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I and Love and You Cat Food Review 2023: Pros, Cons, & Final Verdict

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By Nicole Cosgrove

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Review Summary

Our Final Verdict

We give I and Love and You cat food a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Introduction

I and Love and You cat food began in Boulder, Colorado, with the aim of making healthy, tasty dog and cat food available to all pet parents. The company is focused on not only the health of your pet but also sustainability, and it has sustainable practices woven into the sourcing, production, and packaging of the food. Also, 100% of I and Love and You’s packaging is recyclable. The company has donated over 1 million meals to pets in need and to shelters or during disaster relief. Also, any surplus food is all donated to pets in need rather than ending up in landfills. With the company’s focus on sustainability, helping pets in need, and its range of delicious options, there are plenty of good reasons to choose I and Love and You. If you’d like to know more about this line of cat food, read on for an in-depth look.

At a Glance: The Best I and Love and You Cat Food Recipes:

Rating Image Product Details
Our Favorite
Winner
I and Love and You Naked Essentials Salmon & Trout Recipe I and Love and You Naked Essentials Salmon & Trout Recipe
  • Packed with essential omega fatty acids
  • Real salmon as the first-listed ingredient
  • Contains a blend of probiotics and prebiotics
  • Second place
    I and Love and You Oh My Cod! Pate Grain-Free Canned Cat Food I and Love and You Oh My Cod! Pate Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
  • Cod is the first-listed ingredient
  • Packed with essential omega fatty acids
  • Contains natural sources of antioxidants
  • Third place
    I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry a Plenty Grain-Free Recipe I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry a Plenty Grain-Free Recipe
  • High protein content
  • Contains potent superfoods
  • Turkey is the first listed ingredient
  • I and Love and You Lovingly Simple Limited Ingredient Diet I and Love and You Lovingly Simple Limited Ingredient Diet
  • Real salmon as the first ingredient
  • Formulated for cats with sensitivities
  • Provides a 100% complete and balanced diet
  • I and Love and You Naked Essentials Indoor Health Chicken & Turkey I and Love and You Naked Essentials Indoor Health Chicken & Turkey
  • Added prebiotics and probiotics
  • 100% real chicken is the first ingredient
  • Promotes healthy skin and a soft, silky coat
  • I and Love and You Cat Food Reviewed

    Who Makes I and Love and You and Where Is It Produced?

    I and Love and You was launched in 2011 and is based in Boulder, Colorado. The company makes a range of dry foods, wet foods, and treats for both cats and dogs, specializing in grain-free, all-natural formulas. The food is manufactured in the United States, with the majority of the ingredients sourced from the U.S. and Canada, although some ingredients are sourced from elsewhere around the world. https://www.instagram.com/p/CT9s6QcKoTZ/

    Which Types of Cats Is I and Love and You Best Suited For?

    I and Love and You makes various recipes that are suitable for kittens, adults, and indoor cats. The food is best suited for cats with grain sensitivities because all the recipes are grain-free.

    Which Types of Cats Might Do Better With a Different Brand?

    If you have a cat with particular health issues that need a more specialized diet, they may be better off with another food brand such as Hill’s. Hill’s makes specialized foods for urinary care and kidney care and for cats with sensitive stomachs, so if your feline suffers from any of these issues, a brand like Hill’s may be a better choice. Also, grain-free diets are not helpful to all cats, as some allergies actually come from meat rather than grains, and you’ll need to consult with your vet to determine the exact cause of your cat’s allergy first.

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    Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and bad)

    All of I and Love and You’s dry and wet foods contain meat as the first-listed ingredient, which is great for your obligate carnivore’s diet. Also, the recipes are all grain-free and free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Let’s take a deeper look at a few of the ingredients contained in these foods.

    Protein sources

    Since cats are obligate carnivores, protein is the most essential ingredient to look at. I and Love and You uses a variety of animal proteins in its recipes, including chicken, duck, turkey, salmon, and trout in the dry foods and cod, rabbit, chicken, turkey, beef, and tuna in the wet foods. The dry food range has an average protein content of 34%, and the wet foods have 10% protein overall, most of which comes from animal protein. https://www.instagram.com/p/CS-WJ03KDX9/

    Vegetables

    All of I and Love and You’s foods are grain-free, but there are added beneficial fruits and vegetables in both the dry and wet foods. The dry food includes healthy veggies like pumpkin, sweet potato, peas, lentils, and beets, and the wet foods contain carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, apples, and cranberries.

    Other ingredients

    Both the wet and dry foods from I and Love and You are packed with additional vitamins, minerals, and amino acids and contain both prebiotics and probiotics for added digestive support. While this food is free from grains, it has a high carbohydrate content (40% average) that comes from the added vegetables, which is not ideal for felines. Also, the overall protein content is fine but not great. We’d like to see a higher percentage in both the wet and dry foods.

    A Quick Look at I and Love and You Cat Food

    Pros
    • Grain-free
    • High-quality protein sources
    • Free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
    • Added beneficial fruits and vegetables
    • Mostly U.S.-sourced ingredients
    Cons
    • High carbohydrate content
    • Lower protein content than we’d like

    Recall History

    There have been no recalls for I and Love and You dry or wet food, which is great. There was a recall in July 2015, though, for I and Love and You’s beef treats due to potential salmonella contamination.

    Reviews of the 3 Best I and Love and You Cat Food Recipes

    1. I and Love and You Naked Essentials Salmon & Trout Recipe

    I and Love and You Naked Essentials Salmon & Trout Recipe

    The Naked Essentials Salmon and Trout Recipe dry cat food is our favorite overall from I and Love and You. The grain-free recipe has real salmon as the first-listed ingredient for a great protein source that will also provide your cat with the essential omega fatty acids that they need to maintain a healthy coat and skin. Like all the recipes from I and Love and You, it is free from artificial colors and preservatives or by-product meals but is packed with healthy vegetables and fruits and a blend of probiotics and prebiotics for optimized gut and immune health. The food has 34% crude protein overall and 14% fats and 4% fiber, with only 350 calories per cup. It has an overall carb content of 31%, which we do feel is a bit on the high side.
    Pros
    • Real salmon as the first-listed ingredient
    • Packed with essential omega fatty acids
    • Free from artificial colors, preservatives, and by-product meals
    • Contains a blend of probiotics and prebiotics
    Cons
    • High carb content

    2. I and Love and You Oh My Cod! Pate Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

    I and Love and You Oh My Cod! Pate Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

    The Oh My Cod! Pate from I and Love and You is made with delicious cod as the first-listed ingredient, which is a great source of protein and essential omega fatty acids. The food is packed with natural antioxidants from cranberries and spinach and healthy vitamins and minerals. It is free from grains, artificial colors and fillers, by-product meals, and gluten, and it is instead packed with healthy carbs like sweet potatoes and carrots. It has a crude protein content of 10% overall, with a 4% fat content and 0.7% fiber, and 88 calories per can. Since cats are such fussy animals at the best of times, some cats may not enjoy the fishy taste.
    Pros
    • Cod is the first-listed ingredient
    • Packed with essential omega fatty acids
    • Contains natural sources of antioxidants
    • Free from artificial colors, fillers, and by-product meals
    Cons
    • Some cats may not enjoy it

    3. I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry a Plenty Grain-Free Recipe

    I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry a Plenty Grain-Free Recipe

    With real turkey as the first listed ingredient and a 44% protein content overall, the Poultry a Plenty dry food recipe from I and Love and You packs a protein punch. The food also contains potent superfoods like chia seeds, green mussels, and olive oil, along with digestive enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics to help keep your cat’s digestion in tip-top shape. It also contains healthy fruits and vegetables, like carrots and cranberries, and herring oil for a healthy, natural source of essential omega fatty acids. Like all the I and Love and You dry recipes, this food is free from grains, artificial colors, and preservatives. Along with the potent 44% crude protein content, this food has a fairly high 18% fat content and 4% fiber content, and it contains 375 calories per cup.
    Pros
    • Turkey is the first listed ingredient
    • High protein content
    • Contains potent superfoods
    • Added digestive enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics
    • Free from grains, artificial colors, and preservatives
    Cons
    • Fairly high overall fat content

    What Other Users Are Saying

    • Chewy: “Our kitty has issues with constipation and is the pickiest eater on the planet. We have tried EVERYTHING the vet has recommended. The one thing he loves is salmon, and the vet recommended adding pumpkin or sweet potatoes to his diet. We have always used the ‘I Love You’ canned food but I never could have imagined just how great this dry food could be.”
    • Amazon: Customers that have used the product are always a good source of information, so we always check Amazon for customer reviews too. You can read Amazon reviews here.

    Conclusion

    With 100% grain-free recipes, great protein sources, and various tasty dry and wet food recipes, we give I and Love and You cat food 4.5 out of 5 stars. All the foods are also packed with beneficial prebiotics and probiotics, natural sources of essential omega fatty acids, and natural sources of antioxidants. Some of the recipes are a bit high in carbohydrates for our liking, but overall, I and Love and You is a great brand of food for your feline friend, and the company offers a variety of tasty treats too.

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