Has your veterinarian recently prescribed the use of hypoallergenic cat food for your pet? You might wonder why this sudden change in diet is required. Well, this happens when your cat is allergic to one or more ingredients in its regular diet.
Even if they never had an allergic reaction to a particular ingredient, they can develop an allergy with age or an underlying disease. Regardless, if your cat shows signs of allergy, it is best to contact your veterinarian and seek answers immediately.
| Image | Brand | Price | Prime | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Top | Purina Pro Plan | PrimeEligible | Buy Now | |
 Top | Halo Purely For Pets | PrimeEligible | Buy Now | |
 Top | Blue Buffalo | PrimeEligible | Buy Now | |
 Top | Purina Beyond | PrimeEligible | Buy Now |
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What is Hypoallergenic Food for Cats?
Most veterinarians prescribe hypoallergenic food for cats that suffer from food allergies. These dietary options are formulated especially for allergic cats with minimal to zero allergens.
Your cat allergies flare up when their immune system tends to overreact to ingredients that aren’t normally harmful to your feline’s body. The prime agents known to cause allergies in cats are pollen, food, fur, and dust. They are termed allergens.
The ingredients in hypoallergenic food can vary from one cat to another depending on the things they react to. This can be determined with the help of your veterinarian.
How Does Taurine Help?
According to a study conducted on an animal model, it was seen that taurine was highly effective in alleviating the allergic and inflammatory reactions in certain animals. This stands true for felines as well. Cats need taurine for better digestion, normal vision, and effective functioning of the heart muscles.
It also helps maintain a smooth fetal development process while ensuring normal pregnancy with no complications. This nutrient also helps maintain the cat’s immune system while alleviating any signs of distress caused due to allergies.
If you are hunting for high-quality hypoallergenic food for cats that suffer from allergies, the key is to opt for options enriched with taurine.
How to Find Out if Your Cat is Allergic to a Given Food Ingredient?
If your feline friend is diagnosed with allergy symptoms, you need to be positive as there is a way to resolve the issue. The first thing is to find out who the culprit is. In this case, you need to narrow down the ingredients responsible for the allergic reaction.
Cats generally react to the protein content in the food. The common protein ingredients that your cat could be allergic to include:
- Chicken
- Beef
- Seafood
- Dairy Products
To filter out the protein causing allergies in your cat, the veterinarian will place your pet on a test diet with a duration of 6 to 8 weeks. This will help narrow down the ingredient that has been causing the issue.
While your pet is on its hypoallergenic diet, make sure you don’t give them any kind of cat treats that might flare up the issue once again. Also, when picking hypoallergenic cat food, make sure you select the ones with a single high-quality protein source instead of several low-quality ones.
5 Things to Look for in a Hypoallergenic Pet Food
When purchasing your cat food, there are certain aspects you need to keep in mind. Before you purchase the right hypoallergenic food for your cat, let us check out the basics.
1. Select Novel Protein
Novel protein includes dietary ingredients that generally don’t make it to your cat’s regular diet. Your cat might or might not have taken this ingredient throughout their life. Regardless, these protein sources are commonly not seen in regular cat food.
Novel protein-based cat food helps provide the required protein to your allergic cat while eliminating any possible allergens that stem from common protein sources.
2. Hydrolyzed Food
Giving your cat hydrolyzed food ensures that your cat doesn’t have to deal with allergic reactions. This is because it contains trace or smaller amounts of high-quality protein that isn’t recognized by your cat’s immune system responsible for inducing allergic reactions.
As a result, your cat can easily consume hydrolyzed food containing the exact protein they are allergic to.
3. Food with Limited Ingredients
Limited-ingredients dietary supplements are free of most animal-based proteins & usually contain non-animal protein to reduce any possibility of allergic reactions.
Moreover, some variants can have just one protein source from animals. These food options are perfect for cats that suffer from extreme allergies.
4. Wet vs Dry Food
Cats are very picky when it comes to drinking water. They can easily skip water for days, and it wouldn’t even seem obvious on the face. However, they are getting dehydrated from the inside. This is especially important if your cat is suffering from allergies.
You need to decide between dry and wet food for your pet cat. Depending on the brand, wet food for cats contains about 65 percent of moisture content. On the other hand, dry food consists of 20 percent less moisture.
Therefore, it is recommended that you provide your cat with high-quality wet food instead of dry one when your pet suffers from allergies.
However, you can also soak your dry food in some water to ensure that your pet doesn’t feed constipated and is properly hydrated.
Best Hypoallergenic Cat Food with Taurine
1. The Best Hypoallergenic Cat Food
The Purina Pro allergen reducing cat food comprises rice and chicken formula that helps reduce a cat’s allergies. The cat food safely neutralizes the Fel D1, a commonly occurring allergen noted in your cat’s saliva mixed with protein present in the egg.
Formulated after decades of quality research, this cat food for allergic felines helps with a significant reduction of allergens that stem from the cat’s dander and hair. The food can reduce the allergens by as much as 47 percent within 3 weeks of changing the diet.
Purina Pro contains chicken as the first ingredient to ensure that your pet gets access to nothing but high-quality protein. The formula is also enriched with rice that supports the maintenance of your cat’s muscle mass.
Pros:
- Enriched with fortified & live probiotics that guarantee better digestive health
- Ensures better immune health for your feline
- Gentle on the stomach and ensures better digestive health
- It contains omega-6 to help nourish the coat and skin
- Reduces the production of dander in the skin
Cons:
- A bit expensive as compared to the competitors
- Some cats might notice a coarse fur texture
2. The Best Cat Food with Taurine
When a cat suffers from an allergy, the key to preventing it from happening again is to provide only real whole meat instead of by-products or chicken meal. This ensures that your cat gets only high-quality chicken and nothing else.
The formula has been certified as sustainably sourced, giving you the peace of mind that your cat is eating only the best. Halo doesn’t include any protein that comes from factory-farmed animals. The formula also uses non-GMO fruits & vegetables that are light on your cat’s stomach.
The dry cat diet is formulated and packaged in the United States with high-quality ingredients sourced from trustworthy farms. Halo also contains healthy and wholesome grains that provide your cat with the required energy source for better digestion.
Pros:
- It contains added taurine to support your cat’s heart and eye health
- It helps maintain your cat’s muscle mass with weight balance
- Provides your cat with the required energy to keep them going
- Tasty & crunchy texture that pleases picky eaters
- Relieves any possibility of constipation in cats with natural fiber
Cons:
- Feeding too much might cause diarrhea in some cats
- Recent recipe change doesn’t go well for the cats
3. Blue Buffalo Natural Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food
The best thing about Blue Buffalo Basics is that it features real duck protein and helps relieve your cat from any allergic reactions. This cat food packs in a single protein source along with pumpkin and potatoes that support your cat’s digestive system, especially if they are highly sensitive.
This cat food for indoor pets helps adhere to your cat’s unique health needs. It doesn’t contain any protein from chicken or beef. It also doesn’t have any other allergens, such as wheat, dairy, soy, corn, or eggs, making it an ideal option for felines with food allergies.
The cat food also consists of Lifesource Bits that have a blend of vitamins, antioxidants, & minerals that are carefully selected to support your cat’s immune system and health.
Pros:
- It doesn’t contain any by-products or other allergens
- It contains duck protein as the first ingredient for allergy reduction
- Ensures gentle digestion with its grain-free formulation
- It contains active antioxidants and healthy nutrients
- It consists of vitamin E and C to support the cat’s immune health
Cons:
- Pellets are very chewy, and some cats might not like it
- It might cause some cats to fart a lot
If a pet is stealing your cat’s food then pay attention to it and figure out who is stealing food of your cat to keep the furkid healthy, our listed ways and suggestions help you a lot to find the culprit in no time.
We recently also figure out the difference between Cat Food Premium vs Generic Brands which helps you to make your mind about a specific range and brand.
Conclusion
Knowing that your cat has been diagnosed with allergic issues could be very overwhelming for pet parents. However, with the best dietary supplements & help from an experienced veterinarian, you can get rid of this anxiety that ails you.
Moreover, you will ensure that your cat thrives and no longer suffer from the reactions. Finally, make sure you pick an alternative that is gentle for your pet’s stomach.