The Honest Kitchen is the first pet food brand to introduce a human-grade diet to furry friends. They are known for revolutionizing the standards of pet food and using the ingredients we would consume on our own.
Without any doubt, that couldn’t be obtained without a clear vision of how the pet’s diet should be like and a personal story.
Back in 2002, Lucy Postins, a caring dog mother of her furry companion Mosi, questioned the quality of the commercial dog food available on the market. Her pet suffered from skin problems and numerous ear infections. One day she asked herself, “Could dog food be the reason for those issues?” And the answer was, “Yes, my dog needs a balanced diet.” Then she was wondering why pet food manufacturers used low-quality ingredients and processed them heavily, leaving no nutrients in them to support the pet’s body.
As Lucy couldn’t change the way pet food brands produce their products, she decided to change the situation in her own environment. So, she started making home-made food for her canine, which then turned into a safe and healthy recipe for the pet food company.
Lucy was a true virtuoso at her kitchen and soon found out that dehydrated food has a positive impact on her dog’s health. When Mosi’s dog parent realized how tremendous her invention was, she started selling her food from home to help other pet owners feed their furry friends with quality food.
Dehydration was a great way to preserve the ingredients without using chemicals or toxic preservatives that are slowly killing the pets.
A disclaimer: feeding your feline with dehydrated food doesn’t mean they will have fewer water intakes. You can immediately rehydrate the meal by adding the required amount of moisture before serving the dish to your cat.
The idea was so great that their food started gaining popularity. What started with home-made meals for folks in the neighborhood turned into the company of 55 employees and a diverse product line for dogs and cats. The Honest Kitchen pioneered dehydrated human-grade pet food and established a brand that is known for being honest, just as the name implies.
What Is Manufacturing Facility Location?
The Honest Kitchen story started in Lucy's kitchen where she cooked breakfasts and dinners for her family. As the brand gained its popularity, they moved to the Wonder bread building in San Diego in 2006.
Even though the company’s manufacturing volumes have significantly increased, they stick to the concept of producing all pet food inside the kitchen, not the plant.
The Honest Kitchen facilities meet rigorous safety and quality standards applied for the people's food. They are registered and inspected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and meet numerous quality regulations.
The Honest Kitchen cat food is made of ingredients you can pronounce. This means no preservatives and taste enhancers that constitute the periodic table of elements. They source 84% of their ingredients from North America (meat, poultry, fish, some veggies, fruits, and berries). The rest of the products come from South America, Europe, and Asia.
What Is the Honest Kitchen Recall History?
Luckily, the list of the Honest Kitchen cat food recalls is not long. I found only one registered case dated back to 2013. The company had to recall three brands of their dog (not cat) food because of the suspicion of salmonella contamination. The reason for that was infected parsley delivered by their supplier. After this case, the Honest Kitchen changed their parsley provider and had no issues with the product providers ever since.
What Kind of Cat Food Does the Honest Kitchen Offer?
The Honest Kitchen offers human-grade dehydrated cat food that is neither raw nor looks like kibble. Their recipes are produced of wholesome ingredients processed at the temperature of 165F before removing moisture from them. It ensures all essential elements stay in the food yet guaranteeing they are safe and free of any pathogens.
The selection of Honest Kitchen cat food does not offer the desired variety. There are only two products in this line - grain-free formulas with turkey and chicken.
The Honest Kitchen Cat Food Review
The Dehydrated Grain-Free Turkey Recipe by the Honest Kitchen is made of the same products you’ll find in the grocery store. You’ll feed your feline with food free of by-products, grains, meat meals, fillers, and GMOs. The formula is suitable for cats of all breeds and sizes and will enrich the cat’s diet with the essential nutrients required for the healthy growth and development of your furry friend. Low carbohydrate and high-calorie content will provide your feline with the right amount of energy to support the kitten’s growth and adult cat’s active lifestyle.
The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Turkey Recipe Dehydrated
Turkey is the first ingredient on the list, and it is a healthy source of proteins. It is not calorie- and cholesterol-dense, which promote easier digestion compared to beef or chicken.
The turkey recipe is rich in vitamins and minerals that sustain the cat’s well-being and support their growth. For example, vitamin E aids feline’s skin health and works as a great antioxidant. B12 promotes healthier immune, digestive, and nervous systems. Minerals ensure your cat develops strong bones, a sharp mind, and gets the most out of their living.
Warning! Even though the formula is enhanced with minerals and vitamins, its taste leaves much to be desired. Customers complain that their felines don’t eat this food, and this is a significant disadvantage of the Honest Kitchen diet.
Good Stuff about the Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain-Free Turkey Recipe:
Easy for cats to digest
Made of quality ingredients humans eat
Great balance of protein, fat, fiber, and other nutrients
Free of by-products, meals, and grains
What You Might not Like about the Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain-Free Turkey Recipe:
Your feline can be turned away by the smell
Some picky eaters do not like the taste
Another product from the Honest Kitchen line for cats is the chicken formula. Being a best-selling recipe, this is a complete and balanced diet for senior cats as well as less active adults. It has fewer calories and fat content to make sure your felines do not get overweight because of the lack of activity. It is made of wholesome chicken and egg to provide a high-quality source of protein and other nutrients.
The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Dehydrated
The texture of this formula, just like the turkey recipe, depends on how you prepare it. It can be something in between the thick oatmeal and watery smoothie. Add more water, and you get a watery meal for your cat. Put less liquid, and your feline will enjoy soft and gentle pâté.
This chicken recipe is prepared from nourishing animal ingredients that bring great nutritional value to the cat. However, it also contains plant ingredients like potato, pumpkin, spinach - the products your feline is not likely to eat in the wild. But if you have nothing against feeding your pet with potato and other nutritionally rich products that deliver essential vitamins and serve as great natural antioxidants, they will do no harm to your feline.
Warning! If your cat is allergic to eggs, you’d better avoid feeding your feline with these meals as they contain dehydrated eggs.
Good Stuff about the Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain-Free Chicken Recipe:
No by-products, grains, fillers, and meat meals
Wholesome ingredients without artificial colors
You can adjust food texture to your pet’s liking
Rich in vitamins and minerals essential for overall well-being
Balanced feeding option for senior and lazy adult felines
What You Might not Like about the Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain-Free Chicken Recipe:
Not suitable for kittens and active adult cats
Many felines don’t like the taste of this food
Is the Honest Kitchen Good For Your Cat?
Based on what I learned about the company when writing the Honest Kitchen grain free cat food review, I should admit that I love their philosophy and eco-friendliness. They are committed to producing high-quality and natural cat food from the products we, humans, would use to cook our own meals. They treat pets as equal creatures deserving the best diet on the market.
The Honest Kitchen brand is the pioneer of dehydrated cat food that undergoes minimal thermal processing, which allows delivering maximum nutrients to your cat’s body. There are concerns if their cat food is balanced enough and suitable for pets with health conditions, so you’d better ask a vet if these formulas are good for your feline.
Overall, it’s a great organic formula to be the main meal for your feline. It’s natural, made of wholesome ingredients, and free of artificial additives to let your feline live a long, happy life.
To spare your precious time, let me address the request you might be making after reading this review “The Honest Kitchen cat food where to buy?” You can find this food in pet stores or get it online on Amazon, Chewy, and at the company’s website.
What Are Pet Owners Saying About the Honest Kitchen?
Of course, all cats are different, and they have various food preferences and dietary needs. The Honest Kitchen dry cat food reviews show that there are both positive and negative thoughts about the company and its products. Let’s take a closer look at both perspectives.
Fred Bellows noted in his review on Amazon that his cat loves this food. The formula allows the pet parent to keep the food warm and properly hydrated to meet the cat’s preferences.
As feline parents are in the eternal quest for canned food that would not get spoiled quickly, many cat owners recommend the Honest Kitchen as a good solution. According to the Honest Kitchen cat food reviews Reddit, what is great about this food is that you can control the amount of moisture you would like to add to the substance, so it gives you room for finding the texture your pet will enjoy.
The Honest Kitchen cat food reviews, at least some of them, say that their products are great for supporting pets with mouth issues as the texture allows them to eat the meal without any problems. It also helped solve the weight loss problem due to the balanced amount of all essentials the cat received with this diet.
Regardless of the natural and quality ingredients, cats seem to have issues with this food consumption for the first time. But most cat parents assure that their felines get accustomed to it over time and enjoy their meals.
Even though positive reviews of the brand products prevail, there are the Honest Kitchen cat food problems customers share with us. The only concern of all cat owners is that their felines do not like the taste of these dishes. Taking into account that their food is pricey, the customer offers to produce samples so that buyers could check if the meal would work for their pets without spending too much money on the food.
Cat parents pin their hope on the Honest Kitchen cat food with a strong belief that it would help combat the health issues of their felines, but it turns out to be useless since pets do not touch it.
David reports the same problem - his cats don’t eat this food because of the mushy texture.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you are persistent. Cats might still be eating this food by the Honest Kitchen company if you mix it up with their favorite treats.
In general, cat lovers choose the Honest Kitchen feline food because it’s organic, grain-free, and offers the right balance of nutrients required to support the cat’s health. The major concern is that felines turn their noses off this food and do not touch it. However, this issue could be fixed by mixing this meal with the cat’s favorite treats.
Is the Honest Kitchen Worth Trying?
If you are concerned about the quality of food your furry friend consumes and would like to treat them with an organic and natural diet, the Honest Kitchen cat food might be a good solution for you.
The Honest Kitchen is a kind of food you would have eaten on your own because all the ingredients are human-grade. The company sources its ingredients from proven suppliers paying special attention to how the animals and plants are growing. What’s more, they process all the products in kitchen-like facilities to bring the taste of home-made meals to every package.
The philosophy of the Honest Kitchen brand is to be transparent about what they use for producing their dehydrated food and how they make it. They explain how they process products and turn them into water-free food pieces so that every pet parent could know what they are feeding their cats with.
Even though the product line of cat food is modest, the quality of the two recipes is second-to-none. They concentrate on quality rather than quantity, and I believe that’s the right approach. Their turkey and chicken formulas have a perfect balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to ensure every kitten, adult, or senior cat lives their fullest life.
The major concern about their food is the taste as many cat owners complain that their felines have trouble eating these meals. Some of the furry friends get used to the new diet and devour the servings with pleasure over time. Others just fidget around the bowl and do not touch the food.
All in all, the Honest Kitchen cat food is definitely worth trying if you are a fan of quality and natural cat food. But one question remains open - will your cat love that?
How to pick the best and the tastiest cat food that fits your pet’s health needs? Chose the Pro Plan Focus cat food by Purina to help your cat live a healthy and happy life.
Is Taste of the Wild that very cat food your feline craves? Check this article to learn their ingredient quality, and recall history, and more.
By clicking "Accept" or continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of our and third-party cookies and other similar technologies. Find out more about cookies and how we use them on our website in our privacy policy.
