Perfect Fit Dry Review

Perfect Fit dry cat food receives the Cat Food Advisor rating, 3 stars

This food contains meat and animal derivatives so has high levels of protein.  However, vegetable proteins are included so this needs to be considered when evaluating the protein content.  Vitamins and minerals have been added to the recipes.

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

The Perfect Fit product line includes eight dry cat foods.

Recipe and Label Analysis

PERFECT FIT™ Indoor Advanced Nutrition Adult Dry Cat Food Chicken 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.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is meat and animal derivatives. In EU pet food ingredients lists there is the option to list the names of each individual ingredient in descending weight order, as we see in AAFCO declarations. The other option is to declare groups of ingredients as categories including meat and animal derivatives.

By using category declarations this cat food recipe is not fixed, but can include different ingredients at different points — so long as the guaranteed analysis and ingredient categories listed remain the same. 

This gives the brand space to adjust its recipe to use ingredients which are more readily available or less expensive. The meat can come from any combination of cattle, pigs, sheep or goats — which can make identifying specific food allergens impossible.

Even though meat and animal derivatives are protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider an anonymous generic ingredient such as this to be a quality item.

The ingredient itself can come from any combination of cattle, pigs, sheep or goats — which can make identifying specific food allergies impossible.

Although most meat by-products can be nutritious, we do not consider such vaguely described (generic) ingredients to be as high in quality as those derived from a named animal source.

The second ingredient is wheat.  Like corn, wheat is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain.  And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a cat.

For this reason, we do not consider wheat a preferred component in any cat food.

The third ingredient is maize.  Corn is another cereal grain and subject to the same issues as wheat (previously discussed).

The fourth ingredient is derivatives of vegetable origin.  This is a description used in EU category declarations.  In EU pet food ingredients lists there is the option to list the names of each individual ingredient in descending weight order, as we see in AAFCO declarations. The other option is to declare groups of ingredients as categories including derivatives of vegetable origin.

By using category declarations this cat food recipe is not fixed, but can include different ingredients at different points — so long as the guaranteed analysis and ingredient categories listed remain the same.

This gives the brand space to adjust its recipe to use ingredients which are more readily available or less expensive. The ingredient can come from any combination of cereals, vegetables, legumes and oil seeds — which can make identifying specific food allergens impossible.

Even though derivatives of vegetable origin can be nutritious, we do not consider an anonymous generic ingredient such as this to be a quality item.

The fifth ingredient is yucca schidigera, which is a natural extract made from a flowering desert plant and used in pet foods to control fecal and urinary odor.

The sixth ingredient is vegetable protein extracts.  In EU pet food ingredients lists there is the option to list the names of each individual ingredient in descending weight order, as we see in AAFCO declarations. The other option is to declare groups of ingredients as categories including Vegetable protein extracts.

By using category declarations this cat food recipe is not fixed, but can include different ingredients at different points — so long as the guaranteed analysis and ingredient categories listed remain the same.

This gives the brand space to adjust its recipe to use ingredients which are more readily available or less expensive. The ingredient can come from any combination of vegetables which can make identifying specific food allergens impossible.

Even though vegetable protein extracts contain over 50% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than animal protein and we do not consider an anonymous generic ingredient such as this to be a quality item..

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label – a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.

The seventh ingredient is oils and fats. Many oils and fats can be a good addition to food. However, because the specific type of fats and oils used are not named, it is not possible to comment on the nutritional value of these in this food.

The eighth ingredient is minerals.  Minerals are included in this ingredients list, as in Europe ingredients are declared a little differently.  

In the US our nutritional additives are listed within our ingredients list. In Europe, ingredients and additives are listed separately. 

For that reason the category of minerals can be included, to include those elements which are classed as an ingredient, rather than an additive, such as calcium carbonate and magnesium oxide.  These elements contribute to the nutritional balance of a food and we see their inclusion as a positive.

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.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, PERFECT FIT™ Indoor Advanced Nutrition Adult Dry Cat Food Chicken recipe looks like an average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 41.1%, a fat level of 13.3% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 37.6%.

As a group, the brand features a near-average protein content of 39.4% and a near-average fat level of 15.6%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 37% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 40%.

This means this Perfect Fit range contains near-average protein, higher than average carbohydrate and near-average fat, when compared to typical dry cat food.

Has Perfect Fit cat food been recalled in the past?

No, Perfect Fit has no history of product recalls.

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

The Perfect Fit pet food brand is owned by Mars Petcare Inc.  It was developed in collaboration with Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition.

Mars Petcare Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Virginia and the company is entirely owned by the Mars family.

The Perfect Fit manufacturing site is located in Germany.