Solid Gold (Dry) Review

Solid Gold dry product range is made of nine recipes which all receive the Cat Food Advisor second highest rating, 4 stars.

Solid Gold dry cat food is made from nutrient-dense superfoods including ocean fish meal, egg protein, pumpkin, cranberry, spearmint, carrot, apple, watercress, rosemary, lentil, celery, parsley, almond oil, beet, sesame oil, blueberry, broccoli, thyme, chicory root, dried kelp, spinach, and salmon oil.

The table below shows each recipe in the range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Solid Gold Dry Indigo Moon (High Protein) with Alaskan Pollock & Egg recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is ocean fish meal.  Because it is considered a meat concentrate, fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations. ¹

Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.

The second ingredient is chicken meal, which is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.  ​​

The third ingredient is peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this cat food.

The fourth ingredient is chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols).  Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.  

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The fifth ingredient is pollock which is a protein-rich whitefish native to the central and northeast coasts of the United States.

The sixth ingredient is pea protein, which is what remains of a pea after removing the starchy part of the vegetable.  Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.  And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this cat food. 

The seventh ingredient is the mineral tapioca, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.

The eighth ingredient is dried eggs, which is a dehydrated powder made from shell-free eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.  

From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.

Solid Gold does appear to have applied friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics are used to enhance a cat’s digestive and immune functions.

This recipe receives a 4-star rating.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Solid Gold Dry cat food looks like an above average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46.7%, a fat level of 22.7% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 19.3%.

As a group, the brand features a near-average protein content of 39.9% and an above-average fat level of 17.2%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 35% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 43%.

This means the Solid Gold Dry Food product line contains near-average protein, near-average carbs and above-average fat when compared to typical dry cat food.

Has Solid Gold cat food been recalled in the past?

Yes.  In 2012, Solid Gold recalled limited numbers of its Wolf Cub line for suspected salmonella after the bacteria was discovered in Diamond Pet Food’s Gaston, South Carolina, facility.

You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.

To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.

About

Sissy Harrington-McGill founded Solid Gold in 1970 after noticing that Great Dane dogs living in Germany lived, on average, four years longer than those that lived in the United States.  

Solid Gold was one of the first pet food brands to use the holistic label, incorporating a variety of what the company describes as “carefully curated superfoods”.

All of Solid Gold’s dry cat food is manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods in the United States. Most of their wet cat food is made in Thailand.