→ See the live ingredient breakdown for Orijen
What's actually in Orijen?
We analyzed Orijen Original Cat (sold before as Orijen Cat & Kitten), their flagship feline formula from Champion Petfoods. The first five ingredients are chicken, turkey, whole herring, turkey giblets (liver, heart, gizzard), and salmon.
The first ten ingredients are all animal ingredients, with organ meat (turkey giblets) at #4. That's extraordinary for any commercial cat food. Cats are obligate carnivores with a biological requirement for animal protein. Whole red lentils at #11 are the first non-animal ingredient in this grain-free formula. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The organ meat inclusion is the standout. The liver in the turkey giblets at #4 is packed with vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, and copper — nutrients cats would naturally get from prey in the wild. Chicken heart further down the list is one of the richest natural sources of taurine, an amino acid that cats cannot synthesize adequately on their own and that's essential for heart and eye health. Most cat foods add synthetic taurine; Orijen provides it from actual organ meat.
Chicken, turkey, herring, salmon, and dehydrated chicken, turkey and salmon provide protein from multiple animal species — delivering a broader amino acid profile than single-protein formulas.
Natural preservation with mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) is the gold standard. No BHA, no BHT, no artificial anything. The formula is grain-free — aligned with what cats actually need as obligate carnivores.
The not-so-good stuff
The very high protein content can be too rich for cats with sensitive digestion, especially during transition. Cats accustomed to grain-heavy budget foods may experience digestive upset if switched too quickly. A gradual 10-14 day transition is recommended — longer than the typical 7 days for most food switches.
Six legumes appear in the formula as carbohydrate sources (red lentils, pinto beans, green lentils, navy beans, chickpeas and peas), plus lentil fiber. The FDA's investigation into legume-heavy diets and potential DCM links in dogs has raised general awareness about legumes in pet food. The research is primarily focused on dogs, not cats, but it's worth noting.
How it compares
Orijen's B/79 sits 1 point above Wellness (B/78) and 11 points below Taste of the Wild (A/90).
Acana Cat, Wellness CORE Cat, and Instinct Kitten (all A/90) sit 11 points above Orijen, and Nulo (B/82) sits 3 points above it. All five are grain-free or largely grain-free, protein-forward formulas.
Against the vet-recommended brands, the gap is dramatic. Orijen scores 21 points above Hill's Science Diet (C/58) and 21 above Purina Pro Plan (C/58). These brands charge premium prices too — but the ingredient profiles aren't in the same category.
Read the full breakdown in our head-to-head comparison: Acana vs Orijen.
The bottom line
Orijen Original Cat earns a B grade (79/100) from KibbleIQ. Multiple meats, organ meats, whole fish omega-3s, and natural preservation are its strengths. Six legume ingredients through the panel are the main drawback, and the rich formula may challenge sensitive stomachs. Shop on Amazon →
Corrected 2026-10-19: we removed claims we could not support; we corrected factual errors, and grades and score comparisons that did not match our current scores.