Published May 1, 2025
Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com
SquarePet offers premium cat foods designed to support the nutritional needs of cats. SquarePet’s VFS Powercat formulas are high in meat-based protein and low in carbohydrates when compared to most dry cat food formulas. We’ve rated SquarePet’s VFS Powercat formulas on ingredient quality, species-appropriateness, recalls, and more. Read our SquarePet cat food review to find out if this brand lives up to its nutritional claims.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating SquarePet 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 – 8/10
- Ingredient Quality – 10/10
- Product Variety – 4/10
- Price – 5/10
- Customer Experience – 10/10
- Recall History – 10/10
Overall Score: 7.8/10
We give SquarePet cat food a 47 out of 60 rating or a B+ grade.
Why Trust Cats.com
Before reviewing SquarePet’s VFS Powercat food, we conducted extensive research about the brand and products offered. We looked at the brand’s background, processes, and rated the nutritional quality of their food—focusing on the food’s ingredients—using the Cats.com Standard. We also looked at product reviews to find out what cat owners think about SquarePet’s VFS Powercat food.
About SquarePet
SquarePet Nutrition LLC, based in Austin, Texas, was founded in 2018. The family-owned company was created by Peter Atkins, who spent decades working in the pet food industry, co-founding Natura Pet Products in 1992. After some time away from pet food, Atkins and his wife Nancy partnered with their sons—veterinarian Travis Atkins, DVM, and Tyler Atkins—to create SquarePet, with the mission of creating “premium, veterinarian-formulated diets to improve the health and well-being of pets.”
SquarePet’s VFS (Veterinarian Formulated Solutions) diets are designed by a team of PhD animal nutritionists and veterinarians. The complete-and-balanced recipes are formulated and confirmed by nutritional laboratory testing to meet the nutritional standards established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages. The company also performs digestibility and stool quality feeding studies on their diets.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
SquarePet VFS Powercat diets are made in Minnesota in a SQF-certified facility. The Safe Quality Food Program is a globally recognized food safety and quality management system. All SquarePet diets undergo nutritional and microbial lab testing before being released and sold.
The company states that it uses “high-quality, responsibly sourced ingredients,” though it doesn’t offer specifics about what makes their ingredients high quality responsibly sourced. However, you can see where many of the ingredients are sourced by visiting the product page on SquarePet’s website and hovering your cursor over each item on the ingredients list. Although not every ingredient is specified, many of them are—for instance, turkey from South Dakota, chicken from Minnesota and salmon oil from Iceland. The company also says its products are “all natural” and contain no artificial ingredients.
Recall History
At the time of this review, none of SquarePet’s products, including their cat foods, have been recalled.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does SquarePet Offer?
SquarePet offers just two dry cat foods: VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken for Cats and VFS Powercat Herring & Salmon for Cats. Although SquarePet sells canned food for dogs, the brand does not currently offer wet food for cats.
Both VFS Powercat formulas contain more than 92% animal protein and are very low in carbohydrates (less than 8% dietary starch). Neither of the two cat diets contain peas, legumes, lentils, or grains. Other ingredients found in small amounts include fruits and vegetables, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and probiotics.
SquarePet Cat Food—Top 2 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Main Protein | Calories Per Ounce | Price | Our Grade |
| VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken for Cats | Dry | Chicken and turkey | 114 kcal/oz | $0.36 | B+ |
| VFS Powercat Herring & Salmon for Cats | Dry | Herring and salmon | 117 kcal/oz | $0.41 | B+ |
#1 VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken
Both of SquarePet’s cat diets contain multiple meat ingredients. This recipe prominently features turkey and chicken, as well as salmon slightly further down on the ingredients list. This recipe also contains potatoes, chicken fat, natural chicken flavor (a concentrated chicken-based protein), cranberries, tomatoes, apples, carrots, miscanthus grass for fiber, salmon oil for omega-3 fatty acids, chicory root, taurine, vitamins and minerals, and probiotics.
Measured as dry matter, this recipe contains about 53% crude protein and about 20% fat. The food’s dry matter carbohydrate content is about 23%. The carb content is lower than average for dry cat food, with most dry foods falling somewhere between 30% and 40% carbohydrates. This is species-appropriate for cats, which are obligate carnivores with no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates in their diet.
Overall, SquarePet’s VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken recipe appears to be a high-protein, moderate-fat recipe with lower levels of carbohydrates than are typically found in a dry cat food. It contains no artificial additives and prominently features high-quality animal protein in the ingredients.
This food contains about 114 calories per ounce and is nutritionally complete for cats in all life stages (kittens and adults).
Ingredients
Turkey, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Salmon, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Cranberries, Tomatoes, Apples, Carrots, Miscanthus Grass, Salmon Oils Source of DHA, Chicory Root, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Magnesium Proteinate, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Selenium Selenite), Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product.
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
What We Liked:
- Contains high-quality meat ingredients
- Contains more than 53% dry matter protein
- Contains fewer carbohydrates than many dry foods
- Relies on animal-sourced fat
What We Didn’t Like:
- No dry food provides the moisture cats need
#2 VFS Powercat Herring & Salmon
This fish-based recipe features herring and salmon, plus potatoes, sunflower oil, flaxseed, miscanthus grass for fiber, natural vegetarian flavor (a concentrated yeast-based protein), cranberries, tomatoes, apples, carrots, chicory root, taurine, vitamins and minerals, and probiotics.
Measured as dry matter, this recipe contains about 49% crude protein and about 22% fat. The food’s dry matter carbohydrate content is about 25%. As with SquarePet’s VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken recipe, the carb content of this recipe is lower than average for dry cat food, with most dry foods falling somewhere between 30% and 40% carbohydrates.
Overall, SquarePet’s VFS Powercat Herring & Salmon recipe appears to be a high-protein, moderate-fat recipe with lower levels of carbohydrates than are typically found in a dry cat food. It contains no artificial additives and prominently features high-quality animal protein in the ingredients. This recipe contains no animal protein other than fish, so it might be appropriate for cats that have allergies or intolerances to non-fish meats, such as poultry, lamb, and beef.
This food contains about 117 calories per ounce and is nutritionally complete for cats in all life stages (kittens and adults).
Ingredients
Herring, Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, Potatoes, Sunflower Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseed, Miscanthus Grass, Natural Vegetarian Flavor, Cranberries, Tomatoes, Apples, Carrots, Chicory Root, Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Proteinate, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Selenium Selenite), Salt, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product.
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
What We Liked:
- Contains high-quality meat ingredients
- Contains about 49% dry matter protein
- Contains fewer carbohydrates than many dry foods
What We Didn’t Like:
- No dry food provides the moisture cats need
What Do Customers Think of SquarePet Cat Food?
We found a handful of reviews of the two VFS Powercat formulas on SquarePet’s website and Chewy. Most reviews are positive, with pet parents saying they are happy to find a high-quality, high-protein, low-carb dry cat food and reporting that their cats enjoy eating the food. A few negative reviews mentioned that the food did not agree with their cat, causing stomach upset, or that their cats would not eat the food.
Positive Reviews
“Our 4 year old rescue loves his PowerCat. We had been feeding him the seafood version of this dry food, which he loves, and decided to try the turkey/chicken option this time around. Simon loves this flavor too, so I guess we’ll alternate between the two when it’s time to order again. Thank you for making a low carb, high protein dry cat that is always a hit! Gail and Marty T.”—by Gail Tauber, reviewing SquarePet VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken, on April 8, 2025
“My cat was diagnosed with Diabetes. We caught it early. Vet recommended prescription food, however I have two other cats living in the household. I did tons of research trying to find a non-prescrition food that was low in carbohydrates and came across this one, which is lower than many prescription foods. I’m happy to report my cat is in remission and no longer needs insulin. Now obviously it won’t necessarily work for every cat. My vet said she’s only ever had 2 cats go into remission but she really thinks it’s the food changes and catching it early that made the world of difference. I highly recommend this food. Very healthy and beneficial to your cat kids. I hope Chewy continues to carry this food and the manufacturer continues to make such a quality product.”—by Bridget, reviewing SquarePet VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken, on April 18, 2024
Negative Reviews
“I have 6 cats and none of them will touch this. I put some in a bowl and it was all still there 24 hours later even though they had no other dry available to them. Another one that just doesn’t work.”—by pleg, reviewing SquarePet VFS Powercat Herring & Salmon, on March 22, 2024
“Both have been fusing at meal time, giving snubs too. One of my boys has been vomiting and having bowel problems….starting to look thin around his middle in a week’s time. Today has neen severe…stepped in his diarrhea and walked all through the house. May be good for some, not mine. Going back to Blue Buffalo.”—by Victoria, reviewing SquarePet VFS Powercat Turkey & Chicken, on September 11, 2024
How Much Does SquarePet Cat Food Cost?
Dry food is generally the least expensive type of cat food. Depending on whether you choose a budget or premium diet, the cost of dry cat food can range from about $0.50 to $1 per day. SquarePet VFS Powercat food is considered a premium dry food due in part to the high-quality ingredients, especially the high proportion of animal meat ingredients. The cost of feeding SquarePet is slightly higher than average for a dry food, at about $0.63 per day for the turkey and chicken formula, and $0.71 for the herring and salmon formula.
SquarePet VFS Powercat food is calorie dense. SquarePet recommends feeding about 1/2 cup (8 ounces) per day for a 10-pound cat. As with all foods, these feeding guidelines are only a recommended starting point. Very active cats might need to eat more, and less active cats might need less. All cats eating a dry food as their primary diet need to drink enough water to make up for the lack of moisture in their food. Get your cat to drink more water by using pet fountains or placing multiple water bowls throughout the house and refilling them with fresh water daily.
Where Is SquarePet Cat Food Sold?
SquarePet cat food is sold through independent pet-supply stores. Visit the SquarePet website to search for a retailer near you. SquarePet cat food is also sold online through Chewy, as well as directly through the SquarePet website, where shipping is free for orders more than $50. You can also sign up for recurring deliveries to save 5% on orders.
Overall, Is SquarePet Cat Food a Good Choice?
SquarePet’s two dry food recipes were formulated by animal nutritionists and veterinarians. They are made with high-quality ingredients, contain high levels of animal protein, and have lower levels of carbohydrates than are found in many dry cat foods. The company appears committed to high nutritional standards and safety—the diets have undergone feeding trials and the company utilizes a “test and hold” procedure as part of the manufacturing process. At the time of this review, SquarePet cat foods have never been recalled.
Although wet foods and raw foods are generally lower in carbohydrates and contain the moisture cats need, SquarePet VFS Powercat food is a good choice for cats that only want to eat dry food or for pet owners who want the convenience or cost-effectiveness of feeding dry food.
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