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Storebrand pet food gets an upgrade with Kroger’s Abound cat food, a natural cat food company that sets out to “feed cats cravings” with their high protein, simply made, and affordable wet and dry cat food. The Kroger exclusive company is sold in brick-and-mortar Kroger stores and on Kroger’s website.
The Abound cat food story
In 2014 the supermarket giant Kroger dipped its toes into super-premium pet foods that were beginning to take the world by storm with their own line of healthy cat food–Abound. The company took nearly high protein years to develop the recipes, with a focus on using quality meats and ingredients that dog and cat parents would be comfortable feeding their own human families.
Abound believes that our feline and canine friends are just as deserving as nutritious, real, and recognizable foods as their human caretakers are.
Abound cat food we reviewed:
- Abound Salmon and Brown Rice Adult Dry Cat Food
- Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Dry Cat and Kitten Food
- Abound Wet Cat Food Variety Pack
Who makes Abound?
Kroger created Abound cat food using the expertise of their team of food scientists and nutritionists. Abound cat food meets all AAFCO standards and is considered nutritionally complete.
Where is Abound manufactured?
While Kroger created and owns Abound they don’t actually own the factories where Abound is manufactured. It takes a bit of sleuthing around the internet to find that, according to Abound’s 2018 dog food recall, that Abound is manufactured by Sunshine Mills.
Because Kroger doesn’t share any of their ingredient sources or where Abound is manufactured on their website or any of Abound’s packaging we can only go off of Sunshine Mills’s website and speculate. That said, all of Sunshine Mills’s factories are based in the U.S. and are family-owned. A plus for Abound!
Where do Abound’s ingredients come from?
Sunshine Mills doesn’t disclose where their ingredients for Abound cat food are sourced. But Abound’s wet and dry cat foods never contain any artificial colors or flavors, corn, wheat, or soy.
Is Abound grain-free?
Abound cat food is not a grain free company. Many of Abound’s classic natural dry cat foods include highly digestible grains like oatmeal, barley, and brown rice.
Due to consumer demands and the rising popularity of grain-free diets Abound has recently introduced grain free dry and wet cat food options to sell along with their existing options.
Did Abound have any recalls?
In 2018 Abound recalled their Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe dry dog food when the kibble was found to contain excessively high levels of Vitamin D.
Too much Vitamin D is toxic for dogs and it could cause dangerous symptoms like vomiting and weight loss, and in severe cases can be fatal and end in kidney failure.
What kind of cat food does Abound make?
Abound makes two lines of dry cat food, two lines of wet cat food, and three lines of cat treats for kittens, adult, and senior cats. These lines include:
- Abound Natural Dry Cat Food: There are two options for adult cats, Chicken and Brown Rice, and Salmon and Brown Rice, and one option for kittens: Chicken and Brown Rice with DHA.
- Abound Grain Free Dry Cat Food: Abound has two grain free kibble options: Limited Ingredient Tuna and Sweet Potato and High Protein Salmon and Sweet Potato. Both are appropriate for cats and kittens.
- Abound Grain Free Canned Wet Cat Food: This grain free canned wet cat food has five varieties for adult cats: Shredded Salmon and Chicken, Chicken Pate, Shredded Chicken, Chicken and Whitefish Pate, and Turkey and Giblets. There’s one option for kittens: Chicken Pate.
- Abound Natural Pouched Wet Cat Food: Unlike Abound’s canned wet cat food, this pouched wet cat food is not grain free. Suitable for cats of all ages varieties include: Chicken and Vegetable Stew with Brown Rice, Salmon and Sweet Potato Stew in Gravy, Turkey Stew with Vegetables in Gravy
- Abound Cat Treats: Abound offers three types of cat treats: Grain Free Freeze-Dried Cat Treats, Salmon Crunchy Dental Treats, and Oven-roasted Chicken Center-filled Dental Treats.
Is Abound a good cat food?
With it’s high quality and species appropriate ingredients Abound is a solid choice for natural cat food!
All of Abound’s cat foods start with meats and animal proteins that are nutritious and digestible like chicken, chicken liver, and eggs. The rest of the ingredients that go into Abound’s dry and wet cat food are easy to pronounce and recognizable.
Abound is also fortified with essential nutrients cats need for optimal health, like taurine and probiotics to boost digestive wellness.
The biggest concern some cat parents have with Abound’s cat food is that they use multiple grains and vegetables in many of their traditional recipes. This makes the carb content, especially in many of Abound’s dry cat foods, higher than other brands. These grains and vegetables, which bring a big boost of fiber to the kibble can lead to weight gain, especially in indoor cats and cats who have low activity levels. They are also hard for some cats to digest.
Abound dry cat food
Abound offers five different dry cat foods: two classic flavors for adult cats, one kitten-specific formula, and two grain free options for cats of all life stages. All of Abound’s dry cat foods can be purchased at Kroger’s supermarkets or on the Kroger’s website. Some Abound dry cat food can be found online at other retailers.
1. Abound Salmon and Brown Rice Adult Dry Cat Food
Along with Abound’s Chicken and Brown Rice kibble, this Salmon and Brown Rice dry cat food is one of Abound’s original products. This dry cat food contains three grains: oats, barley, and brown rice. There are plenty of high protein, highly digestible species-appropriate meats in here as well though! Deboned Salmon is the top ingredient and turkey and chicken meal also appear. However, there are several, vitamin-packed but not so species appropriate fruits and veggies in the back half of ingredients on the nutrition label.
Pros
- Deboned salmon is the first ingredient
- Includes three highly digestible animal proteins
- Affordable
Cons
- May contain too many grains and veggies for some cat parents liking
- It’s not appropriate for cats who are overweight or have diabetes
- High in carbs
- Contains Brewer’s Yeast which some cats are allergic to
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2. Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Dry Cat and Kitten Food
Just like Abound’s Salmon and Brown Rice dry cat food the Chicken and Brown Rice dry cat food is one of Abound’s original recipes. This dry cat food starts with deboned chicken and chicken meal. There are no questionable animal byproducts or mystery ingredients. However, the other top ingredients are oats, barley, and brown rice, which although are highly digestible for cats may be too grain heavy for some cat parents. There are also several vitamin and antioxidant-rich plant proteins that, while nutritious, aren’t the most species appropriate for cats.
Pros
- Suitable for adult cats and kittens
- Deboned chicken and chicken meal are the first ingredients
- It’s highly digestible and has high fiber content
- Affordable
Cons
- May contain too many grains and veggies for some cat parents liking
- High in carbs
- It’s not appropriate for cats who are overweight or have diabetes
- It contains fish so it’s not suitable for cats with fish allergies or sensitivities
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Abound wet cat food
Abound’s wet cat food comes in pouch and can varieties. It’s appropriate for cats of all ages and life stages. The pouch cat food comes in three flavors: Salmon and Sweet Potato Stew in Gravy, Turkey Stew with Vegetables in Gravy, and Chicken and Beef Dinner in Gravy. All of the recipes include grains.
Abound’s wet canned cat food line is entirely grain free and has five flavors for adult cats– Abound Grain Free Shredded Salmon and Chicken, Abound Grain Free Chicken and White Fish, Abound Grain Free Turkey and Giblets, Abound Grain Free Shredded Chicken, and Abound Grain Free Chicken Pate. There’s one option specifically formulated for kittens Abound Grain Free Chicken Pate. All of Abound’s wet cat foods can be purchased at Kroger’s supermarkets or on the Kroger’s website. Some Abound wet cat food can be found online at other retailers.
3. Abound Wet Cat Food Variety Pack
This three flavor variety pack includes all of Abound’s pouched wet cat foods: Turkey Stew with Vegetables, Salmon and Sweet Potato Stew, and Chicken and Beef Dinner. These meaty morsels have a high protein and high moisture content and start with high quality meats. Eggs, chicken liver, salmon and deboned chicken are all top ingredients. All of the flavors are a good source of fiber and include highly digestible and vitamin-rich veggies like sweet potato.
Pros
- Appropriate for cats of all ages
- The first five ingredients are meats and animal proteins
- High fiber and highly digestible
- There’s no carrageenan
- Many cats like the taste
Cons
- The chunks of meat may be too large for some cats
- Some cat parents may not like how many veggies are in the recipes
- Cats who only like pate might not like the texture
- All of the flavors contain fish so it’s not appropriate for cats with fish allergies or sensitivities
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Abound cat treats
4. Abound Grain Free Freeze-Dried Chicken Cat Treats
Abound’s Grain Free Freeze-Dried Chicken cat treats are unarguably one of the best cat foods the brand has to offer. There are just two ingredients: chicken and vitamin E (also known as “mixed tocopherols”) which make this one of the most digestible, protein-rich, and species appropriate Abound cat foods. There are no added grains, unnecessary carbs, or fillers, just pure chicken!
Pros:
- Contains just two ingredients: chicken and vitamin E
- Appropriate for cats of all ages
- High protein and low carb
- Grain free
Cons:
- Hard to find if you don’t have a Kroger’s in your area
- Online retailers who aren’t Kroger’s sell this at extremely expensive prices
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What are cat parents saying about Abound cat food?
Now that we know what goes into Abound cat food let’s take a minute to see what cat parents (and their feline friends) like and dislike about Abound.
Positive Abound cat food reviews
“I have had a difficult time finding healthy food my cat will eat. She even gave up on organic chicken that I cooked myself. But she consistently loves this food! The packets are easy to open and squeeze out into her food bowl. It does not have a strong smell and she eats every bit!” ScheB0rk on Kroger.com (Abound Pouched Wet Food Variety Pack)
“I have a 16 year old American shorthair female that is picky as to what she eats in her golden years. She usually does not get excited over foot or treats these days, however, she will scarf these down. We have to hide them otherwise she will try to open the bag to get at them.” Alex M 555 on Kroger.com (Abound Grain Free Freeze-Dried Salmon Cat Treats)
“I rescued a crowd of cats, knowing nothing about their individual tastes, only that they’d formerly been fed junk food and mystery meat and might take a while to adjust to better quality. They didn’t. They all ate this food with enthusiasm and I’ll be back again to buy it. Note: the morsels are a bit too large for kittens or elderly cats with missing teeth so I mash them up a little first.” Bobcat Bites on Kroger.com (Abound Grain Free Shredded Chicken Wet Cat Food)
Negative Abound cat food reviews
“I’m sure this is good food but my cats didn’t like it. They don’t particularly care for chicken, and I knew that, but thought I’d try it as they like another flavor of this brand of food. I gave it 4 stars because I’m sure this is a good food, just not for my cats.” Peace Only on Kroger.com (Abound Grain Free Chicken Pate Wet Cat Food)
“These treats are small, nothing even close to the picture. Their actual size is similar to an average dry food kibble. As such they don’t seem better at cleaning cat teeth than any dry food. On the positive side all my cats love them.” Dimitry on Kroger.com (Abound Oven Roasted Chicken Dental Cat Treats)
“Feral cats refused it. I tried all flavors. They refused to eat it. One sniff and they turn. And no one fed the cats during the lockdown but me! They would rather starve than eat this.” I Shop Vitacost on Kroger.com (Abound Pouched Wet Food Variety Pack)
Alternatives to Abound cat food
Well, what about if there are no Kroger’s supermarkets in your area? While Abound’s cat food is balanced and healthy (their wet food especially) the limited online options and steeply raised prices might turn you off from purchasing the food. Thankfully, there are three other natural cat food companies that make food similar to Abound, that may be easier to track down online and in stores.
Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo was founded in 2002 by Bill Bishop and is considered one of the pioneering holistic and natural pet food companies.
Blue Buffalo has an extremely wide range of natural nutritionally balanced cat food. There are dozens of options of dry and wet cat foods that are formulated for just about every specific health concern and dietary need out there. Including grain-free, limited-ingredient, and high-protein raw cat food.
Blue Buffalo is formulated by PhD-holding animal nutritionists, vets, and expert food scientists and is manufactured in the U.S. with locally and globally sourced ingredients.
Blue Buffalo has had several recalls.Purina Beyond hit supermarkets in 2014. An offshoot of the larger Purina company (owned by massive conglomerate Nestlé), Purina Beyond bills their premium natural cat food as purposeful, simple, and real, shedding the classic Purina cheap, bargain brand cat food reputation (and its junky, filler ingredients) for healthier meats and plant proteins.
Purina Beyond offers grain free, organic, and limited ingredient wet and dry cat food which is manufactured in Purina-owned factories in the U.S. Many of Purina’s ingredients, according to their site, appear to be also sustainably sourced in the U.S.
Purina Beyond cat food has not been recalled. However their dog food has been recalled once for salmonella.
Instinct
Instinct and its parent company Nature’s Variety were founded in 2002.
Instinct’s wet and dry cat food is formulated on the basis of raw nutrition giving cats more energy, better digestive health, stronger muscles, and healthier teeth, gums, and fur.
All of Instict’s cat foods are formulated by expert food scientists and are considered nutritionally complete and balanced.
Instinct’s high protein and highly digestible raw cat food can contain up to 90% of pure animal proteins, including nutrient and vitamin-rich organs. There are no potatoes, grains, corn, soy, or wheat in any of Instinct’s cat food.
Instinct cat food is manufactured in the US. Most of Instinct’s ingredients are locally sourced but some, like grass-fed lamb, come from other parts of the world like New Zealand.
Instinct has had three recalls.
Final Thoughts
Abound is a good option for natural cat food. The ingredients are nutritious, highly digestible, and palatable. Many cats seem to really like the taste of Abound’s various wet foods, and cat parents love that all of the products start with real meat and contain no corn, soy, wheat or artificial ingredients.
Many of Abound’s recipes contain multiple vegetables and grains so they can tend to be carb heavy, especially their dry cat foods. But, ultimately with their affordable prices and meat-first ingredients Abound is a good option for cats living in areas near Kroger’s grocery stores.
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