Review Summary
We give American Journey Cat food a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
American Journey Pet Food is an exclusive brand owned by Chewy.com, first launched in 2017, and sold almost exclusively through Chewy’s website. All of American Journey’s pet food is made in the U.S.A. by a manufacturer in Kansas, with ingredients sourced primarily from the United States but also Mexico, China, Chile, New Zealand, and Germany.
Selling its own brand through its own website allows Chewy to cut out the middleman and offer great-quality foods at a reasonable price, often far lower than their competitors. American Journey’s cat food is available in a variety of options, including dry and wet food and in single or multiple protein source recipes.
One of the biggest benefits of buying American Journey from Chewy is the automatic shipping option; you can set how much food you need to be sent and how frequently you need it, giving you tremendous peace of mind knowing that you’ll never run out of food for your feline.
Overall, American Journey is a great brand of cat food at a highly affordable price point.
At a Glance: The Best American Journey Cat Food Recipes
| Image | Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Our Favorite  |  | American Journey Turkey & Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food | CHECK PRICE | |
 |  | American Journey Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food | CHECK PRICE | |
 |  | American Journey Minced Poultry & Seafood in Gravy Variety Pack | CHECK PRICE | |
 | American Journey Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food | CHECK PRICE | ||
 | American Journey Duck Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food | CHECK PRICE |
American Journey Cat Food Reviewed
The convenience of online ordering and great quality food at an affordable price is turning many cat owners toward American Journey cat food. It has quickly become a trusted brand among pet owners, with quality ingredients and great customer service. American Journey makes roughly 18 different cat food products, including dry food, wet food, and various treats.
Who makes American Journey and where is it produced?
American Journey is made and owned by Chewy, Inc, a popular website for all things pet related. All the food is manufactured in Kansas in the United States, with ingredients primarily locally sourced but also imported.
Which Types of Cats is American Journey Best Suited For?
American Journey is suitable for all cats that don’t have any underlying allergies or chronic illnesses. The company does not make specially formulated foods for liver, kidney, or cardiac disorders, but all its dry foods are grain-free, which is essential for healthy cats.
American Journey has a fairly limited choice of only four dry food options but also makes a variety of wet foods, including various mince and pâté poultry selections, seafood, and beef.
Which Types of Cats Might Do Better With a Different Brand?
Cats that have underlying chronic health issues or allergies may do better on a prescription diet that will address these specific issues. They may need to permanently be on this diet, although it is often a temporary measure to help them get over an illness or disease.
Brands like Hill’s Science Diet have specific foods aimed at specific disorders, like sensitive digestion, and weight management, and specialized formulas for kittens and seniors.
Feeding your cat a high-quality diet is important for keeping them healthy and happy. But it goes beyond the food you choose; the dishes they use also matter. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite for its unique, five-star design that protects from whisker fatigue and promotes good posture which also aids in better digestion. As an added bonus, it’s beautifully crafted and offers a modern take on the traditional cat bowl that fits seamlessly with all home stylings. Learn more about the NomNom by clicking here. At Excited Cats, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company! 
What Are the Primary Ingredients (Good and bad) in American Journey Cat Food?
Almost all the American Journey Cat Food products contain a quality protein source as the first ingredient, usually real, deboned poultry, like chicken and turkey, or fish, including salmon and tuna. The company does not use any artificial coloring or flavors, and none of the cat foods contain any animal by-products or grains.
Animal by-products. These are leftover parts from carcasses after they have been slaughtered for meat, defined as the non-rendered, clean parts safe for animal consumption. Although animal by-products are still fairly nutritious, they are often considered a waste product by customers and most premium pet food manufactures have stopped using them, including American Journey.
Grains. Cats are obligate carnivores and will not do well being fed on grains. We recommend going for a grain-free recipe for your cat, and all of American Journey’s cat food products are grain-free. Grains like wheat, corn, and soy are often used as filler ingredients and binding agents in dry cat foods, and although some binders are unfortunately necessary for dry kibble, American Journey chooses to use pea and potato starch instead.
Peas. American Journey is free from any grain binders but instead, substitutes these with other starchy sources, like potato and peas. While this is far better than grains and is still a low percentage of the total food makeup, it is still not ideal for cats. Wet foods are usually free of these binding agents, and we recommend these types if you are concerned about the starch.
All four of American Journey’s dry cat foods contain pea protein as a binder. The concern over this ingredient is the boost of plant-based protein, which is of lower quality than meat-based sources, especially for cats.
Want to see more cat food reviews? Check out our review page here!
A Quick Look at American Journey Cat Food
- Made in the United States
- No history of recalls
- Packed with quality meat
- Grain-free
- Free from animal by-products
- Packed with vitamins and minerals
- Contains non-grain fillers, including peas
- Contains fruits and vegetables
Reviews of the 3 Best American Journey Cat Food Recipes
With no history of recalls and outstanding grain-free recipes, here are three of our favorite cat foods from American Journey.
1. American Journey Turkey & Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
American Journey’s Turkey and Chicken dry cat food is free from grains, an essential consideration since cats are obligate carnivores. The food features real, deboned turkey as the first ingredient, plus deboned chicken and a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables. It has a crude protein content of 40% and is packed with essential omega fatty acids 3 and 6 for healthy skin and coat. This food also contains essential amino acids, like taurine for heart and eye health, and added antioxidants for optimal immune support, and it is free from artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.
The kibble size of this food is particularly small, and some larger cats may not enjoy it. Some customers report their cats drank a ton of water afterward, pointing toward a high salt content.
Calorie Breakdown:
- Contains real, deboned turkey
- Packed with healthy fruits and vegetables
- 40% crude protein content
- Contains essential omega acids 3 and 6
- Packed with immune-supporting antioxidants
- Small kibble size
- High salt content
2. American Journey Minced Poultry & Seafood in Gravy Variety Pack Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
This minced poultry and seafood canned wet cat food is packed with protein from real chicken, tuna, and turkey and comes in a variety pack of three different flavors, which is a great test to see which flavor your cat prefers. These high-quality protein sources deliver essential amino acids like taurine, which is great for heart health and eyesight. It also includes healthy fruits, like cranberries and blueberries, that are a potent source of antioxidants, natural sources of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, and added vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E and manganese. Again, this food from American Journey is free from artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors.
The potent smell of the included seafood may put some cats off, and this food only has a 9% crude protein content. Also, the lid-opening tabs are reported to break constantly, which can become frustrating.
Calorie Breakdown:
- Made with real chicken, tuna, and turkey
- Contains a natural source of taurine
- Include healthy fruits like cranberries and blueberries
- Contains omega-3 and -6 fatty acids
- Loads of vitamins and minerals
- Potent seafood smell
- Fairly low protein content
- Finicky lid design
3. American Journey Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
With real, deboned chicken as the first ingredient, this grain-free kibble has a 40% crude protein content. It also contains flaxseeds for a natural source of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and wholesome fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, cranberries, carrots, and pumpkin. It also contains added antioxidants for immune support and taurine for heart and eye health and is free from artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.
Some customers reported that this food caused gas and bloating in their cat and even nausea in some cases. The kibble size is also very small, an issue that comes with all American Journey dry foods.
Calorie Breakdown:
- Deboned chicken is the first listed ingredient
- Contains flaxseeds for added omega-3 and -6 fatty acids
- Added antioxidants
- Contains taurine
- Contains wholesome fruits and vegetables
- May cause gas and bloating
- Small kibble size
What Other Users Are Saying
American Journey is a fairly new brand of cat food, and due to its reasonable prices and high-quality ingredients, it has garnered a great deal of attention from cat owners. Here’s what a few other sources are saying about American Journey:
- Feline Living: “Chewy’s American Journey is one of the brands that are a good introduction to natural pet foods. Free from artificial enhancers such as colors, flavors, or preservatives, it offers all-natural cat food that is affordable, and can be conveniently purchased online at Chewy.com and PetSmart. Based on our American Journey cat food review, it is overall a good natural pet food brand. Their products have been able to deliver good results, as seen by many cat owners. Their different variants of both wet and dry foods are popular with kitties. Many have thrived on the brand’s products with skin, fur, and digestion issues showing significant improvements.”
- CatfoodDB: “Overall, CatFoodDB has reviewed 21 American Journey cat food products. Together they average 7 / 10 paws, which makes American Journey an above average overall cat food brand when compared to all the other brands in our database.”
- Catpet: “To sum it up, I do recommend American Journey cat food because it presents an optimal price/quality ratio. Each lineup of foods has great protein content, and wet foods are pretty low in carbs. The dry food from American Journey is a highly recommended option for the daily nutrition of adult cats and kittens because it provides a generous boost of energy and all necessary vitamins and minerals. It goes without mentioning that the manufacturer adds fiber-rich superfoods (fruits, berries, vegetables) and Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.”
- Chewy: Of course, we always check chewy.com for customer reviews too, especially since American Journey is produced by Chewy itself. You can view these customer reviews here.
Conclusion
Chewy has taken a bold step into manufacturing their own brand of pet food with American Journey, and so far, it seems it has done a fantastic job. This move has allowed Chewy to make food that is a fair bit less expensive than some competitors, while still maintaining high-quality ingredients and great customer service.
All of American Journey’s food is grain-free, which is perfect for cats, and is manufactured in the United States. Meat is always the first ingredient, the food contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and it has a great protein content throughout. While the food is not perfect, as it does contain starchy binder ingredients, for the price, you won’t get much better.
Overall, American Journey is an affordable, healthy, and trustworthy brand that we highly recommend as a daily diet for your feline.
Featured Image: American Journey, Chewy /Freepik by Terdpongvector
