11 Best Cat Foods for Allergies (Hypoallergenic Cat Foods) – 2025 Reviews & Top Picks

What we feed our cats directly impacts their health and appearance. This is true even for cats that have allergies to certain kinds of ingredients and foods. It’s a fine line you must walk: balancing food that is good for your cat’s condition, with food that they will eat. We review the 11 best cat foods, canned and dry, for cats with allergies. Some are for cats with sensitive stomachs, and others are for cats with skin issues. We hope that these reviews will help you find the food that helps your cat’s condition and that they will enjoy eating.

Disclaimer: The foods reviewed here were chosen because they have certain characteristics that might help with some of the causes or consequences of this medical condition. However, they are not a medical treatment or a substitute for medical treatment. Keep in mind that each medical case is different and what works for some pets may not work for others. Your veterinarian is the right person to advise you on the best diet for your pet’s case.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2025

The 11 Best Cat Foods For Allergies

1. Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food Subscription Service — Best Overall

As pet owners know, cats are notoriously picky about what they eat. Unfortunately, many big brands for cat food may include ingredients our kitties don’t like. That’s one of the standout features of Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food. The sign-up questionnaire addresses this point right from the start to ensure your cat doesn’t consume anything they are allergic to. It is a perfect solution for cats with allergies, making it our 1st best overall choice!

The food comes pre-packaged in amounts optimized for your pet’s body condition. That’s a welcome feature since it’ll help you avoid overfeeding your cat. The one downside is the delivery. It could be potentially problematic during the summer, although they do include ice packs to keep food cold. Remember, though, that we’re talking about fresh meat that will spoil if it gets into the danger zone¹.

The recipes fit the standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). However, it is worth mentioning that the term human-grade is not regulated and is simply a marketing term². Nevertheless, the company’s heart is in the right place with formulas available in beef, chicken, and turkey. It also provides food in two texture options to please the most discerning feline palates.

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2. Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals Canned Cat Food — Budget Buy

The best cat food for cats with allergies for the money is Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals Canned Cat Food. This canned food is in pâté form and comes in a variety pack of four flavors: beef, white meat chicken, wild Alaskan salmon, and trout and tuna. It is a hypoallergenic formula without any added artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. It also doesn’t contain soy, wheat, corn, or any by-product fillers. It does contain natural ingredients and added vitamins and minerals, so it is a 100% nutritionally balanced diet. However, the disadvantages include that picky cats might not enjoy this food. Having a variety pack is a great idea if your cat is indeed picky, but if your cat doesn’t like some (or any) of the flavors, you’ll have wasted money.

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3. Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Dry Cat Food

Another great choice for hypoallergenic cat food is the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Hydrolyzed Protein HP Cat Food. This dry food has been made with hydrolyzed soy protein, which can be absorbed in your cat’s digestive tract and is not likely to provoke a reaction in the immune system. It assists in reducing both gastrointestinal and skin reactions, which commonly occur with the proteins found in other pet foods. The proteins are formulated in a smaller size that is much less likely to be recognized by your cat’s immune system, which means less chance of a bad reaction to the food. It has fibers, prebiotics, and nutrients that will help cats with skin sensitivities and digestive issues. Unfortunately, this food is quite expensive, and you need authorization from your vet to purchase it. It is also quite high in calories and fat, so less active cats might gain weight on it.

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4. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry Kitten Food

If you have a kitten you may want to consider Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Dry Cat Food. While this food isn’t advertised as hypoallergenic, it is grain-free and doesn’t contain wheat, soy, corn, or any meat by-products. It is high protein for your growing kitten and made with deboned chicken and several fruits and vegetables, such as cranberries, carrots, blueberries, and sweet potatoes, for natural sources of carbohydrates and antioxidants. Taurine is included, which contributes to your kitten’s eye and cognitive health. The main disadvantage of this food is that it is fairly expensive, and it might cause stomach upset in some kittens.

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5. Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food

The next best cat food for cats with allergies is the Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food. It comes in five different sizes (from 2 up to 15 pounds) and is a dry kibble made with deboned chicken. This cat food is specially designed for any cat with a sensitive tummy and includes FOS prebiotics, which help the digestion and absorption of nutrients. It also includes omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, which help develop healthy skin and coat, and various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It does not include any artificial flavors or preservatives, wheat, corn, soy, or meat by-products. However, there are drawbacks. This food is fairly high in calories and might be too high for less active cats, as weight gain is possible. Also, it won’t necessarily work for every cat with sensitive stomachs and regurgitation issues.

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6. Purina Beyond Simply Dry Cat Food

Purina Beyond Simply Dry Cat Food has salmon as its first ingredient, which is an excellent source of omega fatty acids. It contains added minerals and vitamins and probiotics and limited (rather than multiple) ingredients that aid in digestion and GI health. It doesn’t have any animal by-products, soy, wheat, corn, artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors. Other than the possibility of some cats not enjoying this food, the only real problem is that some cats might develop an allergic reaction to it.

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7. Purina Pro Plan LiveClear Sensitive Skin Dry Cat Food

The Purina Pro Plan LiveClear Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food contains prebiotic fiber, which helps your cat’s GI, and live probiotics for immune and digestive system support. It is high protein with turkey as the main ingredient. It has the added advantage for cat owners with cat allergies, as it is specifically designed to reduce cat allergens through an egg-based protein. Fel d 1 is an allergen found in cat saliva, and this protein neutralizes it. This food can reduce your cat’s dander and hair allergens by about 47% after 3 weeks on this diet. However, this food is not grain-free, so avoid it if your cat has issues with grains. It is also a little more expensive than some other foods.

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8. Purina ONE Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food

The best food for cats with skin allergies is the Purina ONE Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food. This dry kibble supports a cat with sensitive skin and stomach issues, with turkey as the main ingredient. It contains added vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for a healthy digestive system and omega fatty acids for a cat’s sensitive skin. Drawbacks include that it is not grain-free. It does contain wheat, corn, soy, and chicken by-product. It also might cause gastrointestinal upset in some cats. Vomiting and diarrhea have occurred in a few cats with this food.

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9. American Journey Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

American Journey Dry Cat Food has deboned turkey as the main ingredient, followed by deboned chicken, fruits, and vegetables. It’s grain-free without any added meat by-products, wheat, corn, soy, or artificial preservatives. It does contain omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat, antioxidants for immune system support, and taurine for heart and eye health. On the downside, it’s more expensive than some other brands, and the texture and size of the kibble is sometimes inconsistent.

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10. Sheba Perfect Portions Multipack Wet Cat Food

The Sheba Perfect Portions Grain-Free Multipack Wet Cat Food comes in three different flavors of chicken, salmon, and turkey. They are all available in morsels with gravy formula. This food is made pea- and grain-free, so there’s no corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, or flavors. Each flavor comes in an individual twin pack that you snap apart and peel open, making for an easy and more convenient way to feed your cat — there are 48 servings altogether. Unfortunately, the packaging of these twin packs isn’t environmentally friendly. Also, while the peeling open of each pack is convenient, it tends to occasionally squirt out some of the gravy, so be careful while opening!

• Read more: Sheba Cat Food Reviews

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11. Purina Beyond Simply Dry Cat Food

Purina Beyond Simply Dry Cat Food has a high-protein ocean whitefish flavor and includes sweet potato and eggs for added nutrients. It also contains natural probiotics for a healthy digestive system. It’s grain-free and gluten-free and doesn’t contain wheat, soy, corn, no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or animal by-products. However, it does contain chicken meal, so if your cat is sensitive to chicken, you’ll want to avoid this one. This food was also recently changed to a new recipe, so some cats that appreciated the old recipe might not like the new one. Some also might find the size of the kibble to be too big.

 

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting The Best Cat Food for Allergies

Finding just the right cat food for a cat with allergies is crucial because you want your cat to be healthy but also enjoy their food. Some cats will wolf almost anything down, while others can be pretty finicky. The following are just a few tips for you to consider while shopping for food for your sensitive cat.

Ingredients

This is the most crucial part of buying food if your cat has allergies. You’ll always want to read the ingredient list in case the food does contain anything that might negatively affect your kitty. Protein is super important for all cats because they’re obligate carnivores (which means that in order to survive, their diet should consist of animal proteins), but in some cases, cats might be sensitive toward different types of animal proteins. It is rare for a cat to have sensitivities toward gluten and wheat, so just make sure that your vet knows that you’re shopping for food for your cat. They might also recommend a few brands.

Cat’s Weight

The exact amount of calories an individual animal needs to maintain a healthy weight is variable and influenced by many factors including genetics, age, breed, and activity level. This tool is meant to be used only as a guideline for healthy individuals and does not substitute veterinary advice 

Several of the foods on our list are quite high in calories and fat, which might cause your cat to gain weight. If you’ve found the perfect food for your cat’s allergies, but it’s also causing weight gain, speak to your vet. You might need to cut back on the amount that you’re doling out and increase exercise through play.

Canned or Dry

It’s usually best to stick with the kind of food that your cat is used to and prefers. If your cat is used to canned food only, you should shop for suitable hypoallergenic canned food. In some cases, canned food can be the better option for cats with digestive problems.

Your Vet

In some of the more extreme allergy cases, some cats might need a prescription diet that you can only get through your vet’s authorization. Unfortunately, many of these foods are on the expensive side, but your cat’s health is worth the extra cost. Don’t forget to introduce any new food slowly and gradually. This is even more essential for cats with sensitive stomachs and digestive issues.

While providing our feline companions with high-quality food is paramount, selecting the right food and water bowl is equally important. The modern yet practical design of our Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl combines cat-catered features, like whisker-friendly shallow dishes and slight elevation, with a contemporary style aimed at protecting your floors from messy eating and drinking. The NomNom is entirely dishwasher safe and was thoughtfully created with your cat’s health and well-being in mind. 

Conclusion

Our choice for the best overall cat food for cats with allergies is the Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food  for its high quality fresh protein sources and limited high quality ingredients to support better digestion. The best hypoallergenic cat food for the money is the Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals Canned Cat Food for its variety of flavors that are 100% nutritionally balanced. Our pick for premium choice is the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Hydrolyzed Protein HP Cat Food for its hydrolyzed soy protein, which will help cats with digestion issues. Lastly, the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Dry Cat Food is our pick for the best food for kittens with allergies. We hope that our reviews of these hypoallergenic cat foods have helped you to find the food that will help your cats with sensitive skin or stomachs and that they will enjoy chowing down on!

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Featured Image Credit: Djavan Rodriguez, Shutterstock