Crave Cat Food Review [2021] ? Recalls & Customers Rating

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Ratings

Species appropriate diet: 3.5/5
Quailty of ingredients: 3.5/5
Variety of recipes: 4/5
Pricing: 4/5
Customers experience: 4.5/5
Recalls history: 5/5

4/5

What Is Crave Story?

Crave is a comparatively new brand of cat and dog food that appeared on the shelves of pet stores in mid-2017. Let me address the most frequently asked question right away: who makes Crave cat food?

This brand is owned by Mars Petcare, the world’s leader in pet food and healthcare products. It stands in line with well-established pet food brands like Royal Canin, Sheba, Whiskas, Kitkat, and others.

Crave cat food brand was established with a mission to bring quality and natural pet food to the masses. This company is dedicated to providing customers with cat food that satisfies the feline’s natural craving for meat in a convenient and accessible way. That is why their recipes are all packed with quality proteins, contain no grains, and have the right amount of vitamins and minerals for a balanced diet. According to Crave, they formulate cat meals with the natural pet’s instincts in mind. They pay attention to what wild cats eat in the wild and adapt the carnivores’ diet to the reality of domesticated felines. And, what’s more important, these foods are also within your reach, both online and in local stores.

What Is Manufacturing Facility Location?

As the brand is owned by Mars Petcare corporation, all the recipes are made in Mars-owned facilities in the USA. This allows the company to control the manufacturing process from the selection of ingredients to testing the final product and packaging.

Crave carefully selects the ingredients that are used in every recipe to ensure the premium quality of food that you put in a feline’s bowl. They source products globally but assure that they work only with proven and trusted suppliers. Every provider undergoes a rigorous test process, which is not only limited by the first delivery of ingredients. Every pack of products is carefully inspected to ensure 100% safety and quality of cat food they produce.

Of course, that sounds great, and let’s assume that we trust Mars, but it would be much nicer if it specified the origin of at least the core Crave cat food ingredients it used for their cat food.

What Is Crave Recall History?

Breathe easy if you are a fan of this brand since there was not a single Crave cat food recall in the history of the company.

What Kind of Cat Food Does Crave Offer?

Crave company is convinced that our furry babies hold the connection with their wild ancestors. They might be the cutest bundles of joy, but you won’t change their nature and inner instincts. As carnivores, cats are meant to eat high-protein food based on meat with a slight amount of veggies. With the firm belief that a high-meat diet is the best choice for cats, Crave offers recipes that stick to this principle.

All Crave foods are made of high-quality animal proteins that are always the first ingredient on the list. There are chicken, turkey, salmon, and other flavors to choose from. They are then followed by peas (in kibble) that work as a great alternative for grains. Of course, I am not super excited about this ingredient, but let’s be honest. If you compare peas to rice, oatmeal, corn, soy, and other grains, peas are the healthiest and the most beneficial choice for the feline’s diet.

As Crave explains, not all proteins are equal. For example, real meat is great, no doubt, as it’s highly palatable, but the protein density is much lower compared to meat meal. They also convince that meat meal is not a blend of bones, by-products, and other undesirable stuff. It contains three times more protein than meat has because it is derived by cooking away water and some fats from real meat.

Plant proteins are also beneficial for felines. Pea protein is a common ingredient in Crave’s recipes, and it is derived from peas, while the starch is removed to lower the carb level of the recipe.

These recipes are free of by-products, preservatives, artificial additives, carrageenan, and other stuff you won’t want to see in your cat’s diet. Crave is very attentive to the quality of ingredients because they define the health and well-being of our furry friends.

So, Crave offers protein-rich cat recipes, both dry and wet, that are meant to follow the natural instincts of your tiny tiger. Let’s not waste time and get down to more detailed Crave cat food reviews.

Crave Dry Cat Food Reviews

If your pet is a kibble-gobbler and you would like to switch to a better feeding option that is grain-free and based on quality proteins, I would recommend riveting your attention to Crave dry food.

You won’t find a great assortment of different flavors for your feline here. There are only three kibble tastes: chicken, chicken & salmon, and salmon & ocean fish. All these recipes have meat or fish as the first ingredient. Real meat is then complemented with meat meal, which is obtained from the same meat but has a more concentrated level of proteins.

As all the formulas are grain-free, Crave adds peas, potatoes, and other veggies as the source of carbs. Some of you might argue that these ingredients should never be part of the cat’s diet, but face it. They are still better than hard-to-digest grains or questionable fillers. These are the same ingredients we cook for our family dinner, then why not replace grains with them?

To give you a better understanding of the Crave kibble, let’s analyze the most popular recipe - Crave with Protein from Chicken. This Crave core grain free cat food has won love among caring pet parents and their cats. This formula is inspired by the feline’s nature and contains 40% of animal proteins required for lean muscle development. It is still rich in carbs, just like almost any kibble, so it will provide your feline with the energy to play, run, and explore the world around it. As a grain-free formula, this cat food by Crave is free of soy, corn, wheat, oatmeal, and other grains, so it’s easy on a feline’s gut. The recipe contains a balanced mix of vitamins and minerals to target the cat’s body thoroughly so that your furry friend lives happily for many years.

Crave With Chicken Adult High-Protein Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

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Ingredients:

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Split Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tapioca, Fish Meal, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Potato Protein, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal.

Being a high-protein recipe, Crave chicken food has real chicken meat and chicken meal as the first two ingredients. They deliver the maximum amount of proteins that are easy to digest and are required by the cat’s body for proper development. Pea is a source of plant proteins, which also nourishes the pet’s body and muscles with the building blocks for optimal growth. Chicken fat delivers natural fats and omega 3 acids so that your feline has healthy skin and a shiny coat. Tapioca is the primary source of carbs needed to fuel your cat with energy.

Warning!

If you are used to getting kibble in large bags, make sure it is stored properly. Do not let air get into the bag for an extended period of time, as dry food might lose its nutritional properties.

Good Stuff about This Crave with Protein from Chicken:

Meat and meat meal are the first ingredients
Low in proteins
Free of grains and fillers
Carefully picked ingredients

What You Might not Like about This Crave with Protein from Chicken:

High level of carbs
Some finicky cats don’t eat it

Crave Wet Cat Food Review

Wet recipes by Crave are all about the variety. Compared to a modest kibble category with three flavors, Crave wet cat food line will give your feline the desired diversity in its diet.

There are 15 products in the category, offering your finicky cat the meal they will truly enjoy. You can choose between chicken, turkey, chicken & beef, turkey & duck, salmon & trout, and more. All the recipes are grain-free and are extremely easy to digest. Crave creates their recipes based on the cat’s urge to eat meat rather than grains, so all wet formulas are packed with animal proteins that make 40% of the whole meal. That’s still lower than in wet foods made by some other brands, but that’s enough to support your cat’s natural craving for more proteins and fewer carbs.

The texture choice is limited to two options: chunks in gravy and pâté. The first one has more moisture and will help you regulate the water consumption for your feline to avoid dehydration. Pâté has a smooth and consistent structure and will work great if your furry friend has issues with the oral cavity or finds it hard to chew.

Unlike the majority of canned cat food, Crave recipes come in PERFECT PORTIONS™ trays. Each tray includes the amount of food that is just right for one meal intake. This will allow you to give your feline fresh food only. However, some pet parents complain that they have a hard time opening the tray lid.

The Crave Turkey Recipe Cuts in Gravy is a delicious entrèe every feline will love. It’s made of real turkey and chicken meat, chicken liver, pork plasma, and chicken heart, making it a high-protein meal. This recipe is formulated for adult cats that pursue the way to satisfy their inner carnivore. Because of the high protein level, your feline will develop lean muscle and will have enough energy for play. There are no grains in this formula, so this meal will do for felines with sensitive stomachs. Compared to Crave dry food, this wet food doesn’t have many veggies making this diet the most suitable solution for domesticated carnivores.

Crave Turkey Chicken Duck Grain Free

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Ingredients:

Turkey Broth, Turkey, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Pork Plasma, Chicken Heart, Tapioca Starch, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Dried Tomato.

The moisture level of this Crave turkey recipe is high because the chunks of meat are delicately cooked in turkey broth. The company uses wholesome turkey and chicken, chicken liver and heart, pork plasma as a source of animal proteins and fats. Tapioca starch delivers carbohydrates to fuel the cat’s body with energy. Xanthan gum is a thickener element and is used to bind the gravy and make it more appealing.

Warning!

When ordering this food online, ask the seller to carefully pack the trays as they are made of plastic and get easily damaged.

Good Stuff about This Crave Turkey Recipe Cuts in Gravy:

Delicious gravy from turkey broth
Quality protein sources from real meat and organs
No vegetables and fillers

What You Might not Like about This Crave Turkey Recipe Cuts in Gravy:

There might be some issues with the packaging
Might be an expensive option

Is Crave Good For Your Cat?

So, Crave promises to bring your pet back to its natural diet offering protein-packed formulas made of meat and some other ingredients a feline is likely to eat in the wild. Let’s admit it, many companies boast of the same approach, but Crave did more. Since many protein-rich recipes are hard to find and they might be out of the reach of the family budget, Crave did their best to make premium-quality food both accessible and affordable. You can find their foods in most groceries or supermarkets as well as online. Crave cat food is moderately priced, which means that’s neither the budget option cooked mainly from fillers and by-products nor the overpriced brand that would eat all your family budget.

My only concern is that Crave kibble contains too many carbohydrates and plants. Their wet formulas have much better ingredient composition and are low in carbs. They almost do not have vegetables, but mind that their pâtés contain carrageenan, which is not good for cats.

In general, Crave food is not bad. However, if I were to choose, I would go for their wet recipes and find a better kibble alternative.

What Are Pet Owners Saying About Crave?

Before you make a final decision, you’d like to know what customers say about Crave cat food. That’s a natural desire, and I support you in this. To save your time and to give you a chance to make a conclusion on your own, I’ve gathered Crave cat food reviews Reddit and from other places.

Let me just sum up what I’ve learned during the research. All Crave cat foods gain 4-5 stars, having 90% and more product recommendations.

Shelly states that her cats literally jumped on Crave kibble and seem to love it more than the others.

Another pet parent also admits that the picky eater loves Crave dry food. But for some unknown reason, the feline enjoys only kibble used from a 4lb bag. Perhaps, that’s because it stays fresh for a longer time.

Another customer found a solution to his cat’s allergy to red dye in Crave food. Since this ingredient is added to almost all cat recipes, this one seems to have none of the allergy-provoking colors. After the pet was switched to Crave food, all issues with digestion disappeared. So from now on, this is the only brand they will buy.

One more cat owner says that his pet is delighted with the pâté with a salmon flavor. The texture is pleasant, and it gets fluffed up easily. He loves the packages as well because they are easy to open. The only negative side of the Crave servings is that they are small and not enough to make the feline full after eating one portion.

But just like there are many pet owners who are happy with the quality of Crave food, there are some people who have Crave cat food problems. For example, this customer purchased Crave chicken pate for his ferrets and cats. He wanted to treat his pets with something delicious and new, so he gave each of them this meal. Surprisingly, none of them touched Crave pâté and the cats even tried to bury it.

Another pet parent doubts whether Crave kibble is truly grain-free. Her cat is allergic to grains, and his lips got swollen because of this food. She says that in general, she is satisfied with Crave food but it doesn’t work for her cat as a grain-free diet.

The allergy to Crave food seems to be a common issue among felines with sensitivities. This customer also reports that they switched to this brand as Nutro discontinued their grain-free recipes and recommended Crave as a healthy alternative. At first, the cats seemed to love it, and there were no issues in terms of feline’s allergies. But over time, they noticed the traces of allergy and stopped using this food.

Is Crave Worth Trying?

Crave offers above-average cat food, mainly for adult cats. They offer both dry and wet recipes, both packed with animal proteins.

However, I like wet formulas more because they fit the promised premium-quality, IMHO. Wet recipes, especially ones in gravy, are nutritionally balanced and free of by-products, plant proteins, and carrageenan. Pâtés have almost the same ingredient composition but do have carrageenan, which is proved to be the reason for cancer in many cats.

Crave dry food is a good choice, but I believe there are some better options for the same price. Even though they use meat or fish as the first ingredient, enhance the formula with meat meal rich in proteins, there are too many carbs and plants that are not desired for a feline.

But because Crave could be purchased in almost any supermarket or pet store, this might be a good solution if you are not into a long search of better cat food. So, if you ask yourself “I want to try Crave cat food where to buy it?” you can go to any retail store and, most likely, you’ll find it there. Crave cat food is also available through online marketplaces like Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, and some more.

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