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Comparing two foods, step by step
Step 1: The AAFCO gate
Compare the nutritional adequacy statements and life stages. For an ordinary main diet, look for complete and balanced nutrition for your cat. A supplemental or intermittent product is not a complete main diet; a therapeutic diet used under veterinary supervision is an exception. If your vet prescribed such a product, follow that feeding plan rather than excluding it through this checklist.
Step 2: Dry-matter math
From the guaranteed analysis guide: nutrient % divided by (100 minus moisture %), times 100. A wet food at 10% protein and 78% moisture lands around 45% protein on a dry-matter basis; a dry food at 30% protein and 10% moisture lands around 33%. Those are the label guarantees, not the exact composition, but now they compare fairly. Do the same for fat. Now the numbers mean something.
Step 3: Ingredients, read honestly
Ingredients list by weight before cooking, so fresh meat (mostly water) ranks higher than the same meat as a dry meal. Named sources - "chicken," "salmon," "chicken meal" - tell you more than generic terms. Cornell's feeding guidance suggests looking for meat, meat by-products or seafood among the first ingredients, as a sign the food contains enough animal-source ingredients to supply essential amino acids and fatty acids. What the list can't show you is quality or digestibility - the WSAVA notes it can mislead - which is why step 4 exists.
Step 4: The manufacturer
The WSAVA guidelines suggest asking makers direct questions: Do you employ a full-time qualified nutritionist? Who formulates your foods? What quality control do you run? Brands that answer clearly - often via their website or customer service - give you something no label can. Regulatory history is public too; your vet will know of any pattern worth weighing.
Step 5: Your cat is the tiebreaker
Body condition, coat, energy, stool quality and enthusiasm at meals over time tell you how a food is working. Medical needs outrank everything: urinary history, kidney disease, diabetes, obesity and food sensitivities all change what "better" means - that's a vet conversation, not a label one. And switch gradually: mix the new food in at the pace your cat's stomach accepts, watching appetite and litter box output as you go. For sensitive cats or medical diets, follow your vet's transition plan.