Identity Cat Food Review

Kate Barrington / Cats.com

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

The Cats.com Standard—Rating Identity 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 Identity Cat food a 48 out of 60 rating or an A- grade.

About Identity Cat Food

Identity Pet Nutrition, LLC was created by Jeremy and Trevar Petersen. These two were the founding members of Wild Calling and Zoic pet food brands. They launched their own brand, Identity, in 2017 with the release of 16 canned pet foods made with sustainably and responsibly sourced ingredients.

When asked about the new brand, Jeremy Peterson said, “It’s our goal to be the leader in what we recognize as an emerging niche within the pet industry by developing a portfolio of responsible, sustainably-sourced, highly nutritious products offering comprehensive health and wellness benefits for companion pets and their owners.”

In addition to using traceable and sustainable ingredients, Identity operates under a transparent business strategy and claims to be committed to customer service.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Headquartered in Denver, CO, Identity Pet Nutrition, LLC uses both responsibly and sustainably sourced ingredients. The names of some recipes indicate where the primary ingredient comes from. For example, the Persona line uses European rabbit and North American bison or quail.

You can find information about sourcing for the 95% line on the company website. To give you a few examples, Identity sources their free-range beef, turkey, and pork from local farms. Identity uses lamb sourced from New Zealand, Canadian free-range duck, and salmon sustainably sourced from the Atlantic Ocean.

All of Identity’s cat foods are cooked in the can in the brand’s partner kitchens in Canada.

Recall History

To our knowledge, Identity has not had a product recall to date.

What Kinds of Cat Food Does Identity Offer?

Identity offers a varied selection of pate-style canned cat foods. These products are divided between two product lines: 95% and Persona.

The 95% product line consists of eight recipes, all made with 95% animal protein and broth. Some flavors in this line include free-range turkey, free-range duck, and free-range lamb.

The Persona line contains three recipes, also made with significant inclusions of animal protein and broth. What sets these products apart is that they’re made with novel proteins including bison, rabbit, and quail.

What Do Customers Think of Identity Cat Food?

Because Identity is a fairly new brand with a limited selection of products, there aren’t many reviews of the company online. None of the three products available on Amazon have any customer ratings and Identity doesn’t post testimonials on their website.

With the limited number of reviews online, I wasn’t able to accurately judge the overall customer experience pet owners have with Identity cat foods. I did, however, find a thread about Identity cat food on TheCatSite.com.

Here are a few comments from users who have tried Identity:

“I have been hunting for a quality cat food. Found Identity. Worth the money: new line rabbit or quail 3-ounce cans. said it is the exact same formula as the dog food 6 ounce cans if you want to get a larger can but In not sure if it has taurine that cats need. Also has a quail with turkey formula. No weird things added in: no gums no seeds that cause toxic exposures or inflammation. It does have coconut oil in it.” – Jojo&Tutu reviewing on TheCatSite

“My picky eater wouldn’t touch this food sadly! Great ingredients and customer service though.” – Mizzely reviewing on TheCatSite

“My cats have tried Turkey and Quail flavors, but they didn’t like it. I mainly got them because I love the design of their cans 🙂 I didn’t see the rabbit flavor though, I would have certainly get it, they love anything rabbit. But I can see agar agar in the ingredient list on the photo? Agar agar causes lose stools in one of my cats if I feed it more than occasionally, just like carrageenan does. Also, I’d be worried that unlike other meats, the rabbit & broth consists only of 80%. The rest are veggies? That’s a lot.” – She’s a Witch reviewing on TheCatSite

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

Kate Barrington / Cats.com

My cats are big fans of wet food, and they don’t seem to mind the pate texture, though recipes in gravy are really their favorite. I appreciated the fact that all of Identity’s cat foods are made with a single source of animal protein, most of which are novel.

One of my cats, Biscuit, is allergic to chicken and may also be sensitive to turkey. I feed her a rabbit-based diet, so I was really glad to find that Identity had a rabbit recipe.

I purchased the sample variety pack in the small size which contains 11 cans, both the 5.5 ounce and the 3-ounce sizes. Included in this sample pack where all eight recipes in the 95% as well as all three recipes from the Persona line.

My cats were immediately interested when I opened the can (what cat doesn’t come running at the sound of a can opening?). They happily gobbled up the food – they were particularly fond of the more unique flavors like quail and they always love salmon.

The biggest issue with Identity cat food is the price. Ranging from $0.60 to over $1.00 per ounce, it’s simply not practical for most pet owners to use this brand as a staple diet. I will, however, gladly use the rest of the cat food I received as meal toppers.

Identity Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

#1 Identity 95% Free-Range Heritage Turkey & Turkey Broth Pate Wet Cat Food

Buy At IdentityPet

One of eight canned food formulas in the 95% product line, this recipe features free-range heritage turkey as the single source of animal protein.

With turkey and turkey liver as two of the top three ingredients, this recipe is packed with species-appropriate animal protein. While the list of ingredients on the website only notes “liver,” Identity has a comment in their FAQs that all liver is animal-specific. In this case, it would be turkey liver.

This recipe appears to be primarily animal-based, though it does contain two plant ingredients and agar-agar, a seaweed-based thickener. Carrots don’t likely contribute significantly to the composition of the recipe, but it’s unfortunate to see coconut oil – a plant-based oil – as the only source of added fat.

Rich in moisture and extremely low in carbohydrates, this formula is a great option for cats with sensitive digestion or food allergies. For the price, however, it would be nice to see some bone as a natural source of essential nutrients instead of the long list of synthetic supplements.

Ingredients

Turkey, Turkey Broth, Turkey Liver, Carrot, Agar-Agar, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Coconut Oil, Choline Chloride, Salt, Taurine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

Ingredients We Liked	Ingredients We Didn’t Like	Common Allergens
Turkey Turkey Broth	Carrot Coconut Oil	None

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 8.5%

Crude Fat: 5%

Crude Fiber: 1%

Moisture: 78%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 38.64%

Fat: 22.73%

Fiber: 4.55%

Carbs: 34.09%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 30.2%

Fat: 43.15%

Carbs: 26.65%

Pros

• Made with a single source of novel animal protein
• Incredibly limited ingredient list, just 4 main ingredients
• Highly digestible and rich in hydrating moisture
• Completely free from artificial additives and fillers

Cons

• Expensive
• Made with some unnecessary plant ingredients

#2 Identity Persona 80% European Rabbit & Rabbit Broth Pate Wet Cat Food

Buy At IdentityPet

One of three recipes in the Persona line, this formula features European rabbit. Again, this is a novel source of protein for many cats and it’s the only protein in the recipe.

This recipe contains a few more plant ingredients than the previous formula and the total carbohydrate content is a little higher, though still under 10% as fed. Again, the only source of added fat is plant-based as well. Plant fats may be more difficult for obligate carnivores like your cat to digest and utilize.

One thing worth noting about this recipe is that the calorie content is very low – only 80 calories per 3-ounce can, or about 27 calories per ounce. Based on Identity’s feeding recommendations, you’d need to feed a 10-pound cat about two cans a day which, at $3.33 per can, adds up to a daily cost over $6.50.

You should also be mindful of the high fat content this recipe contains. While the per-ounce calorie content is low, this recipe contains nearly equal concentrations of protein and fat.

Ingredients

Rabbit, Rabbit Broth, Coconut Oil, Pumpkin, Carrots, Kale, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Agar-Agar, Salt, Choline Chloride, Taurine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin B12, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement.

Ingredients We Liked	Ingredients We Didn’t Like	Common Allergens
Rabbit Rabbit Broth	Coconut Oil Pumpkin Carrots Kale	None

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 5.5%

Crude Fat: 4.5%

Crude Fiber: 1.5%

Moisture: 78%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 25%

Fat: 20.45%

Fiber: 6.82%

Carbs: 47.73%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 20.42%

Fat: 40.58%

Carbs: 38.99%

Pros

• Limited ingredient diet with a novel source of animal protein
• Rich in moisture to support your cat’s hydration
• Made with free-range fresh, never frozen rabbit

Cons

• Several unnecessary plant ingredients
• Very expensive, over $1.00 per ounce

#3 Identity 95% Sustainable Atlantic Salmon & Herring Pate Wet Cat Food

$87.49 At Amazon Buy At IdentityPet

Featuring sustainably sourced Atlantic salmon as the main ingredient, this 95% formula is one of the few that contains two sourced of protein. They are both fish-based, however, so unlikely to trigger food allergies as long as your cat can tolerate fish.

This wet food formula is similar in composition to the first recipe in that it contains two proteins, broth, and two plant ingredients as the primary inclusions. Carrot makes up a negligible portion of the composition and coconut oil is the only source of added fat.

Again, it would be nice to see an animal-based fat and perhaps some bone to replace some of the synthetic supplements. This is, however, a protein-rich recipe high in moisture and very low in carbohydrates.

Ingredients

Salmon, Salmon Broth, Herring, Carrot, Dicalcium Phosphate, Agar-Agar, Coconut Oil, Choline Chloride, Salt, Taurine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

Ingredients We Liked	Ingredients We Didn’t Like	Common Allergens
Salmon Salmon Broth Herring	Carrot	Fish

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 7%

Crude Fat: 6.5%

Crude Fiber: 1%

Moisture: 78%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 31.82%

Fat: 29.55%

Fiber: 4.55%

Carbs: 34.09%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 23.11%

Fat: 52.12%

Carbs: 24.76%

Pros

• Made with sustainably source Atlantic salmon
• Two sources of animal protein in the top three ingredients
• Limited ingredient diet, only four main ingredients
• Rich in moisture and very low in carbohydrates

Cons

• Contains some unnecessary plant ingredients
• Only source of added fat is plant-based

How Much Does Identity Cat Food Cost?

Identity cat food from the 95% line is only sold in cases of 24 5.5-ounce cans for 77.99. Cases of Identity Persona cat food come in 24-packs as well, priced at $79.99 but the cans are only 3 ounces.

Identity also offers variety packs of 11 or 22 cans from both the 95% and Persona lines. The small variety pack sells for $39.99 and the large for $77.99.

Cat food in the 95% line contains an average of 140 calories per can, so it would cost you about $4.63 per day to feed a 10-pound cat. The Persona line is a little pricier – these recipes contain an average of 90 kcal per 3-ounce can. It would cost closer to $7.50 per day to feed a 10-pound cat.

Overall, Is Identity Cat Food a Good Choice?

Identity cat food is one of the best cat food brands we’ve reviewed in terms of quality. Their recipes are very species-appropriate, minus a few plant ingredients, and they’re all limited in ingredients. Most of them contain novel sources of protein as well.

Given the fact that Identity uses all sustainable and responsibly sourced ingredients – and the fact that all of their recipes in limited ingredient – it’s no surprise the food comes with a hefty price tag. If you’re able to afford it, it’s a high-quality choice. If it’s out of your price range, you could always consider using it as a food topper.

Identity is a particularly good choice for cats with food allergies. There are plenty of novel proteins to choose from, including some unconventional options like bison and quail. If you’ve run out of options for a finicky cat, Identity might be the perfect fit.

Where Is Identity Cat Food Sold?

The best place to buy Identity cat food is through the brand’s website. Here you can purchase individual recipes or buy a variety pack to sample products from both lines. You can make a one-time purchase or save 10% on your order by starting a subscription.

While Identity is based in Denver, CO, their products don’t seem to be available in local pet stores in Colorado. I tested a few other zip codes and found some local and independent pet stores in California, New York City, Seattle, and Chicago. You can also buy a limited selection of Identity cat foods on Amazon.