In this article
Review Summary
We give Ziwi Peak cat food a rating of
4.8 out of 5 stars.
Ziwi Peak has some of the best ingredients and uses almost exclusively animal meat in its formulas. It is foods that are protein-rich and include many nutrient-dense ingredients, like organ meat. However, they are a bit more expensive than most other brands.
Ziwi Peak is located in New Zealand and seems to lean on the fact significantly in its advertising. The founders seek to give the rest of the world a little taste of New Zealand. This brand often prides itself on its high-quality ingredients and unusual offerings.
However, does this company stand up to its reputation? In this article, we’ll look at several Ziwi Peak cat foods and carefully check the ingredients and nutritional value. Even the best cat foods aren’t perfect for all cats, so we will also help you determine if this brand suits your feline.
At a Glance: The Best Ziwi Peak Cat Food Recipes:
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Best Overall
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Ziwi Peak Mackerel & Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food |
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Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb Recipe Cat Food |
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Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Venison Recipe Cat Food |
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Ziwi Peak Rabbit & Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food |
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Ziwi Peak Beef Recipe Canned Cat Food |
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Ziwi Peak Cat Food Reviewed
Ziwi Peak cat food is usually considered a higher-end cat food. The company emphasizes that it uses higher-quality ingredients directly from New Zealand, but how much this benefits your cats is negotiable.
Who Makes Ziwi Peak & Where Is It Produced?
Ziwi Peak produces its food in New Zealand. It uses an innovative air-drying system that was invented by Kimberly and Peter Mitchell, who founded Ziwi Peak. Peter worked in the meat industry when he began to understand the need for all-meat pet food.
Peter and Kimberly then invented a system that allowed them to recover waste meat from local slaughterhouses and air-dry it. Their air-drying system allows the meat to be suitable for travel and exportation. It makes it last longer without all the extra preservatives.
This unique system is what sets the company apart from other brands. While it sells kibble-like dry food, it isn’t kibbled at all. Instead, it is dried meat.
Where Does Ziwi Peak Get Its Ingredients?
As advertised, Ziwi Peak gets its ingredients from New Zealand. Because New Zealand has a warmer climate, the company can access free-range and grass-fed cattle, sheep, and deer year-round. This allows it to offer the same ingredients of the same high quality continuously.
All its fish ingredients are specifically caught in self-sustainable fisheries in New Zealand. Much of its fish comes from the south seas of New Zealand. New Zealand is known for its strict guidelines involving livestock. It has strict procedures that prevent the spread of infectious diseases in livestock, including rabies and chronic wasting.
Facilities located in New Zealand have to follow strict requirements, so its animals are typically better treated than elsewhere in the world. Ziwi Peak gets all of its ingredients from these strict facilities.
Ziwi Peak also owns its manufacturing plant in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch, New Zealand. Its dry food options are made at these facilities. Its wet food options are made by a manufacturing partner that is also located in New Zealand.
What Does Ziwi Peak Cost?
Ziwi Peak is one of the most expensive cat foods on the market. This is primarily because it sources its ingredients from more expensive sources. This leaves it with very high-quality ingredients, but it also means it has to price its food higher. You’ll have to decide if the benefits are worth the extra cost.
Its wet food tends to be cheaper than its dry food options. However, it also includes more calories. In the long run, this makes the dried food cheaper by quite a bit. Select the dry food if you want to try Ziwi Peak but don’t want to pay much for it.
What Cats Is Ziwi Peak Best Suited For?
Ziwi Peak is best suited for cats that genuinely need high-quality food. While all cats will thrive on a better food source, some cats need it to live comfortably. This includes felines with health problems or those that are more sensitive to some other cat food’s inferior ingredients.
Ziwi Peak is grain-free, and its ingredient lists are straightforward. For this reason, it may also be suitable for cats with allergies and sensitivities. If your cat is allergic to chicken, it is straightforward to avoid it, for instance.
If you have a bit of extra money, you can purchase this cat food even if your feline has no underlying problems. It is suitable for any feline; it’s more of a matter of cost vs. benefit.
What Cats Might Do Better With a Different Brand?
Cats with chronic kidney disease will find Ziwi Peak unsuitable since the formulas are often very high in protein. For this reason, they are not suitable for felines that need a low-protein diet. Cats with this condition require certain protein levels and a low-phosphorus diet, so we recommend consulting a veterinarian about what food is best for your cat with chronic kidney disease.
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We also found that Ziwi Peak may not be best for picky eaters. It doesn’t seem as flavorful as other brands, and some felines may refuse to eat it. In this case, we recommend a wet cat food with plenty of variety, like the Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Variety Pack. Foods that are high in moisture typically contain more flavor.
A Quick Look at Ziwi Peak Cat Food
- High-quality ingredients
- High-protein
- Free of fillers and grain-free
- All ingredients sourced from New Zealand
- Unique Dry Food
- Expensive
Recall History
Ziwi Peak has no recalls or problems reported with its cat food.
Reviews of the 3 Best Ziwi Peak Cat Food Recipes
1. Ziwi Peak Beef Recipe Canned Cat Food
The Ziwi Peak Beef Recipe Canned Cat Food is one of our favorites that this company produces. It is designed with the whole prey in mind, including everything from meat to organs to bones. This is unusual for cat food, but it represents how cats would naturally eat in the wild.
The ingredients are almost entirely meat, alongside water, for processing purposes. It contains beef lungs and kidneys, and the only veggie included is chickpeas. Green-lipped mussels are provided as a natural source of many vitamins, including chondroitin and glucosamine.
This food is 100% grain-free and suitable for cats of all life stages. It does not contain hormones, preservatives, fillers, grains, rice, potatoes, antibiotics, or GMOs. It is made with 92% animal products, all of which are grass-fed and free-range. The food is created through a small-batch canning process, which ensures it is safe for your feline to eat.
Guaranteed Analysis:
| Protein: | 44.9% |
| Fat: | 28.6% |
| Carbohydrate: | 16.3% |
- Whole-prey
- Includes 92% animal products
- Added water for increased moisture consumption
- 100% grain-free
- Made with grass-fed and free-range
- Expensive
2. Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb Recipe Cat Food
Ziwi Peak is most well-known for its unique air-dried process. While it sells dry food, it is not the kibble that other companies usually sell. Instead, it is dried meat. The ingredients are naturally dehydrated, so it doesn’t require any preservatives, sugars, or other similar ingredients. The food is also completely safe and easy to handle, though it is relatively nutritionally identical to a raw diet.
This food is primarily made out of lamb meat. It includes parts of the whole lamb, including the liver, kidney, lung, and even bones. This is similar to what cats eat in the wild, so it is typically a good choice for most felines.
The food is sourced from free-range and grass-fed lamb, and the meat is free of antibiotics and other hormones. The formula includes 96% animal products, including New Zealand green mussels. This diet is highly calorie-dense, so don’t let the high price throw you off. You will need to feed your feline significantly smaller amounts of food, so you’ll need to re-purchase it less often than regular kibble.
Guaranteed Analysis:
| Protein: | 46.7% |
| Fat: | 37.4% |
| Carbohydrate: | 3.9% |
- Mostly made of meat
- Calorie-dense
- Naturally preserved
- High-protein
- Expensive
- May not be suitable for picky felines
3. Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Venison Recipe Cat Food
Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Venison Recipe Cat Food is similar to the previous food we reviewed. It uses the same two-part drying process, which naturally preserves the meat without any needed chemicals or fillers. It is similar to a raw diet regarding digestibility and nutrition. However, it’s entirely safe to handle and doesn’t carry the same risk for diseases. The drying process eliminates pathogenic bacteria.
This formula is made with 96% animal products, including meat, organs, and bones. Most of the meat comes from venison, though there are New Zealand green mussels included. All parts of venison are included, including the heart, lungs, liver, and kidney. This provides more nutrition to the cat, as organ meats are very dense.
This formula is high in protein and a bit lower in fat. This is generally because of the higher-protein nature of venison. The venison recipe uses a limited-ingredient formula and a novel protein suitable for cats with sensitivities.
Guaranteed Analysis:
| Protein: | 54.4% |
| Fat: | 30.2% |
| Carbohydrate: | 3.3% |
- Suitable for cats with allergies
- Made with mostly animal sources
- Extremely high in protein
- Safe to handle
- Expensive
What Other Users Are Saying
Many users were blown away by this company’s food, especially for felines with GI or weight problems. One customer on Chewy says: “I cannot say enough good things about this food. I had difficulty finding food high enough in protein and low enough in carbs to manage my cat’s weight. My cat does not find most wet food palatable, and he also requires novel proteins due to GI sensitivities. This food hits all the right spots. His weight is ideal, his coat looks healthy, and he seems to show more vitality overall. I highly recommend it!”
However, some found the texture of the dry food a bit strange. It has more of a jerky-like texture than regular kibble, which may throw some cats off. For instance, another Ziwi Peak purchaser on Chewy states: “I bought this for my raw diet cat (raw venison and Rabbit) to put in his timed feeder for his lunch since I would be working. I started by adding 3-4 little pieces into his raw…..he wouldn’t go near it! He would eat around these pieces, and that’s what was left in the bowl. The texture’s exactly like jerky but cut into smaller pieces. I am now sitting on two bags of different flavors he won’t even take as treats. DARN, I wanted this to work for him!”
The flavor seems to be off-putting to some cats, so it may not be suitable for very picky felines. A few people reported that their felines didn’t like the flavor, though they loved the cat food otherwise. Some complained about the price since it is more expensive than most. This is especially true about wet food, which does come with a high price tag.
Some felines didn’t like the taste of specific recipes. Many owners reported that their felines didn’t like one recipe but would eat the others. For this reason, you may want to try more recipes if your feline doesn’t prefer the first one you try.
Lastly, we always like to check reviews on Amazon before we take the plunge on a new pet product, especially one that is somewhat costly. For reviews of Ziwi Peak products, click here.
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Conclusion
Ziwi Peak is one of the most high-quality cat food brands available. It sources its ingredients from grass-fed, free-range animals raised under strict New Zealand guidelines. Most of the ingredients it uses are meat products, including many types of organs. Its formulas are usually made with one protein, though formulas using two are available.
If you have spare money, this food can be perfect for a range of felines. It’s particularly suitable for cats needing a high-protein diet to avoid health problems or those sensitive to common cat food ingredients, like chicken or grains.
