Organix Cat Food Review

Organix is Castor & Pollux’s complete line of USDA-certified organic pet food.

According to the Castor & Pollux website, the company was inspired after its founders adopted Joey, “an adorable puppy with sad brown eyes”, from the humane society. The site explains that they started a pet food business simply to keep this pup satisfied.

Husband and wife team Shelley Gunton and Brian Connolly first got involved in the pet food business in 1985. A move to Hong Kong left them without an Iams equivalent food for their dog, Joey. After searching the store shelves for something equal to Iams, the two decided to do something different. They started ordering the food wholesale from a distributor in Singapore.

Ordering 50-lb bags in crates meant that they had plenty of surplus dog food, and the two started delivering the excess food to other pet-owning expatriates. They became Hong Kong’s first Iams distributor and eventually expanded their territory to include South Korea and Taiwan. But when Iams sold to Proctor and Gamble, it was time to start something new.

In 2000, they created Castor & Pollux.

Since its inception, Castor & Pollux has focused on the natural and organic pet food market. The company site says that it was the first “branded, premium quality line of natural specialty food and supplies for pets.” When Organix was created in 2003, it was the first-ever 70% organic pet food on the market.

In 2012, Castor & Pollux was acquired by Merrick Pet Care, Inc. Three years later, Merrick was acquired by Nestle Purina PetCare, the second largest pet food company in the world.

What types of cat food does Organix offer?

As the name suggests, the Organix line specializes in organic foods for dogs and cats. Since 2017, it’s been the only comprehensive line of pet food that’s USDA certified organic. 95% of all ingredients used in Organix foods are certified organic.

Let’s stop here to think about what the USDA certified organic status means.

According to the USDA National Organic Program, organic foods must be “produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation and genetic engineering may not be used.”

From a nutritional standpoint, the organic label says precious little about the quality of the food.

Organix explains that all of their recipes are made without chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, artificial preservatives, added growth hormones, or antibiotics. The recipes are formulated without corn, wheat, or soy. Every formula features organic free-range chicken or turkey as the first ingredient.

Organix cat food ingredients are sourced primarily from the United States. If ingredients aren’t available in the United States, the company sources vitamins from Germany and Canada, rabbit from France, and venison from New Zealand.

All of their foods are manufactured in the United States in a Merrick-owned facility.

Organix Cat Food Recipes

Organix offers both grain-free and grain-inclusive dry and canned cat food, along with one treat recipe.

Organix Dry Cat Food

• Grain Free Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
• Grain Free Organic Kitten Recipe
• Organic Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe

Organix Canned Cat Food

• Grain Free Organic Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
• Grain Free Organic Chicken Recipe
• Grain Free Organic Shredded Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
• Grain Free Organic Shredded Chicken Recipe
• Grain Free Organic Turkey Recipe
• Organic Turkey & Spinach Recipe
• Organic Turkey, Brown Rice & Chicken Recipe

Organix Cat Treats

• Organic Cat Treats – Chicken Recipe

Has Organix cat food ever been recalled?

Organix cat food has never been recalled.

However, it’s worth looking into Castor & Pollux’s recall history. Back in 2007, the company’s Natural Ultramix canned cat food line was recalled in 2007 due to potential cross-contamination with adulterated wheat gluten.

Organix Cat Food Coupons 2023

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Where can you buy Organix cat food?

Organix cat food is widely distributed across the United States. You’ll find it in popular chains including PetSmart, Petco, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Natural Grocers stores.

If you can’t find it in a store near you or prefer to shop online, it’s also easy to find it on the web. Organix’s online retail partners are PetSmart, Petco, Amazon, Chewy, PetFlow, and Thrive Market.

Click here to find a Organix retailer near you.

What do customers think of Organix cat food?

Let’s take a look at what customers think of a popular Organix recipe.

The Grain-Free Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe has 18 reviews on Chewy and a 4.3 out of 5 star rating. 89% of customers say they’d recommend the food.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

Positive Reviews

“My two very, very, very picky cats love this food! (They prefer the sweet potato flavor over the brown rice flavor.) And I love that it is organic because that means that it is also a more sustainably produced cat food. And it means that is kinder to the animals – cage free chickens. And kinder to the planet.” – DMSF

“Yes, it costs more. But he loves it and the food is organic and pure, which keeps him healthy over the long haul. I eat organic groceries, he eats organic cat food. The price just went up so I switched to the 10 lb bags and that’s helped keep it more reasonable.” – catmom

Negative Reviews

“We have a cat sanctuary. Overall, our cats eat wet food mixed with distilled water but we do supplement dry food as a “snack”. Not one of our 22 kitties liked this food. Even when we know their hungry, only one of them will pick at it. It’s unfortunate because it’s a very quality food. I’m hopeful that if we try another flavor, they’ll like it. This was a thumbs down from the whole group – sad to say.” – lbkinflorida

“We usually fed our cats Cator & Pollux the Chicken and potato recipe, but couldn’t get it in large bags. Ordered this instead, thinking it similar enough. None of our cats will eat it.” – Greencat

Read more customer reviews on Chewy.

Castor & Pollux Organix Grain-Free Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Cat Food Review

First 5 Ingredients: Organic Chicken, Organic Chicken Meal, Organic Pea Protein, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Peas

On the surface, this is a USDA-certified organic dry cat food centering around free-range chicken and sweet potatoes. A closer look at the ingredient list will give us deeper insights about the quality of this Organix product.

The recipe starts with fresh chicken, followed by organic chicken meal. These are both good inclusions in your cat’s food – rich in vitamins, minerals, and nourishing animal protein.

The next ingredient is organic pea protein. If you prefer to feed your cat highly biologically available animal protein, this is a disappointing addition to the label. It’s followed by organic sweet potatoes, which are marginally more nutrient-dense than white potatoes, but nevertheless high in carbohydrates and not ideal for carnivorous cats. It’s followed by organic chickpeas and organic tapioca. Like sweet potato, these are high-carbohydrate plant ingredients that help to bind the kibble.

Organic sunflower seed meal is a byproduct of sunflower seed oil extraction and is often used as a protein source in animal feeds. Again, you can think of this as a filler ingredient.

It’s followed by organic coconut oil, which is a source of fatty acids, but not ideal for cats. The next ingredient is chicken fat, which is much better-suited to your carnivorous cat.

The additive “natural flavor” is made from hydrolyzed animal tissue and increases the palatability of the food.

It precedes organic flaxseed, which is a source of fiber, antioxidants, and ALA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid that’s not ideal for cats, who derive the most benefit from animal-based omega-3’s from fish oil and krill oil.

The next ingredient is chicken liver, which is both nourishing and extremely palatable for most cats. It’s followed by organic dried alfalfa meal. Because it’s so near the bottom of the ingredient list, the protein content of this ingredient is likely negligible. It’s probably included for its phytonutrient value.

At this point, we enter into a long list of supplemental vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, along with several notable additions. The food contains a trace amount of salmon oil, which is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. It also includes organic cranberries, which may help support urinary tract health. The final ingredient is dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, a probiotic added to support digestive and immune health.

Overall, the guaranteed analysis indicates that this food is 32% crude protein minimum, 14% crude fat minimum, and approximately 39.5% carbohydrates.

It’s a plant-heavy kibble with more carbohydrates and less water than your cat needs. This formula is a good example of a product that appeals more to human food interests than your cat’s biological needs. Remember that peas, sweet potatoes, and tapioca are no better than corn and wheat. They’re just more fashionable.

The food is available in a 3-lb bag, a 6-lb bag, and a 10-lb bag.

According to the company’s feeding guidelines for the average 10-lb cat, this food costs between $.63 and $.83 per day.

This daily feeding cost estimate is based on Chewy prices and excludes shipping costs.