9Lives Indoor Complete Chicken & Salmon Flavor Dry Cat Food

Dry food for cats · All life stages · by 9Lives

See the full breakdown in Beagly

What to watch for

• BHA High risk
  A synthetic preservative that keeps fats from going rancid. The U.S. National Toxicology Program lists BHA as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen' based on animal studies. Natural alternatives (mixed tocopherols) exist.
• Meat and bone meal Moderate risk
  Rendered mammal tissue including bone, from unnamed species. High in minerals (ash) and usually less digestible than a named meat meal.
• Titanium dioxide Moderate risk
  A white pigment. In 2021 EFSA concluded it could no longer be considered safe as a human food additive because DNA damage could not be ruled out. It adds nothing for dogs.
• Menadione sodium bisulfite complex Moderate risk
  A synthetic form of vitamin K (K3). EFSA concluded it is safe for dogs at the levels used in feed, but it is flagged as a precaution: it is a synthetic form not used in human supplements, and natural vitamin K1 is an alternative.
• Red 40 Moderate risk
  An artificial color added to make food look appealing to people; dogs do not care what color their food is. It was one of the dyes in a well-known UK study linking color mixes to hyperactivity in some children.
• Yellow 5 Moderate risk
  An artificial color added to make food look appealing to people; dogs do not care what color their food is. It can cause sensitivity reactions in some people and was part of the UK hyperactivity study.
• Yellow 6 Moderate risk
  An artificial color added to make food look appealing to people; dogs do not care what color their food is. It was part of the UK hyperactivity study in children.
• Blue 1 Moderate risk
  An artificial color added to make food look appealing to people; dogs do not care what color their food is. It serves no nutritional purpose.

What it does well

• Taurine added
  Cats need taurine in their diet; this label lists it.

Ingredients

Whole Ground Corn, Chicken By-product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Whole Wheat, Meat & Bone Meal, Animal Fat (preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Animal Digest, Soybean Hulls, Salmon Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Pellets, Salt, Phosphoric Acid, Titanium Dioxide (color), Choline Chloride, Vitamins (vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, D-calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source Of Vitamin K Activity), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Potassium Chloride, Minerals (ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Red 40, Lactic Acid, Yellow 5, Bha (used As A Preservative), Yellow 6, Blue 1, Rosemary Extract.

What the label cannot tell you

• Ingredient order is by weight before cooking; fresh meat counts water.
• Mineral levels are not printed on this label.
• We could not find the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for this product. Scan the bag to confirm it is complete and balanced.

Sizes and barcodes

• 9Lives Indoor Complete Chicken & Salmon Flavor Dry Cat Food, 20 lb. Bag UPC 079100524464

Higher-scoring dry food for cats

• Instinct Ultimate Protein Adult Cat Food - Natural, Grain Free, Chicken 89/100 · Excellent
• Instinct Ultimate Protein Cat Food - Grain Free, High Protein, Chicken 89/100 · Excellent
• ACANA Regionals Grain Free Dry Cat Food - Grasslands 87/100 · Excellent
• The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain Free Chicken & Fish Cat Food, 4 lb Box 86/100 · Excellent
• Nature's Logic Chicken Meal Feast Dry Cat Food 85/100 · Excellent

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• 9Lives Meaty Paté Super Supper Wet Cat Food, 13 oz. Can, 12 Count - Complete product net content statement, as it appears on product packaging. 61/100 · Good

Informational, not veterinary advice. The score is our opinion of a food, built from the facts on its label with our published method. No brand pays to rank higher. Recipes change: check the bag you have, or scan it in the app.

Score version 2026.11.6 · Page updated 2026-11-03