But just because pet products and animal testing both involve animals, it doesn't mean they must be tied together. When we refer to animal testing in the pet food world, we're talking about laboratory animals being subjected to invasive tests. This is, I believe, what many animal testing advocates fail to recognize. Sadly, animal testing facilities often conduct unspeakably cruel and inhumane studies.
In this post, I'll list 35 cruelty-free pet food companies and give you options for dog food as well as cat food. But first, I want to tell you what animal testing for pet food involves.
Pet Food & Regulations
The thing is, nothing ever has to be tested on animals. Not even pet food.
Advancements in technology are allowing scientists to use microchips instead of animals to test drugs, questioning the necessity of any animal testing for any purpose.
But pet food is highly regulated in the US by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Organization). In addition to the nutritional analysis, the food has to be fed to live animals. This is called a "feeding trial".
Feeding Trials In Laboratories
In 2003, an undercover PETA investigator filmed dreadful footage inside a feeding trial laboratory. The animal testing was commissioned by renowned industry giant Iams.
The footage shows sick, neglected suffering cats and dogs confined to small cages. Dogs were thrown on the floor after their vocal chords were cut off and their back-leg muscles removed. A dog was found dead, bleeding from his mouth in his cage. The footage also showed laboratory workers talking about a live cat that had been washed down the drain. (You can read the full story via Uncaged.)
Has anything changed since? Yes and no. Thankfully the conditions are better, which isn't to say they're ideal.
Companies To Avoid
The following pet food brands still conduct laboratory feeding trials and/or test on animals in other ways. They are not cruelty-free.
- Iams (owned by Procter & Gamble)
- Hill's Science Diet (owned by Colgate-Palmolive)
- Pedigree (owned by Mars)
- Purina (owned by Nestle)
- Friskies (owned by Nestle)
- Natural Balance
- Blue Buffalo
- Whiskas (owned by Mars)
- Eukanuba (owned by Mars) Sheba
- Bakers Complete (owned by Nestle)
Humane Feeding Trials
Today, some companies choose not to conduct feeding trials on laboratory animals. These companies provide cruelty-free dog and cat food. To be in compliance with the AAFCO, these smaller, alternative trials must adhere to the following rules:
- conducted on at least 8 healthy dogs, of at least 1 year old
- the trial must run for at least 26 weeks
- the dogs must only eat the trial food, and their daily consumption must be recorded
- the dogs' weight be tracked weekly and they must undergo blood tests throughout the trial
Since these trials are not performed on laboratory animals, they do not involve animal testing. Some companies' employees will sometimes volunteer their pets for feeding trials. The pets will be weighed daily, but there's otherwise no change of lifestyle involved.
Cruelty-Free Dog Food Options
The companies below don't use laboratory animals as part of their feeding trials. They only perform humane and non-invasive feeding trials. For cruelty-free dog food, try:
Cruelty-Free Cat Food Options
Cat lovers, I've got you covered as well! Please keep in mind that unlike dogs, cats can't thrive solely on a vegan diet. They require taurine, which can only be obtained from animal-based proteins. If you're choosing a vegan food for your cat, you might want to consider a taurine (or meat) supplement. Here are some cruelty-free cat food options:
35 Cruelty-Free Companies
Need more choices? I'm going to end this post with a list of pet food companies that don't test on animals.
- Almo Nature
- The Honest Kitchen
- Weruva
- Flinch River Ranch
- Halo, Purely For Pets
- Yarrah
- Solid Gold
- V-Dog
- Stella & Chewy's
- Nutri-Vet
- Burns
- Pooch & Mutt
- Fish4Dogs
- Happy Dog Food
- Holistic Blend
- Newman's Own Organics
- CaniSource
- Fromm Family Foods
- Pet Guard
- Feline's Pride
- Oma's Pride
- Dr. Harvey's
- Primal Pet Foods
- Dingonatura
- Dynamite Marketing
- Timberwolf Organics
- Artemis Pet Food
- Pet Chef Express
- PoshNosh
- Bravo Raw Diet
- Raw Advantage
- Azmira Holistic Animal Care
- Sojourner Farms
- Sauder Feeds
- Veterinary Nutritional Formula
- Wysong Professional Diets
Which Brands Are Cruelty-Free?
Download our list of 600+ verified cruelty-free brands straight to your device. Bring it with you everywhere you go, and never worry about supporting animal testing again. Click here to download
I think Edgar and Cooper pet foods are cruelty free,available for UK. Would you be able to clarify this,so it can go on your list please.
Do you know if Advance Veterinary is cruelty free?
Thank you for this page. During lockdown I lost my cat to vomiting and diahhrea. Got onto my laptop and began digging. There was poisons in the cat food I know now. If I had only known.
Thanks for this
Our dogs are vegan. Any idea about Natures Recipe and evangers?
How are the cattle and chickens treated humanely?
Thank you!
Thank you! This was great information! My cat grew up on Science Diet and I hope I can find one on the cruelty free list that she will like. I don’t feel good about supporting Hills Science Diet anymore
I would like to comment on how you endorse these products as “cruelty free” based only on how testing animals are treated, and not how the animals whose meat is being used are treated. You could at least say “free of cruel animal testing” rather than saying is is more generally cruelty free. If fact millions of animals live a hellish life for the production of cat and dog food and we are used to this to such a great extent and have become quite disinterested in hearing about it. Please don’t feed that disinterest. We need to wake up and hear about it and protect these animals from cruelty too, or at least not claim that the hell they lived was “cruelty free.”
I agree….cruelty free for me means the sourced animal products as well.
Absolutely. Do you know of any purely vegan/vegetarian affordable dog foods? Everything keeps using the term “vegan” but then would have fish or beef or chicken as an ingredient. Not vegan at all.
Hi Syanne,
I believe Halo, V-Dog, and Wild Earth make vegan dog food (not sure the cost). Here’s a link to ethically sourced and/or vegan pet food (click on the pet food section): https://www.aspca.org/shopwithyourheart/consumer-resources/shop-your-heart-brand-list#pet
Hope this helps!
This is the response I got from Instinct, looks like they test on animals
The only testing we do is for palatability, stool scoring, and feed trials – all non-invasive and humane. At Nature’s Variety we are passionate about pets and deeply concerned for the emotional and physical health of all animals, large and small. The test facilities we contract with are under federal inspection; all animals are cared for in accordance with established animal welfare rules and sanitation standards. All animals are treated humanely and compassionately throughout their lives. These facilities have a “no-kill” policy, choosing to adopt-out the animals to loving homes after a few years. Moreover, whenever possible, we use in-home testing protocols, recruiting the voluntary services of our employees’ pets and the pets of our loyal consumers.
Thanks for this awesome comprehensive list! I just wish Do you know if these ‘cruelty free’ companies also got their meat from ‘humane’ farms and sources? Specifically, Newmans Own meat products? I haven’t been able to find out much myself.. 🙂
Do you have any information on cruelty free cat litter brands? I have been using Arm & Hammer for ages and trying to find a replacement, but all I can find is verification about cat food.
Curious if you know anything about or would know how to gather info on Fussie Cat canned cat food?
Does Beneful dog food test on animals?
Hello 🙂 First of all, I’d like to thank you for all your research and for making this website! I never buy a product without looking it up first. It’s very hard to live a cruelty-free lifestyle here in Portugal. People are still very close-minded and backwards..but fortunately there’s such a thing called online orders 🙂
Do you know if Orijen dog food is cruelty-free? I know to stay away from trash brands like royal canin and purina, whose formulas have been linked to loads of health issues in cats and dogs. Orijen has been my brand of choice for a few years, and the best that I could find here. But I’d really like to know if no animals are suffering for her belly to be full 🙂
Thanks in advance Kitty
Thank you for your kind comment! I don’t know about Orijen, but I see they’re based in Canada so I’ll have to look into it. All the best! 🙂
Wow I never thought about this topic. I don’t think it ever even crossed my mind. This is going to be something I will definitely research more about. Thanks for the post and I hope you have a great day :)!
As of January 2019, Blue Buffalo is now owned by General Mills if that means anything. Thanks for providing the truth when marketing lies.
This is eye opening I had no idea this was happening! Do you have any information on Orijen brand dog food? Hoping it’s ok.
Quick question– when you say “Veterinary Nutritional Formula”, do you mean Royal Canin? That’s the main thing that comes up when I googled VNF & our vet just suggested we switch to it, so I wanted to verify before purchasing. Thanks!
Just posted this to FB’s South Central PA Vegans. Thank you, Suzana, for your info. that helps debunk myths and promotes cruelty free products! -Carol
Hello, Friends! Here are the vegetarian and vegan food and treat options for pups. Penny is a fan of everything, especially the vegetable and kelp based Plaque Off System treats. I always give her a half of one after I brush her teeth, which I do every other day since getting her teeth cleaned after never having been before T and I adopted her (she had to have one of two possible teeth extracted as a result), and her eyes light up and she gently, but quickly snatches it and goes to another room to enjoy, and then drink lots of fresh water.
With the food (pictured on the left in the group photo), which has been around since the 70s, I mix it up a bit by adding brown rice, legumes, nuts, fruits, veggies (she esp. likes ones that have been sauteed, but they can’t be mixed with even vegetarian stock, if it includes onions, or Vegetta, since the powdered stuff has onion and garlic powder, which aren’t good for them), and a bit of coconut oil, which dogs love, and she gobbles it up! The Blue brand treats have a bit of yogurt, so they are of course not vegan.
The human products are a coconut based hand soap and body wash, which are cruelty-free and make my skin softer than it’s ever been, since I also use coconut oil for skin, plus hair and cooking. 🙂 I find the Kashi crackers to be delicious.
For skeptics, remember that the second oldest dog on record was a vegan!
If you even cut down on meat, it would greatly make an impact on the environment, and save at least some animal friends from becoming food for pets. Contrary to what commercials say, dogs do not need meat or bones, and kids do not need to be raised to think that meat has zero consequences, and just magically ends up packaged and appears on their plates. There is a reason that every meat processing plant is having trouble finding workers. Also, and many don’t think of this part, if you love cats and dogs, you might want to think about whether the food products you buy are animal tested. This link will help you with that, as well as a good food product for kitties, which can eat a vegetarian diet, but do need a taurine that is only animal based (which is another reason to spay and neuter feral cats!)
https://staging.crueltyfreekitty.com/pets/cruelty-free-pet-food/
Thanks for your patience in getting you this info. I honestly wasn’t meaning to sound judgmental about asking how vegans are able to feed their pets meat, it’s just something I’ve always wondered. Is it a difficult dilemma?
Please note that cats cannot eat a vegetarian diet and remain healthy. They are obligate carnivores (unlike dogs).
As for the dilemma in feeding our cats meat – As a vegetarian we feed our cats raw from a local company that sources meat from small local farms & from humane farms. As a vegetarian, I don’t eat meat, but I also cannot sacrifice the well-being of another living being in trying to force them to follow a diet that is completely unnatural and unhealthy for them. So for me it’s about caring for the health and well-being of my cats & doing what is best for them in the most cruelty free way.
What about Wellness Core for cats? Is it cruelty free?
Does anyone know of a company that makes cruelty free chinchilla food? Thanks
there’s a local food brand near me that in the packaging, it has a logo that says “regularly tested by laboratory tests” as well as in the description of all products it says that the product was developed/formulated/conceived (they use one of the 3 words. which one they use, depends on the product) for the animal nutrition. Is it safe to assume that it’s cruelty free?
THANK YOY! DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OXBOW?
Hi Suzana,
thanks for the info. Here is another pet food company that doesn’t test on animals
Nature’s Select Pet Foods
IS there any lists for cruelty free cat litter available?
In fussiecat.com’s FAQ, it says they do not perform any invasive animal testing in developing their products and they never will. It says: “To fine-tune our recipes, we conduct trials where our food is fed to pets. This is done in a comfortable, stress-free environment for the animals.”
Is this enough information to know if the brand is cruelty free?
I agree that these terrible conditions need to be stopped, but P&G sold Iams, Eukanuba, and Natura to Mars in 2014
Champion Petfoods is also a marvelous cruelty free brand! (Acana and Orijen)
Orijen and Acana participate in AAFCO feeding trials, it says so right on their website. So no, they are not cruelty free.
I am kind of surprised that your application of “cruelty-free” to pet food doesn’t also extend to the humane and ethical treatment of the animals sourced for the food itself. Companies like Open Farm and Tender and True provide pet food that is certified humane by third party auditors like Global Animal Partnership and Humane Farm Animal Care. I think these two companies should be added to your list and also given a distinction for how they differ from the others.
Agreed! Highly recommend Certified Humane and GAP-certified brands (in addition to no animal testing), such as Open Farm.
I am looking for an affordable cruelty free dog food. Does that exist? I have googled most of these and they are really expensive. I am transitioning to cruelty free and this is next on my list.