Wellness has one of the cleanest ingredient philosophies in mainstream cat food. No meat by-products anywhere in the range. No corn, no wheat, no soy. Whole foods only.
It also has five recalls behind it, including one involving 21.6 million cans.
Both of those facts are true and both matter. Here is how they fit together, and how the CORE and Complete Health lines actually differ.
- Wellness cat food contains no meat by-products, corn, wheat, or soy in any recipe across the entire range.
- Wellness has had five recalls, the most recent in March 2017, meaning roughly nine years without one.
- The February 2011 recall covered 21.6 million cans of Wellness canned cat food over inadequate thiamine levels.
- The CORE line is the higher protein, grain-free range, while Complete Health is broader and generally stronger in its canned recipes than its dry.
- Wellness canned food is widely rated above its dry food, so buy the wet range if you are choosing where to spend.
Our Top Picks
Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Formula Natural Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag
Wellness Minced Chicken Dinner Canned Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24
Wellness Bowl Boosters Shredded Chicken Wet Cat Topper, 1.75-oz pouch, case of 12
Wellness range compared
| Product | Best for | Size | Price | Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Formula Natural Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag | Best overall | Dry bag | $42.79 | CORE, grain free |
| Wellness CORE+ Grain-Free Indoor Chicken, Turkey & Chicken Meal Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag | Best for indoor cats | Dry bag | $42.74 | CORE+, indoor |
| Wellness CORE Digestive Health Wholesome Grains Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag | Best for digestion | Dry bag | $42.74 | With grains |
| Wellness Minced Chicken Dinner Canned Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24 | Best wet food | Case of 24 | $67.92 | Minced, canned |
| Wellness Complete Health Kitten Pate Whitefish & Tuna Natural Grain-Free Wet Cat Food, 5.5-oz can, case of 24 | Best for kittens | Case of 24 | $67.92 | Kitten pate |
| Wellness Bowl Boosters Shredded Chicken Wet Cat Topper, 1.75-oz pouch, case of 12 | Best topper | Pouches | $17.88 | Topper |
CORE vs Complete Health: which should you buy?
Wellness runs two main lines and the naming does not make the difference obvious.
CORE is the high protein, grain-free range. More animal ingredients, lower carbohydrate, higher price. It suits healthy adult cats, active cats, and cats who need to hold muscle while losing fat.
Complete Health is the broader everyday range, available in grain-free and with-grain versions, and it is generally considered strongest in its canned recipes rather than its dry.
The practical advice most reviewers converge on: if you are buying Wellness dry food, buy CORE. If you are buying Wellness wet food, either line is good and Complete Health canned is excellent value by the case. Grain free is not automatically better, and the Digestive Health formula deliberately includes grains for a reason.
The recall history, in full
Wellness has been recalled five times, most recently in March 2017. Two are worth knowing about specifically.
- February 2011: 21.6 million cans of Wellness canned cat food were recalled over inadequate thiamine levels. Thiamine deficiency in cats causes neurological signs and is serious, which is why levels are tightly regulated. The Cornell Feline Health Center covers the symptoms worth recognising.
- February 2017: a number of canned cat foods were recalled over potential foreign material.
Five recalls is more than Acana or Tiki Cat, both of which have none, and more than Iams has had on its cat range. It is fair to weigh that. It is also fair to note the company acted promptly each time, that the most recent was roughly nine years ago, and that a recall is evidence a monitoring system worked rather than proof of ongoing carelessness.
You can check any brand’s current status through the FDA recall database rather than trusting a manufacturer summary.
The 6 Wellness products, reviewed
Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Formula Natural Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag: best overall
CORE Original is the flagship and the bag to start with. Grain free, high in animal protein, and free of the corn, wheat, soy, and meat by-products that Wellness excludes across its entire range. It is priced in the upper-middle of the market rather than the premium tier, which makes it one of the better value-for-quality picks here.
Wellness CORE+ Grain-Free Indoor Chicken, Turkey & Chicken Meal Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag: best for indoor cats
CORE+ Indoor pairs chicken, turkey, and chicken meal with added fiber for hairball control and slightly reduced calories. If your cat spends its day rotating between three napping spots, this is the more sensible bag than the standard CORE formula.
Wellness CORE Digestive Health Wholesome Grains Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag: best for digestion
CORE Digestive Health deliberately includes wholesome grains rather than avoiding them, with added probiotics. Worth knowing that grain free is not automatically better, and some cats with sensitive digestion genuinely do better with rice than without it. If your cat has loose stools, discuss it with your vet before assuming grain is the culprit.
Wellness Minced Chicken Dinner Canned Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24: best wet food
Minced chicken dinner, sold by the case. Wellness canned food is generally considered stronger than its dry range, which is worth knowing if you are choosing where to spend. The minced texture suits cats who reject pate, and buying by the case brings the per-can price down considerably.
Wellness Complete Health Kitten Pate Whitefish & Tuna Natural Grain-Free Wet Cat Food, 5.5-oz can, case of 24: best for kittens
Complete Health kitten pate in whitefish and tuna. Wet food for kittens is an easy recommendation: growing cats need moisture and dense calories, and starting a kitten on wet food early makes them far less likely to become a dry-food-only adult who never drinks enough, which is also why a fountain is worth having.
Wellness Bowl Boosters Shredded Chicken Wet Cat Topper, 1.75-oz pouch, case of 12: best topper
Bowl Boosters shredded chicken, designed to go on top of a complete diet rather than replace it. Useful for tempting a cat who has gone off dinner, or for adding a little moisture to a kibble-based diet without switching the whole thing over.
What zero by-products actually buys you
Wellness excludes meat by-products entirely, which is unusual and is the brand’s main selling point. It is worth being precise about what that means.
By-products are organ and non-muscle tissue, and they are genuinely nutritious. A cat in the wild eats them by preference. So excluding them is not removing something harmful.
What it removes is ambiguity. A label reading meat by-product meal does not tell you which organs, from which animal, in what ratio. Wellness names its ingredients instead. You are paying for disclosure and consistency rather than for the absence of a toxin, and that is a reasonable thing to pay for as long as you know that is the trade.
Who should buy Wellness
Buy it if you want named whole-food ingredients without paying Acana or Tiki Cat prices. Wellness sits in a useful middle, cleaner than the budget brands and cheaper than the top tier.
Skip it if the recall history bothers you and you would rather feed a brand with none, or if you need the absolute highest protein available. Compare with our best dry cat food picks and the best wet options before deciding.
The bottom line on Wellness
Wellness is a genuinely good food with an unusually clean ingredient policy, priced below the premium tier. The canned range is the stronger half of the business and is where most owners get the best value.
The recall history is the honest counterweight and you should know about it rather than discover it later, though nine years without an incident counts for something. If you want a starting point, Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Formula Natural Dry Cat Food, 11-lb bag for dry or the canned range for wet. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Wellness a good cat food?
Wellness is a high quality cat food. It contains no meat by-products, corn, wheat, or soy in any recipe and names its ingredients rather than using generic meal descriptions. Its canned range is generally rated above its dry food.
Q: Has Wellness cat food been recalled?
Yes, Wellness has had five recalls, most recently in March 2017. The largest was February 2011, when 21.6 million cans of Wellness canned cat food were recalled over inadequate thiamine levels.
Q: What is the difference between Wellness CORE and Complete Health?
CORE is the high protein, grain-free line with more animal ingredients and a higher price. Complete Health is the broader everyday range, available with and without grains, and is generally considered strongest in its canned recipes.
Q: Does Wellness cat food have by-products?
No. Wellness excludes meat by-products from every recipe across its entire range, along with corn, wheat, and soy. Ingredients are named individually rather than grouped as generic meal.
Q: Is Wellness CORE good for indoor cats?
Wellness makes a CORE+ Indoor formula with added fiber for hairball control and slightly reduced calories, which suits cats that get less exercise than outdoor cats.
Q: Is Wellness better than Purina ONE?
Wellness uses cleaner named ingredients with no by-products, corn, or wheat, while Purina ONE is cheaper and backed by more extensive feeding trials. Wellness is the better ingredient panel; Purina ONE is the better value.
Q: Is grain-free Wellness better than the grain versions?
Not necessarily. Wellness deliberately includes wholesome grains in its Digestive Health formula, and some cats with sensitive digestion do better with rice than without it. Grain free is a preference rather than an automatic upgrade.
Hello and welcome to The Ideal Cat!
We are some passionate cat owners from different professions. We love our cats and have a lot of experience in how to care for our pets. We are incredibly excited to share our knowledge, experience, and research with you. So you can take good care of your loving cat. We will answer most of the common questions about owning cats, taking care of them, etc. If you have any question contact with us. Thanks for visiting! Enjoy the content.
