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Review Summary
We give Open Farm cat food a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Open Farm is a relatively small pet food company that prides itself on its honesty and transparency. All its ingredients are 100% traceable, and the recipes incorporate a lot of non-GMO foods. The company also only works with farmers that produce humanely raised beef, poultry, and lamb.
As a result, Open Farm sells premium cat food at premium prices. Despite higher costs than average cat food, you can rest assured that your cat is eating high-quality food. If you have a cat with food sensitivities or allergies, you may appreciate Open Farm cat food because most ingredient lists are short and simple. They also only contain one source of animal meat.
We’ve sampled several of Open Farm’s cat food recipes with our cats. We have an average adult cat with no health issues and one senior cat who can have difficulty eating some solid foods because of his tooth extractions. Based on their reaction to these recipes, we believe it is safe to say that Open Farm is a trustworthy and reliable pet food company worth the premium prices.
Keep reading to learn all you need to know about Open Farm and what our cats have to say about it.
At a Glance: The Best Open Farm Cat Food Recipes
| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Our Favorite
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Open Farm Wild-Caught Salmon Dry Cat Food |
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Open Farm Homestead Turkey Rustic Blend |
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Click to Save Up to 20% Use code HEPPER20 |
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Open Farm Grass-Fed Beef Bone Broth |
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Click to Save Up to 20% Use code HEPPER20 |
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Open Farm Harvest Chicken Bone Broth |
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Click to Save Up to 20% Use code HEPPER20 | |
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Open Farm Homestead Turkey Bone Broth |
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Click to Save Up to 20% Use code HEPPER20 |
Open Farm Cat Food Reviewed
Here’s a breakdown of key information that cat owners should know about Open Farm before purchasing its cat food.
Who Makes Open Farm and Where Is It Produced?
Open Farm is a small pet food company that started in 2014. The founders are Isaac Langleben, Jacqueline Prehogan, and Derek Beigleman. Their search for healthy, high-quality dog food led them to start up Open Farm.
Open Farm partners with farmers that grow high-quality produce and treat their animals humanely. It’s very thorough in ensuring that all its ingredients are ethically sourced and 100% traceable.
This company is based in Toronto, and its manufacturing facilities are in Minnesota. After launching its dog food line, Open Farm quickly worked on expanding its brand to cat food. It now sells dog food, cat food meal toppers, broths, and supplements.
Which Types of Cats Is Open Farm Best Suited For?
Open Farm offers a variety of cat food, including dry food, wet food, broths, and other meal toppers. The ingredient lists for its recipes use one type of protein and all-natural produce. They’re also relatively simple compared to other pet food companies that have much longer and more complex ingredient lists with artificial flavors and preservatives. So, they’re a great choice for cats with food allergies and sensitivities.
A lot of Open Farm’s cat food is suitable for cats of all ages. So, a kitten could enjoy the same food as it reaches adulthood, and you don’t have to worry about the hassle of transitioning your kitten to a new type of food.
Which Types of Cats Might Do Better with a Different Brand?
Open Farm’s dry cat food indicates that it’s appropriate for all life stages, but its wet cat food doesn’t specify. Therefore, if you want to feed your kitten wet food, you might be better off finding a brand that indicates that the formula is for kittens.
We also noticed that the recipes can contain a variety of produce, which very picky cats may not enjoy. For example, when we opened a Homestead Turkey Rustic Blend package, it smelled strongly of lentils. This scent may deter some cats that don’t enjoy eating vegetables and other plant-based foods.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)
All the beef, chicken, lamb, and turkey are humanely raised with ethical practices, and the fish are all wild-caught. As we’ve mentioned before, all the ingredients are 100% traceable, and Open Farm has a strict vetting process so that it works with only the best farmers.
Open Farm is rather purposeful and intentional about all the ingredients it puts into its recipes. However, we did find it a little concerning that we found lentils in some of the food our cats sampled. A lot of the recipes also contain garbanzo beans.
Although garbanzo beans and lentils aren’t toxic to cats, they aren’t the best foods to serve them. They may be high in protein, but cats are obligate carnivores. So, they thrive on consuming animal meat protein rather than plant-based protein. When cats consume too many lentils, they can also have gastrointestinal issues and experience vomiting and diarrhea.
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A Pet Food Company Built on Trust
Open Farm’s transparency and commitment to ethical practices differentiate it from many other pet food companies. This company is very meticulous when partnering with farms, fisheries, and producers.
It pays attention to the small details so cat owners don’t have to spend so much time finding high-quality cat food. Therefore, loyalty to Open Farm relies on consumer trust and the brand’s positive image and practices.
Detailed Ingredient Tracking
Each package of Open Farm’s cat food contains a lot code. It is usually located on the back of the packaging. You can type the lot code into Open Farm’s website and locate the origins of every ingredient used in the recipe. You’ll always know exactly where your cat’s food came from.
This feature goes the extra mile, and you may not even use it with every package of food you purchase. However, it is a great move for Open Farm to keep itself accountable by creating an opportunity for transparency with its customers.
Environmental Sustainability
Another key component of Open Farm’s branding is its commitment to environmentally friendly practices. It currently has a pledge to reduce its carbon footprint by 42% by 2030. Open Farm’s practical steps include measuring, reducing, and offsetting emissions.
Open Farm’s partnership with Terracycle also enables its packaging to stay out of landfills. By signing up with TerraCycle, you can ship your bags to its facility, and it’ll handle recycling for you.
Limited Line of Cat Food
Open Farm is a relatively young company that doesn’t have an extensive line of cat food yet. We’d love to see more specialized diets added to the lineup, such as formulas specific for kitten nutrition and low-calorie weight management recipes.
A Quick Look at Open Farm Cat Food
- 100% traceable ingredients
- Ethically-sourced food
- Single source of meat protein in recipes
- Environmentally-friendly practices
- Limited variety of cat food
- Relatively expensive
Recall History
As of today, Open Farm’s pet food has a clean recall history. Neither its cat food nor dog food lines have had any recalls.
Reviews of the 3 Best Open Farm Cat Food Recipes
We’ve sampled three of Open Farm’s popular recipes with our cats. Here are our verdicts.
1. Open Farm Wild-Caught Salmon Dry Cat Food
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The Wild-Caught Salmon Dry Cat Food is a nutritious formula for cats of all life stages. Its first ingredient is wild-caught Pacific Salmon, which is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and DHA. You’ll also find a blend of other nutritious foods, such as cranberries, dandelion greens, and prebiotic fibers, that help support digestive and urinary tract health.
This cat food is also high in protein and has 44% crude protein on a dry matter basis. Our only concern was that the recipe had red and green lentils pretty high up the ingredient list, which can be difficult for cats to digest.
We were met with a strong fish odor when we first opened this bag. Although it might not have been enjoyable for us, it attracted our cats immediately. This cat food passed the taste test, and one of our cats happily munched away at the kibble and had no issues digesting it. Our senior cat couldn’t chew on the kibble and wasn’t able to eat it.
- Wild-caught Pacific Salmon is first ingredient
- High-protein diet
- Supports digestive and urinary tract health
- Lentils may cause gastrointestinal issues
2. Open Farm Homestead Turkey Rustic Blend
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The Homestead Turkey Rustic Blend was a fan favorite for both of our cats. The consistency of the food was chunky, and we could see real bits of turkey inside. Our adult cat quickly devoured her portion when we served it as is. For our senior cat, we had to mash up the food and mix it with one of the bone broths for him to eat his portion easily.
The recipe contains one source of meat protein, so cats with beef allergies can safely eat it. It also holds a lot of moisture, so it can be a great way to help keep cats hydrated, especially if they don’t tend to drink from a bowl.
We noticed that this recipe has a higher fat content of 34% crude fat on a dry matter basis and was also relatively high in calories. Based on our experience, the Homestead Turkey Rustic Blend is a tasty dish for cats, but it is probably not the best option for overweight cats that need weight management.
- Easy for senior cats to eat
- Only has one type of meat protein
- Can help cats stay hydrated
- Contains lentils
- High fat content and high in calories
3. Bone Broth Bundle for Cats
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We tried out the Bone Broth Bundle for Cats, which contained the Homestead Turkey Bone Broth, Grass-Fed Beef Bone Broth, and the Harvest Chicken Bone Broth. All the bone broth recipes slow-cook meat with other healthy, non-GMO ingredients, such as pumpkin, carrot, and turmeric. The ingredient lists are very simple, and we appreciate how they don’t contain multiple types of meat as some low-quality pet broths do.
None of the bone broth recipes contain any added salt, so they can help cats stay hydrated. You can serve them on their own as treats or as meal toppers. They’re also safe for dogs, so our dog was also able to join in on the feast and happily lapped up the Grass-Fed Beef Bone Broth. The ability for both cats and dogs to enjoy the same food makes these bone broths great options for multi-pet households.
We don’t really have any issues with the bone broths. They may be more expensive than other brands, but they use high-quality ingredients, and our pets love them all. So, they’re definitely worth the price.
- Simple ingredient list
- Single source of animal protein
- Uses non-GMO ingredients
- Great for multi-pet households
- Relatively expensive
What Other Users Are Saying
- Open Farm – “I have a melanistic Bengal and he loves the food… His coat is now filling back in and is so shiny and soft.”
- Facebook – “Healthy, sustainable, and humane… Super happy with Open Farm.”
- Amazon – As pet owners, we always double-check with Amazon reviews from buyers before we buy something. You can read these by clicking here.
Conclusion
Open Farm produces premium cat food and ensures that all the ingredients used in the recipes are ethically raised and traceable. We had a few minor concerns, such as the use of chickpeas and lentils, but we didn’t find any major complaints with the recipes. Overall, we were very impressed by how our cats enjoyed all their Open Farm food. So, we hope to see more recipes develop so that more cats can enjoy these tasty, high-quality meals.
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