Obligate carnivores
Cats have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates and need a high proportion of animal tissue protein to maintain lean mass.
Feline label education · no public scores
Understand what is really in your cat's food
The short answer
PetFoodFix is an independent educational resource for Canadian cat owners. It explains how to read a cat food label — the nutritional adequacy statement, guaranteed analysis, taurine and mineral declarations — and it is not a veterinary service. Public cat scores, recommendations and paid cat reports are not available.
Educational label interpretation only. Not a veterinary consultation, diagnosis or treatment.
What is open in Canada today
Feline label education, label submissions and the feline guide library are free. A public Canadian cat catalogue, cat quality scores, automatic recommendations and paid cat reports are still in development, so this hub does not offer them — and it never replaces a veterinary assessment of your cat.
Cats are not small dogs
A canine label reading habit will mislead you on a feline bag. Four differences drive almost every question worth asking.
Taurine and preformed vitamin A
Cats cannot make enough taurine from other amino acids and cannot convert beta-carotene into vitamin A. Both must arrive ready-made in the diet.
Low thirst drive
Unlike dogs, cats drink little by instinct, which concentrates urine. Moisture in the food is one of the few levers a label lets you read.
Amino acid and mineral sensitivity
Arginine, arachidonic acid, phosphorus, magnesium and ash sit inside narrower windows than they do for dogs, which is why feline labels are read differently.
What we read on a Canadian cat food label
Labels in Canada often follow AAFCO nutrient profiles or PFAC standards, and the amount of detail a brand publishes still varies widely. The six fields below are where the real information lives.
The nutritional adequacy statement
The line that says the food is "complete and balanced" for a specific life stage, or that it is intended for "intermittent or supplemental feeding only". Labels in Canada often follow AAFCO or PFAC standards; this single sentence decides whether the food can ever be a sole diet.
Guaranteed analysis
Crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, moisture and ash, printed as minimums and maximums. They are label guarantees, not precise measurements, so read them as ranges rather than exact values.
Taurine declaration
Taurine is essential for cats and cannot be left out of a complete food. Where it appears in the ingredient or additive list is a label-visibility signal — not proof of adequacy, and its absence from the printed list is not proof of absence from the formula.
Ash, phosphorus and magnesium
Mineral reporting varies widely between brands. These values matter for urinary and kidney discussions with your veterinarian, so we flag what is declared and what is simply missing.
Moisture and format
Canned, pouch and dry foods differ enormously in water content. Cats have a naturally low thirst drive, so the moisture figure is one of the most useful numbers on the panel.
Life stage and calories
Growth, maintenance, all life stages — plus the calorie statement in kcal ME/kg. Both are needed before anyone can talk about portions for your cat.
Complete and balanced, or supplemental feeding only
Complete and balanced
Formulated to meet the nutrient profile for a stated life stage. This is the only kind of cat food that can be fed as the entire diet.
Supplemental feeding only
Treats, toppers, broths and many complementary products. They must be fed alongside a complete diet — never as the whole bowl.
Feeding a supplemental product as a cat's only diet can cause serious, life-threatening deficiencies. If the packaging does not clearly state that the food is complete and balanced for your cat's life stage, do not treat it as a full diet.
When to contact a veterinarian now
PetFoodFix is for healthy adult cats only. If any of the following applies to your cat, please contact a licensed veterinarian in Canada before making dietary changes.
- A cat that has stopped eating for more than 24 hours
- Straining to urinate, frequent trips to the litter box, or no urine at all
- Kittens, and pregnant or lactating queens
- Prescription or therapeutic diets
- Diagnosed kidney, liver, heart or thyroid disease, or diabetes
- Persistent vomiting or diarrhoea
- Unexplained weight loss
- Lethargy, pain, or any sign of an emergency
Safety notice
PetFoodFix provides independent educational guidance on reading commercial cat food labels. It is not a veterinary consultation, diagnosis, prescription, or treatment plan, and it does not score cat foods, recommend a food, or sell a cat report. If your cat is unwell, not eating, or showing urinary signs, contact a licensed veterinarian in Canada.
Cat food label questions from Canadian owners
Does PetFoodFix score cat food in Canada?
No. Public cat scores, rankings, automatic recommendations and paid cat reports are not available. What you get here is educational label reading: what each field of a Canadian cat food label means and how to raise the right questions with a licensed veterinarian in Canada.
Where is your cat food catalogue?
A public Canadian cat catalogue is not open yet. Our feline label library currently covers the UK and Brazil, and we are mapping Canadian brands in the background. If your cat food is not listed, sending us the label is the fastest way to help — labels we receive go into the curation queue.
What does "complete and balanced" actually mean?
It is the nutritional adequacy statement on the label. A food carrying it has been formulated to meet the nutrient profile for a stated life stage, and only such a food can be fed as the only diet. Foods without it are meant for intermittent or supplemental feeding and must not be treated as a full diet.
My cat only eats one brand. Is that a problem?
We cannot answer that from a label. Food choice depends on your cat's age, weight, body condition, neuter status, urinary history and any diagnosed condition. Bring the label to your veterinarian — that conversation is the right place to decide.
Is this veterinary advice?
No. PetFoodFix provides educational label interpretation only. It is not a veterinary consultation, diagnosis, prescription, or treatment plan. If your cat is unwell, not eating, or showing urinary signs, contact a licensed veterinarian in Canada promptly.
About the Founder
Built with transparent criteria, careful label review, and clear educational boundaries.
Built with transparent criteria, careful label review, and clear educational limits. PetFoodFix is an educational nutrition service, not a veterinary practice.
Keep reading
Start with the can or bag in front of you.
Send us a clear photo of the ingredients panel and the guaranteed analysis. It goes into the curation queue, and it is the fastest way to get feline labels into the public record.