High-quality, balanced nutrition is a cornerstone of feline health. This starts from their very first days as tiny kittens come and goes all the way into their senior years. Cat owners are constantly researching and looking for the best products to feed their cats. Many new options hit the market almost daily, making sifting through all the possibilities challenging. One company that has been around for a while is Open Farm, a brand that makes all-natural, sustainable, and ethically sourced pet food. We do a deep dive into the company in this Open Farm cat food review.
Have you ever considered Open Farm for your cat’s nutrition? If you are considering trying this brand, then you are in the right place. We have done the research, tried out the food, and reviewed the company’s history, ingredient sourcing, and product lineup.
Read on to learn more about Open Farm cat food, see what products they offer, and get more information to help you decide if this company is right for you.
Key Features
- Natural pet food
- Ethical and sustainable
- Human Grade ingredients
- Dry, wet, and freeze-dried options
- Small batch preparation
- Local suppliers
Brand History
Open Farm is a pet food company founded by loving pet parents. After adopting a rescue dog Bella the Pug, owner Jacqueline Prehogan wanted to find a way to create dog food that was not only great for her dog but also good for the animals used to create it. She found herself very disappointed with the products already available and set out on a several-year-long endeavor to research and explore what it would take to make that dream a reality. Along with her husband Isaac and brother-in-law Derek, work, and research began.
The team wanted to do more than create another pet food line. They wanted to change how the industry works and work harder to improve farm animal welfare.
It took a long time, but after a lot of hard work, Open Farm was born in 2014, based on “the simple idea that pet food can both be good for your pet and do some good for farm animals and the environment, all at the same time.” The company has grown to include over 40 employees and is sold in over 4,000 locations.
Open Farm Cat Food Recall Information
Open Farm has never had its cat food be the subject of a recall. This is fantastic news, and it means that the company’s claims about its product sourcing and treatment of animals are valid. They offer a very high-quality product and work very hard to maintain a level of consistency. It is always excellent news to hear that a company has never been subject to a voluntary or mandatory recall.
Where Is It Made?
This is a Canadian company. They have headquarters in Toronto, Canada. The research, development, formulation, and creation of recipes happen in Canada. Manufacturing is done in the United States. The company has facilities in Minnesota where they facilitate a local vegetable program and work with “audited and certified partner farms.”
The company has its food manufactured by Barrett Ag Service, a family-owned company that has been making pet food for thirty years. The facility gets audited regularly by the USDA, FDA, AIB International, and Certified Humane, and every batch goes through third-party testing before it is shipped out.
Ingredients To Look For
High-quality pet food should be made with top-quality ingredients without artificial or low-quality elements like unidentified meat by-products or bulky fillers like corn and wheat gluten. For your cat’s best overall health, providing them with a diet rich in animal proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other necessary nutrients is essential. Your feline friend requires minerals and vitamins, including taurine, to maintain their well-being. Preferred ingredients for their diet include animal proteins like chicken, turkey, fish, beef, and organ meat.
As obligate carnivores, cats need animal protein-based diets to maintain their growth and health. Their diet should also include essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 for healthy skin and fur. Additionally, minerals and vitamins such as Vitamins A and B, taurine, and potassium are necessary for optimal health. Carbohydrates provide energy and dietary fiber, while moisture is crucial since cats are prone to dehydration. Providing wet meal options can reduce this risk.
Protein
Carnivores like cats rely heavily on animal protein to obtain essential amino acids, such as taurine. Taurine is crucial for maintaining proper heart function, vision, muscles, and reproductive health in cats. A taurine deficiency can lead to severe health issues, such as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), central retinal degeneration, and reproductive failure.
Fats
Fats provide energy and aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). They also play a vital role in maintaining healthy skin and coat and supporting brain development and function.
Vitamins & Minerals
Cats require a variety of vitamins and minerals for optimal health. These micronutrients support various bodily functions, such as immune system maintenance, bone health, and blood clotting.
Water
Hydration is crucial for all animals, including cats. Although cats have a low thirst drive, they must consume sufficient water to support their bodily functions and prevent dehydration. Providing clean, fresh water at all times is essential for your cat’s well-being.
Carbohydrates offer energy and dietary fiber, aiding in digestion. Refrain from giving your pet human snacks unless they are specifically prepared for animals.
Open Farm Ingredients
This brand uses human-grade ingredients in its recipes. Ingredients are 100% traceable and use humanely raised proteins. Meat is antibiotic and growth hormone free. They are steadfast in their commitment to ethical sourcing. Lamb and venison are sourced from New Zealand. A few other ingredients, like coconut oil and some vitamins and minerals, are sourced outside of North America, but everything else is from the United States and Canada.
Recipes do not contain any meat or poultry meals. They use small-batch, ocean-caught whitefish meals. This is part of the company’s commitment to traceability. About 40% of the vegetable sin recipes are grown in the same town as the manufacturing facility. The rest are grown in-state or sourced from a neighboring state. The only flavoring used is dehydrated whitefish in powder form.
Proteins include turkey, chicken, salmon, whitefish, lamb, beef mackerel, herring, and cod. Protein sources also include organ meat.
Fruits and vegetables include peas, lentils, pumpkin, cranberry, apples, potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, and spinach. Other ingredients include chicory root, sunflower oil, organic dandelion greens, dried kelp, and rosemary extract.
Open Farm Cat Food Recipes
Currently, the company makes dry food, raw mix, wet food, freeze-dried raw, and bone broth. They offer five dry kibble recipes, including one specifically formulated for kittens. Along with that, they offer two raw mix formulas. These blend nutrient-dense kibble, coated in brown broth, with freeze-dried raw meat chunks. Currently, they offer six options for wet meals.
Homestead Turkey & Chicken Grain-Free
- Humanely raised chicken and turkey.
- Grain-free dry kibble.
- The recipe includes fresh fruits like pumpkin and cranberry.
- 470 kcal me/cup.
- High-protein formula.
- Ethical sourcing and full ingredient transparency.
A top seller for dry kibble is the Homestead Turkey & Chicken grain-free kibble. This food is high in protein and uses fresh turkey and chicken. It contains no potatoes or rendered poultry or meat meals. The first three ingredients are humanely raised turkey, humanely raised chicken, ocean whitefish meal, herring meal, and garbanzo beans. This recipe also contains red lentils, coconut oil, fish meal, green lentils, pumpkin, cranberries, apples, dandelion greens, taurine, turmeric, and vitamins and minerals.
This grain-free recipe has 37% minimum crude protein, 18% minimum crude fat, and 3% maximum fiber. Kibble has 470 kcal me/cup. The ingredient list is transparent, and this is a tasty, high-protein kibble Suitable for most cats. It can be purchased directly from the company site as part of the subscription or as a standalone purchase. Products are also available through online retailers like Amazon.
Open Prairie Grain-Free RawMix
- High protein kibble.
- Coated in bone broth and freeze-dried meat.
- Freeze-dried raw meat chunks.
- Grain-free.
- Nutrient-dense.
- Taste of raw meat.
The RAWMIX grain-free option combines protein-packed kibble covered in nutritious bone broth and freeze-dried coating with added chunks of raw, freeze-dried chicken and turkey. This recipe is made with a blend of 100% animal welfare-certified chicken and turkey. It contains no grains or by-products but does have nutrient-rich ingredients like meat, organ meat, and bone. This is a nutrient-dense, delicious option for owners who want to feed their purr babies kibble but still get that fresh, raw meat taste and nutrient benefit.
The recipe uses 100% animal welfare certified poultry, menhaden fish meal, peas, chickpeas, ocean whitefish meal, herring meal, lentils, coconut oil, pumpkin, sunflower oil, cranberries, apples, dandelion greens, chicken liver, chicken neck, as well as vitamins and minerals. Contains 38% minimum crude protein, 14% minimum crude fat, and 3% crude fiber maximum. This recipe has 445 kcal/cup.
RAWMIX is a newer option in the brand’s product line and comes in two varieties open Prairie Grain Free, which uses chicken and turkey, and Wild Ocean Grain Free, which uses ocean whitefish and ocean menhaden fish meal.
Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend Wet
- Chicken and chicken bone broth.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables like pumpkin.
- Human grade ingredients
- Tasty puree.
- Topper or a complete meal.
- High moisture.
The brand offers six varieties of wet food in its Rustic Blends line. These include chicken, wild-caught salmon, chicken and salmon, homestead turkey, grass-fed beef, herring, and mackerel. The rustic blend line uses 100% human-grade ingredients along with ethically and sustainably sourced meat. We looked specifically at the Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend. Called “chicken soup for the feline soul” by the company, this recipe can be a topper or a complete meal. Uses humanely raised chicken, chicken bone broth, pumpkin, carrots, red lentils, Agar, garbanzo beans, chicory root, sunflower oil, coconut oil, vitamins, and minerals. The recipe also includes dried kelp, cranberries, and spinach.
Offers 167 kcal/156 g carton. The chicken recipe has 7% minimum crude protein, 6% minimum crude fat, and 2% maximum crude fiber. This is also high in moisture content, coming in at 82% max. This chow is easy to eat, and cats seem to like it. However, some reviews do say that it has a pudding-like texture, and though it can be eaten alone, it is best served mixed in with dry kibble. Some users report this being a messier option. Meal pouches are not resealable and come in a case of twelve 5.5-ounce pouches.
Harvest Chicken Recipe Freeze Dried Raw Morsels
- Freeze-dried raw animal protein.
- Easy to serve.
- Add water or bone broth.
- Raw taste, in small nuggets
- High protein.
- An affordable way to offer raw food.
Freeze-dried can be a great way to give your cat the nutritional benefit and taste of a raw diet without feeding them a raw fresh meal every day. The brand offers four different varieties of freeze-dried raw food. These include surf and turf, chicken and salmon, harvest chicken, and wild-caught salmon and cod. These are very high in animal protein and easy to surf. Owners simply add water or bone broth, wait a short time, and serve.
The chicken recipe includes 100% animal welfare-certified chicken with ground bone, chicken liver and neck, fruits, vegetables, and other additives like salmon oil. The chicken recipe offers 47% crude protein, 40% crude fat, 5% maximum crude fiber, and 256 kcal/cup.
The company offers three different varieties of bone broth, chicken, beef, and turkey, along with wet, dry, and freeze-dried options. These are collagen-rich and work well as a kibble topper or with freeze-dried foods.
Personal Experience
I personally have experience with the Open Farm freeze-dried lines. I have a male cat who is about nine years old and has experienced kidney issues, including struvite crystals, in the past. Because of this, he needs a diet high in moisture but loves to eat kibble. He can bore and tire of the wet and canned meal options, so we have tried out different freeze-dried products to give him top nutrition, enough moisture, and the mouthfeel and texture he is looking for. He appreciates this food, and though it is not part of his everyday diet, he eats it at least twice a week. This provides variety in his diet and a natural taste of raw meat. So far, the freeze-dried has been a success, and we have had fewer issues with him seeking out kibble. My cats also really enjoy Smalls, which offers human-grade foods and freeze-dried options.
– Danielle D., Love Your Dog
Is Open Farm Cat Food Good?
Yes, Open Farm cat food is good. All things considered, they offer a high above-average nutritional option for cats. Their ingredients are all top-notch, ethically sourced, and traceable. They do not use fillers, artificial additives, flavors, or other unnecessary components. The high-quality animal protein makes meals easy to digest, and cats like the taste.
Additionally, there is a wide variety of recipes as well as wet and dry recipes. Though this is a more expensive option than some others, cats and owners will be highly satisfied with the quality. Additionally, the opportunity to buy items individually makes this affordable, as owners do not have to commit to a subscription. Those who want to receive a meal plan can do so on the brand website.
How Much Is Open Farm? Is It Worth The Price?
Products range in price. There is also some price fluctuation between items purchased directly from the company and those purchased through retail or online third-party sellers like Amazon. An 8-pound bag of raw mix kibble costs $49.99. A 2.25-pound bag costs $19.99. Regular kibble costs somewhat less, starting at $14.99 for a 2-pound bag, $27.99 for a four-pound bag, and 4299 for an 8-pound bag, through the brand website.
Wet products are only sold in a case of 12 5.5 oz pouches starting at $35.88 through the brand’s website. The freeze-dried raw starts at $9.99 for a 3.5 oz bag and $24.99 for a 9-ounce bag. Bone broth starts at $7.99 for 12 fluid ounces and is also sold in a 33.8 fluid oz container for $14.99.
Though prices fluctuate and are often higher when purchased through a third party, Open Farm is worth the price. The high level of care, research, and ingredient quality that goes into the foods is remarkable. Product quality is high, there have never been any recalls, and the company is dedicated to keeping its products at such a high level. We appreciate that manufacturing is all done in one place and not passed on to third-party manufacturers. All in all, this is an above-quality choice and is well worth the price.
Pros & Cons Of Open Farm Cat Food
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| All natural human-grade ingredients | Limited sizes |
| Ethically sourced ingredients, sustainable practices | Can be expensive |
| Humanely sourced meats | Purees can be messy |
| Whole animal proteins | Multiple protein formulas may be hard to digest or trigger cats with allergies |
| Transparent ingredient sourcing | Some recipes are higher in fat and calories |
| No artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors | |
| Filler free | |
| Grain-free recipes | |
| Made in the USA | |
| Versatile product lineup | |
| Easy to find, several buying options |
Final Thoughts
Picking the right cat nutrition can be challenging, and there are many different options to consider. Owners often feel limited to those brands they see on the pet store or grocery store shelves. Fortunately, companies like Open Farm have a dedication to creating above-average, high-quality options for cats to eat. From the very first stages, this company has a commitment to providing the best nutrition for pets and taking care of the animals used in their recipes. This makes them stand apart from many other companies. Though the price is slightly higher than other options, this brand is well worth the extra dollar. This is a top-of-the-line pick that neither owners nor cats will be disappointed in.
