Dave’s Naturally Healthy 95% Wet Review

Dave’s Naturally Healthy 95% wet cat food receives the Cat Food Advisor rating, 4 stars

This limited ingredient range has fewer protein and carbohydrate sources while maintaining a nutritious formula, with no carrageenan or artificial flavors or colors.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Naturally Healthy 95% Chicken, Chicken Liver, & Turkey Paté 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.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is 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 water which adds nothing but moisture to this food.  Water is a routine finding in most wet cat foods.

The third ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fourth ingredient is turkey, which 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 fifth ingredient is guar gum, a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods.  Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.

The sixth ingredient is salt (also known as sodium chloride).  Salt is a common additive in many cat foods.  That’s because sodium is a necessary mineral for all animals — including humans. 

Salt can often be found in cat foods to promote cats to drink more water too. This is a means of increasing their hydration and diluting their urine which helps to reduce the likelihood of urinary stones forming.

However, since the actual amount of salt added to this recipe isn’t disclosed on the list of ingredients, it’s impossible to judge the nutritional value of this item.

The seventh ingredient is potassium chloride, a nutritional supplement sometimes used as a replacement for the sodium found in table salt.

The eighth ingredient is brewers yeast, which can be a controversial item. Although it’s a by-product of the beer making process, this ingredient is rich in minerals and other healthy nutrients. 

Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.

Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to . This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular cat is allergic to the yeast itself.

In any case, unless your cat is specifically allergic to it, yeast can still be considered a nutritious additive.

What’s more noteworthy here is that brewers yeast contains about 48% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual 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 4

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Dave’s Naturally Healthy Grain Free Chicken & Whitefish Dinner looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 40.9%, a fat level of 27.3% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 23.8%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 40.9% and an average fat level of 25.8%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 25.3% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 63%.

This means that Dave’s Pet Food Naturally Healthy range contains near-average protein, below- average carbohydrate and above-average fat, when compared to typical wet cat food.

Has Dave's Pet Food cat food been recalled in the past?

No. Dave’s Pet Food has never had to recall one of its cat foods. However, there have been two recalls of its dog foods. One in December 2015, the other in June 2018. To find out more information, visit the Dog Food Advisor.

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

Dave’s Pet Food was founded by Dave Ratner, an independent retailer and the man behind a chain of pet stores in New England.

It offers a wide range of cat and dog food products including canned, dry, grain-free and limited ingredient options. Most of the products feature natural ingredients and avoid artificial additives and by-products.