9Lives: Facts, Recalls & Verified Foods
9Lives is made by Post Holdings, Inc. (marketed by Post Consumer Brands), founded 1959 — it scores green on 1 of 5 WSAVA-aligned criteria we track (0 red, 4 undisclosed), 2 FDA recalls on record, and 0 of the 2 9Lives foods we've verified carry an AAFCO feeding-trial statement.
· 2 9Lives food labels checked
The scorecard
WSAVA-aligned criteria
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association's nutrition guidelines suggest questions to ask any pet food maker before you buy. Here are this brand's answers, each with its source, or marked undisclosed when we could not confirm one.
1 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 4 undisclosed. Undisclosed is common, especially for smaller brands — it means we couldn't confirm an answer from a public source, not that the answer is unfavorable.
We could not confirm this from a public source.
The Smucker-to-Post divestiture that included 9Lives transferred pet food manufacturing/distribution facilities (Bloomsburg PA, Meadville PA, Lawrence KS) to Post Holdings, indicating the parent owns and operates pet food plants. Caveat: sources do not state which specific plant produces 9Lives, so plant-to-brand mapping is not individually confirmed.
source & quote
view source →
No feeding-trial AAFCO statement found on the 2 labels we’ve verified for this brand, and no company-wide claim was found either. Most pet foods are only "formulated to meet" AAFCO profiles (a paper calculation) rather than fed to real animals in trials — this is common, not necessarily a red flag.
9lives.com/faq returns 404; no QC or feeding-trial statement found (2026-09-29).
PubMed has 1 match for Post Holdings (current owner), but none is a paper by someone working there (for example a "present address" note). Not proof no research exists.
source
These five checks come from WSAVA's guidelines on selecting pet foods — not our own opinion score. WSAVA does not approve or list brands. See how all 50 brands we track answer WSAVA's questions → · Our methodology →
The company
Who makes 9Lives
Ownership and history, each sourced independently — private-label and co-packed brands often hide the actual manufacturer behind the name on the bag.
Parent company
Post Holdings, Inc. (marketed by Post Consumer Brands)
source
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Founded
1959
source
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Headquarters
Lakeville, Minnesota, USA
source
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The cost
What 9Lives costs, against everything else we have priced
The median 9Lives wet food we have priced works out at $29.68 per 1,000 kcal, against $17.85 for the median wet food we have priced — so it sits about 1.7x above the market. Cost per 1,000 kcal is the only basis that survives different bag sizes and moisture levels; per pound this comparison would mean nothing. On composition the gap is usually smaller than the price gap implies: 40.9% dry-matter protein against a median of 46.7%.
9Lives foods by cost per 1,000 kcal
| Food | Form | Protein (DM) | Cost / 1,000 kcal | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9Lives Pâté Super Supper | wet | 40.9% | $29.68 | Check price |
What 9Lives actually puts in its food
The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 2 verified foods, counted once per recipe. Each links to what the ingredient is, what the evidence says, and how common it is industry-wide.
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Taurine (supplemental)
In 2 of 2 9Lives foods (100%).
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By-Product Meal (Meat / Poultry By-Product Meal)
In 1 of 2 9Lives foods (50%).
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Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E)
In 1 of 2 9Lives foods (50%).
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Meat and Bone Meal
In 1 of 2 9Lives foods (50%).
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Named Meat/Poultry Meal (e.g., Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal)
In 1 of 2 9Lives foods (50%).
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BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
In 1 of 2 9Lives foods (50%).
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Rosemary extract
In 1 of 2 9Lives foods (50%).
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Generic "Meat" (unspecified species)
In 1 of 2 9Lives foods (50%).
The safety record
FDA recall history
From the FDA's Animal & Veterinary recall list, last checked 2026-10-19, plus older FDA notices we added by hand. 9Lives recall page →
9Lives Protein Plus wet canned cat food, 4-packs of 5.5 oz cans (Tuna & Chicken; Tuna & Liver)
Possible low levels of thiamine (vitamin B1)
Expanded limited recall of canned cat food under 9Lives, EverPet and Special Kitty (original announcement 01/03/2017; FDA page posted 02/08/2018)
Possible low levels of thiamine (vitamin B1)
The FDA's online recall list is complete for recent years but leaves out many notices from before about 2023. We add older FDA recall notices by hand when we find them.
The labels
What we've verified from 9Lives's labels
Computed directly from the official-label data we've extracted for this brand — never estimated.
Foods verified
2
0 dog · 2 cat
Feeding-trial validated
0
of 2 (0%)
Formulated to meet
2
AAFCO paper calculation
Label transparency
70%
avg. fields disclosed
The foods
Foods from 9Lives we've verified
Every one links to its own Verified Label — guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statement, and (where priced) cost per day.