A celebrity chef pet food sounds like a licensing deal with a bag attached, and often that is exactly what it is.
Nutrish is a bit better than that. Real meat leads every recipe, protein runs above average for the price, and against the cheapest supermarket options it is a clear step up rather than a lateral move.
It is still a budget food though, and the ingredient list makes no secret of that once you get past the first line.
- Rachael Ray Nutrish lists real whole meat as the first ingredient in every dry and wet recipe.
- Nutrish dry cat food contains around 37 percent protein on a dry matter basis, which is above average for its price bracket.
- The recipes are held back by corn gluten meal, brewers rice, and beet pulp, which are inexpensive plant ingredients.
- Nutrish uses several anonymously named meat ingredients rather than naming the animal source.
- Ainsworth recalled five varieties of Nutrish wet cat food in 2015 over potentially elevated vitamin D levels.
Our Top Picks
Rachael Ray Nutrish Chicken & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag
Rachael Ray Nutrish Ocean Fish & Chicken Cat Food, 2.8-oz, 24 ct
Rachael Ray Nutrish Whole Health Blend Indoor Complete Chicken with Lentils & Salmon Recipe Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag
Nutrish range compared
| Product | Best for | Size | Price | Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Chicken & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag | Best overall | Dry bag | $24.97 | Chicken & Brown Rice |
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Salmon & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag | Best fish recipe | Dry bag | $27.99 | Salmon & Brown Rice |
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Whole Health Blend Indoor Complete Chicken with Lentils & Salmon Recipe Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag | Best for indoor cats | Dry bag | $24.97 | Indoor Complete |
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Whole Health Blend Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food, 28-lb bundle | Best premium option | Dry bag | $48.70 | Whole Health Blend |
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Ocean Fish & Chicken Cat Food, 2.8-oz, 24 ct | Best wet food | Case | $28.56 | Ocean Fish & Chicken |
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Purrfect Broths Lickable Complements Creamy Chicken Bisque Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper, 1.4-oz pouch, case of 24 | Best topper | Pouches | $23.52 | Purrfect Broths |
Where Nutrish beats the cheapest brands
This is the useful comparison, because Nutrish competes with the supermarket shelf rather than with premium brands.
Real meat leads. Every Nutrish recipe opens with a named whole meat. Meow Mix and 9 Lives both open with ground corn. That single difference in the first ingredient is the clearest quality gap on the budget shelf.
Protein is genuinely higher. Around 37 percent dry matter against roughly 35 percent for Meow Mix, and more of that protein comes from meat rather than from corn gluten meal.
Fewer questionable additives. Compared with the cheapest options, there is less reliance on artificial enhancement to make the food palatable.
So if you are currently feeding the very cheapest bag and can spend a little more, this is a real improvement rather than a marketing one. Our reviews of Meow Mix and 9 Lives cover what you would be leaving behind.
Where it still falls short
Two things keep Nutrish firmly in the budget tier.
Plant protein and fillers. Corn gluten meal, brewers rice, and beet pulp appear across the range. Corn gluten meal is a plant protein that counts toward the protein figure on the bag, which the AAFCO nutrient profiles permit even though it tells you little about meat content, which means the advertised 37 percent is partly coming from corn rather than meat. Brewers rice is a milling by-product.
Anonymous meat ingredients. Several recipes list generic meat terms rather than naming the animal. That matters if your cat has a suspected protein sensitivity, because you cannot run an elimination diet on a food that will not tell you what is in it.
Recall history. Ainsworth recalled five varieties of Nutrish wet cat food in 2015 over potentially elevated vitamin D. Excess vitamin D causes vomiting, increased thirst and urination, and in severe cases tremors or seizures. Check current status in the FDA recall database rather than any summary.
The brand launched in 2008 as a partnership between Rachael Ray and Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, and J.M. Smucker acquired Ainsworth in 2018. A portion of proceeds goes to animal charity, which is genuine and worth knowing, though it is not a nutritional argument.
The 6 Nutrish products, reviewed
Rachael Ray Nutrish Chicken & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag: best overall
Chicken and brown rice is the everyday bag and the sensible starting point. Real chicken leads the ingredient list rather than corn, which is the single biggest difference between Nutrish and the cheapest supermarket options. Protein sits around 37 percent on a dry matter basis, which is genuinely above average for the price.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Salmon & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag: best fish recipe
Real salmon and brown rice. Useful if your cat has decided chicken is beneath her, and a different amino acid profile is worth having in rotation. Same structure as the chicken bag with the same strengths and the same filler caveats.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Whole Health Blend Indoor Complete Chicken with Lentils & Salmon Recipe Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag: best for indoor cats
Whole Health Blend Indoor, with adjusted calories and added fiber for hairball control. A reasonable default if your cat never goes outside. Indoor formulas across every brand are mostly about calorie density and fiber rather than anything exotic.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Whole Health Blend Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food, 28-lb bundle: best premium option
The Whole Health Blend chicken recipe is the upper end of the range, with more added functional ingredients. Whether the step up from the standard bag is worth roughly double is debatable, and for most healthy cats the cheaper chicken recipe does the same job.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Ocean Fish & Chicken Cat Food, 2.8-oz, 24 ct: best wet food
Ocean fish and chicken wet food. Adding wet food to a dry diet is the highest-value change most owners can make regardless of brand, because cats drink poorly and moisture protects the kidneys and urinary tract over a lifetime.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Purrfect Broths Lickable Complements Creamy Chicken Bisque Recipe Wet Cat Food Topper, 1.4-oz pouch, case of 24: best topper
Purrfect Broths are lickable complements rather than complete meals, and the packaging says so. Useful for adding moisture or tempting a cat off a hunger strike. Read them as a topper and they are good value at this price.
Who should buy Nutrish
Buy it if you are shopping the supermarket aisle and want the best of what is there. Against Meow Mix, 9 Lives, and similar, Nutrish wins on the ingredient that matters most, which is the first one.
Skip it if you can stretch to a genuine mid-tier brand, because Purina ONE and similar offer better formulation and far more testing behind them. Compare across the range in our best dry cat food guide, and remember that adding wet food improves a budget diet more than upgrading the kibble does.
The bottom line on Nutrish
Nutrish is better than its celebrity branding suggests and exactly as good as its price implies. Real meat first, decent protein, and a noticeable step up from the bottom of the shelf, held back by corn gluten meal and ingredient names that tell you less than they should.
If you are moving up from the cheapest bag, Rachael Ray Nutrish Chicken & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag is a genuine improvement and costs very little more. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice, and any cat losing weight or vomiting regularly should see a vet rather than switch brands.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Rachael Ray Nutrish good cat food?
Nutrish is a solid budget cat food. Real whole meat is the first ingredient in every recipe and dry protein runs around 37 percent, which is above average for the price. Corn gluten meal, brewers rice, and anonymous meat ingredients hold it back from a higher rating.
Q: Has Rachael Ray Nutrish been recalled?
Ainsworth Pet Nutrition recalled five varieties of Nutrish wet cat food in 2015 over potentially elevated vitamin D levels. Excess vitamin D can cause vomiting, increased thirst and urination, and in severe cases tremors or seizures.
Q: Who makes Rachael Ray Nutrish cat food?
Nutrish launched in 2008 as a partnership between Rachael Ray and Ainsworth Pet Nutrition. J.M. Smucker acquired Ainsworth, and with it the Nutrish brand, in 2018.
Q: Is Nutrish better than Meow Mix?
Yes. Nutrish lists real meat as the first ingredient while Meow Mix opens with ground corn, and Nutrish carries higher protein with more of it coming from meat. Both are budget foods, but Nutrish is the better one.
Q: Does Nutrish contain corn?
Many Nutrish recipes contain corn gluten meal, a plant protein that counts toward the protein percentage on the bag. Cats digest corn without difficulty, but it is a cheaper protein source than meat.
Q: Does Rachael Ray donate proceeds from Nutrish?
Rachael Ray’s share of proceeds from Nutrish goes to animal charity, which the brand has publicised since launch. It is a genuine commitment but not a reason to choose the food on nutritional grounds.
Q: Is Nutrish good for indoor cats?
Nutrish makes a Whole Health Blend Indoor formula with adjusted calories and added fiber for hairball control, which suits cats that get less exercise than outdoor cats.
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