Guabi cat food

Guabi cat food is a super-premium pet food made in Brazil. Due to its low availability, it's not widely known in our country, but over time, the brand's fan base is growing. What makes this dry food so special, and whether it meets the standards of the super-premium cat food segment, will become clear after a detailed review, analyzing all the ingredients in this menu.

Manufacturer

Guabi brand pet food is produced in Brazil by the company of the same name, located in the suburbs of São Paulo, and is one of the country's 1,000 largest companies. Production has been in operation since 1974, and the quality of its products continues to improve year after year. To this end, a comprehensive research and development facility has been established, meticulously developing each formula to ensure the greatest possible benefit for the animal's health.

In addition to pet food, Guabi produces feed and premixes for horses, livestock, fish, and poultry. Thanks to excellent raw materials and modern production, Guabi products are successfully imported into over 30 countries. In Russia, Guabi pet food is sold by only a few suppliers, the largest of which is LiSS LLC, located in St. Petersburg. You can buy Guabi Natural cat food from home—the company has a website that lists all available pet food products.

Assortment

Guabi has a very limited selection of dry cat food—only six items in the Natural series are available for purchase in domestic online stores. Specifically:

• Adultos – formula for adult cats of all breeds;
• Filhotes – food for kittens (up to 1 year);
• Persa – for Persian cats of any age;
• Castrados – for sterilized animals;
• Hairball – food that helps remove hairballs;
• Light – veterinary diet for cats with diabetes and excess weight.

All food, except for veterinary diets and kitten food, is available in 1.5, 3, and 7.5 kg packages. Food for diabetic cats and babies is available in 0.4 and 1.5 kg packs.

Although the variety of diets doesn't allow breeders to run wild, the most important factors in food are the quality of ingredients and nutritional value. To determine how Guabi's diets measure up, it's important to analyze the ingredients in one of its most popular products—Guabi Natural Adultos cat food.

Compound

Based on the fact that the ingredients in the ingredient list are listed in descending order of quantity, it can be assumed that the first 5-7 nutrients constitute the nutritional base, while the rest are additives designed to enhance the food. So, here's the list of ingredients:

• Chicken meat (mechanically deboned);
• Chicken liver;
• A mixture of brown and white rice;
• Ground salmon (originally called "salmon flour");
• Chicken offal;
• Pork flour proteins;
• Wheat gluten.

This is the base of the food. Further ingredients include fish oil, animal fat, pork plasma, and egg powder. Next come psyllium, beet pulp, sugarcane fiber, brewer's yeast, vegetable oil, sodium chloride, calcium carbonate, animal by-products, sodium hexametaphosphate, and citric acid. Following these are the contents of mannan-oligosaccharides, phosphoric acid, green tea extract, and apple extract. Rosemary extract, zinc proteinate, glucans, and potassium sorbate are listed next. Taurine, methionine, and lysine are also listed.

The last ingredients listed are the natural preservative tocopherol and yucca schidigera extract, beta-carotene, followed by a vitamin and mineral supplement with a list of all trace elements. The guaranteed nutrient content is as follows:

• Protein - not less than 34%;
• Fats - 16%;
• Water - 9%;
• Fiber – 3.5%;
• Ash – 8%;
• Calcium - no more than 1.4%;
• Phosphorus – not less than 0.65%.

In fact, these are not bad indicators for pet food of this class.

Squirrels

Chicken is a great source of protein—it's an excellent product, rich in protein and micronutrients. Other protein-rich sources include chicken and animal by-products, such as chicken liver, pork meal, ground salmon, and pork plasma. Egg powder is also a valuable source of protein.

Fats

Fish oil is a valuable source of lipids and fatty acids. Furthermore, the listing includes animal fat, a not very beneficial nutrient, as this generic name conceals a low-quality raw material. Vegetable oil is also included, a questionable ingredient, as without a specific source, it's difficult to assess the quality and benefits of such fat.

Carbohydrates

The carbohydrate content is not specified, but it makes up approximately 20-25% of the food in question. Rice, the main carbohydrate source, is quite good, as it is a hypoallergenic grain and provides the energy needed for the cat's life.

Additional components

• Beet pulp, sugarcane fiber, and plantain are sources of plant fiber, which helps with digestion and improves intestinal motility.
• Sodium hexametaphosphate – despite its “scary” chemical name, it is a useful food additive that prevents tartar formation in dogs and cats.
• Choline chloride – vitamin B4 – is beneficial for all types of cells and also protects the animal’s skin from dehydration.
• Brewer's yeast is beneficial for skin and coat.
• Citric acid is an antioxidant that slows down cellular aging. It is used as a natural preservative.
• Mannan-oligosaccharides are active components derived from yeast. They are a natural prebiotic designed to support normal intestinal microflora in animals.
• Taurine is an amino acid that is extremely important for cats. Their bodies don't produce taurine, but they desperately need it—it supports visual acuity and heart function. In the wild, cats obtain this amino acid from raw meat, but in domestic cats, it must be supplied through their food, which is what the manufacturer does.
• Phosphoric acid is an artificial chemical antioxidant. It is highly undesirable to include it in cat food, but it is inexpensive and therefore often used as a substitute for natural antioxidants and preservatives.
• Rosemary extract is a natural beneficial antioxidant and preservative for dry food.
• Calcium carbonate is a source of calcium for bones and teeth.
• Glucans are complex sugars that have a beneficial effect on the immune system.
• Zinc proteinate is a highly digestible source of zinc and is considered a beneficial supplement for cats.
• Potassium sorbate is a safe preservative.
• Tocopherol (vitamin E) is a natural, and therefore beneficial, preservative.
• Methionine and lysine are essential amino acids that promote the breakdown and subsequent absorption of fats and microelements.
• Yucca schidigera extract is a plant extract designed to reduce the odor of animal excrement.
• Beta-carotene is a vitamin A that promotes healthy fur. It is also a natural yellow dye.
• The vitamin and mineral complex is added in the form of a ready-made premix and contains the required amount of vitamins and microelements.

Overall, the food's composition is quite good, but the presence of some chemical additives is highly undesirable. Considering the pros and cons of this formula, by generally accepted standards, it's more of a premium food than a super-premium one.

Price

An important consideration when choosing a diet is its price. The official importer's online store offers the following prices:

• Guabi for adult cats: 1.5 kg – 610 rubles;
• Guabi for kittens: 1.5 kg – 790 rubles;
• Guabi for castrates: 1.5 kg. – 720 rubles.

Compared to other classmates, the price of Guabi Natural food is very, very attractive.

Customer reviews

Elena Valerievna, breeder of Canadian Sphynx cats:

"Our cats always ate Royal, but after production shifted to Russia, the quality dropped significantly. The ingredients were completely different, which, frankly, caused some of my cats to develop diarrhea. I searched for a long time for a replacement, and after reading reviews online, I decided to try Guabi Natural cat food. At first, I had doubts about the quality—what kind of quality control could there possibly be in Brazil? However, that stereotype was completely shattered—the food is very good, and my cats eat it with pleasure. The only issue is that the kibble varies in color from batch to batch, and no one can explain why."

Olga, owner of the cat Matvey:

"I discovered Guabi cat food when I started reading reviews on forums. At first, I thought they were sponsored posts, but I decided to give it a try and bought a small pack. My cat, Matvey, happily devours the entire portion and asks for more, but I feed him exactly as recommended on the package. He's such a young cat that he'd eat anything, no matter how much you give him. He looks great and is in good health, so I recommend everyone at least try Guabi—you definitely won't regret it!"

Veterinarian Reviews

Tatyana Sergeevna, veterinarian:

"I'm often asked what affordable food I can recommend for indoor cats. I usually recommend well-known brands whose ingredients I, as a veterinarian, agree with. But recently, I've been seeing more and more reviews from my veterinary colleagues about Guabi, a Brazilian cat food. I became intrigued and studied the nutritional content of this diet in detail. I must say that compared to similar foods, Guabi significantly outperforms its competitors, and that's why I increasingly recommend these menus to my furry patients. And the price is unbeatable—every breeder can afford this food."

Read also:

• Arden Grange cat food
• Eukanuba cat food
• Grandorf cat food