We’ve taken the deep dive on Applaws cat food, learning about its recall history, where Applaws is made, and more. Keep reading to get the scoop.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Applaws on What Matters
We’ve analyzed Applaws and graded it according to the Cats.com standard, evaluating the brand on species-appropriateness, ingredient quality, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. Here’s how it rates in each of these six key areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 7/10
- Ingredient Quality – 9/10
- Product Variety – 7/10
- Price – 4/10
- Customer Experience – 9/10
- Recall History – 4/10
Overall Score: 6.6/10
We give Applaws cat food a 40 out of 60 rating or a B- grade.
About Applaws
Applaws first appeared in 2006, initially populating pet specialty retailers across the United Kingdom. Later, the brand started popping up around western Europe, North America, and Australia. Its parent company describes Applaws as “high quality, 100% natural, ethically sourced premium pet food”.
But those buzzwords don’t mean much.
To decide if it’s a good choice for your cat, we have to take a closer look at Applaws.
Let’s start at the source.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Applaws sources ingredients from around the world.
Their suppliers adhere to relevant international safety and husbandry standards, including those set by Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development, the British Retail Consortium, and the International Labour Organization.
Applaws suppliers are required to be members of at least one of the following organizations:
- ISSF – International Seafood Sustainability Foundation
- Marine Stewardship Council
- Earth Island Institute
- TTIA – Thai Tuna Industry Association
US-sold Applaws dry cat food is manufactured in the United States, while their wet offerings are made in Thailand.
Has Applaws Cat Food Been Recalled?
In June of 2021, UK-manufactured Applaws dry cat food was recalled after foods manufactured by Fold Hill were potentially linked to a bone marrow condition called pancytopenia in cats. This was a voluntary recall, and the Royal Veterinary College is currently investigating the situation.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does Applaws Offer?
The Applaws cat food lineup includes dry and wet foods.
Applaws dry food comes in five varieties. These recipes feature named meats and stay true to the brand’s promise of no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. They’re fortified to meet the nutritional requirements of a complete and balanced diet.
Their wet recipes are some of the simplest on the market. In addition to skipping animal by-products and artificial ingredients, Applaws wet food is made without any additives, including vitamins, minerals, and supplemental amino acids.
That means that Applaws wet food isn’t considered a nutritionally complete and balanced diet.
Applaws dry food is appropriate for feeding as your cat’s sole source of nutrition, while Applaws wet food is best complemented by other foods.
Applaws Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
Product Name | Food Type | Price | Our Grade |
Applaws Tuna Fillet in Broth | Wet | $0.81 per oz | B- |
Applaws Tuna and Sardine Mousse | Wet | $0.78 per oz | B- |
Applaws Chicken Recipe with Country Vegetables | Dry | $4.20 per lb | B- |
What Do Customers Think of Applaws Cat Food?
Applaws receives predominantly positive customer reviews. The brand’s simple, often single-protein, recipes make Applaws a popular choice among cats with food intolerances and health issues.
The biggest concern among people writing about Applaws is the fact that their wet foods aren’t nutritionally adequate for long-term feeding.
Positive Reviews
“First let me say I have never written a review before and I’ve been using Amazon for over 10 years. My cat has suffered with terrible allergies for the past year of his life. We have tried so many grain free limited ingredient cat foods without success including Wysong, Dr. Elsey’s, and Natural Balance. It seems my cat may be allergic to eggs, fish and salmon oil, and brewer’s yeast. All of the above have one of these ingredients included. I am so happy to finally find Applaws grain free chicken. The list of ingredients is so simple and my cat seems to be relieved. He has stopped itching and licking himself constantly. He is more playful and sleeps peacefully now like a cat should. What a difference! And as an added bonus he seriously loves the taste of this food. Thank you for making this product…it is helping him so much!” – Jenna H., reviewing Applaws Chicken Recipe with Country Vegetables Dry Cat Food
“My 18 year old Ragdoll has kidney disease and hardly ever bothers to eat wet food any more, other than the prescription dry food she is used to. But man, did she scarf down this product of yours! I will ration it to make sure she doesn’t get bored with it, but like I said, so far so good! Great ingredients make this product valuable, no matter what the cost.” – G. Stucco, reviewing Applaws Tuna with Sardine Mousse
Negative Reviews
“My cat has large cell lymphoma and has been sick for a while. We’ve gone through oodles of flavors and brands because she would associate the food with not feeling well. She finished radiation and is looking cancer free, but is down to 6.5 pounds. This was recommended at the pet food store. After this was fed to her as her exclusive food for almost 2 weeks (this and other flavors), I noticed that while it is an additive-free food, it has no serving directions because it states one the can “FOR INTERMITTENT AND SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING ONLY”…
It has no Taurine or any of the other vitamins or nutrients that a cat needs. A chronic Taurine deficiency won’t show up on standard bloodwork (requires a specialized blood-test) and can cause blindness (among other things). While on only Applaws, Allie’s appetite yo-yoed and her health took a dive. Because she has problems with feeling other canned foods smell appetizing enough, I did buy some more of these and use a tiny spoonful to mix in with REGULAR cat food, and she’ll go right back and eat some more. PLEASE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE BUYING. Feeding just this to your cat would be dangerous, and I’ve already put in a call to the manager of the store whose employee recommended this. If it’s supplemental, it shouldn’t be called food. It should be called a “treat” or something. It’s really misleading, and seriously endangered a very sick cat we’ve spent a lot to try and save.” – ArtemisDeFeisty, reviewing Applaws Tuna Fillet in Broth
“First, I wanted the chicken but got the tuna. Second, the consistency is not the moist product pictured. It iYou may as well head to the grocery and buy an 80-cent can of tuna.s firm solid pack and coated in gel. My cat would not even try it . I donated to a shelter. Maybe your cat will like it but be prepared to cop it up, it can’t be flaked. I had high hopes for this but was disappointed in the product, so was my cat.” – twopups, reviewing Applaws Tuna with Seaweed Mousse
How Much Does Applaws Cat Food Cost?
While Applaws dry food is moderately-priced—you’ll spend about $0.70 per day to feed a 10-lb cat—their wet food isn’t quite so easy on the budget.
At around $0.78 per ounce, Applaws is twice as expensive as a comparable food from some Tiki Cat or Weruva, a couple of the highest-priced brands on the market.
If that sounds pricey to you, consider that Applaws food isn’t a nutritionally-complete diet. You’re paying pet specialty prices for something no more cat-specific than an 80-cent can of tuna from the grocery.
Overall, Is Applaws a Good Choice?
Applaws cat food is an interesting option.
In addition to a small variety of dry foods, Applaws brings you a vast selection of wet foods in textures and tastes that cats love. Though they make scrumptious, cat-approved treats or once-weekly meals, Applaws wet foods are both too expensive and too nutritionally incomplete to be a viable option for a long-term diet.
And their dry foods? Applaws dry food may be a good option for some cats, but they’re nothing special compared to other foods in the same category. If you’re a kibble lover, Applaws dry food is worth trying, but it doesn’t come with an enthusiastic recommendation.
Where To Buy Applaws Cat Food?
Applaws cat food is available in pet stores around the United States, England, Italy, France, Spain, and Australia. Click here to find an Applaws retailer near you. If you’d rather shop for Applaws online, you’ll find it on Amazon, Chewy, Petco.com, PetSmart.com, PetFlow, and other web retailers.
Can you please do a review of schesir wet cat and kitten food? It’s one of the better brands available in my country, but I would want to know more.
You’ve given 9/10 for no recall here. Also chicken & rice is a good option for cats with sensitive stomachs. I’ve been using this for 2 years along with True Instinct (just 2 flavours). Applaws have some truly crazy other recipes- Pumpkin & Chicken and my cat won’t touch those but you’ve actually reviewed & downgrades the best. It does say clearly on every box & packet complimentary cat food. Think you e been rather harsh. You can also get 26 packs for the price of 20 at the major U.K. pet stores.
Thank you for the comment and insights, Sue!
Can you please review CARNILOVE? I can hardly find any reviews about it!
Lulu, we’ll consider it! Thank you for the comment.
I buy it constantly, and so far i am happy with it
What are your thoughts on Applaws Tuna loin, Salmon loin Chicken loin treat as an everyday choice along with a good balanced dry food and a wet food as a diet ( my concern is sodium in their loin options ) Thank you
Hi Lori! Applaws loin treats are a good high-protein option for cats but keep in mind that they aren’t nutritionally balanced. If you’re pairing them with a balanced dry/wet food diet like you said, just be sure the treats make up no more than 10% of your cat’s daily intake. You want most of your cat’s calories to come from a nutritionally complete formula. So, depending on your cat’s size and calorie intake, it might be better to offer the loins just a few times a week or only offer partial pieces daily.
I have bought Applaws can food for my cat for very long, but today I noticed one can (Sardine with Schrimp in Jelly (product of Thailand) mainly contains jelly (>70%) instead of meat. It is kind of cheating and I am angry since we are loyal customers but treated like this. Pls help look into it and reply to my email. Thanks ! I feel bad for my dear cat.
Thank you for your comment! That is a generous amount of jelly and potentially excessive, but I’m not sure that it’s much different from typical wet cat food. This recipe is at up to 84% moisture total, which is common among wet foods. It’s also important to note that this Applaws recipe is also not a nutritionally complete and balanced diet.
Thank you for posting, I’ve been purchasing tuna with crab to mix in with my kitty’s UTI food that she hates. Have noticed that some cans are more than half watery juices. Since the cans are so expensive, this inconsistency really hurts.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the inconsistency of Applaws cat food.
I’ve noticed the difference too. I let the pet food store know also and they seemed to take it seriously. I don’t buy the tuna anymore. My cat won’t eat it. There is definitely a quality difference within this past year. He likes the chicken but I agree, the rice is unnecessary.
Here in Melbourne Australia we buy the Applaws Tuba in Jelly kitten food (it’s the only kitten option at the local supermarket) and the ingredients include vitamins, minerals and taurine. It is labelled a complete food. Perhaps they are starting to address the issue of the other varieties being for supplemental feeding only.
I have the applaws chicken dry food , but the packaging and ingredients seem to be completely different. Can you please review it, thank you !
https://applaws.com/uk/cat/kitten-food/dry-kitten-chicken/
Hi Mouza! Thank you for commenting. Overall, this food looks decent—it seems to be primarily made from meat ingredients, formulated for kittens, and it provides prebiotics and probiotics, which, in theory, could be beneficial for overall health. It’s always very difficult to rate a cat food based on the label alone, but at first glance, this does appear to be a fair dry food for kittens.
I had not realized Applaws was not nutrionally complete until I read this article a couple months ago. I have tried EVERYTHING and my kitties will not eat any other food. No gravies, no mousses, no pate. I’m going broke feeding them Applaws, but what else am I to do? Mixing in a little bit of another food doesn’t work either. I appreciate any solutions!
Thank you!
Hi Donna, where are you located? I know that in the UK and perhaps some other locations outside of the United States, Applaws and other nutritionally-incomplete foods are the only wet option available, but in the United States, you should be able to find a number of other foods with a similar taste and texture to Applaws. You can consider Fancy Feast flaked food, Weruva, Tiki Cat, and Soulistic.
Hi Mallory, I know that you are more familiar with the United States market but there are plenty of nutritionally complete options for cats within the European market. Some examples would be Herrmanns, ownat, leonardo, urkhan, natural greatness, alpha spirit, carnilove, aruba, cats love, farm nature…
Thank you for sharing these options; much appreciated.
My cats also have been eating this canned appawz for a year. Plus dried food kibble. This is literally all they will eat. I purchased so many other soft expensive foods. They reject them all. Uggg
FYI – the manufacturer of Applaws has issued a product recall for some of it’s dry food.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57486596
Thank you for letting us know! I’m updating the review accordingly.
The recall is for pancytopenia, a fatal feline illness. hence a 9 out of 10 for recall is a bit generous? I see for other cat food brand like Feline Natural your website put 5 out of 10? Doesn’t make sense.
Hi Amy, I agree—we should have reduced the score more. Fixing this.
My cats went off of their food and completely stopped eating. I purchased this because it had few ingredients. They are eating again and I wanted to order more but I ran across this article. Thank you very much! I didn’t realize that it is for intermittent feeding. I will throw it into the mix with regular food to help keep things interesting.
I give my cat a 70g tin of Applaws per day plus she has her dish always full of go cat biscuits ..I,m reading the Applaws is not a complete meal for her .Why has it not got the required nutrients in it as it certainly is expensive enough .
Applaws tuna fillet and prawn is the only one she will eat ..now I am worried I am giving her the wrong food ..and will have to experiment very carefully to find a complete food for her ..
Hello Marian, where are you located? I’m happy to recommend a complete and balanced food available in your area.
I am searching all over the place for the best wet cat food for my cat, Luna. Lots of reviews are US based and the UK ones don’t help a lot either. The only wet cat food I have found both in reviews and in my country (Romania) is Wellness Core (the classical one, not the complete) and the Applaws, both grain free.
Luna has been fed with various Schesir types until August when she had some stomach problems (diahreea) and since then we are giving her Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Gravy . The reason was a possible parasite.
I want to choose something better than Schesir and feed her the best food I can. Can you please help me find something suitable in my country?
I don’t know if it matters but as a dry food I have selected a mixture between Purina Beyond Grain Free and Hills Indoor Cat.
Thanks in advance,
Monica
Hello Monica, thank you for commenting! Yes, it is difficult to find information on cat food sold outside of the United States, Canada, and the UK, and that’s something we’re working on currently. Anyway, I am unfortunately not very familiar with the Romanian cat food market and don’t have a lot of access to information on it. Would it be possible to send me a link to a popular Romanian cat food seller? I would be happy to evaluate the foods listed there and give you my thoughts on which would work best. For now, though, the best advice I can give you is to evaluate foods on a product-by-product and brand-by-brand basis. Just as we did in this review of Applaws, look at the company’s background, determine whether or not it’s been involved in a lot of recalls, and find out where it’s manufactured. Look at the product itself. Make sure that it’s nutritionally complete and balanced for Luna’s life stage, and check the guaranteed analysis to evaluate its levels of protein and fat. Look at the ingredient list. The food should contain animal-derived ingredients early on the list with an emphasis on protein from animal sources. You can use this process to evaluate any cat food on the market. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help, but I hope this points you in the right direction. Please feel free to respond if you’d like to look into this deeper.
Best,
Mallory
Hey Mallory,
As a fellow Romanian cat parent i am in the same situation as Monica. Mainly i use zooplus as my food shop:
https://www.zooplus.ro/shop/pisici/hrana_umeda_pisici
For my 8 and a half year sterilized cat i used mainly wet food from Applaws and Animoda Carny vom Feinstein, with smaller amounts of dry food from Applaws.
Dry food used:
https://www.zooplus.ro/shop/pisici/hrana_uscata_pisici/applaws/adult/243265
Wet foods used:
https://www.zooplus.ro/shop/pisici/hrana_umeda_pisici/applaws/applaws_pliculete/545141
and
https://www.zooplus.ro/shop/pisici/hrana_umeda_pisici/animonda_vom_feinsten/adult/572891
Recently though the Applaws seems to not suit my cat’s tummy very well, while the Animoda no grain from the link above seems to keep working.
I am looking though for a more specialized opinion if to you what i used seems good or a recommendation of something better/healthier, and this is also maybe similar to what Monica is searching as an answer, from the zooplus.ro website i linked in the beginning of my post.
Thanks in advance,
Catalin
Hi Catalin! Sorry about the late reply. The Animonda food looks great, and if it seems to be easy on her tummy, I don’t see much reason to change her diet!
Thanks Mallory! 🙂
After some research I have chosen Leonardo wet cat food.
This is a sample https://www.leonardo-catfood.com/leonardo-pure-chicken. I liked that it is grain free and after removing the 80% moisture the percentage of the carbs is very low. An advantage (in my opinion) is that they have many types of wet food, for Luna not to get bored. Still… I can say say on bad thing – the fish and shrimps smells horrible :))).
I really hope I made a good decision. Thanks for your fast reply and I apologise about my delay :).
Have a beautiful day!
Hi, I was about to buy Applaws cat food but I decided to do some research and stumbled upon this article. I was wondering if you could recommend me a complete meal for a cat. I’m located in Australia. Also are supermarket wet food for cats not a complete meal? I normally consider buying cat food from Woolworths or Coles but I’m not sure if they have all the nutritional properties.
Hey there, Ashleigh. You’ll get answers to all of these questions (and more!) in our article on the best cat food in Australia. Hope you find it helpful!
Thanks for this review. I looked it up because Applaws chicken in gravy is closest to the Schesir wet cat foods available in my country. Limited ingredient, natural foods but not nutritionally “complete” foods. I have been feeding my cat Schesir wet food along with Orijen kibbles and hope that’s considered ok as far as his nutritional needs are concerned. Would really appreciate a review of Schesir food as some others have written above. Sharing a link here of the extensive varieties available in India. It’s also made in Thailand like the Applaws reviewed here.
https://headsupfortails.com/pages/search-results-page?q=schesir+cat+food
My cat LOVES APPLAWS canned food. She’s very fussy so I’m happy she likes it. WHAT EXACTLY is
the ingredient missing? She only eats one other food, Fancy Feast Chicken Tuscany, but it’s hard to find.
PLEASE HELP!!
Andy, I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly which ingredients are missing; you’d have to do a nutritional analysis of the food to find out exactly what its nutrient composition is and then fill in the gaps using supplements. What we know for sure is that food like this will be deficient in taurine, which is an amino acid essential to heart health, and it will also be deficient in B vitamins that are destroyed during the cooking process. Vitamin A also needs to be supplemented, as well as calcium and other minerals that would be present in bone. I would not recommend trying to supplement the food on your own since you don’t know what your starting point is. They’re more expensive, but you might also try Weruva or Tiki Cat food. Both of them have a similar texture and taste that your cat might like.
Mallory is there a best way to introduce to a “nutritionally complete food.” My 6 year old Savannah has been eating Applaws wet (Tuna with Crab); and recently started vomiting after eating. She also gets Acana Kibble and seems to like it. But want to make sure she eats nutritionally complete wet food to ensure she gets hydrated … picky drinking water too. Thanks. Kathy
Hi Kathy, there shouldn’t be any additional acclimation period from a “supplemental” diet to a “nutritionally complete and balanced” one. Some cats need a gradual transition, but since yours already eats a varied diet, I don’t think you should run into any issues switching to another food with a similar texture (and, perhaps, taste). You can start by mixing in a little bit of the new food in with the old and slowly increasing the percentage of new food, or you can put out a new food for her to try. If you’re weaning her off of the Acana, I’d advise moving to meals fed over a limited period of time (no free feeding), and then mixing the new food into the dry food in increasing portions until it’s eventually replaced.
Good morning! I live in central New jersey, USA and I have 2 cats. I’ve been struggling to find them a good wet food that doesn’t have carageenan in it and is balanced food. I was giving them fancy feast pate flavors and and I wanted something new. I’ve been buying Applaws but i don’t like that it doesn’t have any nutrients. I also don’t want a grain free food. Can you please help me. I appreciate all the research you do for all of us thank you so much
Ever since I got my Torti kitten from a shelter over a year ago, she has been a problem eater. I have tried every wet cat food under the sun, but she would leave everything untouched. Finally, I stumbled upon Applaws. This is absolutely the only food she will touch. And only fish , absolutely no meats. And only broth. And only the style in the flat package, NOT the can. Since she won’t touch any other wet food, I really have no other choice. The price is ridiculous, but I can deal with that. My worry is the missing nutritional supplements she’s not getting. She does eat Blue Bufffalo kibble for her other meal , for now. My question is: as long as she is eating the kibble once a day, can I continue to feed her the Applaws Wet Tuna as a regular second meal?
Complete foods should make up at least 90% of your cat’s diet, so splitting evenly between the Blue Buffalo and Applaws doesn’t sound quite right. I would check the calorie content of both meals and build up the Blue Buffalo to make up more of that daily intake. Alternatively, have you tried the fish-based foods from Tiki Cat or Weruva, or the Fish & Shrimp Feast from Fancy Feast? I wonder if she might accept these as well as the Applaws food.
Thanks for this review. I looked it up because Applaws chicken in gravy is closest to the Schesir wet cat foods available in my country. Limited ingredient, natural foods but not nutritionally “complete” foods. I have been feeding my cat Schesir wet food along with Orijen kibbles and hope that’s considered ok as far as his nutritional needs are concerned.
https://remediovet.com/product/applaws-all-natural-tuna-fillet-with-prawns-in-broth-cat-wet-food-70g/
I always had cats with long lives, One was 25, two lived over 20 years, I had a 19 year old, a 16 year old, and unfortunately a 7 year old. She had a tumor that paralyzed her and along with the cancer in her lungs, and liver. Currently I have a 14 year old and a 4 year old. My senior cat was getting to skinny and Apple paw wet food is the only brand he gobbles up. I’ve tried them all. He’s put on weight and has a spring in his step since he’s been eating apple paws. . My 4 year old is fat. I believe it was from the garbage kibbles I was feeding her. My cats do not get junk food. I just bought apple paws dried food. How do I get the young kitty to lose weight while not starving my senior cat. I understand that apple paws wet food is not nutritionally complete. I do give him fancy feast wet food too to help with this but he will throw up the fancy feast from time to time as opposed to Apple paw. Currently I’m enjoying watching him put on weight and not throwing up. At the same time, I have a puggy cat. Any advice?
Hi Anne, thank you for the comment! You’re going to need to separate the two cats’ foods. The overweight cat should be given a good, low-calorie wet food (perhaps one of the options in our list of the best cat food for weight loss). I would also like to confirm that the older cat doesn’t have any health issues causing her to lose weight. Addressing that underlying issue should be the top priority.
Sporadically, over the summer I had to supply and oversee the feeding of my sister’s cats. Discovered that one of them particularly liked the Applaws chicken in broth recipe (which is actually chicken and rice in broth). It was served mixed with a nutritionally complete pate. Recently this cat was diagnosed with diabetes. (For many years my sister had fed her cats cheap carb-packed dry food as the primary food.) I contacted Applaws to find the carb levels of the chicken&rice and chicken with gravy recipes. In my request I stated that I understood that it was a nutritionally incomplete food, and that I would like to continue using it as a supplemental food for a diabetic cat. They said that they said, “As the food is complementary, we cannot guarantee the specific level” (of carbs). “As your cat has specific dietary requirements, your vet can advise if our food is suitable for your cat and also provide detailed feeding guidance.” I had already received desired carb levels for this cat from the vet. I told Applaws again that I was aware that it was a complimentary food, but that I could not even use it as a topper unless I knew the carb levels. They responded with the same canned response.
What a frustrating response! Unfortunately, we are not able to get a precise carbohydrate value, either, as this information cannot be fully inferred from the guaranteed analysis and would need to be provided by the company.
My cat loves the Applaws Natural Cat foo Chicken Selection in Broth. However, this morning I opened a new can and it was very very orange and yellow color instead of the white color – I threw it out. I am scared to feed her anymore cans of this food – has there been any recalls –
Oh no! Could it have been one of the recipes that contains cheese or pumpkin that gave it an orange color? It doesn’t look like there have been any recalls since the 2021 recall of Applaws dry cat food in the UK (link: https://applaws.com/uk/drycatfoodproductrecall/).