Orijen Cat Food: An Honest 2024 Review

Most Orijen Dry Cat Food products are completely natural and suitable for cats of all ages and breeds. They are award winning foods that have satisfied a lot of cat moms and dads around the world.

Of the ingredients in Orijen Cat Food two-thirds always come from fresh fish, meat, poultry, or eggs. The rest of the ingredients are fresh fruits and vegetables. There is absolutely no unneeded grains, fillers, preservatives, or added hormones in these products.

The turkey and chicken are free range, the eggs are nest laid and the fish are wild caught so you can already tell this is a bit of a gourmet product, but it may be well worth the expense.

This article will be taking a closer look at the brand, read on for our Orijen Cat Food Review below.

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Who Are The Manufactures of Orijen ?

Orijen is made by the family owned Champion Pet Foods out of Alberta, Canada. The kibble is manufactured in Champion Pet Food's on factory using only ingredients that would be fit for human consumption.

Do you or a family member insist on only purchasing products that have that “Made in America” sticker? This won't be a problem. They recently opened a facility in Kentucky.

The ingredients may vary slightly based on environment as Orijen uses locally sourced ingredients to ensure freshness. Be warned that while Kentucky does have its share of lush farmland, you may have to settle for freshwater bass and catfish rather than salmon or other ocean fish.

Orijen Cat Food Review

Orijen prides itself on providing discriminating felines with nutrient-dense and biologically appropriate food that nourishes kittens to adult cats. Lines include Tundra, Regional Red, Cat & Kitten, and Fit & Trim

1. Orijen Cat & Kitten Dry Food Formula
2. Orijen Fit & Trim Dry Food Formula
3. Orijen Six Fish Dry Food Formula
4. Orijen Tundra Dry Food Formula
5. Orijen Regional Red Dry Food Formula

1. Orijen Cat & Kitten Dry Food Formula

A third of the meat used in Orijen Cat and Kitten Dry Food is dehydrated chicken and turkey that was air dried at a low temperature from fresh. Eggs, fish and organs round out the required protein.

Guaranteed Analysis

This food is based on what nutrients cats would get from a natural diet in the wild. It’s very rich with protein and is ten percent moisture making something solid, yet digestible. Taurine is one of the most important nutrients in the feline diet as the can't produce it naturally. Orijen cat food will provide your cat with the optimal amounts to keep her healthy.

Other important nutrients like potassium, selenium, folic acid and all the major vitamins are all included along with many other essential vitamins and nutrients.

Ingredients

The biggest selling point of Orijen Cat and Kitten Dry Food is that it is fully packed with not only meat, but fresh and never frozen meat. The first five ingredients listed are boneless chicken, chicken meal, chicken liver, whole herring and boneless turkey.

No rendered meats or low quality by-products here. The chicken and fresh eggs come from local prairie farms and the whitefish is harvested right from northern Canadian lakes and salmon and herring from the Pacific.

Herring is a rather strong tasting fish, but your cat might like it. Salmon is one of the healthiest fish on the market, being full of B vitamins and Omega 3 fatty acids.

Among the vegetables are antioxidant packed apples and cranberries plus fiber rich pumpkins and lentils full of B vitamins and folate. There is even a bit of chicory root to provide just enough inulin for a healthy colon.

This variant is available in 4 lb, 12 lb, and 4 oz packages.

2. Orijen Fit & Trim Dry Food Formula

Just like what its name indicates, Orijen’s Fit & Trim cat food delivers a unique formulation that fully supports lean muscle mass and a healthy body weight. Two-thirds of the recipe is either raw or fresh to ensure that your cat gets a protein-rich diet.

Guaranteed Analysis

This particular mixture contains 44% of crude protein for promoting peak conditioning and healthy muscles in your felines. A high moisture content of 10% keeps your cat in tip-top shape, effectively reducing the risk of developing urinary tract diseases.

L-carnitine has also been added to the blend to keep your pet’s energy production high and his body in excellent condition. It’s also an effective supplement for treating obesity and preventing various health problems.

Ingredients

The first several ingredients of Trim & Fit are all pure meat and fish. The recipe contains chicken, whole eggs, herring, turkey, chicken liver, flounder, mackerel, hake, sardine, and Alaskan pollock. A roster of vegetables (lentils, beans, carrots, and pumpkin, to name a few) round out this exemplary list for a truly healthy feast.

The fish are wild-caught, the turkey and chicken are both free-run, and the eggs in this formula were obtained cage-free. The unique blend offers 15% vegetables and fruits, which all promote peak conditioning, and the rest are made up of meaty and fishy goodness.

3. Orijen Six Fish Dry Food Formula

Orijen’s Six Fish formula provides seafood-loving felines with a concentrated source of protein and omega fatty acids from wild-caught and fresh fish.

Guaranteed Analysis

Rich in protein and omega fatty acids found only in marine sources, the SIx Fish formulation incorporates a healthy balance of fish, fruits, and vegetables for peak and optimal health.
Vitamins and minerals such as calcium for bone density, taurine, phosphorus, and magnesium provide the nutrients that your cat needs.

Ingredients

Not to be outdone by the other Orijen flavors, this recipe offers pure meat from six different fish varieties: pilchard, hake, mackerel, flounder, rockfish, and sole with the first four in the list harvested from the Pacific. A small amount of Alaskan cod was also blended in along with sardines, lentils, squash, peas, beans, zucchini, apples, cranberries, and more.

This formulation is rich in different fatty acids that are essential for growth. For cats that suffer from allergies, hotspots, or arthritis, the Omega-3 fatty acid in the list of ingredients helps keep the inflammation down.

It’s also good for keeping coats shiny and reducing shedding. Omega-6 helps maintain proper membrane structure and a better absorption of soluble vitamins.

The DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) ease inflammation and support eye and brain development in wee kittens.

4. Orijen Tundra Dry Food Formula

The Tundra recipe gives cats a taste of wild game from six different animals. As with all Orijen formulations, this one is rich in protein and moisture with fat as energy fuel.

Guaranteed Analysis

The Tundra formulation offers a variety of wild game for lots of much-needed protein while giving cats a rich blend of meaty taste. It also boasts of lots of added vitamins such as zinc for improving your cat’s reproductive functions, copper for coat and hair quality, and magnesium for heart health.

Ingredients

Tundra is mostly made up of six animals whose meat, organs, and cartilage are blended for a satisfying meal for your carnivorous kitty. The six are Boer goat, wild boar, venison, Arctic char, free-run duck, and lamb.

Not usually part of a cats diet are veggies and fruits such as kale, squash, and apples. These three and more can be found in the formula’s list of ingredients, and they are all there for a reason.

Kale, for example, is rich in vitamin A and copper, the former aiding in a cat’s night vision and immune system. Squash also has vitamin A as well as fiber, moisture, and other vitamins. The apples are fiber-rich to aid your cat in having a healthy digestive system.

5. Orijen Regional Red Dry Food Formula

Regional Red offers cats the ideal nutrition with its optimal percentage of protein, fat, and carbohydrates (in low amounts only) derived from six animals.

Guaranteed Analysis

Cats use a large amount of protein for growth, and this recipe has enough of that (40%). The fat, meanwhile, at 20% is above average the usual amount in cat food, but this is a good thing. Cats, particularly active ones, use a lot of fat as their source of energy, and Orijen uses only high-quality fats with ample amounts of omega fatty acids.

Ingredients

Regional Red offers cats a mostly red meat diet that is sourced from angus beef cattle, wild boar, plains bison, Romney lamb, Yorkshire pork, and wild pilchard. The beef contains a high amount of zinc and iron, pork is an excellent source of meat, boar gives plenty of moisture, lamb has high levels of Omega 3 Fatty Acid, and goat contains potassium and iron.

A roster of legumes such as peas, chickpeas, and lentils in small quantities add fiber to the diet. Additional vegetables and fruits such as pumpkin, squash, turnips, cranberries, and apples keep the levels of vitamins and minerals high.

What are the Pros and Cons of Orijen Dry Food Formula?

The pros of Orijen Cat Food are numerous. The main ingredients are not just meats that your little carnivore craves, but only the finest quality meat from local sources to guarantee freshness. Every product contains all the necessary nutrients to help in your cat’s growth and development.

Each recipe is made biologically-appropriate to make sure that cats get the right nourishment that nature intended. This means lots of meat and protein in their diet.

The most major con seems to be the high price. This is quite understandable since Orijen doesn’t compromise on quality. The meat are always high-quality and sourced responsibly, which may contribute to the expensive pricing.

Since the company has opened a facility in Kentucky and that place is landlocked, some fish ingredients that you may have been used to in the Made in Canada formulas may be replaced. However, rest assured that these will be of fine quality as well.

What Proper Nutrition For A Cat Looks Like

Finding the best food for your cat can mean sorting through many different types and carefully reading that label. The big name commercial cat foods tend to be full of unhealthy ingredients such as preservatives, artificial fillers and animal by-products. Not only do you have to sort out the cat foods with bad ingredients, you have to search out which ones have the best ingredients.

Apart from Orijen we have reviewed a lot of other brands that may interest you or your kitty. You should definitely check out our list of the best foods for your feline before deciding on what kind of chow to bring her to the “table”.

A healthy cat food has these three important factors:

1. High Quality/Quantity Protein

Your cat is an obligate carnivore who needs to eat meat more than anything else. The first item on the ingredient list should ideally be the name of a recognizable animal such as salmon, duck, beef, venison, chicken, duck, turkey or lamb.

Your cat is sure to love anything with any type of fish as a major ingredient. An organ meat such as liver is also acceptable.

2. High Water Content

Many cats don't voluntarily drink enough water, so a moist cat food helps them stay hydrated. It also helps the cat digest essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Foods with a high water content help to prevent health issues such as kidney problems. If your cat insists on eating only dry cat food, make sure she always has access to fresh, clean water.

3. Low Carbohydrates

Cats really do not need carbohydrates. An overabundance can even lead to inflammation, obesity and heart disease. Anything in cat food that has carbohydrates should at least be low on the glycemic index.

This includes marine plants, chickpeas, apples, pumpkins, zucchini and sweet potatoes that won't spike blood sugar or promote weight gain.

Conclusion

Orijen cat food is a properly balanced formula sure to keep your cat healthy and happy. Your cat will get the nutrients she needs and will avoid the cheap fillers usually found in commercial cat foods. The first several ingredients listed are all recognizable animal parts, so that's a very good sign.

It is fairly moist as dry foods go, but keep that water dish full all the same. There are no grains or cheap fillers, just a few fruit and vegetable products to add fiber and a good deal of essential vitamins.

The people at Orijen appear to have perfected the ultimate formula for the most ideal cat food a cat could eat, making those awards well earned. While it is beneficial for both cats and kittens, kittens should be given larger servings as they need the extra calories for growth. The price tag is a little on the hefty side, but many customers aver that it's worth every penny.

The payoff is a decrease in vet bills and a happy, healthy kitty cat who is getting the best food there is. You may want to give this brand a try. It may become a regular staple in your feline’s diet.