What’s the best cat food (in Australia)?

I started Pet Food Reviews over a decade ago, and it’s been much longer since I realised the food I fed my first cat was so obviously inappropriate.

Yes, the penny truly dropped when I realised the food I’d been feeding – as recommended by the veterinarian I trusted – was made mostly of grains, for my pet carnivore which needed no such thing in their diet.

Think about that simple fact for the next 1 minute. After that your view of cat food, and the ingredients they are made on, will change forever.

Here we are in 2025, and the pet food industry is yet to answer my simple question – Why do we feed our carnivorous cats grains?

Recently I asked an ex-Hill’s Rep of around 35 years why we feed our pets grains. His first response was “Dogs are omnivores so it’s fine and scientific” (or words to that affect).

I reiterated “Yes, but cats are obligate carnivores, so why is there so much grain in most cat foods?”

That left him a bit stumped, and he recalled overhearing fascinating conversations from Hill’s scientists about the optimal diet for a cat (with kidney issues I believe) almost like for like with that of a blended mouse.

Go figure!

I view cats as carnivores – because they factually are carnivores – and when I review a cat food I rate it primarily based on meat and fat content from animal sources. Or in other words, how appropriate the food is for your cat.

I want you to always view your cat as a carnivore. This will help you choose the right food or better diet for your cat.

In this guide to what I consider the best cat foods in Australia (2025 edition) I will offer a few recommendations if you simply want pointers, but I urge you to read the other info on different types of cat food, feeding, and variety – you’ll pick up some game-changing tips!

Best cat foods in Australia (2025)

We all have different situations – busy lives, not so busy, lots of spare cash, on a tight budget and so forth.

We’re all on a learning journey, which means some of you will be more confident in feeding your cat a balanced raw diet, and others simply wanting a recommendation for a better kibble at this stage in time.

For these reasons I’ve categorised recommendations in the following way:

Best cat foods regardless of cost
Best dry cat foods (kibble/biscuits)
Best wet cat foods (canned)
Best dry cat food on a budget
Best raw or BARF cat foods

Please note there are other good cat foods which aren’t mentioned below. The reason is simple – I don’t want to pummel you with recommendations.

If you feed a cat food not mentioned below, refer to the specific review for more information.

Best cat foods regardless of cost

If we want the best for our cats in terms of commercial cat foods (those which you buy off the shelf), you’re looking at air-dried or freeze-dried.

These cat foods offer really decent nutrition but still have the convenience of being dried. They’re expensive, but far healthier for your cat – that should pay dividends in terms of wellbeing, lifespan, and less risk of expensive vet bills if your cat starts suffering in middle to senior age.

Very good cat foods:

Frontier Pets – Such a great, ethical, Australian company. Frontier Pets cat food is freeze-dried, which means nutrients aren’t destroyed by cooking. It’s basically a raw diet with the convenience of being dried (fantastic shelf life!), and all you do is add a little water. It’s not as expensive as you may think, and it’s well worth feeding as part of your cat’s diet. Full review here.
ZIWI Peak – This New Zealand air-dried raw food is loved and respected worldwide. The ingredients are fantastic – packed with meat, organs, and the wonderfully nutritious green-lipped mussel. Brands like this make you wonder why raw feeders faff around with chopping, dicing, and weighing every morsel, and best of all – pretty much all cats love ZIWI Peak. Full review here.

Best dry cat foods (kibble/biscuits)

Most dry cat foods contain grains, or if not grains then some grain-free alternatives like legumes, potato, or tapioca.

Keep in mind the reason for this is mostly to keep production costs down, and to some extent starch is required to hold those little brown nuggets of kibble together. For most pet food manufacturers it’s also a balance of how much cat owners (like you and me) are willing to spend on their product, so there are practical reasons as well.

I’ll cover more “budget” cat foods in a bit, but it’s worth realising the more you pay for a kibble the more appropriate it should be for your cat.

Personally I wouldn’t feed a cat a diet solely of dry cat food. I would add variety and moisture, such as one of the cat foods mentioned earlier, or even raw meats, organs, chicken necks, and so forth. New fangled social influencers are calling this a “hybrid diet”, and it’s the way I’ve fed my own cat since I rescued him 13 years ago. He’s now 14, in great health, with great teeth.

Here are a few recommendations for really good dry cat foods in Australia, in 2025:

Open Farm – This cat food is undoubtedly expensive, especially when compared to the cr*p you get in the supermarkets, but it’s also very good. I believe it’s only sold at Pet Circle, but that’s not a bad thing – they usually have the best prices anyway. Open Farm is packed with meat and fish, some legumes, and great additions like coconut oil. The broths are great too (cartons). Full review here.

Taste of the Wild – If Open Farm is too expensive (and don’t feel guilty if it is), then Taste of the Wild is a great option for most people. It’s a brand sold worldwide with great feedback, and despite sacrificing some meat for alternatives like peas, it’s still very high protein and fat which is better for your cat than carbs. I see Taste of the Wild as a great base diet which is moderately affordable, and I see no reason why you couldn’t mix it with some other types of cat food or fresh food as well. Full review here.

Please note: If you’re wondering why ACANA and Orijen are currently not on this list, it’s simply because availability is currently a bit of a problem. Once they’re back in stock at retailers I expect they’ll be re-added to this list.

Best wet cat foods (canned)

Many wet cat foods aren’t as meaty as you think.

For example, Felix as one of the most popular cat foods in Australia is little more than undisclosed meat (and “meat derivatives”) mashed up with ambiguous cereal grains (yup, for your carnivore). Then you’ll find added colour (to make it look more appealing to you), ambiguous “flavour”, “thickeners”, and something unnecessary which may get your cat addicted – sugar.

Oh, and don’t go thinking Dine is much better.

Here are two much better wet cat foods, and feel free to compare the ingredients to Felix, Dine, et al – you’ll see what I mean:

Zealandia – Our cats benefit the most from meats, organs, and yucky stuff like tripe. It may sound gross to us, but these are wonderfully rich sources of nutrients your cat is biologically designed to eat. Zealandia has it all, not to mention green lipped mussels which are a signature of cat foods from New Zealand. I found a couple of negative points when putting this list together, and interestingly negative feedback seems to be “My cat wouldn’t eat it”. Probably because those cats are hooked on sugar and artificial additives of cheaper cat foods. Full review here.

ZIWI Peak – If you were put off by the cost of Zealandia, you’ll feel the same about the Ziwi wet cat foods as well – in that case skip ahead. If not, for the same reasons as the Ziwi air-dried cat food, the wet cans are also excellent. Very species appropriate.

Applaws – A more affordable brand you will find in the supermarkets and numerous retailers, this might be a good option for you if you can’t afford the price tag on Zealandia or Ziwi. Applaws are a UK company but have their own manufacturing facility in Australia, with a good reputation. There’s an important point though – like some of the cheaper brands of wet cat food, these are for “supplemental feeding only”. That means they should be fed as only part of the diet, for the simple reason they don’t cover all the nutritional needs of your cat. Sadly many cat owners fail to realise this, and feed a food such as this as their cat’s main diet. As part of the diet, however, you may find Applaws a safe choice on a more realistic budget – combine it with dry, raw, fresh, and so forth.

Best dry cat food on a budget

Being on a tight budget isn’t anything to be ashamed about, and we can do our best to feed our cats regardless.

If you can’t afford one of the premium cat foods mentioned above, you can feed one of the cheaper brands and perhaps combine it with the odd can of fresh tuna, sardines, chicken necks, wings, or any meats/organs you find reduced at Coles or Woolies – it’s a great way to feed cats on a budget, even if part of it is a cheaper kibble.

Here are some recommendations:

Hypro Premium – There’s a few reasons why I’ve chosen Hypro Premium dry cat food to top the “budget dry cat food” section. Yes, it’s labelled “premium”, and yes it’s more expensive than cereal-based cat foods which aren’t appropriate for your cat. Hypro Premium is still much more affordable than the dry foods listed earlier (a fair bit cheaper than Taste of the Wild). It contains a decent amount of meat (labelled 60% meat/fats/fish oil), and it’s not filled with nasty and problematic cereals. Until early last year (before the hic-ups), Hypro made the well loved brand Meals for Mutts (Meals for Meows), and also Healthy Everyday Pets. What that means to you, is a good track record with quality.

Applaws – I mentioned Applaws wet food in the last section, and it has to be said the dry food is very good for the price point. There’s more peas and carbs in Applaws than the cat foods mentioned earlier, but on the positive side there’s still a decent amount of meat combined with fish oil and a range of superfoods (in small amounts). Unlike Applaws wet, the dry food is “complete and balanced”. Full review here.

Best raw or BARF cat foods

When it comes to raw feeding this is totally something you can do on your own, using human grade meats, organs, and bones from the supermarket. Feeding raw is a very natural diet for your cat, and I often stress the benefit of your cat gnawing on appropriate raw meaty bones like chicken necks.

If you’re put off by the complexities of raw feeding (even though it’s not as complicated as you may think), there are some great commercial raw options as well. Just keep in mind these products use ground bones, which means your cat won’t have the inherent teeth-cleaning benefits of raw meaty bones (this fact applies to all commercial cat foods by the way, and I’d include dental treats in that).

Here are some great raw diet options:

Raw Meow – An excellent Perth-based company who offer a freeze-dried raw cat food mix. Laura who owns Raw Meow also runs the Australian Raw Fed Cats group on Facebook, which is well worth joining no matter how you feed your cat.
Big Dog (for cats) – One of Australia’s longest standing BARF pet food brands, originally for dogs, but they also have BARF for cats. If you’re new to BARF, they’re basically patties made from meat, organs, and ground bone, and great for your cat. You’ll need freezer space.
Proudi – I honestly don’t have a preference between Big Dog and Proudi when it comes to BARF foods for your cat. Both have shown to be decent brands, so it may depend on which one your local pet store sells.

Note: The links above to Big Dog and Proudi will take you to the dog food reviews, simply because I haven’t written reviews for the cat varieties. Nevertheless, you should find all the info you need!

Quick tips on the best diet for your cat

Personally I feed my cat a wide variety of foods. My general opinion is a raw diet, properly formulated, is the best diet for a cat, but I confess my cat gets kibble, wet, BARF, air-dried, freeze-dried, plus a range of meat, organs, and raw meaty bones.

In fact, Bernard won’t let me go to sleep before he’s had his evening chicken neck. True fact!

Below you will find some quick-fire tips about how to feed a cat, based on my experiences and beliefs:

Cats aren’t big drinkers and need clean moisture in their diet. We forget our cats were originally desert animals who only consumed moisture from eating prey, and this is sadly overlooked by many who feed their cats dry food.
Variety is a good thing. Most of us feed our cats a single brand of cat food, day in day out. The problems with that are obvious when you think about them – what if the food doesn’t contain all required nutrition, or what if there’s a manufacturing problem which has led to excessive toxins or a deficiency in something? There’s a good chance the food isn’t overly appropriate for a cat anyway, with most cat foods in Australian being formulated with grain (or “grain-free” alternatives) for your carnivorous cat.
To elaborate a little on the above point, I see a variety of brands and styles of food a good idea. What I mean by that is add some fresh foods, wet, raw, BARF, and different brands of cat food to their diet. Try and become confident in feeding your cat a variety! Cats can be difficult at times with new foods, simply because they have a “never seen that before, don’t know what it is” mentality – persist!
As a general rule, avoid any cat foods containing cereal or wheat. I find these to be the most inappropriate and poorly formulated cat foods, usually containing other nasties and food colourings. All dry cat foods contain some grain or alternative “grain free” starch/carbs, so you can’t really avoid them unless you feed raw, BARF, or an absolute top end dry food like Orijen.
Fresh meats, organs, and raw meaty bones! Our cats are carnivores. It’s disputed a lot with dogs who I consider facultative carnivores (carnivores who will eat other foods), but cats are factually carnivores. You should always question a cat food made from anything other than animal ingredients. The pet food industry is very skewed when it comes to the “science” and “research” which convinces us our cats should be pumped full of wheat, yet that’s the way it is – corn for carnivores, wheat for carnivores, whatever makes the most profit from carnivores. Consider adding fresh meats, organs, and raw meaty bones to your cat’s diet. Chicken necks are one good (and super cheap) option – great for nutrition, and also their dental health!

If you want to read more on my thoughts on feeding our cats (and dogs), then read this page. Yes, it mostly focuses on dogs, but mostly applies to our cats too.

How does a cat food get on the best cat food in Australia list?

If you want to know how the above cat foods made the best cat food list, then I’ll explain a little more. You may be feeding a brand which isn’t mentioned above, but don’t worry – there are other good brands, I’ve simply kept the list short so as not to confuse people.

Firstly, all cat food reviews on this website are written primarily as an overview of the ingredients and analysis – this helps offer you information which can’t be disputed.

For example, if the cat food appears to be mostly wheat, that’s what the review will say. You can then decide for yourself if a cat food is a good choice for your carnivorous cat!

There’s a lot more to the reviews than that, but that’s the gist of it. I do my best to keep the reviews simple and readable, which means keeping them fairly short.

Let’s cover some of the factors I may not talk about in the individual reviews which can affect the ratings:

Many cat foods come from the same manufacturer as other brands, and I track consumer feedback on all those manufacturers. Some have an excellent reputation, and some don’t. Sadly, with some leading Australian manufacturers I have received many reports of sickness and/or diarrhea, which means none of those brands will be on the best cat food in Australia list above.

Some cat foods have established a great reputation and loyal following, only to change manufacturer or ingredients and seemingly fall off a cliff in terms of quality.

For legal reasons it can be difficult to mention the above information. If a cat becomes sick it is almost impossible to prove the cat food was the cause (although an unfortunate loss of a number of dogs a few years ago was in fact traced to a specific major brand dog food, as was a number of dog deaths a year ago from toxic horse meat sold as beef pet mince).

Pet food manufacturers know how difficult it is to prove a product was the cause of a sick pet, so even if your cat has severe vomiting and diarrhea within hours of being introduced their product, they know you won’t have the capacity as a consumer to have that product tested for all manner of toxins. Even if you do you won’t have the capacity to take them to court over it.

If you report an issue with a cat food to the manufacturer, you will almost always receive a response saying they are not aware of such an issue and will investigate it, with a request for you to return the product (which is better for them, not you). Don’t expect any more than that, and I’ve known manufacturers respond to many consumers saying they aren’t aware of “any issues”.

With little regulations in Australia to benefit you as a consumer of cat food, you’re very much the little guy without a leg to stand on. A government investigation into the safety of pet food was conducted in 2018 with ominous findings, yet the working group who were put together to make regulatory changes over the subsequent 12 months weren’t very productive, and we’re now almost 4 years on (2022).

That means all you can do is make sure you’re feeding your cat something decent, and even if the reviews don’t state any of the issues I’ve logged from consumers on many brands of cat food in Australia, rest assured I will not recommend those cat foods.

Your feedback matters!

If you’ve had a positive or negative experience on a cat food in Australia then let me know, either on the Facebook page (which you should definitely join!) or the comments section below. All feedback matters as it helps me and it helps other cat owners like yourself!

If your cat has been sick on a cat food then I strongly urge you to add a report on the APOG website. APOG (Australian Pet Owners Group) are an independent body who track consumer issues with pet foods in Australia. By independent I mean they are not influenced or under the control of the pet food industry in Australia.

Nutrition analysis of the best cat foods – the “bar”

All the foods on the best cat food list must meet stringent criteria and be what I consider species appropriate for your cat as a carnivore.

In a nutshell, here are a few requirements:

Must meet AAFCO requirements.
Must have sufficient protein and fat.
Must have sufficient meat ingredients.
Must not contain any nasty or ambiguous ingredients.
Must avoid allergenic or problematic ingredients.
Must have a long standing reputation and good consumer feedback from real pet owners in Australia.