Cats are descended from desert animals and they never learned to drink properly. In the wild they got most of their water from prey, which is roughly seventy percent water by weight.
Then we started feeding them dry biscuits containing about ten percent moisture, and wondered why so many develop kidney and urinary problems later in life.
Weruva is built entirely around that gap. Around eighty percent moisture, very low carbohydrate, and recipes that look like food. Here is whether it lives up to the idea.
One shopping tip first. Chewy lists these cans by plain descriptions, but the labels use Weruva’s recipe names: Chicken & Chicken Liver is Nine Liver, Chicken Soup with Pumpkin is Grandma’s Chicken Soup, and Mackerel, Shrimp & Mussels is Marbella Paella. Worth knowing when you go looking for them in a shop.
On price, the cans work out to about 48 to 49 cents an ounce, less than Tiki Cat After Dark at about 64 cents. The Pantry Pours toppers cost about 99 cents an ounce, roughly double, which is fine for a topper and expensive for anything more.
Weruva cans and toppers, priced per ounce
| Product | Name on the can | Price | Per oz | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken & Chicken Liver, 24 cans | Nine Liver | $64.56 | $0.49 | You want the everyday complete can to start with. |
| Chicken Soup with Pumpkin, 24 cans | Grandma’s Chicken Soup | $62.99 | $0.48 | Your cat’s stools are a little loose or a little hard. |
| Mackerel, Shrimp & Mussels, 24 cans | Marbella Paella | $64.56 | $0.49 | You want a fish recipe in the rotation. |
| Pantry Pours Chicken Bisque, 12 | Pantry Pours | $16.68 | $0.99 | You want extra water on top of kibble. A topper, not a meal. |
| Pantry Pours Senior Support, 12 | Pantry Pours | $16.68 | $0.99 | Your senior cat is eating less. Also a topper. |
| Puddy Pops Chicken, 50 tubes | Puddy Pops | $41.99 | n/a | You need a lickable treat for pills or nail trims. |
Why 80% moisture actually matters
This is the whole argument for Weruva, and it is a better one than most brand claims.
A cat eating only dry food takes in roughly a quarter of the water that a cat eating wet food does, even accounting for extra drinking. Cats have a weak thirst drive and do not compensate well. The result is chronically concentrated urine over a lifetime.
That matters because chronic kidney disease is one of the most common causes of death in older cats, and urinary tract problems are among the most common reasons cats visit a vet at all. Hydration is not the only factor, but it is one of the few an owner directly controls. The Cornell Feline Health Center covers feline kidney disease in depth.
At around eighty percent moisture, a Weruva can delivers water alongside calories rather than requiring the cat to seek it out separately. If your cat is a dedicated non-drinker, wet food does more good than any ingredient upgrade to their kibble would. A water fountain attacks the same problem from the other side.
The BFF recall, and why it is not quite a Weruva recall
Search Weruva and you will find a 2017 thiamine recall. The detail matters.
The recall covered BFF (Best Feline Friend), a sister brand under the same parent company, over insufficient thiamine. Thiamine deficiency in cats causes neurological signs and the recall was linked to illness and some deaths, so it was serious rather than precautionary.
The affected products were an Australia-exclusive BFF line, and Weruva has no recall history in the United States or anywhere outside Australia. Australian customers were asked to return cans with best-before dates between September 2018 and October 2019. So it is not accurate to say Weruva has been recalled, and it is also not honest to leave the connection out entirely. Judge it as a company-level signal rather than a product-level one, and check the FDA recall database yourself for anything current.
What to know before switching
- Some recipes are complementary. Weruva makes both complete meals and toppers. The Pantry Pours are toppers. Read the panel rather than assuming.
- It is expensive per can. Buying by the case brings the price down considerably, so compare case pricing rather than single cans.
- The texture is unusual. Shredded meat in broth, not pate. Cats raised on pate sometimes refuse it at first.
- Transition slowly. Moving a kibble-only cat to a rich wet diet quickly often causes loose stools. Give it a week or more.
Is Weruva worth the price?
Buy it if your cat does not drink enough, has a history of urinary trouble, or is heading into their senior years where kidney function starts to matter. Those are the cases where high moisture food earns its price rather than just sounding good.
Skip it if budget is tight, because a cheaper complete wet food still delivers most of the hydration benefit. Getting any wet food into the diet matters far more than which wet food it is. Compare with our best wet cat food picks and the main cat food guide.
Weruva is built around the single most useful thing you can change about a cat’s diet, and it executes it well. High moisture, low carbohydrate, visible whole ingredients, and a clean recall record on its own lines.
It is expensive, and the honest version is that any wet food beats no wet food. If you can afford Weruva, Weruva Chicken & Chicken Liver Canned Cat Food, 5.5-oz, 24 ct is the case to start with. If you cannot, buy a cheaper wet food rather than a better kibble. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice, and a cat with urinary symptoms needs a vet the same day.
Weruva questions
Q: Is Weruva a good cat food?
Weruva is a high quality wet cat food. It contains around 80 percent moisture, is lower in carbohydrate and higher in protein than typical wet food, uses visible whole ingredients, and its main lines have never been recalled. Price is the main drawback.
Q: Has Weruva cat food been recalled?
Weruva’s main product lines have never been recalled. Sister brand BFF, produced in a separate facility, was recalled in 2017 over low thiamine levels that were linked to illness and some deaths.
Q: Why is high moisture cat food better?
Cats evolved from desert animals and have a weak thirst drive, so they do not drink enough to compensate for a dry diet. Wet food at around 80 percent moisture delivers water alongside calories, which supports kidney and urinary tract health over a lifetime.
Q: Is Weruva complete and balanced?
Weruva makes both complete and balanced meals and complementary toppers. The Pantry Pours range is a topper rather than a full meal, so check the label on each product before feeding it as a sole diet.
Q: Is Weruva good for cats with kidney disease?
Weruva’s high moisture content suits cats prone to kidney and urinary problems, but cats with diagnosed kidney disease often need controlled protein and phosphorus. Talk to your veterinarian before choosing a diet for a cat with CKD.
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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.
