Royal Canin Adult Instinctive Canned Cat Food Review

Royal Canin Adult Instinctive Canned Cat Food Buy on Chewy

Protein: 10.5% (min) | Fat: 1.9% (min) | Fiber: 1.8% (max) | Moisture: 81.5% (max)

Here we have another owner’s favorite from Royal Canin. Their Adult Instinctive formula has been received excellently by owners and stands out as one of the best canned cat foods available today.

Royal Canin create their wet cat food formulas with the perfect balance between protein, fat, and carbohydrates. They know just what it takes to provide a nutritionally whole meal, and how to make their foods super appealing to cats.

As always, Royal Canin’s excellent formulas carry a premium price tag. The decision to buy their foods is often one that comes down to justifying the price, rather than examining the ingredients; we’ll try our hand at both.

Nutritional Information

Boasting a ratio of 10.5% minimum crude protein to 81.5% moisture, this high-protein food has a dry-matter protein content of 56.75%. That figure puts it slightly ahead of the average for canned cat foods, and certainly well above the 26% minimum required by AAFCO Nutrient Profile guidelines.

Pork and chicken make up the bulk of the real animal ingredients in this adult wet food formula, along with the addition of taurine, B6, B16, and vitamin D3 supplements, to name a few. This formula provides everything a wet cat food required to be nutritionally complete but also suits being supplemented with dry cat food well.

Caloric Density and Feeding Guidelines

777 kcal/kg, 66 kcal/can

At 66kcal/can, Royal Canin’s Adult Instinctive formula is pretty light on calories. This lightness can be attributed to its high moisture content and low carbohydrate ratio (a good thing!).

As always, feeding guidelines account for the calorie content, and Royal Canin’s recommendations are roughly 2 cans per 6 lbs of weight a day. You should always adjust this according to your cat’s activity levels. If you need help determining a feeding plan, you should always consult your veterinarian.

Here are the full feeding guidelines for Adult Instinctive, correct at the time of writing:

Our Verdict

If you’re a frequent reader of The Idle Cat, you’ll already know our verdict; we love it. Royal Canin excels at creating formulas that perfectly cater to the needs of a specific demographic of cats, and this adult formula is another fine example. Though expensive, the quality of ingredients and research that backs these formulas is worth it. If it didn’t justify its price tag, then the 95% of previous buyers on Chewy that would recommend this food would be wrong, and so would we.

Ingredient List

Ingredients correct at the time of writing. Please check the retailer’s product page or the packaging before purchasing; ingredients lists are subject to frequent change.

Water Sufficient For Processing, Pork By-Products, Chicken By-Products, Chicken Liver, Pork Liver, Salmon, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Gelatin, Pork Plasma, Powdered Cellulose, Natural Flavors, Modified Corn Starch, Calcium Sulfate, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Carrageenan, Taurine, Vitamins [Dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Source Of Vitamin E), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Niacin Supplement, Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement], Trace Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride.