5 Best Cat Foods Without Carrageenan for Easy Digestion

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Carrageenan is a seaweed thickener used in many wet cat foods. It has no nutrition value, and can irritate digestion.

Here’s our 5 best cat foods without carrageenan:

1. Fancy Feast Creamy Delights | Best Overall
2. Meat Mates Lamb | Best for Older Cats
3. Tiki Baby Cat | Best for Kittens
4. Sheba Perfect Portions | Most Affordable
5. Avo Derm Tuna & Crab | Best for Indoor Cats

So how can you find great quality cat foods without carrageenan?

Feeding your cat isn’t too hard, but there’s still a few mines to dodge if you want to avoid iffy ingredients.

Whilst the jury is still out on how harmful carrageenan is, sometimes it’s best to err on the side of caution.

At worst, the seaweed based ingredient may increase the risk of disease and cancer.

In this article, I’ll help you find a carrageenan free cat food your feline will love. I’ll also look at some frequently asked questions on the topic.

I test and analyze the popular cat foods in the markets to find the best of the best.

So is carrageenan that that bad? Do you need to run for the hills?

Read on to find out…

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

5 Best Cat Foods Without Carrageenan

Here’s my top cat food picks without carrageenan to give you some quick options to look at.

1. Fancy Feast Creamy Delights

Best Cat Food Without Carrageenan

2. Meat Mates Lamb

Best Carrageenan-Free Cat Food for Older Cats

3. Tiki Baby Cat

Best Kitten Food Without Carrageenan

4. Sheba Perfect Portions Roasted Turkey

Best Affordable Cat Food Without Carrageenan

5. Avo Derm Tuna & Crab

Best Indoor Cat Food Without Carrageenan

How Did I Choose These Cat Foods?

I used a database of foods I’ve looked at and filtered for carrageenan. Since you’ll find carrageenan in wet foods, I’ve left out dry cat food.

I’ve sorted options from low to high carb and highlighted key features in this table. You can also see whether the food uses gums, another thickener you might want to avoid.

Here’s the full list of carrageenan-free cat food for peace of mind:

Best cat foods without carrageenan	Texture	Lifestage	Cost	Taste	Gums	Protein	Carbs	Fiber	Cal/kg
Hound & Gatos Duck & Liver	Pate	All	$$	8	Yes	45.5%	0.0%	4.5%	1,222
Tiki Baby Cat Chicken & Egg	Shreds	All	$$$	10	No	62.5%	0.0%	8.3%	1175
Tiki Cat After Dark Chicken	Shreds	All	$$$	8.5	No	77.7%	0.1%	0.0%	751
Fancy Feast Savory Centers Pate With Chicken	Pate	Adult	$$	9.5	Yes	45.0%	1.0%	7.5%	966
Meat Mates Lamb Dinner	Pate	All	$$$	9	No	41.7%	1.7%	3.9%	1,084
Feline Natural Chicken & Lamb Feast	Pate	All	$$$	7.5	No	51.5%	2.1%	0.5%	895
Tiki Baby Cat Chicken & Salmon	Shreds	All	$$$	10	No	62.5%	2.1%	8.3%	1175
Purina Pro Plan Kitten Grain-Free Chicken	Pate	Growth	$$	9.5	Yes	51.1%	2.1%	6.4%	1,321
Purina Pro Plan Kitten Chicken & Liver	Pate	Growth	$$	9	Yes	51.1%	2.1%	6.4%	1,173
Wellness Smooth Loaf Chicken	Pate	Adult	$$	8.5	Yes	47.7%	2.6%	4.5%	1,116
Iams Perfect Portions Indoor Chicken	Gravy	Adult	$$	9	Yes	50.0%	2.8%	5.6%	937
Instinct Original Grain-free Real Rabbit	Pate	All	$$	9	No	59.1%	3.2%	6.8%	944
Wellness Core Tiny Tasters Duck	Pate	Adult	$$$	9.5	Yes	46.7%	3.7%	0.4%	1,291
Ziwi Peak Otago Valley	Pate	All	$$$	7	No	44.9%	4.1%	4.1%	1,250
Applaws Chicken Breast in Broth	Broth	Supplement	$$	9	No	75.0%	5.0%	5.0%	N/A
Nulo Freestyle Duck & Tuna	Pate	All	$	8.5	Yes	51.4%	5.8%	0.4%	1,225
Sheba Perfect Portions Roasted Turkey	Pate	All	$	9.5	Yes	45.0%	7.5%	7.5%	1,112
Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medleys Tuna & Mackerel	Shreds	Adult	$$	9.5	Yes	60.0%	7.5%	7.5%	N/A
Weruva Mideast Feast With Grilled Tilapia	Gravy	Adult	$$$	9.5	Yes	64.9%	7.6%	5.4%	746
Halo Chicken Stew	Stew	Adult	$	8	Yes	43.9%	7.8%	7.3%	1,025
Royal Canin Kitten Feline Health Nutrition Loaf	Pate	Growth	$$	9	Yes	55.0%	9.0%	10.5%	894
Avo Derm Tuna & Crab	Gravy	All	$	9	Yes	55.6%	11.1%	5.6%	829
Friskies Pate Turkey & Giblets	Pate	Adult	$	9.5	Yes	45.5%	12.3%	4.5%	1,131
Purina Beyond Arctic Char & Spinach	Pate	Adult	$$	9	Yes	40.9%	13.6%	6.8%	1200
Tiny Tiger Chicken	Gravy	All	$	8	Yes	55.0%	14.0%	7.5%	929
9 Lives Meat Protein With Real Chicken	Pate	Adult	$	9	Yes	40.9%	15.9%	4.5%	1,050
Wellness Morsels With Chicken & Turkey	Chunks	Adult	$$$	9	Yes	37.1%	18.2%	4.3%	725
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Chicken	Pate	Adult	$$	8.5	Yes	45.5%	18.6%	4.5%	1,132
Wellness Morsels With Chicken & Salmon	Chunks	Adult	$$$	7.5	Yes	44.2%	21.0%	3.2%	725
Castor & Pollux Organix Chicken & Chicken Liver	Pate	All	$$	8.5	No	40.9%	22.3%	4.5%	1116
Made By Nacho Beef Cuts	Gravy	Adult	$$$	9	Yes	44.4%	25.0%	8.3%	814

Buying Guide: How to Find the Best Cat Foods Without Carrageenan

Carrageenan is a thickener. As you’d expect, it’s used in wet cat food products.

So if you’re using dry cat food don’t worry about it.

To find whether your cat food uses carrageenan, check the ingredient list on the back or side of the cat food label. Some foods use very small print, so be careful.

You can also find information online.

Some retailers are better than others at showing ingredient information on cat foods. Hit control + F on the nutritional information panel to look for carrageenan.

Here’s an example on Chewy:

Another thing is to keep in mind is some countries use numbers for additives.

In Australia, for instance, carrageenan is E407.

Also look for vague terms like ‘gelling agents’ as this can include gums and carrageenan. If you see this term, it’s best to stay on the safe side.

Finally, you of course want a cat food suitable for your cat dietary needs.

For that, I recommend making sure to select food that meets AAFCO’s nutrition guidelines for:

• Growth: Kittens (up to 1 years)
• Maintenance: Adult cats (1-7 years)
• All life stages: Kittens or adults

AAFCO don’t set nutrition guidelines for senior cats. You can find senior care guidelines at American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) website.

Most cat foods suitable for all life stages are good choices for older cats, but you’ll want to opt for a high protein diet for age related muscle loss.

That’s about it! Easy yeah?

Learn More:

• How Much Should I Feed my Cat?
• How to Read a Cat Food Label

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Carrageenan Harmful to Cats?

Degraded carrageenan may cause inflammatory conditions including:

• Colitis
• Arthritis
• Irritable bowel disease
• Colon cancer

Some degradation of carrageenan can occur through digestion. It’s not well known how much carrageenan is enough to cause harm in cats.

It’s this form of carrageenan that’s used in test models of inflammation.

The amount of carrageenan used to cause digestive disorders is much higher than found in cat food (less than 1%).

Carrageenan is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.

The jury is still out on how much carrageenan is harmful.

Does Purina Cat Food Contain Carrageenan?

The following brands from Purina don’t use carrageenan:

• Friskies
• Fancy Feast
• Purina ONE
• Purina PRO PLAN
• Purina BEYOND

Be mindful that these offshoots have their own range of cat food. There’s a huge range of cat food products from Purina that can change ingredients.

Different countries have different types of Purina cat foods.

Most Purina cat foods are carrageenan free but always double check.

Why Do They Put Carrageenan in Cat Food?

Carrageenan is a thickener that helps stop cat food from being runny and watery.

This thickener gets used in a lot of human products including milkshake and ice-cream.

It’s even used for other purposes including toothpaste and shampoo.

Does Royal Canin Cat Food Contain Carrageenan?

Like Purina, Royal Canin have a wide range of cat food choices and regional differences.

The Royal Canin cat foods we’ve looked at contain no carrageenan. Always double check to make sure.

Conclusion

Carrageenan is a thickener used in wet cat food. It helps prevent an unpleasant watery texture.

Whilst it helps with texture, carrageenan may cause health problems in cats. Degraded carrageenan can increase the risk of colon cancer and irritable bowel disease.

The jury is out whether the small amount used in cat food is harmful. However, for most pet owners it’s best to stay on the safe side for your cats wellbeing.

Our best cat food without carrageenan pick: Feline Natural