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Solid Gold Cat Food Review 2024: Recalls, Pros & Cons

Nicole Cosgrove Profile Picture

By Nicole Cosgrove

solid gold cat food review header

Review Summary

Our Final Verdict

We give Solid Gold Cat food a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars.

Sissy McGill created Solid Gold pet food in 1974 as a result of her observations about the health of European Great Danes versus American Danes. She saw that Great Danes in Europe lived longer and believed that diet was the reason why. The result was Hund-n-Flocken, a dog food created with real ingredients, superfoods, and whole grains, plus vitamins and minerals. This product was responsible for the beginnings of the holistic pet food industry.

Since then, Solid Gold has increased its pet food line to include dog and cat foods, treats, and supplements. Their cat food line contains a wide variety of recipes suited for the various dietary needs of your feline friends, along with probiotics to promote a healthy digestive system. While not organic, they do use quality ingredients.

Solid Gold’s pet food line is perfect for people looking to feed their cats a holistic diet with quality ingredients that focuses on maintaining overall health and wellness. Considering the quality, the food is well priced, but you can expect to pay just a bit more than you would for other brands. If you’ve been considering a cat food change, take a look below to find out the best recipes, ingredients, and more for Solid Gold.

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At a Glance: The Best Solid Gold Cat Food Recipes:

Rating Image Product Details
Our Favorite
Winner
Solid Gold Indigo Moon Dry Cat Food Solid Gold Indigo Moon Dry Cat Food
  • High in protein
  • Grain & gluten-free
  • Added probiotics for a healthy gut
  • Second place
    Solid Gold Lamb & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food Solid Gold Lamb & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food
  • Lots of protein sources
  • Shaped to slow down eating
  • With omega fatty acids for healthy skin
  • Third place
    Solid Gold Grain-Free Sensitive Stomach Solid Gold Grain-Free Sensitive Stomach
  • Unique protein source with quail
  • Created for cats with sensitive stomachs
  • Grain-free
  • Solid Gold Weight Control Dry Cat Food Solid Gold Weight Control Dry Cat Food
  • Specially crafted for weight control
  • With probiotics for your cat's gut health.
  • 100% free from grains and gluten.
  • Solid Gold Tuna Recipe  Grain-Free Cat Food Solid Gold Tuna Recipe Grain-Free Cat Food
  • Made with real tuna and vegetables
  • With vitamins, minerals and taurine
  • Free from gluten, rice, soy, and corn
  • Solid Gold Cat Food Reviewed

    Solid Gold is a popular brand, especially amongst cat parents concerned with the quality of ingredients they feed their pets. While a touch more expensive than other brands out there, it is well priced for what it delivers. It seems to be particularly good for cats with sensitive stomachs, partially because of its focus on digestive health. Solid Gold is also very transparent about its foods, with a huge list of FAQs on its hepper cat paw divider

    Who Makes Solid Gold Cat Food and Where Is It Produced?

    Solid Gold has been owned by Health & Happiness Group, a group providing healthcare supplements, since December 2020. All Solid Gold dry food, treats, and supplements are made in the U.S., while tuna-based wet cat foods are made in Thailand. They source most of their ingredients from the U.S., though some meats come from Australia, France, and New Zealand. Solid Gold tests all their recipes with what they call a “positive-release” program. This means they take samples from every batch of food made and send them to labs to test for pathogens.

    Which Types of Cats Is Solid Gold Best Suited For?

    Solid Gold is excellent for nearly all kittens and adult cats with its wide range of recipes made for certain dietary needs. Most cats won’t have issues with any of the high-quality ingredients. In fact, Solid Gold cat food should be particularly good for kitties with sensitive stomachs.

    Which Types of Cats Might Do Better With a Different Brand?

    There is always a risk of food allergies with any food you might try, so if you know your pet is allergic to a specific type of protein in Solid Gold cat foods, you’ll be better off trying another brand. We suggest trying Blue Buffalo Basics L.I.D. Fish and Potato Dry Cat Food, as it contains limited ingredients.

    Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

    The biggest question you might have about Solid Gold cat food is: How does the holistic label make it different from other cat food brands? The answer is in the ingredients. This brand has so many recipes out there that we can’t cover each ingredient, but here are some of the most utilized.

    The core of Solid Gold cat foods is what they call “superfoods” — foods packed with nutrients and antioxidants. These include pumpkin, sweet potato, tomato pomace, cranberries, apple, carrot, egg protein, blueberries, lentils, ocean fish meal, and more! When it comes to protein, Solid Gold has got your cat covered. Because cats are carnivores, a big part of their nutritional needs should be met via protein. Solid Gold cat foods have a huge variety of meats that include the usual suspects, such as chicken, beef, turkey, and salmon, but also include duck, venison, pollock, quail, lamb, and more. Meat is also listed as the first ingredient in most of their recipes (though some dry foods have meat meals listed first).

    Several of their recipes are grain-free, but those with grains contain whole grains such as brown rice and oatmeal. As for the rest, Solid Gold has tried to cram lots of good stuff into their food. To support digestive health, they include probiotics. They also include lots of omega fatty acids, amino acids, and plenty of vitamins and minerals via their superfoods. Their recipes are free of preservatives and artificial flavors.

    Our cats deserve the best when it comes to their food and water dishes. These essential items must be well designed with the specific needs of our felines as top priority. Our Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is a modern, whisker-friendly option that serves as an all-in-one pet dish. The removable stainless steel bowls are shallow for optimum comfort and slide securely into a PP plastic tray with a wide lip tailored to catch any overflow. This bowl is entirely dishwasher-friendly, too, which helps with tidying up (and will keep your cat happy)! 

    Hepper 360 Cat Feeder, Stainless Steel, Anti-Chew...
    • NO MESS - The 360° tray on this cat food and water bowl set has a raised design to catch and...
    • WHISKER FRIENDLY - Shallow and wide metal containers with flat bottoms ensure your kitty can enjoy...

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    So Many Options

    One of our favorite things about Solid Gold is the number of options available to you. You won’t have trouble finding the perfect food to meet your feline friend’s every dietary need with this brand. Plus, if your cat is a picky eater, with so many recipes available, you’re sure to find something they love. And if you find the many different types of food a bit overwhelming, you can still stick with recipes that include the safe and known, such as tuna.

    Grain-Free Recipes Are Abundant

    As we said earlier, cats are carnivores and need a lot of protein to stay healthy. While the occasional grain shouldn’t harm your kitty (although some cats are allergic to foods such as wheat or soy), the more carbohydrates they are consuming, the more their risk for health issues. With Solid Gold, you can avoid grains commonly used to bulk up cat foods.

    May Upset a Cat’s Stomach

    While several of the Solid Gold brand recipes are created specifically for those kitties with sensitive stomachs, there have been reports of cats throwing up after trying Solid Gold cat food. Why some cats get sick, we don’t know. It may be a matter of them having unknown food allergies, but this is something of that you should be aware of.hepper cat paw divider

    A Quick Look at Solid Gold Cat Food

    Pros
    • High-quality ingredients
    • Wide variety of ingredients
    • Added probiotics
    • Recipes designed specifically for certain dietary needs
    • Plenty of grain-free options
    • Suitable for all ages
    Cons
    • There has been one recall
    • Some reports of cats throwing up after trying
    • Not every recipe lists meat as the first ingredient

    Recall History

    Solid Gold pet foods has had one recall in its nearly 50-year history, back in 2012. This was a voluntary recall for one batch each of the Wolf King and Wolf Cub recipes. This was a time when many pet foods were being recalled for salmonella, and though neither of the Solid Gold foods came up positive for salmonella, they recalled them just to be safe.

    Reviews of the 3 Best Solid Gold Cat Food Recipes

    Below, we’ll take a closer look at the top three recipes on our list and take a glance at what pet parents are saying about Solid Gold.

    1. Solid Gold Indigo Moon with Chicken & Eggs Grain-Free High Protein Dry Cat Food – Our Favorite

    Solid Gold Indigo Moon Dry Cat Food

    Our favorite recipe on this list — and plenty of other people’s favorite too — features 42% crude protein via chicken meal and chicken to keep your cat healthy and strong. This recipe is also 100% grain and gluten-free, plus offers probiotics for a healthy digestive system. Their special blend of superfoods helps boost your pet’s immune system functions as well. This cat food is also free of wheat, soy, and corn, so kitties with allergies to those will be safe.

    Pros
    • High in protein
    • Grain & gluten-free
    • Added probiotics for a healthy gut
    Cons
    • Chicken meal is the first ingredient, while chicken is the fifth
    • Some reports of cats throwing up after trying

    2. Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe with Pearled Barley Whole Grain Dry Cat Food

    Solid Gold Lamb & Brown Rice Dry Cat Food

    Another popular recipe amongst Solid Gold fans, this one offers protein from several different sources: lamb, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, peas, and pea protein. However, all that protein only adds up to 34% crude protein, less than the Indigo Moon. Not only full of the probiotics found in all Solid Gold recipes, this cat food also includes plenty of omega fatty acids from salmon, plus canola and flaxseed oils. This food also has a unique star shape designed to help slow eating and reduce the risk of kitties throwing up.

    This one is a little heavier on the carbs, though, so if your pet has weight issues or is diabetic, it might not be the best for them.

    Pros
    • Lots of protein sources
    • Shaped to slow down eating
    • With omega fatty acids for healthy skin
    Cons
    • Heavier on carbs, which isn’t great for kitties with weight or diabetic issues
    • Isn’t grain-free

    3. Solid Gold Winged Tiger with Quail & Pumpkin Grain-Free Sensitive Stomach Adult Dry Cat Food

    Solid Gold Sensitive Stomach Cat Food

    Specially formulated for those felines with sensitive stomachs, this recipe lists quail as the first ingredient, followed by turkey meal and chicken meal for a total of 30% crude protein. It offers balanced protein and plenty of fiber from pumpkin, plus is free of corn, soy, wheat, and artificial flavorings and preservatives that could upset your cat’s stomach. Winged Tiger claims to be easy to digest and includes probiotics for further improvement of gut health.

    Pros
    • Unique protein source with quail
    • Specifically created for those with sensitive stomachs
    • Grain-free
    Cons
    • Less protein than other recipes
    • Some cats refused to touch this recipe

    What Other Users Are Saying

    We’ve shared a lot of information to help you decide whether Solid Gold is the right fit for your feline, but it’s always advisable to do your own research as well. We recommend checking out reviews from other cat parents to see what they have to say. Here are some to get you started.

    • Chewy.com – “My cat is a picky eater, so I’ve been on a search for an amazing brand of dry food for quite a while. After trying this out, I can say with confidence that this is a high-quality brand. It is also very healthy according to the ingredients on the back. My cat absolutely loves this food. He gets excited every day when I grab my measuring cup and open the food pantry for his meal. I highly recommend.”
    • Petco – “My Oliver has a sensitive stomach, and this is the only food he can eat, plus he loves the taste”
    • Amazon – Amazon is one of the best places around to gather reviews for products you’re considering. Here are several to get you started!

    Conclusion

    While costing just a little bit more than other brands, Solid Gold cat food is a high-quality brand that is well-priced for the taste and nutrition it offers. It is highly popular among cat parents and great for most kitties who have food allergies or sensitive stomachs. They have a ton of recipes available, so you can feed your pet anything from the usual chicken or turkey to something more exotic like quail. Plus, the focus on digestive health is a fantastic bonus. If you’ve been looking to feed your cat a brand that’s a little bit healthier for them, we highly recommend Solid Gold cat food!


    Featured Photo Credit: Jakub Zak, Shutterstock

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