Our Verdict
Authority dry cat food receives the Cat Food Advisor rating, 3 stars.
The food contains protein from both animal and plant sources and is fortified with synthetic vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. There are corn by-products in this range, which are considered controversial.
Pros
- Formulated for cats of all ages
- The recipe has added supplements to boost nutrition
- Enriched with taurine to help support eye and heart health for cats
Cons
- Most varieties contain filler ingredients and grains
- Corn is highlighted as the fourth ingredient
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
The Authority dry product line includes 15 cat foods.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Authority® Everyday Health Indoor Cat Dry Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | M |
| Authority® Hairball Control & Healthy Weight Cat Dry Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 2 | M |
| Authority® Sensitive Stomach & Skin Cat Dry Food - Turkey & Rice, With-Grain | 2 | A |
| Authority® Everyday Health All Life Stages Dry Cat Food - Chicken, Rice & Turkey, With-Grain | 3 | A |
| Authority® Everyday Health Indoor Cat Dry Food - Salmon & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | A |
| Authority® Everyday Health Indoor Kitten Cat Dry Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 4 | G |
| Authority® Hairball Control Cat Dry Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | M |
| Authority® Everyday Health Adult Dry Cat Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | M |
| Authority® Everyday Health Indoor Senior Cat Dry Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | M |
| Authority® Everyday Health Indoor Cat Dry Food - Tuna & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | M |
| Authority® Gut Health Cat Dry Food - Salmon & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | M |
| Authority® Sensitive Stomach & Skin Cat Dry Food - Ocean Whitefish & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | A |
| Authority® Everyday Health Senior Dry Cat Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | M |
| Authority® Everyday Health Indoor Kitten Cat Dry Food - Salmon & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | G |
| Authority® Everyday Health Kitten Dry Cat Food - Chicken & Rice, With-Grain | 3 | G |
Recipe and Label Analysis
Authority Everyday Health All Life Stages Dry Cat Food – Chicken, Rice & Turkey, With-Grain recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Authority Everyday Health All Life Stages Dry Cat Food - Chicken, Rice & Turkey, With-Grain recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brewers rice, ground corn, corn protein concentrate, chicken fat, deboned turkey, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavor, dried egg product, salmon oil, potassium chloride, inulin, choline chloride, salt, dicalcium phosphate, vitamins (vitamin e supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, niacin supplement, vitamin a supplement, thiamine mononitrate, D-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), sodium hexametaphosphate, minerals (zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), taurine, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4%
Red denotes any controversial items
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient is deboned chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.
The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a cat.
The fourth ingredient is ground corn, a coarsely ground flour made from dried corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a cat. For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any cat food.
The fifth ingredient is corn protein concentrate, a dried, starch-free powder made from the internal portion of a corn kernel. A component rarely found in cat food, corn protein concentrate is more commonly used to make feeds for aquaculture (fish farming).
Containing about 80% protein, this inexpensive plant-based ingredient can significantly boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this cat food.
The sixth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The seventh ingredient is deboned turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”. 2
Turkey is naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.
The eighth ingredient is dried plain beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing. Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most cat foods is entirely acceptable.
From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.
Recipe star rating: 3
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Authority Everyday Health All Life Stages Dry Cat Food – Chicken, Rice & Turkey, With-Grain recipe looks like an average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 35.6%, a fat level of 17.8% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 38.7%.
As a group, the brand features a below average protein content of 34.6% and a near average fat level of 16%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 41.4% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 50%.
This means this Authority dry cat food contains lower than average protein, higher than average carbohydrate and near average fat, when compared to typical dry cat food.
Final Word
Authority dry cat food contains a number of controversial ingredients across the product line.
However, each recipe in the range is tailored to meet the nutritional needs of cats at different stages of life.
Has Authority cat food been recalled in the past?
Yes. In the spring of 2007, Authority released a recall of several of its formulas due to melamine contamination. Melamine is a nitrogen-based chemical that’s used to create a variety of household goods including plastics, dishware, and utensils.
This plastic compound found its way into certain Authority ingredients that were being sourced from China.
Now all Authority formulas are USA-sourced and made and the company has not had a recall since.
You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.
To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.
About
Authority cat food is created and distributed exclusively by PetSmart LLC— a pet superstore chain founded in 1986 by Jim and Janice Dougherty.
PetSmart opened its first two stores in 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona, under the name PetFood Warehouse that sold pet food in bulk at discount prices.
PetSmart LLC has a range pet food and products, as well as services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, and pet adoption.
Sources
Best cat foods
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Article reviewed by
Veterinarian
Dr Georgia Jeremiah has a first class honors degree in comparative pathology with field experience in anatomic and clinical pathology, studying disease processes in a multitude of species.
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