American Journey Cat Food Review

American Journey is a brand of cat and dog food sold by Chewy.

In 2011, Ryan Cohen and Michael Day launched an online-only pet product retailer called Mr. Chewy. The company grew rapidly, dropped the honorific, and was purchased by PetSmart in mid-2017. American Journey was introduced the same year.

This Chewy house brand is positioned as a premium-quality pet food at a competitive price.

What types of cat food does American Journey offer?

American Journey has four dry cat food formulas. All of them are grain-free with no corn, soy, or wheat, and feature meat as the first ingredient. Protein makes up 40% of each formula. The brand’s price is a major point of appeal; American Journey foods are notably less expensive than other foods of similar quality.

Dry food is fundamentally a less-than-optimal diet choice for cats. It’s natural for them to get most of their moisture from their food, rather than out of a bowl. Cats on a dry food diet seldom drink enough additional water to compensate for their moisture-depleted food. This can lead to chronic dehydration and consequent urinary tract disease.

All American Journey foods are made in the USA from ingredients sourced around the world. None of the ingredients come from China. American Journey is manufactured through a third-party manufacturer located in Kansas. Chewy refuses to release the name of this manufacturer.

American Journey Cat Food Formulas

• Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
• Turkey & Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
• Duck Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
• Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

Has American Journey ever been recalled?

American Journey has never been recalled.

American Journey Cat Food Coupons 2024

Where can you buy American Journey cat food?

American Journey cat food is available exclusively through Chewy.com. You won’t find it in any brick-and-mortar stores at this time.

Click here to shop American Journey on Chewy.

What do customers think of American Journey?

Currently, American Journey’s most popular cat food formula is the salmon recipe. This product has 62 reviews on Chewy, giving it a 4.7 out of 5 star rating. 100% of reviewers say they’d recommend it.

Positive Reviews

“My kitties have chicken allergies and grain sensitivities that lead to bad skin and nasty litter boxes when we feed the wrong food. I was excited to find another chicken free, grain free food that was made in the United States and when I looked at the protein and fat ratios, I knew I needed to try it. My cats get more excited over this than they did for the $40 bag for 10 lbs of food (and that is saying something). Not only did they love the taste of the food, but their tummies are happy and their hair is softer than it has ever been! We will be long term customers!” – RescuedFamily

“The title says it; they love the taste. The food comes as a very small pellet shape. Personally I think they’re a bit too small, and should be a bit larger to promote more chewing of the kibble. Sometimes I don’t hear the crunching noise of chewing when my Siamese takes a bite from his bowel, as if he’s just swallowing them down. But again, they did not hesitate to eat this new food when I introduced it.” – Jed212

Negative Reviews

“I own 7 cats – they like it but they don’t gobble it down like they do the “cheaper grain” foods for 1/3 the cost. I purchase those cheaper bags to offset the outrageous price manufacturers charge for these grain free brands. It kills me – I purchase expensive no-grain, the best dry food and many times their noses are up. My feline group is made up of 4 Persians and 3 longhairs. For the high price, and so so reaction, only 3 stars.” – Lovelylady

“Maybe they would of liked chicken better. I got the salmon and they walked away from it. Sorry to be a problem” – Motor

Read more customer reviews on Chewy.

American Journey Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food Review

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Tapioca Starch, Menhaden Fish Meal, Dried Egg Product

Overall, this is a slightly above-average dry cat food. It is 40% protein, 15% fat, and about 31% carbohydrates. It’s meat-based with a moderate amount of plants, including sources of plant protein. Fortunately, plant protein is dominated by nourishing, species-appropriate meat.

Because the food centers around salmon, it’s popular among cats who don’t like chicken flavors.

Let’s take a closer look at the ingredient list.

Deboned salmon is the first ingredient in this recipe. Whether the salmon is wild-caught or farm-raised depends on availability at the time of sourcing. Chewy explains that “whenever wild-caught salmon is available, it is sourced for this diet. When not available, farm-raised Salmon from the Pacific Northwest is used.”

After deboned salmon is salmon meal. Salmon meal is a protein-packed meat concentrate.

Tapioca starch helps to bind the ingredients together. Menhaden fish meal is a great natural source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which help to keep your cat’s skin and coat healthy while supporting immune health. Dried egg product is a powdered form of nourishing egg protein.

Pea protein is a nutritionally questionable inclusion in cat food. It’s often used to boost protein levels, but plant protein isn’t utilized by your cat’s body as well as animal protein. Following pea protein are peas, which are a low glycemic ingredient that contributes some fiber and pitch in to help bind the kibble. Peas are often used in grain-free kibble as an alternative binder.

Natural flavor is made from hydrolyzed animal tissue. Because you don’t know exactly what type of animal these tissues come from, it’s not a good choice for cats with food sensitivities.

Canola oil is another unnecessary inclusion in the recipe; this ingredient does add some fat to the food, but a plant-derived oil isn’t an optimal nutritional source for carnivorous cats.

Flaxseed is included here to add Omega-3 fatty acids, but these are best delivered through an animal source. The food also contains pea fiber. It includes trace amounts of spinach, apples, blueberries, carrots, cranberries, and pumpkin. In addition to necessary vitamins and minerals, the food is made with probiotics for digestive and immune health. Rosemary extract is added as a natural antioxidant.

The food is available in 5-lb bags and 12-lb bags.

Excluding shipping costs, it will cost between about $.30 and $.38 daily to feed an average-sized cat. Chewy offers first-time American Journey buyers 50% off of their first bag.

Chewy offers free shipping for orders over $49. Orders under $49 have a flat $4.95 shipping rate. Chewy ships via FedEx and delivers to any home address in the contiguous United States.