Protein is essential to your cat’s diet. In fact, protein is one of the most critical nutrients for cats because they need it to produce energy and fuel bodily processes. Protein also helps reduce your cat’s risk of obesity as it keeps them full and prevents them from overeating.
Chicken is the cheapest and most common source of protein for cats, but some felines are allergic to this ingredient. Most picky eaters also prefer cat foods that don’t use chicken as their protein source. If your cat falls in any of these categories, this article can help.
Here, we’ll present some of the best cat foods that don’t contain any chicken. The information presented in this article will help you pick the best cat food for your pet without compromising their protein and nutritional requirements.
Table of Contents
Best Cat Food Without Chicken
Dry Food
- Go! Solutions Carnivore
- Blue Buffalo Limited Ingredient Diet
- Taste of the Wild Canyon River
Wet Food
- Wellness CORE 95% Grain-Free Wet Cat Food
- Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Beef & Cheese Entree in Gravy Canned Cat Food
- Instinct Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Pate
What Are Alternative Sources of Animal Protein?
- Beef
- Fish
- Lamb
- Rabbit
Best Cat Food Without Chicken
While some cat owners give dry foods to their pets, others prefer wet foods. No matter what type of diet your cat currently has, we got you covered. We’ll present our top picks on the best dry and wet cat foods with zero chicken content!
Dry Food
Feeding your cat with dry foods offers plenty of benefits, namely convenience and cost. Dry cat foods also support your cat’s natural grazing and promote dental health.
If you’ve been giving dry cat food to your pet, this section is made especially for you. Here are dry cat foods without chicken:
Although Go! Solutions Carnivore doesn’t contain chicken, it’s still an excellent source of protein for your cat as it primarily uses lamb and wild boar. This dry dog food features antioxidants to support healthy urinary tracts and taurine to maintain healthy vision and heart health.
What makes the Go! Solutions Carnivore stands out from other dry cat food is that it contains digestive enzymes and probiotics that support healthy digestion. It also has prebiotic fibers that ensure the healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in your cat’s gut.
Here are other things your cat will love about the Go! Solutions Carnivore:
- Suitable for both indoor and outdoor cats.
- It’s free from by-product meals, artificial preservatives, and common allergens, such as wheat and soy.
- Ideal for cats of all breeds and life stages.
The Blue Buffalo Limited Ingredient Diet is a runner-up on our list because it uses one protein source and one carbohydrate source. Limited ingredient diets are highly beneficial for cats who suffer from severe food allergies and are great options for chicken-free cat foods.
Because its ingredient uses pumpkin and potatoes, choosing the Blue Buffalo Limited Ingredient Diet for your cat ensures a healthier digestive tract. It also contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support stronger immune system health.
Your cat will also enjoy the following from the Blue Buffalo Limited Ingredient Diet:
- Made with the finest ingredients to ensure quality.
- Contains omega-3 and omega-6 that promote skin and coat health.
- It’s free from chicken, beef, dairy, corn, and eggs.
Our list of the best cat food without chicken will not be complete without the Taste of the Wild Canyon River. This dry cat food is our best budget-friendly option and features trout as its first ingredient. Trout is a lean source of protein that contains omega-3 fatty acids that are essential to your cat’s brain, joints, cells, and heart.
The Taste of the Wild Canyon River also offers the following:
- Contains different nutrients that provide energy to felines.
- Uses fruits and superfoods as sources of vitamins and minerals.
- Has proprietary probiotics, prebiotics, and antioxidants that support healthy digestion, a stronger immune system, and overall wellness.
Wet Food
Now that we’ve presented the best dry cat food without chicken, it’s time to talk about wet dry cat food with zero chicken. There are plenty of wet cat foods available today, but only a very few don’t use chicken. If you don’t know which chicken-free wet cat food to choose, consider the following:
Instead of using chicken, the Wellness CORE 95% Grain-Free Wet Cat Food features 95% turkey meat as its source of protein. This wet cat food also includes healthy fats, fruits and vegetables without common allergens, like wheat, corn, and soy.
The Wellness CORE 95% Grain-Free Wet Cat Food is low in carbohydrates, making it an excellent choice for cats who are prone to obesity or are trying to maintain a healthy weight. It also supports healthy hydration to improve the overall well-being of your feline friend.
Here are other things Wellness CORE 95% Grain-Free Wet Cat Food has to offer:
- It’s free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
- Supports healthy skin and coat.
- Grain-free.
If your kitty loves beef and cheese, the Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Beef & Cheese Entree in Gravy Canned Cat Food is a must-try. This wet dog food is mouthwatering because of its moist texture, savory gravy, and real beef and cheese contents. It’s also one of the cheapest options on our list, meaning you don’t have to break the bank.
Your cat will also enjoy these from Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Beef & Cheese Entree in Gravy Canned Cat Food:
- Features more than 25 essential vitamins and minerals, plus taurine and amino acids.
- Provides 100% balanced and complete nutrition for adult cats of all breeds.
- Supports a healthy immune system, fur, and skin.
The Instinct Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Pate contains 95% lamb, liver, and turkey and 5% vegetables, fruits, and other wholesome ingredients. This high-protein wet cat food is made without any fillers and allergens, such as corn, wheat, soy, by-product meats, and artificial colors and preservatives.
You can serve the Instinct Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Pate as a meal or as a topper to your cat’s regular kibbles. Thanks to its delicious pate texture and strong aroma, this wet cat food will surely entice even the pickiest eaters!
We also love these features from the Instinct Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Pate:
- Offers complete and balanced nutrition from real ingredients to support felines throughout their life stages.
- Ideal for cats who have food sensitivities.
- Contains plant ingredients, such as tomato, pumpkin, cranberries, and artichokes.
What Are Alternative Sources of Animal Protein?
Chicken is the most common source of animal protein for felines, but this doesn’t mean it’s the only source available. If your cat is allergic to chicken or doesn’t eat anything with chicken, good news because there are plenty of alternative sources of animal protein, like:
Beef
Beef is one of the best sources of animal protein for cats. It’s packed with natural antioxidants and minerals, such as iron and zinc, necessary to your cat’s overall health and wellness. The high taurine content of beef also helps maintain healthy digestion, eyes, and immune systems in cats.
Fish
If you’re looking for a low-fat alternative to chicken, fish is the best way to go. Fish are rich in omega fatty acids and calcium that promote stronger bones and keep your cat’s coat silky and smooth.
Lamb
You can also feed your cat foods that contain lamb if they don’t like chicken. Lamb contains myoglobin that helps bring oxygen to the muscles, providing your cat with energy. Lamb also has different antioxidants and minerals.
Rabbit
Rabbit is a must for cats struggling to maintain a healthy weight because it’s low-calorie and low-fat. Unlike other types of meats, rabbit contains less sodium. It’s also packed with calcium and phosphorus, which are essential in maintaining healthy organ, cell, and tissue functions.
Seek For Your Vet’s Approval
Changing your cat’s diet abruptly can cause digestive problems, such as diarrhea and vomiting. To prevent this from happening, talk to your vet before introducing any of the cat foods mentioned here. Make sure that the vet approves of the chicken-free cat food you’re planning to give to your pet.