Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken, Salmon & Duck Kitten Review

Natural Balance Canned Cat Food Review


Quick Analysis

Ingredients:

Nutrition:

Potential Allergens: seafood and eggs

Est. Calories: 63 cal/100g

Price: $$$$


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Overall, Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken, Salmon & Duck Kitten is an above average cat food, earning 7 out of a possible 10 paws based on its nutritional analysis and ingredient list. For more information on our cat food analysis techniques, please click here.


Ingredient Analysis

When evaluating a cat food, the first five ingredients can tell you a lot about the quality of a product as they make up the bulk of the product. Ideally, you're looking for quality protein sources with a minimum of cheap starches, fillers or by-products. Continuing down the ingredient list, look for ingredients that resemble real food with a minimal number of unpronounceable chemicals - the same as you would for human food.

Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken, Salmon & Duck Kitten includes the following:

Quality Ingredients

  • chicken
  • chicken liver
  • salmon
  • duck
  • salmon meal

Questionable Ingredients

  • brown rice
  • guar gum
  • carrageenan

Potential Allergens

  • salmon
  • dried egg
  • salmon meal

Note - a bolded ingredient in the above tables indicates it is one of the first five ingredients listed by the product manufacturer.

In this case, Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken, Salmon & Duck Kitten's most plentiful ingredient listed is chicken, which is considered a quality protein source. It also contains chicken liver, salmon and duck as additional quality protein sources.

Additionally, it's worth noting that this product does not list either by-products nor bulk-adding fillers within its top ingredients. By-products are considered inferior, lesser quality ingredients. Common fillers typically used to add bulk to the product are not required in your cat's diet. Together, their combined absence may be indicative of a higher quality product.

Please also be aware that this product contains guar gum and carrageenan, which are additives that some experts claim may be possible contributors to certain medical conditions in cats.

Allergen alert: This product contains salmon, salmon meal and dried egg which may be problematic for cats who suffer from seafood or eggs food allergies.



Nutritional Analysis*

Compared to the other 2849 cat foods in our database, Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken, Salmon & Duck Kitten has:

  • an average amount of protein
  • significantly more carbohydrates than average
  • significantly less fat than average
  • significantly more fiber than average
In general, cats have been shown to do better with a higher protein, medium fat, lower carb diet with sufficient moisture. However, specialty diets as recommended by your veterinarian may prioritize a different nutritional breakdown.

Calorie Breakdown

Using the calculations provided by the AAFCO, Natural Balance Original Ultra Whole Body Health Chicken, Salmon & Duck Kitten has approximately 63 calories per 100g (18 calories/ounce), which is fewer calories compared to the average of the other wet cat foods in the CatFoodDB.


All the product information on this page is based on data collected from the manufacturer's product website as retrieved on December 12, 2021.

The authoritative source for ingredient lists and nutritional analysis for any pet food is always the pet food manufacturer.


Ingredients

Ingredients as published by the cat food manufacturer:

Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Broth, Salmon, Duck, Dried Peas, Brown Rice, Natural Flavor, Dried Egg, Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Salmon Meal, Menhaden Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Guar Gum, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Potassium Chloride, Salt, Taurine, Oat Hulls, Pea Fiber, Dl-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), L-Tryptophan, Dried Kelp, Cranberries, Blueberries, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Rosemary Extract


Guaranteed Analysis

Nutritional information as published by the cat food manufacturer.*

Protein: (min)
10.0%
Fat: (min)
0.7%
Fiber: (max)
2.0%
Carbs: (est)
6.3%
Ash: (est)
3.0%
Moisture: (max)
78.0%

Dry Matter Analysis

The manufacturer's published guaranteed analysis values normalized for moisture content.

Protein: (min)
45%
Fat: (min)
3%
Fiber: (max)
9%
Carbs: (est)
29%
Ash: (est)
14%
Calories: (est)
63/100g

*Note that nutritional percentages reported are only estimated values, and are indicated as such as (est). Each cat food manufacturer is required by law to publish a Guaranteed Analysis, which defines each product's maximum values of fiber and moisture in addition to the minimum values of protein and fat contained within. Optionally, manufacturers may also publish a product's ash content. When they are not published an average of 3% ash for wet food, and 6% ash for dry food, will be used. Because exact nutritional percentages are not available and all calculated values (including carbohydrate percentages and calorie amounts) are determined using these minimum and maximum published values and therefore may differ from actual values. Any other manufacturer published values in a product's Guaranteed Analysis is done at the manufacture's discretion, and is not used in any of the calculations done by CatFoodDB.

Although a high score may be indicative of a higher-quality product it is not a guarantee. Similarly, a low score may or may not indicate an inferior product. The best food for your cat is the one that meets their individual needs.


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