This is our Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food Review, Rating and Recall
Setting a new standard of what quality cat food should be, Dr. Elsey is impressing everyone with their all natural and clean formula. A serious contender for one of the best dry cat foods out there.
We rate it highly and recommend it wholeheartedly to our readers.
Dr. Elsey strictly follows AAFCO guidelines and uses state of the art, highest quality manufacturing plant to produce all of their products.
Read the full review below.
Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food Rating
When we rate a cat food, we judge it by how species specific it is, the quality of ingredients used, does it include any ingredients that just don’t make any sense being in a cat food such as fillers and artificial ingredients, price, recall history, how did the customers rate it and the variety the brand offers.
We have given Dr. Elsey’s cat food a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Not bad, not bad at all. The quality of the ingredients, no recall history and whoever we talk to tells us their cats love this food and has improved their cat’s health, forcing us to give it such a high rating.
It surprised us when we researched the ingredients and their quality on how natural and cat safe the formulas are, we even questioned why other brands don’t replicate the same formula.
Profit may come first before our cat’s health for the big pet food companies but not for us. Thankfully there are still some good pet food companies out there that care about our cats as much as we do and Dr Elsey’s is one of them.
Dr Elsey’s Overview And History
Dr Elsey started off as a littler making company in 1989 by Dr. Bruce Elsey who was a feline only veterinarian. They sold everything litter related, providing cat parents with affordable and reliable products quickly becoming a cat household name.
In 2017, thankfully the company started their own food product line, giving it the appropriate name of ‘cleanprotein’ (Thank You Dr. Elsey). ‘Cleanprotein’ meant that the food was easily digestible and efficient food that is close to a cat’s natural diet.
Ingredient Sourcing And Manufacturing
90% of Dr. Elsey ingredients are sourced from the US with some ingredients such as vitamins and minerals are sourced from Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Scotland and Canada.
We would have loved it if Dr. Elsey would have shared their vendor names and their quality control process but Europe and North America have great quality control measures for food manufacturing facilities so we assume they have good manufacturing standards. Please don’t disappoint us Dr. Elsey!
It is worth mentioning that Dr. Elsey in some cases may source Taurine from China.
Dr. Elsey’s has a top of the line manufacturing facility in Wyoming, US. No other manufacturing facility as far as we could find.
Dr. Elsey Ingredient Quality
Dr. Elsey uses high quality ingredients in their products. Ingredients used by Dr. Elsey’s are either fresh or processed.
All Dr. Elsey cat food ingredients meet the AAFCO standard of quality. Dr. Elsey also adds taurine in their pet food without grains to avoid the development of conditions like Dilated Cardiomyopathy.
Something we haven’t seen much of in other pet foods, is the addition of plasma, which improves digestibiliity, supports immune health and is part of a cat’s natural diet.
Dr. Elsey does not use any fillers in their food ensuring there are no animal by-products, corn, white potatoes, wheat, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
Recall History
Dr. Elsey has never been recalled! Trust us, we researched hard and long and didn’t find even a warning!
Customer Reviews
Don’t just trust us! Look at these positive and negative reviews of Dr. Elsey’s cat food.
Positive Reviews
“I have 6 cats between the ages 4-7 years old. All normal diets and no current health concerns. Okay so over the last few weeks I’ve been testing 3 different dry foods. All bowls of similar size in the same feeding location. Royal canin kitten vs applaws chicken vs Dr elsey’s clean protein chicken…. so far the doctor elseys disappears the fastest from the food bowls with Royal canin in second place. It should be noted that they all normally eat the Royal canin and I purchased the Dr elsey’s food and the applaws to see what my cats would prefer.” Review of Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Chicken Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
“Despite having a thin layer of semi hard gelatin on top I break up the duck meat and add a little warm water to it and blend it in. My 6 month old kitten really didn’t care for it at first but quickly changed his mind. My 3 month old kitten gobbles this duck meat up and they wait to be served seconds. 4.5 out of 5 for me only because of the Gelatin layer” Review of Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Duck Pate Canned Cat Food
Negative Reviews
“Our rescue cat was in a shelter for 18 months of her 6 years. We have had her for over two years. She came with dental problems and will only eat pate perhaps due to missing teeth. As with many ageing cats she is pre diabetic, which had me doing a lot of research looking for healthy high protein, low carb. food. She likes the CHICKEN flavor, will not touch the salmon. Gave two cans of the salmon to a friend, her cat took one bite screamed so loud it woke her husband. Review of Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Salmon Formula Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
“I’ve done a lot of research on cat food. Dr. Else’s is one of the best when it comes to DMB and metabolic energy. Their sourcing is very good. Having said that, neither of my cats like this one.” Review of Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Salmon Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food Range
Dr. Elsey has kept things simple by having only wet and dry food ranges which they claim are suitable for all life stages and most health conditions. But they do offer a number of flavours in both wet and dry food.
Dr. Elsey’s Dry Food Range
With no mystery ingredients, the products include high quality ingredients loved by all cats.
As with dry cat foods, it is low in moisture content so give your kitty plenty of fresh water in their water bowls.
The dry food range comes in a number of flavours such as duck, chicken, rabbit, turkey and salmon.
Dr. Elsey’s Wet Food Range
Made with the same quality ingredients this food is really great for your cat if they love wet food.
Comes in Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Salmon and Rabbit flavours.
Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food Cost
The dry food costs around $0.35 to $0.40 per ounce, coming up to around $0.6 to $0.8 for a 10 pound cat per day.
The wet food costs around $2.61 per day for a 10 pound cat.
Review of Top 3 Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food Recipes
Just to give you a sense of the Dr. Elsey’s products we are going to review the top 3 products.
Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Chicken Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Pork Protein Isolate, Gelatin, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
- Guaranteed Analysis: 59% Crude Protein, 18% Crude Fat, 4% Crude Fiber, 12% Crude Moisture
- Carb Content: 4.12%
- Caloric Content: 554 kcal/cup
- Type of Product: Grain-Free, Gluten Free, High-Protein, Pea-Free, No Corn No Wheat No Soy
- Life Stage: All
High in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbs, the purrfect ratio of nutrients for your cat to be healthy and happy.
Fresh chicken and dried egg products are the main source of protein in this food. Nice and simple for easy digestion and efficient absorption of nutrients. Good work Dr. Elsey.
Chicken fat and fish oils are sources of fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids. Love the natural source of fats and fatty acids.
To top off it, this food also contains a variety of vitamins, minerals and plasma to give your cat a nutritionally complete diet.
No artificial ingredients or empty fillers, you can rest easy that your cat is not getting any bad stuff in their diet.
Read more on Ingredients to Avoid in Cat Food Here.
| What We Liked | What We Didn’t Like |
| + Meat Based + High Protein + Low Carb + Animal Sourced Fats + No artificial ingredients | – Low moisture content |
Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Salmon Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Salmon, Dried Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Gelatin, Salmon Hydrolysate
- Guaranteed Analysis: 56% Crude Protein, 17% Crude Fat, 4% Crude Fiber, 12% Crude Moisture
- Carb Content: 7.36%
- Caloric Content: 554 kcal/cup
- Type of Product: Grain-Free, Gluten Free, High-Protein, No Corn No Wheat No Soy
- Life Stage: All
Similar to the chicken recipe above, the primary source in this recipe comes from salmon instead of chicken making it an ideal choice for cats with sensitivities to chicken.
The salmon hydrolysate is easily digestible and absorbed by the cat’s digestive system, delivering nutrition efficiently without overburdening the cat’s digestive system.
Fresh chicken and dried egg products are the main source of protein in this food. Nice and simple for easy digestion and efficient absorption of nutrients. You are blowing our mind Dr. Elsey!
Chicken fat and fish oils are the primary sources of fat and omega 3 fatty acids.
Did someone say fiber? Fiber is coming from a natural source of flaxseed, sufficient enough to keep the digestive system healthy and not large enough to make your cat full.
| What We Liked | What We Didn’t Like |
| + Meat Based + High Protein + Low Carb + Animal Sourced Fats + No artificial ingredients | – Low moisture content – Chickpeas can be hard for some cats to digest |
Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Chicken Formula Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor
- Guaranteed Analysis: 11% Crude Protein, 9% Crude Fat, 1.5% Crude Fiber, 78% Crude Moisture
- Carb Content: 10.96%
- Caloric Content: 197 kcal/5.5-oz can
- Type of Product: Grain-Free, Gluten Free, High-Protein, Pea-Free
- Life Stage: All
Made primarily from chicken and chicken liver, meat and organs (your kitty’s ear would have perked up). This is as close to a natural diet as it gets!
If that isn’t protein they have added a third source of protein, dried egg product, in case your kitty needs that extra protein kick!
The thickener used in this product is agar-agar which is considered safe for cats! (Thank you Dr. Elsey for considering the safety of our cats).
Barley Grass!?! Don’t worry this is usually called cat grass as it is a source of insoluble fiber for cats.
A nutritionally complete food with vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. I am no longer shopping for extra supplements for my cat.
| What We Liked | What We Didn’t Like |
| + Meat Based + High Protein + Low Carb + Animal Sourced Fats + No artificial ingredients | – A bit costly – Some cats don’t like the taste |
Our Verdict
We love it! Only if Dr. Elsey would make human food, I’ll be all over it.
It is one of the best dry cat foods out there with all natural ingredients made from real meat and organs, and provides complete nutrition to cats.
With low carb content, cats won’t have sugar spikes and might even be suitable for diabetic cats. But consult your vet before switching your cat over to Dr. Elsey’s cat food.
We can’t recommend Dr. Elsey enough and hope you found this review useful.
FAQ
Can Kittens Eat Dr. Elsey?
Yes, Dr. Elsey is appropriate for all life stages. The quantity of food might differ but other than that it has all the nutrients for all life stages.
Does Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food Have Taurine?
Yes, Dr. Elsey’s cat food has the appropriate amount of protein for a cat to be healthy and happy.
Has Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food Recalled?
No, Dr. Elsey’s cat food has never been recalled.
Who Owns Dr. Elsey’s Cat Food?
Dr. Elsey’s cat food is owned by Dr. Elsey and his wife Kathy.
