Our Verdict
Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner raw cat food is made up of five recipes which each receive the Cat Food Advisor highest rating, 5 stars
This food lists good quality animal meat as the first ingredient and also includes animal organs. This is a very good diet option to consider.
Pros
- High protein content
- Contains good quality animal and fish protein
- Low in carbohydrate
- Rich in fat and moisture
Cons
- Relatively expensive versus other cat foods
- Contains some vegetable protein
- Not complete and balanced to AAFCO Nutritional requirements
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.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Beef | 5 | U |
| Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Chicken | 5 | U |
| Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Fish | 5 | U |
| Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Turkey | 5 | U |
| Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Rabbit | 5 | U |
Recipe and Label Analysis
Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Beef 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.
Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Beef recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Beef (contains beef meat & beef heart), beef liver, whole eggs, apples, celery, collard greens, kale, acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, yellow squash, zucchini, organic ground flax seeds, organic dried kelp, organic alfalfa meal, parsley, organic apple cider vinegar, organic raw honey, garlic.
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%
Red denotes any controversial items
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus. 1
Beef is naturally rich in all 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.
The second ingredient is beef liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The third ingredient is whole eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The fourth ingredient is apples, which is a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in fiber.
The fifth ingredient is celery. Like other cruciferous vegetables, celery is believed to provide inflammation soothing properties which can link to anti-cancer benefits.
The sixth ingredient is collard greens. Due to their notable vitamin and mineral content, collards boast a high nutrient Completeness Score 2
The seventh ingredient is kale which is a type of cabbage in which the central leaves do not form a head. This dark green vegetable is especially rich in beta-carotene, vitamins C, vitamin K and calcium.
And like broccoli, kale contains sulforaphane, a natural chemical believed to possess potent anti-cancer properties.
The eighth ingredient is acorn squash which is a nutritious addition high in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber..
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.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner Beef recipe looks like an above-average raw product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 65.4%, a fat level of 23.1% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 3.5%.
As a group, the brand features an above-average protein content of 59.5% and an above-average fat level of 24.1%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 8.4% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 42%.
This means that Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Dinner range contains higher than average protein, lower than average carbohydrate and higher than average fat, when compared to typical raw cat food.
Final Word
This range of food is packed with protein derived from animal meat and organs. Carbohydrate content is low and each recipe is rich in fat and moisture making this a very good raw food option.
The Cat Food Advisor recommends this food.
Has Aunt Jeni's Home Made Dinner Raw cat food been recalled in the past?
Yes. In August 2019, the FDA issued a public health advisory after one lot of two varieties of Aunt Jeni’s frozen raw pet food tested positive for Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes.
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
Aunt Jeni’s Home Made products were founded by Jennifer Boniface and launched in 1999. The company’s headquarters are located in Temple Hills, Maryland.
Aunt Jeni is involved in homeopathy and herbology, along with other alternative and nutritional therapies, with a view to providing the best possible care and maintenance of her cat’s health.
With regards to the ingredients, the emphasis is on fresh, whole, raw meats and produce, safe and suitable for human consumption.
Sources
Best cat foods
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Article reviewed by
Pet Nutritionist
Laura studied BSc (Hons) Animal Science with an accreditation in Nutrition at the University of Nottingham, before working for eight years in the pet food and nutrition industry.
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