I first learned about ICEPAW food at the Dog & Cat Day fair in December. Curious about the manufacturer’s assurances that Icepaw is “complete wet cat food consisting of 100% fish fillets“, I have decided to buy and test it.
Few words about Icepaw brand
The Icepaw brand with fish products for dogs and cats was created by Michael Tetzner. Michael is a multiple European and world champion in dog sledding. During his journey, he was inspired by the fish diet of Innuit dogs, thanks to which they were not only healthy but also resistant and incredibly efficient.
My tests and analysis
Icepaw cat wet food is cereal-free mono-protein foods, which means that one sachet contains proteins from only one animal. The food contains 100% fish fillets (without skeletons), which are made in Iceland from fish caught in the North Sea.
Available variants:
- Trout
- Salmon
- Cod
Price: around 1,5 EUR / 1,65 USD for 100 g
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Smell and consistency
The foods have a nice aroma and half ground and half pate consistency. Each flavor differs from each other in its analytical composition quite significantly.
Composition and analysis of Icepaw
The producer states that Icepaw cat food is complete cat food. I have checked whether it really is the complete and balanced base of a daily and diet for your cat.
I have analyzed the composition of all flavors and each flavor is described separately in the tabs below
Composition
Trout 100%, vegetable gelling agent (from red seaweed)
Additives: 100 g of food contains 1.8 g of Omega-3, of which 0.5 g is EPA and 0.7 g is DHA
Analytical composition: crude protein 13%, crude fat 14%, taurine 0.21%, crude ash 2%, sodium 0.2%, moisture 68%.
My composition analysis
- Muscle meat – 100% of the total meat content.
- No offal in the composition.
- The red seaweed gelling agent is probably Agar (a vegan gelatin replacement).
- No info on the calcium or phosphorus levels.
Taurine
210 mg
Calories
175.47kcal
My calculations of analytical components in d.m.
Proteins
40,63%
Fats
43,75%
Carbs
8,09%
Composition
100% salmon, vegetable gelling agent (from red seaweed)
Additives: 100 g of food contains 2.5 g of Omega-3, of which 0.7 g is EPA and 1 g is DHA
Analytical composition given by the manufacturer: crude protein 13%, crude fat 20%, taurine 0.22%, crude ash 2.8%, sodium 0.1%, moisture 67%.
My ingredient analysis
- Muscle meat – 100% of the total meat content.
- No offal in the composition.
- The red seaweed gelling agent is probably Agar (a vegan gelatin replacement).
- No info on the calcium or phosphorus levels.
- The analytical composition specified on the salmon food package adds up to 103.12%.
Taurine
220 mg
Calories
117.73kcal
My calculations of analytical components in d.m.
Unfortunately, making the calculations turned out to be impossible, because the analytical ingredients add up to more than 100%, so using them for the calculations would lead to unreliable results.
Composition
100% cod, vegetable gelling agent (from red seaweed)
Additives: 100 g of food contains 0.7 g of Omega-3, of which 0.2 g is EPA and 0.4 g is DHA
Analytical composition: crude protein 13%, crude fat 1.7%, taurine 0.5%, crude ash 3.7%, sodium 0.2%, moisture 67%.
My ingredient analysis
- Muscle meat – 100% of the total meat content.
- No offal in the composition.
- The red seaweed gelling agent is probably Agar (a vegan gelatin replacement).No info on the calcium or phosphorus levels.
- No info on the calcium or phosphorus levels.
Taurine
500 mg
Calories
284.11kcal
My calculations of analytical components in d.m.
Proteins
39,39%
Fats
5,15%
Carbs
42,12%
My opinion about Icepaw
At first glance, the composition of this food is perfect, very simple and natural, and it is mono-protein and mono-ingredient.
Analysis of the Icepaw cat wet food composition showed that the values of all analytical components deviate from the norm. The amount of taurine is definitely too small for domestic feed (it should be around 1500mg / kg) and there is no other supplementation in the products..
The domestic cat instinctively senses food rich in proteins and fats. Fish are an excellent source of wholesome animal protein, fat and unsaturated fatty acids from the Omega-3 and Omega-6 groups. You can read more about fish in my post Fish in cat’s diet.
Advantages
- mono-protein.
- without cereals,
- without preservatives,
- no dyes.
Disadvantages
- too low taurine content for domestic feed,
- too much carbohydrate,
- too little protein,
- too little fat in cod feed,
- too much fat in feed with sea trout and salmon,
- the analytical composition of the food with salmon is not reliable, because the sum of analytical ingredients could exceed 100% of the composition.
Based on my composition analysis, I think that Icepaw is not a complete food and is not suitable as the basis for a daily and balanced diet (unless very heavily supplemented). However, I think that the taste and aroma make Icepaw a great treat or complimentary food served “from time to time”.
My cat’s opinion
Apollo usually does not like fish flavors, which is why I was very curious about Icepaw. It turned out that my fears did not come true. My cat ate cod and salmon willingly, but he didn’t like Trot at all. Of course, tastes are not discussed, because your cat can taste something completely different.
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What do You think?
I would love to see your thought, suggestions and questions in the comments below!
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