If your cat has food allergies or sensitivities, they may require hypoallergenic cat food. While this type of cat food can help your cat’s body cope with their allergic reactions, it’s important to be careful.
Before you start introducing new ingredients to your cat’s diet, test them out first. This will eliminate any potentially offending ingredients and allow your cat’s body to clear itself.
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Grain-free
Grain-free hypoallergenic cat food can be a great way to help your cat with allergies. These foods typically are made with limited ingredients and do not contain common allergens like chicken, beef, soy, or wheat.
The best grain-free diets are designed by animal nutritionists, which means they should have a balanced constitution and no extra fillers or additives. They should also be formulated with proteins, vitamins, and minerals that are important for your cat’s health.
When choosing a grain-free diet, make sure the first ingredient in the food is meat or fish. You should also look for organ meats and animal products as they are rich in the micronutrients your cat needs to stay healthy.
This turkey-flavored grain-free wet food from Natural Balance has been reviewed highly for cats with mild allergies. It has no chicken or soy ingredients and is hydrolyzed for ease of digestion. It contains 95% turkey and ground flaxseed as a source of omega 3 fatty acids and dietary fiber.
Limited ingredients
Allergies are an immune system reaction that occurs when your cat’s body responds to certain food or other environmental ingredients. Often, they appear as itching or skin problems.
If your cat has allergies or a problem with their digestion, your veterinarian might recommend a hypoallergenic diet to help soothe their symptoms. The food should be free of grains (wheat, corn), fillers (potatoes), dairy products, eggs, animal by-products, and artificial colors and preservatives.
A special type of hypoallergenic cat food combines hydrolyzed proteins with water to break down allergen-causing animal proteins, preventing them from triggering an allergic response. This scientific-based kind of hypoallergenic cat food is usually obtained through a prescription only from your vet.
One of the best hypoallergenic cat foods is JustCats Fish & Chicken, a line that features limited ingredients and moisture-rich food for sensitive cats. It also features AAFCO-approved formulations and a subscription service model to ensure that your cat gets fresh, high-quality food every day.
Natural
Hypoallergenic cat food is the best choice for a tummy-calming solution to your cat’s allergies. It’s made to balance your cat’s protein needs with things they might naturally find in the wild, such as fish, chicken, beef, and even soy, if they can’t tolerate meat proteins.
It’s also a good idea to choose a food with hydrolyzed proteins, which are broken down in a way that doesn’t cause your cat’s stomach problems.
In addition, many of these foods offer extra prebiotics to help your kitty digest the food. Plentiful omega-3 fatty acids are also included to keep your kitty’s skin and coat in great condition.
This veterinary-prescribed diet is a good option for your pet if they have allergies to poultry or other common allergens, such as soy and corn. It’s a limited-ingredient diet that is also hydrolyzed to make the protein easier for your cat’s body to digest.
Hypoallergenic
If your cat suffers from digestive problems because they have food allergies, a hypoallergenic diet could help. These diets often have hydrolyzed proteins or a limited number of ingredients that are not known to cause allergic reactions.
They should also be free of fillers, wheat, by-products, and gluten. Ideally, the formula will be rich in high-quality and easily digestible proteins.
If your cat has a severe food allergy, it may be necessary to consult with a veterinarian to prescribe a hypoallergenic diet. This can be expensive and may not always work, so it is important to do a trial and elimination phase to ensure that the diet works for your cat.
