Cat food test: winner of Stiftung Warentest

The Stiftung Warentest tested cat food in the big test 2018. Only dry food was considered, which is not suitable as a complete feed for all house tigers. We have summarized for you what there is to consider and which brands perform particularly well.

Cat food test winner: Stiftung Warentest again praises discounters

The Stiftung Warentest examined cat food based on various criteria. The composition of the nutrients was crucial. Proteins, vitamins, fatty acids and minerals are particularly important for cat nutrition. And the Stiftung Warentest was pleased with largely positive results:

• 20 out of 25 dry foods tested contain all the important nutrients your cat needs to be healthy.
• The Stiftung Warentest was unable to find attractants and reluctant "animal by-products" such as hooves or bristles in the laboratory.
• But there were some products that advertised as grain-free or gluten-free. However, there are hardly any cats that cannot tolerate gluten.
• The best cut off two dry foods from the discounter and two brands. A healthy diet between 5 and 22 cents per daily ration is possible and not a question of money.
• All details of the test can be found at Test.de.

First place goes to Penny's cat food

The dry food "Penny Bianca" scores best in the test and receives an overall grade of 1.3.

• You can get the test winner from the discounter Penny for just 5 cents a day.
• The feed contains all important nutrients.
• The daily ration for a normal domestic cat with a body weight of about 4 kilograms is about 63 grams.
• This means that the feeding recommendations according to the manufacturer's instructions match the actual needs of your cat.

Second and third place for cheap brands and another discounter

The dry food from Kitekat and Lidl Coshida also did very well in the test:

• Both dry foods receive an overall grade of 1.5.
• They provide a very good mix of nutrients with the right feeding recommendations on the packaging.
• For 15 cents per day you get the tested variety Kitekat Chicken & Vegetables.
• The discount food Coshida from Lidl only costs 5 cents for a daily ration.

Purina One: Nestlé brand also performs very well

The Purina One brand was also convincing in the test:

• The Purina One BIFENSIS dry food convinced with an overall grade of 1.5.
• The composition of the nutrients is very good.
• Among the very good types of dry food for cats, it is the most expensive at 22 cents a day. Overall, however, it is still in the medium price range.

Good feed in the overview

A large number of dry feed types were able to complete the overall test with the overall rating "good". The nutrient composition of all listed brands has been rated "very good".

• Whiskas: overall grade 1.6; 19 cents a day, resealable bag
• Aldi Nord Schnuckpermix Schnucki: overall grade 1.8; too high feed recommendations; 5 cents a day
• Rewe yes! Crunchy mix: overall grade 1.9; Feeding information very limited and a bit too high, 5 cents a day
• The bird feeder: overall grade 2.0; Feeding recommendations too high, 6 cents per day
• Perfect Fit: overall grade 2.0; good feeding recommendations, advertises with a high iron content - but has a small amount of iron compared to other varieties, 25 cents per day
• Aldi Süd Cachet: overall grade 2.1; incorrectly promises high quality proteins, 5 cents a day
• Animonda Rafiné Cross: overall grade 2.2; insufficient feeding instructions, 21 cents a day
• Edeka Hello my cat: overall grade 2.4; Food recommendations too high for overweight cats, 5 cents per day

Satisfactory, sufficient and poor in the test

Some feeds were not entirely convincing in the Stiftung Warentest test.

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• Dry food from Sanabelle and Kaufland were only rated as "sufficient". The far too high feeding recommendations and the feed composition for Kaufland feed are criticized. It contains little protein and a lot of potassium and iodine.
• Only Defu's expensive organic feed was rated as "deficient". It contains a lot of phosphorus and little protein - this can cause kidney damage in cats. In addition, the promise of the "gluten-free recipe" is not true.

When you can take dry food as a complete feed

Not every cat tolerates eating dry food only. This is the case if your cat rarely drinks. Try not to place the drinking bowl next to the food bowl. A drinking fountain or a running tap also encourages the cat to drink. If you rarely observe your cat ingesting fluids, you should add wet food or switch to it entirely.

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