the right settings for your pet

How We Score

Last updated: October 28, 2026

For every dry cat food we read the label on the maker's site and give it two scores. The Ingredient score, out of 100, is our main score: it looks at what the food is made of. The Nutrition score, out of 10, checks protein, fat and carbohydrates on the label. We also show the Avoid List, a count of unwanted additives. You can sort the list by any of them or by price. The scores describe what the label says. They are not medical advice: if your cat has a health problem, talk to your vet before changing food.

Ingredient Score

Each ingredient on the label gets 0 to 5 points from our ingredient list. Some examples:

  • 5 points: named animal proteins (chicken, salmon meal, turkey), fish or algae oil, taurine.
  • 4 points: vitamins, chelated minerals, named animal fats, probiotics, natural preservatives.
  • 3 points: fruits and vegetables, other minerals, fiber sources such as beet pulp.
  • 2 points: by-product meals, flavorings, salt, legumes, potatoes and grains such as oats or brown rice.
  • 1 point: corn, wheat, soy, rice, starches and plant protein concentrates such as corn gluten meal.
  • 0 points: artificial colors, artificial flavors, synthetic preservatives and menadione.

Ingredients are listed by weight, heaviest first, so the first few usually make up most of the food. The average of the first five counts for 70% of the score and the average of the rest for 30%. Foods without a full ingredient list on the maker's site have no ingredient score yet.

Nutrition Score

We use the guaranteed analysis exactly as it is printed on the bag. Protein, fat and carbohydrates each get up to 5 points, and the total is shown out of 10. A value inside our target range gets full points, and it loses points step by step the further it is from the range, on either side. Protein counts three times, fat twice and carbohydrates once.

  • Adult and senior foods: protein 35 to 45%, fat 15 to 22%, carbohydrates 15 to 25%.
  • Kitten foods: protein 39 to 49%; fat and carbohydrates as above.
  • Weight control foods: protein 42 to 50%, fat 9 to 13%, carbohydrates as above. Calories also count: full points at 3,250 kcal/kg or less, the limit AAFCO sets for dry cat foods labeled "light", and one point less for every extra 100 kcal/kg.

Our ranges are based on the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles and sit above the AAFCO minimums (on a dry matter basis, protein 26% for adult cats and 30% for kittens, fat 9%).

Most labels do not list carbohydrates, so we estimate them: 100 minus protein, fat, fiber, ash and moisture. Ash is not required on US labels; when it is missing we assume 7%, a typical value for dry cat food, and say so on the food's page. Labels in the new US format list total carbohydrates, which include dietary fiber; we subtract the dietary fiber so these foods can be compared with the rest.

Fiber and ash are shown on each food's page but are not scored.

If a protein or fat ingredient does not name the animal it comes from (for example poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal, fish meal or animal fat), we cannot tell what it is, so we take the cautious view. The nutrition score is halved when such an ingredient is among the first five, and multiplied by 0.75 when it appears later in the list.

Avoid List

The Avoid List is a count of unwanted additives. We count how many of these the label lists, including inside parentheses:

  • Synthetic preservatives: BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, TBHQ, propyl gallate.
  • Artificial colors: Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, titanium dioxide, caramel color, iron oxide.
  • Artificial flavors.
  • Menadione (a synthetic form of vitamin K), added sugar and propylene glycol.

Zero is best. This count is shown on its own and does not change the two scores beyond the ingredient points above.

How the List Is Sorted

The list opens sorted by Ingredient score, highest first. You can sort by Nutrition, Avoid List or Price instead. When two foods tie, the one with the lower price per pound comes first, then the brand and name in alphabetical order. Foods without a score or a checked price go to the end of that sort.

Our Picks

Above the list we show up to three picks from the foods that match your answers. A fixed rule chooses them, the same for every food. Only foods with a checked price, an Ingredient score, a Nutrition score of 6 or more (out of 10) and nothing on the Avoid List can be picked. If you have not chosen an age, the picks come from adult foods.

  • Best Ingredients: the highest Ingredient score.
  • Best Value: the lowest price per pound among the foods whose Ingredient score is above the middle of the group.
  • Lowest Price: the lowest price per pound.

When one food wins more than one pick, it is shown once with each label it won.

Rankings are not for sale. Whether a store pays us a commission does not change a score or a position. See our affiliate disclosure.

Where the Data Comes From

We copy the guaranteed analysis, ingredients, calories and feeding chart from the maker's own product page or the package. When we cannot find the maker's feeding chart for an adult food, we estimate the daily amount from the label calories and the maintenance energy formula in the Merck Veterinary Manual: 1.2 × 70 × (weight in kg)^0.75, the figure for a neutered adult cat, or 1.0 × for weight control foods, the figure for an adult cat prone to weight gain. The food page says when an amount is estimated. Prices are checked by hand at the store on the date shown next to each price. If you spot a mistake, write to hello@pettings.net and we will check it.