Wellness Core Kitten Pâté – The Best Cat Food Reviews (2022)

Last Updated on April 2, 2024 by Indy the Cat

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History

Wellness originally began their journey into pet food with dog snacks under the WellPet brand in 1926. Wellness Pet Foods launched in 1997 offering a variety of natural dog and cat food. Between 2000 and 2003, they continued to expand their line into specialty dog and cat food. Since then, they have further specialised across a range of budget and premium ranges for cats including the Wellness Core line which we are looking at today. 

Recalls

Unfortunately, Wellness has been involved with numerous recalls with the latest cat recall in 2017. In Australia, pet food recalls are only mandatory for brands that have decided to work within the Australian Standard for Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food (Standard AS5812:2017). All members of the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia comply with these standards and Wellpet is a marketing member of the Association. 

Product Line Commentary

Today, we will be looking at the Wellness Core Classic Pâté Kitten formula. Wellness Core focuses on protein rich, grain free complete cat food and would be considered their premium line compared to their other major line – Complete Health.

This product caught my eye because of its special kitten formulation and high quality ingredient list. In Australia, there are very few kitten wet food formulations outside the usual major mainstream brands (e.g. Royal Canin, Hills Science etc). It’s a product line that falls under the radar and doesn’t seem to be covered well by reviews.

The main proteins in this wet cat food are turkey, chicken and herring. What makes this food standout is that the first 5 of the first 6 ingredients are meat products. Similarly, the 6th ingredient is chicken broth, which is also an excellent addition to the food for hydration and nutrition. Cats are obligate carnivores and must eat meat as their primary source of food. In addition to this, most of the protein should come from animal derived sources. We’re happy to see this is the case here. The food is also grain free and has minimal fillers that are unnecessary for a cat. Quality ingredients are critical and this one really hits the spot!

All of the Wellness Core Pâtés are complete foods that can be fed on its own or alongside other foods. At 199kcal per 155g can, it has good calorie quantity for its size. The breakdown shows that it would be considered a well balanced high protein, moderate fat, and low carbohydrate cat food.

Guaranteed analysis

Crude Protein (min) – 12%

Crude Fat (min) – 7.5%

Crude Fiber (max) – 1%

Moisture (max) – 78%

DHA (min) – 0.04%

Taurine (min) – 0.10%

Dry Matter Basis

Caloric Weight basis

Where to Buy and Cost

Out of all the major online retailers, we have only found this product line at Petbarn. Unfortunately, in recent times, due to North American supply issues, Wellness Pet has discontinued importing stock to Australia. At this time, it is uncertain when this product line will return. Should this situation change, we will provide an update on this review.

Previously, it was available for $69.99 for 24 cans (155g) for a cost of $2.92/can. A can could be portioned for two meals given the larger can size, so the per meal cost is ~$1.46/meal.

Ingredient List

Turkey, Chicken Liver, Turkey Broth, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Herring, Natural Flavor, Cranberries, Menhaden Fish Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Guar Gum, Tricalcium Phosphate, Ground Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Cassia Gum, Xanthan Gum, Dried Kelp, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Alfalfa Meal, Salt, Magnesium Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.

Nutritional Information

Turkey, Chicken Liver, Chicken, Chicken Meal – source of meat protein

Chicken Broth – source of moisture

Herring – source of omega-3 fatty acids

Cranberries – potential Antioxidants

Menhaden Fish Oil – source of additional fatty acids and amino acids. 

Mixed Tocopherols – source of Vitamin E

Guar gum – additive: thickening agent (potentially an issue for sensitive stomach cats)

Tricalcium Phosphate – source of calcium and phosphorous

Ground Flaxseed – source of fibre

Choline Chloride – source of chlorine 

Taurine – essential amino acid 

Cassia Gum – additive – thickening agent

Xanthan Gum –  additive: thickening agent (potentially an issue for sensitive stomach cats)

Dried Kelp – source of trace vitamin and minerals

Chicory Root Extract – potential probiotic benefits

Yucca Schidigera Extract – helps reduce odour of cat waste (apparently)

Alfalfa Meal – source of vegetable protein 

Magnesium Sulfate – source of magnesium 

Iron Proteinate – source of iron

Zinc Proteinate – source of zinc

Thiamine Mononitrate – source of thiamine

Vitamin E Supplement – source of Vitamin E 

Copper Proteinate – source of copper

Manganese Proteinate – source of manganese

Sodium Selenite – source of selenium

Niacin – source of Vitamin B3

d-Calcium Pantothenate – source of Vitamin B5 

Pyridoxine Hydrochloride – source of Vitamin B6

Riboflavin Supplement – source of Vitamin (Riboflavin) B2

Vitamin A Supplement – source of Vitamin A

Biotin – source of Vitamin B7

Potassium Iodide – source of Iodine 

Vitamin D3 Supplement – source of Vitamin D3

Vitamin B12 Supplement – source of Vitamin B12

Folic Acid – source of Vitamin B9

Rosemary Extract – preservative  

Indy’s Review

So does Indy the cat like it? 

Absolutely! He added this to his rotation really easily and has been eating it since he was 4 months old. It is part of his current diet until he transitions to a full adult diet.

When this returns to Australian shelves, we highly recommend this for your kitten!

The good

• Excellent meat sources
• Very species appropriate food with minimal non meat protein sources
• Grain free without similar substitutes 
• Well balanced with low carbohydrate
• Quickly adopted by Indy in terms of palatability 

The bad

• Thickening agents like Guar gum and Xanthan Gum are more controversial and can be an issue for some cats
• Cranberries are more of a fluff ingredient

Rating 

• Species appropriate (weight 0.3) – 10 / 10
• Ingredients (weight 0.3) – 9 / 10
• Recall Track record (weight 0.2) – 5 / 10
• Price (weight 0.2) – 8 / 10

Average Score – 8 / 10

Weighted Score – 8.3 / 10

The Bottom Line: Indy the Cat Approved 😻. His favourite kitten food!

If you spot an error in this article, please do not hesitate to let us know!