If you’ve ever stepped inside a PetSmart to pick up some food for your feline companion, there’s a good chance you’ve run across Authority brand cat food. At first glance, you’ll notice the conservative infographic labels that make the bag look less cutesy and natural.
And that’s because Authority cat food is PetSmart’s generic brand designed to compete with higher-end vittles such as Hill’s Science Diet or Royal Canin. However, the nutritional value of the food is pretty average with what you’ll find in other popular cat foods. The real redeeming factor for the Authority brand is its low price.
In this Authority cat food review, we’ll break down some of our favorite Authority formulas, deliver more insight into the company itself, and even discuss recalls of this brand’s products.
At a Glance: The Best Authority Cat Food Recipes
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Product
Details
Our Favorite
Authority Chicken, Rice & Turkey Formula All Life Stages
Before we jump into some individual product reviews, let’s talk a bit about the Authority brand as a whole organization and whether their goods are suited for your loved ones.
Who Makes Authority and Where Is It Produced?
Authority is created and distributed exclusively by PetSmart—a pet superstore chain. This would be considered a generic brand just as Great Value is for Walmart or Kirkland Signature is to Costco. It’s also not PetSmart’s only store brand pet food. Both Great Choice and Simply Nourish are also PetSmart selections. However, these brands are targeted towards customers of casual or holistic brands.
According to the brand, Authority formulas are strictly manufactured in the USA; however, they don’t like to name their manufacturing partners. But a 2016 news report alludes that at least some of the Authority brand is sourced from American Nutrition Inc. based out of Ogden, Utah.
Which Types of Cats Is Authority Best Suited For?
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, all-around decent cat food, Authority isn’t a terrible choice. It’ll get the job done for almost any ordinary housecat. Some of their blends are even purposely designed to cover cats of all ages, from kittens to mature felines.
NO MESS - The 360° tray on this cat food and water bowl set has a raised design to catch and...
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Which Types of Cats Might Do Better With a Different Brand?
If your cat has special needs such as high-protein, low fat, or grain-free, you might want to opt for a more premium brand.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)
Each of our favorite Authority formulas are crafted with a genuine whole-protein listed as their primary ingredient such as chicken. And that’s a great sign. Cats are strict carnivores and require a considerable amount of protein in their diets.
However, it’s the rest of the ingredients within the Authority blends that are cause for concern. For as much protein as the formulas have, they contain just as much grain and filler materials, such as corn and brewers rice. Fortunately, they do have a specialty grain-free line that you can avail yourself of at a premium.
Nutritional Info
Authority cat food has a relatively average overall nutrition. It doesn’t truly register as a high protein cat food with only 32% protein content in the blend. And at 16% crude fat, Authority can’t be considered low fat either.
However, it does have added vitamins and mineral supplements to help it rise above the mediocrity. Also, it has specially formulated kibble known as Authority’s Ora-Shield system which is designed to promote positive oral health by reducing plaque and tartar.
Authority Cat Food Lines
When it comes to variety, Authority has three separate lines of cat food that come in both wet and dry recipes.
Everyday Health: This is your standard, run-of-the-mill cat food. You can get different formulas for different life stages whether it’s for kittens, adults, or seniors. However, we like their dry kibble designed for All Life Stages.
Authority Solutions and Advanced Wellness: Authority’s Solutions line are specialty cat-foods designed to help your cat combat a particular issue such as hairball control or weight-loss. While these may be great for those on a budget, we recommend purchasing higher quality food if you can afford it.
Grain-Free: If you’re looking for a grain-free option at a lower cost, you might want to consider one of Authority’s grain-free options. There’s no real dedicated line to producing these types of cat food; however, you can find some variants within the Advanced Wellness blends such as their Sensitive Systems and Digestion Ocean Fish and Sweet Potato.
A Quick Look at Authority Cat Food
Pros
Whole protein is the number one ingredient
Affordable
Have added supplements to boost nutritional content
Cons
Most varieties contain filler ingredients and grains
No real standout advantages other than cost
Recall History
It’s pretty unnerving to find out that your pet’s food is the subject of a safety recall. This can spell out an extra trip to the vet, wasted money, and the difficulty of finding a new cat food—especially if your furball’s a picky eater.
So has Authority brand cat food ever been safety recalled?
Yes. In the spring of 2007, Authority released a recall for several of their formulas due to melamine contamination. Melamine is a nitrogen-based chemical that’s used to create a bunch of different household goods including plastics, dishware, and utensils.
This plastics compound found its way into certain Authority ingredients that were being sourced from China. This particular melamine contamination wasn’t just a singularity affecting Authority. In fact, many other brands issued a safety recall for this event. Since then, Authority has claimed—both in person and on their packaging—that all of their formulas are now strictly USA-sourced and made. And they haven’t had a single recall since.
Reviews of the 3 Best Authority Cat Food Recipes
While the Authority brand doesn’t have as many choices as some of the other cat food brands, they still carry enough variety for you to choose from. Here are three of our favorites they have to offer:
1. Authority Chicken, Rice and Turkey Formula Dry Cat Food (All Life Stages)
This is our favorite Authority brand cat food. It’s got an industry average of 32% minimum protein content and 16% minimum fat content. But it’s not the protein or fat nutrition that sets this food apart. Instead, it’s that this dry food is sufficient enough for cats of all ages. And this can provide a distinct advantage—particularly for picky cats.
If you’re having a tough time finding a food that your kitten likes, you’ve hit the jackpot if they enjoy this Authority formula. You won’t have to worry about swapping foods or brands as your kitten ages. This is accomplished through the use of a special antioxidant blend to help boost your cat’s immune system.
Calorie Breakdown:
Pros
Great for cats of all ages
Specially formed antioxidant blend added
Ora-Shield System that helps reduce tartar and plaque
This food is designed to help control hairballs by being formulated with natural vegetable fibers. It contains 10% protein, 6% fat, 2% fiber, and contains 91 calories per can. We’re fairly pleased with the ingredients list, as this food contains chicken broth, chicken, chicken liver, fish, and brewer rice as the first five ingredients.
As a wet food, it’s great for senior cats and cats with dental problems as well, but note that wet food can also contribute to dental problems since it doesn’t provide that crunch that dry food does.
Pros
Helps control hairballs
Contains natural fibers
Great first five ingredients
Cons
Wet foods can contribute to dental problems
3. Authority Urinary Tract Health Adult Dry Cat Food
As our third pick for the best Authority cat foods, the Urinary Tract Health formula can help maintain your cat’s urinary health and prevent issues from arising by promoting healthy mineral content. The chicken and rice flavor will appeal to most cats, and the first ingredient is deboned chicken, followed by oatmeal, potato protein, and ground brown rice.
The protein content of this food is 36%, with 14% fat and 8% fiber. It contains 338 calories per cup. This food also contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat. However, it is a little heavy on non-meat ingredients, but we think its a great option if your cat does need support for their urinary health.
From Audrey on Chewy – “The rescue group from whom we got our two kittens recommended this food. They love it and have been eating it since day one!”
From Heba on PetSmart – “Our latest addition to the cat clan is a shelter kitten with some GI issues that include diarrhea and gas. All veterinary checks and lab tests came back without significant issues. So they asked that we switch her to a special diet for her sensitive GI system. Her status improved a lot after we transitioned her to the Advanced Wellness Sensitive Systems and Digestion cat food. She was finally able to put on some weight and is more energetic too.”
Conclusion
Authority can be a viable option for those looking for affordable quality cat food. While it’s not the most premium brand available, it’ll get the job done if your cat eats it. Each blend has all the nutrition your cat will need from good protein contents and added antioxidants. However, Authority uses quite a bit of cheap filler ingredients. This helps to keep costs down, but it’s not ideal for your feline. But if you’re looking for an affordable cat food that’ll ensure your furball has proper nutrition, Authority might be right for you.
Christian started writing for a local newspaper as a teenager, and he's been involved in the publishing industry for most of his adult life. Combining his love of writing with a passion for animals, he is currently the Director of Editorial at Pangolia and the Editor-in-Chief at Catster.
Christian lives in the Philippines with his wife, son, and four rescue cats: Trixie, Chloe, Sparky, and Chopper.
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