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Iams Cat Food Review [Updated June 2023]: Comprehensive Buyer’s Guide Plus Tips!

Buying pet food involves a certain level of trust between us as pet parents and the food company. Reputation plays a bigger part in the pet product industry, than in human food as we don’t really taste our pet’s food, and base our choices on what we know about the brand.

We have created this Iams cat food review to take a closer look at one of the pioneers of the pet food industry. Iams is manufactured by Mars, Inc worldwide, and Spectrum Brands in Europe.

Paul Iams founded the company in 1946. Iams developed the world’s first animal-based protein dry foods for dogs. In 1999, then owner Clay Mathile sold the company to Procter & Gamble for $2.3 billion – the largest cash-only deal in P&G’s history at the time.

In 2014, Iams was purchased by Mars, Inc, along with Eukanuba and Natura pet food brands. The European business was sold to Spectrum brands.

Iams cat food features high-quality animal protein as the number one ingredient. It has no wheat, artificial preservatives and colors. They also promise to provide complete and balanced nutrition without fillers.

Iams aims to focus on tailored nutrition. Their cat food products are divided into two pretty straightforward categories. The first is according to age and activity level. The second line is for unique dietary requirements.

Age and Activity has wet and dry cat food variants, while Special Need has kibble only. Read the Iams cat food review below to help you decide which is the best cat food for your pet.

Iams Cat Food Review

Reviewed IAMS Cat Foods

1. Iams Proactive Health
2. Iams Proactive Health – Healthy Kitten
3. Iams Perfect Portions Indoor Cuts in Gravy
4. Iams Perfect Portions Optimal Metabolism Paté
5. Iams Proactive Health Urinary Tract Health
6. Iams Proactive Health Adult Indoor Weight and Hairball Care

Age and Activity

This product line of foods is formulated for cats with no special dietary requirements. They are sorted according to your cat’s age from kitten up to senior, and their level of activity. The dry cat food comes in 5 variants, while the wet food has 13. Here is a review of some of the best cat foods from this line.

Iams Proactive Health – Healthy Adult with Chicken

Iams Healthy Adult with Chicken cat food supports overall health for your adult cat. It is rich in protein and has complete and balanced nutrition. According to Iams, this dry food is veterinarian recommended.

The benefits of this product are strong muscles; healthy heart from calcium and potassium; healthy digestion from fiber and prebiotics; healthy skin, coat and teeth. The first five ingredients are chicken, chicken by-product meal, ground whole grain corn, corn grits, and corn gluten meal.

Guaranteed Analysis

Pros

Helped resolve stomach problems. Healthy Adult with Chicken has received many customer reviews saying that their cats are no longer vomiting since being started on this cat food. Other reviews state that their cat’s diarrhea was gone within a week.

Great value. This Iams product offers great value as it is liked by many cats, gives good results as far as overall health is concerned, and is affordable. Numerous cat parents say that they no longer need to purchase high-end, specialized cat foods as this product is able to give their cats the nutrition they need.

Cons

New formula has large kibbles. Some pet parents find the kibbles in the new formula are too large, and a bit hard. It requires cats to exert more effort in chewing this dry food.

Conclusion

This Iams cat food is definitely worth a try. It is affordable and has been proven to be a source of many health benefits. This product is even recommended by veterinarians.

Iams Proactive Health – Healthy Kitten

Like its adult cat counterpart, this product aims to provide nutrients essential for healthy digestion, immune system, skin and coat, muscles, and heart. The nutrition from the ingredients in this dry kitten food is like those found in mother’s milk. It also has omega 3 DHA for healthy brain development.

The first five ingredients of this Iams cat food are chicken, chicken by-product meal, ground whole grain corn, corn grits, and corn gluten meal.

Guaranteed Analysis

Pros

Healthy weight and coat. Healthy Kitten has been a great dry food for many kitties. Improvement in their skin and fur is quite noticeable. The fur is softer and shinier. Kittens are able to gain a healthy weight from this cat food. Several cat parents said that it was their vet who actually recommended Iams.

Kittens love it. Healthy Kitten has also received rave reviews from kitten owners. Their little kitties would eat this product with gusto. The chicken-rich cat food’s flavor motivates young kittens to eat and develop healthy appetites.

Cons

Kibble size and shape keeps changing. Some customers are a bit annoyed at the changes in the Healthy Kitten kibble shape and size. A few cat parents are worried that they might be too small for young kittens to chew as they can easily choke on pieces.

Conclusion

Iams Proactive Health – Healthy Kitten has been a good dry cat food for many young kittens. They love its flavor, and were able to gain healthy weights. An improvement on their skin and coat was also noticed by many cat parents.

It has also received good reviews from owners of senior and nursing cats. Healthy Kitten has been known to restore healthy and vigor in a handful of senior kitties. For these pet owners, this is the best food for their cats. However, the kibble shape and size are inconsistent, according to some buyers.

Iams Perfect Portions Wet Cat Food

Iams Perfect Portions are the wet cat foods from the Age and Activity category of the brand. All Perfect Portions variants are grain free. They come in two textures: cuts in gravy and paté.

Iams Perfect Portions Indoor Cuts in Gravy – Chicken

The Iams Perfect Portions Indoor Cuts in Gravy – Chicken is a grain-free wet food, specially formulated for indoor cats of all ages. It is high in protein from chicken and salmon. It comes in convenient twin tray packs, so there are no leftovers. The first five ingredients are water, chicken, salmon, chicken liver, and meat by-products.

Guaranteed Analysis

Pros

Tasty chicken flavor. Cats enjoy this chunky food in gravy. Salmon is quite a popular choice among kitties. It has flavorful sauce that has tasty chicken broth in it.

Perfect portions indeed. Cat owners love the portions of the Iams Perfect Portions wet food. They are just the right size for a meal. The other half remains unopened and will be fresh up to your kitty’s next meal.

Cons

Packaging. The twin packs are convenient. It allows you to serve just the right amount of food for your cat’s meal. However, as it is made of plastic, many customers would rather purchase goods with less impact to the environment. Aside from the plastic packaging, the lid can be difficult to open at times.

Conclusion

The Iams Perfect Portions Indoor Cuts in Gravy is a good grain-free food option to try for cats who have sensitivities to grain and other fillers. It is rich in protein and other nutrients as it has chicken, salmon, chicken-by-product meal, and chicken liver. Though the variant is labeled “salmon”, the number one protein source is actually chicken. Owners of cats that are sensitive to chicken must read the ingredients list of any brand of food to make sure that they are getting the right food for their pets.

The packaging is loved by many for the convenience of having 2 separate portions in one twin pack. Some find the lid hard to open. Others prefer tin cans as single-use plastic is just something that we need to avoid whenever we can.

Iams Perfect Portions Optimal Metabolism Paté

This Perfect Portions Optimal Metabolism Paté wet food is made of real protein-packed chicken. It has l-carnitine amino acids which helps burn excess fat. It is also enriched with vitamin E for a healthy immune system.

The first five ingredients of this wet food are chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, dried egg product, and guar gum.

Guaranteed Analysis

Pros

Great for weight management. Several owners of cats who were overweight gave Perfect Portions Optimal Metabolism Paté the thumbs up for helping their cats lose their excess weight, and maintain it at the right levels. The cats love eating this chicken paté, and are noticeably healthier and happier.

A favorite among finicky cats. This is wet cat food is loved even by picky kitties. Chicken is another flavor popular among cats. It is made extra tasty with chicken meat, chicken broth, and chicken liver. A rich and nutritious meal, what’s not to like?

Cons

Packaging. Perfect Portions’ packaging is a reason for some to not like this chicken wet cat food. The lid is hard to open without spilling some of the contents. Many feel that the twin pack makes it more expensive, as the contents do not equal that of a tin can.

Conclusion

Perfect Portions Optimal Metabolism Paté is another great product from Iams. Many overweight cats have returned to healthy sizes after being switched to this wet food. This makes them happier kitties as it makes them feel lighter and inclined to be a bit more active.

However, as with the rest of Iams’ Perfect Portions, the packaging is not as popular. Many feel that they used to get more cat food out of the can compared to the twin packs.

Iams Special Need

This is Iams’ product line of dry foods for felines with unique dietary requirements. These are dry food formulated with specific nutrients to help improve common feline health issues such as hairball, urinary tract problems, sensitive skin, and others.

High quality, natural animal protein is the number one ingredient. It has no wheat, artificial preservatives or colors. Special Need has 7 dry food variants. Here’s a review of the top-rated Special Need products.

Iams Proactive Health Urinary Tract Health with Chicken

This product is specially formulated to help reduce urinary pH. This improves urinary tract health. It has a blend of fibers and beet pulp, which support your kitty’s ability to absorb nutrients better.

The first five ingredients are chicken, chicken by-product meal, ground whole grain corn, corn grits, and brewers rice.

Guaranteed Analysis

Pros

Helps improve urinary tract health. Numerous cats who have been prescribed a diet specifically due to urinary tract problems have shown great improvement since being fed with Iams Urinary Tract Health with Chicken. No more blockages, and their skin and coat have also improved. According to several reviews, their cats have also stopped vomiting since switching to this product.

Affordable. Special prescription cat food can be quite expensive. A lot of cat parents to kitties with urinary tract issues are quite relieved that they were able to discover this Iams product. Not only did it help resolve their cat’s health problems, but it costs significantly lower than many premium food brands that also target urinary health.

Cons

Corn. A handful of customers think that this product contains too much corn. The third and fourth ingredients are ground whole grain corn and corn grits.

Conclusion

Iams Urinary Tract Health with Chicken has worked wonders for a lot of kitties with urinary tract problems. It is also quite affordable compare to special prescription cat food. However, as with types of pet food products, it is important to transition your cat to new food properly. Not every product that worked well for another cat will work on yours.

Iams Proactive Health Adult Indoor Weight and Hairball Care with Chicken and Turkey

This cat food is designed to meet the special needs of indoor cats. It has 10% less fat compared to Iams' Original recipes. It also has L-carnitine to help your cat gradually lose the excess fat.

Its special blend of carbs keeps your kitty feeling full and not want to gorge. It contains healthy fibers to prevent hairballs before they even start. Enriched with omega 6, this dry cat food helps promote healthy skin and glossy coats.

The first five ingredients are chicken, chicken by-product meal, corn grits, corn gluten meal, and ground whole grain corn.

Guaranteed Analysis

Pros

Helps with weight management. A lot of overweight cats who have been switched to this product have shown not just a healthy weight loss, but also an improvement in overall health. They feel fuller for much longer.

Hairball control. True to its purpose, this Iams dry cat food has helped reduce or even totally banished hairballs from many cats. The healthy fiber in this product helps move food and hairs in the digestive tract.

Cons

Formula change. According to some reviews from pet parents, the formula for this product has changed. The old recipe is preferred by many for various reasons such as their cat’s preference, or any other effects the change in formula has caused.

Conclusion

This chicken and turkey product is another dry food worth a try for cats with weight and hairball problems. Many pet parents have stated that it helped their overweight kitties return to their healthy weights. Hairballs have been kept under control too, due to the fibers present in the product. However, some still like the old recipe better, and don’t agree that the new one is an improved version.

Summary

Iams is one of the most trusted, economical brands commercially available to pet parents. To many cat owners, it has proven itself worthy of keeping their cats on a steady Iams diet for many years. To these customers, Iams cat food is the best food for their pets.

Compared to other commercially available brands of cat food, Iams has a slightly better ingredient composition. Their dry foods do not contain any artificial food colors. All of their cat foods are made from real animal protein.

They offer a great selection of products for cats of all ages and activity levels, and food options for those with special dietary needs. We especially like the Iams Special Need dry foods we reviewed as they are effective in resolving the issues that they target, and are also affordable. We all know how expensive pet medical bills can get. The Iams Special Need product line allow us to save on otherwise very expensive prescription diets.

Even though it may have received a lot of positive feedback from pet parents whose cats had various health issues, these foods are not medicines and may not necessarily resolve your cat’s issues.

Is it the best cat food in the market? Not really, as far as ingredient quality is concerned. There are other pet foods that are far better, but they also come with a much higher price tag. Based on its ingredients, price, and reviews from other cat parents, we think that Iams is a brand that is worth trying. We hope this review helped you decide which are the best cat foods from Iams for your pet.

Have Iams cat foods ever been recalled?

Yes. Iams’ cat food has been recalled a few times since the brand was established in the 1940s. In 2010, Iams Proactive Health canned cat food were recalled due to low levels of thiamine. That same year, the Feline Renal formula was recalled due to potential salmonella contamination.

Along with other brands who sourced ingredients from China at the time, Iams issued a recall of several products in 2007 due to potential melamine contamination. There have been no cat food recalls from Iams since 2010.

Do vets recommend Iams cat food?

If your cat isn't allowed past the front door, Dr. VanDuzer often recommends Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight and Hairball Care Dry cat food. Indoor only cats often have weight issues and this formula helps control weight.

Is Iams a good pet food?

On review sites, IAMS is classified as an average or slightly above average pet food, and it has received a rating of 3.5/5. This means that it is currently not the best pet food, but it is a good option for owners on a budget, as it rates higher than many other grocery store brands.

Is Iams indoor cat food good?

Iams says that the food has an optimal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, promoting healthy skin and a shiny coat. Overall, the food has moderate protein content, low-to-moderate fat, and high carbohydrate content. There are 373 calories in each cup of this cat food.

Is Iams cat food being discontinued?

Recently, IAMS made the decision to discontinue it's brand of wet cat food called IAMS Purrfect Delights. This included all flavors and styles, including flaked and pate. Not only do the reviews show that many cats are not interested in Purrfect Portions, but many people are having issues with the actual container.