Cat food labels follow the same rules as dog food labels — but cats’ needs as obligate carnivores change what to look for. This guide covers each part of the label and how to compare two cat foods fairly, including the wet-versus-dry math most owners skip.
Ingredients appear in descending order by pre-cooking weight. Fresh meats carry a lot of water, so "chicken" first doesn’t always mean more actual chicken protein than a "chicken meal" listed lower. For an obligate carnivore, the pattern to look for is named animal proteins dominating the top of the list.
Cats can’t make enough taurine on their own, and deficiency causes serious heart and eye disease. Complete-and-balanced commercial foods are supplemented — you’ll usually see taurine in the ingredient list and sometimes in the guaranteed analysis. Its presence is one quick sign you’re looking at a complete diet rather than a topper or treat.
Protein and fat are listed as minimums, fiber and moisture as maximums. These are bounds, not exact values. Cat foods generally run higher in protein than dog foods — that’s expected and appropriate.
This matters even more for cats, where wet food is common. A canned food showing 10% protein at 78% moisture is about 45% protein on a dry-matter basis — likely higher than a kibble showing 32%. To convert: divide the nutrient percentage by (100 minus the moisture percentage) and multiply by 100. Never judge a wet food by its label numbers alone.
Look for the nutritional adequacy statement naming "growth" (kittens), "adult maintenance," or "all life stages." Foods marked "for supplemental or intermittent feeding only" are not a complete diet — a distinction that matters more for cats because many complementary-style wet foods carry it.
The MyPetFoodID scanner’s free Compare Two Foods tool does the side-by-side for you — nutrition lined up, ingredients flagged against your cat’s health profile, and a balanced decision checklist with no sponsored "winner."
Because it’s mostly water. Convert to a dry-matter basis — divide the protein percentage by (100 − moisture %) and multiply by 100 — and most wet foods are actually higher in protein than kibble.
A named animal protein at the top is a good sign for an obligate carnivore, but ingredient order is by pre-cooking weight, so look at the first five ingredients together rather than fixating on the first.
The food is not complete and balanced — it’s a topper or treat. It’s fine alongside a complete diet but shouldn’t be the main meal. Many complementary wet foods carry this label, so check before making one your cat’s staple.
Yes — the free MyPetFoodID scanner includes a Compare Two Foods tool that shows nutrition side by side and flags considerations for your cat’s health profile.
This page is for general informational purposes and is not veterinary advice. Always consult your veterinarian about your pet’s diet and health.