In this article
We give Crave Cat Food a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Crave Cat Food is manufactured by Mars Petcare and has been on the market since 2017. The brand currently offers a limited variety of dry foods, all of which are grain-free and high in protein. The food is affordable and is of decent quality compared to other foods in the same price range. Produced in the U.S., Crave gets most of its ingredients from the U.S., although some of the vitamins and other ingredients are imported.
There is a limited range of products, all of which are dry foods, but they each use animal-based products as their first ingredient and their main source of protein, which is important when choosing cat food. They also have 40% protein, which is considered optimal for our feline pets.
At a Glance: The Best Crave Cat Foods
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CRAVE Grain Free Chicken Dry Cat Food |
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Crave Grain Free High Protein Dry Cat Food |
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Crave Grain Free Adult Salmon Dry Cat Food |
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Crave Cat Food Reviewed
Who Makes Crave Cat Food and Where Is It Produced?
Crave Cat Food is made by the world’s largest pet food manufacturer, Mars Petcare. The food is manufactured in facilities based around the U.S. Mars Petcare has its headquarters in McLean, Virginia, and facilities throughout the U.S., as well as in other countries around the world. The Waltham Petcare Science Institute, which studies pet nutrition, for example, is based in Waltham on the Wolds in Leicestershire, UK.
Who Is Crave Cat Food Best Suited For?
It is generally recommended that cats have at least 26% protein in their diet, but kittens, pregnant cats, and senior cats need at least 30% protein. This is considered a bare minimum and some studies suggest that cats that do not get 40% protein in their diets lose lean body mass over time.
Crave is marketed as a high-protein dry food and consists of 40% protein, in most cases, which is considered an optimal rate for your feline friend. This level is considered suitable for cats of all ages regardless of whether they are indoor or outdoor cats.
Who Might Do Better With a Different Brand?
High-protein cat food is not recommended for cats with liver or kidney problems. This is because the liver and kidneys are responsible for using and discarding the protein in their diet. A high protein diet means that these organs will be working very hard and this can increase the damage to them. Therefore, cats with liver and kidney problems should be given specially formulated low-protein food.
A food like Hill’s Prescription Diet k/d Kidney Care with Chicken Dry Cat Food is better suited to cats with these specific health problems.
Discussion of Product Quality
Although Crave Cat Food falls in the category of affordable cat food, it appears to contain good quality ingredients. It uses meat as its first ingredient, and seemingly as its main source of protein, which is important to cats. It is free from fillers, too.
All Crave cat foods are dry foods, however, which means they do have more carbohydrates than is considered ideal. And, while the main protein source is meat, the foods do contain some concentrated vegetable proteins, which are not ideal for cats, as they are obligate carnivores and are unable to digest plant carbohydrates as well as they can meat-based ones.
Meat Protein
Cats are obligate carnivores. In the wild, they would only eat meat, with a very small intake of plant matter coming from the stomachs of their prey. As pets, cats are fed a combination of meat and plant-based ingredients, and while protein and other essential vitamins and minerals are found in certain plant ingredients, cats are unable to digest and process these as effectively as they can the ingredients from animal matter.
The different Crave cat foods list chicken, chicken meal, or salmon, as their main ingredients.
Grain-Free Food
Cats do not specifically need grain-free food, and it is very rare for a cat to be allergic or sensitive to grains. With that said, while there are some suggested links between grain-free dog food and canine heart disease, the same is not true of cats. There are currently no known links between grain-free cat food and any health conditions in cats. If your cat has been diagnosed as being allergic to grains, or your vet has specifically recommended that you try feeding grain-free food, then you should buy a grain-free recipe.
Dry Food
One potential benefit of grain-free cat food is that grains and grain products are cited as being one of the reasons that kibble is higher in carbohydrates than wet food and other food types.
With that said, Crave cat food is still considered high in carbs, despite it being grain-free. Owners should try and limit the carbohydrates in their cat’s diet so that 10% or less of their calorie intake comes from this source.
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 Catster, 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! 
A Quick Look at Crave Cat Food
- Animal products are the first ingredients
- 40% protein is considered optimal for cats
- Very reasonably priced
- Free from fillers
- Quite high in carbohydrates
- No wet food
Recall History
There have been no recorded instances of Crave cat foods being recalled by the FDA.
Reviews of the 3 Best Crave Cat Foods
Below are Crave’s three cat foods currently available.
1. Crave Grain-Free Indoor Adult Protein Natural Dry Cat Food
Indoor cats are more likely to put on additional weight. They don’t get the same amount of exercise as those that are allowed outdoors. This means that their food needs fewer calories. A diet that is higher in fiber ensures that the cat feels fuller without piling on the pounds. But, indoor cats still need a high-protein diet.
Crave Grain Free Indoor Adult High Protein Natural Dry Cat Food has chicken and chicken meal as the main ingredients. Chicken meal is a more concentrated source of chicken protein, and the combination of these two ingredients at the top of the list, along with salmon meal further down the list, suggests that most of the 44% protein in the food’s nutritional listing comes from animal sources. However, the food does have a high carbohydrate content, accounting for 31% of the food’s ingredient list.
- 44% protein is good
- 18% fat is low
- Reasonably priced food
- Chicken and chicken meal are the main ingredients
- High in carbs
2. Crave Grain-Free Adult Dry Cat Food with Protein from Chicken
The main ingredients of Crave Grain Free Adult High Protein Natural Dry Cat Food with Protein from Chicken are chicken and chicken meal, so this is another food from Crave that gets a lot of its protein from animal sources. It has 40% protein and 18% fat. Additional ingredients include pea protein and potato protein as well as fish meal and alfalfa meal.
The food is high in carbs, but also has a favorable protein ratio and is low in fat. What fat there is comes at least partially from chicken fat, which is considered a species-appropriate source.
- 40% protein is good for cats
- Chicken and chicken meal are the main ingredients
- Good price
- High in carbs
3. Crave Grain-Free Adult Dry Cat Food with Protein from Salmon & Ocean Fish
Crave Grain Free Adult High Protein Natural Dry Cat Food with Protein from Salmon & Ocean Fish is the final Crave cat food on the list. This one has salmon and chicken meal as its main ingredients with chicken fat and fish meal found further down the list. Although it is not recommended to give your cat fish every meal, the combination of fish with chicken means that this food should be safe as a regular meal.
Like the other foods on this list it has 42% protein, 18% fat, and 4% fiber. Like all of the Crave dry food, it does have 10% moisture, which means that your cat will be getting some moisture from their food. This can be beneficial because some cats don’t naturally take to drinking water straight from a water bowl.
- 42% protein is a good level for most cats
- Salmon and chicken meal are the main ingredients
- Decent price
- High in carbs
What Other Users Are Saying
Buyers generally praise the food’s ingredients, especially its use of meat protein and the inclusion of meat as the main ingredient in the food.
- Cat Food DB – “An above average overall cat food brand.”
- cats.com – “Crave cat food listings consistently receive four and five-star reviews.”
- Amazon – It is always worth looking at Amazon reviews to see what other buyers have said of the product. Read what Amazon buyers said here.
Conclusion
Crave cat food is produced and sold by Mars Petcare. The food is manufactured in the U.S. and its dry kibbles all feature animal ingredients as their main ingredients. The food is high in protein, with at least 40% protein by weight, but it also tends to be high in carbohydrates, which cats don’t need in their diet. The food is grain-free, but this isn’t important to cats unless they have been specifically diagnosed as being allergic to grains, which is very rare in the feline population. Overall, the food is reasonably priced, appears to use good quality ingredients, and gets the majority of its protein from species-appropriate animal-based sources, making it a popular choice with buyers and reviewers alike.
