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Essence vs 9 Lives

Essence vs. 9 Lives

In this comparison article for Essence vs 9 Lives, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Essence and 9 Lives, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this 9 Lives vs Essence comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Essence Review Page or 9 Lives Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: 9 Lives vs. Essence

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Essence Cat Food vs. 9 Lives Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodEssence9 Lives
Crude Protein44.1%35.2%
Crude Fat18.5%9.8%
Crude Fiber4.8%4.2%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodEssence9 Lives
Crude Protein46.2%45.9%
Crude Fat31.8%16.7%
Crude Fiber4.8%5.0%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

The comparison table above shows that Essence dry cat foods provide significantly more protein than 9 Lives. More specifically, Essence guarantees at least 8.85% more protein. For wet cat foods, Essence and 9 Lives provide roughly the same amount of protein.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
  • Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.

Essence dry cat foods clearly provides more fat than 9 Lives. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 8.67%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Essence wet cat foods provide significantly more protein than 9 Lives wet foods.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet cat food, 9 Lives and Essence also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Essence Pet Food Ingredients vs. 9 Lives Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by 9 Lives.

Liver
Giblets
Iron Oxide
Whole Wheat
Brewers Rice
Animal Digest
Caramel Color
Soybean Flour
Soybean Hulls
Poultry Giblets
Corn Gluten Meal
Meat By-Products
Meat And Bone Meal
Poultry By-Products
Turkey By-Product Meal
Chicken By-Product Meal
Ground Whole Grain Corn
Poultry By-Product Meal
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Vegetable Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by 9 Lives.

Bha
Red 3
Blue 1
Blue 2
Red 40
Yellow 5
Yellow 6
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex
Vegetable Oil (Preserved With Bha/Bht)
Canthaxanthin (Preserved With Ethoxyquin)

Product Safety: Recall History of Essence & 9 Lives?

According to our records, Essence has never been recalled.

9 Lives has been recalled once.

  • Dec. 7, 2018: low levels of thiamine

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Cat FoodEssence9 Lives
Per Pound$4.64$1.62
Per Calorie$0.0027$0.0011
Wet Cat FoodEssence9 Lives
Per Pound$5.98$2.71
Per Calorie$0.0103$0.0070

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Essence or 9 Lives, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Essence or 9 Lives will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Essence and 9 Lives. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Essence Pet Foods

You can purchase Essence pet foods from the following stores:


12 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy 9 Lives Pet Foods

You can purchase 9 Lives pet food products from these retailers:


11 Recipes In-Stock Today

7 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductEssence9 Lives
Dry Dog Food6 RecipesNone
Wet Dog Food6 RecipesNone
Dog TreatsNoneNone
Dry Cat Food3 Recipes6 Recipes
Wet Cat Food3 Recipes34 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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Top Rated 9 Lives Recipes

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