Most cats love wet food. The pungent deliciousness of canned foods, including filets in gravy and pâté, seems to send most cats straight to cloud nine. When it comes to wet food, cats are (thankfully) spoiled for choice, and products are available with various ingredients and textures designed to meet all sorts of feline dietary needs.

There are even formulas designed for kittens and older cats! We hope these reviews provide a snapshot of what’s out there regarding wet food for cats and give you a few things to consider while making your decision. But remember that your veterinarian should be your go-to source when it comes to questions about your cat’s health and what to feed your buddy to ensure their specific life stage and health needs are met.

Note: The information about these diets has been fact-checked by one of our licensed veterinarians; however, this post is not intended to make specific recommendations for your cat. You should speak to your veterinarian if you are considering changing your cat’s diet. Your vet can provide you with tailored advice since they know your cat and their own unique circumstances. A change in diet should always be done gradually to avoid digestive issues. The ratings, views, and opinions expressed within the post are not necessarily those of the veterinarian.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

The 15 Best Wet Cat Foods

1. Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Fish Recipe — Best Overall

Smalls produces several options for cats, and it easily takes home the prize for the best overall wet cat food. Its Human-Grade Fresh Fish Recipe is a wet food featuring whole ingredients such as cod and salmon. It’s packed with essential nutrients such as taurine to support feline heart and digestive health.

Tasty vegetables are added to provide natural sources of vitamins and minerals. The entrees are also available with chicken, turkey, and beef, and there are smooth and ground choices for more variety when it comes to consistency. Every batch is tested for pathogens and nutritional content.

Smalls’ wet foods are lightly cooked and don’t contain preservatives; they’re frozen and shipped on dry ice. The food must be stored in the freezer to keep everything fresh. Once open, it’s good for around 5 days as long as it’s properly refrigerated. Smalls is a subscription service, so you must sign up for a plan to get in on the action.

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2. Chicken Soup for the Soul Chicken & Turkey Recipe Adult Pâté Canned Cat Food — Budget Buy

Chicken Soup for the Soul’s pâté hits all the vital feline nutritional high points and won’t cost you a fortune. It’s our pick for the best wet cat food for the money. It’s packed with tasty whole proteins, including chicken, turkey, and duck, and it features a bit of salmon for healthy nutrients and an extra touch of flavor. While the recipe doesn’t include wheat or soy, it has brown rice and oatmeal, so it’s not a grain-free choice.

The pâté contains fruits, such as cranberries and apples, to provide antioxidant protection. It also features nutrients such as vitamins A and D, manganese, and potassium. It’s artificial flavor and preservative-free. Chicken Soup for the Soul also makes formulas featuring delicate shreds of protein in tasty gravy for cats who prefer chunkier textures. The cans are only available in 5.5-ounce sizes.

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3. Nutro Perfect Portions Grain Free Salmon & Tuna Pâté Recipe Adult Wet Cat Food

Nutro’s Perfect Portions Grain Free Salmon and Tuna Pâté Recipe is packed with whole salmon, chicken, and tuna. It’s also soy- and corn-free. Each tray includes two separately packed 1.32-ounce portions of pâté, making it easy to provide cats with precisely the amount of food they need. There’s no need to worry about storing half a can of food in the refrigerator and warming it up later!

The recipe includes vitamins and minerals to help cats stay in top shape, including magnesium, thiamine, taurine, and vitamin E. It also has extra gravy to improve hydration, and no artificial preservatives or colors are included. The food comes in several tasty flavors, including chicken and liver and chicken and salmon, which is ideal for cats that enjoy a variety.

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4. Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Tender Chicken Recipe Cat Food — Best for Kittens

Hill’s Science Diet’s Kitten Tender Chicken Recipe is formulated to meet kitten’s unique nutritional needs. It’s not suitable to feed an adult cat. It includes essential vitamins and minerals, such as taurine, vitamin E, and magnesium, and it even has antioxidants to encourage optimal immune system function. Its bite-sized chunks come slathered in tasty gravy, and everything is easily digestible so that kittens can take advantage of all the nutrients included in the food.

Hill’s wet food comes in 2.8-ounce pouches, so there’s no need to worry about a can opener or struggling to remove sharp lids. Each pouch holds enough for one serving, so cats can always enjoy fresh meals. Hill’s Science Diet also makes chicken and brown rice dry food for kittens, and there are wet foods with different textures, including minced varieties. Recipes featuring chunks with gravy are also available.

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5. Tiki Cat Bora Bora Grill Sardine Cutlets in Lobster Consomme Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

Tiki Cat’s Bora Bora Grill Canned food is packed with protein from sardines cut into tiny filets and smothered in a thick lobster broth that provides flavor and hydration. It has a high protein content to help keep cats’ muscles firing and strong. It also provides omega fatty acids to ensure shiny coats and their supple skin. The consomme also includes important nutrients such as vitamin B12, taurine, and potassium.

The cans come in two sizes, 2.8 and 6 ounces. Tiki Cat also makes tasty, shredded recipes featuring ingredients such as tuna and crab, and there are a few flaked choices as well. The company also makes several grain-free dry foods featuring ingredients such as chicken, turkey, and salmon, making it easy to give cats several options if they like Tiki Cat products.

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6. Purina Pro Plan Adult Complete Essentials Salmon & Rice Entrée in Sauce Canned Cat Food

Purina’s Pro Plan’s Salmon and Rice Entrée features tender chunks of salmon moistened by juicy gravy. The entrée provides many important nutrients, including antioxidants, to support immune function. It also has vitamin A, taurine, and linoleic acid to keep your cat healthy. It’s packed with moisture to help your cat stay hydrated, which can be important if your buddy isn’t a fan of drinking water.

Cats that prefer more variety in their meals are in luck with Purina Pro Plan’s Complete Essentials products. Several flavors are available to please picky eaters, including choices featuring tuna and chicken. The cans are available in 3 and 5.5-ounce sizes and feature lift-up lids.

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7. Chicken Soup for the Soul Weight & Mature Care Ocean Fish, Chicken & Turkey Recipe Pâté Canned Cat Food

Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Weight & Mature Care Ocean Fish, Chicken & Turkey recipe is formulated to meet the needs of older cats and those needing help with maintaining their weight. It’s a juicy pâté featuring protein from whole animal sources, including chicken, salmon, turkey, and duck.

The blend includes cranberries to provide antioxidants, and it contains DHAs for brain health and taurine to keep cats’ health in top shape. It also has essential nutrients such as vitamin E and potassium, along with healthy grains such as brown rice and oatmeal, to provide fiber, which can help keep cats full and regular.

Chicken Soup for the Soul also makes a Weight & Mature Chicken and Rice dry food for cats that occasionally like to nibble on something crunchy. The pâté is only available in 5.5-ounce cans.

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8. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Light Liver & Chicken Entrée Canned Cat Food

Hill’s Science Diet’s Light Liver and Chicken Entree is a pork and chicken minced option designed to help maintain an ideal weight in adult cats. The formulation features a specific nutritional profile designed to reduce hunger in cats and prevent unwanted weight gain. It also has taurine to support vision and cardiovascular health.

Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and important nutrients such as phosphorus are also included. Because it’s specifically formulated to provide optimal support for adult cats, the entrees don’t have all the nutrients kittens and pregnant queens require. The entrees are available in 2.9 and 5.5-ounce peel-open cans, and there’s also a dry food option for cats that also enjoy kibble.

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9. Purina Pro Plan Focus Sensitive Skin & Stomach Tuna & Oatmeal Entrée Canned Cat Food

Purina Pro Plan’s Focus Sensitive Skin and Stomach Tuna and Oatmeal Entrée is formulated to be easy on the stomach and to support skin and coat health. It’s loaded with protein from healthy sources such as tuna and ocean whitefish. It also has essential nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and taurine to support your cat’s overall health.

Oatmeal is included to provide a healthy source of fiber, and the pâté also provides probiotics for extra gut health support. The minced pâté comes in 3-ounce cans.

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10. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Tender Ocean Fish Dinner Canned Cat Food

Hill’s Science Diet’s Adult Tender Ocean Fish Dinner is formulated with the needs of adult cats in mind. It’s designed to help cats maintain appropriate body weights and deliver digestive support. The recipe has mouth-watering chunks of fish and chicken covered with hydrating gravy that provide protein to strengthen feline muscles.

It also contains taurine to support your cat’s heart and vision. Its ingredients were specifically chosen and blended to appeal to picky feline taste preferences. Hill’s Science Diet regularly tests all of its pet foods for safety. It’s available in several flavors, including choices featuring proteins such as salmon, turkey, and tuna. Cans are available in 2.9 and 5.5-ounce sizes.

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11. Royal Canin Feline Spayed/Neutered Thin Slices in Gravy Canned Cat Food

Royal Canin’s Spayed/Neutered Thin Slices in Gravy is designed to support the health of spayed and neutered cats by making it easier for them to stay at appropriate weights. The food features a precise mixture of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to help cats feel full, which may keep them from overeating.

Chicken and pork are the main protein sources, but the food also contains animal by-products. The recipe also has vitamins E and magnesium to help cats look and feel their best. It’s available in 3-ounce, easy-open cans.

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12. Applaws Tuna Fillet With Seaweed Canned Cat Food

Applaws Tuna Fillet with Seaweed Canned Cat Food features flaky pieces of tuna moistened with a flavorful broth. The entree only has four ingredients: wild-caught tuna, seaweed, rice, and fish broth, so it’s a nice option for cats who do best on limited-ingredient diets.

It’s a high-protein recipe packed with flavor that includes grain to provide digestion-supporting fiber. It’s free of artificial flavors and preservatives. The formula also includes important nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, which may keep cats’ skin supple and their fur glossy. Applaws only includes non-GMO ingredients in the formulation. You can choose between 2.7 and 5.5-ounce cans.

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13. Made by Nacho Cage Free Minced Chicken Recipe With Bone Broth Wet Cat Food

Made by Nacho’s Cage Free Minced Chicken Recipe With Bone Broth gives cats tons of tasty protein. It’s free of by-products, and the recipe includes whole chicken, turkey, and duck, which are cage-free. Important nutrients such as taurine and vitamin E are packed into every bite, including amino acids to nourish muscles. It contains omega-3 and -6 fatty acids for skin, coat, and brain health, and probiotics are also included to encourage optimal digestive health.

Cranberry and pumpkin add flavor and provide a natural source of fiber to keep cats regular and to provide immune system-supporting antioxidants. The entree comes smothered in rich bone broth to provide a tasty source of moisture. It’s corn, soy, and wheat-free but includes oatmeal, so it’s not considered grain-free.

The recipe comes in easy-to-open 2.5-ounce cups. It’s only formulated to meet the needs of adult cats.

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14. Blue Buffalo Tastefuls Chicken Entrée Pâté Wet Cat Food

Blue Buffalo’s Tastefuls Chicken Entrée Pâté is a tasty high-fat option that’s loaded with healthy whole chicken. It’s high in protein to ensure your buddy’s muscles get the nutrients they need. The pâté’s smooth texture is designed for cats that dislike chunky meals, and it has extra moisture to help meet feline hydration needs. It’s artificial flavor, corn, soy, and wheat-free.

Brown rice and sweet potatoes are included to provide fiber for regularity and digestive health. The meals are available with several protein sources, including turkey, tuna, salmon, and beef. Blue Buffalo’s wet foods are available in 3 and 5.5-ounce cans.

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15. Blue Buffalo True Solutions Blissful Belly Digestive Care Formula Wet Cat Food

Blue Buffalo’s True Solutions Blissful Belly Digestive Care features protein from whole chicken and fish and is designed to provide cats with sensitive tummies with something yummy and easy to digest. It contains probiotics to support your cat’s digestive health and nutrients such as vitamin A, manganese, and calcium.

Vitamins D and E are included to boost your cat’s immune function. It has potatoes and brown rice to provide fiber and even includes tasty ingredients, such as carrots and apples, for antioxidant protection. The pâté comes in 3-ounce cans, and there’s also a dry food option.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Wet Cat Food

Choosing the best canned wet food for your cat can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. This buyer’s guide should help make the process of choosing a new food easy and even enjoyable overall. Here are a few tips to follow when comparison shopping.

Pay Attention to Texture

It’s important to keep in mind that wet cat food comes in multiple types of textures, some of which your feline buddy may not enjoy. Also, some textures might not be suitable for your cat based on their age or the condition of their health. So, the texture should be one important aspect to focus on when comparing different foods to one another.

If your cat is used to eating dry food and human food snacks, they will probably enjoy the shredded and minced food options the best. If your kitty is incredibly young or really old and doesn’t have a full set of teeth, a pâté option would probably be most suitable. Then there are consommé options that are ideal for cats that are just learning to chew solid foods.

Sample Before Committing

Consider testing out a few different food options from our reviews list before choosing just one to continue feeding your cat in the future. Doing so will allow you to determine whether your kitty likes the taste and can handle the texture. You will have an opportunity to inspect the quality of the packaging and ease of managing the leftovers.

Buy just a couple cans of each food option that you’re considering for your cat. Then, try each out for a couple of days to see how your cat reacts. Take note of how easy it’s to open the can and how long it takes to get the food out. In the end, you should have a clear idea of which one stands out from the crowd.

Consult Your Veterinarian

Consulting with your veterinarian is one of the most important things that you should do before deciding which canned wet food to feed your cat. Let them know the types of foods that you are considering so they can help you determine whether they are appropriate for your furry family member. Your vet can recommend specific ingredients that will support the health of your cat, while advising you on which ingredients can prevent future health problems. At the very least, your vet will provide you with peace of mind and give you confidence in the food choice that you end up making for your cat.

A Few Thoughts

There are a few things to keep in mind when evaluating cat food. Brands that have the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statements of nutritional adequacy contain the nutrients cats usually need. However, cats have different nutritional requirements depending on their age and health.

Kittens need to eat food that’s a bit higher in protein and calcium than what’s found in adult cat food. Older cats sometimes benefit from formulations with fewer calories that are also designed to provide support to sore, aging joints. Spayed and neutered cats often benefit from recipes that help prevent weight gain, and there are a variety of prescription foods that veterinarians sometimes recommend for cats struggling with health conditions such as allergies and kidney conditions.

Wet food for cats of all ages comes in several textures, including pâté, chunks in gravy, minced formulas, and shredded options. Finicky cats are sometimes willing to eat different choices as long as they’re in the same product line. Your veterinarian can guide you toward a few solid options that meet your cat’s specific needs.

Conclusion

Hopefully, these reviews have given you a nice start on your quest to find a few tasty, wet food options for your cat! Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Fish Recipe is packed with high-quality ingredients, making it a great all-around choice. Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Chicken & Turkey Recipe is one of the most affordable choices in our reviews. Nutro’s Perfect Portions Salmon & Tuna Pâté Recipe provides a tasty option for cats on grain-free diets. Hill’s Science Diet Tender Chicken Recipe is a nice choice for growing kittens. Tiki Cat’s Sardine Cutlets in Lobster Consomme gives cats tasty seafood flavors to enjoy.

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Featured Image Credit: Nils-Jacobi, Shutterstock