Last updated Apr 19, 2023
Hey Diddle Diddle is a cat food brand sold through Tesco in the UK. There have been shortages and it’s unclear if this brand is still in production. Hey Diddle Diddle has been very popular with cats and cat lovers. Keep reading for our unbiased review.
The Cats.com Standard – Rating Hey Diddle Diddle on What Matters
We have analyzed Hey Diddle Diddle cat food based on the information found on the Tesco site. (The Hey Diddle Diddle site has been closed.) We have rated it according to our standards here at Cats.com.
Our grades are based on the species-appropriateness of the food, the quality of the ingredients, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. You can read more about our ratings here.
Here are our ratings for Hey Diddle Diddle cat food in these key areas:
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 7/10
- Ingredient Quality – 6/10
- Product Variety – 6/10
- Price – 7/10
- Customer Experience – 7/10
- Recall History – 7/10
Overall Score: 6.67/10
We give Hey Diddle Diddlecat food a 40 out of 60 rating or a B- grade.
About Hey Diddle Diddle
We do not have current information about Hey Diddle Diddle. Their Facebook page hasn’t been updated in over a year. The company’s web site is closed. Customers complain that the food can’t be found. And Tesco, which sold Hey Diddle Diddle, posts online that the food is unavailable.
If we had to guess, we would say that this brand and company is out of business.
There are lots of positive comments from customers online. Many people are still trying to find this food, mostly without luck.
Hey Diddle Diddle cat food only appears to have been sold for 3-4 years.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Hey Diddle Diddle was (is?) a British brand that claimed to offer top quality, wholesome pet food with a “fun brand story.” The foods were balanced nutritional diets at a good price.
The company was based in Manchester, England.
According to the company that was hired to create the packaging for Hey Diddle Diddle, this was a Tesco project.
Hey Diddle Diddle was developed by C & D Foods in Ireland following extensive research into changing consumer demands for pet nutrition. It attempted to address a gap in the market for a high quality, naturally hypoallergenic product that provided clear dietary advice.
Has Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Food Been Recalled?
We didn’t find anything online to suggest that Hey Diddle Diddle had been recalled. However, the food was apparently only sold for 3-4 years. It’s hard to be 100 percent certain about recalls with online resources. As far as we know, there was no recall.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does Hey Diddle Diddle Offer?
The information we found for Hey Diddle Diddle cat food showed that the company offered wet cat food and food in pouches. The brand focused on making food with nutritious ingredients for healthy digestion and building your cat’s immune system, according to the company.
Hey Diddle Diddle foods included essential omega fatty acids and zinc to promote healthy skin and shiny coats. Foods had added taurine. They were naturally hypoallergenic-formulated without any added wheat, soy, dairy, or eggs.
Their foods had no artificial color, flavors, or preservatives. And Hey Diddle Diddle used high quality proteins – again, according to the company. We have no way to check these statements at this time.
It’s hard to verify some of these statements from the company if they are out of business but we can review some of their foods.
Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Primary Protein | Calories | Price | Our Grade |
| Hey Diddle Diddle Casserole with Lamb & Potatoes | Wet | Chicken | 92 Kcal per 100g | NA | B- |
| Hey Diddle Diddle Delicious Dinner with Free Range Chicken & Vegetables in a Light Sauce | Wet | Chicken | 91 Kcal per 100g | NA | B- |
| Hey Diddle Diddle Tasty Supper with Free Range Turkey in Gravy | Wet | Chicken | 91 Kcal per 100g | NA | B- |
#1 Hey Diddle Diddle Casserole With Lamb & Potatoes Review
We found an older advertisement for Hey Diddle Diddle cat food on the Tesco web site. It doesn’t look like Hey Diddle Diddle is currently available on the site.
The Hey Diddle Diddle product we found was sold as Wholesome Homestyle Favourites. It provided 12 cans of wet food (85 grams each).
There were four recipes with three cans of each formula. The four recipes were: Stew with Succulent Beef, Delicious Dinner made with Free Range Chicken & Vegetables in a Light Sauce, Tasty Supper with Free Range Turkey in Gravy, and Casserole with Lamb & Potatoes.
We chose the Casserole with Lamb & Potatoes for this review. Here are the ingredients: Chicken, Pork, Lamb (including 4% Lamb), 4% Potatoes, Beef, Maize Starch, Minerals, Potato Starch, Dextrose, Glycine, Chicory Extract, Flaxseed Oil, Sugar Syrup, Rosemary Powder.
Additives (Per Kg): Full information not provided. Vitamin A 2250 IU, vitamin D3 100 IU, vitamin E 40 mg, calcium iodate anhydrous 0.8 mg, zinc sulphate monohydrate 38.8 mg, taurine 450 mg , Chicken, pork, lamb, and beef are all good sources of protein You might wonder why this food was labeled with lamb since it appears to contain more chicken and pork than lamb.
Chicken and beef can be allergens for some cats. So can maize.
This food contains dextrose (a kind of sugar) and sugar syrup. Why so much sugar in a cat food? Cats with hyperglycemia or diabetes should be careful to avoid products that contain dextrose.
Nutritional values for this recipe are crude protein 9 percent, crude fat 5 percent, crude ash 2 percent, crude fibre 0.5 percent, and moisture 81 percent.
We can convert these figures into the dry matter basis for the food. This means removing the water from the figures to see what remains. If we do this we find that the food contains 47.4 percent protein, 26.3 percent fat, 2.6 percent fiber, 10.5 percent ash, and 13.2 percent carbohydrates.
We estimate that Hey Diddle Diddle Casserole with Lamb & Potatoes Cat Food has approximately 92 calories per 100 grams. If you can find it.
Ingredients
Chicken, Pork, Lamb (including 4% Lamb), 4% Potatoes, Beef, Maize Starch, Minerals, Potato Starch, Dextrose, Glycine, Chicory Extract, Flaxseed Oil, Sugar Syrup, Rosemary Powder.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Pork, Lamb (including 4% Lamb), Beef, chicory extract
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Maize Starch, Potato Starch, Dextrose, Sugar Syrup
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Chicken, pork, lamb, and beef are all good protein sources for cats
- Customers say that cats love Hey Diddle Diddle
- No wheat, no soy, no dairy, no eggs; no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Cons
- Potatoes, maize starch, and potato starch make up lots of carbohydrates that your cat really doesn’t need
- Dextrose and sugar syrup are not good for cats but they could account for why cats love the food
- The brand seems to be out of business though we couldn’t find any announcement
#2 Hey Diddle Diddle Delicious Dinner Made With Free Range Chicken & Vegetables In A Light Sauce
Sounds like a romantic dinner for two, doesn’t it? It’s one of Hey Diddle Diddle’s meals in a pouch included in their variety package of wholesome homestyle favorites. The package contains 12 pouches of 100-gram meals for cats from age 1-7 years.
These foods contain nutritious ingredients that aid your cat’s digestion. They include essential omega fatty acids and zinc to promote healthy skin and a shiny coat. They also have taurine for your cat’s eye health. They have a naturally hypoallergenic formulation without any added wheat, soy, dairy, or egg.
The high quality proteins aid muscle growth and development.
And, these formulas have no added artificial color, flavors, or preservatives.
The main ingredients in this formula are chicken (including 4 percent free range chicken), pork, green beans, and beef.
Nutritional values for this recipe are crude protein 9 percent, crude fat 5 percent, crude ash 2 percent, crude fibre 0.5 percent, and moisture 81 percent.
We can convert these figures into the dry matter basis for the food. This means removing the water from the figures to see what remains. If we do this we find that the food contains 47.4 percent protein, 26.3 percent fat, 2.6 percent fiber, 10.5 percent ash, and 13.2 percent carbohydrates.
We estimate that Hey Diddle Diddle Delicious Dinner made with Free Range Chicken & Vegetables in a Light Sauce has approximately 91 calories per 100 grams.
Ingredients
Chicken (including 4% Free Range Chicken), Pork, 4% Green Beans, Beef, Maize Starch, Minerals, Potato Starch, Dextrose, Glycine, Chicory Extract, Flaxseed Oil, Sugar Syrup, Rosemary Powder
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Pork, Beef, Flaxseed Oil, Chicory Extract
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Maize Starch, Potato Starch, Glycine, Dextrose, Sugar Syrup
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Chicken, pork, and beef are all good protein sources for cats
- Customers say that cats love Hey Diddle Diddle
- No wheat, no soy, no dairy, no eggs; no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Cons
- Maize starch and potato starch make up lots of carbohydrates that your cat really doesn’t need
- Dextrose and sugar syrup are really not good for cats but they could account for why cats love the food
#3 Hey Diddle Diddle Tasty Supper With Free Range Turkey In Gravy
Tasty Supper with Free Range Turkey in Gravy is another Hey Diddle Diddle meal in a pouch that’s part of their Wholesome Homestyle Favorites package. This package has been sold at Tesco in the UK in the past though it’s not currently available.
With nutritious ingredients that are good for your cat’s digestion and omega fatty acids plus zinc to improve your cat’s skin and coat, these foods have been very popular with customers. These pouch meals also include taurine to ensure good eye health for your cat. The formulas are naturally hypoallergenic. They contain no added wheat, soy, dairy, or egg.
Hey Diddle Diddle uses high quality proteins for good muscle growth and development. Plus, they have no added artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
The main ingredients in this formula are Chicken, Pork, Turkey (including 4% Free Range Turkey), and Beef.
Nutritional values for this recipe are crude protein 9 percent, crude fat 5 percent, crude ash 2 percent, crude fibre 0.5 percent, and moisture 81 percent.
We can convert these figures into the dry matter basis for the food. This means removing the water from the figures to see what remains. If we do this we find that the food contains 47.4 percent protein, 26.3 percent fat, 2.6 percent fiber, 10.5 percent ash, and 13.2 percent carbohydrates.
We estimate that Hey Diddle Diddle Tasty Supper with Free Range Turkey in Gravy has approximately 91 calories per 100 grams.
Ingredients
Chicken, Pork, Turkey (including 4% Free Range Turkey), Beef, Maize Starch, Minerals, Potato Starch, Dextrose, Glycine, Chicory Extract, Flaxseed Oil, Sugar Syrup, Rosemary Powder
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Beef, Flaxseed Oil, Chicory Extract
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Maize Starch, Potato Starch, Glycine, Dextrose, Sugar Syrup
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Chicken, pork, turkey, and beef are all good protein sources for cats
- Customers say that cats love Hey Diddle Diddle
- No wheat, no soy, no dairy, no eggs; no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Cons
- Maize starch and potato starch make up lots of carbohydrates that your cat really doesn’t need
- Dextrose and sugar syrup are really not good for cats but they could account for why cats love the food
What Do Customers Think of Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Food?
Many customers like Hey Diddle Diddle because their cats love the food. However, there is a lot of frustration because they can’t find the food to buy anymore.
Positive Review
Good quality cat food – read the ingredients, less grain and more meat. Good to see Tesco supplying a better quality cat food. The cat absolutely loved it and his bowl was licked completely clean! Expensive but would buy again. – by A Tesco Customer on 5th February 2019, reviewing Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Pouch Favourites
Negative Review
Cats don’t need sugar added sugar to their food. Wish Id read the fine detail but was taken in by the fancy packaging and “wholesome” marketing blurb – by A Tesco Customer on 31st December 2018, reviewing Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Pouch Favourites
How Much Does Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Food Cost?
Unfortunately, we don’t have any current pricing for Hey Diddle Diddle cat food. Even Tesco, which has old information about the brand, doesn’t show previous pricing.
Overall, Is Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Food a Good Choice?
Based on what we found online, Hey Diddle Diddle cat food looks like it had average meat protein, more carbs than you would expect based on the brand’s messaging, and some inexplicable sugar added.
This would not be a good food to buy if your cat is hyperglycemic or if he has diabetes. Otherwise, it looks like an average cat food with a lot of colorful packaging and hype.
How Do You Order Hey Diddle Diddle Cat Food?
You don’t order Hey Diddle Diddle cat food at the moment. Whether this brand returns after the pandemic is anyone’s guess. If it does, perhaps Hey Diddle Diddle and Tesco can revamp the recipes a bit and remove the sugar.
Our cat loved Hey Diddle Diddle. Gutted it appears to have been discontinued. We have been looking for it for weeks. Great shame. Our cat is so fussy with her food.
It certainly is a shame, Cheryl. Have you found something similar that your cat likes?