Chicken Soup for the Soul Classic (Wet) Review

Chicken Soup for the Soul Classic Wet product range is made of eight recipes which all receive  the Cat Food Advisor rating, 5 stars

This range of food lists meat and fish protein as the first ingredient in the majority of recipes. Protein levels are high, but some of this is derived from plant-based ingredients.

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

Recipe and Label Analysis

Chicken Soup for the Soul Adult Cat Wet Food – Salmon Dinner in Gravy Recipe – Shredded 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 fish broth.  Broths are nutritionally empty. But because they add both flavor and moisture to a cat food they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The second ingredient is salmon, an oily marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega-3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every cat to sustain life.

The third ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.  ¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.

The fourth ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient is dried egg white.  Eggs are highly digestible and an excellent source of usable protein.

The sixth ingredient is potato starch.  Potato starch is a gluten-free carbohydrate used more for its thickening properties than its nutritional value.

The seventh ingredient is guar gum, a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.

The eighth ingredient is natural flavor.  Natural flavors doesn’t give us much information about the particular ingredients included in this cat food for flavoring purposes. 

We’re pleased that the flavorings used are natural, but more details are required to give any further information about these natural flavoring ingredients.  Flavorings are used to make the foods more appealing and tasty for our cats.

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.

There is one notable exception in this recipe.

Taurine, an essential amino acid for cats associated with the healthy function of heart muscle and eye sight, and is crucial for maintaining good health in cats. 

We view the presence of taurine as a positive addition.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Chicken Soup for the Soul Classic Adult Cat Wet Food – Salmon Dinner in Gravy Recipe – Shredded looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44.4%, a fat level of 22.2% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 25.3%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 45.5% and a mean fat level of 28%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 18.5% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 61%.

This means this Chicken Soup for the Soul Classic Wet Cat Food range contains above-average protein, below-average carbohydrate and above-average fat, when compared to typical wet cat food.

Has Chicken Soup for the Soul cat food been recalled in the past?

Yes. Chicken Soup for the Soul cat food has been recalled twice – in 2007 and again in 2012. 

In 2007, several varieties of Chicken Soup for the Soul kitten and puppy food were recalled due to potential melamine contamination. This recall was one of many issued that year after multiple manufacturers received melamine-contaminated vegetable proteins from a major supplier in China.

In 2012, a salmonella outbreak meant that Diamond Pet Foods, which owns Chicken Soup for the Soul, had to recall multiple brands manufactured in its Gaston, South Carolina plant.  All Chicken Soup for the Soul products were recalled.

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

Chicken Soup for the Soul brand was created in 1993 and is owned by Diamond Pet Food which was founded in 1970 by Gary Schell and Richard Kampeter.

The food was manufactured by Diamond Pet Food until 2012, but is now manufactured by a co-packer headquartered in Utah.  All of the brand’s foods are made in the United States.  

The company sources ingredients from around the world, but not source ingredients — including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids — from China.