As pet owners, we spend time searching for the best pet food–but could that be one with a limited ingredient list?
Most of the time, when I’m searching for pet food, I make sure the ingredients include high-quality protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals–but what’s not in your cat food may be just as important.
Limited ingredient cat food has gained traction in recent years as an alternative to conventional cat food options. With an attractively small ingredients list and often marketed under more natural, high-quality ingredients, it’s no wonder that limited ingredient cat food has attracted the interest of both pet food market trends and cat owners alike.
In fact, pet food trends reported by Retail Insight Network –natural ingredients, premium food, and wellness–are at the very heart of marketing for limited ingredient cat food.
But what even is limited ingredient cat food, does it live up to its health benefits promise, and is limited ingredient cat food right for you and your cat?
Consider this your guide to figuring out if limited ingredient cat food is your best option and what to look for. I’ll offer up my recommendations for the best limited ingredient cat food you can buy today.
The Natural Balance L.I.D. is a reputable limited cat ingredient cat formula and you have four sources of main protein to choose from between Chicken, Duck, Salmon, or Venison, and It's packed with essential vitamins that guarantee a healthy life for your beloved feline.
What is Limited Ingredient Cat Food?
As the name implies, limited ingredient cat food refers to cat food with a small list of ingredients, usually focused on essentials–you can expect to find one to two protein sources, fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals. Since there isn’t specific criteria, limited ingredient cat food has a decent amount of variability.
While not universally true, limited ingredient cat food is almost always marketed as more natural than other cat food. It also tends to come packaged with buzzwords like ‘free-range,’ ‘organic,’ and ‘cage-free,’ for the meat that’s included.
What’s not in limited ingredient cat food is just as important. Generally speaking, limited ingredient cat food is free of preservatives, colors, by-products, dyes, and fillers. And most of the limited ingredient cat food flooding the market is also free of grains.
Is Limited Ingredient Cat Food Better (or Necessary) For My Cat?
If you’re like me, you only want the best for your pet, and that includes the best pet gear, medical treatment, and essentials like litter and feeders. Cat food can be tricky, with an onslaught of reputable brands, all claiming to offer a formula that supports your cat’s age, activity levels, or medical or dietary needs.
The biggest question is: are preservatives, grains and other ingredients these limited ingredient cat foods eliminate really harmful? Here’s what the nutritional and scientific evidence says:
Preservatives in Pet Food May Lead to Problematic Deficiencies
There is no legal requirement to label preservatives in cat food, so you have to do the detective work yourself. Most preservatives can be tolerated in cats in moderation.
The problem is, the amount of preservatives in a serving of cat food is different from buying cat food with those same preservatives as a mainstay of your cat’s diet.
More research is needed, but studies have shown that pet food containing sulfite and potassium sulfite may lead to Vitamin B deficiencies. Vitamin B is essential for brain development and functioning.
There isn’t Evidence to Suggest that Grains are Harmful
In addition to eliminating preservatives, limited ingredient cat food as nixes grains, usually replacing them with fruits and vegetables.
Grain-free cat food has increased in popularity over the years, but for most cats, grains are not only not harmful but could provide nutritional benefits, such as vitamins and minerals.
Corn, also normally eliminated, in fact, is one of the least likely food allergens. What matters more is lower carbohydrate cat food, with protein as the first ingredient.
Also important to keep an eye on: for dogs, some grain-free food has been linked to illness and FDA recalls. This does not apply to all grain-free pet food, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Limited Ingredient Cat Food Could be a Solution for Cats with Allergies
By limiting ingredients, your cat is less likely to suffer from allergies, though it’s best to first consult a vet before switching to new food and try to troubleshoot what allergies your cat may have.
Common allergens include wheat, eggs, soy products, dairy, meat by-products, artificial colors, and preservatives. The plus is also that you can easily skim ingredients to see what the cat food contains–but a note of caution. Limited ingredients do not always mean allergen-free.
Limited Ingredient Cat Food may Offer Higher Quality Protein, but Not Always
Most limited ingredient cat food includes meat that is not sourced from overseas and advertises it’s quality. Here, though it’s important to understand what each term means, and not assume because it sounds good or is a limited ingredient cat food that it’s definitely higher quality meat:
- Natural: This term doesn’t mean much, except that it’s not synthetic meat. Natural is a marketing term also popularly used for human food.
- Cage-Free: Often in reference to eggs, cage-free means that the hens were given space to wander. However, this does not mean that the living quarters provided adequate space or were cleanly.
- Free Range: Free-range refers to how an animal was raised, and, like cage-free, is a somewhat nebulous term. It does require that animals are allowed to roam or graze but the degree depends.
- Organic: Organic meat is always free-range (but not the other way around) and refers to meat from animals that were raised without growth hormones or antibiotics.
Limited ingredient cat food does tend to have higher standards than some commercial cat food, but the key here is not to assume.
Limited Ingredient Cat Food may be More Expensive, but There are Pluses, too
Most limited ingredient cat food will be more expensive than your average commercial cat food. But keep in mind that, with the best limited ingredient cat food, you’re also paying for higher quality protein and a concentration of whole foods instead of fillers, which cost less to include.
How do I find the Best Limited Ingredient Cat Food?
If you’ve taken a look at the pros and cons and determined that limited ingredient cat food is the best option for your cat, I highly recommend setting out criteria before shopping for cat food. With more options available now, I find it’s best to start with standards to clearly find the very best options.
My Criteria for Best Limited Cat Food Include
Make Sure it’s Actually Limited Ingredients
Since there are no regulations for what can be classified as limited ingredients, it’s important to look beyond the marketing on the label. Instead, look for labels that have ideally 20 ingredients or less.
Check for What’s NOT There
I always like to check for additives, preservatives, colors, and flavorings, for other pet food too. But when it comes to limited ingredient cat food, that’s especially important.
Look for common allergens. One thing I admire about limited ingredient cat food is that it’s generally an excellent choice for cats with food allergies–but if that’s the main reason you’re interested in this type of cat food, make sure you check for allergens; the most common one I see still included are eggs.
Mind the Protein
Taking a look back at the nebulous to more specific meat terms, make sure the meat is actual meat and not byproducts. Meat absolutely should be the first or second ingredient.
Look for the Crude Protein and Fat Ratio
Your cat may need higher or lower depending on their needs, but dry food protein should be around 30 to 40 percent protein and fat at 18 to 24 percent. For canned wet food try not to go under 10 percent crude protein.
Understand the Other Ingredients
Just seeing the addition of fruits and vegetables isn’t enough–are they acting as fillers, or adding essential vitamins and minerals?
What are the Best Limited Ingredient Cat Food Options?
The best limited cat food options include my criteria of ingredients that live up to their promises, provide quality protein and nutrients, and are allergen safe.
I discovered that many options marketed as limited ingredients in fact are not, or add lower quality protein to keep the price more affordable. This is my shortlist for best limited ingredient cat food:
1. Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Duck Formula
Natural Balance offers a reputable limited ingredient cat food formula, with duck as the main protein source. I love that it sticks with duck rather than adding additional cheaper sources of protein, and the list of ingredients is most limited to vegetables like peas, as well as flaxseed and salmon oil for healthful fats.
Mixed Tocopherols are mentioned as a preservative, but these are actually derived from Vitamin E. A crude protein percent of 30 and lean 18 percent fat makes this a good option for maintenance adult and senior cat food, while your cat will also benefit from Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids.
Taurine is important for protecting cellular function. It’s also grain-free if that’s your preference.
The Natural Balance L.I.D. is a reputable limited cat ingredient cat formula and you have four sources of main protein to choose from between Chicken, Duck, Salmon, or Venison, and It's packed with essential vitamins that guarantee a healthy life for your beloved feline.
2. Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Formula Turkey & Potato
Blue Buffalo makes a number of excellent cat food options and that’s apparent with this limited ingredient turkey and potato recipe. Turkey is the first ingredient, with only pea protein added to complement as a protein source.
Flaxseed and fish oil provide omega 3’s and 6’s; in place of grains, your cat will enjoy potatoes and blueberries. I love that cranberries are added for urinary health and essential vitamins and minerals for everyday nutritional support. 30 percent crude protein and 14 percent fat also make it a good option for everyday feeding.
This recipe contains a single animal protein source with real turkey first and includes pumpkin and easily digested carbohydrates like potatoes and peas.
3. Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Real Turkey Pate Recipe Canned Cat Food
Merrick is one of my favorite options for canned, wet cat food with limited ingredients. The protein ratio is a little lower than I’d like, but as long as it’s being supplemented with dry cat food, this is still a solid choice, with one of the shortest ingredients list, turkey as the main ingredient, and amino acid complexes for added support.
4. Vital Essentials Chicken Mini Patties Grain Free Limited Ingredient Freeze-Dried Cat Food
One of the shortest ingredients lists goes to this innovative option. I love that they work well for on the go too, and the ingredients themselves are impressive, with chicken as its main protein source.
If you’re looking for a high protein limited ingredient cat food, this is satisfied too, with a 45 percent crude protein analysis, setting it above other limited ingredient cat food. My caveat is that it may not be the most suited for everyday feeding, nor is it allergen-free, since it contains both eggs and goat’s milk.
5. Whole Life One Ingredient Cat Treats
I love this option for treating your cat, but a note of caution: I recommend these for treats, not as an everyday feeding because it is important for your cat to get a variety of nutrients.
That said you can’t get more limited ingredient than this option from whole life, with USDA white chicken breast for treating-naturally, these treats have a very high crude protein ratio, at 80 percent, so again, it’s best to treat sparingly. And it may not be the best option for cats with kidney issues but I still like it for a clean snack source.
6. ZiwiPeak Air-Dried Mackerel & Lamb Recipe Cat Food
This is one of my favorite limited ingredient cat foods if you’re especially concerned about meat sourcing. With cat food, it can be hard to determine much about where the meat came from, but Ziwi promises ethically sourced meat from New Zealand with a special freeze-dried process to keep the cat food free of pathogens but also highly digestible for cats with sensitive digestive systems.
The lamb is grass-fed, and the addition of muscles helps support your cat’s joints, an excellent feature both for adult and aging cats. If that isn’t impressive enough, this limited ingredient cat food also features a high crude protein ratio, at 43 percent.
7. FirstMate Pacific Ocean Fish Meal with Blueberries Formula Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
FirstMate offers a limited ingredient cat food that swaps meat with fish for the main protein source. While I normally wouldn’t be as excited for a fish meal as the main ingredient, that fish is comprised of wild-caught herring, anchovies and sardines from British Columbia.
The additions of blueberries provide antioxidant and immune system support, while added Calcium and D keep bones strong. Buy Here.
FAQs
Limited ingredient cat food refers to cat food that has a short ingredients list, but there is no firm definition. For the most part, limited ingredient cat food focuses on whole protein sources and swaps out grains with vegetables and fruit. When preservatives are used, they’re usually in the form of something like Vitamin E.
Limited ingredient cat food from Canada includes FirstMate, which specializes in fish meal from wild-caught herrings, anchovies, and Sardines; they also carry some meat-based formulas. Their products are grain-free, egg-free, and dairy-free, and include berries.
Limited ingredient cat food can be helpful for cats with allergies, with a short ingredients list, and normally the avoidance of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, and additives.
But you do need to be cautious and read labels carefully. Limited ingredient cat food is not always free of allergens; some, for example, do contain both dairy and eggs.
Final Thoughts
Limited ingredient cat food is popular right now, and there are some valid reasons. I love limited ingredients that are focused on wholesome fats and proteins, specifically for cats with sensitive digestive systems or who have food allergies.
This list should be helpful but always keep in mind that you should never assume something is as it’s being marketed. And if you do determine a limited diet is best for your cat, consider speaking with a veterinarian first.
The Natural Balance L.I.D. is a reputable limited cat ingredient cat formula and you have four sources of main protein to choose from between Chicken, Duck, Salmon, or Venison, and It's packed with essential vitamins that guarantee a healthy life for your beloved feline.
Further readings:
- Instinct Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Review
- Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Cat Food Review
- Best Soft Dry Cat Food Options
