Pet food brands, and who owns them

Morris the Cat is the face of 9Lives, and the maker says he has led the brand for generations. The brand is owned by Post Holdings, which also owns Rachael Ray Nutrish and Kibbles 'n Bits.

General Mills bought Blue Buffalo in 2018, 16 years after the company was founded. It's based in Wilton, Connecticut, and sells its food under the BLUE name, in lines such as BLUE Life Protection Formula and BLUE Tastefuls.

Diamond Naturals comes from family-owned Diamond Pet Foods, which also makes Taste of the Wild. The maker says its dog recipes include probiotic strains developed for dogs.

Friskies comes from Purina, so it shares a parent company, Nestlé Purina PetCare, with the rest of Purina's lineup. It's a cat brand, covering dry food, wet food and treats.

Science Diet, the retail line, has a veterinary sibling: Prescription Diet. Both come from Hill's Pet Nutrition in Topeka, Kansas, a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive. (Yes, the toothpaste company.)

Iams has had two big-name owners: Procter & Gamble, then Mars, which bought it in 2014. It makes food for both dogs and cats, and its main dry line is Proactive Health.

Nulo describes its recipes as high in animal protein and low in carbs. The Austin, Texas maker has been majority-owned by investment firm Apax Partners since 2021.

They look like separate brands, but Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Fancy Feast share a maker: Purina, Nestlé's US pet food business, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. That's worth knowing when you compare them, because you're looking at three lines from one company, not three competitors.

Rachael Ray Nutrish changed hands in April 2023, when Post Holdings bought it from The J.M. Smucker Co. The brand makes food for both dogs and cats.

Royal Canin sorts its dog and cat diets by size, breed, age and health need, and sells them both as retail food and as veterinary diets. The brand was founded in France in 1968 and is now owned by Mars.

Behind Taste of the Wild is Diamond Pet Foods, a family-owned company that owns the brand outright. The maker says its dog and cat foods are made in its own US plants.