Sundown March 27th begins the observation of Passover, an 8-day Spring celebration of the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Through certain rituals, modern-day Jews have the ability to relive and experience the true freedom their ancestors gained.
From the evening of March 27th through the evening of April 4th, in recognition of the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate when they left Egypt, Jews do not eat – or keep in their possession – any chametz, or grains that can become chametz. This includes any food or drinks that contain even a trace of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives.
Because cats are family members, sharing our homes and mealtimes, joining us in celebrations, and because Jews cannot be in possession of these grains during Passover, we’ve compiled this list of Passover-approved cat foods that are highly recommended for quality, healthfulness, and taste.
Please note. There are many other cat foods that do not contain chametz in them. This is the only HEALTHY Kosher For Passover list. We have eliminated companies with a history of recalls or products that include corn and rice – which although permitted in cat food on Passover – is actually not recommended for most cats.
The Catington Post Kosher For Passover Cat Food List
DRY FOOD:
Castor & Pollux ORGANIX Grain Free Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato
Castor & Pollux ORGANIX Grain Free Organic Kitten
Castor & Pollux PRISTINE Grain Free Free-Range Chicken & Turkey
Castor & Pollux PRISTINE Grain Free Wild Caught Salmon
Castor & Pollux PRISTINE Grain Free Wild Caught Tune & Whitefish
Essence Air & Gamefowl
Essence Ocean & Freshwater
Essence Ranch & Meadow
Fussie Cat Salmon
Fussie Cat Salmon & Chicken
Fussie Cat Chicken & Turkey
Fussie Cat Guineafowl & Turkey Meal
Fussie Cat Quail & Duck Meal
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Real Chicken + Sweet Potato
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Real Salmon + Sweet Potato
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Real Duck + Sweet Potato
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Complete Care Hairball Control
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Complete Care Sensitive Stomach
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Complete Care Weight Control
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Indoor Adult
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Indoor Senior
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Healthy Kitten
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Healthy Senior
Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Game Bird
Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Pacific Catch
Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Kitten
Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Mature
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Real Chicken
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Real Salmon
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Real Turkey
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Real Tuna + Chickpeas
Petcurean Now Fresh Grain Free Kitten Food
Petcurean Now Fresh Grain Free Fish
Petcurean Now Fresh Grain Free Senior
Petcurean Now Fresh Grain Free Adult
Petcurean go! Carnivore Grain Free Salmon + Cod
Petcurean go! Carnivore Grain Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck
Petcurean go! Sensitivities Grain Free Duck
Petcurean go! Sensitivities Grain Free Pollock
Petcurean go! Skin + Coat Care Grain Free Salmon
Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Kibble Cage-Free Chicken
Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Kibble Wild-Caught Salmon
Stella & Chewy’s Raw Blend Cage Free Recipe
Wellness Complete Health all Grain Free Recipes
Wellness CORE all Grain Free varieties
Wellness CORE RawRev Original + Turkey
Wellness CORE RawRev Indoor + Turkey
WET FOOD:
Castor & Pollux ORGANIX All grain free varieties
Castor & Pollux PRISTINE All varieties
Essence Air & Gamefowl
Essence Ocean & Freshwater
Essence Ranch & Meadow
Fussie Cat all varieties
Merrick Purrfect Bistro all varieties
Merrick Backcountry all varieties
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet all varieties
Petcurean Now Fresh all varieties
Petcurean go! Carnivore all varieties
Petcurean go! Sensitivities all varieties
Stella & Chewy’s Marvelous Morsels all varieties
Stella & Chewy’s Purrfect Paté all varieties
Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Cravings all varieties
Wellness Complete Health Paté all varieties
Wellness Complete Health Gravies all varieties
Wellness Complete Health Minced all varieties
Wellness Complete Health Sliced all varieties
Wellness Complete Health Morsels all varieties
Wellness Healthy Indulgence all varieties
Wellness CORE all varieties
Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters all varieties
Wellness CORE 95% all varieties
Wellness CORE Hearty Cuts all varieties
Wellness CORE Signature Selects all varieties
Please note that Evangers Pet Food offers products manufactured under Rabbinic Supervision. However, with their history of recalls and FDA Warnings, we cannot recommend you feed your pets Evangers foods at this time.
There are other Passover-friendly cat foods available in addition to this list. Look for grain-free options or, if your cat’s diet includes grain, look for those with rice as the only grain. While corn is an acceptable grain to feed during Passover, it is proven to be an unhealthy ingredient for cats and should be avoided. The Passover-approved cat foods on this list would all make excellent choices for feeding your cat year-round, too!
Don’t forget to find grain-free treats for your furriest family members, too! Great options are Loving Pets Purely Natural freeze-dried treats in shrimp, beef lung, chicken, and buffalo varieties or Wellness Kittles Grain Free Crunchy Treats in salmon, chicken, or tuna.
If you’d like to learn more about feeding your pets during Passover, check out this Q & A from Star-K on the topic:
Q. Are “grain-free” pet foods acceptable?
A. There has been a proliferation of “grain-free” dog and cat foods on the market. While we still recommend checking the ingredient panel on those foods, they are a good place to start your search for an appropriate food.
Q. Is it necessary to buy a new food bowl for your pet for Pesach?
A. No. However, the bowl used year-round should be thoroughly cleaned before Pesach.
Q. If I am going away for Pesach, what should I do with my pet fish?
A. Vacation blocks often have chometz. One can purchase a block without chometz or use an automatic fish feeder and fill it with non-chometz food.
Q. During a Pesach visit to the zoo, may one purchase the animal feed?
A. No. This feed is often chometz and should not be purchased or fed to the animals during Pesach.
Q. Must pet food with chometz be put away and sold before Pesach?
A. Yes.
Q. Can kitniyos, such as rice and beans, be fed to animals on Pesach?
A. Yes.
Q. What are some common chometz ingredients in pet food?
A. Wheat (cracked, flour, germ, gluten, ground, groats, middlings, starch), barley (cracked, flour), oats (flour, groats, hulled), pasta, rye, and brewer’s dried yeast. Any questionable ingredient should be reviewed by a competent rabbinic authority.
Q. What are some common ingredients which may be kitniyos but are permitted in pet food?
A. Beans, buckwheat, brewer’s rice, corn, grain sorghum (milo), millet, peanuts, peas, rice, sesame, soybeans, soy flour, and sunflower.
Q. Is pet food “with gravy” permitted?
A. Most often gravy contains chometz. Read the ingredient panel carefully.
Q. Are the vitamins or minerals in pet food chometz?
A. They may be chometz, but are batel (nullified) due to the small amount added.
We wish all of our Jewish friends a Happy (and Kosher) Passover.
