Natures Menu Cat Food Review

Natures Menu is a British pet food company specializing in raw foods. They are Europe’s largest raw pet food producer. Learn more about their foods for cats in our unbiased review.

The Cats.com Standard – Rating Natures Menu Cat Food on What Matters

We have analyzed Natures Menu 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 Natures Menu in these key areas:

We give Natures Menu cat food a 43 out of 60 rating (71.67) or a B+ grade.

Note: For those who are sticklers about punctuation, we have never seen “Natures Menu” used with an apostrophe. Not even on the company web site. Yes, there should be one but they don’t use it.

About Natures Menu

According to PetfoodIndustry.com, Natures Menu is the largest raw pet food producer in Europe. They offer raw meals plus lightly steamed wet food in cans and pouches for both dogs and cats.

The company was founded in 1981. It was named the UK pet food supplier of 2013. In 2015, Natures Menu formed a joint venture with Agrolimen subsidiary Affinity Pet Care. The next year earnings vastly increased and the company hired more employees. In 2018, Natures Menu launched True Instinct for cats and dogs.

Natures Menu’s total revenue in 2020 was about $33,000,000 (U.S.) They have over 200 employees. The company has headquarters in Norfolk, UK with 6 total facilities.

Natures Menu uses the same flash-freeze technology as Bird’s Eye uses for vegetables.

Along with True Instinct, Natures Menu also makes Country Hunter, Original Complete and Balanced. Their foods are sold in western Europe and in Latin America.

The company offers free delivery to most UK addresses.

Also Read: KatKin Unbiased Cat Food Review

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Per Natures Menu’s web site, they produce “real” cat food made with real ingredients that you and your cat can recognize. They use nothing artificial and no derivatives. There are no chemical additives, artificial flavors, bulkers, or added sugars in their products.

Natures Menu says that they use human grade poultry from sources they trust; human-grade red meat from partner farms; and sustainably-sourced fish. They also use botanicals, seeds, and natural oils in their foods, as well as fruits, vegetables, and pulses.

The company only works with carefully selected suppliers so their ingredients are traceable at every step. The foods are made at their factory in Norfolk. The state-of-the-art facility was built in 2018. They have complete control of the manufacturing process so their high standards can be met.

Natures Menu also follows an animal welfare policy for the animals used in their foods.

The company has a veterinary team involved in product development. They also appear to do outreach to other vets and to the public, educating them about feeding raw.

Has Natures Menu Cat Food Been Recalled?

Yes, the company had a 2016 recall of one batch of its Country Hunter 80% Farm Reared Turkey with Wholesome Fruit and Veg 1kg frozen raw food because the product contained salmonella, which could cause food poisoning in humans.

(There was a different recall in the United States in 2020 for a “Nature’s Menu” dog food made by Sunshine Mills. This food is not connected to the British pet food company.)

What Kinds of Cat Food Does Natures Menu Offer?

Despite all of the emphasis on the Natures Menu web site about raw foods, we didn’t find any raw foods for cats. All of the raw food products are labeled for dogs. That was disappointing.

Natures Menu makes complete and balanced canned food for cats. They use chicken, various fish, chicken and liver, chicken and beef, chicken and turkey, and chicken and various kinds of fish together. They also offer treats in pouches made with 95 percent real meat (chicken and liver, salmon and trout, chicen and turkey).

Some of their cat formulas come in multi-packs.

We found two pages of cat products compared to 13 pages of dog products. That’s not an indication of the quality of the food but it does suggest that Natures Menu could do more to satisfy their cat customers, especially when there are estimated to be an equal number of pet cats and dogs in the UK (12 million of each). In Europe, there are an estimated 110 million pet cats and 90 million pet dogs.

Natures Menu Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

#1 Natures Menu Especially for Cats Cans Chicken & Turkey For Adult Cats

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It’s always nice to see foods that have fewer ingredients. Of course, we want foods to be complete and balanced to keep our cats healthy, but it’s a little overwhelming to look at a list of ingredients and see dozens of chemical names.

Especially for Cats Cans Chicken & Turkey For Adult Cats has three primary ingredients along with vitamins and minerals. It’s made of chicken, turkey, and broth.

Seventy percent of the food is whole cuts of meat and offal. Before you raise your eyebrows at offal, it’s some of the most nutritious food your cat can eat. It’s full of healthy nutrients. Plus, cats love that protein. They need it to thrive.

This chicken and turkey formula is lightly cooked. It has no added gluten or sugar. It has no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or grains.

All of Natures Menu’s foods are developed with their own experts and made to FEDIAF guidelines. This food should be a healthy choice for your cat.

Calculated calorie content: Kcal 98 Kcal/100g (Note that cans are now 85 grams)

Ingredients

Chicken (55%), Chicken broth (29.3%), Turkey (15%), Minerals (0.7%)

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Turkey, Chicken broth

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 10%

Crude Fat: 6%

Crude Fiber: 0.2%

Moisture: 80%

Ash: 2%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 50%

Fat: 30%

Fiber: 1%

Carbs: 9%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 37.92%

Fat: 55.25%

Carbs: 6.83%

Pros

• High in protein (50 percent dry matter basis)
• No added sugars, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Grain-free.

Cons

• We wish the company provided more detailed information about the cuts of meat and offal. “Chicken” and “turkey” are vague.

#2 Natures Menu Treats Salmon and Trout For Cats

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Cats have preferences as we all do. For some cats, nothing is more appealing than a bird, such as chicken as food. Others don’t care as long as it’s meat. And some cats have a real yearning for fish.

If your cat loves fish, you might consider Natures Menu Treats Salmon and Trout for Cats. These treats are made with 95 percen salmon, trout, and pork. They are gluten-free and use no artificial colors or flavors.

Since this is a review, we are bound to state that the treats should be called pork, salmon, and trout. Pork is the primary ingredient in this foor. Pork makes up 83 percent of the ingredients. That shouldn’t be a problem for most cats since pork is a tasty ingredient. Most cats should enjoy the taste. However, Natures Menu should be a little more honest. They do have new packaging coming which at least has pork n the label.

This treat is very high in protein but it’s also high in fat. We would suggest that you give it to your cats in moderation – especially if your cat has any weight problems. It’s very high in calories.

Be aware that treats are not required to be complete and balanced so don’t feed these treats to your cat in place of regular cat food.

With the combined flavors of fish and pork, this treat will probably be a favorite for most cats.

Calculated calorie content: Kcal 335 Kcal/100 grams

Ingredients

Pork (83%), Salmon (6%), Trout (6%), Minerals (no percentage provided)

Ingredients We Liked: Pork, salmon, trout

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 33.5%

Crude Fat: 20%

Crude Fiber: 2%

Moisture: 27%

Ash: 9%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 45.89%

Fat: 27.4%

Fiber: 2.74%

Carbs: 11.64%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 36.99%

Fat: 53.63%

Carbs: 9.38%

Pros

• Very high in meat/fish protein
• Gluten-free and contains no artificial colors or flavors

Cons

• Natures Menu is less than forthcoming about the pork in the food. We would like more information about all ingredients.
• These treats are high in fat so give them to your cat in moderation, especially if your cat has any weight problems

#3 Natures Menu Especially for Cats Cans Senior Chicken with Salmon & Cod For Adult Cats

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We always like to see special formulas for animals. Older cats (and dogs) can start to have special dietary needs.

There are really different stages as your cat gets older. This is something that pet food companies sometimes don’t consider. If you have had an older cat or dog, you probably already know this. Older cats do start to put on weight after they pass their prime adult years and their metabolism. However, once they become real seniors or elderly, they often start to lose weight and muscle tone. It can be hard to keep weight on a cat (or dog) at this stage.

If you’re looking for a cat food for an older cat, make sure that you read the label and check the protein and fat contents. Mature adult cats that are just past their prime years can often benefit from cat foods that have slightly fewer calories and less fat. (But don’t buy foods that will starve your older cat with very low levels of calories and fat.)

However, if you have a very senior cat that has lost weight and muscle tone, run away from these lower calorie/low fat foods. The last thing your elderly cat needs is a food that will encourage him to lose more weight! It can be difficult to find cat foods formulated for this stage of life. If necessary, you can feed an elderly cat a regular cat food. Kitten foods are also a good choice for some cats since they are higher in calories.

In the case of Especially for Cats Cans Senior Chicken with Salmon & Cod For Adult Cats, this food has essentially the same guaranteed analysis or analytical constituents as Natures Menu’s adult cat formulas. It also has exactly the same amount of calories.

The food does have cranberry extract which is believed to be good for urinary tract health. And the nutritional additives are slightly different. For example, it contains more taurine. However, the food does contain some rice which may or may or may not be good for an older cat that needs to watch his weight. Natures Menu says the rice is to help digestion.

This food could be suitable for some older cats, depending on their dietary needs.

Calculated calorie content: Kcal 98 kcal/100 grams (Be aware that cans are now 85 grams)

Ingredients

Chicken (48%), Chicken Broth (32.9%), Cod (12%), Salmon (4%), Rice (2.3%), Minerals 0.7%), Cranberry extract (0.1%)

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, chicken broth, cod, salmon, cranbery extract

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 10%

Crude Fat: 6%

Crude Fiber: 0.2%

Moisture: 80%

Ash: 2%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 50%

Fat: 30%

Fiber: 1%

Carbs: 9%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 37.92%

Fat: 55.25%

Carbs: 6.83%

Pros

• This recipe is very similar to Natures Menu regular canned cat foods. It has good levels of protein and fat.
• Contains cranberry extract which helps urinary tract health.
• Contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives and no added sugars.

Cons

• There doesn’t seem to be much about this food to make it a special food for older cats. It could be a good food if your older cat doesn’t need much change from his regular diet.

What Do Customers Think of Natures Menu Cat Food?

There are lots of glowing testimonials on the Natures Menu site. You can find more diverse opinions if you look at the reviews for each food. Most revieews are favorable, overall. Customers (and their cats) seem to like the foods. However, there are some complaints about changes to the recipes and making the cans smaller. The changes have followed the cat food rebranding, launched in the fall of 2021.

Positive Reviews

“My cats love the new style of food. Unfortunately the cans are smaller amount compared to the pouches and now less choice. Bring back the country hunter range for cats” – Sarah Snowden reviewing Cat Multipack on February 1, 2022

“Great cat treat with almost all real meat ingredients” – Ann Yates reviewing Salmon And Trout Treats on January 7, 2022

Negative Reviews

“Our 2 Ragdoll cats dont like it. Sorry.” – Martyn Cooper reviewing reviewing Salmon And Trout Treats on December 3, 2021

“The chicken and turkey for cats is not the same as the pouches and my cat won’t eat the tined meat its very expensive too” – Trusted Customer reviewing Chicken & Turkey on January 21, 2022

How Much Does Natures Menu Cat Food Cost?

Especially for Cats Cans Chicken & Turkey For Adult Cats (18 cans) currently sells for £14.26 on the Natures Menu web site. The cans are 85 grams each.

You can set up a repeat order on the site and save 10% on each order.

Natures Menu Treats Salmon and Trout For Cats contains 60 grams per package. It sells for £1.83 per pack; or you can buy 12 packages for £20.92. You can set up a repeat order and save 10% on each other.

All of the other Natures Menu cans and treats sell for the same prices.

Overall, Is Natures Menu Cat Food a Good Choice?

Natures Menu does appear to be a good choice for cats. We wish the company provided more detailed information about the ingredients used but that’s not required in the UK.

The company rebranded their cat foods in the fall of 2021. Customers appear to have mixed opinions on the current recipes. The new packaging is supposed to be more environmentally-friendly but many customers have complained about the smaller cans.

As for the food itself, it does appear to be a good food made from human-grade ingredients.

How Do You Order Natures Menu Cat Food?

You can order Natures Menu cat foods directly from the company web site if you live in the UK. They provide free shipping to most addresses in the UK.

If you live in the UK, you can also use the map to find the nearest store that sells Natures Menu.

Natures Menu is also sold online through many retail vendors in the UK and Europe.