed properly.
Some people don’t seem to like canola oil in pet foods but it is often used in elimination diets (diets to help identify allergens since it is plant-based).
Overall, Canadian Naturals Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe probably isn’t what we would consider to be a limited ingredient diet but if your cat needs a food that is limited to fish/salmon, this might be a food to consider. It has more peas and lentils than we like along with the added fermentation products. But if they don’t bother your cat, this food could work for you and your cat.
Calorie Content (ME Calculated): 430 kcal per cup (about 27 calories per ounce); 3789 kcal per kg
Ingredients
Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Peas, Lentils, Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid), Sweet Potatoes, Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal, Salmon Oil, Natural Fish Flavour, Tomato Pomace, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Dl-methionine, Lysine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Propionate, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product.
Ingredients We Liked: Deboned salmon, salmon meal, salmon oil, chelated minerals
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Peas, lentils, salt
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Salmon is an excellent source of protein for cats
- Uses fresh, regional ingredients
- The manufacturing facility has good certifications and a full-time quality assurance team
Cons
- Peas and lentils are the third and fourth ingredients
- Contains a lot of ingredients for a “limited ingredient diet”
What Do Customers Think of Canadian Naturals Cat Food?
Most of the reviews we found come from Homesalive.ca in Canada. We didn’t find any terrible reviews.
Positive Reviews
My cats just love this food so much. Their coats are amazing! – by Shane, reviewing Grain Free Salmon Cat Recipe on 03 Apr 2020
Finally a cat food my picky eater loves! After years of trying different food my cat gobbles this up! Thanks! – by Ashley L. reviewing Canadian Naturals Cat Food – Chicken & Brown Rice on 5 May 2020
Negative Reviews
The cats eat it – by Karen C. reviewing Canadian Naturals Cat Food – Turkey & Salmon on 30 Nov 2020
My cats like this food but prefer royal canin. Wish they preferred this brand more because price is better! – by Val B. reviewing Canadian Naturals Cat Food – Turkey & Salmon on 16 Jun 2020
How Much Does Canadian Naturals Cat Food Cost?
Canadian Naturals is moderately priced. We found the 1.36 kg bag of Canadian Naturals Grain Free Turkey & Salmon for $14.99. The 2.95 kg bag cost $21.99 and the 6.8 kg bag cost $42.99.
Overall, Is Canadian Naturals Cat Food a Good Choice?
Yes, though we have some misgivings about the large amounts of peas and lentils used in the foods. We prefer some of their foods that use fewer peas. If your cat has eaten grain-free foods before that contain a lot of peas and didn’t have any problems, then you will probably like Canadian Naturals. They use good, locally-sourced ingredients and they seem to have a good manufacturing record.
On the other hand, if your cat has any problem with grain-free foods or foods that contain lots of peas and lentils, we would suggest you look for foods that don’t contain so many peas.
We found Canadian Naturals to be comparable to Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild.
How Do You Order Canadian Naturals Cat Food?
You can buy Canadian Naturals on the company’s web site. You can also find it in some pet stores in Canada. It’s sold at PetMax, Petland, online through Homesalive.ca, and through Nupetfooddelivery.com in the Vancouver area.
We didn’t find Canadian Naturals sold in the United States at this time.
