Our Verdict
Blackwood dry cat food receives the Cat Food Advisor rating, 3.5 stars.
It is made with high-quality ingredients and aims to provide a complete and balanced diet for cats of all life stages. The formulas typically feature real meat as the primary ingredient, along with a mix of other natural ingredients and essential nutrients.
One notable aspect of Blackwood cat food is the company’s emphasis on slow-cooking its recipes. It uses a slow-cooking process to enhance the flavor and preserve the nutritional value of the ingredients.
Pros
- Foods are nutritionally complete and balanced according to AAFCO standards
- Affordable
- All recipes are free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
Cons
- Some recipes contain plant-based protein
- Lower than average protein content with some recipes
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
The Blackwood product line includes nine dry cat foods.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Bounty Kitten Food Grain-Free Chicken & Herring | 4 | G |
| Bounty Grain Free Cat Food Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe | 4 | A |
| Bounty Dry Cat Food Grain Free Salmon & Rainbow Trout | 4 | A |
| Special Diet Cat Food Duck Meal, Salmon Meal & Field Pea Recipe | 3.5 | A |
| Special Diet Dry Cat Food for All Stages of Life Chicken Meal & Field Pea Recipe | 3.5 | A |
| Blackwood Kitten Food Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe | 3.5 | G |
| Dry Senior Cat Food Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe | 3 | M |
| Indoor Cat Food Formula Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe | 3 | M |
| Adult Cat Food Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe | 3 | M |
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Recipe and Label Analysis
Blackwood Bounty Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey 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.
Blackwood Bounty Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Deboned chicken, deboned turkey, egg product, duck meal, whitefish meal, herring meal, salmon meal, field peas, lentils, tapioca starch, turkey meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), brewers dried yeast, whole ground flaxseed, dried sweet potato, natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, dried tomato pomace, potassium chloride, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, taurine, inulin, green mussels, potato, pumpkin meal, dried carrots, turmeric powder, pomegranate, broccoli powder, calcium carbonate, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, natural mixed tocopherols, dried seaweed meal, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, l-ascorbyl-2- polyphosphate, D-calcium-pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin a acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, citric acid, biotin, folic acid, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper sulfate, zinc oxide, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus reuteri fermentation product
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.5%
Red denotes any controversial items
Ingredients Analysis
The first and second ingredients are deboned chicken and turkey. Both meats are considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”. 1
They are also both naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.
The third ingredient is egg product, an unspecified (wet or dry?) form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly.
Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch. In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The fourth ingredient is duck meal. Duck meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh duck.
The fifth, sixth and seventh ingredients are whitefish meal, herring meal and salmon meal.
Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.2 And because it is considered a meat concentrate, fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.
The eighth ingredient is field peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber. However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this cat food.
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: 3.5
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Blackwood Bounty Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe looks like an average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 46.7%, a fat level of 21.1% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 27.6%.
As a group, the brand features an above-average protein content of 40.5% and an above average fat level of 17.8%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 27.6% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 45%.
This means this Blackwood dry cat food contains higher than average protein, near average carbohydrate and higher than average fat, when compared to typical dry cat food.
Final Word
There are nine recipes in the Blackwood dry product range, each recipe is tailored to meet the nutritional needs of cats at different stages of life.
Has Blackwood cat food been recalled in the past?
No, Blackwood has never been recalled.
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
Blackwood Pet Foods is a family-operated brand that’s based in Ohio. Founded around 20 years ago, the company offers super premium wet and dry dog food, cat food, puppy food, and kitten food.
Grain-free and gluten-free options are available, along with sensitive diet recipes for pets with unique dietary needs.
Blackwood is manufactured in the United States and all of it’s recipes are AAFCO approved.
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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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