Ciao Inaba Cat Food Review: Churu, Fillets, and More

Inaba, also known by its Japanese cat brand name Ciao, makes high-moisture cat treats and toppers. Almost none of its US products are complete meals. They are simple, low in calories, and very popular with cats, so they work well as treats, as food toppers, or as a way to tempt a fussy eater. They should not replace your cat’s regular food.

Who Is Inaba?

Inaba is a Japanese food company based in Shizuoka. According to the company’s own history, it began in 1805 as a dried bonito business and moved into pet food in 1958, making canned cat food for export to the United States. Its best-known product, Churu, launched in Japan in 2012. Inaba set up a US company in 2016 and began selling Churu here in 2017.

“Ciao” is the name of Inaba’s cat brand in Japan. In the US the packaging simply says INABA, though you will still see “Ciao” in older product listings. Inaba says all of its products packaged for North America are made in Saraburi, Thailand.

The Inaba Cat Lineup

Inaba’s product pages carry the same line on nearly every item: feed as a treat, not as a meal. The one exception we found is Churu Meal Topper, which has added vitamins and minerals. Cats.com describes it as complete and balanced for adult cats. Even so, Inaba’s own guide works out to about 21 tubes for a 7-pound cat when it is fed as a full meal, so few owners use it that way.

Churu

Churu is the product most people mean when they say Ciao or Inaba. The chicken recipe lists water, chicken, tapioca starch, natural flavors, guar gum (a thickener), vitamin E, taurine, and green tea extract. It is up to 91% moisture. Inaba also sells versions for hairball control, skin and coat, and senior cats.

We go deeper in our guides to whether Churu is good for your cat and the Churu tuna recipe.

Grilled fillets

These are single pieces of grilled tuna or chicken sealed in a small pouch with flavored broth. The tuna fillet lists tuna, scallop-flavored broth, vitamin E, and green tea extract. You can hand-feed a fillet or flake it over a meal. Despite what some older reviews say, a fillet is not a complete meal.

Juicy Bites

Juicy Bites are soft morsels made mainly from chicken and tuna, with flavors such as Fish and Clam, Chicken and Tuna, and Crab and Scallop. They are still on Inaba’s site, but Chewy marked them as discontinued when we checked, so they may be harder to find.

Cups and pouches

Twins, Twin Packs, and Dashi Delights are small cups and pouches of meat or fish in broth. They look like small wet meals, but they are labeled as treats. Use them as a topper or an occasional side dish.

Checking the Claims

• Grain-free, no preservatives, no artificial colors: Inaba states this on its product pages.
• Carrageenan-free: True for most lines. The Twins cups do list carrageenan, so read the label if you avoid it.
• “Human grade”: Inaba says its products are made with human-grade ingredients but are not intended for people to eat.
• Dolphin-safe tuna: Inaba says its tuna is certified dolphin-safe.
• Recalls: Cats.com reports finding no US recalls of Churu, and we found none on the FDA’s recent recall list.

How Much Is Too Much?

VCA Animal Hospitals advises keeping treats to 10% of a cat’s daily calories. A typical 10-pound adult cat needs roughly 250 calories a day, so the treat budget is about 25 calories. That is roughly:

• 4 regular Churu tubes, or
• 1 grilled tuna fillet, or
• 1 Twins cup or Twin Packs pouch

A grilled chicken fillet (28 calories) or a Dashi Delights cup (35 calories) is a bit more than a full day’s treat allowance for that cat, so split it over two days or trim the main meal slightly. These are totals, not targets. If you give two Churu tubes and a few other treats, count them all.

A note on tuna

Many Inaba recipes are tuna-based. PetMD notes that tuna is high in mercury, especially albacore, and veterinary nutritionists at Tufts suggest keeping tuna treats occasional and within the 10% limit. Rotating in chicken recipes is an easy way to vary things.

Good Ways to Use Inaba Treats

• As a topper. A squeeze of Churu over regular food can tempt a picky cat.
• For bonding and training. Hand-feeding from the tube can help you win over a shy cat and can make carrier practice easier.
• For extra moisture. The purées and broths are mostly water, which adds a little fluid to the day.
• For giving pills. The American Association of Feline Practitioners lists lickable treats as one way to hide a pill. Ask your vet first, and do not hide medicine in your cat’s regular meal.

If a cat that normally eats well will only eat treats, call your vet. Loss of appetite in cats needs prompt attention.

Price

In October 2026, a 4-count pack of Churu was about $4 to $5 at regular price, a 20-count about $14 to $15, and a 50-count about $33 to $43. Single grilled fillets ran about $2 to $2.50. For other options, see our roundup of salmon cat treats.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Short, simple ingredient lists
• Low in calories per piece
• High moisture
• Most cats love them, including picky eaters
• Handy for hand-feeding and toppers

Cons

• Nearly everything is a treat, not a complete food
• Easy to overfeed because cats beg for them
• Many recipes rely on tuna
• Single-serve packaging creates a lot of waste
• Pricey per ounce compared with regular wet food

This article is general information, not veterinary advice. If your cat has kidney disease, food allergies, or another health condition, ask your vet before adding new treats.

Bottom Line

Inaba’s Ciao products are some of the best-liked cat treats around, and for good reason: they are simple, moist, and low in calories. Treat them as extras, keep them within about 10% of your cat’s daily calories, and feed a complete and balanced cat food for the rest.