10 Best Wet Cat Foods in 2025, Recommended by Vets
vladans/iStock via Getty Images
All products in this article have been reviewed by our trusted vets and experts. PetMD is owned by Chewy.
Wet cat food has a lot to offer. For starters, it’s easy for cats to eat, has an enticing smell, and provides hydration for your kitty.
Today’s best canned cat foods feature a wide variety of textures, flavors, and beneficial ingredients, so there’s a great match out there for your cat’s individual needs.
To help narrow down the options, our panel of veterinary experts picked the best wet cat food for cats of all types, from kittens to senior cats to indoor cats to those with certain health issues.
Everything Our Vets Recommend
What To Consider When Buying Wet Cat Food
If you’re not sure where to start your search for the best wet food for cats, our veterinary experts say to begin by finding a pet food company that invests in nutritional research, conducts feeding trials, and includes veterinary nutritionists on their staff.
Once those criteria have been met, the following factors can then help you match the best wet cat food to your cat’s specific needs.
Cat’s Age
Cats should be fed a diet that is complete and balanced for their life stage. Cat food can be formulated for adult maintenance (intended for healthy adult cats), growth and reproduction (for kittens and pregnant or lactating females), and all life stages.
Our veterinary experts also look for specific ingredients when addressing needs at different life stages.
Kittens require the right amount of protein, fat, and omega-3 fatty acids for growth and brain and eye development, plus vitamins like E and C for a healthy immune system.
Adults need a diet with a nod toward weight maintenance.
Senior cats do best with diets that help maintain muscle mass, reduce inflammation, and support joints, brain, skin, and coat.
Look for a label on the packaging that says it meets the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ nutritional standards and is complete and balanced for your cat’s life stage.
Ingredients
Ingredients are listed on the packaging in order by weight. Look for water and a good source of protein (like chicken or fish) as the first ingredients. Cats get most of their energy from protein and fat, not carbs. All of our panel’s picks for best canned cat foods have water and protein as their first two ingredients.
Our veterinary panel also gave high marks for wet cat foods that contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants, prebiotics, probiotics, and fiber.
Activity Level
A very active cat might require a higher calorie diet with protein and other energy-boosting ingredients to provide fuel for activity and ensure proper weight. A less active cat might do best on a low-calorie wet food with more fiber to satisfy their hunger.
Look at the calories per can, crude protein level, and fiber amount (if any) when comparing canned cat food options to see whether they fit well with your cat’s weight and activity level.
Health Status
Cats with certain health conditions might benefit from a therapeutic veterinary diet, which is specially formulated to prevent, manage, and in some cases treat certain medical conditions. These diets will require authorization from your veterinarian, along with specific feeding instructions.
For example, your cat might need a wet cat food that is formulated for feline weight management, diabetes, or kidney or urinary disease.
Texture
Like people, many cats have food texture preferences. Most wet cat food textures fall under minced, pâté, and chunks in gravy/broth. Whether your cat loves to lick or chew might guide their preference.
Smooth and creamy pâté works well for lickers, minced might be preferred by chewers, and chunks in gravy allows cats to both lick and chew.
Texture preferences can change with age and health issues. Proper exposure to different textures helps ensure your cat will be less likely to develop picky eating habits as they age.
How We Selected the Best Wet Cat Food
This list of the best wet cat foods was meticulously curated by a panel of veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are employed by Chewy, the publisher of PetMD. The panel was asked to choose the best wet cat foods in their honest opinion, across multiple categories, based on the following:
- Their knowledge and practical experience
- A review of information published by the food manufacturers
- Attributes such as ingredients, calories, texture, and palatability
Opinions and product recommendations in this article belong solely to the review panel of vets and animal health experts. Manufacturers and vendors cannot buy placement in Vet Verified content or exert influence on our panelists as they evaluate products.
Our sole goal with this program is to provide pet parents with the information they need to make the best decision for their pets.
Wet Cat Food FAQs
Q: How much wet food should I feed my cat?
A: Manufacturers include feeding guidelines on the food packaging. Follow the guidelines to determine the recommended serving size for your cat based on their ideal weight and age.
Feeding them based on their ideal weight is key to preventing cat obesity. Your vet can help you determine your cat’s ideal weight.
Keep in mind that the feeding guidelines are a starting point. Your cat’s needs might vary depending on whether you also feed them daily treats or any dry food. You should also consider other factors, including age, activity level, and health status.
Discuss your cat’s unique needs with your veterinarian, who can help you fine-tune the serving size.
Q: What is the healthiest food for an indoor cat?
A: Indoor cats do best on a well-balanced, weight-management cat food, as they tend to live a less energetic lifestyle due to boredom.
Feed them a cat food low in calories and fat. Look for high-quality, lean protein to support muscles and fiber to aid with hairballs and stool regularity.
To prevent boredom and encourage a more active lifestyle, provide enrichment in the form of food-dispensing toys, slow-feeder bowls, and cat toys for hunting.
Q: Do cats need wet food every day?
A: Not all cats need to eat wet food every day (or at all) if they eat a dry food diet.
Your vet might recommend feeding your cat wet food daily if they need more hydration, have certain dental or congestion issues, are recovering from hospitalization, or require a specialized diet for diabetes or kidney or urinary disease.
Finicky or older cats might find wet food more enticing and easier to digest.
You can also incorporate wet food as an enrichment or as a high-value treat to assist with behavior modification.
Q: What is better for a cat, dry or wet food?
A: Whether dry or wet food is better for your cat depends on your cat’s health needs and lifestyle. Work with your vet to see what combination would be best for your kitty’s specific needs.
Wet food contains more water (which is great for cats with diabetes or kidney and lower urinary tract disease) and is lower in calories than dry food for a similar amount of food. The liquid helps cats feel fuller, which aids in weight control.
Other pluses: Pills are easier to hide in wet food, and its pungent smell entices kitties who don’t have much of an appetite.
Our Vet Pick: Best in Show
Our veterinary experts choose Royal Canin’s Adult Instinctive Thin Slices in Gravy as best overall because its mix of protein, fats, and carbohydrates satisfies a cat’s hunger and helps with weight control. They consider it an excellent complete and balanced diet for cats 1 to 7 years old.
Another big plus: Cats like not only the taste but also the two textures of slices and gravy.
“This food is manufactured by a company that does research on the food they produce, so I feel good about recommending it,” panelist Jo Cornett, DVM, says. “They also have a palatability guarantee, which is important because cats do have a reputation for being picky eaters.”
“I also like that it contains 66 calories per can,” she adds. “This can allow pet parents who are counting their cat’s calories to feed more and also keep their cat satisfied.”
- For adult cats
- Chunks-in-gravy texture
- 66 calories per 3-ounce can
- Higher price point
Our Vet Pick: Best Wet Cat Food for Indoor Cats
Our veterinarians give Hill’s Science Diet Adult Indoor Savory Chicken Entrée high marks for its lean protein and beneficial ingredients, like vitamins C and E, antioxidants, and taurine, which is an essential amino acid that has many benefits for your cat’s health.
Free of artificial flavors and preservatives and at just 170 calories per 5.5-ounce can, this wet food helps indoor, spayed, and neutered cats to maintain a healthy weight.
Additionally, cats tend to like the taste and texture of the savory gravy and minced chicken.
“This formula contains necessary high-quality fiber that can aid with hairballs and stool regularity—both of which can make a more pleasant experience for pet parents as well as their feline friends,” panelist Katherine Kast, LVT, says.
“It also supports lean muscle and can guard against weight gain that is common in indoor cats, who live more of a ‘couch potato’ lifestyle,” she adds.
- For indoor adult cats
- Minced texture
- Lean protein
- Weight maintenance, not loss
- Fiber to aid with hairballs
- 170 calories per 5.5-ounce can
Our Vet Pick: Best Wet Cat Food for Senior Cats
Nutritional needs change as cats age. Our veterinary experts found Royal Canin’s Aging 12+ Thin Slices in Gravy to be the best at meeting those changing needs.
Panelist Hannah Hart, DVM, explains that the best senior cat diets have the following:
- A good amount of lean protein to help maintain lean muscle mass
- Antioxidants to support healthy aging
- Omega-3 fatty acids to support skin, coat, and joints, plus reduce overall inflammation in the body
“Royal Canin Aging 12+ does all of these things well, as well as supporting kidney health with controlled phosphorus levels,” she says.
This food also received high marks for being highly palatable—important for older cats who have problems with appetite. Plus, those seniors with sensitive teeth will appreciate the soft texture.
- For cats 12 years and older
- Chunks-and-gravy texture
- Supports joint and kidney health
- 71 calories per 3-ounce can
- Higher price point
Our Vet Pick: Best Wet Cat Food for Sensitive Stomachs
For pet parents seeking an easily digestible food, our veterinarians and vet techs recommend Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin.
The grain-free formula contains prebiotics and natural fiber to promote easy digestion and poop cleanup, plus omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E for healthy skin and fur.
Molly Price, DVM, calls this wet cat food “top quality” and likes that it’s formulated by a brand that employs board-certified veterinary nutritionists.
“This diet can be fed short-term for digestive upset,” she says, “but is also complete and balanced if fed long-term.”
- Easy to digest
- For adult cats
- Minced texture
- Grain-free
- Natural fiber to promote a healthy digestive tract that promotes normal stool production
- 87 calories per 2.9-ounce can
Our Vet Pick: Best High-Protein Wet Cat Food
After doing some heavy lifting sifting through a variety of wet foods, our panel of veterinarians picked Purina Pro Plan’s Complete Essentials Chunky Chicken Entrée for the best high-protein wet cat food.
“High-protein diets in cats are typically defined as having 50% or more crude protein,” explains Dr. Hart.
Made with chicken, liver, fish, and turkey, this diet contains 50% crude protein on a dry-matter basis (which means it’s calculated without including water content).
Our panel likes that it also includes vitamin A, taurine, and 25 essential nutrients for a healthy immune system.
“Protein is one of the most important aspects of a cat’s diet,” explains Barri Morrison, DVM. “High protein encourages lean muscle mass as well as healthy skin and coat.”
Talk with your veterinarian to find out whether this high-protein diet (at 94 calories per 3-ounce can) is right for your cat. Good candidates for a high-protein diet include extremely active, younger, or outdoor adult cats. High-protein diets should not be fed to cats with liver or kidney issues.
- 50% protein, not including water
- For extremely active, younger, or outdoor adult cats
- Pâté texture
- 94 calories per 3-ounce can
Our Vet Pick: Best Wet Cat Food for Weight Loss
Our veterinary experts stress that ensuring your cat feels satisfied after eating plays a key role in getting them to lose weight (along with increased activity).
Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic Weight Management Chicken Flavor contains high-quality fiber and metabolism-stimulating ingredients to help cats lose weight without leaving them feeling hungry.
The diet also earned high marks because it’s backed by science and proven to help cats lose weight.
“Hill’s studies show 88% of pets lost weight at home in just two months when fed exclusively this food,” says Veronica Higgs, DVM.
Available only with authorization from your vet, it contains 136 calories per 5.5-ounce can.
- Proven to help cats lose weight
- Contains fiber to help cats feel full
- Suitable for all life stages
- Pâté texture
- Available only with authorization from your vet
- 136 calories per 5.5-ounce can
Our Vet Pick: Best Wet Cat Food for Picky Cats
Stinky and tasty—two things a cat food must be to persuade picky kitties to eat, which is why our expert veterinarians gave high marks to the Tiki Cat bundle of Aloha Friends Variety Pack and Grill Variety Pack.
This wet food variety pack offers a diverse selection of seafood in broth, promoting both hydration and urinary health, while containing essential vitamins, omegas, minerals, and taurine.
What the foods don’t have is a lot of calories (at just 57 to 76 calories per 2.8- or 3-ounce can).
Amber Souza, LVT, says with the variety packs, the likelihood of finding a flavor your cat enjoys is high. Plus, they promote healthy digestion with added pumpkin to increase fiber content.
Dr. Higgs has personally found success with getting picky cats to eat Tiki Cat.
“Over the years I have found it to be one of the most palatable foods on the market and have used it in many hospitalized cats who refused to eat,” she says. “Even microwaving it for 10 seconds can increase the smell of the product and encourage pets to eat.”
- Fragrant variety pack of fish flavors
- Suitable for all life stages
- Shredded-meat-in-broth texture
- 57 to 76 calories per 2.8 or 3-ounce can
Our Vet Pick: Best Wet Cat Food for Diabetic Cats
Nutrition can be an important yet often overlooked part of managing diabetes in cats, says Dr. Higgs. High protein and low carbs are musts for regulating blood sugar, and Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets DM Savory Selects contains just that.
“DM is a highly palatable food with antioxidants that has been specifically formulated with high protein levels and low carbohydrates to support the nutritional needs of diabetic cats,” Dr. Higgs says.
High in antioxidants and hydration, DM also works for diabetic cats with concurrent health issues like enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine), kidney disease, or chronic loose stools.
Research and testing support the effectiveness of this veterinary diet, available with authorization from your vet.
At 158 calories per 5.5-ounce can, this food comes in a chunks-in-gravy texture. It is also available in a minced version for cats who prefer a different texture.
- Diabetic formula of high protein and low carbs for regulating blood sugar
- Suitable for all life stages
- Chunks-in-gravy texture
- Available only with authorization from your vet
- 158 calories per 5.5-ounce can
Our Vet Pick: Best Wet Cat Food for Urinary Health
With ingredients that help lower recurrence of most common urinary issues, Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d Multicare with Ocean Fish takes first place for urinary health with our veterinary experts.
Our vets and veterinary technicians appreciate that this diet helps keep urine acidity and mineral content in adult cats’ urine in the optimal zone.
They also like that it is formulated by veterinary nutritionists, with years of research and feeding trials to support the labeled claims.
“It can be used to potentially dissolve struvite bladder stones, which helps patients avoid surgery for bladder stone removal,” says panelist Tara Hansen, DVM.
“Canned food in general is best for cats with urinary issues, because it improves hydration and helps to decrease urine concentration and flush the bladder,” she adds.
Enriched with antioxidants, potassium citrate, and omega-3 fatty acids, the easy-to-eat pâté is available with authorization from your vet.
- Dissolves and reduces the risk of bladder stones
- Suitable for all life stages
- Pâté texture
- Available only with authorization from your vet
- 178 calories per 5.5-ounce can
Our Vet Pick: Best Budget Wet Cat Food
Just because you are on a budget doesn’t mean your cat can’t enjoy the finer things in life—like quality food.
Our vets recommend Purina’s Fancy Feast Seafood Grilled Collection for pet parents on a budget, because at a bargain price you get quality ingredients backed by Purina’s years of nutritional research.
The three flavors to choose from include grilled seafood feast, grilled tuna feast, and grilled salmon feast—all in a savory fish broth. This can “help increase the appeal for picky cats as well as get more water into their diets,” Dr. Hart says.
With vitamins, minerals, and a high protein content to support optimal health, the collection delivers complete and balanced nutrition with no artificial colors or preservatives.
Dr. Cornett likes that the calorie content is 70 to 71 calories per can and it has a 55% crude protein content.
- Backed by reputable, research-driven brand
- Suitable for all life stages
- Grilled-chunks-and-broth texture
- Variety of seafood flavors
- 70 to 71 calories per 3-ounce can
- Budget-friendly price point