Rating and analysis of Orijen food for cats and kittens: review of composition, comparison, official website, where to buy Orijen food, reviews from veterinarians, is Orijen suitable for castrated and sterilized cats?

Advantages and disadvantages

The first and main advantage of Orijen brand food is its composition. The basis of dry food is high-quality animal proteins: turkey meat, chicken meat, fish of “noble varieties”. The manufacturer indicates the exact composition of the ingredients and confirms that the raw materials for the feed were used without prior freezing or chemical treatment.

The second feature of the brand is the presence of a line of freeze-dried products for animals, Freeze-Dried Treats. Freeze-dried treats for cats are an innovative product. Sublimation technology does not involve heat treatment of products, which allows you to preserve all the nutrients and taste of fresh ingredients.

The disadvantages of Orijen include:

limited assortment;
There is no medicinal food in the assortment;
the company does not produce wet cat food or canned food.

Product varieties

The Orijen cat line is aimed at adult cats and kittens over 1 month old.

The brand produces 4 types of grain-free ready-to-eat foods:

Cat & Kitten. It contains meat from goat, wild boar, deer, arctic char, sheep and duck (85 percent). The remaining 15% is fruits and vegetables. Suitable for feeding cats and kittens of different breeds. Calorie content - 416 kcal per 100 g.
Fit & Trim. Ingredients: 85% - fresh turkey, chicken, wild herring, flounder, silver hake and chicken eggs. The food includes another 15% vegetable and fruit ingredients. Designed for overweight cats. Calorie content - 371 kcal per 100 g.
Six Fish. The composition includes 85% fish components: Pacific sardine, hake, mackerel, flounder, whole perch and herring. Vegetables and fruits make up 15%. Suitable for cats of all breeds and all stages of life. Calorie content - 412 kcal per 100 g
Tundra Cat. It contains 85% meat from goat, wild boar, deer, Arctic char, duck, as well as trout, mackerel, sardine, blue whiting, and herring. The remaining 15% is fruits and vegetables. A balanced diet is suitable for feeding cats and kittens of any breed. Calorie content 100 g - 412 kcal.

The entire line is presented in the form of dry complete food , made in the form of small flat granules, which the animal can completely swallow without choking. Packaging: 340 g, 1.8 kg, 5.4 kg and 17 kg. The average cost of the smallest package is 425 rubles, and the largest one is 10,300 rubles.

The most popular Orijen food brands

The Dry Food line (dry food) of the Orijen brand is represented by the following names:

Cat & Kitten – for pregnant and lactating cats, for kittens;
Six Fish – for adult cats with fish;
Regional Red – for all ages with beef;
Tundra – with goat and wild boar meat;
Fit & Trim – dietary food.

ORIJEN Cat & Kitten

Nutritious food in granules with a high content of protein (42%) and fat (20%) for feeding kittens and feeding pregnant and lactating cats. The formula contains 48 ingredients.

The first ingredient listed is fresh boneless chicken, which makes up 20% of the protein composition of the product. Sources of animal protein: dry chicken, chicken and turkey liver, whole fresh herring, fresh turkey, pike perch fillet, fresh salmon, chicken heart, whole eggs. A variety of animal proteins provides the food with a complete set of microelements and amino acids. Fat: chicken liver oil, chicken liver fat. Chicken cartilage is used as a source of collagen, glucosamine and chondroitin in the feed.

Plant protein and carbohydrates: green peas, red lentils, chickpeas, sun-dried alfalfa, green lentils. Fiber that is good for the cat's digestive tract: kelp, pea fiber, vegetables and fruits. The food has a rich fruit and vegetable composition: butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, Bartlett pears, dried apricots, Red Delicious apples, cranberries, blueberries. The formula is enhanced with medicinal herbs, seasonings and antioxidants.

Pros of the food: does not contain grains.
Disadvantage of food: a variety of animal proteins can become a source of food allergies.

Price: packaging 0.34 kg – 410 rubles, 1.8 kg – 1870 rubles, 5.4 kg – 3700 rubles.

ORIJEN Six Fish

Balanced dry food based on fish ingredients contains 42% highly nutritious proteins, 16% low-glycemic carbohydrates and 20% fat.

2/3 of the food consists of fresh and raw fish that has not been preserved. Protein composition: Pacific sardine, whole hake, mackerel, flounder, perch, sole, dry whole blue whiting, cod liver.

Fat composition: herring fat, sunflower oil. Plant Ingredients: Green peas, red lentils, kidney beans, yellow peas, green lentils, chickpeas. Vegetables and fruits: zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, pears, apples, cabbage, beet and turnip leaves, serviceberry berries, blueberries and cranberries, rose hips. The following useful additives are used: burdock root, milk thistle, chicory root, turmeric, marshmallow root.

Plus feed: high-protein fish composition.
Disadvantage of food: high cost.

Price: packaging 0.34 kg – 430 rubles, 1.8 kg – 1990 rubles, 6.8 kg – 4900 rubles.

ORIJEN Regional Red

High-quality dry red meat food for cats of all ages. Protein content – 40%, fat – 20%.

Protein component: beef, boneless wild boar meat, goat and lamb meat, boar liver, beef tripe, beef heart, boneless lamb, pork liver, beef kidneys, mackerel, pork heart and kidneys, lamb liver. Fats: beef fat, herring oil. Legumes: peas, green lentils, beans. Fruit and vegetable composition: butternut squash, turnips, carrots, kale, mustard leaves, apples, pears.

The food formula is enhanced with prebiotics, medicinal plant extracts and spices.

Plus feed: does not contain grains and potatoes.
Disadvantages of food: high cost, not always available for free sale.

Price: pack 0.34 kg – 700 rubles, 1.8 kg – 3750 rubles, 5.4 kg – 7150 rubles.

ORIJEN Tundra

Orijen complete cat food for all breeds. The formula contains 69 natural ingredients, 2/3 of which are fresh and raw ingredients.

The high protein (40%) and fat (20%) content makes the food suitable for feeding pregnant and lactating cats. Main ingredients: goat meat, venison, duck, lamb, arctic char, trout, salmon, boar liver, mackerel, duck liver, blue whiting, herring, venison liver, boar heart, lamb tripe.

Fats: herring oil, duck fat. Vegetables, fruits, herbs: pumpkin, carrots, zucchini, parsnips, apples, cabbage, pears, spinach, beet leaves, cranberries, brown algae, blueberries, juniper berries, rose hips, chicory root. To strengthen the immune system - bifidobacteria, Omega-3, Omega-6.

Plus food: balanced high-protein formula.
Disadvantage of food: high cost.

Price: pack 0.34 kg – 536 rubles, 1.8 kg – 2500 rubles, 5.4 kg – 2490 rubles.

ORIJEN Fit & Trim

Dietary granulated food for cats prone to gaining excess weight. Protein content – 44%, fat – 15%. The food is based on fresh meat from free-range chicken.

Protein components: whole eggs, herring, turkey meat, flounder, hake, mackerel, sardine, pollock, chicken and turkey heart, turkey liver. Legumes: chickpeas, green peas, red lentils, yellow peas, green lentils. The source of chondroitin and glucosamine is chicken cartilage. Vegetables, fruits, greens: apples, pumpkin, spinach, carrots, parsnips, zucchini, turnip greens, cranberries, serviceberry berries, kale, beet tops, rose hips.

The food is enriched with magnesium, taurine, Omega-3 and Omega-6 acids.

Plus feed: low fat content.
Disadvantage of food: it is not always available for free sale.

Price: packaging 0.34 kg – 430 rubles, 2 kg – 1610 rubles, 5.4 kg – 3920 rubles.

Orijen cat food

According to the information presented on the official website of Orijen (English website - orijen.ca, website of the supplier in Russia - acana.ru), cat food is an industrial dry diet that is physiological for a predatory animal. Up to 85% of the feed consists of a variety of fish and meat components, which are added to the feed in raw, fresh, and also dehydrated form. In order for the composition of Orijen food to closely match the contents of natural cat food, by-products and cartilage were also included in the formula. In the food of this brand, however, you can also find additives in the form of legumes and vegetables with a low glycemic index, as well as fruits, but their mass fraction is no more than 15%.

Until 2021, the percentage of animal ingredients was 80%. After updating the feed recipes, the manufacturer increased the amount of meat products and increased the overall content of fresh and raw animal components.

Reviews of kitten food

Sofia : “I want to share my experience of feeding ORIJEN Cat & Kitten. I switched my kittens to it after natural food. For the first week, the babies ate reluctantly. This means that there are no cheap flavors, as in premium foods. Then we tried it. I've been breastfeeding for about a year. The stool is regular, but very “fragrant” - this is perhaps the only negative.”

Nikita : “I read a lot of reviews on the Internet that this food contains too much protein. Strange statements - cats are predators!”

Reviews of Orijen cat food - owners and veterinarians

Albina: “My Bengali beauty loves meat. She is ready to eat only him. I spent a long time looking for suitable dry food to satisfy her appetite until I found ORIJEN Regional Red. It contains only red meat. Excellent food. One thing that upsets me is that you can only buy it in some online stores. You can’t find it in pet stores in our city.”

Andrey Petrovich, veterinarian : “I recommend Orijen food to all owners. Don't look at the fact that this brand doesn't have a very wide range - cats don't need a lot of variety. If my clients are confused by the high price, I always say that holistic foods are very economical. Cats fed Orijen have excellent digestion and no intestinal irritation. One note - the food is not suitable for neutered cats.”

Valentina, veterinarian : “Some of my patients complain about Orijen food, they say that it is not suitable for sterilized cats. This is understandable. Orijen food is high in protein, so sterilized animals may gain excess weight on it. In such cases, I recommend choosing dietary ORIJEN Fit & Trim or selecting high-quality super-premium food.

Composition analysis

As a sample, consider Orijen Cat & Kitten food. It contains the following ingredients:

Fresh chicken meat (18%). The word “fresh” indicates that the raw material was immediately processed. No additional preservatives were used during the preparation of the food, and the product was not frozen. The presence of the word “meat” in the name of the component raises some doubts, since it is not in the English version (“Fresh chicken”). Perhaps this is a marketing ploy.
Fresh turkey meat (7%). The word "meat" indicates the absence of bones and feathers. The composition contains only turkey skin and flesh without unnecessary additives with low nutritional value. This variety has a high protein content. Turkey is lower in calories than chicken, which helps balance the balance of BPJU.
Fresh whole eggs (5%). Quality ingredient. The word “fresh” indicates that it has not been subjected to heat before being added to the feed. Eggs provide the body with animal proteins and essential amino acids. They are well absorbed and contain choline, a substance that is necessary for the formation of new cells.
Fresh chicken liver (5%). Good source of proteins. Positively affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Increases the aromatic appeal of dry food.
Fresh whole flounder (4%). Useful ingredient. Fresh whole flounder is more valuable than raw or dehydrated flounder because the product is not pre-processed. This allows you to preserve as many useful substances as possible.
Fresh whole herring (4%). Fish contains a lot of high quality fat (20%) and proteins (18%). The ingredient helps improve the condition of the coat, cardiovascular system, immunity and activates the mental activity of animals.
Fresh turkey liver (4%). Not only the type of ingredient is indicated, but also the source of its receipt and its type at the time of addition to the feed. This inspires trust.
Fresh chicken heart (4%). The product contains many vitamins, minerals and protein. Hearts are collections of muscle tissue. They contain virtually no fat.
Fresh turkey heart (4%). Nutritious ingredient. Additional benefits include indicating the source of the component.
Fresh chicken necks (4%). In small quantities, the component helps improve the condition of the musculoskeletal system, since it contains vertebrae and cartilage.
Chicken dehydrated (4%). This is a dried mixture of chicken carcasses with skin. May contain bones. Legs, heads, feathers and entrails are separated.
Turkey dehydrated (4%). Dried mixture of carcasses and skin.
Whole mackerel dehydrated (4%). A quality source of proteins. In mackerel, the bones are small, so their final share in the final product is small and has almost no effect on the balance of nutrients.
Whole sardine dehydrated (4%). Good source of animal proteins.
Whole herring dehydrated (4%). Dried and ground fish. Good ingredient.
Chicken fat (3%). The source of the substances is indicated - this is a plus. Fat contains essential acids and provides the animal with energy.
Red lentils. Beans freed from the shell.
Green pea. Contains trace elements (iron, selenium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus), vitamins (A, C and K), antioxidants and lutein. Positively affects digestion.
Green lentils. Unripe beans. One of the most useful types of plant raw materials. The ingredient contains coarse fibers that cleanse the intestines and promote normal digestion.
Chickpeas Source of vegetable protein, vitamins (A, B and C) and microelements (manganese, potassium, iron, copper, sodium, etc.).
Yellow peas. Dried grains of ordinary peas. They have the same beneficial properties.
Fiber from lentils. Added to improve digestion.
Beans. Whole beans are a good source of plant-based proteins and carbohydrates.
Whole navy beans. Source of fiber.
Chicken cartilage dehydrated (1%). They contain collagen and chondroitin, which are necessary to maintain the musculoskeletal system in optimal condition.
Herring fat (1%). Used as a source of energy and unsaturated fatty acids.
Freeze-dried chicken liver. Almost the same as fresh liver.
Freeze-dried turkey liver. Similar to fresh liver. Improves the taste of food.
Fresh table pumpkin. A dietary ingredient that is rich in fiber.
Fresh butternut squash. Its properties are similar to the previous component.
Fresh zucchini. Contains fiber. The ingredient contains enzymes and vitamins, but they are poorly absorbed by the cat's body.
Fresh parsnip. Contains vegetable protein, fiber, carbohydrates and some vitamins and minerals.
Fresh carrots. The product is in its original form. Source of vitamin A and plant fiber.
Fresh apples. Used as a source of fiber and vitamins.
Fresh pears. Contains plant fiber and helps normalize digestion.
Fresh kale. Contains fiber and vitamins A, K and C.
Fresh spinach. Contains vitamins (A and E), minerals (iodine, iron, manganese), fiber and carbohydrates.
Fresh beet leaves. Source of fiber.
Fresh turnip greens. Contains plant fibers and promotes quick saturation.
Kelp. Contains about 60 useful compounds, the most valuable of which is fukodan. The substance strengthens the immune system.
Whole cranberries. Maintains high acidity of urine.
Whole blueberries. Helps prevent urolithiasis and infectious diseases of the genitourinary system.
Whole berries of serviceberry. Contains fiber.
Chicory root. Helps improve microflora.
Turmeric. Has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect.
Milk thistle. Supports liver health.
Large burdock root. It has an antioxidant effect, helps normalize blood glucose levels and improves digestion.
Lavender flowers. Prevent attacks of aggression.
Marshmallow root. Contains mucous substances and protects the walls of the gastrointestinal tract from damage.
Dog-rose fruit. Source of ascorbic acid.

The formula is balanced, high in meat content, sufficient fiber and contains a natural vitamin-mineral complex. The manufacturer does not add beneficial substances separately, since they are in the ingredients. The composition contains many preventive components: milk thistle, burdock root, cartilage, etc.

Conclusion

Orijen is a cat food whose composition is close to natural. The high quality of the ingredients used in its production is beyond doubt.

The production technology, aimed at maximizing the preservation of all nutrients, is worthy of the highest ratings. But do not forget that each animal is individual. Even the highest quality food may not suit him. Consult your veterinarian and carefully monitor your pet's condition when you start giving him a new food.

We recommend the food for purchase.