Wellness Signature Selects Chicken & Beef Entrée Review (2025)

Last Updated on January 5, 2025 by Indy the Cat

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Review Summary

Rating 

Where to Buy

You’ll find the Wellness Core select line across a wide variety of online retailers. At approximately $32 for a 12 pack, we’re looking at a price per can (79g) of approximately $2.67/can.

Each can is very nutrient dense (104kcal) and feeding 1 can per meal can bring the daily cost above $5. This is a good option to mix with a bit of dry or alternate with other brands to find a balance in your budget.

History

Wellness began their journey into pet food with dog snacks under the WellPet brand in 1926. Later, in 1997, they officially launched as Wellness Pet Foods and started offering a variety of natural dog and cat foods. By the early 2000s, specifically between 2000 and 2003, they expanded their product line to include specialty foods for both dogs and cats. Since then, they have continued to innovate, consistently providing a range of both budget-friendly and premium options for pets.

In one of our earliest reviews, we examined a Wellness Core Kitten product., which is, unfortunately, no longer available in Australia. Nevertheless, we have shifted focus onto another variant in their lineup—the Wellness Core Signature Selects.

Recalls

Unfortunately, Wellness has been involved with numerous recalls with the latest cat recall in 2017. Since our last Wellness Pet review in 2022, there have been no additional recalls. 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

A Familiar Recipe Coming from the Kitten Range

Today, we will be taking a closer look at the Wellness Core Signature Selects Chicken & Beef Entrée Pâté formula, which serves as a natural next step for cats that have already tried the Wellness Core Kitten Pâté.

As we’ve mentioned before, Wellness Core cat foods adhere to the philosophy of grain-free food with no fillers, artificial preservatives, or colors. In addition, they offer a wide variety of both dry and wet food lines, catering to the mid-to-premium portion of the market.

This formula, however, doesn’t stray too far from the foundation established in their Kitten Pâté. Aside from the replacement of turkey with beef and the absence of tuna, the core ingredients (pun not intended) remain largely the same. Notably, quality named proteins lead the way, resulting in an even higher protein percentage (10%) compared to their kitten line.

Since cats are obligate carnivores—meaning they require meat as their primary food source—it’s essential that most of their protein intake comes from animal-derived sources. Thankfully, given their philosophy, Wellness Core products tend to meet these requirements (although, as always, you should double-check!). When compared to the very best foods on the market, you may notice that the protein levels aren’t the absolute highest. However, they are well within acceptable ranges.

Furthermore, we always appreciate the inclusion of broths—such as chicken broth in this case—which provide both hydration and nutritional benefits.

Some Cons to Consider

There aren’t too many unusuals when it comes to some of the drawbacks of this product. Like many cat foods, we see the use of multiple thickeners (guar gum and xanthan gum), which might be a concern for some pet owners. In our previous review, we mentioned that we would like to see Wellness consider adjusting their formula to remove Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum. They include alternate thickeners so there are certainly viable options available to them.

Secondly, the formula also relies significantly on supplements rather than natural ingredients to provide essential vitamins, which might be less appealing for those seeking a more holistic approach to feline nutrition.

Lastly, there tends to be at least a few carbohydrate sources in all the Wellness Core Signature Selects formulas. They range from tapioca starch to potato starch. It’s not ideal, but it isn’t a deal breaker for us. On the positive side, we do see a decrease in carbohydrate percentage compared to the kitten formula.

In summary, At 104 kcal per can, this nutrient-dense pâté is a good choice for those looking for more bang for your buck. It is rated as a complete food and the breakdown shows that it would be considered a high protein, high fat, and moderate carbohydrate cat food.

Guaranteed analysis

Crude Protein (min) – 10%

Crude Fat (min) – 8%

Crude Fiber (max) – 1%

Moisture (max) – 78%

Ash (max) – 3%

Taurine (min) – 0.10%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein – 43.64%

Fat – 38.77%

Carbohydrates – 8.74%

Fibre – 0.21%

Ash – 8.65%

Ingredient List

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Water Sufficient for Processing, Beef, Natural Flavours, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower Oil, Tricalcium Phosphate, Locust Bean Gum, Potassium Chloride, Guar Gum, Salt, Sodium Carbonate, Taurine, Xanthan Gum, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Magnesium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide

Nutritional Information

Chicken – source of meat protein

Chicken Broth – source of hydration

Water Sufficient for Processing – water for processing and source of hydration

Beef – source of meat protein

Natural Flavours – flavouring

Tapioca Starch –  thickening agent and carbohydrate

Sunflower Oil – not considered a quality ingredient with good nutritional value. source of fatty acids and some vitamins

Tricalcium Phosphate – source of calcium and phosphorous

Locust Bean Gum – thickening agent

Potassium Chloride –  source of phosphorous

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

Salt – source of sodium and essential mineral

Sodium Carbonate – source of sodium

Taurine – essential amino acid that cats cannot produce themselves

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

Vitamin E Supplement – source of Vitamin E

Thiamine Hydrochloride – source of thiamine

Niacin – source of Vitamin B3

Vitamin A Supplement – source of Vitamin A

Pyridoxine Hydrochloride – source of Vitamin B6

d-Calcium Pantothenate – source of Vitamin B5 

Riboflavin Supplement – source of Vitamin (Riboflavin) B2

Folic Acid – source of Vitamin B9

Vitamin D3 Supplement – source of Vitamin D3

Biotin – source of Vitamin B7

Vitamin B12 Supplement – source of Vitamin B12

Magnesium Sulfate – source of magnesium 

Choline Chloride – source of chlorine 

Zinc Amino Acid Chelate – source of Zinc

Iron Amino Acid Chelate – source of iron

Copper Amino Acid Chelate – source of copper

Manganese Amino Acid Chelate – source of manganese

Sodium Selenite – source of selenium

Potassium Iodide – source of Iodine

Indy’s Review

So does Indy the cat like it? 

Indy continues to enjoy exploring the Wellness Core lines with interest. Despite not having tuna, Indy actually likes it more than the kitten formula.

Overall, due to the minor improvements in nutritional profile, we prefer this product over the Kitten one and don’t mind adding it to the rotation. Thankfully, the differences between this and the kitten formula are fairly minor so if you’re ever in a pinch, I wouldn’t fuss about feeding either one.

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