The scores
Smalls Smooth Bird Fresh Chicken Recipe Pate Cat Food: A (90/100) — Cooked-fresh. Chicken at one, chicken liver at two. Human-grade USDA production. 73% moisture.
Primal Freeze-Dried Nuggets Chicken & Salmon Formula Cat Food: A (90/100) — Freeze-dried raw. Chicken with bone at one, chicken liver at two, salmon at three. 10 organic produce ingredients. Test-and-hold third-party-lab pathogen testing plus probiotic competitive exclusion.
Both sit at A/90 under Fresh Food Rubric v1.0. They represent different paths to the same rubric ceiling.
How the ingredients compare
Smalls (Smooth Bird Chicken): Chicken, chicken liver, green beans, water sufficient for processing, dried yeast, tricalcium phosphate, kale, magnesium proteinate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dandelion greens, dried kelp, taurine, zinc and iron proteinates, cod liver oil, salt, full vitamin and B-complex supplementation.
Primal (Freeze-Dried Nuggets Chicken & Salmon): Chicken with ground bone, chicken livers, salmon, organic kale, organic squash, organic carrots, organic apples, organic pumpkin seeds, organic sunflower seeds, organic parsley, organic broccoli, organic blueberries, organic cranberries, organic apple cider vinegar, dried yeast, montmorillonite clay, salt, taurine, fish oil, cod liver oil, organic coconut oil, vitamin E supplement, dried organic kelp, organic ground alfalfa.
Primal delivers a dual-protein open (chicken-plus-salmon) rather than Smalls’s single-protein chicken. Primal’s entire plant-matter portion is USDA-certified organic, which is distinctive even within the premium category.
Where Smalls pulls ahead
Cooked-fresh eliminates raw-format pathogen considerations. No HPP question, no test-and-hold dependency, no CDC/AVMA raw-food caveat. For households with infants, immunocompromised adults, or adults over 65, this is the decisive factor.
Native moisture. 73% vs 3% (Primal before rehydration). Primal delivers its moisture-benefit only if the owner reconstitutes consistently; Smalls delivers hydration out of the container with no prep. For cats with Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, chronic kidney disease, or urinary crystals, this is a real clinical advantage.
No rehydration step. Spoon from container to bowl. Primal needs 3-5 minutes of water reconstitution to hit wet-food texture. Shop on Amazon →
Where Primal holds its own
Dual-protein animal open. Chicken + liver + salmon in the first three slots broadens the amino-acid spectrum and layers in native EPA and DHA from the salmon base. For cats with inflammation issues, skin-and-coat concerns, or early-stage CKD (where EPA+DHA support is recommended per ACVIM 2023 CKD consensus), the fish-forward profile is clinically useful.
Full-organic produce layer. 10 organic plant ingredients plus organic apple cider vinegar, organic coconut oil, organic kelp, and organic alfalfa. The entire plant-matter portion is USDA-certified organic — unusual even within the premium category. Real phytonutrient diversity (carotenoids, anthocyanins, sulforaphane).
Documented pathogen-control program. Lot-by-lot test-and-hold third-party testing for Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria before product ships, plus probiotic competitive exclusion. Smalls benefits from the cooked format (heat kills pathogens) without a specifically documented pathogen-testing program.
Pantry-stable storage. Freeze-dried nuggets live in the pantry; no freezer or fridge space needed until opened. Smalls requires freezer storage plus thaw time.
All-life-stages AAFCO. Primal is formulated for all life stages. Smalls is adult-maintenance only. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
Both cat foods earned an A (90/100) under the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0 — a measurable tie. The decision is context-driven. Households with medically vulnerable members, urinary-history cats, or no freezer space should pick Smalls. Households wanting dual-protein chicken+salmon, full-organic produce, pantry-stable storage, or all-life-stages substantiation should pick Primal Freeze-Dried Nuggets Cat.
Compare Smalls & Primal Cat →