Diamond Naturals cat food review

Diamond Naturals Cat Food Review 2023 (In-Depth)

Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

Since your kitty is a cherished family member, you want their food to be top-shelf. Many manufacturers portray their cat foods as premium brands. However, company practices and product labels tell the real story.

In this Diamond Naturals cat food review, I address these two criteria. I also make buying recommendations, supported by research. After reading this post, you’ll know which varieties of Diamond Naturals are best-suited to your cutie.

Clues to Quality

Diamond Pet Foods, based in the US, manufactures this natural cat food. The product line includes both dry and wet types, covered separately below. You can choose from six formulas, each one balanced and complete.

What’s the proof of sound nutrition? The product labels bear an “AAFCO Statement,” verifying nutritional adequacy. AAFCO is a non-profit organization that upholds nutritional standards for pet foods, based on current scientific data.

When you see the AAFCO Statement, you know the pet food meets all your kitty’s nutritional needs, according to their life stage. All Diamond Naturals cat foods have the AAFCO Statement on their packaging. So, that’s one sign of quality.

Secondly, the products are free of artificial preservatives, colors, and flavorings.

Thirdly, Diamond Naturals’ chicken comes from cage-free birds. From this fact, you can infer that the pet food manufacturer promotes animal welfare.

Dry Cat Food

Diamond Naturals offers three dry food formulas, tailored to active cats, indoor cats, or kittens. The food bags come in two sizes, 6 pounds and 18 pounds.

Nutritional Highlights

Protein Factor

AAFCO requires all adult cat foods to be at least 26 percent protein. The Active Cat kibble exceeds this benchmark, being 40 percent protein:

Active Cat Chicken Meal & Rice Formula dry cat food
Active Cat Chicken Meal & Rice


Is your kitty in their golden years? If they’re age 10 or older, they have noble senior status.

In that case, you must be cautious with Kitty’s dietary protein. Older cats are prone to kidney disease. Excess protein overloads their kidneys, advancing organ decline.

Compared to the Active Cat formula, the Indoor Cat variety has less protein. So, if Kitty is a senior, Indoor Cat is likely best for them in this regard:

Indoor Cat Chicken & Rice Formula dry cat food
Indoor Cat Chicken & Rice



Meat

Food labels list ingredients in order of concentration by weight. In the best quality cat foods, the first ingredient is meat, essential for feline survival. Ideal options are chicken, turkey, and beef. Fish is fine too, so long as it doesn’t dominate your cat’s diet.

Here’s where Diamond Naturals kibble comes up a little short. The first ingredient in both Active Cat and Indoor Cat is chicken meal. This is a type of animal byproduct made of meat scraps. They do supply pets with protein, but the grade is poor. High-quality protein comes from animal muscle.

Moving on, in Active Cat, the second ingredient after chicken meal is white rice. Indoor Cat lists chicken second, which is much better. Plus, Indoor Cat has added a roughage for hairball control.

The Kitten formula has slightly better quality than the other two varieties. Chicken is first on the ingredient list, followed by chicken meal:

Kitten Chicken & Rice Formula dry cat food
Kitten Chicken & Rice



Noteworthy Additions

Each dry food variety contains the following supplemental ingredients.

  • Probiotics – favorable bacteria that aid digestion and bolster immunity.
  • Antioxidants – compounds from brightly colored fruits and vegetables that help prevent disease and infections.
  • Omega Fatty Acids – essential fats that promote joint flexibility, healthy skin, and shiny coats. The American College of Veterinary Nutrition recommends that all pet foods contain omega fatty acids.
  • Fiber – plant roughage that prevents kitty constipation.

Wet Cat Food

Diamond Naturals wet food comes in 5.5-ounce cans and three varieties – Chicken, Indoor Cat Hairball Control, and Whitefish. The hairball control formula is specifically for adult cats. The chicken and whitefish varieties suit both cats and kittens.

Whitefish Dinner For Adult Cats & Kittens wet cat food
Whitefish Dinner For Adult Cats & Kittens



Nutritional Highlights

What I value in all three formulas is the absence of animal byproducts. In both the hairball and chicken varieties, the first two components are chicken and chicken liver. The whitefish product is most impressive. The leading ingredients are whitefish, chicken, ocean fish, and chicken liver.

Indoor Cat Hairball Control Dinner For Adult Cats wet cat food
Indoor Cat Hairball Control Dinner For Adult Cats


Like the Diamond Naturals kibble, all the wet foods contain antioxidants, omega fatty acids, and fiber. While the canned food doesn’t have probiotics, that’s not a huge loss. Felines already have probiotic bacteria living in their intestines. Supplemental probiotics help to boost the existing colonies.

Chicken Dinner For Adult Cats & Kittens wet cat food
Chicken Dinner For Adult Cats & Kittens


Comparing Types

The protein quality is higher in the canned food, as most of the meat comes from muscle tissue, not a meat byproduct.

There’s another reason why I favor the Diamond Naturals wet food. Most kitties don’t drink enough water. Dehydration raises their risk of painful urinary crystals and urinary tract disease.

Feeding your kitty wet food dilutes their urine, lowering the chances of these urinary problems. That’s because the average can of cat food contains 70 to 80 percent water.

Still, the kibble has probiotics for stronger immunity and digestive health.

To reap the benefits of both food types, consider giving Kitty half-portions of the dry and wet foods daily.

Where Diamond Naturals Sold

Diamond Pet Foods sells the above products through its website and authorized retailers. Online sellers include Amazon, Naturally Unleashed, PetFlow, and Chewy. My choice is Chewy with their 30% discount on your first autoship order.

Food Transitioning

Note that you should switch to a new cat food gradually. One reason is that probiotic bacteria feed on fiber. Cat foods have varying amounts of fiber. So changing formulas can impact bacterial counts and feline digestion. For example, a microbial imbalance can cause vomiting, poor appetite, and loose stools.

Here’s an image to aid the food transition. Picture Kitty’s food bowl, holding a regular portion of their food, leveled out. Then, mix the former and new foods, using that image and this volume guideline for 10 days:

  • Days 1 to 3 – 1/4 new food and 3/4 former food
  • Days 4 and 5 – half new food and half former food
  • Days 7 to 9 – 3/4 new food and 1/4 former food
  • Day 10 – all-new food

Be sure to keep the total portion of food the same as before the switch. If Kitty shows signs of indigestion, revert to the beginning phase. Stay with that until your cat’s stomach stabilizes. Then, resume the progressive changes.

If Kitty’s stomach doesn’t settle or new symptoms arise, there may be another factor involved. In that case, bring your cat to their vet for a diagnosis.

Verging on Perfect

Here’s my overall assessment for this Diamond Naturals Cat Food Review.

The product line is superb. All six formulas are free of synthetic preservatives, colors, and flavors. Each recipe is nutritionally balanced and complete, evidenced by the AAFCO Statements on labels.

Plus, both the wet and dry types have omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber, sourced from healthy foods. Moreover, kibble has probiotics.

While comparison shopping, I found that this product line costs less than most other brands of wholesome cat foods.

The kibble has only one downside. In the Active Cat and Indoor Cat varieties, the first ingredient is chicken meal, an animal byproduct.

The big catch features a mix of salmon broth, chicken liver, tuna, and chicken. Your cat will like dried peas and cranberries for tangy accents. And it comes packed with vitamins and nutrients like vitamins E and A to support a healthy coat and skin.

Still, in my opinion, Diamond Naturals is an upstanding brand.

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