Orijen Cat Food Reviewed: Pros, Cons, and Ingredient Analysis
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Orijen Cat Food Summary
- Best Overall Orijen Cat Food: ORIJEN® Premium Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Grain-free kibble with high-quality ingredients, chicory root, pollock oil, and taurine. - Best Orijen Cat Food for Weight Control: ORIJEN Grain-Free Cat Food, Fit and Trim Recipe
Made with selected and low-calorie ingredients, this food is excellent for weight control. - Best Orijen Cat Treats: ORIJEN Freeze-Dried Cat Treats, Grain-Free
Gently freeze-dried and biologically appropriate cat treats made with natural ingredients. - Best Orijen Cat Food for Kittens: ORIJEN® Dry Kitten Food, Grain-Free
Wholeprey, nutrient-dense food that supports healthy growth and development in kittens.
What is Orijen Cat Food?
Orijen Cat Food is a pet food company based in Canada and the United States that uses high-quality and biologically appropriate ingredients. The cat food formulas feature whole foods and are rich in health-boosting nutrients.
Where is Orijen Cat Food Made?
Orijen Cat Food is made in Alberta, Canada, and Kentucky, USA. The ingredients go through strict control and selection. Then, each food is prepared in GMP-licensed facilities.
How is Orijen Cat Food Made?
Orijen is a cat and dog food company that uses the best ingredients sourced from New Zealand, Scandinavia, and the United States.
The process of making Orijen cat food starts with quality animal ingredients like chicken hearts, chicken fat, and fish to provide animal proteins and omega-3 fatty acids to support muscle, brain, and eye function.
Then they add whole chickpeas, whole pumpkin, and taurine to provide fiber and amino acids for muscle and digestive support. Lastly, they throw in whole red lentils, whole green lentils, whole navy beans, and whole pinto beans to add healthy carbs and fibers.
All of their food is formulated by veterinarians and nutritionists to be as wholesome as possible and deliver the best possible nutrition to cats and dogs.
Is Orijen Cat Food Good for Cats?
Yes, Orijen Cat Food is good for cats. Orijen has formulas for all life stages of your pet and is made with fresh, freeze-dried, and raw ingredients to be safe for your cat to ingest and easy for them to digest.
Orijen Cat Food Formulas Reviewed
There are many Orijen cat & kitten foods. Before clicking checkout, take a look at the best Orijen foods and decide which one is the right fit for your feline friend.
Summary: This cat is rich in whole animal ingredients like free-range chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs. It features regionally supplied ingredients and is based on a whole prey diet, so your cat is receiving the biologically appropriate nutrition. As one of the best dry cat foods, it comes in a variety of formulas, including Original, Fit & Trim, Regional Red, Six Fish, Guardian 8, Tundra, and Kitten.
Type: Dry kibble
Best For: Adult cats and kittens
Price: $7.50/lb
- Wild-caught fish, free-run chicken, and turkey
- With chicory root, pollock oil, and taurine
- 90% premium animal ingredients
- Grain-free formulas for cats and kittens
- Supports digestion, heart, skin, and coat health
- Reports about formula changes
Ingredient Analysis: The use of whole mackerel, chicken, and organ meats, like chicken liver and turkey giblets, is fantastic at supplying minerals and vitamins that muscle meats do not. The first thirteen ingredients, in fact, are animal products. Lentils are used as the carb source, and collard greens and juniper berries as fiber sources.
Review: Over 80% of the 4,200 reviews are 5-star. Users are happy with this Orijen dry cat food, with one cat owner explaining that even her toothless cat can eat this kibble. The most common and recent complaint is about an apparent change in packaging and a possible change in formula.
Summary: This food contains a nutrient-dense recipe of free-range poultry, cage-free eggs, and wild-caught fish paired with dehydrated chicken, lentil fiber, dried kelp, and vitamin supplements. Specifically formulated to be low in carbs and have 10% fewer calories to help your cat maintain a healthy weight. The diet is excellent for supporting digestion and obese cats.
Type: Freeze-dried
Best For: Adult cats
Price: $7.75/lb
- Made to be satiate while being low in calories
- With 90% premium animal ingredients
- Naturally-occurring L-carnitine and prebiotics
- Grain-free, freeze-dried cat food
- Suitable for cats of all breeds and sizes
- Often out of stock due to high demand
Ingredient Analysis: The first 14 ingredients are animal-sourced which is a great sign they have considered your cat’s dietary needs by providing a high-protein formula as the base. We like their use of whole eggs, whole butternut squash, turmeric, rosehips, and dried chicory root. The wild-caught fish ensures proper intake of omega fatty acids (EPA and DHA).
Review: Reviewers were largely positive when discussing this product. Quite a few went as far as to refer to it as “a life-saving cat food” and the “best of all Orijen varieties.” However, numerous critical reviewers stated their cats vomited after eating this food and complained the price was not worth the cost.
Summary: Offering six flavors to keep your cat interested, these treats are made with only natural preservatives to stay fresh and use only biologically appropriate ingredients. This offers your pet a nutritious, protein-rich treat full of micronutrients for your cat to enjoy. The treats are freeze-dried and biologically appropriate.
Type: Freeze-dried
Best For: Adult cats
Price: $5.59/ounce
- Made with natural protein sources
- Delicious and nutritious treats with natural taste and aroma
- Good source of calcium and omega-6 fatty acids
- Free from artificial additives and preservatives
- Available in six different flavors
- High in carbohydrates for a cat treat
Ingredient Analysis: The guaranteed analysis in the treats is favorable to a healthy diet. Including optimal levels of crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber these nutritious treats are excellent for active cats. The treat ingredients are animal-sourced, and there are no artificial preservatives in the formula.
Review: This is a highly rated product, with 77% of nearly 3.500 reviews on Amazon being five stars. Based on the reviews, most cat owners are pleased with the nutritional information in this treat, with some even claiming it got their sick or senior cat to start eating again.
Summary: This freeze-dried whole prey formula is made with high-quality ingredients that support growth in kittens. Rich in meat and fish oils, cat food promotes healthy brain development and cognitive function. To cater to the cat’s instinctual needs, it is gently freeze-dried and retains much of the original taste.
Type: Freeze-dried cat food
Best For: Kittens
Price: $6.49/lb
- Free-run poultry, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs
- Biologically appropriate kitten food
- Grain-free and nutrient-dense formula
- Added fruits, veggies, and dried probiotics
- Uses tocopherols as natural preservatives
- Not a budget-friendly option
Ingredient Analysis: Featuring chicken, turkey, salmon, herring, and chicken liver as the first five ingredients, the formula is more than promising. It also contains fish and meat oils as DHA and EPA sources, dried probiotics, dehydrated eggs, and whole fruits and veggies. It is rich in vitamins and minerals like choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Review: This kitten food has 84% of 5-star reviews and over 4.230 ratings. Customers say the food is delicious and suitable for kittens with picky appetites. However, there are some negative reviews about possible changes in the brand’s original formula.
What Cat Food Formulas does Orijen Make?
Here are the Orijen Cat Food dry formulas:
- Orijen Original Cat: This food with chicken flavor is suitable for cats of all age categories. It is made with premium quality ingredients like free-run chicken & turkey, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs.
- Orijen Six Fish: The food is made with flounder, whole mackerel, whole herring, Acadian redfish, monkfish, and silver hake. Featuring 90% protein and 10% fruits & vegetables, it is a good choice for adult and senior cats.
- Orijen Regional Red: This dry food is made with 90% protein-rich animal sources and 10% fruits and vegetables. Supporting skin and heart health, the food is a good choice for adult and senior cats.
- Orijen Tundra: Formulated with 85% protein, 15% fruits, and vegetables, this grain-free food is easy to digest. It is made specifically for carnivores and can be used for cats of all sizes and breeds.
- Orijen Fit & Trim: This cat food is low in carbohydrates and high in animal-sourced protein. It is formulated to support healthy weight loss and weight management. It is the perfect option for obese cats.
- Orijen Kitten: This formula is nutrient-dense and promotes proper development in growing kittens. It features wholeprey ingredients, healthy fruits & veggies, and added probiotics. It is also delicious and freeze-dried.
Orijen also has cat treats. They feature gently freeze-dried meats and are delicious. Here is a list of the different Orijen Cat Treat formulas:
- Delivers a diet rich and varied in fresh, whole animal ingredients from free-run chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs
- Using fresh and raw animal ingredients, ORIJEN is the Biologically Appropriate, grain-free diet that cats have evolved to eat
- With 90% quality animal ingredients
Has Orijen Cat Food Been Recalled?
Yes, Orijen Cat Food has been recalled.
There was one recall in November 2008, but it was limited to Australia. The recall was due to issues in the irradiation treatment required under Australian law, and as a result, Orijen pulled its products from Australia entirely.
While not a recall, there was a class-action lawsuit filed in March 2018 against Champion Petfoods, the parent company of high-end pet foods like Orijen and Acana. As petful.com notes, “this lawsuit accused the company of “negligent, reckless” practices, false advertising, and “failing to disclose the presence of heavy metals and toxins” in its products.”
Is Orijen Cat Food Worth it?
Yes, Orijen Cat Food is worth it. The cost of Orijen’s products is high, but so is the quality of the ingredients as a whole. Plus, the brand uses responsibly sourced ingredients and is biologically appropriate.
