“Tu Meke” is a Māori expression which literally means “too much”, but is used in a way which really means “Wow, that’s amazing!”
But the question you’re asking is whether Tu Meke Friend is an amazing choice for your furry carnivore (aka kitty cat).
This review is for the wet cat food, but it’s worth saying Tu Meke Friend have a range of excellent animal-based air-dried treats for both cats and dogs.
Tu Meke Friend Cat Food Review
What the marketing says
Ignore terms such as “Gourmet” and “Premium”. These are about as meaningful as the term “Artisanal Craftmanship” on a pack of toothpicks.
What I love most about the marketing is the cat balancing a fork on his nose. I’m sure it’s photoshopped, but if it isn’t then that’s a really impressive photo!
The marketing terms on the cans which will likely matter more to you are “High Meat Content” and possibly “Authentic New Zealand 100% Fish” – although the “100%” possibly suggests not all ingredients are from New Zealand.
But to answer your real question – Is Tuke Meke Friend a good choice for your cat?
Let’s take a look at what really matters. The ingredients…
What the ingredients really say
It has to be said there’s some really nice ingredients in the Tu Meke Friend cat foods. This is something we’ve come to expect from New Zealand brands of pet food, and looks to be the case here as well.
We can ignore the first ingredient “water sufficient for processing” even though water is vital in a cat’s diet (and a reason lots of cats suffer on a purely dry diet).
The main ingredients happen to be really good selections for your cat – tuna, salmon meat, salmon offal, chicken liver, New Zealand green lipped mussel meat, lamb tripe (green).
Personally I wouldn’t feed my cat fish all the time, and realise there are legitimate concerns in doing so. The solution to that is variety, so if you’re not giving your cat a varied diet then you probably should!
You can expect the first three (the tuna and salmon) to make up most of the food, ensuring your cat’s getting a decent amount of meat protein and fat in their diet. The stuff they really need rather than the starchy carbs in other terrible excuses for cat food.
Let’s skirt over some of the most noteworthy ingredients…
Chicken liver is highly nutritious but should always be in moderation in a cat’s diet, between 5-10%. That should give us an indication of how much chicken liver there is in the formula, meaning all following ingredients will be that or less.
Green lipped mussels are a wonderful ingredient and highly beneficial for your cat. They’re a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin which are good for joint health, so will hopefully keep your cat active when they reach senior years.
It’s great to see lamb tripe (green) as well. A stinky ingredient but an absolute nutrient powerhouse full of digestive enzymes and probiotics to support your cat’s digestion and gut health.
Even the presence of coconut oil and flaxseed oil shows the quality of Tu Meke Friend cat food. You may wonder about lamb plasma, and although not a common ingredient in a wet cat food is a high-quality source of protein and nutrients, highly digestible for your cat.
There’s a little bit of potato starch and some peas which you can argue are not “full carnivore”, but it has to be said Tu Meke Friend stacks up as a really decent wet cat food.
That should answer your question as to whether Tu Meke Friend is good for your cat, leaving you with the one remaining question – is it worth the price you pay?
I’ll leave that up to you…
Where to buy
Tu Meke Friend seems to go in and out of stock at Pet Circle as well as a few smaller online retailers.
Ingredients
The ingredients of Tu Meke Friend cat food (Gourmet Tuna & Salmon Wet):
Water sufficient for processing, tuna, salmon meat, salmon offal, chicken liver, New Zealand green lipped mussel meat, lamb tripe (green), potato starch, lamb plasma, dried yeast, peas, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, salt, dried kelp, carrot, potassium chloride, guar gum, taurine, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, iron proteinate, zinc glycine complex, yucca schidigera extract, niacin, alpha-tocopherol acetate, sodium selenite, copper glycine complex, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin A acetate, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium iodate, folic acid and cholecalciferol
Guaranteed analysis
Guaranteed analysis of Tu Meke Friend cat food (Gourmet Tuna & Salmon Wet):
| Protein | (min) 11% |
| Fat | (min) 6.1% |
| Fiber | (max) 1% |
| Carbohydrates * | Minimal |
