To take care of your cat, you have to make sure they stay hydrated. However, unlike dogs, cats get the majority of their hydration from food rather than water.
It’s important to look for the best wet cat foods you can buy to help your cat stay hydrated throughout the day. As you look for the right pet food, you’ll want to answer these questions:
- Who is the food is designed for? Wet kitten food meets young cats’ nutritional requirements better than food intended for senior cats.
- What’s in the food? Cats are carnivores, so their food needs to have more animal protein than carbohydrates.
- Does the food have plenty of fluid? Chicken broth, bone broth, and other fluids are important for cats’ hydration.
- What’s the first ingredient? It’s ideal to choose foods that list a protein source as the first ingredient — like chicken liver, beef, or whitefish.
- Does the food have a limited ingredient list? Cat owners want food that’s free of fillers like artificial preservatives. This is especially important for older cats, who may have more sensitive stomachs.
- Does the brand meet the standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)? A cat’s diet should be rich in antioxidants and other elements as determined by top pet nutritionists.
If you keep all this information in mind, you’ll be sure to pick wet food for your feline friend that’s tasty and good for them. Let’s take a closer look at the 12 best wet cat foods you can purchase right now.
Best for Complementary Feeding: Reveal Natural Wet Cat Food
Key specs: 2.47-ounce cans, 12 cans
Natural wet cat food is oftentimes the best, so this option could be just what you’re looking for. It has plenty of extra vitamins and is perfect for complementing a dry food diet. Many pet parents love it for a variety of important reasons.
Pros
Just what are those reasons? Take a look:
- Perfect for messy eaters
- Delicious and filled with natural ingredients
- Appropriate for cats in all life stages
- Made with natural ingredients and no preservatives, corn, wheat, or colors
- The ideal food for complementing dry cat food to ensure a complete and balanced diet while facilitating natural hydration
- Plenty of broth for extra hydration
Cons
Before you purchase this wet cat food, consider that it may not be enough for your cat by itself, given the small size of each can.
Best for Skin and Coat Nourishment: Purina Pro Plan High Protein Cat Food with Gravy
Key specs: Three-ounce cans, 24 cans
This wet food is a great choice if you want to nourish your kitty’s skin and coat — especially because there’s good value for money included with your purchase. Essential vitamins also mean that you don’t need to use dry food if you don’t want to.
Pros
There are many things to like about this wet cat food, so take a look:
- Omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin A for coat health
- Vitamin A and taurine combine to boost the immune system
- Complete and balanced nutrition complex for adult cats, featuring high protein content for good vision and overall good health
- No artificial colors
- Available in different flavors, like grilled seafood and turkey
Cons
Even so, you might not prefer this particular wet cat food option, given the possible downsides:
- Complex ingredient list
- Requires purchasing extra dry food for complete cat nutrition
Best for Serving Quantity: Sheba Perfect Portions Paté Adult Wet Cat Food Trays
Key specs: 2.6-ounce containers, 24 containers
Want to prioritize proportions? This wet cat food could be just for you. Cats get all the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong without any harmful by-products or unnecessary ingredients that cats wouldn’t consume in the wild.
Pros
In truth, there’s plenty to like about this wet cat food, so let’s take a look:
- Available in a variety of delicious flavors
- Proportioned in premade, easy-to-peel trays — no messy leftovers and no eyeballing how much you should serve
- No corn, wheat, or soy
- Complete nutritional balance for cats at every life stage
- Delicious paté texture cats love
- Pretty good value for money — 48 servings for under $30
Cons
However, there are potential disadvantages you might encounter should you choose to purchase this cat food:
- Ideal serving size for your cat will vary depending on the flavor you choose. It can be tough to know what you should feed your cat.
- Plastic containers aren’t good for the environment
Best for Flavor Variety: Tiki Cat Grill Variety Pack
Key specs: 2.8-ounce cans, 12 cans
The Tiki Cat Variety Pack is a great canned cat food thanks to its top-tier flavors, recipe quality, and overall ingredients. Even better, you can serve this to your cat in all life stages, though it’s a good choice if you don’t want your cat to have to transition to another food later on.
Pros
If you’re in the market for a wet cat food with variety, consider this option for its many benefits:
- Overall most flavor variety for a single purchase — six flavors in a box
- Perfect for cats in all life stages
- High moisture content provides ample hydration throughout the day
- Protein-rich formula guarantees your cat will have all the things they need to grow healthy and strong
- Real fish recipes don’t have any by-products
- Highly affordable — a case of 12 cans is less than $20 on average
Cons
But before you purchase, you should also think about these possible downsides:
- Not the most nutritionally complete cat food on the market
- Other offerings from this brand are not as varied in terms of flavor
Best for Cats Who Enjoy Patés: Hill’s Science Diet Adult Wet Cat Food Pouches
Key specs: 2.8-ounce containers, 12 containers
Some of the best wet cat food comes in a paté, a texture that many cats enjoy. This particular option has a robust ingredient complex that enables you to serve it to your adult cat until they become a senior. Even better, you can use this cat food to help your cat lose weight.
Pros
Still not convinced? Check out these big benefits of Hill’s Science Diet Adult Cat Food:
- Best tasting and overall most popular paté among many other brands
- Great for helping your cat lose weight over time
- The single-serve cat food pouches and cans are easy to open — you don’t have to put leftover cat food and another container
- Has plenty of natural ingredients like minerals, vitamins, and essential amino acids
- Often used for heart care, muscle care, and digestive health
Cons
That said, there are some possible disadvantages you should keep in mind before buying:
- You only get a 12-pack for over $20, so it’s not the most budget-friendly option
- Single-serve containers are wasteful
Best for Gravy-Loving Cats: Weruva B.F.F. OMG — Best Feline Friend Oh My Gravy!
Key specs: 2.8-ounce cans, 12 cans
Want to treat your cat with delicious, gravy-soaked wet food? Here’s the wet food you should consider. It’s a perfect choice thanks to its flavor, ingredient composition, and the benefit of extra hydration and hairball reduction.
Pros
Check out the details and major benefits of this wet cat food compared to its competitors:
- Gravy contains natural flavors and extra vitamins without adding harmful materials
- Free of artificial preservatives and colors, grains, gluten, wheat, soy, or corn
- Gravy provides additional hydration, even in the summer
- Variety pack of different flavors keeps your kitty’s mealtime varied and interesting
- Great for preventing hairballs and ideal for active outdoor cats
Cons
Before you buy, be sure to think about these possible disadvantages, as well:
- Other flavors can be a bit pricey
- Must be combined with dry food for a complete nutritional balance for your cat
Best for Cognitive Development: Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free
Key specs: Three-ounce cans, six cans
Most wet cat food doesn’t have grains or other unnecessary ingredients. That’s why the Blue Buffalo cat food could be a great choice for your little feline. It has excellent ingredients and is quite affordable, particularly compared to other top wet food brands.
Pros
You and your feline friend might like this wet cat food for a variety of reasons:
- Promotes cognitive development, particularly in early life
- Very affordable — six cans for under $10
- Made with high-quality ingredients and without corn, wheat, and soy
- Good flavor variety included in purchase
- Natural ingredients enhanced by minerals and vitamins
- Supports healthy muscle and brain growth thanks to DHA
Cons
However, you may also choose a cat food other than this one because of certain cons:
- Can only purchase a handful of cans of time
- Variety pack is the most popular it’s the least available on average
Best for Immune System Support: IAMS Perfect Portions Indoor Adult Grain Free Wet Cat Food Cuts
Key specs: 2.6-ounce cans, 12 cans
The healthiest cats eat food that supports their immune systems. IAMS Perfect Portions is packed with vital nutrients and ingredients that can help your cat’s immune system stay strong throughout its life.
Pros
When you buy this wet cat food, you might notice the following advantages:
- Perfectly proportioned cat food — no need to worry about splitting up or storing
- Comes in easy-peel twin-pack trays and offers excellent value for money
- Offers hydration and immune system support with vitamin E and prebiotics
- Natural fiber further supports digestive health
- Complete and balanced recipe without any artificial preservatives
- Good for cat coat health
Cons
Alternatively, you might find that this wet cat food isn’t the right choice for your kitty due to these possible downsides:
- Cat food containers might be wasteful because they are made of plastic and aren’t reusable
- With only 2.6 ounces of food, this may not be enough to fill your cat up if they are larger than average
Best for Healthy Weight: Royal Canin Adult Feline Health Nutrition Instinctive
Key specs: Three-ounce cans, 24 cans
Some cats struggle with maintaining a healthy weight. That’s where Royal Canin comes in. It’ll help your cat avoid gaining weight or stick to a diet without making them feel hungry. For pet parents who know just how annoying cats can be when they get hangry, this is a major benefit!
Pros
This wet cat food also comes with extra advantages:
- Best wet cat food for maintaining your kitty’s healthy weight — designed for picky eaters and has a balanced ratio of carbs, proteins, and fat
- Balanced blend of vitamins and minerals to ensure long-term health
- Promotes healthy digestion, making it an ideal choice for indoor cats who aren’t too active
- Ideal for cats from one year to seven years old
Cons
What about downsides? There are two things you need to keep in mind before buying this food:
- Must be used with dry food to feed your cat enough
- A little pricier than average, as you get 24 cans of three ounces each for over $40 on average
Best for Urinary Tract Health: Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters Wet Cat Food
Key specs: 1.75-ounce packets, 12 packets
Cat urinary tract infections are no joke. You might consider this wet cat food to minimize or prevent such infections. On top of that, it’s a great choice thanks to its taste, texture, and lack of any harmful ingredients that might cause health issues later.
Pros
Consider purchasing this wet cat food thanks to the below benefits:
- The best wet cat food for urinary tract health
- Natural ingredients support your kitty’s moisture intake to maximize hydration and prevent the formation of urinary tract diseases
- No added colors, preservatives, or harmful ingredients
- Smooth paté taste and texture
- Facilitates mess-free feeding, as each serving is available in a single-serve pouch
Cons
But before you buy, think about these possible downsides as well:
- Single-serve pouches are quite wasteful, given that they are plastic
- Stimulates appetite, so it must be used with dry food
- If your cat tends to overeat, this may not be the best choice, thanks to its ingredient composition
Best for Value: Purina Fancy Feast Grain Free Paté Wet Cat Food
Key specs: Three-ounce cans, 30 cans
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly wet cat food, Purina’s could be right for you. Not only is it highly affordable, but the cans are easy to open. Plus, you’ll find that the ingredient composition is pretty good from start to finish. Add to that some extra flavor variety, and your kitty will be sure to love it.
Pros
There are many reasons this cat food choice could be right for your little buddy:
- Provides a lot of value for money — 30 3-ounce cans for under $25
- Available with good flavor variety, including beef, chicken, turkey, and seafood
- Cans are easy to open and are made of metal, so they can be recycled
- No artificial preservatives
- Complete nutrition for cat health
- Paté texture preferred by many indoor cats
Cons
There is also one big reason it might not be the right choice for you — this food has a strong smell, which could be a downside for you depending on how long your cat likes to leave their food sitting out.
Best for Dual Flavors: Meow Mix Tasty Layers Swirled Paté
Key specs: 2.75-ounce cups, 48 cups
Flavor variety is important for most cats, which is why this swirled paté cat wet food could be the right choice for your cat. It mixes a variety of flavors and provides top-tier value for money, so you won’t break the bank to give your cat a delicious eating experience.
Pros
Take a look at the full list of major pros and benefits of this wet cat food:
- Each container features dual flavors, providing extra variety and delight
- Has 48 servings in total, offering excellent value for money
- Produced with real chicken and tuna
- Complete nutrition for adult cats
- A mix of flavors that have been fine-tuned over the years
Cons
But don’t forget to think about the possible downsides to this wet cat food purchase, as well:
- Must be combined with dry food to prevent your cat from feeling overly hungry
- Smell can be offputting
- Does not have 100% natural ingredients compared to other wet cat food brands
The Bottom Line
Pet owners can choose from plenty of wet cat foods to meet their cats’ hydration and nutritional needs. For instance, the Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters Wet Cat Food is perfect if you want to make sure your feline friend is healthy and hydrated at the same time, while the Tiki Cat Grill Variety Pack is the best possible choice if your cat is picky and likes flavor variety. In any case, one of these wet cat food options will keep your cat hydrated no matter how hot it gets!
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