Last updated Mar 31, 2023
We’ve rated Encore on ingredient quality, species-appropriateness, recalls, and more. Read our Encore cat food review to learn how this brand stacks up.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Encore On What Matters
We’ve rated the brand on six key criteria for quality. Here’s how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 6/10
- Ingredient Quality – 8/10
- Product Variety – 7/10
- Price – 7/10
- Customer Experience – 8/10
- Recall History – 10/10
Overall Score: 7.6/10
In total, we give Encore cat food a 46 out of 60 rating or a B+ grade.
About Encore
Originally launched for the UK grocery market in 2008, Encore Pet Food is now sold around the world. Encore belongs to the Making Pet Food Matters (MPM) family along with other brands like Applaws, Reveal, and Nature’s Calling. MPM was co-founded in 2002 by Roger Wood, Roger Coleman, and Jon Kinsey when they decided they wanted to feed their own pets better.
Marketed to “time-strapped but welfare-conscious consumers interested in feeding their cats and dogs the very best in natural nutrition,” Encore offers a variety of wet and dry food options for pets made with 100% natural ingredients and up to 75% real meat.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
All of Encore’s cat foods are made with “more real meat and absolutely no unnecessary cereals, fillers, or additives.” Encore works directly with suppliers and follows strict standards of practice to ensure quality. Their fish are wild-caught from sustainable sources and their tuna accredited by Earth Island Institute. Encore uses barn-raised chicken.
When it comes to the sourcing of their ingredients, Encore partners with a number of specialist suppliers in the UK, Spain, France, Austria, Thailand, Australia, and the USA. Encore’s wet cat food is produced in Thailand in human food manufacturing facilities.
Recall History
Our research didn’t reveal any product recalls in the history of the Encore brand.
What Kinds Of Cat Food Does Encore Offer?
Encore offers a variety of wet food and dry food products for cats. Their wet foods are sold in pouches, tins, and pots. They also offer a limited selection of fish fillet treats.
The important thing to note about Encore is that the majority of their products are not nutritionally complete. Most of Encore’s products for cats feature fresh fish or chicken with broth and are designed for complementary feeding. Their dry food formulas are complete and balanced.
What Do Customers Think Of Encore Cat Food?
Encore appears to be a smaller company, so we weren’t surprised that we couldn’t find many reviews. The company doesn’t post reviews on their own website, so our search was limited to Amazon where we found one product with about 250 reviews.
Of the reviews we found, the majority were positive. Many customers found their cats loved the flavor of Encore wet foods and they appreciate the lack of artificial additives. Of the negative comments, several mentioned an unpleasant odor for some of the chicken products.
Let’s take a look at a few reviews from Encore’s most popular recipe on Amazon.
Positive Reviews
“My elderly cat is very picky, so we mix his usual pouches with various special supplementary foods/treats, and this Encore Chicken with Brown Rice is much appreciated! There is quite a lot of broth/juice in the sachet, although the chicken does not separating/softening up with a fork when serving. Of course he sometimes leaves rice grains – but never the chicken!” – B. Wilson reviewing Encore Cat Pouch Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
“My cats love this stuff! Was worried it would take them a while to get used to it, as we all know cats don’t like change, but after the first suspicious sniff, they really tucked in. 4 weeks later my eldest cat is looking so much healthier, her coat has regained it’s gloss, she seems brighter in herself, and has gained the weight she needed (without putting on too much). My 13 year old, who has always been on the porky side, has lost a little weight.” – Emma M. Law reviewing Encore Cat Pouch Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
Negative Reviews
“Anywhere else that I’ve bought this (Tesco, ASDA & Sainsburys) it has been of better quality, less water and the chicken doesn’t smell strongly like this. I bought 16 packs and had to go out and buy another load due to my cats not touching it.” – Supertrash reviewing Encore Cat Pouch Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
“This is a very good quality food for cats .. looks tasty & smells very appetizing (to me – a mere human) bit expensive for me as I have five cats to look after. I bought for my elderly female cat and she enjoyed the first couple of pouches but then seemed disinterested. So I guess not powerful enough in taste or smell or both?” – Cherrybuns reviewing Encore Cat Pouch Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
Encore Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Main Protein Source | Calories | Price | Our Grade |
| Encore Tuna Fillet with Crab in Broth Pot | Wet | Tuna | N/A | £1.00 per oz | B+ |
| Encore Chicken Breast with Brown Rice in Broth Pouch | Wet | Chicken | N/A | £1.00 per oz | B+ |
| Encore Chicken with Salmon Dry Food | Dry | Chicken | N/A | £7.30 per kg | B- |
#1 Encore Tuna Fillet with Crab in Broth Pot
One of Encore’s complementary cat food recipes, this formula features fresh tuna fillet and crab with rice in a rich broth. Because it is a complementary formula, it isn’t necessary to include any supplements so the list of ingredients is short and simple. Just remember that it won’t provide your cat with all the nutrients he needs – it should be paired with a nutritionally complete cat food.
While this may only be a complementary cat food, it could be beneficial for overweight cats. Being high in protein, moisture, and fish flavor but low in fat and calories, it might make for a satisfying treat.
Overall, this is a protein- and moisture-rich complementary food low in fat with very limited carbohydrate content.
Ingredients
Tuna Fillet, Fish Broth, Rice, Crab
| Ingredients We Liked | Ingredients We Didn’t Like | Common Allergens |
| Tuna Fillet
Crab |
Rice | Fish |
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Packed with animal-based protein
- Contains the moisture your cat needs
- Could be a good choice for overweight cats
Cons
- Not nutritionally complete
- Contains some added plant ingredients (rice)
#2 Encore Chicken Breast with Brown Rice in Broth Pouch
Another complementary cat food product, this recipe features fresh chicken breast rather than fish. It’s packed in a flavorful broth with brown rice.
We like that this recipe is incredibly simple – nothing but chicken, brown rice, and broth. Because it’s a complementary recipe, we’re unsure why the brown rice would be included at all except potentially as a cost-saver. We appreciate that 75% of the formula is made up of chicken, however, and we like that this product is a rich source of moisture and animal-based protein.
Overall, this is a protein- and moisture-rich complementary food low in fat with very limited carbohydrate content.
Ingredients
Chicken Breast, Chicken Broth, Brown Rice.
| Ingredients We Liked | Ingredients We Didn’t Like | Common Allergens |
| Chicken Breast | Brown Rice | Chicken |
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Rich source of animal-based protein
- Plenty of moisture to support hydration
- Limited list of ingredients
Cons
- Not nutritionally complete
- Contains some added plant ingredients (brown rice)
#3 Encore Chicken With Salmon Dry Food
Encore currently offers two dry food formulas, a chicken recipe and this recipe with both salmon and chicken. Both contain 80% animal protein and are nutritionally complete.
This formula features dry chicken meal and dry salmon meal as the top two ingredients, followed by chicken mince (fresh chicken). You’ll also find fresh salmon as a source of supplemental protein. We’re not quite sure what’s involved in the chicken and fish gravies, though they likely provide moisture, flavor, and potentially help with consistency.
For a dry food, this recipe contains a fairly limited number of plant ingredients, though it’s difficult to judge the carbohydrate content since the moisture content isn’t listed on the website. If we estimate it around 10%, however, we’d end up with an estimated carbohydrate content around 20% as fed.
Overall, this appears to be a protein-rich dry food that is fairly high in fat and added carbohydrates but free from artificial additives.
Ingredients
Dry Chicken Meal, Dry Salmon Meal, Chicken Mince, Potato, Salmon, Beet Pulp, Brewer’s Yeast, Salmon Oil, Chicken Gravy, Fish Gravy, Vitamins and Minerals, Dried Egg, Cellulose, Plant Fiber, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Seaweed/Kelp, Cranberry, DL-Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Yucca Extract, Citrus Extract, Rosemary Extract.
| Ingredients We Liked | Ingredients We Didn’t Like | Common Allergens |
| Chicken Meal
Salmon Meal Chicken Mince Salmon Salmon Oil |
Potato
Brewer’s Yeast |
Chicken
Fish |
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Packed with animal-based protein
- Rich in omega-3 fatty acids from salmon oil
- Free from artificial additives and by-products
Cons
- Doesn’t contain the moisture your cat needs
- Contains some unnecessary plant ingredients
How Much Does Encore Cat Food Cost?
The cost of Encore cat food varies depending on where you buy it. In some stores like Sainsbury’s it looks like both the 70g cans and pouches sell for about £1 each. The only Encore product available on Amazon in the U.S. is the chicken and brown rice pouch, sold in a 16-pack for $29.99.
Overall, Is Encore Cat Food A Good Choice?
Encore is unique among cat food companies because they almost exclusively sell complementary cat food products. It’s important to keep this in mind when choosing this brand – a diet of only Encore wet foods won’t provide the nutrients your cat needs for balanced nutrition. This is the primary reason we gave their wet foods only a B+ rating despite high animal protein and low moisture content.
Generally speaking, Encore appears to be a decent quality brand. Their dry food formulas are on par with other mid-shelf brands in terms of quality and carbohydrate content. If you’re looking for a brand that will provide all the nutrients your cat needs, however, we’d recommend shopping elsewhere and saving Encore for occasional treats.
Where Is Encore Cat Food Sold?
As a UK-based cat food company, you’re unlikely to find Encore cat food in U.S. pet food stores. You can shop for Encore in local pet stores in the UK or buy online from major retailers like Amazon, Wilko, ZooPlus, Morrisons, Waitrose, or Ocado.
Is’nt Encore the same company as Reveal in US and Canada with just different name?
It’s owned by the same company, and the formulations do look similar!
The Encore cta food pouches are very badly designed. Ut is almost impossible to get all of the contents out due to the hard plastic folds at the bottom of the pouch. Seeing as this is premium priced cat food (my cat likes it and she is especially fussy), it would be helpful if the pounches could be redesigned. Not sure how to get this messgae across to the manufacturers. Perhaps you can help??