I and Love and You (Wet) Review

I and Love and You wet product range is made up of 21 recipes which each receive the Cat Food Advisor’s second highest rating, 4.5 stars.

This wet cat food comes in the form of a pate or stew. It is rich in protein and provides a great source of hydration for cats. Each recipe is grain-free and carrageenan free and does not contain any unnecessary filler ingredients.

There is a good variety of flavors to choose from and formulas to suit cats at various life stages from kittens to more mature cats.

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

I and Love and You Original Recipe Oh My Cod! Pate 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 cod, a marine species of fish native to both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. 

Although it is a quality item, raw fish contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight. After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product. 

The second 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 third ingredient is fish broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a cat food, they are a common component in many wet products.

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 canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed. 

Others cite the fact that canola oil can be a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids. 

In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a cat than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.

The sixth ingredient is ground flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber. 

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.

The seventh ingredient is natural flavor. 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.

The eighth 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.

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.

This recipe receives a 4.5–star rating.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, I and Love and You Original Recipe Oh My Cod! Pate looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 43.2%, a fat level of 18.2% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 30.6%, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 42%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44.5% and a mean fat level of 20.2%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 27.3% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 46%.

This means the I and Love and You wet product line contains above-average protein, near-average carbs and above-average fat when compared to typical wet cat food.

Has I and Love and You cat food been recalled in the past?

No, there have been no recorded recalls for I and Love and You cat food however, their dog treats have.

On 10 July 2015 The I and Love and You dog treats were recalled.

As of July 14, 2015, affected products now include the following identifying information:

• Cow-Boom! Strips Beef Gullet Dog Treats
• 2.0-ounce bags
• Lot numbers ending in 4T1 or 5T1
• Best-By years of 2016 or 2017

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

I and Love and You was founded in 2011 in Boulder Colorado. The food is sourced nationally and internationally from USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil and New Zealand. The brand is partnered with environmental organizations to comply with strict protection standards. The company carefully vets each of its suppliers to make sure their quality is the highest grade.