Inaba Ciao Cat Food Review

The most popular brand of premium cat dinners and treats in Japan, Inaba Ciao is also available in many other countries today. We will take a look at this leading company and their cat foods in this unbiased review.

The Cats.com Standard – Rating Inaba Ciao Cat Food on What Matters

We have analyzed Inaba Ciao cat food and rated it according to our standards here at Cats.com. Our grades are based on the species-appropriateness of the food, the quality of the ingredients, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. You can read more about our ratings here.

Here are our ratings for Inaba Ciao in these key areas:

We give Inaba Ciao cat food a 48 out of 60 rating (80) or a A- grade.

About Inaba Ciao

Inaba provides lots of information about their history as a company on their web site. The Japanese company has a long history in the food business, dating back more than a century.

They initially specialized in harvesting seafood. Inaba became involved in the pet food business in 1958. In 1989, the Inaba Ciao brand was born after the company had been exporting to Italy for decades.

Inaba was an early innovator in canning production, freezing, and working with skipjacks and yellowfin which led to their Inaba light tuna and Inaba light tuna flakes which are still at the forefront of the market in canned tuna.

According to Inaba, they were one of the earliest companies making wet cat foods.

Along with cat foods and cat treats, Inaba also makes dog foods.

Today the company’s pet food is sold around the world. Their web site is available in 13 different languages.

Inaba emphasizes their family tradition in the food business, dating back to 1805 in Japan.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Every Inaba product is carefully made in their own state-of-the-art, FDA-registered facilities, which means they follow the same quality assurance procedures as a U.S. human food plant.

All of Inaba’s foods are 100 percent human grade. They use no by-products, no preservatives, and no artificial colors.

Inaba’s chicken breast fillets are from cage-free chickens raised on family farms close to Inaba’s facilities in Thailand. Their pure, whole muscle skipjack tuna is responsibly harvested in West Pacific waters by a select fleet of fishing boats. All the other natural ingredients in our fillet broths and Churu Purées are sourced in Thailand. Every ingredient used by Inaba is human grade.

Each batch of wild-caught tuna arrives at the processing facility with a certificate of origin specifying where and how it was harvested. Inaba only works with fisheries that employ dolphin-friendly fishing techniques, in accordance with the best practices of environmental responsibility and sustainability.

All Inaba CIAO products packaged for sale in North America are produced in Saraburi, Thailand at the company’s wholly-owned and operated, state-of-the-art plant.

Inaba has a factory that opened in China in 2004. They also have headquarters in the United States.

Inaba’s packaging materials also have special oxygen-blocking properties to protect the food and your cat’s health.

Has Inaba Ciao Cat Food Been Recalled?

We didn’t find any recalls for Inaba in the United States in either the AVMA or U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) databases. It’s more difficult to ascertain if there have ever been any recalls for the products in other countries but nothing showed up online.

What Kinds of Cat Food Does Inaba Ciao Offer?

According to Inaba, the company makes over 300 products. The family believes in giving pet lovers healthy options for their cats. They say that their treats are low-calorie, grain-free, filled with moisture, and prepared without preservatives or artificial colors.

The meat used is derived from farm-raised chicken, naturally raised on closely supervised farms, with our deep-sea tuna sustainably harvested and certified dolphin-safe.

Inaba makes broths, stews, treats, and a variety of wet cat foods. Most of their foods are chicken or seafood-based.

We found the following cat products on the Inaba website:

• Chicken Broth – Chicken
• Chicken Broth – Chicken & Salmon
• Chicken Broth – Chicken & Scallop
• Chicken Broth – Chicken & Tuna
• Chicken Stew – Chicken
• Chicken Stew – Chicken & Tuna
• Chicken Stew – Chicken with Cheese
• Chicken Stew – Chicken with Salmon
• Churu Bites – Chicken
• Churu Bites – Tuna
• Churu Bites – Tuna with Salmon
• Churu Bites – Tuna with Scallop
• Churu Chicken
• Churu Chicken Varieties 50 Tubes
• Churu Chicken Varietes Bag 20 Tubes
• Churu Chicken Variety Bag 10 Tubes
• Churu Chicken with Beef
• Churu Chicken with Cheese
• Churu Chicken with Crab Flavor
• Churu Chicken with Scallop
• Churu Chicken with Shrimp Flavor
• Churu Pops Chicken
• Churu Pops Tuna
• Churu Pops Tuna with Chicken
• Churu Rolls – Chicken
• Churu Rolls – Tuna
• Churu Rolls – Tuna with Scallop
• Churu Seafood Varieties Bag 20 Tubes
• Churu Skin & Coat Chicken
• Churu Skin & Coat Chicken with Scallop
• Churu Skin & Coat Tuna
• Churu Skin & Coat Tuna with Scallop
• Churu Tuna
• Churu Tuna & Chicken Variety 50 Tubes
• Churu Tuna Varieties 50 Tubes
• Churu Tuna Varieties 20 Tubes
• Churu Tuna Variety Bag 10 Tubes
• Churu Tuna with Beef
• Churu Tuna with Chicken
• Churu Tuna with Salmon
• Churu Tuna with Scallop
• Grilled Chicken Fillet 10 Pack
• Grilled Chicken Extra Tender in Crab Broth
• Grilled Chicken in Chicken Broth
• Grilled Chicken in Crab Broth
• Grilled Chicken in Scallop Broth
• Grilled Chicken in Shrimp Broth
• Grilled Tuna Fillet 10 Pack
• Grilled Tuna Extra Tender in Tuna Broth
• Grilled Tuna in Calamari Broth
• Grilled Tuna in Crab Broth
• Grilled Tuna in Homestyle Broth
• Grilled Tuna in Scallop Broth
• Grilled Tuna in Shrimp Broth
• Grilled Tuna in Tuna Broth
• Juicy Bites Fish & Clam Flavor
• Juicy Bites Homestyle Broth & Calamari Flavor
• Juicy Bites Scallop & Crab Flavor
• Juicy Bites Shrimp & Seafood Mix Flavor
• Juicy Bites Tuna & Chicken Flavor
• Twin packs of various products

Inaba Ciao Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

#1 Inaba Ciao Grain-Free Grilled Chicken Fillet in Chicken Flavored Broth Cat Treat Review

Buy On Chewy Buy On Amazon

Inaba Ciao cat foods are made by a family that has been involved in harvesting tuna for eight generations. They have been making cat food since 1958. With decades of experience and a devotion to cat lovers, Inaba Ciao only uses 100 percent human grade ingredients with no by-products, no fillers, and no artificial preservatives or artificial colors. They offer cats a remarkable variety of options, all with good health and happiness in mind.

We chose Inaba Ciao Grain-Free Grilled Chicken Fillet in Chicken Flavored Broth Cat for this review. Chicken is one of the proteins that Inaba most commonly uses, along with tuna.

Their grilled chicken fillets are from the chicken breast. They come from cage-free chickens raised in Thailand near Inaba’s own company facilities.

Their facilities meet all United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) standards. The food is technically human grade which means every food item in the facility is suitable for human consumption (though people should not eat food intended for pets).

The fillets in the grilled chicken in chicken broth are hand-cut. They are lightly grilled and placed in a savory broth. The food is grain-free. The fillets can be fed to your cat by hand or you can place them in your cat’s feeding dish. They also make a good food topper.

This food is also high in moisture which is good for your cat’s health. Many cats don’t drink enough water or get enough moisture if left on their own.

These chicken fillets are also low in calories. Each one is about 28 calories.

The food is vacuum-packed for freshness.

As with many healthy foods, these Inaba Ciao grilled chicken fillets only contain a few ingredients. Chicken is the primary ingredient. Otherwise, the food contains natural chicken flavored broth, vitamin E supplement which is a natural preservative, and green tea extract. Green tea extract is a source of antioxidants and a natural preservative.

As a delicious treat for your cat, Inaba Ciao Grain-Free Grilled Chicken Fillet in Chicken Flavored Broth features healthy ingredients from good sources. These treats seem typical of the quality cat products made by Inaba Ciao. We think cats should enjoy them.

This food has 1118 kcal/kg, 28 kcal per piece ME (calculated).

Ingredients

Chicken, Natural Chicken Flavored Broth, Vitamin E Supplement, Green Tea Extract.

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken from responsible sources, natural preservatives, green tea extract as a source of antioxidants

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 18%

Crude Fat: 0.8%

Crude Fiber: 0.5%

Moisture: 78%

Ash: 3%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 81.82%

Fat: 3.64%

Fiber: 2.27%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 90.26%

Fat: 9.74%

Pros

• Inaba Ciao uses human-grade ingredients
• The chicken comes from responsible sources
• No artificial preservatives or colors added

Cons

• The food comes from Thailand which may bother some North American customers, even though many pet food companies use facilities in Thailand for wet foods now
• The food has “natural chicken flavored broth” which is not quite the same thing as chicken broth

#2 Inaba Ciao Tuna & Chicken Flavor Juicy Bites Grain-Free Cat Treats Review

Buy On Chewy Buy On Amazon

Inaba Ciao makes a variety of cat treats, includig their Juicy Bites line. Juicy Bites are moist, bite-sized treats seasoned with natural flavors. As with other Inaba Ciao foods, they are grain-free and they have no artificial preservatives or colors. They are available in five different seafood flavors.

We chose Inaba Ciao Tuna & Chicken Flavor Juicy Bites Grain-Free Cat Treats because it is the most popular Juicy Bites flavor on Chewy.com. Each package includes three individual treat packs. Each pack has two fun shapes in two different flavors to keep your cat satisfied.

These tuna and chicken flavor Juicy Bites feature chicken and tuna as the first two ingredients. Each bite-sized treat contains just 15 calories.

Vitamin E Supplement and Green Tea Extract are listed in the ingredients. Both are natural preservatives. Green tea extract is also a good source of antioxidants.

The treats also contain tapioca. Tapcioca contains negligible nutrients. It is almost entirely made up of carbohydrates though it does have a few health benefits.

It is easy to digest and free of common allergens. It is a good thickener to use in place of things such as guar gum and carrageenan which are often used in wet pet foods.

Juicy Bites also contain paprika oleoresin. If you’re not familiar with oleoresin, it’s a way of intensifying natural spices. It’s probably used in more products than you may realize.

We’re not sure why paprika would be added to a cat treat. According to most online sources, cats should not eat paprika. Paprika oleoresin would only be a more intense version of the paprika spice.

As we noted, this is the most popular Juicy Bites flavor on Chewy.com. Many customers and their cats like these treats. However, compared to Inaba Ciao’s grilled fillets, the Juicy Bites get lower ratings from customers.

Inaba Ciao Tuna & Chicken Flavor Juicy Bites Grain-Free Cat Treats are high in protein and low in calories. As with all Inaba Ciao products, they are made using human grade ingredients with no artificial preservatives or colors. And, they are grain-free. Many customers and their cats should like these treats.

This food has 1300 kcal/kg, 15 kcal/pcs ME (calculated).

Ingredients

Chicken, Tuna, Natural Chicken Flavor, Natural Tuna Flavor, Tapioca, Vitamin E Supplement, Paprika Oleoresin, Green Tea Extract.

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, tuna, vitamin E supplement, green tea extract

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Paprika oleoresin

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 24%

Crude Fat: 2.5%

Crude Fiber: 0.5%

Moisture: 71%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 82.76%

Fat: 8.62%

Fiber: 1.72%

Carbs: 6.9%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 74.83%

Fat: 18.93%

Carbs: 6.24%

Pros

• Inaba Ciao uses farm-raised, responsibly-sourced chicken; and deep sea, dolphin-safe tuna
• Ingredients are human grade
• No artificial preservatives or colors added

Cons

• Paprika oleoresin may not agree with some cats
• The food comes from Thailand which may bother some North American customers, even though many pet food companies use facilities in Thailand for wet foods now

#3 INABA Churu Tuna Recipe Lickable Purée Natural Cat Treats Review

Buy On Chewy Buy On Amazon

Inaba also makes a complete line of churu treats for cats. These pureed treats come in 11 different flavor varieties: tuna, chicken, tuna or chicken with scallop, with beef, with shrimp, with crab flavor, and with salmon. They also have skin and coat formulas.

Inaba’s churu treats come in tubes so you can squeeze them out as treats and feed your cat by hand; or put them on your cat’s food as a topper.

Inaba’s churu treats are made from either 100 percent farm-raised chicken or 100 percent natural wild-caught tuna.

As with other Inaba foods for cats, these Churu recipes are grain-free and free of artificial preservatives and colors.  Inaba does not use carageenan. They have a creamy texture that cats seem to love.

We found Inaba Churu Tuna Recipe Lickable Puree Natural Cat Treats on Amazon.com, along with other Inaba Churu formulas. The Churu recipes have thousands of positive reviews.

Churu purees are high in moisture (91 percent for this tuna recipe) which is good for a cat’s urinary tract. They are also low in calories with just 6 kcal per tube.

The Churu tuna recipe has water as the first ingredient and tuna as the second ingredient. This recipe does include guar gum. Some cat lovers don’t like guar gum in wet cat foods but it acts as a thickener and stabilizer.

Inaba points out that, when fed by hand, Churu Tuna Lickable Puree Natural Cat Treats provide a good way for cat lovers to bond with their cats. This seems like a good point. You can simply squeeze a small amount from the top of the tube and let your cat lick it as you hold the tube. According to the company, you can also use the Churu treats to disguise medication you need to give your cat but that may depend on the cat.

Inaba’s churu treats also come in variety packs and jars with up to 50 tubes.

With pureed tuna (or chicken) as the main ingredient, these Churu cat treats from Inaba are very popular. We think many cats will enjoy them.

This food has 430 kcal/kg, 6.0 kcal/tube ME (calculated).

Ingredients

Water, Tuna, Tapioca Starch, Natural Flavors, Guar Gum, Natural Tuna Flavor, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Green Tea Extract

Ingredients We Liked: Tuna, vitamin E supplement, green tea extract, taurine

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Natural flavors, guar gum

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 7%

Crude Fat: 0.2%

Crude Fiber: 0.3%

Moisture: 91%

Ash: 4%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 77.78%

Fat: 2.22%

Fiber: 3.33%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 93.51%

Fat: 6.49%

Pros

• Inaba Ciao uses deep sea, wild-caught tuna
• Ingredients are human grade
• No artificial preservatives or colors added
• High in moisture

Cons

• “Natural flavors” is a vague ingredient
• Some customers won’t like guar gum in the food though it is a common ingredient in many cat foods

What Do Customers Think Of Inaba Ciao Cat Food?

Most customers all over the Internet give Inaba Ciao Grain-Free Grilled Chicken Fillet in Chicken Flavored Broth Cat Treat 4- and 5-star reviews. We found the following customer reviews on Chewy.com. Ninety-two percent of customers would recommend the treats.

Positive Reviews

Maji is very picky about his food. He likes to change food every few weeks. He would only eat fish and chicken fillets as dinner. The quality of this brand’s chicken fillet is top, it looks and smells very fresh compare to other brands he tried before. Only took him 30 seconds to finish one – by majicat on Mar 10, 2021

My mother’s very spoiled semi-feral cat eats these fillets to supplement his diet of albacore tuna in water and poached chicken breasts. He, who will not eat regular wet catfood of any variety, loves this product.– by Kitten on Feb 26, 2021

Negative Reviews

Expected gravy pouches with chicken, received minimally hydrated, air-sealed bags of 1″x 3″ of chicken filets. Could make freah, homemade human-grade 4oz portions for the same cost or buy a rotisserie chicken for the package cost,and cats like rotisserie chicken. This barely got a sniff.– by Epiphany4u on Jan 17, 2021

I bought this for my cats thinking they might like it as a treat. They love chicken and will try to fight me for a bite of my own food but would not touch this. Considering that this little piece of pressed chicken costs a lot more than the equivalent amount of white meat for human consumption, I will pass on future purchases.– by MissKittyD on Jan 9, 2021

How Much Does Inaba Ciao Cat Food Cost?

In the United States, Inaba Ciao is pricier than supermarket cat foods and treats. One pack of the Inaba Ciao Grain-Free Grilled Chicken Fillet in Chicken Flavored Broth Cat Treat on Chewy.com is $2.99; a pack of 6 grilled fillets is $11.34.

A 3-count of Inaba Ciao Tuna & Chicken Flavor Juicy Bites Grain-Free Cat Treats costs $5.49 at Chewy.

Inaba Churu Tuna Recipe Lickable Purée Natural Cat Treats, sold in 3-packs, each containing four tubes, cost $11.97 on Amazon.com. The churu treats are also available in larger packs with some cost savings.

Overall, Is Inaba Ciao Cat Food a Good Choice?

We think that Inaba Ciao is a top quality food with a wide variety of choices for customers. It is more expensive than many foods but the company uses human grade ingredients, no fillers, and no artificial preservatives or colors.

Plus, their chicken is responsibly farm-raised; and their tuna is deep-sea harvested and certified dolphin-safe. If these are things that matter to you about your cat’s food, the extra cost could be worth paying.

How Do You Order Inaba Ciao Cat Food?

Inaba cat foods and treats for cats are widely available on Chewy.com, Amazon, and from various brick and mortar pet food stores in many countries, including the United States.