Today we will do a Primal Cat food Review.

As a feline Nutritionist and pet owner, I have bought various types of foods for my cats. My main concern always was how to provide the best nutrition for my pet. With so many options available on cat food shelves, it is easy to be overwhelmed, which is the best cat food overall.

I have researched Primal cat food products in-depth to help you determine if this brand is the best diet for your cat.

Primal cat food is above average freeze-dried cat food, which provides balanced nutrition for most cats.

Primal food company was founded in 2001. Their Primal freeze-dried recipes are made in the USA with the highest quality ingredients.

This comprehensive cat food review will analyze this brand’s ingredients and nutritional content. We will also discuss customer reviews, possible recalls, and potential alternatives for this pet food from Primal.

Keep reading for more details.

Primal Cat Food Overview.

Primal cat food is a raw, freeze-dried product. 

Taking great pride to source only the best ingredients, this tasty and nutritious diet is packed with naturally derived vitamins and minerals. The high-protein ratio appeals to your feline friend’s primal diet, and it’s an excellent way to maintain a proper weight and boost overall health. (1)

Owners can choose from classic flavors like chicken, venison, salmon, to name a few. But all formulas meet AAFCO Guidelines for pet food. 

Primal food line includes Frozen and freeze-dried nuggets, bone broth, goat’s milk, and toppers. Each base nugget can be mixed with different bone broth and topper flavors for your pet to enjoy.

Here are their most popular options:

1. Primal Chicken & Salmon Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food
2. Primal Turkey Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food
3. Primal Beef & Salmon Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food
4. Primal Pork Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food
5. Primal Rabbit Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food

We have selected Primal Chicken & Salmon Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food for detailed analysis.

This cat food is designed for all stages of life. So if you have one cat or a few more in different stages of their life, they all can have this formula. The owner needs to check on the amount given.

Also, the chicken and Salmon Formula is the most popular in the Prime food range.

Label Analysis.

Below we have a detailed analysis of the Primal cat food label.

Primal Chicken & Salmon Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Cat Food

Ingredients list: Chicken (with ground bone), Chicken Livers, Salmon, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Cranberries, Organic Blueberries, Organic Kale, Organic Squash, Organic Carrots, Organic Apples, Organic Broccoli, Organic Rosemary Extract, Organic Parsley, Organic Quinoa, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Fish Oil, Montmorillonite Clay, Organic Coconut Oil, Cod Liver Oil, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Organic Ground Alfalfa, Dried Organic Kelp.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Total caloric content:

128 kcal/oz

Ingredients Analysis

Primal cat food formula only uses the highest quality ingredients for its product.

This Primal product features chicken (with ground bone) as their first product. 

An excellent quality real meat as the first ingredient provides lean protein for your cat’s balanced nutrition.

Lean meats provide all necessary for a strong heart, good vision, and a healthy reproductive system.

Chicken liver is high in Vitamin B, Potassium, Zinc, Iron, and Phosphorus. It also contains  CoQ10 enzymes, which support your cat’s kidney function.

The liver contains Vitamin A to support:

• Eye vision; especially night vision
• Skin and fur health
• Bone formation
• Immune system support
• Overall support from over oxidation.

It is a fat-soluble vitamin that can not be excreted from the body but can accumulate in the kidneys and cause toxicity. Make sure that cat food does not contain more than 10% of the liver.

Salmon is an excellent source of protein and has Omega 3; this is great for your cat’s skin and coat.

High-quality ingredients and real protein as 3 of the first ingredients on the label it shows for a premium cat food brand. The price tag might be a bit high because of this, but you know what you have paid for.

Other Ingredients

Seeds, berries, and vegetables are added to cat food for fiber content, and they are low in calories. These help cats stay satiated longer and can help with cat obesity.

Organic pumpkin seeds:

Rich in vitamin K- helps heal wounds, Zinc- supports immune system health to fight bacteria and viruses, Rich in antioxidants- helps the body with inflammation in liver, bladder, and joints

Organic squash:

Acts as an anti-inflammatory, rich in vitamins A and C, and high in carotenoid antioxidants for the immune system and eye health.

Cranberries and blueberries:

Complete with antioxidants for immune system support and urinary tract health.

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar:

It promotes digestion and can help with urinary infections.

Fish Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Cod Liver Oil:

Provides support for dry, flaky skin if a cat has allergy issues, aids arthritic joints, supports cognitive function.

Montmorillonite Clay

For antibacterial activity against tooth and gum decay.

Taurine:

This amino acid is found exclusively in animal-based proteins. Taurine is essential for normal vision, digestion, heart muscle function, and immune system health.

Vitamin E Supplement:

It helps form red blood cells supports the immune system.

Organic Ground Alfalfa

Contains many vitamins and minerals like Calcium, Protein, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Iron, Phosphorus, Vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K.

Alfalfa helps your cat with digestive, glandular, urinary, and skeletal systems.

Dried Organic Kelp

High in fiber to help with the overall digestive system. Maintains dental health by removing plaque from teeth.

Unfortunately, chicken (among other meats) is one of the ingredients. A cat can develop food sensitivity and allergy if your cat displays itchy red skin in patches, hair loss, and vomiting. 

See your cat’s veterinarian for advice about your cat’s food.

Nutrient analysis

Primal crafts these delicious bites without the use of steroids, antibiotics, or added hormones. 

Using whole foods ingredients means no added synthetic vitamins.

Crude protein 49.0% min

Kittens will need around 30%- 40% crude protein in their diet. They are growing fast, so they need as much lean protein as possible to maintain good bone and muscle health. High energy output requires higher protein, minerals, vitamins, and amino acid foods.

Adult cats require 35%- 40% protein in their diet.

But is it possible to feed too much protein to a cat? Generally, if a cat has a shiny coat, is alert, has normal stool and skin, ideal weight. It probably means that the food is okay.

Senior cats

It can be a bit tricky to determine how much protein a senior cat needs. The difficulty is in the fact that elderly cats might develop kidney disease. A high protein diet could harm the kidneys further. On the other hand, a low protein diet will mean muscle mass loss.

The best things to do I this case:

• See your cats veterinarian for a kidney check-up
• Focus on quality rather than quantity in protein. 

For example, if your cat’s food label has chicken as the first ingredient. This means that your cat is getting quality lean protein.

• Change your cat’s diet to a lower protein diet (do it gradually as cats do not like change in diet).

Crude Fat 26.0% min

Cat typically needs 20%-24% fat content in their food. Cats get their energy from protein and fat and favor a meal where protein and fat are high.

Some owners might be tempted to feed a cat a low-fat diet to ensure obesity is not a problem. However, cats need more fat content and tend to overeat low-fat food to meet their nutritional needs.

Look for actual animal fat in your cat’s food label. Unfortunately is not the case in Prime food Chicken and salmon flavor. 

Crude Fiber 2.0% max

The fiber in cat food has become somewhat a controversial topic. It might seem that cats in the wild only eat meat, but actually, they eat all the animals with their prey’s skin, hoves, intestines, and stomach contents. 

This could mean that our felines do need a bit of fiber content in their meals.

Your veterinarian might prescribe a low or high-fiber diet if your cat is experiencing digestive problems. 

For example, a high fiber content can help a diabetic cat, and a low fiber diet can help with small intestine problems.

It is always important to speak to your veterinarian for advice on your cat’s diet if digestive problems occur.

Primal Cat Food Reviews & Feedback:

86% of cat owners on Chewy would recommend Primal Chicken and Salmon formula. Ower 300 reviews give the product 4.1 out of 5 stars.

Most reviews share that their picky cat loves this food. Some of the owners have cats in different stages of life, and they all are fed this food. It is considered a bit pricey food, but the notion of quality cat food is there. 

“I just started my elder cat in this as she exhibited IBS and was getting a large midriff. This raw food was perfect. She lost weight/obstruction and started to appear more agile/flexible. She is a different cat now. I will continue this product for sure.”

You can read more on Primal Chicken and Salmon reviews on Chewy.

Recalls

There is no current recall of this product.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) require that all animal foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. In addition, canned pet foods must be processed in conformance with the low acid canned food regulations to ensure the pet food is free of viable microorganisms. (2)

You can find a complete list of FDA recalls here.

Alternatives

Suppose you think that Primal cat food is not the ideal choice for your cat. There are a few alternatives to consider.

Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken Dinner Morsels Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Food

Stella and Chewy’s freeze-dried raw cat food is one of the favorites among cat owners when commercial freeze-dried raw food is mentioned.

Never contains grains, gluten, fillers, artificial preservatives, or colorings.

Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe

Instinct limited ingredient formula is great if your cat develops sensitivity or food intolerance.

Never contain any grain, dairy, eggs, chicken, beef, fish, sweet potato, potato, chickpeas, corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors, or preservatives.

ORIJEN Cat & Kitten Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

This protein-rich recipe takes a Wholeprey approach and features poultry and fish, organs and edible bone from fresh or raw free-run chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs.

Comes in a large 4lb bag, perfect for multi-cat households.

In Conclusion

We recommend Primal cat food for owners looking for a grain-free balanced nutrition product for their pets.

This review shows that Primal cat food is a premium brand loved by other cat owners. With real protein as the three first ingredients in the recipe, it ensures value for money and an affordable price for a quality product.

Using quality ingredients in freeze-dried for easier and more convenient meal times.

Speak with your cat’s veterinarian today to determine if Primal cat food would be an excellent formula for your cat.

What´s next?

If you liked this article, why don’t you check some of the entries in our blog?

• Is RAW food diet for cats good? We compare the 3 types of foods.
• How often do you take a cat to the vet?

We have many more exciting articles!