Cat | Dog | Customer Service
Although the principles of nutrition apply to both cat and dog foods, a cat’s nutritional requirements differ from dogs in important ways.
Cats are pure carnivores and require more protein than dogs – the ideal level is believed to be 37% for dry foods. Taste and mouth feel are also more important to cats, and is determined by the shape as well as the texture of the food.
Cats must have the amino acid Taurine supplied to them in their diet. A cat eating food deficient in Taurine can develop severe heart disease, blindness, and other health problems. Taurine is supplemented to most can and dry foods. The AAFCO recommends a minimum Taurine level for both. In addition, cats get Taurine naturally from eating high quality protein sources such as beef, chicken, liver, and fish.
Nulo seems to be the food of choice for picky kitties. We believe in large part due to the high proportion of animal-based protein found in our diets, but also as a result of the freshness of the product. Backed by our 100% unconditional guarantee, it’s a win-win for finicky felines everywhere.
Nutritionally, brown rice helps manage proper magnesium levels. Magnesium Levels are an important consideration in cats because of FLUTD, UTI, FUS concerns. Magnesium comes from a variety of ingredients including grains and protein. We’ve made every effort to control magnesium by carefully controlling all possible contributors to magnesium levels. Of all the grains/carbohydrates, brown rice is lowest in magnesium and has the added benefit of being low on the Glycemic Index as well.
Chicken fat contains high amounts of the polyunsaturated fat, Arachidonic Acid (AA), one of the essential fatty acids required by cats. Little or no AA is found in plant sources and must be derived from animal sources. Cats require AA but are not able to make it on their own (vs. dogs who can synthesize AA when Linoleic acid is present in their diet). Cats must consume it from an outside source. This is one of the main factors that make a cat an true carnivore! And because Chicken fat is from a meat source, it is also highly tasty to cats.
We highly recommend that for cats where kidney function is a concern that you work together with your veterinarian to select the best diet and schedule routine follow ups to ensure your cat’s progress. Print out the nutritional information of the Nulo food you are interested in and provide it to your veterinarian for review and consultation so that you may work together in the food selection process.
We recommend that for cats where struvite urolithiasis is a concern that they work with their veterinarian to select the best diet and that the cat’s urine be checked after a couple of weeks on any recommended diet to make sure that urine pH, urine specific gravity, and microscopic evaluation of the urine are appropriate for struvite prevention.
Please read our Learn section on for an in-depth explanation about what makes Nulo and our foods superior fuel for dogs and cats.
For more information about freshness and taste, please read our section about why Freshness Matters©.
Many of our customers have found that even their most ‘finicky’ cats, when presented with a bowl of Nulo will gobble it down in one sitting. In fact, in a nutritional feeding trial and research study (i.e., ‘blind taste test’) conducted by a 3rd party organization, Nulo was preferred 9:1 over one of the top selling brands on the market!
Nulo’s foods have been designed to optimize a cat’s digestive system, thus producing smaller, firmer stools. In general, loose stools or diarrhea are most often caused by introducing foods with much higher water content and/or soluble fibers thus suddenly switching to most canned foods may be the cause. Feeding a food with too much fiber (i.e., so-called ‘diet’ pet foods) also affects stool quality. Also in general, due to transit time in a cat’s colon, their second or third stools of the day will naturally tend to be a tiny bit softer than the first stool of the day.
The term ‘natural,’ as defined by the USDA – means ‘no artificial flavoring, color ingredients, chemical preservatives or artificial ingredients.’
At Nulo, we take pet nutrition seriously and make sure there are no by-products, no corn, no soy, and no wheat in our recipes. Nulo’s cat foods are highly digestible and non-allergenic, and we add the right vitamins, minerals and fatty acids for the strongest bones and shiniest coats.
Our natural, nutritionally-supercharged ingredients also include nutrients to help boost a cat’s immune system and metabolism, giving your pet energy and vitality that lasts all day.
Nulo made a conscious decision NOT to formulate our foods as ‘organic’. Organic beef, chicken and fish are so cost-prohibitive that manufacturers end up ‘pushing’ the total protein level out of the food by using plant derivatives such as soy, soy protein and wheat proteins. The end result: expensive food with very little of the animal-based protein that dogs and cats require. Even though ingredients may be certified-organic, that doesn’t make them nutritionally favorable for our beloved canines. For more information regarding proteins, read our Protein-strong™ section under The Nulo Difference.
Nulo is not completely grain free – and for good reason. Grain-free diets typically substitute whole grains with starchy potatoes, which are high on the Glycemic Index and are a ‘quick-to-burn’ fuel. Potatoes also contain glycoalkaloids that can cause diarrhea and cramping in pets.
Just like our active bodies, the right grains actually nourish your pet’s body too and provide a ‘slow-to-burn’ fuel that keeps our pet’s energy levels stable and constant.
Nulo uses whole brown rice, oatmeal, and sweet potato because they are easy to digest, are gluten-free and release energy more slowly over time. Since the majority of our food’s protein comes from meat, not plants, we believe that this is a healthier, more responsible way to feed your dog.
Nulo’s cat foods are formulated by our team of food scientists and nutritionists for all breeds, and all life stages – AAFCO certified, meeting the AAFCO Dog Nutrient Profiles for all life stages – to ensure optimal nutrition for kittens as well as adults and older cats.
You do not need to buy a separate kitten ‘formula’ as long as you’re feeding them the right ingredients, and the right portions. If you think about it, in the wild, do lions provide one type of food to their young, while they themselves eat another? No! They eat the same diet but in differing amounts.
Nulo has contracted with food producers in three of the world’s leading commercial production kitchens. Nulo’s dry food products are made in Kansas, our wet food products are made in South Dakota, and our treats are baked in Canada. These state-of-the-art commercial production kitchens hand-craft Nulo’s own proprietary recipes in small batches under our supervision and according to our exacting recipe specifications.
For information regarding Nulo’s superior-rated production facilities, read more at The Nulo Difference.
For information regarding Nulo’s superior-rated production facilities, read more at The Nulo Difference.
In addition, Nulo adheres to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), GHP (Good Hygiene Practices), and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) – all regulated by the FDA – and tests all of our key recipe ingredients before production to ensure they meet our nutritional and food safety standards.
Each Nulo food production batch is held for meticulous quality control testing to confirm microbiological safety, nutritional compliance and shelf stability through oxidation testing before the foods are shipped. Nulo works with all of its suppliers to constantly monitor and improve the freshness, quality and stability of our ingredients, and can trace all ingredients back to their original source.
We’re so confident in our product that we offer ‘The Nulo 100% Guarantee.’ Nulo is absolutely committed to uncompromised product quality, and wants you to be delighted with our menu of natural, super-premium dog foods. If for any reason you are not satisfied with our foods or treats, please call us at 888-400-NULO (6856). You may also chat with us live or send us an email.
Besides ordering at Nulo.com and having it delivered fresh to your door, Nulo products can be found in some select natural grocer locations, where we are guaranteed fresh. For more information, read our Complete Customer Convenience section and our expanding list of natural grocery partners.
The short answer is, maybe it’s not. When evaluating the cost of cat food it’s very important to break it down into a “cost per serving” vs. a “cost per bag” or “can”. If you don’t know by now, most companies use very little meat and high amounts of “fillers” such as corn, wheat and soy. This means that you have to feed a lot more in order to provide adequate nutrition (not optimal, adequate) for your cat. A good visual is the old Total Cereal commercials that compared 1 serving of Total to 8 bowls of the leading brand. Similar concept. Most people don’t realize that really cheap cat food is often more expensive than high end, premium food. Do the math!
Shop
