July 27, 2023
Josera Petfood has been in business for eight decades. The company is family-run and based in Germany. Along with cat food, it makes food for dogs and livestock. Josera offers a wide range of super premium and premium cat foods and sell their foods in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Read our Josera review to find out how this brand compares.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Josera on What Matters
We’ve rated Josera on six key criteria for quality. Here’s how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 7/10
- Ingredient Quality – 7/10
- Product Variety – 8/10
- Price – 7/10
- Customer Experience – 8/10
- Recall History – 9/10
Overall Score: 7.7/10
In total, we give Josera 46 out of 60 ratings or a B grade. Read more about our standards here.
Why Trust Cats.com
At Cats.com, we meticulously study each aspect of the foods we review. We spend hours researching a brand such as Josera, learning about its history and its products. We examine the company’s ingredients, sourcing, and manufacturing practices. We look through recalls for any safety issues. We also read dozens of customer reviews, including ones in a variety in multiple languages, to identify any problems.
When possible, we purchase the food and try it out with our own cats, taking notes on palatability, texture, smell, and more. We consider all of the elements in the Cats.com Standard in order to rate this brand.
About Josera
Josera Petfood is a family-run company located in Kleinheubach, Germany. The company has been in business for 80 years. It has focused on pet food since 1988. Josera makes pet food for about 1.2 million pets per year in about 60 countries.
Josera is part of the Erbacher food family of companies. Erbacher is a medium-sized family business responsible for super-premium foods for pets and livestock. Erbacher has more than 800 employees. It has facilities in Germany, Poland, Ukraine, and Tanzania.
Other brands produced by Erlacher include Josi (JosiDog and JosiCat), Bavaro, and Green Petfood, along with feed for the agricultural sector.
Josera is the company’s super premium food. The company also makes Josi, which is considered to be a premium food. There are some slight differences between the brands, which are discussed on the Josera site.
Josera is a past winner of the award for the top pet food company accredited by the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC).
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Per Josera, most of the foods’ raw ingredients come from Europe. Ingredients are also obtained from New Zealand and other countries. The company is mindful of ecological impacts, including transportation and biodiversity.
According to the company, its recipes are formulated by a team of nutritionists, agronomists, and veterinarians. It runs state-of-the-art production facilities in Germany, along with in-house laboratory testing. Their complete production process is DLG-certified. The German DLG seal, “According to German Standards,” means that the tested quality of food products and manufacturing processes meet German standards. The process and the food products are checked by experts.
Josera also meets the IFS Food Standard. This standard is recognized by the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) for auditing food manufacturers. Its focus is on food quality and safety.
Recall History
We did find one recent recall for Josera, in 2020, but it concerned Josera Festival dog food. It appears to have been one batch. There was a suspicion of salmonella. We didn’t find any recalls relating to cat foods.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does Josera Offer?
Josera makes both wet and dry cat foods. It only uses meats that are fit for human consumption. The company does not use GMO ingredients, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Josera does not use any animal testing. The companymakes foods that are grain-free and grain-inclusive.
The company makes a wide variety of cat foods. We found 18 wet foods and 15 dry foods on the company website.
Wet Foods
- Beef Cat Wet
- Chicken Cat Wet
- Duck Cat Wet
- Kitten Wet
- Senior Cat Wet
- Turkey Cat Wet
- Fillet Chicken with Beef
- Fillet Chicken with Duck
- Fillet Chicken with Salmon
- Fillet Chicken with Veal
- Fillet Pure Chicken
- Pate & Chicken with Parsley
- Pate Beef & Chicken Goulash
- Pate Chicken with Spinach
- Pate Kitten
- Pate Salmon with Seaweed
- Pate Turkey with Zucchini
- Soup Chicken with Carrots & Spinach
Dry Foods
- Cateluxe
- Culinesse
- Kitten
- Kitten Grain-free
- Leger
- Marinesse
- Naturecat
- Naturelle
- Senior
- Sensicat
- Gastro Cat Dry
- Hypoallergenic Cat Dry
- Renal Cat Dry
- Urinary Cat Dry
- Weight & Diabetic Cat Dry
Josera Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Main Protein Source | Calories | Price | Our Grade |
| Josera Turkey Cat Wet
|
Wet | Chicken (heart, liver, stomach, neck) | Estimated 115 kcal per 100 grams of food | €0.726 per oz | B+ |
| Josera Fillet Chicken with Salmon
|
Wet | Chicken | Estimated 116 kcal per 100 grams | €1.00 per oz | B+ |
| Josera Catelux Dry Cat Food
|
Dry | Poultry, duck | Estimated 117 kcals per 100 grams | €0.27 per oz | B- |
#1 Josera Turkey Cat Wet
Josera Turkey Cat Wet is a grain-free food featuring salmon oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains dietary plant fibers to help combat hairballs. The food has a pH value between 6.0 and 6.5 to try to prevent the formation of stones in the urinary tract.
Josera Turkey Cat Wet is a complete food for adult cats.
For those who are concerned, the food is 0.31% calcium and 0.26% phosphorus. This is considered to be a good ratio of calcium to phosphorus.
Calorie Content: Estimated 115 kcal per 100 grams of food
Ingredients
Chicken (heart, liver, stomach, neck); poultry stock; turkey meat; pumpkin; minerals; salmon oil; psyllium husks
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken (heart, liver, stomach, neck); turkey meat; pumpkin; salmon oil; psyllium husks
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Meat fit for human consumption
- Josera doesn’t use artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors
- Pumpkin is good for digestion; psyllium husks can help prevent hairballs
- Josera uses only non-GMO ingredients
Cons
- The labeling is somewhat misleading. It suggests that turkey is the primary ingredient. In fact, chicken (heart, liver, stomach, neck) is the first ingredient. If your cat has an allergy to chicken, you should use caution.
- We had difficulty finding this food online, even on sites that sell other Josera cat foods.
#2 Josera Fillet Chicken with Salmon
Josera Fillet Chicken with Salmon is just one of several wet fillet foods offered by Josera. Other foods feature chicken with duck, chicken with veal, chicken with beef, and a pure chicken fillet. All of the foods include organ meats, vitamins, and minerals, as well as the fillets.
Along with these benefits, the meals are grain-free. They also have a pH balance between 6.0 and 6.5 to try to help prevent the formation of urinary stones. Josera Fillet Chicken with Salmon and the other fillet formulas are complete meals for adult cats. This formula is primarily made of chicken with some salmon.
Josera Fillet Chicken with Salmon wet cat food appears to be a good quality food based on the ingredients. If you are concerned about calcium and phosphorus, this recipe is 0.30% calcium and 0.25% phosphorus.
Calorie Content: Estimated 116 kcal per 100 grams
Ingredients
Chicken fillet; chicken broth; salmon; chicken liver; chicken fat; minerals
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken fillet; chicken broth; salmon; chicken liver; chicken fat
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- This food is estimated to be high in chicken protein
- No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
- Contains a small amount of salmon
Cons
- These fillets are expensive
#3 Josera Catelux Dry Cat Food
Josera has been recognized for its dry cat foods for many years. The company produces more than a dozen dry foods. Josera Catelux is one of two foods described as suitable for “normal cats.” This formula contains added dietary fiber. It is said to be beneficial for cats that are likely to develop hairballs. Josera suggests that the food may be especially good for cats with long hair because they may have a greater tendency to have hairballs.
As with many other Josera foods, this recipe has a pH balance between 6.0 and 6.5, which could help reduce the formation of urinary stones.
This food does contain some ingredients that are not identified as clearly as the ingredients in the Josera wet foods. For example, it contains “greaves,” a food that is hard to define even when searching the Internet. The best definition we could find is “the protein-containing residue of rendering, after partial separation of fat and water.” It’s an animal protein powder. The food also contains hydrolyzed animal protein, which is a protein reduced to such small pieces that it’s virtually impossible for an animal to have an allergic reaction to it. In this case, the exact kind of animal protein is not identified. The food contains whole grain corn, which will not please some cat lovers. It also contains dried potatoes. The food is 1.30% calcium and 0.95% phosphorus.
Josera Catelux is a complete food for adult cats.
Calorie Content: Estimated 117 kcal per 100 grams
Ingredients
Dried poultry protein (poultry 20.0 %, duck 6.0 %); whole grain corn; greaves; poultry fat; dried potato; beet fibre; plant fibre; hydrolysed animal protein; minerals; hydrolysed poultry liver; psyllium husks
Ingredients We Liked: Dried poultry protein (poultry 20.0 %, duck 6.0 %); beet fibre; plant fibre; hydrolysed animal protein; hydrolysed poultry liver; psyllium husks
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Whole grain corn, greaves, dried potato
Common Allergens: Poultry, including duck, can be an allergen for cats. Greaves are not identified so they could presumably be protein residue from a variety of animals. If your cat has allergies, it’s possible this residue could contain an allergen that would bother your cat.
Contrary to popular belief, grains such as corn are not generally the source of food allergies in cats. Cats are much more likely to be allergic to animal protein such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken, or turkey.
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- High in animal protein
- No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives
- Dietary fiber discourages hairball formation
Cons
- Uses several vague animal and poultry sources of protein
- Some cat lovers may not like the corn and dried potatoes in the food
What Do Customers Think of Josera Cat Food?
Many Josera cat foods get very high ratings, including its dry foods.
Positive Reviews
“High-quality cat food with good composition. Acceptance is high and has been tolerated very well so far. Since then, the hairball problem has actually disappeared.” – by JM, reviewing Josera Cat Catelux on 31 July 2021
“Cats really liked this food, but it comes at a price. The cats already knew Josera’s dry food, which was also good for them” – by UK, reviewing JOSERA Paté Turkey with Zuccini on 14 November 2022
Negative Reviews
“Not appreciated by my cats” – by Flo, reviewing JOSERA Paté Turkey with Zuccini Grain-Free Cat Food with Salmon Oil on 26 March 2021
“My kitten is 4 months old, and that’s why I ordered this for her here… 85g per pack is also great… when she is hungry small fresh portions… a little cheaper and without added sugar and grains is also an advantage but I noticed that her droppings smell very unusual and intensely chemical… I only gave her this brand as food… I won’t order it for her anymore… too bad” – by emi, reviewing JOSERA Paté Turkey with Zuccini Grain-Free Cat Food with Salmon Oil on 26 April 2023
How Much Does Josera Cat Food Cost?
Josera is priced like other super premium cat foods. We found wet 16-pack 70 gram fillets selling for €21.99 on Zooplus.com.
The company has been known for a long time for its dry foods. Josera dry cat foods are priced at a super premium level, but they are less costly than wet foods. We found a variety of Josera dry foods on the Zooplus.com website. Packages weighing 2 kg started at around €14.49 and went up to about €19.99. Bigger packages, such as 10 kg, cost as much as €61.
Overall, Is Josera Cat Food a Good Choice?
Based on the company’s ingredients as well as its manufacturing facilities and approvals, Josera does appear to produce good quality cat food. It is also to be commended for its commitment to sustainability and good environmental practices.
We like the fact that Josera uses meat that is fit for human consumption and that they do not use any artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors. The ingredients for their wet foods make better reading than the ingredients for their dry foods, but both kinds of foods appear to be good choices for cats.
We spent hours searching for information about Josera online and overall, we found positive things about the company and its pet food.
Where Is Josera Cat Food Sold?
We found a selection of Josera cat foods on the Zooplus.com site. We also found Josera sold on the German Amazon site. If you are purchasing Josera online, remember that the company sells dog foods and food for other animals. Make sure you look for cat foods.
Thank you for this very useful review! I love your website 🙏🏻
Thank you for this review. We don’t really get brands like tiki cat etc here in Pakistan but we do get Josera so this review really helped.
i am worried about the caloric weight basis showing 30.82% carbs, even higher than the protein present. could this be a bad ratio for a cat. is it too much carbs? will it affect their pancreas or insulin etc. is it an unnatural diet for a healthy cat? thanks.
Good question, Sheni! Dry cat food is generally higher in carbohydrates than wet food because starch is a requirement for the extrusion process through which kibble is made. When evaluating cat foods, we recommend looking at the Dry Matter Basis versus the Guaranteed Analysis or Caloric Weight. In this case, yes, the dry food is pretty high in carbs–we recommend a maximum of 20% dry matter carbohydrate.
Rather than switching your cat’s food completely, you could increase the ratio of protein to carbs by replacing some of their dry food with a high-protein wet food. You can mix it into the kibble or spoon it right over top. Hope that helps!
Hello! Are you sure that Carb content on dry matter basis in Josera Turkey wet canned food is 80%? Kindly re-evaluate this in particular. Thanks
Good catch, Umer! It looks like the guaranteed analysis values got copied into the dry matter basis by accident. I’ll flag this issue for our team to correct!