Royal Canin cat food is recognized for its precision in health nutrition, catering to the unique needs of cats across different breeds, ages, and lifestyles. Established over 50 years ago, the brand emphasizes quality nutrition to enhance the health and longevity of pets. Their offerings include a wide range of veterinary diets and traditional pet foods, specifically tailored to address the distinct nutritional requirements based on a pet’s breed, size, or lifestyle.
Royal Canin prioritizes high-quality ingredients, although some critiques have been raised regarding low-quality carbohydrates and by-products in their recipes. Despite this, their products generally hold high ratings for their precise nutritional formulations for cats at all life stages. Additionally, Royal Canin is committed to sustainability and the well-being of pets, with a focus on providing tailored nutrition solutions to meet the specific needs of every cat.
Royal Canin offers up to 112 cat food recipes tailored to different dietary needs. Out of these, around 15-20 are easily available in Pakistan. If you are looking to feed your cat Royal Canin and want to know more about it, you are at the right place. Moreover, Business Insider has ranked Royal Canin in top quality cat foods of 2024.
Royal Canin Cat Food: A Detailed Review
Ingredient Sourcing and Manufacturing
Royal Canin prioritizes nutritional benefits and environmental impact in their ingredient sourcing and manufacturing processes. They select ingredients based on their nutritional value to meet the specific needs of cats and dogs while also striving to minimize environmental impact. This includes working with long-standing suppliers to ensure quality and sustainability and adopting alternatives like algae to replace marine-based ingredients for a lower environmental footprint. Their ingredient evaluation focuses on quality, digestibility, and safety, ensuring that only high-quality ingredients are used in their formulas.
Royal Canin’s approach to manufacturing is reflected in their collaboration with veterinarians and nutritionists to develop precise nutrition solutions, showcasing a commitment to science-backed foods that focus on nutrients over ingredients. Purr.pk is official supplier of Royal Canin pet food in Pakistan, they’re authorized to sell all of their products in this country. The company also emphasizes sustainability in its operations, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2025 and adopting sustainable packaging practices.
Ingredient Analysis
Meat
Some formulas from Royal Canin contain meat by-products. By-products in animal feed refer to non-meat parts not typically consumed by humans, such as organs and blood, derived from slaughtered animals. These components, often misunderstood as waste, actually offer nutritional value. However, their use remains debated, leading many high-quality brands to opt for named organ meats instead. For those choosing feeds with by-products, verifying the specific animal source is advised to ensure quality and avoid generic by-product ingredients.
Moreover, some Royal Canin formulas also have pork or pork by-products. Hence, it is better to check the ingredients before buying.
Grains
Some Royal Canin cat food includes grains, which are used as binders in kibble. Cats naturally eat mostly meat, so grain-free food is often recommended. However, even grain-free options might have other starches, which aren’t ideal either. It’s about finding a balance that fits a cat’s diet.
Royal Canin Recalls
Pet food recalls are not common in Pakistan due to the the absence of a regulatory authority. Unlike the USA, where the FDA keeps a close check on pet foods, and orders recall if something bad is found in a specific pet food. It is important to know about worldwide Royal Canin recalls so you are fully aware of the cat food you are buying.
Royal Canin has experienced a few recalls over the years, with notable ones in January 2023 due to mislabeling, May and April 2007 related to potential melamine contamination, and February 2006 because of excessive Vitamin D3 levels. These incidents have varied from mislabeling issues to concerns over ingredient safety, reflecting the brand’s responsiveness to potential health risks associated with its products.
Royal Canin Cat Food Varieties in Pakistan
Important: Please note that some of Royal Canin’s varieties may not be available in Pakistan due to import restrictions.
Royal Canin Persian Adult Cat Food: Specially formulated for Persian cats, this food enhances coat shine and supports digestive health with a unique almond-shaped kibble that’s easier for flat-faced breeds to pick up.
Royal Canin Persian Kitten Food: Designed for Persian kittens up to 12 months, it supports their long coat’s health and digestive system with highly digestible proteins and a precise balance of vitamins and minerals.
Royal Canin Siamese Adult Cat Food: Tailored for Siamese cats, this food promotes lean muscle mass and a healthy coat with high protein content and added L-carnitine, in a tube-shaped kibble that encourages chewing.
Royal Canin Hair and Skin Care Dry Cat Food: Aims to improve coat shine and cat skin health through a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and a special blend of vitamins and minerals.
Royal Canin Mother and Baby Cat Food: Designed for queens during gestation and lactation and kittens from weaning up to 4 months, it facilitates the transition to solid food with highly digestible proteins and a unique mousse texture that’s easy for kittens to eat.
Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Cat Food: Formulated for cats with food sensitivities, this diet uses hydrolyzed proteins to minimize the risk of allergic reactions and includes blends of fibers to support digestive health.
Royal Canin Kitten Jelly Wet Food: This wet food is designed for kittens. It provides a soft jelly texture that makes it easier to transition from milk to solid food, ensuring they get the necessary nutrients for growth.
Royal Canin Sterilized Adult Cat Food: Tailored for neutered or spayed adult cats, this formula helps maintain a healthy weight with a balanced content of protein and fibers, supporting urinary health and lean muscle mass.
Royal Canin Kitten Sterilised Cat Food: Specifically for sterilized kittens, this formula supports healthy growth while managing calorie intake to prevent excess weight gain, with antioxidants and vitamins to support immune health.
Royal Canin Anallergenic Cat Food: An advanced diet for cats with severe food allergies or intolerances, utilizing highly purified protein sources to reduce the risk of allergic reactions and enriched with nutrients to support skin and coat health.
Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Kitten Food: Designed to support the digestive health of kittens with sensitive stomachs, this food promotes optimal stool quality and supports balanced intestinal flora with highly digestible proteins and prebiotics.
Royal Canin Hepatic Cat Dry Food: Formulated for cats with liver disorders, it helps manage liver disease symptoms with a high-energy formula that allows for feeding in small portions and contains specific nutrients to support liver function.
Royal Canin Baby Cat Milk: A substitute for mother’s milk, this formula is enriched with DHA to support cognitive development and is designed to be as close as possible to natural cat milk, aiding in the growth of kittens from birth to weaning.
Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Adult Cat Food: This food aids adult cats with digestive sensitivities by promoting gut health with highly digestible proteins, prebiotics, and a specific blend of fibers to encourage a balanced intestinal flora.
Royal Canin Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food: Tailored for adult cats living indoors, it reduces stool odor with highly digestible proteins and specific fibers and helps maintain a healthy weight with a moderate calorie content.
Royal Canin Hairball Control Cat Food: Specifically designed to help eliminate hairballs, this food contains a precise blend of dietary fibers that help naturally stimulate intestinal transit, reducing hairball formation and supporting overall digestive health.
Royal Canin Renal Cat Food: Specially formulated for cats with chronic kidney disease, this diet helps reduce kidney load with low phosphorus levels and high-quality proteins, also designed to be appetizing to encourage eating despite reduced appetite.
Royal Canin Urinary SO Dry Cat Food: Designed to support urinary health in cats prone to urinary tract diseases, it helps dissolve struvite stones prevents their formation with controlled mineral levels and promotes urinary tract health.
Royal Canin Second Age Kitten Dry Food: Tailored for kittens in their second growth phase (4-12 months), this food supports healthy growth and development with an optimal balance of proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
Royal Canin Regular Fit Adult Cat Food: Aimed at adult cats with a moderate activity level, this balanced diet helps maintain ideal weight and supports overall health with a precise balance of nutrients.
Royal Canin Persian Adult Cat Jelly: A wet food variant specifically for Persian adult cats, offering a special formula that supports coat health and digestive performance, in a jelly texture to appeal to their preference.
Royal Canin Hair Ball Control Cat Jelly: This wet food helps reduce hairball formation in cats by aiding the natural elimination of ingested hair through the digestive system, provided in a jelly texture that cats enjoy.
Royal Canin Instinctive Cat Jelly: Formulated to match the optimal Macro Nutritional Profile instinctively preferred by adult cats, this food supports healthy urinary systems and maintains ideal weight, in a tasty jelly form.
Where is Royal Canin Cat Food made?
Royal Canin cat food is globally manufactured in company-owned facilities to ensure consistent quality and nutrition. The main production sites include Aimargues in southern France, which also functions as a research center, and Cambrai in northern France. In the US, manufacturing occurs in St. Charles, Missouri, and North Sioux City, South Dakota, with an additional plant planned for Ohio. International locations include the UK, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Nebraska, South Korea, and Shanghai, China, each serving specific regional needs for tailored pet nutrition.
How Much Does Royal Canin Cost in Pakistan?
Royal Canin cat food price in Pakistan vary based on food type and packaging size. The prices start as low as Rs 2600 for 400 grams and go up to Rs 31,500 for 10kg. Its special formulas like urinary SO cat food, renal cat food, sterilized cat food, and gastrointestinal cat food are costly. They are priced from Rs 9500 to Rs 10000.
Final Verdict: Is Royal Canin a Good Food for my Cat?
Yes. Royal Canin is a healthy cat food. However, it has some drawbacks too. First, the use of by-products is worrisome for conscious cat owners. Moreover, it is costly; not everyone can afford Royal Canin.