The 11 Best Limited Ingredient Cat Foods

Reviews

Best Value Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Dry Cat Food
 

If you’re on a tight budget but still require allergy-sensitive foods for your feline friend, go no farther than Natural Balance. When compared to other foods at the same price, their food is both affordable and relatively high-quality.

The vast selection of Limited-Ingredient recipes available at Natural Balance, in our opinion, is the bigger draw! There are so many different options for your little pal, from turkey to salmon and even more unusual blends like venison!

They also provide high-protein blends for those interested in feeding a more species-appropriate diet! In general, Natural Balance’s recipes contain a lot of plant-based proteins, and the usage of unusual meat sources like venison may turn off some people, but these are a nutritious, budget-friendly option.

The high-protein recipes will be better suited to cats than the conventional limited-ingredient blends. Nonetheless, vets and cat lovers alike praise Natural Balance’s products.

Pros

• Budget-friendly
• Formulas of medium-to-high quality
• There are numerous recipes to pick from.

Cons

• Recipes using a lot of plant stuff

 

Go! L.I.D. Dry Cat Food SENSITIVITIES
 

Perhaps you only have one cat and want to give them the best. Petcurean’s SENSITIVITIES is a fantastic high-end option for limited ingredient cat meals. The Go! brand is pricier than budget items, and their limited-ingredient meal is no exception.

However, the exorbitant price is not in vain; Gonutrition !’s manager holds a Ph.D. in companion animal nutrition.

It has long been stated that there aren’t enough scientifically educated people working on animal nutrition formulations, and Go! hopes to remedy that.

The Go! cat food products include above-average protein and low carbohydrate content, so the expertise hasn’t gone to waste.

Pros

• A doctor devised a formula
• Low carbohydrate and high protein
• Bags in large sizes

Cons

• Rather pricey
• Minimal options

 

Dinner Morsels Cat Food Stella & Chewy’s
 

Stella & Chewy’s has caught the pet world by storm with its pleasant packaging and approach to manufacturing pet food.

They make an attempt to be highly upfront about their safety protocols to assure the continuous safety of the pets who eat their goods, which is more than just being a friend to the consumer.

Stella and Chewy’s has a page that details all of the food safety precautions they take during manufacturing. They use high-pressure processing with their raw formulations to ensure that any germs identified during processing are killed.

Stella & Chewy’s Dinner Morsels line for cats is a raw recipe with a limited number of ingredients.

It has a wide selection of recipes to choose from, but it’s pricey if you have more than one cat because the largest bag available is 18 oz and costs $40.

The Dinner Morsels line appears to be meant as a supplement to food, although there is no indication that this is the case.

Pros

• Food processing techniques that are transparent
• Ingredients of superior quality
• Fantastic range of options

Cons

• Pricey and not a good buy.

 

Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Cat Food by Acana
 

Acana is well-known for its high-quality dog food line, but its cat food line is also quite good, if limited in variety. Their recipes include high-quality ingredients that are plainly mentioned on the box, which is a great benefit!

To begin with, there isn’t much variety in Acana’s cat line, and only their Wild Atlantic formula is labeled Limited-Ingredient, which is a significant disadvantage. Still, their pricing aren’t outrageous, so it all balances out.

In the end, their recipes are a little rich in carbohydrates for our feline pals, and they aren’t cheap! When you see the price tag, it’s clear how critical the lack of species suitability is!

Pros

• Ingredients of superior quality
• Recipe formulation that is clear

Cons

• Carbohydrates are abundant.

 

Diet with Few Ingredients by Instinct Food for Cats
 

Previously known as ‘Natural Instinct,’ Instinct offers a modest selection of limited-ingredient cat meals that you can rely on to provide sufficient cat nutrition without the worry of allergens.

Limited-Ingredient lines from Instinct include both dry and canned formulas in turkey and rabbit flavors!

Instinct’s formulas are incredibly species-appropriate, with high protein and low carbohydrate amounts that will supply your cat with adequate nutrition.

They also include organ meat, which is an excellent source of B vitamins and other minerals for your cat’s health.

Although only a tiny amount of veggies and fruits are used, the container is clearly labeled to assist you in identifying the proper formula for your cat.

Instinct is slightly more expensive than budget meals, but it is not as expensive as many premium foods. If you have more than one cat, you may find it difficult to justify the price unless you feed the cats separately.

Pros

• Formulas for each species
• Excellent labeling
• Recipes that include organ meat

Cons

• A tiny selection of recipes
• It can be expensive, especially if you have multiple cats.

Buyer's Guide: Choosing The Best Low-Ingredient Diet Cat Food

Why is High-Protein important?

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that their primary source of nutrition in the wild is animal proteins, and their bodies are incapable of adequately breaking down plant stuff.

This is true for both domesticated and wild cats; a diet low in animal proteins is unhealthy for a cat. Plant protein calories are empty calories that add little to overall nutrition totals.

Cats should not just be fed grain-free diets; their foods should be mostly devoid of plant material and virtually entirely composed of animal proteins in order to maintain a healthy dietary content.

This does not imply that you should begin feeding raw foods to your cat. A tiny amount of non-animal proteins, similar to sugar concentrations in humans, is absolutely appropriate for them.

However, feeding your cat low-quality diets high in plant-based components can have a negative impact on their health outcomes later in life.

How Much Plant Material Is Too Much?

A meal containing 25% plant content is often regarded excessive for cats.

As previously stated, the lesser the number, the better, and glancing at the ingredient list will offer you a lot of information on what plant contents are contained and how many of them there are.

Protein should make up at least 30% of the nutritional values for cats—in the wild, they’d eat significantly more than that—and maize products should be avoided because they’re hazardous for them, even if they’re common additions to recipes.

What are the high-quality ingredients?

On a limited-item diet, real meat should be at the top of the ingredient list. Cats on limited-ingredient diets will acquire their nutrients from fewer sources.

It is even more important to ensure that their food is species-appropriate than it is for cats with less dietary requirements.

Aside from real meat, meat meals provide adequate nutrients and protein but are of much inferior grade. Be wary of ingredient lists that include meat dishes but no meat.

Bone meals are appropriate for cats, therefore pet parents should look for them. Bone meal powder can be a good source of calcium and phosphorus for cats, but it can also be a symptom of poor processing.

Low-quality components, such as wheat gluten and unidentified meats, should be at the bottom of the list, if at all.

Conclusion

Cat nutrition can be contentious because high-protein, low-carb diets can be costly for pet parents. A dietary-restricted cat does not help the budget either.

Still, we shouldn’t put our companions’ health at risk if we can help it, and adequate diet can go a long way toward a long, happy life with your cat.

The finest overall limited ingredient cat food is Smalls Human Grade Fresh Cat Food Cow Recipe.

To save money, choose the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient selection, BestForPets‘ (bestforpets.org) top pick for greatest value.

We have high hopes that our rundown of the best limited ingredient cat foods will be of assistance to you as you look for the most suitable answer for your cat.