3 Best Wet Cat Food Without Chicken Picks

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Is your cat not able to eat chicken?

Chicken is a common food source in most cat foods. Some are allergic to it.

Here’s our best wet cat food without chicken picks.

1. Instinct Original Rabbit – Best Overall
2. Ziwi Peak Venison – Runner Up
3. Avoderm Tuna & Crab – Best Value

It’s a challenge finding cat food without chicken.

Not to worry. In this article I’ve rounded up the healthiest wet cat foods without chicken to give your cat relief.

I’ll also go through buying tips to avoid chicken and answer frequently asked questions.

So what’s best?

Check it out below…

I am not a veterinarian and I recommend seeking the advice of a vet for any further questions. This article is not a replacement for medical advice.

3 Best Wet Cat Food Without Chicken Picks

How We Choose The Best Picks?

Using a database of popular cat foods I filtered wet cat foods without chicken. We’ve tested these cat foods with our cat testing team, where possible.

I selected the best options based on our scoring system (see the reviews).

This score is based on

• Trust
• Ingredients
• Nutrition
• Cost
• Taste

It’s designed to help you find the very best choice to meet your cats needs.

Here are our top 3 best chicken free wet cat foods.

1. Instinct Original Grain-free Real Rabbit

Best Overall Wet Cat Food Without Chicken

Summary

Instinct Original is the best chicken-free cat food we looked at. They offer a rabbit and pork recipe, helping cats with chicken allergy find relief.

Instinct is a US owned company that specializes in grain-free cat food which is helpful for sensitive stomachs. They also avoid using irritating ingredients like carrageenan.

Although this company is US based, Instinct ship some ingredients overseas. We also found mixed taste reviews for this product, which may relate to the added peas.

2. Ziwi Peak Venison Recipe

Best Quality Wet Cat Food Without Chicken

Summary

Ziwi Peak have a range of great chicken-free cat foods. Their foods are free from gums and carrageenan to help with sensitive stomachs.

This cat food uses grass-fed produce that gives all the nutrients cats need. It’s a full meal for cats of all life stages.

The main gripe I have with Ziwi Peak is the steep price. They also use chickpeas which raises the carbs and can put off fussy eaters.

Read More: Ziwi Peak Cat Food Review

3. Avoderm Tuna & Crab

Best Affordable Wet Cat Food Without Chicken

Summary

One of the best budget wet cat food choices to steer clear of chicken.

Avo Derm is a hit with fish loving cats. It’s also a great all-rounder, being suitable for cats of all life stages.

The main downside I’ve found with this cat food is the limited stock. The food also uses tapioca starch, which raises the carbs a little.

Whilst this cat food is a good chicken free option, I’d be weary of feeding your cat tuna every day.

More Great Cat Foods Without Chicken

Here is a full comparison table of great cat food options without chicken.

Best wet cat food without chicken	Price	Texture	Lifestage	Protein	Carbs	Cal/kg	Animal based ingredients
Hound & Gatos Duck & Liver	$$	Pate	All	45.5%	0.0%	1,222	Duck, salmon oil
Meat Mates Lamb Dinner	$$$	Pate	All	41.7%	1.7%	1,084	Lamb, fish oil
Instinct Original Rabbit	$$	Pate	All	59.1%	3.2%	944	Rabbit, pork
Fussie Cat Tuna Salmon	$$	Aspic	Adult	64.7%	0.0%	612	Tuna, salmon
Avo Derm Tuna & Crab	$	Gravy	All	55.6%	11.1%	829	Tuna, crab
Ziwi Peak Otago Valley	$$$	Pate	All	44.9%	4.1%	1,250	Beef, venison, lamb, mussels, blue whiting, Hoki
Earthborn Holistic Monterey	$$	Shreds	Adult	60.0%	7.5%	N/A	Fish, tuna, mackerel
Weruva Mideast Feast	$$	Gravy	Adult	64.9%	7.6%	746	Tuna, tilapia
Natural Balance Duck & Pea	$	Pate	Adult	40.9%	7.7%	1,220	Duck, salmon oil

Buying Guide

Most cat foods are loaded with chicken. It’s a popular ingredient.

Chicken is widely available. Cat’s love it.

The main thing you want to do is carefully go through every ingredient.

The front label might not say chicken, but that doesn’t mean the cat food is chicken free.

The ingredients list is usually on the back or side of the cat food. Take a close look to see if chicken pops up.

Now of course, there’s more chicken based ingredients.

This includes:

• Chicken by-products
• Chicken meal
• Poultry by-products
• Poultry meal
• Chicken fat
• Animal by-products

Meat by-products are only from mammals, therefore you might not have to worry about meat by-products. To be sure, give meat by-products a miss too.

Does no chicken ingredients guarantee no chicken contamination? No.

Some chicken may find itself in the cat food, even if labelled as a limited ingredient cat food.

One study looked at 11 pet foods, finding 6 had ingredients not listed including chicken.

Whilst you can’t get 100% assurance, think about the pet food manufacture in general:

• Where are they making their food?
• Is it held to a high standard with frequent audits?
• Does the company have any recall issues?
• Does the company make a lot of chicken cat foods?

Some brands tend to use less chicken, although it’s common.

You’ll find chicken in budget cat foods more often as it’s a cheaper choice.

Why Avoid Chicken in Cat Food?

There’s no reason to avoid chicken, unless your cat has an allergy to it.

Chicken provides high quality protein and a range of micronutrients cats need.

If your cat is allergic to chicken, they’ll need to avoid chicken.

Signs of chicken allergy include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite

Food allergies require an elimination diet using novel protein cat food.

Read more about that here or talk with your vet.

Finally, make sure the cat food you choose is a product suitable for your cats dietary needs.

For that, you want to check that it meets AAFCO’s guidelines for your cats lifestage. This includes:

• Kittens: Growth or all-life stages
• Adults: Maintenance or all-life stages
• Older cats (7+): Growth* or all-life stages

Older cats are a tricky issue since there are technically no guidelines as defined by AAFCO. Check out my guide below for help with seniors, especially underweight older cats.

Learn More:

• How to Fatten up an Old Cat

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do You Feed a Cat With a Chicken Allergy?

Cats with a chicken allergy should start with an elimination diet. This involves a novel or hydrolyzed protein cat food to give your cat relief.

A novel protein cat food is a protein source your cat hasn’t eaten before. Typical examples include:

• Duck
• Venison
• Turkey
• Lamb
• Goat
• Kangaroo

Allergies develop with exposure. If there’s little to no exposure, then the risk of allergies is low.

Common food allergens include:

• Beef
• Fish
• Chicken

The goal with an elimination diet is to isolate the problem foods and provide a balanced diet.

A food challenge helps identify trouble foods.

Bottom Line: Use an elimination diet and food challenge to find out whether your cat is allergic to chicken.

How Do I Know if My Cat Is Allergic to Chicken?

Signs of chicken allergy include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Dry skin

The prevalence of allergies in cats is 1-6%.

Of course there’s no way to know what causes the allergy. Cats can be allergic to fleas as well.

So the first step is to go see a vet to rule out causes and find out if chicken is to blame.

Bottom Line: Symptoms of chicken allergy include vomiting and diarrhea. See a vet to rule out causes.

Is Turkey Ok for Cat With Chicken Allergy?

Yes, but it is possible to have a chicken and turkey allergy.

Make sure you introduce different meat sources by themselves to isolate the allergy. Do this with a food challenge.

For example, start by offering a turkey based cat food (without other protein). If your cat responds well without harm then they aren’t allergic to the food.

Bottom Line: Use a food challenge to find out if your cat tolerates turkey.

What Food Are Cats Most Allergic To?

Cats are most allergic to common protein sources including:

• Beef
• Chicken
• Fish

Most wet and dry cat foods use these food sources.

Bottom Line: Cats tend to have allergies to common protein sources including chicken, beef, and fish.

Can Cats Grow Out of Food Allergies?

It is possible to outgrow an allergy, at least in humans.

To know if your cat has outgrown their allergy, you need to do a food trial. This is a test with an isolated allergen (e.g. piece of chicken by itself).

If your cat reacts to the food, then they are probably still allergic to it.

Remember, allergies are about isolation. Isolate and eliminate.

Bottom Line: Humans can outgrow allergies, and cats may too.

Are Cats Allergic to Chicken in Cat Food?

They could be.

Cats may have allergies to a variety of common animal proteins including chicken.

The only way to find out the allergy is to go on an elimination diet and perform food challenges.

Bottom Line: Some cats may be allergic to chicken, but it’s somewhat uncommon.

Conclusion

Chicken is a food source that some cats are allergic to. This allergy can cause rashes and digestive upset.

To help find the source of the problem, use an elimination diet. A novel protein cat food without chicken works best.

>> Our top cat food without chicken: Instinct Original Grain-free Real Rabbit