How we score

The big idea

Cat food labels list ingredients in order from most to least by weight. So the further up the list an ingredient sits, the more of the recipe it actually represents. Our score weights the first ingredient most heavily, then the next four, then the long tail.

Every ingredient has been classified by our system into a category (meat, grain, supplement, …) and a quality tag (high, neutral, controversial, avoid). The score is a series of small additions and subtractions from a baseline of 50, clamped to 0–100.

We don't claim any of these rules will make a cat healthier or sicker. They reflect what we'd look for in a recipe. Health decisions belong with your vet.

1. Meat content by weight

When the label declares enough percentages (specifically, when the top 5 ingredients cover at least 80% of the recipe by listed weight), we add up how much of the food is actually named meat (meat, organ, fish, egg, or meat meal). This is the strongest signal when it's available, because it reflects what the food is, not just what's listed first.

• +25
  ≥75% named meat by weight

  When the label declares enough percentages to verify, recipes that are mostly real animal protein get the largest single bonus.
• +20
  60–74% named meat by weight

  Strong meat composition. Most premium wet foods land here.
• +15
  45–59% named meat by weight

  Solid meat content for a recipe with mixed ingredients.
• +8
  30–44% named meat by weight

  Some real meat presence. Typical of mid-tier kibble that declares percentages.
• +2
  15–29% named meat by weight

  Marginal. Small bonus, no breakdown line.
• −5
  <15% named meat by weight

  Most of the recipe is something other than animal protein. We deduct here.

When too few percentages are declared on the label, this component is skipped. We only judge composition when there's enough data to be honest about it.

2. First ingredient

Strong signal even without weights. The first ingredient is the bulk of the recipe.

• +18
  Named meat, organ, fish, or egg

  We prefer cat foods that are mostly real animal protein, and the first ingredient is the bulk of the recipe.
• +10
  Meat meal (concentrated meat)

  A solid first ingredient: concentrated protein, just more processed than fresh meat.
• −6
  By-product as the first ingredient

  Some by-products are nutritious, but we prefer named meat or organ as the headline ingredient.
• −10
  Grain, legume, or vegetable as #1

  Cats are obligate carnivores and we prefer meat-first formulas for them.
• −18
  Anything in our "avoid" list as #1

  These are ingredients we’d skip even when they appear deeper in the list. Having one as the headline is a clear minus.

3. Rest of the top 5

Bonuses and penalties are additive across positions 1–5, including the first.

• +4 each (max +16)
  High-quality ingredient anywhere in the top 5

  Multi-protein recipes get rewarded. The first ingredient also counts here.
• −8 each
  "Avoid" ingredient in the top 5

  No cap. Five "avoids" in the top five would (correctly) tank the score.
• −3 each (max −12)
  Controversial ingredient in the top 5

  Things we view as a yellow flag, capped because one or two are not the same as a recipe built on them.

4. Nutrition (when available)

When the label includes a guaranteed analysis, we convert the macros to a dry-matter basis (so wet and dry foods compare fairly) and judge protein and carbohydrate. Without this conversion, comparing a 78%-moisture wet food at 10% protein to a dry food printing 30% protein gives nonsense. On dry matter the wet food is actually higher (≈45% vs ≈32%).

• +8
  Protein ≥45% on dry matter

  Cats are obligate carnivores, so high protein is what we look for.
• +4
  Protein 35–44% on dry matter

  Above the AAFCO minimum and in the range we like for adult cats.
• −5
  Protein <26% on dry matter

  Below the AAFCO minimum for adult cats, so we deduct here.
• +5
  Carbohydrate <15% on dry matter

  Cats have no metabolic need for carbs, so low-carb recipes get a small bonus.
• −3
  Carbohydrate >30% on dry matter

  Higher than we'd prefer for cats. Small deduction.

Skipped when the analysis isn't published, or when we can't compute dry matter (no moisture value). We don't currently score fat, fiber, taurine levels, or micronutrients.

5. Everything past position 5

Small effect. These ingredients are typically minor amounts by weight.

• +1 each (max +5)
  High-quality ingredient past position 5

  Small bonus for recipes that maintain quality through the supporting cast.
• −2 each (max −10)
  "Avoid" ingredient past position 5

  Small per-instance penalty, capped. These are minor amounts by ingredient-list weight.
• −1 each (max −5)
  Controversial ingredient past position 5

  Same idea, lighter touch.

Score → grade

The clamped 0–100 score is bucketed into a letter grade.

• A
  Excellent recipe

  85–100
• B
  Solid choice

  70–84
• C
  Mixed bag

  55–69
• D
  Room for better

  40–54
• F
  We’d skip this one

  0–39

Why we don't score taurine or omegas

Common question. Both matter for cats and we agree. Three reasons they're not in the score today:

• Most labels don't print them. Protein, fat, fibre, moisture and ash are on nearly every label. Taurine in mg/kg almost never is. Omega-3 / omega-6 sometimes. A rule that only fires when a brand decides to print the number would mostly reward marketing.
• AAFCO already sets the floor. Any food sold as "complete and balanced" has to meet legal minimums, including taurine — an amino acid cats need from their food. A bigger number on the label past that floor doesn't proportionally mean a better recipe; it usually just means the brand is showing off.
• The ingredient list already captures it indirectly. Real meat, organs and fish naturally carry taurine. Added taurine, fish oil and salmon oil are tagged "high quality" by our classifier and lift the score through the top-5 and supporting-cast rules.

If labels start declaring these consistently across brands, we'll revisit. Today they'd reward disclosure more than nutrition.

Why we don't score "sterilized" formulas differently

Another common one. A sterilized cat and a non-sterilized cat aren't the same animal nutritionally, and brands sell "sterilized" lines for that reason. We still score them on the same scale. Here's why:

• "Sterilized" isn't a regulated category. AAFCO defines "adult maintenance" and "growth", not "sterilized". The label is a brand tier, and many sterilized products are the brand's regular adult recipe with a tweak to fibre or fat. Treating it as a scoring signal would mostly reward marketing.
• The things we'd want for either cat are the same. High protein, low carbohydrate, real meat first — that's what we look for in any adult cat food. A great recipe for a sterilized cat is broadly the same recipe as for a non-sterilized one. The real difference between the two is how much you feed, not what the food is made of.
• Matching food to your cat is a separate feature. "Is this recipe a good cat food?" and "Is this the right food for my cat?" are two different questions. We answer the first. A profile feature — indoor, sterilized, weight, age — will eventually help with the second.

If your cat has been gaining weight since the operation, that's a portion-size conversation with your vet, not a sign the food is wrong.

What we don't factor in (yet)

• Fat, fibre, calcium / phosphorus ratios, and the rest of the guaranteed analysis. We score protein and carbohydrate on dry matter, that's it.
• AAFCO complete-and-balanced statements. A treat and a daily-feeding food are scored the same way.
• Brand-level reputation, recall history, or manufacturing origin. We score recipes, not brands.
• Price. A cheap recipe with great ingredients scores the same as an expensive one with the same ingredients.

The algorithm is still evolving. We re-score everything when we change a rule.