10 Best Cat Foods With Taurine in 2022 – Reviews & Top Picks
Knowing exactly what goes into your cat’s food is a must. While every cat food company claims to deliver the best of the best, only a few actually do it.
That’s why we took the time to track down and review 10 of the best cat foods out there. Not only do they all have taurine, but they also come packed full of proteins, amino acids, and omega-3s, and they don’t have fillers.
These are the top cat foods out there, and now all you need to do is narrow it down to your favorite one.
There are great cat foods and then there’s American Journey. It combines two common poultry options, turkey and chicken, and puts them in the best overall cat food with taurine out there. It uses nothing but high-quality ingredients and offers a great mix of price and affordability.
There are three different size options to choose from. While no bag is bigger than 12 pounds, for most cats, that will last quite some time. The taurine percentage isn’t the highest, but it’s higher than most other brands.
The crude protein content is an astounding 40%, there’s plenty of fiber and vitamins, and there are zero fillers. The best part with American Journey is that you don’t have to settle for quality or price — you get both.
Purina is a massive pet food brand, and while all its options might not be the highest quality, the Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend certainly hits the mark. This food is full of high-quality ingredients, and at this price, it’s also the best cat food with taurine for the money.
There are tons of size options to choose from, there are no fillers, and the protein content is decent at 34%. The most important factor is the taurine content. At 0.15%, it’s not the highest taurine content out there, but it’s near the top.
While there’s nothing wrong with this food, it’s simply not as good as our top choice. It has a lower protein content and fewer vitamins, and there’s only one protein source.
But if you’re on a tighter budget, it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Pros
Good taurine percentage
Plenty of size options
Affordably priced
No fillers
Cons
Not as good as the top choice on this list
3. The Honest Kitchen Chicken Recipe — Premium Choice
There are superfoods for your cats, and then there’s everything that the Honest Kitchen pushes out. That said, the Honest Kitchen is expensive and doesn’t last nearly as long as some other cat foods.
But when you look at what you’re getting, it’s no surprise. The Honest Kitchen Chicken Recipe tops this list in taurine content at 0.2%. It also has 29% protein and plenty of fiber, and it’s made from only the freshest and most natural ingredients.
Everything is extremely high-quality, which is why everything is exceptionally high-priced. But if you have a picky eater, the good news is that they shouldn’t have any issues with this food. You just have to be able to afford to buy it every few weeks.
Pros
Extra high taurine content
Extremely high-quality ingredients
Extra high protein amount (39%)
Fresh ingredients that your cat will love
Cons
Expensive
Only two small size options
4. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Chicken Recipe- Best for Kittens
Kittens don’t get the same food as adults, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need a diet rich in taurine. Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness Kitten Chicken Recipe delivers. There’s an extremely high taurine content, the kibble is smaller for kittens, and every ingredient is high-quality.
Even better, there’s an adult food option for Blue Buffalo Wilderness that’s high in taurine too, so you can help your cat make a seamless transition to a food that you know they’ll love as soon as they’re ready.
While the bag sizes are smaller and a bit more expensive for the kitten recipe, the adult recipe is more affordable. The good news is that kittens don’t eat much, and you can graduate them to the more affordable adult food in just a few months.
Pros
Extremely high taurine content
They have an adult food that they can graduate too
If you’re looking for a more novel protein in your cat food, look no further than Taste of the Wild. Unlike many cat foods that have chicken and turkey due to their lower prices, Taste of the Wild uses venison and salmon in its recipe.
Just because they use novel proteins doesn’t mean they skimp on the amount of protein. At 42% crude protein, you won’t find a more protein-laden cat food. Every ingredient in Taste of the Wild is high-quality, which can be surprising when you look at the price tag.
It’s not as cheap as some other dry foods, but it’s only slightly more expensive, and the two primary ingredients are venison and salmon.
Finally, at 0.15% taurine, it’s near the top of the pack, if not quite leading the way.
3-ounce case of 24, 5.5-ounce case of 24, 12.5-ounce case of 12
Taurine percent:
0.1%
For everything that wet cat foods do well, having a high taurine content at an affordable price isn’t one of them. Wellness puts out a decent product with its Complete Health Pate Chicken Entrée, but even this only has 0.1% taurine.
That’s only half of what the top choices of this list offer, and you’re spending nearly as much as the premium choice! That’s not to say that this is a bad cat food. There are plenty of perks, including high omega-3 numbers, high levels of amino acids, and a decent amount of crude fiber.
But if you’re looking for a diet with taurine, you’re probably better off sticking with dry cat food.
Rachael Ray might not be what you think of when you think of cat food, but Nutrish is a suitable product. It’s not a “Super Premium Food” that the packaging claims, but there are plenty of fresh, high-quality ingredients that your cat will love.
It’s also available for a reasonable price, and the protein amount is a fairly decent at 34%. There are three different size options to choose from, and each option has 0.15% of taurine, which puts it in the upper echelon of our products in taurine content.
Still, it fell to the bottom third of our list for a reason, and it’s simply because it can’t hold up against the top foods on our list.
The 0.15% taurine amount isn’t bad, but you can do better. The same goes for the crude protein content. This is a decent choice at a great price, but you can find a better option for your cat.
The Halo Holistic Wild Salmon & Whitefish Recipe is a novel protein diet that works out great for your cat. Not only are they novel proteins, but most cats can also handle fish better than some other proteins, so if your cat has a sensitive stomach, this might be just what you need.
But the taurine percent is just a tad too low at 0.1%. While it’s not the lowest percentage out there, not many dry foods have a lower amount of taurine.
Also, a 6-pound bag of Halo Holistic has a similar price to the 12- and 14-pound bags of some other dry foods.
The difference comes down to the protein choice, but if your cat doesn’t need salmon and whitefish, there’s no reason to pay salmon and whitefish prices.
There are zero fillers and four different size options to choose from. They’re all affordably priced, and they’re relatively easy on your cat’s stomach too.
But it has a the lower percentage of taurine, at 0.13%. You could do worse, but many other choices do better, especially wet cat foods. But what really drives the point home is the lower protein amount.
Only 30% is just too low for dry cat food, and it’s a disappointment because of everything else that this food provides.
Wet cat foods aren’t ideal if you’re looking for a diet full of taurine. Fussie Cat Premium Tuna with Salmon is a decent wet food option, but it only has 0.05% taurine.
There are plenty of omega-3s and amino acids that are great for your cat’s coat, but this list is all about the taurine. In that area, Fussie doesn’t deliver. While it’s not as expensive as premium foods, it’s still a more expensive option than some other dry foods — and you don’t get the taurine that you want.
But if you insist on wet cat food, you could do far worse.
Pros
Decent wet food option
Tons of amino acids and omega-3s
Great for your cat’s coat
Cons
Low taurine content
Expensive
Low protein content (12%)
Buyer’s Guide
With so many ingredients, vitamins, and minerals, picking the perfect cat food can quickly get overwhelming. That’s why we created this comprehensive buyer’s guide to walk you through everything that you need to know.
Just take a deep breath and keep reading, we’ll have you ordering the perfect food for your cat in no time.
Image Credit: saelanlerez, Pixabay
How Much Taurine Does Your Cat Need?
The math can get a little complicated here if you overthink it, so we’ll start with that part before breaking it down.
As long as your cat can process taurine correctly and isn’t taurine deficient, all they need is 10 mg per kg of bodyweight of taurine per day to get enough. While you can run a bunch of complex math problems to see if your cat is getting enough, as long as they’re eating a food that has 0.05% taurine, they’re good to go.
But if your cat has trouble processing taurine, you’ll want to raise that number a bit. Since your cat can’t overdose on taurine and it has plenty of heart-healthy benefits, there’s no reason not to give your feline friend extra taurine at each meal.
How Much Protein Does Your Cat Need?
While taurine is essential to your cat’s health and the focus of this article, protein is the most crucial ingredient in cat food. While certain recommendations push for at least 25% of protein in a cat food, that’s a bare minimum.
Most vets will recommend that you pick a food that has between 35% and 40% protein, although a bit less than this amount is perfectly fine too. While you can overdo the protein if you make food for your cat at home, you’re not going to find a commercial cat food that does it, for two reasons.
First, it’s not good for your cat. Second, protein is the most expensive part of cat food. The last thing that a cat food company wants to do is spend money making a food that’s bad for your cat!
Picking a Protein Source
This is something that many cat owners get hung up on, but unless your cat has a specific allergy to a protein source, chances are that it’s not something that you need to worry about. The best thing that you can do is choose a protein source and stick with it.
Staying consistent enables your cat’s digestive tract to get used to a specific food and makes it easier for them to process, even if they don’t have a sensitive stomach.
But if your cat does have a sensitive stomach, you might need to stick with a more novel protein source. Venison, salmon, and other fish are often great choices, but it all comes down to what your cat has an allergy to.
Keep in mind that it’s perfectly normal for a cat to get a little sick after switching foods, especially if they have a sensitive stomach. Therefore, always give your cat time to adjust to the new food before deciding if that’s the right choice for them.
Image Credit: Inna Astakhova, Shutterstock
How Much Should You Feed Your Cat?
It all comes down to how many calories are in the specific cat food that you’re feeding your cat. That’s why you should always follow the directions on the cat food that you use.
A good rule of thumb for most cat foods is that you should feed them ¼ cup for every 5 pounds of cat. So, if you have a 15-pound cat, you should feed them about 3/4 cup of cat food.
That said, always check the instructions on your cat food because some foods have more or fewer calories, which can lead to over- or under-feeding.
Conclusion
If you’re still unsure of what cat food is best for your cat after reading these reviews, why not go with American Journey? It’s our top choice for a reason, it’s a high-quality food that has everything that your cat needs to thrive, and it’s available for a great price. If you’re on a tighter budget, Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend is a phenomenal choice and has a price that you can’t beat.
Whatever you do, stick with one of these quality products. While you can find something cheaper at a budget store like Wal-Mart, these simply don’t give your cat what they need to stay healthy.
Nicole is a lover of animals of all sizes but is especially fascinated with the feline variety. She’s the proud mom of Baby, a Burmese, and works every day so he can relax in the sunshine or by the fire. She’s always had a cat in her home and has spent countless days with others, observing behaviors and softening up even the grouchiest of the lot. Nicole wants to share her kitty expertise with you so you and your cat can live happy, healthy, and care-free.
