5 Best Natural Balance Cat Foods: 2022 Review & Recalls
Natural Balance cat food is a favorite cat food brand with pet owners, prepared using premium ingredients and in hygienic food kitchens.
Most of the natural balance cat foods are formulated using real animal proteins as the first ingredients.
They also include vegetable and fruits sourced from the United States.
Like many pet foods, there have been recalls of some Natural Balance varieties, so it’s important to know the facts before you decide if their food varieties are the right choice for your cat.
We will take a quick look at the Natural Balance company, what recalls they have had, and see what they did about it.
Finally we take a look at some of their popular cat foods, and see what ingredients are inside – helping you make informed decisions about the health of your cat.
Who Manufactures Natural Balance Cat Foods?
Natural Balance Pet Foods manufactures the Natural Balance cat food line of products.
The company owns kitchens in the United States, is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and is a subsidiary of the J.M Smucker Company.
Natural Balance Pet Foods was founded in 1989 by Dick Van Pattern, the famous American actor. Pattern’s love for animals started when he was a kid, rearing snakes, alligators, and other animals.
- In 2013, Natural Balance Pet Foods merged with Del Monte, a company that prepares pet foods such as Meow Mix, Milo’s Kitchen and Kibble’s n Bits.
- The merged company was then acquired by The J.M. Smucker Company, alongside the Big Heart Pet Brands.
Natural Balance has made a name in the pet industry as the “food for a lifetime,” and the company describes itself as the manufacturer of the “finest food you cat buy for your cat”.
They prepare premium diets that are complete, and optimally balanced for all life stages.
Natural Balance Cat Food Recalls
April 16, 2007
Natural Balance received complaints from its customers regarding select amounts of its dry dog and cat food.
It was reported that pets that consumed the diets vomited and others experienced kidney failure.
Lab results showed that some of its foods contained traces of melamine that was believed to be from rice protein concentrate.
Natural Balanced issued a recall of its dry venison dog and cat products.
April 27, 2007
Natural Balance issued a second recall of three canned dog foods, and one canned cat food.
Lab reports showed that these formulas contained trace amounts of melamine in rice protein concentrate.
The company termed the contamination a “manufacturer deviation”, and blamed its canned food manufacturer, American Nutrition.
The contamination affected other popular brands like Blue Buffalo and Menu Foods that also issued recalls at the same time.
June 2007
Natural Balanced issued its third recall in June after reports that its formulas were affected by the botulism outbreak that was associated with Castleberry’s Food Company.
There were no illnesses reported.
Response To The Recalls
After the recalls, Natural Balance committed $800,000 to build a laboratory to test for food contamination by melamine and other toxins.
Currently, all Natural Balance pet foods that are sold to consumers are passed through the laboratory to test for nine known contaminants.
This is part of their “Buy with Confidence” program that allows customers to use the information on the Natural Balance packages to see lab results on the company’s website.
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5 Natural Balance Cat Foods – Reviewed
1. Natural Balance Original Ultra Canned Cat Food
Natural Balance Original Ultra canned cat food is prepared with chicken, salmon, and duck as the main ingredients.
It contains 24 6-ounce cans of food that you can feed your cat over a long duration before ordering the next batch.
It is grain-free, and it has the right balance of proteins, fruits, and vegetables to support the cat’s growth and muscle development. It is balanced and complete for all life stages.
Top Ingredients: Chicken broth, chicken, chicken liver, salmon, duck, brewers dried yeast, brewers rice and canola oil.
There are no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors that may cause allergies in cats.
Calorie Content: 1400 kcal/kg; 240kcal/can.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Moisture 78 (max)
- Crude Proteins 9.5% (min)
- Crude Fats 8.5% (min)
- Crude Fiber 2% (max)
- Taurine 0.10% (Min)
2. Natural Balance Ultra Canned Cat Food
Natural Balance Ultra Canned Cat Food is prepared with chicken as the main ingredient.
It comes in 24 5.5-ounce cans of cat food that are enough to feed one or more cats for several weeks or months.
Apart from the chicken and liver pate formula, you can choose from Ocean Fish, Tuna with Shrimp, Salmon, and Turkey & Giblets formula.
All the recipes contain an optimal balance of proteins and nutrients that are carefully selected by the company’s nutritionists.
Top Ingredients: Chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, natural flavor, dried egg product, carrots, vitamins, and minerals.
Calories: 1152 kcal/kg; 180kcal/5.5oz. can.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Moisture 78% (max)
- Crude Proteins 9.0% (min)
- Crude Fats 6.0% (min)
- Crude Fiber 1.5% (max)
- Taurine 0.05% (min)
3. Natural Balance L.I.D. Diets Wet Cat Food
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet is primarily prepared for pet parents that want to keep their indoor cats lean and healthy.
This formula is grain-free and made with just a few ingredients for indoor cat weight management, consisting of salmon and chickpea as the main ingredients.
Other recipes include duck and green pea, salmon and green pea, and venison and green pea formulas.
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Wet Cat Food contains prebiotic fibers that help in digestion and keeping your cat feeling full on low volumes of food, especially overweight cats.
The omega-6 and omega 3 fatty acids maintain healthy skin and a shiny coat.
Top Ingredients: Salmon broth, salmon, chickpeas, pea protein, salmon oil, pea fiber, salmon meal, vitamins, and minerals.
Calories: 990 kcal/kg; 155 kcal/kg.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Moisture 78% (max)
- Crude Proteins (9.0%)
- Crude Fats 2.5% (min)
- Crude fiber 2.5% (max)
- Taurine 0.05% (min)
4. Natural Balance Original Ultra Body Health Dry Cat Food
The Natural Balance Original dry cat food is a 15-pound bag that is prepared with chicken and salmon meal as the first ingredients.
It contains a high proportion of animal proteins to satisfy your cat’s urge for real animal proteins, which support your cat’s growth and muscle development.
Apart from the chicken meal and salmon meal formula, you can buy venison, turkey, and lamb meal recipes.
This diet is balanced to cater for the nutritional needs of all breeds and cats of all life stages, including kittens and adult cats.
The balanced blend of vitamins, minerals, vitamins, and fibers help in maintaining healthy hearts and eyes as well as help in digestion.
This diet is gluten-free.
Top Ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, chicken, chicken fat, brewers dried eat, oat groats, chicken liver, salmon meal, natural flavors, vitamins, and minerals.
Calories: 3370 kcal/kg; 400 kcal/cup.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Crude proteins 34.0% (min)
- Crude fat 16.8%
- Crude fat 20% (max)
- Moisture 10% (max)
- Taurine 0.15% (min)
5. Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Cat Food
The Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Cat Food is a 10-pound bag of dry cat food that is prepared with a single animal protein source (duck).
This formula is grain free and ideal if you are looking for a lean formula for indoor cat weight management.
Apart from the duck and chickpea formula, you can select from other recipes such as green pea and chicken, green pea and turkey, green pea and salmon, indoor formula salmon and chicken, as well as green pea and venison.
This diet contains prebiotic fiber that aids in digestion and preventing cats from overeating, especially overweight and diabetic cats.
The Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids support healthy skin and keep the cat’s coat shiny.
This diet also helps in hairball control.
Top Ingredients: Turkey, chickpeas, turkey meal, peas, pea protein, potatoes, dried beet pulp, canola oil, natural flavors, minerals, and vitamins.
Calories: 3282 kcal/kg; 336 kcal/kg.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Crude proteins 30% (min)
- Crude fat 8% (min)
- Crude fat 10% (max)
- Crude fiber 8% (max)
- Moisture (12%)
- Taurine 0.2% (min)
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