Meow Mix Kibble (Dry) Review

Meow Mix dry product range is made of five recipes which all receive the Cat Food Advisor rating of 1 star.

Meow Mix is a cheaper dry cat food made from low-quality ingredients, in particular, meat by-product meal and corn as the first ingredient. It also contains artificial colors, which have no nutritional benefit to 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

Meow Mix Original Choice 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 ground corn, a coarsely ground flour made from dried corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a cat.

For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any cat food.

The second ingredient is soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds. Although soybean meal contains 48% 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 actual meat content of this cat food.

The third ingredient is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the choice cuts have been removed.

On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken. The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.

The fourth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it. Although corn gluten meal contains 60% 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 actual meat content of this cat food.

The fifth ingredient is beef tallow, a fatty by-product of beef rendering. Tallow is high in saturated fats. However, this fat is typically associated with lower quality pet foods.

The sixth ingredient is animal digest. Animal digest is a chemically hydrolyzed mixture of animal by-products that is typically sprayed onto the surface of a dry kibble to improve its taste.

The seventh ingredient is turkey by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered turkey after all the prime cuts have been removed.

In addition to organs, this item can also include feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs and almost anything other than prime skeletal muscle. On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh turkey.

The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.

The eighth ingredient is salmon 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. [fn][1. Association of American Feed Control Officials]/[fn]

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 are also artificial colors present in this food, we’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any pet food. That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans – not your cat. After all, do you really think your cat cares what color their food is?

There are more than six controversial ingredients in this recipe and five of them are in the top eight ingredients.

We view the presence of taurine in this recipe as a positive addition.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Meow Mix Original Choice looks like a below-average dry cat food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 34.1%, a fat level of 12.5% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 45.4%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 35.9% and a mean fat level of 13.6%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 42.5% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 38%.

This means this Meow Mix dry product line contains near-average protein levels and above-average carbs and near-average fat, when compared to typical dry cat food.

Has Meow Mix Kibble Dry cat food been recalled in the past?

Meow Mix has had one recall in its 47-plus year history.

In April 2021 two specific lots of dry cat food were recalled due to potential salmonella contamination:

Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food, 30 lb. bag, Lot #1081804, UPC #2927452099, best by Sept. 14, 2022

Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food, 30 lb. bag, Lot #1082804, UPC #2927452099, best by Sept. 15, 2022

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

Meow Mix was created as a Ralston Purina product in 1974 but has changed hands many times since then. It was most recently owned by Big Heart Pet Brands, which was acquired by J.M. Smucker Company in 2015. Its headquarters is in San Francisco.