The 9 Best Cat Foods in China (original) (raw)

China has a bad reputation in the pet food industry since country was implicated in the major FDA pet food recall of 2007. This recall was triggered by reports of poisoning due to elevated melamine levels.

It’s been 15 years since the recall, but pet owners are still hesitant to purchase pet foods made in China as well as foods that contain ingredients sourced from China.

But are pet foods in China really that bad? And what brands are available for Chinese pet owners?

In this guide, we’ll briefly discuss what your cat needs in terms of nutrition. We’ll also talk about the kind of cat food you’ll find in China and introduce you to our top picks.

At a Glance: Best Cat Food To Buy in China

Want a quick look at the best cat foods reviewed in this article? In the comparison table below, we’ve highlighted some of the most important features of each product. You’ll find more detailed information about each product later in the article.

Why Should You Trust Us?

Having reviewed over 235 of the world’s most popular cat food brands and hundreds of formulas. We spent hours researching, contacting pet food companies, and analyzing labels. With the help of our cats, we’ve also accumulated hours upon hours of hands-on experience with different cat foods.

Based on that research, we’re bringing you an updated list of the best cat food brands and products available in China. We’ve researched the brands themselves and evaluated individual recipes to bring you our top picks.

The Basics of Feline Nutrition

Before diving into the details of our top picks, it’s important to understand the basics of feline nutrition. When you understand your cat’s needs for protein, fat, and essential nutrients you’ll be better able to understand our evaluations and make judgments of your own.

Protein is the most essential component of a balanced diet for cats.

Cats are obligate carnivores which means they are biologically designed to eat meat. It’s not just that they prefer it – their bodies simply can’t process plant foods effectively. Plant foods also provide very limited nutritional value for cats.

This being the case, it’s important to select a recipe as low in carbohydrates as possible. Generally, that means a wet food – ideally one that isn’t thickened with starchy ingredients to make a gravy. It’s particularly important to avoid corn, wheat, and soy ingredients as well as starchy vegetables and plant protein concentrates.

Following protein, fat is the second most important nutrient for cats.

Not only does it support your cat’s ability to absorb and utilize essential nutrients, but it provides a concentrated source of calories. Growing kittens have higher needs for fat than adult cats, but the minimum recommended fat content in your cat’s diet is 9% regardless of age.

Cats also need certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids in their diet. Taurine in particular is an essential amino acid that must come from dietary sources.

Generally speaking, it’s wise to avoid cat foods that contain excessively long lists of ingredients. This generally means that the ingredients aren’t particularly rich in nutrition and that the recipe relies heavily on synthetic supplements. You should also avoid cat foods made with artificial additives like colorant, flavoring, and preservatives.

Overview of the 2007 Melamine Recall

In March of 2007 the FDA received reports that pets were getting sick and even dying after eating certain pet foods. After conducting a thorough investigation, the FDA determined that the problem was linked to contaminants in certain vegetable proteins sourced from China. It was revealed that these contaminated ingredients contained high levels of melamine.

In 2008, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations announced that two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operated had been indicted by a federal grand jury. The named parties were Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co, LTD (XAC) along with its owner Mao Linzhun and Suzhou Textiles, Silk, Light Industrial Products, Arts and Crafts I/E Co. LTD (SCC), managed by Chen Zhen Hao.

These parties were indicted on 26 counts by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, MO. An additional 27 counts were indicted against ChemNutra, Inc. and its owners who had contracted with SSC and XAC to purchase food-grade wheat gluten. It is estimated that 800 tons of wheat gluten tainted with melamine was imported to the United States between November 6, 2006 and February 21, 2007.

Melamine is an industrial chemical used in the production of plastics and adhesives. While melamine isn’t considered toxic for humans in these forms, the chemical and its byproduct (cyanuric acid) is dangerous for pets. In the 2007 recall, elevated melamine levels were linked to reports of kidney failure and the deaths of thousands of cats and dogs.

Following the recall, over 150 pet food brands recalled products made with wheat gluten, rice protein, and other vegetable proteins sourced from China. This list includes big names like Diamond Pet Foods, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and Royal Canin.

The Pet Food Market in China

Given the seriousness of the 2007 recall, I wasn’t surprised to find a dearth of pet foods made in China. While many popular brands still source ingredients from China, I wasn’t able to find any brands manufactured in China and especially none that are currently imported into the USA.

I did, however, find a consumer alert issued by The Truth About Pet Food referencing a change in the production and exportation of Chinese-made pet foods.

In the 2016 report, author Susan Thrixton references an announcement (the link to which is broken) which reads, “Chinese manufacturers in the early days have been known in the pet industry as suppliers of cheaper snacks for dogs and cats and chewing bones for dogs, which were almost always delivered under the trademark of Western companies, but a significant change is now discernible.”

Thrixton goes on to say that, as of 2016, China was shifting toward the manufacture of complete pet foods with intentions of exporting them all over the world. Predicting consumer concern, Chinese pet food manufacturers reported that they had hired “an international consultant in the field of pet food” and had pet foods tested by SGS-Germany HmbH, Hamburg.

The article doesn’t mention specific manufacturers or brand names, unfortunately, and I wasn’t able to find any more information about the announcement. What I did find is a report issued by Mordor Intelligence in 2021 titled China Pet Food Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022-2027).

Regarding the competitive landscape of the pet food market in China, the report states, “The China pet food market is consolidated with the presence of multinational companies, such as Mars Incorporated, Nestle Purina Pet Food, Bridge PetCare, Yantai China Pet Food Co. Ltd, Royal Canin China Co. Ltd., Huaxing Pet Food Co. Ltd, and Chengdu Care Pet Food Co. Ltd.”

Mars Inc., Nestle Purina, and Royal Canin are, of course, US-based pet food companies with manufacturing facilities around the world. The remaining four companies, however, appear to be manufactured in China.

What Brands Are Made in China?

Referred to as “multinational companies” in the previously mentioned report, Bridge PetCare, Yantai China Pet Food Co. Ltd., Huaxing Pet Food Co. Ltd, and Chengdu Care Pet Food Co. Ltd. appear to be manufactured in China and sold internationally.

Bridge PetCare is headquartered in Shanghai, China. On the company’s website, Bridge PetCare is described as a “China-Norway joint venture company.” This company manufactures several brands including NatureBridge, Kitchen Flavor, and Vigor & Sage.

Yantai China Pet Foods Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Shandong Sheng, China but has 17 pet food manufacturing facilities in countries around the world, including the USA and Canada. Their biggest brand name is Wanpy which is one of the few brands in China to have been awarded the “Chinese Famous Trademark.”

Huaxing Pet Food Co., Ltd. is headquartered at Jiasong Industrial Park of Nanhe County. This company manufactures over a dozen brands, the largest of which are Odin and Diyouke.

Finally, Chengdu Care Pet Food Co. Ltd. is headquartered in Changdu City, Sichuan. This company won the “Made in China Brand” PetAward in 2022. They offer one brand of cat food called Good Master.

The Best Cat Foods in China: Our Top Picks

My top two picks on this list are China-based brands NatureBridge and Diyouke. Google had some difficulty translating the label information for Good Master cat food and no specific information was available about Wanpy products on Yantai China Pet Foods Co. Ltd.’s website.

The remaining products on this list are US-based companies that either have manufacturing facilities in China or export internationally.

NOTE: Few of the foods on this list receive particularly high ratings. While the two China-made brands feature animal-based ingredients at the top of the list, they contain a significant amount of plant ingredients. The same is true for many of the US-based brands available in China.
If you’re not satisfied with the quality of these commercial pet foods, you might consider making your own cat food at home.

Keep in mind that making your own cat food isn’t as simple as boiling some chicken or chopping up some raw fish. Your cat requires a specific balance of nutrients to ensure optimal health and wellness. Ingredient quality matters, of course, but you need to follow a recipe formulated by a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist to achieve balanced nutrition.

Learn more about making your own cat food in this in-depth article.

Final Thoughts

The most important thing you can do to ensure the long-term health and wellness of your cat is to choose a high-quality, nutritionally balanced diet.

Unfortunately, there don’t appear to be many species-appropriate choices available in China. While the NatureBridge recipe reviewed above certainly seems to be one of the best options, it contains too many plant ingredients for my liking. The US-made brands may be familiar and easy to find, but they leave much to be desired in terms of quality.

What matters in the end is that you feed your cat the highest quality diet you can consistently afford. If you’re able to afford a homemade or raw diet, go for it! If not, we recommend NatureBridge or one of the lower carb recipes from the American-made brands reviewed above.